Solid releases all around this week, so let's get right into it: we'll take a look at highly anticipated albums from Baroness and The Contortionist, and delve into albums from Hexen and Bestial Holocaust that, if not already on your radar, should most definitely be. Here are all the new releases for 7/17:
Baroness – Yellow & Green
Genre: Stoner/Sludge/Rock n' Roll
Country: United States
Label: Relapse Records
Listen: "Take My Bones Away"
I'll be honest here: I've never exactly been the biggest Baroness fan (blasphemy, I know). And while I've never dedicated any serious amount of time to their music, the bits and pieces I have heard do absolutely nothing for me, as is the case with most of this pop-sludge/rock stuff. Despite this, however, I can't deny that the Baroness fan-base is absolutely rabid. So I've tried to give this album a genuine shot from an objective standpoint. And it's not bad. The band has dropped most of their harder, darker elements; opting instead for a light, airy, upbeat and retro-rock sound. Everything is smooth, there are no sharp edges; it's fuzz and warmth and happiness wrapped in a sweet southern charm. This is all well and good, but at certain moments I found myself dozing off, as the album seems to endlessly repeat its central motifs, playing off all the aforementioned qualities to a tedious degree. This is an enjoyable album if only for its accessibility, but its focus on melody and convention leaves a giant hole where their should be some heavy hitting rock n' roll; some genuine punch and swing.
The Contortionist – Intrinsic
Genre: Deathcore/Progressive
Country: United States
Label: Good Fight Music
Listen: "Geocentric Confusion"
The Contortionist are one of those rare, popular deathcore bands that actually get respect from the metal community. And it's not hard to see why. Their new album, Intrinsic, is a spacey, groovy, heavy and meditative journey of sound, pulling heavily from the likes of Cynic and Between The Buried & Me while also incorporating the modern, djenty undertones of bands like Tesseract and Periphery. The album is connected from start to finish by a common musical concept; maelstroms of brutality and tranquility and the space that opens up between them. The Contortionist fill these spaces with silken jazz chords, glitchy effects, singing piano lines, otherworldly clean vocals. It all comes together perfectly, all parts of every song being necessary to the success of one another. This is the type of music that will draw you in immediately, and by the third song you'll be completely engulfed in this cosmic soundscape; in deep reflection at what is being presented to you. I have never listened to a Contortionist album before this, but Intrinsic has impressed the fuck out of me, and I'll most certainly be coming back for more.
Bestial Holocaust – Into The Goat Vulva
Genre: Blackened Thrash Metal
Country: Bolivia
Label: Iron Bonehead
Listen: "Sacrifició"
This kind of stuff is just fun. This is the kind of stuff you throw on when you just want something METAL. No bullshit, no frills, no grand concepts or dramatic experimentation. Just filthy, raw, nihilistic fucking metal. Bestial Holocaust deliver on all fronts; Into The Goat Vulva, aside from having potentially the most ridiculous/awesome title of the year, is a fucking clinic in old-school satanic thrash metal, hitting every sinister note, every blood-curdling scream, every ferocious blast beat. It even sounds like it was recorded in the early 90's. And knowing exactly what you're in for before you even hear the music only adds to this album's charm.
Hexen – Being And Nothingness
Genre: Melodic Thrash/Progressive
Country: United States
Label: Pulverised Records
Listen: "Stream Of Unconsciousness"
I had absolutely no idea who Hexen was when I went to select the featured albums this week; I was merely intrigued by the very direct reference to Sarte in their album title. The concepts developed in Sarte's Being and Nothingness have been influencing metal lyrics for years now, so I was interested to see a band tackle his work more directly. And while I will shamefully admit that I did not read the lyrics to this, I can say that the music most certainly did not fail to pique my interest. I'm not exactly sure how to describe these guys; the general sound is one of Kreator or Sodom-esque thrash metal, infused with tons of melody and solid song structure, and with more than a hint of Death influence. But there's also a heavy progressive element, with virtuosic instrumental sections at every turn, as if the members of Dream Theater suddenly decided to play 80's thrash metal. This all leads to a very interesting dichotomy, as the album alternates between being painfully generic and absolutely amazing. I don't have a final word on this, but I will say it is definitely worth checking out and taking note of.
More Releases:
Andrew W.K. – I Get Wet Re-Release
Blacklodge – Machination
Bury Tomorrow – The Union Of Crowns
Deathronation – Exorchrism
Denial Of God – Death And The Beyond
District 97 – Trouble With Machines
Enabler – All Hail The Void
Engorgement – Excruciating Intestinal Lacerations
For The Fallen Dreams – Wasted Youth
Hellyeah – Band Of Brothers
A Hero A Fake – The Future Again
Hordes Of The Morning Star – Consummatum Est
The Howling Wind – Of Babalon
Kadavar – Kadavar
Leander Rising – Leander Rising
Moonloop – Deeply from the Earth
Orphaned Land – The Beloveds Cry Re-Release
The Other – The Devils You Know
Ozzy Osbourne – Speak Of The Devil DVD
Poisonous – Perdition's Den
Rocking Corpses – Rock N' Rott
Satanic Bloodspraying – At The Mercy Of Satan
The Shrine – Primitive Blast
Simbiose – Economical Terrorism
Sodom – 30 Years Sodomized – 1982-2012 Box Set
The Treatment – This Might Hurt
Tremonti – All I Was
Virgin Steele – Life Among The Ruins Re-Release
Witchcraft – The Alchemist Re-Release
Witchcraft – Firewood Re-Release
Witchcraft – Witchcraft Re-Release
