Upcoming Metal: Week of September 7th
Mortal Scepter
Ethereal Dominance
Releases September 9th on Xtreem Music
Genre: Blackened Thrash Metal
On their second album, Mortal Scepter continue to deliver a demanding and brutal presence from their debut Where Light Suffocates. The title track delivers that classic 80’s Bay Area thrash sound with the guitar tone and driving drumming. With vocals akin to Cronos of Venom in the delivery. Forming that first wave black metal sound that just hits like a freight train as an opener. Songs like “Redshifting To Death” and “Omegacide Deadrays” continue that blackened thrash sound, but amplified in intensity and complemented by headbang-inducing riffs. If you want that classic thrash/black metal sound from acts like Bathory, Celtic Frost and Venom, this album will scratch that itch and have you keep scratching.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Matt Miller
Fiber Tormentum
Releases September 12th on Exitus Stratagem Records
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Pushing his technical playing and creativity, Matt Miller delivers his sixth album Fiber Tormentum. With a dreary and dark piano/strings combo on album opener “Descent into Violence”, it builds to an almost cinematic-horror undertone before the riff comes crushing in. Vocals are deep and guttural, with an almost gritty, barking delivery like Dallas Tolber-Wade or Corpsegrinder in delivery and power. I adored the complexity and fretboard-hopping of “Summoned”. Making all the guitar nerds squeal with the sheer complexity, randomness and all over the place pacing. Loved the solo on “Maimed, Paralyzed, Dead” and “Horror Beyond Comprehension” just goes for the throat in its sadistic nature on the guitar riff. I think this could be a sleeper hit or hidden gem for death metal when it comes to those end of the year lists.
SCORE: 4.5 / 5
Motherless
Do You Feel Safe?
Releases September 12th on Prosthetic Records
Genre: Stoner Metal
From the distorted, bass heavy lead on “Reptile Dysfunction”, this post/stoner metal act captures an unknowing evil and hostility in the album’s opening track. With an almost crust-punk groove to the track, it definitely is a track to bang your head along with the drumming. “Abrupt Violence” has a true, anguishing and deep guttural scream and growl throughout, all while tracks like “You Seem So Damn Sure” almost forms a dark, gang chorus feeling to it, but much more unhinged and unholy sounding. My favorite track was “Darling, You Don’t Look Well”, a track soaked in progressive sludge that Mastodon fans would eat up. With moments that I felt dragged on a bit too long or songs sounding a bit too similar, the album does bring the heaviness in atmosphere, sludgy & doomy guitars, and vocals that sound so disjointed, angry but deeply dark and evil in the performance.
SCORE: 3.5 / 5
Nicholas Cage Fighter
I Watched You Burn
Releases September 12th on Bleeding Art Collective / Blood Blast Distribution
Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore
Bringing the caveman, pit-starting intensity of the album’s title track, Nicholas Cage Fighter bring the sheer hostility and punch a wall intensity that acts like Kublai Khan TX and Ringworm deliver. “Valley of Agony” just had such a sick and disgustingly heavy riff, while “The Executioner” delivers that classic drum-intensity before the breakdown. “Existing Beyond Death” and “Legacies of Dust” just are so heavy, stank-face inducing and have a fist-pumping aura that just brings out the alpha-male testosterone to a fever pitch. Brutal in nature and delivery, breakdown heavy and overall just a punishing listen, at just over thirty-seven minutes, it knocks you out and waits for you to get back up for round two.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Revelator
Light The Devil’s Fire
Releases September 12th on Nameless Grave Records
Genre: Black/Death Metal
With production that matches the rough demo quality of early second wave black metal, Revelator not only captures that era, but also adds a feeling of old school death metal in the process. “Death Serenade” give me Bewitcher vibes with the infusion of classic heavy metal over black/death metal. And “By The Whip” is just a track that will get the pit going into a fever frenzy with that opening riff and blast beat combo. A hydra of different genres that just blends so well toghether on this album, Light The Devil’s Fire is one hell of a debut and definitely will have me keep an eye on this Canadian act to see what they do on their follow-up.
SCORE: 5 / 5
Schreigarm
Mara Comes and Darkness Shall Reign
Releases September 12th on Purity Through Fire
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
On the instrumental album opener “Darkness Shall Reign”, Schreigarm really builds the ambience and atmosphere with piercing synths and cavernous reverb. As the madness begins to increase with double bass, distorted guitars and soaring guitars, it segues into true blasphemy on “Winds of The Ancient Pantheons”. As a duo, it is impressive how layered and grand the band sounds with the production and instrumentation. “When The Ravens Flow Through My Veins” has a driving, melodic black metal riff that I was instantly headbanging along throughout. With “Nine Days on The Gallows Tree” being the standout track for me. The sheer instrumentation and orchestration, combined with the soaring leads, anguishing and reverb-soaked vocals, just washed over me in a sea of bleakness and tragedy. Overall, an improvement from the debut, and a solid record from this German act.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Thorndale
Spiritual Chains
Releases September 12th independently
Genre: Stoner/Doom Metal
”Veins of The Phoenix” has that gritty, bluesy swagger to the guitars in its opening moments. Bringing the sleazy aesthetic to the band, accompanied by the bellowing vocals of Gustavo Valderrama. With a sound that just comes off as a heavier, darker take on Queens of The Stone Age or Clutch. “Battles Fought in Vain” and “Twenty Thousand Souls” bring a lot more heavier tone in the thundering drums. While the music is solid, I wasn’t fan of some of the musical directions. Like I liked the stoner/doom riffage, but then the chorus takes away from the heaviness the song delivers. If you want you’re heavy metal to have a tinge of (I hate using this term) “Butt rock” vibe to it, this album might hit that spot. But for me, It has its moments that were good, but wasn’t complete for me.
SCORE: 2.5 / 5
Der Weg einer Freiheit
Innern
Releases September 12th on Season of Mist
Genre: Black Metal
From the captivating and alluring intro of “Marter”, Germany’s Der Weg einer Freiheit add such a doomy, post-metal ambience to their black metal presentation. Tobias Schuler’s drumming punches through the mix as the tension and anticipation builds to a haunting landscape of distortion and ascending guitars. Nikita Kamprad pierce through the double bass and uneasy atmosphere into punishing blast beats and aggressive guitar wails. At over ten-minutes, “Xibalba” pushes that trippy, post-black metal guitar tone, before returning to sheer unholy black metal and pounding drumming. Capturing that truly atmospheric black metal soundscape that Wolves in The Throne Room nail. “Eos” was a true standout for me. The vocal arrangement and creative and complex orchestration on the track just delivers a crater of sheer heaviness and dynamic power. The album does shift more into a more post-metal dominance on the second half of the album. For me, was hit and miss on some of the musical direction, but Der Weg einer Freiheit continue to develop and push their sound further from their last record Noktvrn. Creating a true album that creates that dance of life that can be beautiful, tragic, and dark throughout it all.
SCORE: 3.5 / 5
