Upcoming Metal: Week of September 28th
Ripspreader
As Gods Devour
Releases September 28th on Xtreem Music
Genre: Death Metal
On their eleventh album, Ribspreader brings the chugging, swedish death metal sound right out the gates with the album’s title track. With a nasty guitar tone, and deep guttural growls from Rogga Johansson, it brings a sludgy, chugging heaviness throughout like classic 90’s death metal for the entire three and a half minutes. Håkan Stuvemark adds some death/doom type riffs, like in the opening of “The Pig in You” and “Feeder Bleeder”, that segue into fast-paced, thrashy old school death metal. “Punish You” has a nice, commanding drum performance by Jon Rudin. If you want that classic old school death metal sound from the era of Grave & Entombed, you need to check this album out and give it a spin and give this twenty-year act the attention it deserves.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Cultic
Lore
Releases October 3rd on Eleventh Key Records
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
With a cover that looks straight out of a Dungeons & Dragons’ players manual, the music captures that same vibe and presentation with Cultic’s third album. “Nomad” adds a dungeon-synth brass section amongst the deep, monster-like growls from Brian Magar. Having moments of doom metal and black metal strumming at some parts, it adds such a dark and ominous delivery to the song. “Fool” & “Crone” has a really heavy sludgy grooves to them in the pacing and heaviness of the riff. While “Night Grifter” & “Tyrant’s Horde” adds a thundering drum presence by Rebecca Magar as bassist Andrew Harris’ thumps and thuds in a foreboding and dark attack with the drums. The short, dungeon-synth style interludes also add unique pacing throughout the album and don’t overstay their welcome. Giving reprieve from the sheer bass-heavy power of the band’s performance. A heavy, pounding and truly atmospheric record that captures the darkest D&D campaign the band could muster.
SCORE: 5 / 5
Valdur
Guilded Abyss
Releases October 3rd on Bloody Mountain Records
Genre: Black/Death Metal
As the album opens with “Hailing Molten Meteors”, it rings out in piercing black metal tremolo guitars. Before blaring drums attack like machine-gun fire and just assaulting the listener with a sheer sonic attack of drums and guitars. As guitars intensify and the deep, cavernous vocals of Jackson can barely be heard amongst the sheer blitzkrieg of noise. “Mangled and Rotting” continues the onslaught, bringing vibes of Portal in the presentation, but way more hostile and violent in the delivery and guitar playing. I LOVED “Doomed Pt. II”, the eerie and ominous production, slowed-down heaviness, sets an anxiety inducing tension and an all hope is loss picture to the track. And “Drinking From The Challice of Banishment” has a jagged guitar running throughout with driving drums that just add an unrelenting pace to the song. Harsh, abrasive, cavernous and creating a fear of the unknown, Valdur might be conjuring an unknown evil with this record.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Lucynine
Melena
Releases October 3rd on Talheim Records
Genre: Post-Black/Avant Garde
”Uomo in Mare” just instantly hits the listener with aggressive black metal guitar and drums, with vocals buried so deep in the mix amongst the ringing synths and aggressive drums. Creating dread and true melancholy, with a sound mixing atmospheric, depressive black metal with wailing synths that try to peer through the sheer aggression of the guitars and drums. I love the jangly bass lead on “Narciso non Muore”, that gets accented by whispering vocals and sporadic drumming throughout. The album’s title track and “Oltre la Soglia” add nice elements of dark ambient and industrial, to create a unique combination that adds to the darkness of the post-black metal genre. But also adds mystique and mysticism to the aura of those songs. Experimental in nature and presentation, but a beautiful tragedy in the sonic journey it took the listener on, Lucynine delivered an album that captures a truly dark portrait of pain and isolation.
SCORE: 4.5 / 5
Hooded Menace
Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration
Releases October 3rd on Season of Mist
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
The soaring, 80’s tinge of album opener “Twilight Passages” is a nice, soft opening. Before “Pale Masquerade” brings the heaviness and the driving drums of Pekka Koskelo and groovy riff of Lasse Pyykkö. Harri Kuokkanen’s deep growls add to the old school heavy metal NWOBHM riff in a way more intense delivery and sound. I love the guitar build on “Portrait Without A Face” that has beautiful violin in the background of the pounding double bass and soaring lead guitars. And “Daughters of Lingering Pain” has a NASTY sounding bass lead at the halfway mark that had me bobbing my head and stank-facing the entire time. This was an awesome record for me. Combining my love of 80’s tropes like synth leads and piano, combined with the death/doom genre that has really flourished in recent years, and the production making the record sound like it’s straight out the 80’s. If you love acts like Acid Witch, Temple of Void and Fulci, I HIGHLY recommend you check this album out and enjoy it with a good pair of headphones.
SCORE: 5 / 5
