Upcoming Metal: Week of October 5th
Occult Kenji
Of Gods and Ancestors
Releases October 7th independently
Genre: Folk Metal/Metalcore
With a peaceful, somber and entrancing opening guitar, “The Hand of Nergal” has such a chugging, thumping bass lead to it. With a swaying groove to it, the vocals of Marios "Kenji" Michaelides adds a deep, bass delivery in a tribal Sepultura-like presence. Songs like “The Sea Peoples” have that groove metal vibe to it, but add a nice atmospheric dynamic feel to the song. I do like the addition of clean vocals on “King Nothing” and “Apollo's Cup - アポロの杯”. Though some songs can be a bit formulaic and/or predictable, the creativity is there and I think just needs to be a bit more front and center in the future for the band to stand out. A good first step in this band’s debut and I am curious in the potential this one man project can go.
SCORE: 3 / 5
Blindfolded and Led To The Woods
The Hardest Thing About Being God is That No One Believes Me
Releases October 10th on Prosthetic Records
Genre: Technical/Avant-garde Death Metal
The haunting and eerie opening of “Arrows of Golden Light” teases industrial experimentation and clean acoustic passages. Bringing a foreboding and bleak feeling in its delivery. Stace Fifield’s vocals just sound so disgustingly dense and visceral in his vocals on the track. I love the guitar tone and opening riff of “Red”, before turning into a blast-beat barrage of drumming and palm-muted riffage. Nick Smith’s bass rings heavy in the mix and just adds more weight to the overall rhythm section of the band. Almost going black metal on the song. The album’s title track is just a beast of a track within itself, with a brutal accompaniment with the following song “Snow Angel”. An overall really good record that is heavy, and though doesn’t top some of the highs of the band’s previous album Rejecting Obliteration, in my opinion will still appease the fanbase and is solid record in the band’s discography.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Dead Heat
Process of Elimination
Releases October 10th on Metal Blade Records
Genre: Crossover/Thrash Metal
”Perpetual Punishment” just hits the ground running after the clean acoustic guitar opening. With gang vocals straight out of the 80’s, it is a barn-burner of an opening track. I loved “Annihilation Nation” with its almost galloping, thrash riff on the verse, while “The Order” has an almost Exhorder/Pantera groove to the riff and drum combination. “Enemy” has such a sick sounding opening bass lead, and “Solace Denied” has a pretty heavy and slow-paced opening riff before the band hits the gas and just goes for the throat for the whole track. Production wise, I do wish the mix was a bit better. As it seems like the music is louder than the vocals, resembling a “loudness war” kind of aesthetic. If it was more balanced, it would have been a bit better in my opinion, but I think its just nit-picking. Good record and will be a great album to check out if you love the modern day crossover revival Power Trip and Municipal Waste were bringing to the table.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Vulnificus
Inclination
Releases October 10th on Comatose Music
Genre: Brutal Death Metal
On their debut, Vulnificus brings the sheer brutality from the opening of “
Bacterial Backlash”. The deep, gurgle vocals of Eston Browne give off that brutal death metal/goregrind tone. With the chugging guitars and a pummeling double bass, the album hits both brutal and slam death metal in some of the riff and drum pieces. “The Internecine Incarnation” has a pretty, technical death metal vibe with the opening bass lead and sheer bombardment of blasts and chugs. And tracks like “Involuntarily Incapacitated” & “Inexplicably Beguiled” will leave your neck sore and your throat scratchy as you try to hit that deep guttural delivery. Brutal record that delivers the technical brutality, inhuman vocals and just under forty minutes, makes it a solid death metal record and a band to keep an eye on in the future with their follow-up.
SCORE: 5 / 5
Ungoliath
Shadows of The Eclipse
Releases October 10th independently
Genre: Black Metal
“Sealed in Fire, Crowned in Dusk” has such a cold, blistering thrash opening and blasting drums akin to Immortal. The wall of distortion and drum striking just hits as the vocals become to rise from the depths. Bane’s vocals have that froggy, gritty, bellowing delivery as the music just rises above him and adds this boisterous and epic scale. Reverb-heavy “Threnody of The Fallen Sphere” continues the abrasive and harsh vocal and production, but will give you really good second-wave black metal with a bit better production. “Cry of The Broken Realm” is a true standout with the use of keys and synths, along with the musical pacing and structure. “The Cosmic Bind” also has the same feel, but doesn’t hit quite the same as “Cry of The Broken Realm”. A huge step-up in musical composition and production compared to the debut Whispers of The Gale, and delivers that rough-and-ready second wave black metal sound I dig, but with unique and creative orchestration along with a much heavier and denser sound.
SCORE: 4 / 5
