Neo-Classical Melodeath now as French band Aephanemer return with new release Utopie, their fourth album and the follow up to 2021's A Dream Of Wilderness.
Utopie goes bigger than their last three records, it's massive, cinematic record that really relies on the symphonic elements to make a mark, inspired by the those noted composers of the past, Utopie has layers of strings, choirs and more, in a similar vein to the likes of Fleshgod Apocalypse or Wintersun.
They easily balance the orchestral movements with blistering melodeath which has blistering blastbeats, a melodic guitar assault and raspy vocals. There are times I was wondering if I was listening to the right record as Aephanemer embrace some traditional/folk elements on this album too, with the folk traditions of the Slavic countries a major addition to what is a reinvention of what they do as a band.
Having always dabbled in symphonic styled melodeath, with Utopie they fully embrace the power of classical orchestration as being just as potent as their metallic moments. This duality born from the concept around the record which sees utopia not as an escape to paradise but as a confrontation of what has been before and the look towards harmony between all beings.
This philosophical depth is just as impressive as their music, especially when you consider Aephanemer are a trio, the scope they can reach is mind blowing. With much of the lyrics in their native French, the ferocious vocal menace that little more as the music veers from agony to ecstasy. Utopie redefines Aephanemer as a band, cementing their legacy as one of the most musically driven acts out their. 9/10
Runemagick – Cycle Of The Dying Sun (Hammerheart Records) [Rick Eaglestone]
The Swedish veterans have been ploughing the furrow of death doom for decades and returning with Circle Of The Dying Sun demonstrating they've lost none of their appetite for glacial riffs and occult atmospherics.
Runemagick deal in a very specific currency: slow, crushing, and utterly remorseless death metal that owes as much to Cathedral and early Paradise Lost as it does to Autopsy and Incantation. It is doom metal played by death metal musicians, or should that be death metal slowed down until it becomes something altogether more sinister?
There is no clean singing here, no melodic respite – just relentless, guttural proclamations that emerge from some unknowable abyss – case in point The Runestones Lament and has an early Morbid Angel feel with ominous tones and dominant basslines.
The album ebbs and flows in ways that prevent it from becoming a monotonous slog. There are moments of relative calm, where the tempo drops even further and the atmosphere becomes genuinely oppressive. Then there are passages where the band accelerate into mid-paced sections that feel positively frantic by comparison. It's all relative, of course – this is still an album where "fast" means something vastly different than it would on a thrash or black metal record.
I do love how is unapologetically traditional it sounds and almost stubborn the band are even if it means the album won't win many converts beyond their existing fanbase but then unwillingness not to compromise does lean into the apparent construction of the album which does boast some rather tight production which is highlighted in the trilogy of Spires Of The Drowned Horizon.
As well as both parts equally of Embers Of The Unwritten Dawn which although incredibly short compared to much of the album create an almost justification of the bands longevity and even only 2 years on from the frankly Majestically gloom filled Beyond The Cenotaph Of Mankind the band a really managed to maintain the level of mystery that surrounds them which has always been so compelling.
This is also very much an album rather than a collection of individual tracks. Listening to songs in isolation doesn't really work – you need to experience the full oppressive weight of the complete package to appreciate what Runemagick are doing here. It is a commitment, certainly, but one that rewards patience. 8/10
This is also very much an album rather than a collection of individual tracks. Listening to songs in isolation doesn't really work – you need to experience the full oppressive weight of the complete package to appreciate what Runemagick are doing here. It is a commitment, certainly, but one that rewards patience. 8/10
Takomaha – American Basements (Loyal Blood Records) [Spike]
One of the things I love about reviewing stuff for Musipedia of Metal is I would probably have never just stumbled across this EP and because I get to do this I’ve found a new wonderful thing.
So let’s get into this.
The press release for this Oslo unit mentions "urban dystopia" and "noise," which is probably the most polite way to say this EP sounds like a four-track fever dream recorded inside a municipal garbage disposal IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. This isn’t rock music; it’s the sound of the structural integrity of your own anxiety finally failing.
Takomaha wields a sound that is fundamentally hostile, it feels like it was designed to be anything but easy. From the first coil of feedback (note: starting any EP with feedback is a win for me) on the title track American Basements, the atmosphere is saturated with the digital grime of modern living. They are experts in controlled chaos. The guitars don't just play riffs; they grate sound out, high-end sonic shrapnel tearing across a bass line so thick it should require its own postal code. The vocals arrive exasperated and monotone, clinging onto an indifferent void. This is what happens when post-rock philosophy meets the need to smash something.
The sheer unpredictability is the album’s strength. Scopekreep tumbles out of the gate with disorienting rhythms and lovely dissonance before it transitions into a nasty, forward-driving groove. It’s the band exposing serenity as a lie, only to reveal that the truth is a full-volume noise rock crescendo. Elsewhere, Tropical Slitwrist plays a dangerous game. It opens with big, unnerving washes of sound, then drops straight into a dark-dancehall electro beat. It's a calculated, eight-minute jam that builds tension until the bass finally hammers the track into submission.
The closer, No_Clip, ensures you don't leave feeling clean or satisfied. The entire EP is a reflection on a world choking on its own self-entitlement, and Takomaha’s prescription is a heavy, abrasive acid bath. If you prefer your music to be safe, streamlined, and emotionally resolved, stay away. If you enjoy the sensation of sonic punishment delivered with intense precision and a wicked sense of groove, grab a neck brace. This is essential noise and I love it. 9/10
Heavy Pettin' - Rock Generation (Silver Lining Music) [Simon Black]
Well, this was a blast from the past.
Although not a band I followed at the time, they were much loved in the glory days of the Hard Rock / NWOBHM boom in the 1980’s. Like many acts at the time, Glasgow’s finest ran into a wall at the end of the decade as big hair and big riffs fell out of favour, and apart from a brief reunion a live album, some compilations around the turn of the millennium, plus the occasional live appearance they haven’t released any new studio material since 1989 and have for all intents and purposes been on a three decade long hiatus since they went out with a Big Bang in 1989.
Part of Heavy Pettin’s challenge back in ye olden dayes was they spent a lot of effort trying to coat tail the briefly commercially successful Glam movement of the day, despite being more of a straight ahead NWOBHM/Rock affair, and that association probably didn’t help when the major labels of the time started ditching any acts with so much of a whiff of hairspray in favour of all things Grunge. This new recording is old school slightly Metal-tinged Rock ‘n’ Roll, and that never gets old and with three decades of delay, the songs have the benefit of a long gestation period and a lot of experience, so generally hit the mark with the right balance between melody, groove and welly.
First off, this isn’t a grand line up reunion; it’s vocalist and last man standing from the original days Steve Hayman, but you wouldn’t know that because they have done a rather grand job at capturing the sound and feeling of that long gone heyday, albeit with much better production values, but just as much reverb as so many records of the 80’s positively dripped... I suspect they don’t have much use for the accompanying hairspray now though…
Hayman can still hit the notes but does seem to struggle with the sustain in places (although this might be a case of being a bit over the top with the reverb), but it adds a rough edginess that makes things feel fresh, balanced well between strong production and fresh rock ‘n’ roll energy. The songs are all mostly anthemic rockers of the kind that work well live, and the album breezes past leaving me in a good mood, which is always a good start. It looks like they are going to be spending most of the next year touring with Uriah Heap and April Wine, plus some headline shows of their own next summer, and I for one have some catching up to do. 7/10
One of the things I love about reviewing stuff for Musipedia of Metal is I would probably have never just stumbled across this EP and because I get to do this I’ve found a new wonderful thing.
So let’s get into this.
The press release for this Oslo unit mentions "urban dystopia" and "noise," which is probably the most polite way to say this EP sounds like a four-track fever dream recorded inside a municipal garbage disposal IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. This isn’t rock music; it’s the sound of the structural integrity of your own anxiety finally failing.
Takomaha wields a sound that is fundamentally hostile, it feels like it was designed to be anything but easy. From the first coil of feedback (note: starting any EP with feedback is a win for me) on the title track American Basements, the atmosphere is saturated with the digital grime of modern living. They are experts in controlled chaos. The guitars don't just play riffs; they grate sound out, high-end sonic shrapnel tearing across a bass line so thick it should require its own postal code. The vocals arrive exasperated and monotone, clinging onto an indifferent void. This is what happens when post-rock philosophy meets the need to smash something.
The sheer unpredictability is the album’s strength. Scopekreep tumbles out of the gate with disorienting rhythms and lovely dissonance before it transitions into a nasty, forward-driving groove. It’s the band exposing serenity as a lie, only to reveal that the truth is a full-volume noise rock crescendo. Elsewhere, Tropical Slitwrist plays a dangerous game. It opens with big, unnerving washes of sound, then drops straight into a dark-dancehall electro beat. It's a calculated, eight-minute jam that builds tension until the bass finally hammers the track into submission.
The closer, No_Clip, ensures you don't leave feeling clean or satisfied. The entire EP is a reflection on a world choking on its own self-entitlement, and Takomaha’s prescription is a heavy, abrasive acid bath. If you prefer your music to be safe, streamlined, and emotionally resolved, stay away. If you enjoy the sensation of sonic punishment delivered with intense precision and a wicked sense of groove, grab a neck brace. This is essential noise and I love it. 9/10
Heavy Pettin' - Rock Generation (Silver Lining Music) [Simon Black]
Well, this was a blast from the past.
Although not a band I followed at the time, they were much loved in the glory days of the Hard Rock / NWOBHM boom in the 1980’s. Like many acts at the time, Glasgow’s finest ran into a wall at the end of the decade as big hair and big riffs fell out of favour, and apart from a brief reunion a live album, some compilations around the turn of the millennium, plus the occasional live appearance they haven’t released any new studio material since 1989 and have for all intents and purposes been on a three decade long hiatus since they went out with a Big Bang in 1989.
Part of Heavy Pettin’s challenge back in ye olden dayes was they spent a lot of effort trying to coat tail the briefly commercially successful Glam movement of the day, despite being more of a straight ahead NWOBHM/Rock affair, and that association probably didn’t help when the major labels of the time started ditching any acts with so much of a whiff of hairspray in favour of all things Grunge. This new recording is old school slightly Metal-tinged Rock ‘n’ Roll, and that never gets old and with three decades of delay, the songs have the benefit of a long gestation period and a lot of experience, so generally hit the mark with the right balance between melody, groove and welly.
First off, this isn’t a grand line up reunion; it’s vocalist and last man standing from the original days Steve Hayman, but you wouldn’t know that because they have done a rather grand job at capturing the sound and feeling of that long gone heyday, albeit with much better production values, but just as much reverb as so many records of the 80’s positively dripped... I suspect they don’t have much use for the accompanying hairspray now though…
Hayman can still hit the notes but does seem to struggle with the sustain in places (although this might be a case of being a bit over the top with the reverb), but it adds a rough edginess that makes things feel fresh, balanced well between strong production and fresh rock ‘n’ roll energy. The songs are all mostly anthemic rockers of the kind that work well live, and the album breezes past leaving me in a good mood, which is always a good start. It looks like they are going to be spending most of the next year touring with Uriah Heap and April Wine, plus some headline shows of their own next summer, and I for one have some catching up to do. 7/10
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