With only five years on the clock as a band Thermality return with their third album Concept 42. Hailing from Sweden they play melodeath, and when you come from the country that pretty much invented it.
Thermality come from Vara though not Gothenburg but as it's only an hour away they still have many of the same influences, they also clearly have a youthful exuberance which keeps them creating new music. Some of this is due to it being part of their studies but to release two albums and EP in five years is pretty impressive by anyone's standards.
So does album three offer anything new? Not really, from a musical side they are still very much inspired by the likes of In Flames (Breaking Point) and others in the Swedish scene but Thermality also lean on the US metalcore sound too (Brainstorm), giving this record an added aggression.
With melodeath and metalcore at the heart of this record, it has a particular sound that will appeal to a particular fan base however Thermality still have plenty of talent and a seemingly endless supply of songs. 7/10
Nornes - Thou Hast Done Nothing (Sleeping Church Records)
Coming from Valenciennes a city close the the Belgian border, French band Nornes bring city levelling riffs, hostile atmospheres and a nihilistic approach to songwriting.
Formed in 2017 they have created a niche for themselves that has funeral and traditional doom styles colliding with death metal for slow, introspective chugs with moments of haunting atmosphere. With both guitarists providing vocals they use both of them to bring gravelled toned growls are countered by grief stricken cleans.
With Thou Hast Done Nothing, they tweak everything further, cranking up the death metal aggression inside tracks such as Our Love Of Absurd, adding post metal melancholy to Perceptions In Grey and just making their music slower, louder and more grief stricken.
This is Nornes making a statement as a band, they don't want to be pigeonholed as a band, collecting styles together into a five track trudge through sadness. 7/10
Feather Mountain - A Liminal Step (Self Released)
In the world of modern prog metal Sweden has been at the forefront, much like the are in every other bloody genre, however Denmark has been drip feeding prog metal bands over the last few years who can be compared to many of the genre leaders.
With bands such as Pyramaze, Wuthering Heights, Manticora leading to Mnemic, Vola, The Interbeing and now Feather Mountain, the more classical take on the first set now shifting into the djenty rhythms, cut through with electronics on the second set.
A Liminal Step is the newest album from Feather Mountain, it's expressive, channelling the vulnerability of trauma and societal structures, all inspired by tarot card and takes the listener on a journey through these emotions with cathartic vocals, off time start stop riffs and pulsating atmospheres that throb with ambient synths.
It's steeped in complexity, both emotionally and musically, with a lean towards modern metalcore in the vocals, the band bringing in Gabriele Landillo of Benthos to add guest vocals to Role Me In. A Liminal Step is the third album from Feather Mountain and it's their most expressive and personal yet. 7/10
Underking - Dungeon Crawler EP (Self Released)
Sometimes an album sounds nothing like you expected it too and those are the albums that I really enjoy listening to. Underking came together in 2019 as the creative output for Nottingham based musician Maxwell Jeffries. Starting out as solo project with Jeffries playing everything, Underking have three albums under their belt, turning into a live act in 2021 to play these songs across the UK.
However Underking is now just a solo act again and on Dungeon Crawler, Maxwell showcases his talents as composer and his love of all things nerdy as Underking is inspired by fantasy/sci-fi stories such as Star Wars, LOTR and others exactly the sort of literature and media you would expect on an album entitled Dungeon Crawler, which has a song called Danger! Darkness! Dwarves!
Musically it's quite diverse, with Priest and Maiden obvious on the gallops and twin guitar harmonies on King Under The Mountain. There's also the likes of Megadeth and Trivium adding a heavier/thrashier sound to the riffs and the vocals too, evident from the opening track The Necromancer.
A modern mix of thrash and classic metal, Dungeon Crawler resets Underking as a studio project but shows off the skills of its creator with this new EP. 8/10
Thermality come from Vara though not Gothenburg but as it's only an hour away they still have many of the same influences, they also clearly have a youthful exuberance which keeps them creating new music. Some of this is due to it being part of their studies but to release two albums and EP in five years is pretty impressive by anyone's standards.
So does album three offer anything new? Not really, from a musical side they are still very much inspired by the likes of In Flames (Breaking Point) and others in the Swedish scene but Thermality also lean on the US metalcore sound too (Brainstorm), giving this record an added aggression.
With melodeath and metalcore at the heart of this record, it has a particular sound that will appeal to a particular fan base however Thermality still have plenty of talent and a seemingly endless supply of songs. 7/10
Nornes - Thou Hast Done Nothing (Sleeping Church Records)
Coming from Valenciennes a city close the the Belgian border, French band Nornes bring city levelling riffs, hostile atmospheres and a nihilistic approach to songwriting.
Formed in 2017 they have created a niche for themselves that has funeral and traditional doom styles colliding with death metal for slow, introspective chugs with moments of haunting atmosphere. With both guitarists providing vocals they use both of them to bring gravelled toned growls are countered by grief stricken cleans.
With Thou Hast Done Nothing, they tweak everything further, cranking up the death metal aggression inside tracks such as Our Love Of Absurd, adding post metal melancholy to Perceptions In Grey and just making their music slower, louder and more grief stricken.
This is Nornes making a statement as a band, they don't want to be pigeonholed as a band, collecting styles together into a five track trudge through sadness. 7/10
Feather Mountain - A Liminal Step (Self Released)
In the world of modern prog metal Sweden has been at the forefront, much like the are in every other bloody genre, however Denmark has been drip feeding prog metal bands over the last few years who can be compared to many of the genre leaders.
With bands such as Pyramaze, Wuthering Heights, Manticora leading to Mnemic, Vola, The Interbeing and now Feather Mountain, the more classical take on the first set now shifting into the djenty rhythms, cut through with electronics on the second set.
A Liminal Step is the newest album from Feather Mountain, it's expressive, channelling the vulnerability of trauma and societal structures, all inspired by tarot card and takes the listener on a journey through these emotions with cathartic vocals, off time start stop riffs and pulsating atmospheres that throb with ambient synths.
It's steeped in complexity, both emotionally and musically, with a lean towards modern metalcore in the vocals, the band bringing in Gabriele Landillo of Benthos to add guest vocals to Role Me In. A Liminal Step is the third album from Feather Mountain and it's their most expressive and personal yet. 7/10
Underking - Dungeon Crawler EP (Self Released)
Sometimes an album sounds nothing like you expected it too and those are the albums that I really enjoy listening to. Underking came together in 2019 as the creative output for Nottingham based musician Maxwell Jeffries. Starting out as solo project with Jeffries playing everything, Underking have three albums under their belt, turning into a live act in 2021 to play these songs across the UK.
However Underking is now just a solo act again and on Dungeon Crawler, Maxwell showcases his talents as composer and his love of all things nerdy as Underking is inspired by fantasy/sci-fi stories such as Star Wars, LOTR and others exactly the sort of literature and media you would expect on an album entitled Dungeon Crawler, which has a song called Danger! Darkness! Dwarves!
Musically it's quite diverse, with Priest and Maiden obvious on the gallops and twin guitar harmonies on King Under The Mountain. There's also the likes of Megadeth and Trivium adding a heavier/thrashier sound to the riffs and the vocals too, evident from the opening track The Necromancer.
A modern mix of thrash and classic metal, Dungeon Crawler resets Underking as a studio project but shows off the skills of its creator with this new EP. 8/10
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