Some more of the epic, expansive and atmospheric black metal for you? With some quality influences on their sound – Amorphis, Type O Negative, Paradise Lost to name but three bands which should at least give you an idea of what they are like.
What they don’t believe in is short songs, and this is simply derived from an unshakable internal belief that in order to remain true to themselves the songs have to be what they have to be. Pretty sure that there was a band Called Earth that had one song that was 50 minutes long, but that’s another story.
Anyway Of Radiance And Levitation is their near 10minute opening statement. Its difficult for me to accurately explain it but if you imagine that they decided that they were going to tell you a story and basically grab you from the opening seconds. I’ve said before that there are some bands that make 3 minutes feel like a lifetime and some that make ten fly past in seconds, that is what this is like. The way it moves, develops from one stop to the next without losing you shows, at least to me that they have something very special happening when they get together in a room.
Anyway Of Radiance And Levitation is their near 10minute opening statement. Its difficult for me to accurately explain it but if you imagine that they decided that they were going to tell you a story and basically grab you from the opening seconds. I’ve said before that there are some bands that make 3 minutes feel like a lifetime and some that make ten fly past in seconds, that is what this is like. The way it moves, develops from one stop to the next without losing you shows, at least to me that they have something very special happening when they get together in a room.
Its heavy when it needs to be, soft and gentle elsewhere but never do you look at your watch and think ‘I wish to Christ this would finish’. Its chock full of what I call the good stuff, and then they go and do it again with To You, Author Of My Fade. I’m not quite sure how they made two songs that hit 18 minutes in total seem so brief. They don’t let anything sit, there is a constant sense of movement in place that remains, even in the softer parts.
I don’t mind the clean singing either, I think because they haven’t tried to do anything to it other than allow it to happen within the song. My fear is that with these grandiose songs that they forget that they need to move you too and that is an accusation that cannot be levelled at them. I’m not suggesting they are setting any records in terms of speed, but they know that to have an opening gambit such as this the material has to be special.
Spoiler – it’s pretty damn good.
As are the songs that follow; Lightless Days Of A Songless Bird has a lighter vibe running through it, which given the title is surprising. I’m not sure if this represents their slow third track moment, and I wouldn’t like to say that it is this album’s stop gap but it feels like that. Now, before fans get all broken up, let me just say it is a good song. Its just that it comes after an opening where anything would pale in its shadow. There are some stunning lead breaks on here, as well as thundering double bass it’s just that I would have loved for them to have made this one a little shorter.
Spoiler – it’s pretty damn good.
As are the songs that follow; Lightless Days Of A Songless Bird has a lighter vibe running through it, which given the title is surprising. I’m not sure if this represents their slow third track moment, and I wouldn’t like to say that it is this album’s stop gap but it feels like that. Now, before fans get all broken up, let me just say it is a good song. Its just that it comes after an opening where anything would pale in its shadow. There are some stunning lead breaks on here, as well as thundering double bass it’s just that I would have loved for them to have made this one a little shorter.
Which is what they do on By This Time Tomorrow (Ft Johan Reinholdz) and despite its lumbering tempo it doesn’t allow itself to drag. That perception of movement is in place, and on reflection this is the palate cleanser/hold-point because once it wraps, they push up the gear again with Once The Silence Takes Your Place, mixing in those belting riffs and now melodic piano lines. A percussive belt is the order of the day here; this simplistic approach gives them space to move at later points and on here those cleans really take flight as the arrangement behind them allows them that space to do so.
They make the most of the time available to them here, and as it hands over to Agonal Dreaming and that finish line is in sight. Somehow, they have managed to do this number of songs at the lengths they are and make them as interesting and individual as possible. They share a common DNA where there has to be a constant movement, they plainly cannot sit still at any point. This closing track is practically triumphant in its execution; there are some belting riffs on this one that would be fabulous to play. Absolutely stunning stuff from them.
Being honest with you, looking at these run times and based on the fact that I’m not a massive fan of what I consider to be overlong music, this has been a revelation for me. I don’t pretend to assume that other bands are capable of being able to sustain music like this across the album in this way (Maybe there are loads of them and I’ve never heard of them, but for now let’s pretend) and it’s the fact that they have kept me engaged from start to finish. Quality stuff, 10/10
Gideon - 4x4 (Sumerian Records) [Matt Bladen]
Like the big blue legend of the mighty monster truck world Bigfoot, Alabama metalcore band drop a heavy surprise EP that's set to crush your speaker like car under the Ford truck's massive wheels. Daniel McWhorter (vocals), Tyler Riley (guitars), Caleb DeRusha (bass) and Jake Smelley (drums) are the foursome behind Gideon and they've decided to drop another five tracks onto an unsuspecting public.
They use a lot of Southern, country and western in both their imagery and in the samples they put through their music. Their music itself? Well that's ultra aggressive, beatdown heavy metalcore with plenty of low end groove, dirty riffs and rabid vocal screams and growls. With tracks such as Till The Wheels Come Off and Yeehaw, Gideon bring a blistering style of Southern, blue collar metalcore which is designed to pulverise, using samples and soundscapes to make the impression more vivid as they breakdown into chugging crushes for every song.
These new tracks are going to sound massive on stage and they show just why Gideon are quickly climbing the ranks with fans of massive metalcore. 7/10
The Carburetors – We Ride At Night (Fast Forward Records) [Cherie Curtis]
Norwegian heavy rock band The Carburetors have been around for two decades and for their newest album - We Ride At Night, their experience and time spent in the scene really pays off. They have a well-established sound and a hard rocking image that brings to the table a relentless amount of infectious energy. If you’re a fan of hard rock’n’roll with a splash of traditional heavy metal then We Ride At Night is the album you’ve been craving.
This new album has 10 tracks for your ears to feast on, which is the standard and only runs for about 30 minutes in total; it’s on the shorter side, but they play it hard and fast so listening doesn’t feel like chore, it feels like a thrill. This album feels nostalgic and only slightly cheesy in the way that would feel gimmicky if The Carburetors weren’t so damn good at bringing old school to the modern day. They have pure excitement and a reckless demeanor that gives off an interesting vibe that’s a mix between Van Halen and The Ramones, We Ride At Night has the heavy metal instrumental splendour similar to Van Halen with raw and gritty vocals like The Ramones.
My favourites from this album are Shot At Dawn and We Like To Boogie, that's because - and i hate to say it, they make you want to boogie; they’re both sleazy, blood pumping, catchy and will get your foot tapping at the very least. Most of the album follows in this format but track 9 Sharpen The Blades shakes it up slightly and showcases everything the band does well. It’s vocally and emotionally deeper and more anthemic and makes for a real staple as it takes the time to showcase the best of what they have to offer and really drives home the fact that The Carburetors are experts and, in my opinion, this track has the best guitar solo in the album. If you have to listen to just one song from the album, make it Sharpen The Blades.
Overall, We Ride At Night is a safe bet. The album is mixed well and coherent with all the marks of professionalism, and it has everything you’ll like. There's not a dull moment even though there’s nothing too extreme or unique, it’s still a solid album that’s really easy to listen too and will liven up your day. 7/10.
David Thrussell & Shinjuku Thief - The Call of Cthulhu (Metropolis Records) [Joe Guatieri]
Before I start this piece, I would like to present a trigger warning to the potential listener of the project that I’m referring to. This re-telling of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call Of Cthulhu contains racial slurs. Listener discretion is advised.
Gideon - 4x4 (Sumerian Records) [Matt Bladen]
Like the big blue legend of the mighty monster truck world Bigfoot, Alabama metalcore band drop a heavy surprise EP that's set to crush your speaker like car under the Ford truck's massive wheels. Daniel McWhorter (vocals), Tyler Riley (guitars), Caleb DeRusha (bass) and Jake Smelley (drums) are the foursome behind Gideon and they've decided to drop another five tracks onto an unsuspecting public.
They use a lot of Southern, country and western in both their imagery and in the samples they put through their music. Their music itself? Well that's ultra aggressive, beatdown heavy metalcore with plenty of low end groove, dirty riffs and rabid vocal screams and growls. With tracks such as Till The Wheels Come Off and Yeehaw, Gideon bring a blistering style of Southern, blue collar metalcore which is designed to pulverise, using samples and soundscapes to make the impression more vivid as they breakdown into chugging crushes for every song.
These new tracks are going to sound massive on stage and they show just why Gideon are quickly climbing the ranks with fans of massive metalcore. 7/10
The Carburetors – We Ride At Night (Fast Forward Records) [Cherie Curtis]
Norwegian heavy rock band The Carburetors have been around for two decades and for their newest album - We Ride At Night, their experience and time spent in the scene really pays off. They have a well-established sound and a hard rocking image that brings to the table a relentless amount of infectious energy. If you’re a fan of hard rock’n’roll with a splash of traditional heavy metal then We Ride At Night is the album you’ve been craving.
This new album has 10 tracks for your ears to feast on, which is the standard and only runs for about 30 minutes in total; it’s on the shorter side, but they play it hard and fast so listening doesn’t feel like chore, it feels like a thrill. This album feels nostalgic and only slightly cheesy in the way that would feel gimmicky if The Carburetors weren’t so damn good at bringing old school to the modern day. They have pure excitement and a reckless demeanor that gives off an interesting vibe that’s a mix between Van Halen and The Ramones, We Ride At Night has the heavy metal instrumental splendour similar to Van Halen with raw and gritty vocals like The Ramones.
My favourites from this album are Shot At Dawn and We Like To Boogie, that's because - and i hate to say it, they make you want to boogie; they’re both sleazy, blood pumping, catchy and will get your foot tapping at the very least. Most of the album follows in this format but track 9 Sharpen The Blades shakes it up slightly and showcases everything the band does well. It’s vocally and emotionally deeper and more anthemic and makes for a real staple as it takes the time to showcase the best of what they have to offer and really drives home the fact that The Carburetors are experts and, in my opinion, this track has the best guitar solo in the album. If you have to listen to just one song from the album, make it Sharpen The Blades.
Overall, We Ride At Night is a safe bet. The album is mixed well and coherent with all the marks of professionalism, and it has everything you’ll like. There's not a dull moment even though there’s nothing too extreme or unique, it’s still a solid album that’s really easy to listen too and will liven up your day. 7/10.
David Thrussell & Shinjuku Thief - The Call of Cthulhu (Metropolis Records) [Joe Guatieri]
Before I start this piece, I would like to present a trigger warning to the potential listener of the project that I’m referring to. This re-telling of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call Of Cthulhu contains racial slurs. Listener discretion is advised.
Recently I’ve had the task of taking on and reviewing a narrated soundtrack of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call Of Cthulhu, performed by David Thrussel of Snog and Darrin Verhagen of Shinjuku Thief. I’ve been writing for Musipedia Of Metal since June of 2023 and this so far is without a doubt the strangest thing that I’ve ever done for them.
I make it no secret that I love weird music and art, my taste is like a sledgehammer ploughing through a TV that has been stuck on a channel with no signal for five hours but this is on another plane even for me. With an experience like this, it’s difficult to even find a place to start.
Everyone has had stories read to them at some point during their lifetime but this strips away the human interaction. You’re being told this through your ear buds or your speakers, you don’t have any guidance as this story insists upon itself and is there to be taken in whether you want it or not.
One of the most famous stories in horror by a legendary writer is read out to you in a gruff manner. David Thrussel’s words are slow and direct, you can follow them for sure but without concentration you will be left alone out at sea very easily. His words are joined by Darrin Verhagen’s creepy stylings which are supported by Matthew Murana. These two instrumentalists paint the skyline as the narrator describes the goings on to you.
The soundscapes erected make your nerves shiver, its at times a barrage of noisy textures riding on top of a horse made out of Industrial Techno that propels you forwards, deeper into unknown territory. As The Call Of Cthulhu reveals itself slowly over time, the sound amps up astronomically and wants to kill you as the narration sounds shocked in every breath.
The language used acts as newspaper clippings, ramblings of a mad man who is trying to make sense of a situation which is impossible to describe. They stick with you but disappear quicker than what you’ve heard of them, nightmare corpse god, we live on a placid island of ignorance. Were they ever really there?
I was on the edge of my seat for the last piece as the volume and sheer attack cut through my person like a chainsaw in reverse. David’s telling's of H.P. Lovecraft’s tale takes on its most brutal form, detailing the personal destruction this monster of the sea Cthulhu has caused. Broken bones, blood spray and lives that were cared about were taken away in an instant.
Again to reiterate, it’s hard to describe a listen such as this, every single person will have a different reaction to this endeavour. I can see people dismissing this as boring and others praising it for the picture that all the moving pieces at play paint. It’s a soundtrack and a reading of a celebrated piece of fiction and it’s there to be digested by members of the public who are patient and open enough to do so.
Overall, with this iteration of The Call Of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft, David Thrussel and Darrin Verhagen have evidently shown their love for this narrative, putting a piece of themselves into it. They’ve taken something established and put a new ear onto it and they have kept me engaged throughout the run time.
Everyone has had stories read to them at some point during their lifetime but this strips away the human interaction. You’re being told this through your ear buds or your speakers, you don’t have any guidance as this story insists upon itself and is there to be taken in whether you want it or not.
One of the most famous stories in horror by a legendary writer is read out to you in a gruff manner. David Thrussel’s words are slow and direct, you can follow them for sure but without concentration you will be left alone out at sea very easily. His words are joined by Darrin Verhagen’s creepy stylings which are supported by Matthew Murana. These two instrumentalists paint the skyline as the narrator describes the goings on to you.
The soundscapes erected make your nerves shiver, its at times a barrage of noisy textures riding on top of a horse made out of Industrial Techno that propels you forwards, deeper into unknown territory. As The Call Of Cthulhu reveals itself slowly over time, the sound amps up astronomically and wants to kill you as the narration sounds shocked in every breath.
The language used acts as newspaper clippings, ramblings of a mad man who is trying to make sense of a situation which is impossible to describe. They stick with you but disappear quicker than what you’ve heard of them, nightmare corpse god, we live on a placid island of ignorance. Were they ever really there?
I was on the edge of my seat for the last piece as the volume and sheer attack cut through my person like a chainsaw in reverse. David’s telling's of H.P. Lovecraft’s tale takes on its most brutal form, detailing the personal destruction this monster of the sea Cthulhu has caused. Broken bones, blood spray and lives that were cared about were taken away in an instant.
Again to reiterate, it’s hard to describe a listen such as this, every single person will have a different reaction to this endeavour. I can see people dismissing this as boring and others praising it for the picture that all the moving pieces at play paint. It’s a soundtrack and a reading of a celebrated piece of fiction and it’s there to be digested by members of the public who are patient and open enough to do so.
Overall, with this iteration of The Call Of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft, David Thrussel and Darrin Verhagen have evidently shown their love for this narrative, putting a piece of themselves into it. They’ve taken something established and put a new ear onto it and they have kept me engaged throughout the run time.
Musically it’s interesting in many ways but with the narration although I’ve given it all my efforts, it’s not quite taken me to that next level. The storytelling has the danger but it doesn’t have much else for me, I needed more emotional weight here. 7/10
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