Motionless In White - Decades (Roadrunner Records)
Every generation of metal fan gets a few characters in the scene that they can identify with and latch onto. Usually they're in the goth, nu-metal, metalcore scenes and for a long while now, since 2005 but their debut only came out in 2010, Chris Motionless of Motionless In White has been one of the people that scores of fans idolise.
His gothic looks, general spooky, almost vampiric vibe, harsh features, links to WWE's Rhea Ripley and mainly skill for writing songs that their fans can identify with has ingratiated him to a whole generation of music lovers.
This kind of popularity does also means non fans will scorn, ridicule and more, however this sort of petty criticism never really stands up when a band like Motionless In White are playing huge arenas, selling out tours and releasing platinum records. For all the make up and general gothic aura Motionless In White are band and should really be judged on the music they play.
With that said then it's I pressed play on MIW's seventh the studio record Decades, their first since their 20th Anniversary as a band last year (cue the title), and in Chris' words "is definitely heavier than some of our past albums. Our current world bred more aggressive energy, anger, and resistance."
Aggression comes immediately on the Title Track, industrial and nu-metal colliding for some massive grooves, pulled from that golden age of backwards caps and baggy jeans, it's a high energy opener which defines MIW in their second decade, heavier but still with a melodic edge.
There's no stop, the breakdown ends and the pulsating Log_in//crash_out begins, electronics bristling as they lean more on their more emotive earlier days, cleaner choruses and plenty of existential angst about the online era. The band's impact can be measured in their guests for Decades as Skylar Grey, Anthony Martinez (Dark Divine) and Corey Taylor all bring extra vocals.
Skylar on the first ballad, R.I.P, a theatrical duet, while Playing God has a Taylor and the frenzied percussion battery of the nine man masked mentalists Slipknot, but keeps the big MIW clean chorus to sing along to and Blood Rave is just that, a song from that club in Blade with Chris and Martinez trading vocals.
Love At First Bite, keeps the vampiric inspiration, with more industrial beats, a killer chorus and enough gothic overtones to have played in every metal/goth club across the world, definitely a Goth Baddie Banger! (Or something to that effect).
Blood Pact ramps up the heavy and the danger while Fight Like Hell has that familiar (to WWE fans) call of "This Is My Brutality", as the influence of Limp Bizkit is obvious on this Rhea Ripley influenced cut.
Decades successfully touches on every part of Motionless In White's career so far, from the gothic theatricality, the electronic pulses, the metalcore angst and a shift to heavier territory on Afraid Of The Dark, Decades is an album that proves the resilience of Motionless In White and that they rightly deserve their devoted fanbase and crossover appeal. 8/10
Psycroptic - The Pulse Of Annihilation (Metal Blade Records)
Dual vocal, Aussie tech death machine Psycroptic have been steamrolling across stages worldwide for over two decades now, from their humble beginnings on Tasmania they've become one of the most talked about extreme metal acts on the planet, with an experimental streak and a a refusal to release the same record twice.
Psycroptic have signed to prestigious label Metal Blade for their new record The Pulse Of Annihilation, with the backing of this label so instrumental in the popularity of death metal and it's sub-genres, there's a sense of vindication on this record which comes from Joe Haley, guitarist and main writer being able to keep the incredible virtuosity that the band have always been about while being able to branch out the dynamic structure of their music.
Allowing the music the flow where it needs to never trying to force anything, from tracks that pack 50 different riffs into one section to others that rely on one crushing groove throughout, these are the compositions a band with a lot of history, blood, sweat and tears behind them, the ever changing face of the metal scene captured on their albums culminating on The Pulse Of Annihilation.
The guitars of Joe enter several sides of the metal sphere, from full bore aggression to progressive melodies, pit staring bounce to stripped back introspection, no matter where the journey goes the bass of Todd Stern is solid and sinewy, creating a thick as treacle bottom end as Joe's brother David brings more inhuman drumming.
Formed in 1999, Psycroptic are veterans of the scene which can hear from the first note of this record. Having Jason Peppiatt and Jason Keyser share vocals has been a revelation for the band as it makes their music denser and ultimately more formidable. Tech death with a lot of "core" influences, Psycroptic have their finger on The Pulse Of Annihilation. 8/10
Red Method - As In Life (Depraved Records)
London industrial metal force Red Method come roaring back with their new EP, As In Life which blows open the doors with the frantic aggression of Counting Corpses.
They bring together the percussive battery of Slipknot, the groove metal violence of American Head Charge, the Nu-Metal/industrial thump of Mudvayne and mechanised brutality of Fear Factory with all of their songs, the former coming on Dispose Of Me, and the latter on Becoming The Sickness.
Inspired by the darker side of the psyche, they fill these songs with downbeat lyrics from vocals that take on multiple personalities, as the musical style gets louder and more vicious, embracing a progressive way of writing that has come from their very recent history of being on an absolute tear, the band have played as part of Download, Bloodstock and more.
This experience means they can throw together all of their styles and come out the other side with multi-faceted, multi-limbed, musical assault that's smashing your face one minute, record scratching the next, blast beating with huge breakdowns and then blowing up into melodic guitar solos, like they do on the impressive Detonate.
Red Method delve into the darkness with their new EP, their journey to here has seen them on the upward trajectory, against some serious adversity but on As In Life they have prove why they're one of the UK's most sought after and vehement acts. 8/10
If These Trees Could Talk - The Hidden Hand (Metal Blade Records)
If Trees Could Talk last released and album in 2016 so to say that The Hidden Hand is highly anticipated would be an understatement. Since they formed in 2005, they've released four albums of instrumental prog rock that has gained more layers and a cinematic scope with every release.
Hailing from the USA they were inspired to finished this new record after visiting the UK for Portals festival in 2024. This reminded them that there is a love of experimental music across the pond and in their own country, so filled with a renewed creativity they fired up the delay pedal and got ready to bring more musical synergy of a band who speaks without words.
Like a film soundtrack, ITTCT are about creating epic soundscapes, using traditional rock instrumentation in the way an orchestra would building from lighter tones into heavier ones as they use the same kind of looping Mike Oldfield would where one motif shifts into another, the inspiration of classic progressive rock and 90's post rock both very strong throughout the output of ITTCT.
The trio of guitars creating wide-screen melodies that swell and crash like the sea, while the percussion side is absolutely massive like the rumbling of a untamed environment. A decade wait sees If These Trees Could Talk return with new shoots of innovation on their new album. 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment