The Simulation is the fifth album by Born Of Osiris and the first of two albums due to be be released in 2019. Born Of Osiris is a band I have heard of but never checked out due to the metalcore tag surrounding them and my general dislike of that genre but after hearing The Simulation I feel I have greatly underestimated Born Of Osiris by thinking of them as just another metalcore band as there is FAR more to their sound. The music on The Simulation is very far removed from metalcore with huge influences from progressive metal, djent and technical death metal with a prevalent use of keyboards and electronics.
There is in fact so much happening on this album that it will take a couple of listens to fully absorb everything from chugging grooving riffs, atmospheric keys and technical guitar solos. The only thing I couldn’t get along with were the vocals. Frontman Ronnie Canizaro has a standard metalcore bark but keyboard player and co-vocalist Joe Buras does really grating screams and irritating clean vocals. This album was a surprise for me as although I didn’t love it I did find it perfectly listenable and have learned a valuable lesson in not writing off a band because of their metalcore roots. Musically this is fantastic but the vocal styles are definitely not to my taste and very off putting. 7/10
Ewigkeit: DISClose (DTM Productions)
DISClose is the ninth album by Ewigkeit the one man project from multi instrumentalist James Fogarty of In The Woods… and Jaldaboath (amongst others) fame. The sound of Ewigkeit has changed and moulded throughout the years from its initial black metal beginnings to space rock but with DISclose the sound is somewhere between melodic doom and death doom with various influences from extreme and progressive metal resulting in songs which are heavy yet deeply melodic and atmospheric.
The sounds and styles shift and change throughout the album from the doomy undertones of Oppenheimer’s Lament, the blackened heaviness of KRLLL and the melancholic melodies of Guardians Of The High Frontier. The vocals range from black metal screams to baritone cleans and the clean vocals are especially commendable especially in songs like Guardians Of The High Frontier or Resonance where they are used to stunning effect. DISClose is a fantastic album which brings to mind bands such as Katatonia, Paradise Lost and Ghost Brigade but with black metal undercurrents and as such it is an album that delivers big time and is well worth your time. 8/10
Lovebites: Clockwork Immortality (JPU Records)
2018 was a hell of a busy year for Lovebites with pretty much non stop touring, a new EP and a new album all in just over a year since the release of their debut album Awakening From Abyss in October 2017. It’s safe to say with such an incredible amount of output in such a short space of time that there’s a worry that the quality of the material on Clockwork Immortality might be lacking or rushed but such fears are immediately dispelled as soon as you hit play. Clockwork Immortality is a less furious affair than its predecessor with a bit more of a streamlined approach both in the songwriting and production which means that this album doesn’t grab as immediately as Awakening From Abyss did but it’s in no means a lesser album for it.
Lovebites: Clockwork Immortality (JPU Records)
2018 was a hell of a busy year for Lovebites with pretty much non stop touring, a new EP and a new album all in just over a year since the release of their debut album Awakening From Abyss in October 2017. It’s safe to say with such an incredible amount of output in such a short space of time that there’s a worry that the quality of the material on Clockwork Immortality might be lacking or rushed but such fears are immediately dispelled as soon as you hit play. Clockwork Immortality is a less furious affair than its predecessor with a bit more of a streamlined approach both in the songwriting and production which means that this album doesn’t grab as immediately as Awakening From Abyss did but it’s in no means a lesser album for it.
There’s less of a thrash metal influence this time round and a far more classic heavy metal approach to the songs. The Iron Maiden influence is very evident throughout (definitely not a bad thing). The European power metal influence is also very clear to hear especially in songs such as Addicted, Rising and We The United. Whilst this album does not immediately grab you by the balls it is a definite grower and one that is 100% worthy of multiple listens. Lovebites have gained quite a bit of attention over the past year and all for the right reasons as these girls severely rock and I’m sure will continue to go from strength to strength. 8/10
Prion: Aberrant Calamity (Comatose Music)
Aberrant Calamity is the fourth album by Argentinian death metallers Prion and is also the first album of theirs to feature drummer Flavio Coscarella who joined the band in 2016. Prion are not a band I have heard previously but they have a very standard take on death metal which has influences from the classics of the genre as well as sounding very contemporary but unfortunately very little stands out.
Aberrant Calamity is the fourth album by Argentinian death metallers Prion and is also the first album of theirs to feature drummer Flavio Coscarella who joined the band in 2016. Prion are not a band I have heard previously but they have a very standard take on death metal which has influences from the classics of the genre as well as sounding very contemporary but unfortunately very little stands out.
There are plenty of groove heavy riffs and blastbeats but it sounds incredibly formulaic and generic. There are some nice riffs here and there but they just get lost in the mediocrity. Aberrant Calamity is well performed and well produced but it just sounds very flat and uninspired compared to a lot of death metal. Nice background music for extreme metal fans but there’s very little that stands out. 5/10
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