From the first song My Worst Enemy, you can already tell it's going to be a hard-hitting record from the Swedish Metalcore mob. The violently aggressive vocals from frontman Joel Holmqvist combined with the powerful instrumentals is a recipe for total annihilation, until you get a few songs in. The it becomes a generic Metalcore album. Granted it's a decent album, no doubt about it, but it needs to stay fresh to stay relevant. If the entire album was as aggressive as Attitude Sickness and Heavy Feather, the record would flow together flawlessly and become one of the best albums to come out of Gothenburg since At The Gates' Slaughter Of The Soul. It's a good album which could be better. They have the right ideas, the right sound and the technical abilities. They just need too flourish with their musical talent and stay aggressive like the first half of the record. I'm impressed, but ever so slightly disappointed. I'd still advise you to check these guys out. They're worth your time. Just don't go in expecting too much, that way it'll be a better listen. 6/10
Skybinder: Trauma & Trial (Spinnup) [Matt Bladen]
A dramatic instrumental starts off this album from the Athenian metalcore mob and from there it's an all guns blazing affair as the riffs come thick and fast, the guttural vocals grunt and the songs regularly move into groovy breakdowns from thrash riffs. The band cite their influences as Parkway Drive, Bury Tomorrow and August Burns Red, so when Daggers kicks things off properly in a flurry of triggered blastbeats you can hear why this is so, as Trauma & Trial is a thoroughly modern metalcore album bringing heaps of melody to the Swedish death metal sound where this genre emerged. Every so often there's a clean guitar line, or a more ambient sound but mostly it's your normal metalcore fodder that doesn't let up until it breaks down or a guitar solo such as the one in My Severance. It's nothing new and won't change the world, a bit of variation in the vocals, much like Parkway Drive have done to great success, and Skybinder will step up to that next level as their songwriting is there in droves. 6/10
Narnia: From Darkness To Light (Narnia Songs) [Matt Bladen]
I wanted to like this and musically it's up my street some melodic power metal. It's got rapid drumming, some big walls of synths and of course those all important neoclassical riffs and solos. Vocally it's also very good with the singer having a very soulful voice. As I said I wanted to like it unfortunately when I got to Has The River Run Dry? I heard the Lord's Prayer being recited and realised that Narnia are a Christian band and use their music to preach the word of God and their faith. Now there's nothing wrong with that per-se and the band seem particularly resolute about their beliefs but for me it really puts me off as every single song is about God or Jesus, literally nothing else is mentioned, even in the black metal scene not every song is about Satan. If you're a Christian metalhead who is a dedicated to your faith as you are to music then seek out From Darkness To Light (though you'll probably already know Narnia) if the thought of it makes you shudder then stay clear. 4/10
Elysium: The Path Of No Return (1358472 Records DK) [Sean Morgan]
I’m partial to a bit of chunk. Ball to the wall thiccness, blaring to of one's speakers with all the subtly of bullet to the dick. Y’know what I’m talking about, a musical sledgehammer to the system, akin to a melee assault on the groinal region (new song title right there). Czech death metallers, Elysium, have got slabs of chunky gain, ready on unload on all us all and the some! Taking influences from….uh…old Whitechapel (so it’s deathcore, then), Elysium return with 4th album The Path Of No Return. Let’s get chugging then, huh? Meeting With Angel gets things a go go, Elysium already flexing all their muscles right out of the cage. The guitars are huge, the drums are thunderous and the gutturals are….well guttural! What would one expect? Maximum downtuned (presumably) BROOTALS are the order of the day, the mid paced groove ever present, as Elysium proceed to incite pits with their thuggish melo slamming.
The Death Without Hope pushes the tempo, alternating between rapid kicks and blast beats, though it’s doesn’t wander too far from Elysium preferred pace. It packs plenty of wallop, the tuning descending into the very depth of dense tonality. Some solo’s are thrown for good measure, though the riffing has yet to tickle my fancy. It’s….loud I guess? Madness Buried Deep Inside opens the dynamic up somewhat, the chords focusing more on melody than brutality. A nice touch, before shifting into some frenetic riffing. There we go! Both elements are fused, providing a nice contrast between the musical and melodic. There’s blast beats too, adding some vital energy to Elysium sound. The Black Snow opens clean chords, building atmosphere as the begin to strum against the synths. Then it’s shattered, Elysium chunking it out. It segues between these two modes, though quickly returns to their preferred close handed comfort.
Shame, as there were hints of something…more at work. The Way Of Expectations is forgettable, the riffs not really going anywhere or doing anything. In typical deathhore fashion, it’s got the volume but that’s about it. Dreaming About The End is a fair bit better, taking on aspects of what can only be described as brutal melo death. The more focused and structure songwriting shines here, rather than just throwing ALL TE BRUTUL in the hopes that something sticks. More of that please, I dug that. It flows nicely into Blindness Of The World, which squanders it all in favour of an overwhelming surplice vanilla DJUN DJUN DJUN. The Infinite Reality Of Everyday Life is a a solid enough number, as is closer Behind The Wires. Well, this album most certainly…uh…happened? That’s about the strongest I can emote on Elysium 4th outing, feeling no strong feeling one way or the other. That’s not to say that it’ bad, it just ‘ain't for me. Didn’t care for Whitechapel or deathhore back then, still don’t to this day and I’m fucking 30 now. If that’s y’all thing though, then go for it. 6/10
The Death Without Hope pushes the tempo, alternating between rapid kicks and blast beats, though it’s doesn’t wander too far from Elysium preferred pace. It packs plenty of wallop, the tuning descending into the very depth of dense tonality. Some solo’s are thrown for good measure, though the riffing has yet to tickle my fancy. It’s….loud I guess? Madness Buried Deep Inside opens the dynamic up somewhat, the chords focusing more on melody than brutality. A nice touch, before shifting into some frenetic riffing. There we go! Both elements are fused, providing a nice contrast between the musical and melodic. There’s blast beats too, adding some vital energy to Elysium sound. The Black Snow opens clean chords, building atmosphere as the begin to strum against the synths. Then it’s shattered, Elysium chunking it out. It segues between these two modes, though quickly returns to their preferred close handed comfort.
Shame, as there were hints of something…more at work. The Way Of Expectations is forgettable, the riffs not really going anywhere or doing anything. In typical deathhore fashion, it’s got the volume but that’s about it. Dreaming About The End is a fair bit better, taking on aspects of what can only be described as brutal melo death. The more focused and structure songwriting shines here, rather than just throwing ALL TE BRUTUL in the hopes that something sticks. More of that please, I dug that. It flows nicely into Blindness Of The World, which squanders it all in favour of an overwhelming surplice vanilla DJUN DJUN DJUN. The Infinite Reality Of Everyday Life is a a solid enough number, as is closer Behind The Wires. Well, this album most certainly…uh…happened? That’s about the strongest I can emote on Elysium 4th outing, feeling no strong feeling one way or the other. That’s not to say that it’ bad, it just ‘ain't for me. Didn’t care for Whitechapel or deathhore back then, still don’t to this day and I’m fucking 30 now. If that’s y’all thing though, then go for it. 6/10
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