On Thorns I Lay: Thernos (Lifeforce Records) [Matt Bladen]
Formed in 1995 as death metal band Paralysis in the early 90 s in Greece. Along with other cult bands such as Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, Necromantia On Thorns I Lay are a Gothic/Death/Doom band who have moved into more atmospheric realms as of late. They originally released up until 2003 before going on hiatus, before returning in 2015, this is their third album since their reformation and once again it's 45 minutes of monolithic metal mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö. This means that the record is very loud, clean and ominous. It all starts off with The Song Of Sirens crushing down-tempo riffs move the song along into a dour piano piece which slows the song again for a more melodic textures though the vocals never shift from guttural roars Stefanos happy to growl like a beast atop of Chris and Akis' syrupy down strokes.
Thernos reminds me a lot of bands such as Paradise Lost Or early Katatonia, it seems as if they are rediscovering the dark themes of their death metal past while also retaining the gothic keys they added to their sound in the later 90's early 2000's, especially on the final part of Cosmic Silence which has some brilliant strings too for added effect. Antony is the key player and he brings some wistful emotive sounds as the melancholic rhythms from Stelios (drums) and Jim (bass) are the immovable backbone of the band throwing their weight around on the title track that brings to mind Gojira. Thernos is a chunk gothic death doom from On Thorns I Lay a band well versed in misery. 7/10
The Amity Affliction: Everyone Loves You… Once You Leave Them (Pure Noise Records) [Manus Hopkins]
Australia’s answer to Bring Me The Horizon are back at it, with an album that sounds as if it would be much better received had it come out seven years ago. The problem with The Amity Affliction and many other bands like them is that they haven’t managed to adapt—this scene may have been one of the big moves in heavy music in the early-to-mid 2010s, but it got tired and boring pretty quickly, and it’s evident that several of its bands didn’t get that memo. The older these guys get, the more awkward and cringe-inducing their songs, especially the lyrics, become. There’s no evidence on this record that The Amity Affliction are bad musicians. They just need to write some age-appropriate songs and catch up with the times, or they’ll be left in the dust of today’s innovative new metal acts. 3/10
Loud Silence: Elements (Ikaros Records) [Matt Bladen]
"The yoof of the day, they don't know anything about rock n roll" I can hear you saying, directly after seeing a picture of Athenian teen trio Loud Silence. Well you're wrong actually as Elements is a strong debut release from this three piece digging a rich vein of stoner rock that is steeped in the desert rock, Legacy unveils their psychedelic tendencies as their riffs begin to take you away on their cosmic trip, the vocals are used sparsely rarely more than a whisper as Flow With It again reaches the realms of Kyuss desert rocking, G! is super riffy while A Closure is full of open chords and some emotional vocals. Elements is a great first stab from this very young band, better written, performed and produced than so many bands around their age it's a strong foundation to build upon. 6/10
Fractured Insanity: Massive Human Failure (Massacre Records) [Manus Hopkins]
It’s another bludgeoning, relentless extreme metal onslaught from Belgium’s Fractured Insanity with album number four. There may not be a lot of variety on the record, besides one acoustic interlude, but in many cases there’s nothing wrong with doing one thing really well, and Fractured Insanity use their formula to the max on these new tracks, making the record thoroughly enjoyable despite getting repetitive at times. The real standout on the album is its title track, which features a more experimental midsection amongst the typical brutality that makes up the album. Album closer Rise All Above is full of atmosphere and contains one of the record’s best riffs, while M.A.D. is the perfect song to show just how aggressive this album can get. Not every song will be memorable, but it’s a solid collection nonetheless. 7/10
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