Whilst the pandemic has been a death sentence for live music one thing it has afforded artists and bands is time and a lot of bands have utilised that time to write and record. It feels like it was only yesterday when Leprous released their magnificent Pitfalls album (whilst it was in fact October 2019) but the Norwegian quintet are back with their seventh full length album Aphelion. Pitfalls was an album that saw the band make a continued shift away from their progressive metal origins into a more art-pop and art-rock sound. Aphelion is an album that sees the band continue on this road whilst at the same time it is classic Leprous. It continues exploring the themes of mental health struggles that was a component part of Pitfalls but whilst Pitfalls was a very emotional and heartfelt sounding album, Aphelion is a bit of a darker beast. It starts off in brooding style with the wonderful Running Low and this brooding continues throughout with songs such as Silhouette, Have You Ever? and On Hold having the emotional gravitas that is a Leprous calling card but the mood is definitely darker with a few sinister undertones.
Punchier songs such as The Silent Revelation and The Shadow Side push the energy levels back up on the second half though it is good to see Castaway Angels here (having been released as a stand-alone single in 2020) as it is easily one of the most beautiful and moving songs the band have ever written. The true crowning moment of the album comes with album closer Nighttime Disguise which is probably going to end up as one of my favourite Leprous songs of all time. Pulling in influences and styles from throughout the band's history it almost works as a retrospective of all the band has done from start to present day in the confines of one single song from djenty riffs, huge choruses, massive sing-a-long parts and classical leanings before it ends in a massive emotional crescendo with the added inclusion of harsh vocals which haven’t been heard in a Leprous song for a very long time. It is absolutely breathtaking.
The keyboards very much dominated in Pitfalls and whilst they are still heavily prevalent on Aphelion it is great to hear the guitars pushed back up front and centre. Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne is given plenty to do as well with his wonderfully emotive playing swirling around the guitars and keyboards and ensuring arm hairs are standing on end. The increased use of strings throughout very much gives the album a far more cinematic feel at times. Applause has to be given to drummer Baard Kolstad whose drumming (as ever) is nothing short of spectacular with captivating and creative rhythms throughout the entirety of the record. And then of course there are the vocals by Einar Solberg. Einar is one of the finest singers out there and he continues to earn this label with his equally vulnerable and soaring powerful vocals which are just simply jaw dropping.
I may be a bit biased being a humongous fan of this band but Leprous have knocked it out of the park yet again with Aphelion. There is a part of me that misses the prog-metal sound of albums past such as Bilateral, Coal and The Congregation but when the band are putting out music as insanely good as this such the longings for a heavier sound quickly pass. When it comes to progressive music Leprous have proven themselves once again as one of the most essential bands out there. 9/10
Wormwitch – Wolf Hex (Prosthetic Records) [Paul Hutchings]
The blackened thrash movement that has been spearheaded by the likes of Hellripper, Midnight and Bewitcher is spreading like the proverbial plague. Formed in 2015, Canadian quartet Wormwitch’s latest album Wolf Hex straddles this genre and several others in 33 minutes of explosive, raging metal.
Whilst they’d be classed as veterans with this being their third release, there is a lustful energy that surges through Wolf Hex. This is a ferocious aural assault that spreads like an oncoming tsunami. It’s a relentless battery, a sonic maelstrom of carnage but dig beneath the decaying matter and gnarled riffs and you will discover an album of pure magic. The intro Lunar Maniac provides the first indications, although the shock waves ripple unconsciously in the psyche, providing little warning of the impending black metal storm about to erupt.
Wormwitch have plenty about them. Explosively fast passages, generous and melodic sections, and addictive hooks all wrapped up in solidly performed songs that retain an earthy, raw quality. There’s an anthemic quality to Wormwitch’s sound. It’s part classic heavy metal which has been roughly hewn to the blackened thrash monsters. It works on every level. Occult in theme, the darkness and black magick that provides the very life blood of the release sees dips into folk, pagan, black and thrash metal with a visceral edge that should ensure wide appeal.
Wormwitch formed from the ashes of hardcore punk with themes of self-hate and existential despair. This early form is rarely far from the surface on an album that concludes with a rabid version of Metallica’s anthemic Hit The Lights. The band comprises Colby Hink – Guitar, Kyle Tavares – Guitar, founder Robin Harris - Vocals and Bass and Izzy Langlais – Drums. Wolf Hex is an album that should be of interest to many. If not, you should put it on your list. It is that good. 8/10
Hooded Menace - The Tritonus Bell (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]
Burial In The Sky - The Consumed Self (Rising Nemesis Records) [Charlie Rogers & Claire Hanley]
Burial In The Sky are a progressive death metal band from Pennsylvania, presenting us with their third album The Consumed Self via Rising Nemesis Records. Clearly fans of both metal and jazz, their sound blends a wide palette across different soundscapes, and features a number of instruments not normally found in the more extreme side of music - notably the saxophone and accordion. An album of contrast, clashing gritty hard death metal riffs with ethereal clean passages. There is a lot going on to say the least, particularly in the tracks An Orphaned City, Amaurosis Shroud, and Mechanisms Of Loneliness. Unfortunately, this is also the Achilles heel.
Wormwitch – Wolf Hex (Prosthetic Records) [Paul Hutchings]
The blackened thrash movement that has been spearheaded by the likes of Hellripper, Midnight and Bewitcher is spreading like the proverbial plague. Formed in 2015, Canadian quartet Wormwitch’s latest album Wolf Hex straddles this genre and several others in 33 minutes of explosive, raging metal.
Whilst they’d be classed as veterans with this being their third release, there is a lustful energy that surges through Wolf Hex. This is a ferocious aural assault that spreads like an oncoming tsunami. It’s a relentless battery, a sonic maelstrom of carnage but dig beneath the decaying matter and gnarled riffs and you will discover an album of pure magic. The intro Lunar Maniac provides the first indications, although the shock waves ripple unconsciously in the psyche, providing little warning of the impending black metal storm about to erupt.
Wormwitch have plenty about them. Explosively fast passages, generous and melodic sections, and addictive hooks all wrapped up in solidly performed songs that retain an earthy, raw quality. There’s an anthemic quality to Wormwitch’s sound. It’s part classic heavy metal which has been roughly hewn to the blackened thrash monsters. It works on every level. Occult in theme, the darkness and black magick that provides the very life blood of the release sees dips into folk, pagan, black and thrash metal with a visceral edge that should ensure wide appeal.
Wormwitch formed from the ashes of hardcore punk with themes of self-hate and existential despair. This early form is rarely far from the surface on an album that concludes with a rabid version of Metallica’s anthemic Hit The Lights. The band comprises Colby Hink – Guitar, Kyle Tavares – Guitar, founder Robin Harris - Vocals and Bass and Izzy Langlais – Drums. Wolf Hex is an album that should be of interest to many. If not, you should put it on your list. It is that good. 8/10
Hooded Menace - The Tritonus Bell (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]
Blood soaked death/doom band Finns, Hooded Menace drag their corpses from the grave with some horror-influenced heaviness. The band state Cathedral and Paradise Lost as musical influences, though they are far more driven by their collective love of horror films, mainly the Spanish 'The Blind Dead' series. The Tritonus Bell is their sixth full length album, but they have released multiple EP's and Splits with bands such as Asphyx and Autopsy. For this album they have reached way back into their record collection for some of the earliest torch bearers of the horror metal sound, the band, as well as the buzzwords around it mention Mercyful Fate and King Diamond a lot and the Danish master of the macabre does seem to have lest his mark on this record.
Not vocally of course as we still have guttural growls but the musical backing is more melodic and catchy than previous efforts. Much of this may be due to Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) sitting behind the producer's chair. His experience comes through on the guitars which are possibly the fastest and cleanest in the bands career. Chime Diabolicus highlights this tonal shift, with more melody than ever before, but also lots of knuckle dragging doom too. Instruments Of Sober Finality is the albums most 'classic' sounding metal track, it is an instrumental that reminds me of tracks such as Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) and Orion by Metallica.
Elsewhere Blood Ornaments gets it's head down in some early-Bay Area thrash, Those Who Absorb The Night and the Scattered Into Dark takes them back to their doom beginnings as does Corpus Asunder which transitions between death metal and doom. There's also a W.A.S.P cover which doesn't really serve any purpose other than filling out the tracklist. Chugging death/doom with a classic sheen, Hooded Menace have followed up their 2018 release with a renewed vigour and a sense of experimentation. 7/10
Burial In The Sky are a progressive death metal band from Pennsylvania, presenting us with their third album The Consumed Self via Rising Nemesis Records. Clearly fans of both metal and jazz, their sound blends a wide palette across different soundscapes, and features a number of instruments not normally found in the more extreme side of music - notably the saxophone and accordion. An album of contrast, clashing gritty hard death metal riffs with ethereal clean passages. There is a lot going on to say the least, particularly in the tracks An Orphaned City, Amaurosis Shroud, and Mechanisms Of Loneliness. Unfortunately, this is also the Achilles heel.
The musicianship is outstanding, with obvious proficiency across all instruments involved. However, switching across so many styles means that you’re never fully committing to a cohesive theme, which can make for a somewhat jarring listening experience. For example, closing track Anatomy Of Us moves from a waiflike intro to a heavier progressive metal section, into an orchestral interlude, then to a passage blending clean vocals with frantic drums building into a climax that never comes as the song suddenly fades away. Despite not settling on any of these themes, the song still feels like it drags on for far too long.
It’s like switching from Porcupine Tree to Beyond Creation in a moment - both fabulous bands but I’m not longing for a mashup that might produce Porcupine Creation, or Beyond Tree. The album would certainly benefit from either fully committing to the thunderous heavy style, sprinkling quieter clean passages less frequently for effect, or going whole hog the other way and aiming for a mostly prog rock sound, rarely interrupted by the odd blastbeat. It’s a very innovative record compared to a lot of the music that’s being put out there, so credit where it’s due. Worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of Rivers of Nihil, Obscura, and Exocrine. 7/10
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