Reviews: The Atrophic, Sarayasign, The World Without Us, Wikkid Star (Reviews By Matt Cook & Finn O'Dell)

The Atrophic – Coagulating Mirth (Self Released) [Matt Cook]

With all the Armageddon-like events seemingly occurring on a weekly basis, it’s excusable to let things fly by the wayside. It’s ever-more apparent metal music is in a thrilling phase that sees bands forced to flex their technical prowess, their homicidal vocals and their supersonic drumming. And astoundingly, what once required five or six members is being achieved by half, whether by design or out of necessity. 

Much like how most new job prospects nowadays are expected to flaunt more than a bachelor’s degree for entry-level gigs, bands hoping to break the mold in 2022 are expected to hit the ground running without a whiff of amateurism or mediocrity, putting more pressure on hopeful up-and-comers than ever before. It’s that innate competition which breeds exceptional musicianship and requires acts to pour their heart and soul into their work. 

The ball has been in the court of the listener ever since streaming services gained prominence and records didn’t even need to be purchased. The Atrophic spawned during the worst global catastrophe any of us reading this have ever experienced firsthand. And thus, the output is needle-moving. It’s less about innovation and more about going above and beyond. Being presented with a writing prompt that calls for five pages but inking 10. Applying for a job that recommends you’re fluent in two different languages while in fact you’re a polyglot. 

Sean Irizarry (vocals) and Kyle Kuffermann (guitar) are nothing short of spectacular on Coagulating Mirth, the North Carolinians’ debut effort. Robin Stone acts as session drummer for the EP; Stone apparently mistakes the sticks for nun chucks on Misery’s Grip, because the handiwork is pristine. Also indicative of an understanding of society, The Atrophic in only four songs successfully convey their message to attention-span-deprived millennials: the music is adept, the production is top-notch. The future is bright (at least for the band. The political and social landscape is of course a much different story). 8/10

Sarayasign - Throne Of Gold (Melodic Passion) [Finn O'Dell]

This debut album by Sarayasign is intended to be the first of a 4 album run telling a story throughout. So, you have a few options here: read about the concept and how each song fits into the story (all available on the band's website) or just take it at face value and let the music do the talking. I glanced over the information (short version - fantasy story of good versus evil) and just dove into the album for the experience. This is some solid hard rock with some minor hints of power metal: incredible production, fabulous musicianship and the amazing vocal skills of Stefan Nykvist. The opener, The Book Of Wisdom, digs right into things with some great songwriting, lyrically and musically - positive and powerful. 

When Worlds Collide really demonstrates Stefan's passionate vocal delivery (reminds me of a smoother Jorn Lande). Distant Memories starts with the sounds of a car crash before ripping into the body of the song. Jesper Lindbergh handles the drums, rhythm guitar, loops & soundscapes, the latter of which is the key to this sounding like a concept album. If Only For A Moment sees them flexing their ballad muscles and it works beautifully. Sandman uses a lot of visual language that paint the picture effectively. 

Run (The Hunt For The Book Of Wisdom) has a soaring chorus and Stranger In Ice maintains that hard rock groove. The last song is the title track and it has a lot going on cinematically though Jesper's handy work. Overall, a great hard rock offering here with lyrical and concept depth to fascinate. Very enjoyable listen. 8/10

The World Without Us – Body Forth (Self Released) [Matt Cook]

Two things are immediately problematic with The World Without Us and their EP, Body Forth – jumbled inconsistency and an identity crisis. (Let me acknowledge from the outset: the band label themselves as “genre-bending progressive death metal with modern strains of heavy and groovy modern progressive metal.” That alone offers more leeway when it comes to branching out and exploring, but is also maddeningly redundant and confusingly word-heavy). 

Presumably meant to be a four-song exhibition touching upon the Pennsylvanians’ strengths and fortes, it instead listens like the result of a group project which was cobbled together without any of the members consulting with each other. Vocalist Mario Paulo Canavarro and drummer Stephen Campbell are as much on the same page as Russia and the Ukraine. What’s worse is having to dig into the 21-minute record feeling as if the band is completely unaware of what they are trying to sound like. 

The “death metal” is unstable, and scared-sounding screaming with unnecessary overcompensation by way of poorly placed growls feels rushed. There is anger and intensity, but falls way short of anything marginally effective because of the continuous fragmentation that acts as a storm cloud. You’ll be hard-pressed to come across even a morsel of the groove apparently present. Even if it’s uncovered somewhere, there’s no way it could prop up and save this. 

Is this an EP or an elongated sound check? I’m not even entirely sure the same band sticks around for the full playthrough. From a listener’s standpoint, there is no opportunity to settle in. If this were mathcore, it’d at least be more feasible, but even then, there lacks any bit of the controlled chaos that comes with that genre. Body Forth aptly opens with a choppy sounding intro. And I can’t help but wonder about the title. It may have been beneficial to call this EP "Body Froth” and rewrite it as a goregrind album. In fact, they’re halfway there after this “throw-shit-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks” approach. 4/10

Wikkid Starr - Return To Glory (Lion's Pride Music) [Finn O'Dell]

This is the second album from these Pasadena, CA based rockers. Very interesting and colorful album cover, so let's see what these fellas are bringing. Opens with Gio Sanchez (drums and keyboards) lighting up the keyboard on the title track with vocalist Toney Richards monologuing before ripping into a feel good rocker. 

Unleash The Fury opens with gang vocalized "whoohs" setting the tone for this banger that I can see myself speeding down the highway cranking this up. Rafa Souza delivers a killer guitar solo on this cut. Ready Or Not comes off a bit too cheesy for my liking. Full Moon Dance redeems with a solid chorus. Never Fear The Unknown has riffs with the keys backing nicely. God's Of War ramps things up with heavy guitars and screams before settling into choppy verses with a solid chorus. Frozen Heart is over the top radio play keyboard driven rock. The Long Road has some chugging riffs to start before slipping into AOR land. 

The last 2 songs, Feel The Vibe and Love & Devotion double down on that AOR sound, and not in a good way. This album started with the energy and hard rock heaviness I was wanting but slowly slipped into 80's keyboard compromised radio rock of a lighter variety. It feels like these guys are straddling AOR and hard rock, an attempt fans of either may not appreciate. Unleash The Fury is the stand out cut. 5/10