Doom is perhaps the most misleading name in the over-long and ever-growing list of metal subgenres. If one were to listen to Pelegrin’s second album Ways Of Avicenna knowing nothing about the history or development of the subgenre, they might be justifiably confused as to what exactly this music has to do with the more light-averse aspects of human fate. But then, a moment that occurs exactly three minutes and thirty-three seconds into the second track where the band descends into a riff so quintessentially doomy that Tony Iommi and Leif Edling would fight to the death for custodial rights.
Pelegrin lives in the demilitarized zone between doom metal and psych rock with bands like Elder, Kadavar, or Obsidian Sea. It’s a crowded corner of independent music and the bar for entry is very high but Pelegrin is a legitimate contender. They possess not only the musical virtuosity to write and sustain seven-plus minute tracks like the epic album closer, Forsaken Lands but the creativity and passion to elevate good songs into great ones as they do consistently on this record, including at the tail end of the opener, Madrassa, the album-standout and aforementioned Thunderstorms, and the centerpiece of the B-Side Mystical Appear (Sorry, Tony… Leif wins that one outright as the song drops heavily into its final two minutes).
The only weak point in Pelegrin’s auditory arsenal might be the near-sterility of lead singer Francois Roze’s vocals. There is no doubt, he won me over some where near the end of the first track, but there are those occasions where his voice is almost too beautiful and he sometimes benefits from sitting lower in his register (where his voice doesn’t sit as well) or adding low-end harmonies to a second track.
Irrespective of those small and possibly unique-to-me-and-only-me criticisms, Way Of Avicenna is the gorgeous, inspiring, and joyous experience that all great Doom can be.
Re-read that last sentence. See? If it weren’t for metal, those words would make absolutely no sense. 9/10
Oceanhoarse - Heads Will Roll (Noble Demon) [Simon Black]
I was quite impressed by Oceanhoarse’s debut Dead Reckoning a couple of years ago, and it’s interesting to see how their sound has developed now that the band has had a chance to actually get out on the road and tour the material. The answer is a lot. Whereas that debut had one foot firmly in the traditional metal camp, the balance has shifted to the more modern sounds that it was counterbalancing with first time round, with a healthy dollop of groove and some reliable hard rock ethos for good measure. Once I had got over the shock of that, it gave me a chance to appreciate it for what it is, which is the natural evolution as they say thank you to their influences but leave them a bit more in the background.
It’s also a much rougher and unpolished sounding record, which lends the whole thing a huge amount of energy. To be fair that was there in part first time round, but this feels more edgy, dangerous and consequently more fluid and honest-sounding. That said Joonas Kosonen’s voice is predominantly more consistently clean sounding than last time, which I think is a wise choice, because when you can sing that well, why waste time adding more extreme elements?
The raw, almost live demo feel of some of this works really well freed from some of the more precise delivery of the past. That said, there is some blisteringly tight delivery hidden underneath this superficially loose feel, with a rhythm section that you could use to calibrate an atomic clock and some brutally proficient shredding from sole guitarist Ben Varon who proves that sometime all the complex interplay and harmonies in the world don’t measure up to one really talented guitarist taking the limelight.
Pelegrin lives in the demilitarized zone between doom metal and psych rock with bands like Elder, Kadavar, or Obsidian Sea. It’s a crowded corner of independent music and the bar for entry is very high but Pelegrin is a legitimate contender. They possess not only the musical virtuosity to write and sustain seven-plus minute tracks like the epic album closer, Forsaken Lands but the creativity and passion to elevate good songs into great ones as they do consistently on this record, including at the tail end of the opener, Madrassa, the album-standout and aforementioned Thunderstorms, and the centerpiece of the B-Side Mystical Appear (Sorry, Tony… Leif wins that one outright as the song drops heavily into its final two minutes).
The only weak point in Pelegrin’s auditory arsenal might be the near-sterility of lead singer Francois Roze’s vocals. There is no doubt, he won me over some where near the end of the first track, but there are those occasions where his voice is almost too beautiful and he sometimes benefits from sitting lower in his register (where his voice doesn’t sit as well) or adding low-end harmonies to a second track.
Irrespective of those small and possibly unique-to-me-and-only-me criticisms, Way Of Avicenna is the gorgeous, inspiring, and joyous experience that all great Doom can be.
Re-read that last sentence. See? If it weren’t for metal, those words would make absolutely no sense. 9/10
Oceanhoarse - Heads Will Roll (Noble Demon) [Simon Black]
I was quite impressed by Oceanhoarse’s debut Dead Reckoning a couple of years ago, and it’s interesting to see how their sound has developed now that the band has had a chance to actually get out on the road and tour the material. The answer is a lot. Whereas that debut had one foot firmly in the traditional metal camp, the balance has shifted to the more modern sounds that it was counterbalancing with first time round, with a healthy dollop of groove and some reliable hard rock ethos for good measure. Once I had got over the shock of that, it gave me a chance to appreciate it for what it is, which is the natural evolution as they say thank you to their influences but leave them a bit more in the background.
It’s also a much rougher and unpolished sounding record, which lends the whole thing a huge amount of energy. To be fair that was there in part first time round, but this feels more edgy, dangerous and consequently more fluid and honest-sounding. That said Joonas Kosonen’s voice is predominantly more consistently clean sounding than last time, which I think is a wise choice, because when you can sing that well, why waste time adding more extreme elements?
The raw, almost live demo feel of some of this works really well freed from some of the more precise delivery of the past. That said, there is some blisteringly tight delivery hidden underneath this superficially loose feel, with a rhythm section that you could use to calibrate an atomic clock and some brutally proficient shredding from sole guitarist Ben Varon who proves that sometime all the complex interplay and harmonies in the world don’t measure up to one really talented guitarist taking the limelight.
Overall this flows slightly less well than its predecessor, which was difficult to put down, and maybe could have done with a bit of culling to tighten the album up, but as sophomore’s go it’s a creditable attempt that shifts the band’s sound along a notch and still leaves you wanting more. 7/10
Distant - Heritage (Century Media Records) [GC]
Here I am again and try as I might I always seem to choose deathcore albums to review, try something new I think and then I do the complete opposite and fall back on what I know, so with that in mind here is the latest album from Dutch deathcore mob Distant, Heritage and while it isn’t their first album, it is their first for new label Century Media, stepping into the big leagues here! Time to see what this lot are all about!
Acid Rain is an electronic, synth filled, ambient opener, it’s probably been made very clear from previous reviews that I have a well known hatred for instrumentals, interludes and pointless noise filling tracks so this isn’t the best way to start but, hey on we go regardless, first track proper is Paradigm Shift and it gives you exactly what you would expect big bruising beatdown chugga chugga riffs, mixed with plenty of atmospherics which seems to be the thing to do in deathcore at the minute, and honestly its starting to grate on me as it all sounds so overproduced and takes away the rawness needed to really punish the listener, its all done nicely enough but that’s the issue here, I don’t want nice I want savage rawness and punishing brutality, sigh!
Distant - Heritage (Century Media Records) [GC]
Here I am again and try as I might I always seem to choose deathcore albums to review, try something new I think and then I do the complete opposite and fall back on what I know, so with that in mind here is the latest album from Dutch deathcore mob Distant, Heritage and while it isn’t their first album, it is their first for new label Century Media, stepping into the big leagues here! Time to see what this lot are all about!
Acid Rain is an electronic, synth filled, ambient opener, it’s probably been made very clear from previous reviews that I have a well known hatred for instrumentals, interludes and pointless noise filling tracks so this isn’t the best way to start but, hey on we go regardless, first track proper is Paradigm Shift and it gives you exactly what you would expect big bruising beatdown chugga chugga riffs, mixed with plenty of atmospherics which seems to be the thing to do in deathcore at the minute, and honestly its starting to grate on me as it all sounds so overproduced and takes away the rawness needed to really punish the listener, its all done nicely enough but that’s the issue here, I don’t want nice I want savage rawness and punishing brutality, sigh!
Born Of Blood doesn’t do much to convince me either, its very paint by numbers, I mean sure it’s got all the hallmarks of a decent track but it just lacks the necessary edge for it to really kick on, you can tell they have made the most of the Century Media production funds that much is for sure, The Grief Manifest does fare better as it feels they have simplified that song structure and also the production feels as if it has been drawn back and it lets some of the viciousness need finally shine through and Alan Grnja’s vocals finally shine here and show what they are capable of when the keep it simple!!
The good run continues into Exofilth which is full of huge riffs that create a depth that has been lacking previously and the heaviness begins to take its grip and it has some decent little solos thrown if for good measure, things are looking up! That is until we get to the mammoth 7-minute Argent Justice which has guest vocals from almost every deathcore vocalist you could list, which instantly makes the song feel disjointed as there’s just too many different noises going on and because you are trying to figure out just who is singing you miss most of the music which actually ends up being dragged out and repetitive so that every vocalist in history can have a go on the track, and to be honest at the 5 minute mark I’m just bored and frustrated and the last minute of this song is pointless and should have been scrapped, it’s so boring!.
Over halfway in now and it’s been a mixed bag so far! The Gnostic, however, hits me right in the place it needs to! Its fast, heavy, full of rage and anger, they slow the pace midway, but it doesn’t take anything away form the track at all because the closing section is stuffed to the brim with guitar squeals, guttural vocals and horrible beatdowns, THIS is what I want from Distant! Best track on the album hands down!! The relentless savageness continues directly into A Sentence To Suffer which with its blasbeats and atmospherics intertwining nicely are actually complimenting each other instead of fighting for attention and the guitars are punishing and have the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the chest, beautifully done.
Over halfway in now and it’s been a mixed bag so far! The Gnostic, however, hits me right in the place it needs to! Its fast, heavy, full of rage and anger, they slow the pace midway, but it doesn’t take anything away form the track at all because the closing section is stuffed to the brim with guitar squeals, guttural vocals and horrible beatdowns, THIS is what I want from Distant! Best track on the album hands down!! The relentless savageness continues directly into A Sentence To Suffer which with its blasbeats and atmospherics intertwining nicely are actually complimenting each other instead of fighting for attention and the guitars are punishing and have the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the chest, beautifully done.
Human Scum slows everything down and is heavy on the atmospherics again until it kicks in after about a minute and all subtlety is shown the door in favour of more big groove infused beatdowns and an almost grinding death metal pace that shows a complete disregard for the listeners well-being and I love it! Heritage features man on the moment Will Ramos and as he is the only guest his vocals shine as opposed to getting lost in a dick measuring contest on this black metal infused beatdown and it’s worth noting again that the synths and atmospherics actually elevate everything to another level as opposed to sounding pointlessly added at the last minute.
Unfortunately, the run is abruptly ended with Orphan Of Blight which starts of like a power metal song and proceeds to just sound messy and hashed together and frustratingly feels like it was just all thrown together at the last minute to add some padding to the run time and the last section just drags along and its all so disappointing, definitely skip this song if you’re going to listen! So the last track is Plaguebreeder which creeps into being and is full of slow, precise and stabbing riffs before unloading the final beatdowns of the albums, its all done at a more measured pace but doesn’t affect the power of the song as a whole, and then that’s it, all over.
This was probably one of the most frustrating albums I have ever reviewed and the length of this fucking review tells that story. When it was good it was a pleasure to listen to and took my breath away but when it was bad it was a fucking chore and I wanted to give up at times!! I do however believe there is more good than bad on this album and there may have been a lot of pressure riding on the fact it’s their first release on a ‘’big label’’. They will probably release better albums in the future, but for now I can only review the frustrating album in front of me. 6/10
Half Me – Soma (Arising Empire) [Zak Skane]
The brutality begins with Wraith when swells of pitch shifted guitar riffs whilst the tension builds up when the smooth delivery of half time grooves and snarling lyrics enter the mix before it gets halted for some thrashy riffs and good nuclear assault of blast beats. The clean choruses are there…but are followed by some punishing breakdowns. Trauma Culture shows us how groovy this band can go with it’s right hand guitar pumping purring riffs accompanied with it’s snappy Stratocaster like tone. With the punchy down beat rhythms, clanky guitar tones and snarling choruses, this track will make any slipknot fan happy.
Unfortunately, the run is abruptly ended with Orphan Of Blight which starts of like a power metal song and proceeds to just sound messy and hashed together and frustratingly feels like it was just all thrown together at the last minute to add some padding to the run time and the last section just drags along and its all so disappointing, definitely skip this song if you’re going to listen! So the last track is Plaguebreeder which creeps into being and is full of slow, precise and stabbing riffs before unloading the final beatdowns of the albums, its all done at a more measured pace but doesn’t affect the power of the song as a whole, and then that’s it, all over.
This was probably one of the most frustrating albums I have ever reviewed and the length of this fucking review tells that story. When it was good it was a pleasure to listen to and took my breath away but when it was bad it was a fucking chore and I wanted to give up at times!! I do however believe there is more good than bad on this album and there may have been a lot of pressure riding on the fact it’s their first release on a ‘’big label’’. They will probably release better albums in the future, but for now I can only review the frustrating album in front of me. 6/10
Half Me – Soma (Arising Empire) [Zak Skane]
The brutality begins with Wraith when swells of pitch shifted guitar riffs whilst the tension builds up when the smooth delivery of half time grooves and snarling lyrics enter the mix before it gets halted for some thrashy riffs and good nuclear assault of blast beats. The clean choruses are there…but are followed by some punishing breakdowns. Trauma Culture shows us how groovy this band can go with it’s right hand guitar pumping purring riffs accompanied with it’s snappy Stratocaster like tone. With the punchy down beat rhythms, clanky guitar tones and snarling choruses, this track will make any slipknot fan happy.
Distort begins with this sub bass driven electronic drum beat with is then layered throughout the song shining a new fresh tint of paint on the bands sound, especially when it is paired with some jolty messhugah styled rhythms. Magma Hour brings out the rage from the vocalist going all out from harsh mid to punishing guttural lows in a heart beat whist throwing in some clean choruses over balls to the wall arrangements from the guitars and drums making it sound like a revamped lotus eater song.
The venom continues with the rapid pace lyrics and punishing breakdowns of Ex Negativo and the extreme but yet experimental track Proxy with the track going from intense blast beat sections to vocal coder sung bridges. The final song in the track listing Half Me brings out the songwriter side of the band which features moving passages of synths and string sound to play on the listeners heart strings, whilst utilising soaring choruses and utilizing blast beats for added suspense.
I feel what this band can do on this album can be either really good or very average, for example the meaty breakdowns and baritone tuned riffs in songs like Trauma Culture, Distort and Ex Negativo are ear punishingly good, same goes for harsh vocals. What I feel the band fall short on is the clean sung vocal passages, especially on songs like their opening track Wraith where I felt it just forces in to make the song have some commercial value just for the sake of it.
I feel what this band can do on this album can be either really good or very average, for example the meaty breakdowns and baritone tuned riffs in songs like Trauma Culture, Distort and Ex Negativo are ear punishingly good, same goes for harsh vocals. What I feel the band fall short on is the clean sung vocal passages, especially on songs like their opening track Wraith where I felt it just forces in to make the song have some commercial value just for the sake of it.
Where as the clean sections featured on their closing track Half Me I found that the lyrics in those sections just lazy. How many songs you heard that had the soaring chorus singing the lines something like “please stay with me” in some anthemic fashion? Overall I still found this album a decent listen 7/10.
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