In 2023 veteran atmospheric doom band Pantheïst returned to the live stage after moving from London to South Wales, though they were formed in Belgium. Founding member Kostas Panagiotou put together a new band featuring Matt Strangis (bass), Atanas Kyurkchiev (guitars), Fanel Lefterache (drums) to play shows around the UK and into Europe too. One such show was their historic appearance at Organic Doom Vol I where they played a set at Huddersfield Town Hall accompanied by the pipe organ of David Pipe. It was covered in numerous articles including The Guardian and the BBC.
With this renewed interest and buzz around the band they entered the recording studio with soprano vocalist Linda Dumitru (now a member of the live band too) to record a brand new 49 minute opus entitled Kings Must Die. Joining Linda and Kostas on vocals is Jake Harding of Grave Lines and on guitars is Jeremy Lewis of Mesmur, these two additional players joining well with the first recording from the Cardiff based line up of the band.
The song itself is a study on the current political climate, the rise of the right and the massive divides in wealth all inspiring this bold, elongated piece that whirls between slabs of funeral doom, aggressive black metal barbs and Floydian esotericism, the contrast between Kostas’ and Jakes’ harsh and clean voices and Linda’s soaring angelic soprano adds a new dynamic to the already layered sound of the band.
Following on from the gargantuan Strange Times on Closer To God was always going to be difficult but this monolithic number is worth the price of entry alone. However there’s more as also included is the entire three song sermon they performed at Organic Doom Vol I, recorded/mixed/mastered by Mark Mynett, from the spine-tingling 1000 Years, to the classic O Solitude culminating in Strange Times, the chit chat is short, the songs are long and the pipe organ reigns supreme, making for a perfect recreation of the vent as you can feel it course through your veins even without being in the same room.
Kings Must Die looks to be the beginning of the next chapter in the Pantheïst prayer book, come and worship soon. 9/10
Clouds Taste Satanic - 79 A.E. (Majestic Mountain Records) [Rich Piva]
As I have mentioned before in reviews, I usually do not go for the instrumental bands on the regular, but when I do, it will mostly be either some version of the guys in Yawning Man or my number one option, the instrumental doom masters from New York’s Clouds Taste Satanic.
Clouds Taste Satanic - 79 A.E. (Majestic Mountain Records) [Rich Piva]
As I have mentioned before in reviews, I usually do not go for the instrumental bands on the regular, but when I do, it will mostly be either some version of the guys in Yawning Man or my number one option, the instrumental doom masters from New York’s Clouds Taste Satanic.
I have never once been disappointed by a CTS release, and their new one, 79 A.E, is no exception. 79 A.E. brings two twenty-plus minutes of outstanding instrumental doom, with all the riffs you would expect and that innate ability to tell a story with their music and no need for pesky lyrics that will only distract from the expertly executed doomy goodness.
Side A, Collision, is a master class in how to weave a narrative without words. Starting with some cool atmospheric dual guitar action, CTS takes us on an intergalactic journey with all sorts of killer axe work along side of that heavy and steady rhythm section. Around the four-minute mark is when it really kicks in and the fuzzy solo blasts you off until you hit the ground and get attacked by those riffs.
Side A, Collision, is a master class in how to weave a narrative without words. Starting with some cool atmospheric dual guitar action, CTS takes us on an intergalactic journey with all sorts of killer axe work along side of that heavy and steady rhythm section. Around the four-minute mark is when it really kicks in and the fuzzy solo blasts you off until you hit the ground and get attacked by those riffs.
The atmosphere and vibe the band creates is like no other band in their space, just check out the ten-minute mark to see what I mean. I love around the eighteen-minute mark where the chunky riffs give way to the more delicate guitar work before the heaviness brings us home. Never too much or too repetitive, the twenty-one minutes fly by and before you know it you are at the second leg of the journey, Reclamation.
A nice, evil riff opens us up on side two, easing us in with a nice slow burner and more of that killer doom atmosphere. Around five minutes we start to feel a shift, led by some more of that chunky riffing, but riffs along side so more sprawling guitar work. The interaction there is just masterful. You get almost Cantrell like riffs in this one, which I know will delight many. Those space vibes really kick in about halfway through and is probably my favourite part of the record. Or is it the fuzzier parts around twelve minutes? Hard to know, because 79 A.E. is filled with my favourite parts.
79 A.E. is an album that when I have no idea what to listen to is always going to be my default, because every time I hear something different, and it allows me to sit back and really clear my mind with only the riffs and the doomy fuzz to consider. I can’t imagine Clouds Taste Satanic not having the instrumental album of the year and 79 A.E. being one of if not the most played album of 2024 for your reviewer. Another instrumental doom masterpiece from Clouds Taste Satanic. 9/10
Azell - Death Control (Rottweiler Records) [Mark Young]
Azell are a duo consisting of vocalist Courteney Napier and David Napier. Between them, they hold down the bass, drums and guitar (with David noted as guitars) on their debut release due out on the 1st of March. There is a telling quote from Science-fiction master Harlan Ellison which has really piqued my interest here (if you don’t know who this is, there are online sources available. Especially where the origin of The Terminator may have come from).
79 A.E. is an album that when I have no idea what to listen to is always going to be my default, because every time I hear something different, and it allows me to sit back and really clear my mind with only the riffs and the doomy fuzz to consider. I can’t imagine Clouds Taste Satanic not having the instrumental album of the year and 79 A.E. being one of if not the most played album of 2024 for your reviewer. Another instrumental doom masterpiece from Clouds Taste Satanic. 9/10
Azell - Death Control (Rottweiler Records) [Mark Young]
Azell are a duo consisting of vocalist Courteney Napier and David Napier. Between them, they hold down the bass, drums and guitar (with David noted as guitars) on their debut release due out on the 1st of March. There is a telling quote from Science-fiction master Harlan Ellison which has really piqued my interest here (if you don’t know who this is, there are online sources available. Especially where the origin of The Terminator may have come from).
Taken from I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream “surrounded by madness, surrounded by hunger, surrounded by everything but death, I knew death was our only way out” this hopefully points to a great addition to the genre.
So, no pressure.
Death Control Is positively dripping in some of the filthiest sludge, Courteney’s vocals are everything they promised they would be, roaring their way through the opening track which is just so dense that light will not escape it.
The cosmic feel comes in on A-M, a simple but deadly effective riff dominating the opening measures. Accompanying synths paint that picture of an outer world, pinned back by those vocals once more. It takes that sludge/doom approach and squeezes the life out of it, with constricting bends before it loops back to allow those synths to come in again. Its as dark as it comes, and Scud announces itself with a riff that could split rock. Not content to simply offer super low guitar they give this more life by adding sonic textures to it that flash in and out it shows that they have a unique handle on their music and how they want it to go.
Death Control Is positively dripping in some of the filthiest sludge, Courteney’s vocals are everything they promised they would be, roaring their way through the opening track which is just so dense that light will not escape it.
The cosmic feel comes in on A-M, a simple but deadly effective riff dominating the opening measures. Accompanying synths paint that picture of an outer world, pinned back by those vocals once more. It takes that sludge/doom approach and squeezes the life out of it, with constricting bends before it loops back to allow those synths to come in again. Its as dark as it comes, and Scud announces itself with a riff that could split rock. Not content to simply offer super low guitar they give this more life by adding sonic textures to it that flash in and out it shows that they have a unique handle on their music and how they want it to go.
Changes in pattern are subtle and do enough to keep you engaged with this instrumental which really evokes a feeling of outer space. Being able to tell a story without words is incredibly hard to do so obviously Apocalypse Verdict goes the opposite way with dual vocals trading off as it starts. The vocal delivery from both actually carries this one across, allowing the music to bubble along underneath, supporting until it reaches its natural climax. Its cracking stuff and suddenly we are half-way through the album.
On Chemical Chains, David is up first, setting us up for Courteney to come in and batter. Those little sonic textures are utilised again, filling the space as those anguished vocals continue to lay waste. It lurches into life with some speedy drumming which just creeps up on you. I must mention that this is one of the key parts on show, there is some fantastic stuff going on here behind the kit, propelling the songs forward without going over the top.
On Chemical Chains, David is up first, setting us up for Courteney to come in and batter. Those little sonic textures are utilised again, filling the space as those anguished vocals continue to lay waste. It lurches into life with some speedy drumming which just creeps up on you. I must mention that this is one of the key parts on show, there is some fantastic stuff going on here behind the kit, propelling the songs forward without going over the top.
Cosmic Requiem is a fine example of that drumming approach, those little fills here and there adding to the massive sound they have. This is one of those things I love where a band just messes with expectations of what they should sound like. Yes, it’s sludge, yes, it's doom but they are having fun with it and by that end so are you.
Wallow continues that game, with background noise that sounds like a radio that it is receiving a message but isn’t tuned in properly. It brings in that cosmic idea once more and is a fine instrumental that leads us into the speedy End It All. This one comes straight out of the left field, vocals straining, guitar banging with an urgent (for doom) tempo, its incredibly short but sweet.
You Failed Me goes back to that blackened goodness with riffs unfolding that are supernaturally slow but venom-laced lyrics that are just spat out and then the final song, Echoes Of Eternity with that fuzz-laced tone and a bell ringing out as for the last time they fill out the space with noise and close out proceedings nicely.
One of the things that hit quite quickly is how each song manages to make you think they are speeding along despite that glacial pace. The vocals are spot on, both offering a distinct counterpoint to the other whilst combining with the lead-heavy riffs they are churning out for fun. For me, this is one of those releases that should pick up a lot of interest in the coming months.
Wallow continues that game, with background noise that sounds like a radio that it is receiving a message but isn’t tuned in properly. It brings in that cosmic idea once more and is a fine instrumental that leads us into the speedy End It All. This one comes straight out of the left field, vocals straining, guitar banging with an urgent (for doom) tempo, its incredibly short but sweet.
You Failed Me goes back to that blackened goodness with riffs unfolding that are supernaturally slow but venom-laced lyrics that are just spat out and then the final song, Echoes Of Eternity with that fuzz-laced tone and a bell ringing out as for the last time they fill out the space with noise and close out proceedings nicely.
One of the things that hit quite quickly is how each song manages to make you think they are speeding along despite that glacial pace. The vocals are spot on, both offering a distinct counterpoint to the other whilst combining with the lead-heavy riffs they are churning out for fun. For me, this is one of those releases that should pick up a lot of interest in the coming months.
In terms of sludge/doom, it is a fantastic addition to that genre, and they do a lot of things that others don’t seem to grasp. One of those things is to write songs that move, that are not content to have one riff repeated forever. They show that they are not scared to do what feels right to them and it is exceptional stuff, a brave and engaging debut 8/10
Defocus - There Is A Place for Me On Earth (Arising Empire) [GC]
After forming back in 2019 and getting a few live performances in the locker Defocus like many other bands were thrown off track by that mildly inconvenient global pandemic thing that happened, they did manage to work through this and get a debut album released in 2021 and now they are gearing up to release their new album, There Is a Place for Me on Earth and this is what I will be listening to today!
It all starts with Let The Bond Be My Grave and as is the case with most metalcore bands these days there is a heavily electronic/digital sound to what is coming out of the speakers and when the vocals start it all starts to feel very industrial and it’s all very mid paced and doesn’t really do much for me if I am honest? Biased does at least pick the speed up and starts with some frantic drumming but then drops back into more industrial/nu-metal-tinged style, one thing I know for sure is that it is most definitely not metalcore, we do get some interesting time changes, and some of the electronics worked into the song are decent but nothing spectacular.
Defocus - There Is A Place for Me On Earth (Arising Empire) [GC]
After forming back in 2019 and getting a few live performances in the locker Defocus like many other bands were thrown off track by that mildly inconvenient global pandemic thing that happened, they did manage to work through this and get a debut album released in 2021 and now they are gearing up to release their new album, There Is a Place for Me on Earth and this is what I will be listening to today!
It all starts with Let The Bond Be My Grave and as is the case with most metalcore bands these days there is a heavily electronic/digital sound to what is coming out of the speakers and when the vocals start it all starts to feel very industrial and it’s all very mid paced and doesn’t really do much for me if I am honest? Biased does at least pick the speed up and starts with some frantic drumming but then drops back into more industrial/nu-metal-tinged style, one thing I know for sure is that it is most definitely not metalcore, we do get some interesting time changes, and some of the electronics worked into the song are decent but nothing spectacular.
Watch Me Bleed then ramps up the nu-metal influence to 1000 and has the down tuned chugging riffs mixed with clean vocals intertwining with more electronics and it huffs and puffs but never really does much of note, Consumed By You is more of the same really chugging riffs fed through electronic filters it does its best to make you want to be angry but just doesn’t carry enough weight behind it to fully force their message home and the breakdown that is just randomly and forcefully tagged on at the end is best worth avoiding.
Crooked Mind gets us to the halfway mark and is a mish mash of mostly atmospheric walls of sound and clean vocals and they feel the need to add more of the standard nu-metal guitar work in here which in all honesty could have been left out and this would have been a good song but as it is it just is sort of ok. Don’t Let It Hurt You is actually embarrassing to listen to, it’s got some god awful, rapped verses and has the standard angry chorus thrown in and I’m a bit lost as to who though this track would be a good idea, a definite skip if I ever have heard one! Hybrid Anthem is then a completely unnecessary minute of electronic noises that is another flabbergasting musical choice and should 100% not have been marked as a track of its own?
…To Not Feel Anything FINALLY gets the mix right and doesn’t feel forced or frustrating to listen to it has got a good pace to it and the vitriol actually feels right and it’s a furious and unhinged attack from start to finish and the only real problem with it is that it has come this late in the album! Flatlines then instantly drops the pace right back down and stunts any spectacular end to the album as it’s just a frustrating and ultimately boring song that does precisely nothing for 3 minutes!?
Some of the musical choices that have been made on this album are so frustrating and so it come down to title track There Is a Place For Me On Earth to close the album out and they again choose to finally hit the right marks with this song and the industrial tones mix in nicely with the more ‘’core’’ elements of the sound, the clean vocals do slightly miss the mark on the chorus but is a good way to end at least.
This was a massively frustrating album to listen to and review because most of the time I can hear what they are trying to do and at times they do succeed with it by creating dark, brooding and menacing tracks but there are unfortunately so many ill-advised musical choices taken with the styles that all the good work is cancelled out and I just ultimately feel confused and disappointed at what I have heard. 4/10
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