New Wave Heat is a wild ride, a flurry of metalcore, hardcore, hip-hop and nu-metal this is music of the most modern variety, evolving in the spaces of Denver, they are band who defy genre constructs, joining together anyone with a passing interest in those genres on their slickest, most focussed release yet.
Jumping out of their local scene in 2020 with their incendiary debut record they showcased their experimental ambitions on their previous EP and now on New World Heat they smash all of this together venturing further in to the Jnco jeans wearing, backwards cap toting world of Nu-Metal. Rap vocals and chunky guitars reminiscent of any number of bands from 1999's Woodstock.
The record scratch that starts For The Love Of The Game leads into the stop start stomp riffage, Cali metalcore crew Mugshot adding to the song, one of four guest artists to feature on the record, brought in not just for a cheap pop or some back scratching to meld the songs they appear on with their own style and.
The record scratch that starts For The Love Of The Game leads into the stop start stomp riffage, Cali metalcore crew Mugshot adding to the song, one of four guest artists to feature on the record, brought in not just for a cheap pop or some back scratching to meld the songs they appear on with their own style and.
For someone who was brought up with Nu-Metal, Fox Lake really nail the intensity of it with the heavy bass throb on Freestyle, more record scratching and aggression on Go 4 The Throat and Cold Hard Truth, you can feel the danger, that macho, chest beating, pit-inciting sound of a generation who won’t do what you tell them.
However they aren’t just a bunch of jocks smashing up the place, lots of the lyrical content is either intensely political such as Headshot and Savior, while Excessive Damage and others nod to their more nerdy pursuits of table top gaming. h a l f t i m e is the only moment of calm with a West Coast hip hop back beat to let the dust settle before things get violent again on the second half of the album.
However they aren’t just a bunch of jocks smashing up the place, lots of the lyrical content is either intensely political such as Headshot and Savior, while Excessive Damage and others nod to their more nerdy pursuits of table top gaming. h a l f t i m e is the only moment of calm with a West Coast hip hop back beat to let the dust settle before things get violent again on the second half of the album.
With such a strong Nu-metal sound to this record you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a lost album from that era, however the ultra-modern production and the breakneck shifts into Knocked Loose-like beatdowns, keeps it strictly in the modern era.
Whether you like New Wave Heat will depend on your opinion of nu-metal ultimately but there is something quite thrilling about music that angries up the blood! Fox Lake do that in spades with this second full length. 8/10
Eskapism - Skresnava (Naturmacht Productions) [Mark Young]
In the latest round of reviews that slipped through my holiday addled brain is the third release from Eskapism, the atmospheric black metal band via Naturmacht Productions. First impressions was that 4 songs and a 40-minute run time would sorely test my powers of endurance when faced with a genre that I don’t really dive into.
Whether you like New Wave Heat will depend on your opinion of nu-metal ultimately but there is something quite thrilling about music that angries up the blood! Fox Lake do that in spades with this second full length. 8/10
Eskapism - Skresnava (Naturmacht Productions) [Mark Young]
In the latest round of reviews that slipped through my holiday addled brain is the third release from Eskapism, the atmospheric black metal band via Naturmacht Productions. First impressions was that 4 songs and a 40-minute run time would sorely test my powers of endurance when faced with a genre that I don’t really dive into.
The icy opener, The Forest Of Silent Shadows would be more suited to the winter months than the extended heat wave we are experiencing but putting that to one side it goes a long way to changing my perception of what ‘good’ atmospheric metal sounds like. The traditional black metal touches are there – vocal style, constant double bass and an understated support by keys that provides a wide sonic spectrum.
Don’t let the 10-minute runtime put you off as they make sure that this grabs you from the starting second. Of course, the tempo ebbs and flows to suit and you can see where they have applied a winning formula to how the song should sound.
The arrangement has an organic feel (even when the flutes are busted out) and there is no parts that feel unnecessary. I still think that it will appeal to genre lovers more than say straight up black metal fans but the clue is in their bio, they build the atmosphere and make sure there are enough riff heavy moments to carry it through. Its followed by the (dare I say) lighter touch Orison which employs a more uplifting tack to its opening melody lines before dropping into the darkness.
The strong work displayed on the opener continues here but with more focus on guitars and its moves along nicely. Nothing is overstated, everything you associate with this genre is here but it in the correct level. They make sure that the core ingredients are in place and as a result it’s a worthy song that could have opened the album up.
I’ve mentioned it before about long songs and their ability to engage and keep you listening. Eskapism have that knack of building worlds within their songs that mean the song lengths don’t actually feel as long as they are.
That’s not to say that they get it 100% right on each one. I felt that the opening moments of The Circle Of Eternity could have given way to a more aggressive start. Certainly, I would have forgiven them for giving us a more traditional shorter track as counterpoint but I’m not writing the music.
Its hard to pick a standout track, and I will have to be careful in what I say next because on the whole it is a good album of death metal that doesn’t try to go down a super produced route. It has a gnarly tone of its own and is heavy in all the right spots (everywhere). It does everything you expected from them without being groundbreaking.
Knosis - Genknosis (Sharptone Records) [Matt Bladen]
Do you like Crystal Lake? Particularly Crystal Lake pre-2022? Great, then I’d suggest picking up Genknosis, the debut album from Knosis, as it’s basically the debut solo album from ex-Crystal Lake vocalist Ryo Kinoshita.
That’s not to say that they get it 100% right on each one. I felt that the opening moments of The Circle Of Eternity could have given way to a more aggressive start. Certainly, I would have forgiven them for giving us a more traditional shorter track as counterpoint but I’m not writing the music.
The Circle continues to provide a good account of the band and is probably the most ambitious track on the album as it shoehorns melody lines that change with tempo shifts to match. There’s no let up in that focused drum attack that does a lot of the heavy lifting but I stand by my feeling that they could have chopped the length in half and still have a blinding track.
Amidst Worlds and Starlight brings you more of the same which is not meant in a snarky way. Simply put, they channel everything that is right from the preceding tracks and wrap it up in a closing track that does have a touch of repetition from the Circle for my money.
It employs similar melodic patterns but in all honesty everything else remains rock solid about it. Its probably the most accessible track here but what I would say is that they manage to cram each song with more ideas than you would normally find on a traditional black metal release.
Your appreciation of the music will largely depend on how you like your black metal. There is enough here to attract fans that wouldn’t normally go down the atmospheric route. For those who dig it, this is a super strong release and one that you shouldn’t miss. 8/10
Barbarous - Initium Mors (Creator-Destructor Records) [Mark Young]
Side 2 of the ‘I missed this one Boss’ is more up my Strasse with some brutal death metal served up from Oaklands Barbarous. 8 tracks in 29 minutes is the order of the day with a refreshing and somewhat pummelling collection of songs that come in, slay and go without becoming stale.
Barbarous - Initium Mors (Creator-Destructor Records) [Mark Young]
Side 2 of the ‘I missed this one Boss’ is more up my Strasse with some brutal death metal served up from Oaklands Barbarous. 8 tracks in 29 minutes is the order of the day with a refreshing and somewhat pummelling collection of songs that come in, slay and go without becoming stale.
Injection Of The Exhumed is as old school as it comes, no acoustic introductions or cod orchestral movements its straight in with a stomping arrangement that is there to crush. Its satisfying in that they don’t have that cookie cutter production, it sound crisp and on By Lead Or Steel you can pick out everything that is going on.
The second track has a lead break that is an exercise in restraint, remembering its place as a tool to serve the song and the sub three-minute track length means there is no chance of it becoming tiresome. Its apparent just on these two songs that they aren’t going to reinvent the genre, but they are going to have fun with it.
Tools Of The Trade is a blast / Trem fest, presented in that death metal style that made it such an exciting form of metal back in the 90’s. There are hints of Cannibal Corpse in there but without the feeling of the wheels falling off. Its controlled, super focused and in doing so means that each song satisfies the core tenets of what makes heavy metal what it is – fast riffs, machine gun drumming and low death growls.
What they do is pull good riffs together and make them sound fresh, especially on the title track Initium Mors. They keep that propulsive forward momentum going, always pushing onwards and grabbing you along for the ride. Despite that good level of song building, I felt as though they could have gone faster with it, making it more like By Lead Or Steel and make it more immediate but that’s me.
It’s something that they remediate with The Tomb Spawn, again evoking a Cannibal Corpse / Undeath mode of attack. Its similar to the Title track but in making it shorter its put the emphasis on getting to the finish in a quicker time, making it more instant.
That switch to shorter times bears fruit in the latter stages with each of the remaining tracks coming in hot. Would it have been better to shuffle that track listing and move a couple of the shorter ones near the front?
Possibly but Conscious Decomposition comes at you like a swarm of pissed off wasps whilst Anointing The Sick kicks you into next week with some frenzied riffing and drumming to match. They leave us on Coup De Grace racing through it as though their lives depend on it.
Its hard to pick a standout track, and I will have to be careful in what I say next because on the whole it is a good album of death metal that doesn’t try to go down a super produced route. It has a gnarly tone of its own and is heavy in all the right spots (everywhere). It does everything you expected from them without being groundbreaking.
The opening pair sets the watermark for quality and each of the following tracks come in at around the same level. I think that moving the running order would have changed how I perceived them but I’m glad that they ended on Coup De Grace, its high energy attack giving you necessary kick in the vitals. It does what it needs to do and I bet delivered live they take on a whole new energy.
Watch out for these, they have a very bright future ahead of them 7/10
Knosis - Genknosis (Sharptone Records) [Matt Bladen]
Do you like Crystal Lake? Particularly Crystal Lake pre-2022? Great, then I’d suggest picking up Genknosis, the debut album from Knosis, as it’s basically the debut solo album from ex-Crystal Lake vocalist Ryo Kinoshita.
The singer and multi-instrumentalist has been through the ringer over the last few years and has focussed this into this debut album, he’s battled loneliness and emotional pain so he’s looking to release it with Genkosis through the thoughtful metalcore he has always been known for.
Kinoshita is a talented player and composer, the songs on this record brim with complexity and dynamics, while his vocals are strong and impassioned, having just enough grit in the cleans to match well with the harsher shouts.
Kinoshita is a talented player and composer, the songs on this record brim with complexity and dynamics, while his vocals are strong and impassioned, having just enough grit in the cleans to match well with the harsher shouts.
There’s a lot to hear on this 10 track album with polished metalcore, technical leads and simmering synths all contributing to a modern soundscape which takes from hardcore, nu-metal and some alt metal as well, with a strong J-rock influence on Fuhai which features guest vocals from Yukina of Hanabie.
The record feels as if it’s sequenced in a way that the introspection sits at the beginning, gradually unlocking into release of emotions towards the end, as Kuruibi has Deftones ambience, Dokunuma brings anthemic emo-like choruses as Tanebi edges toward some post-metal atmospheres and huger cathartic chorus hooks.
The record feels as if it’s sequenced in a way that the introspection sits at the beginning, gradually unlocking into release of emotions towards the end, as Kuruibi has Deftones ambience, Dokunuma brings anthemic emo-like choruses as Tanebi edges toward some post-metal atmospheres and huger cathartic chorus hooks.
You can feel the pain building, consuming an then being expelled with this record which serves as the new chapter of a journey but one that will appeal to anyone who has been there since the beginning. 7/10
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