Softsun – Eternal Sunrise (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Spike]
Let's just state the facts upfront: Eternal Sunrise is not a record designed for high-velocity consumption. This is the sound of Gary Arce's Californian desert vision colliding with Pia Isaksen's cold Norwegian solitude. If you hit play expecting simple, immediate gratification, you are going to be disappointed.This album demands commitment. It asks you to sit still, shut up, and let the sheer atmospheric weight sink you into the floor. It is/was also one of the albums I was super keen to review having been introduced to the band by another Musipedia Of Metal writer, Rich Piva. The previous album, Daylight In The Dark remains a firm favourite.
This record lives in a genre that should technically not exist: doomgaze. It's heavy, patient, and dreamy, like watching a glacier drag across the desert floor. Pia Isaksen’s bass is the slow, rumbling heart of the operation, a fuzzed-out tectonic pulse that provides the necessary friction.
This record lives in a genre that should technically not exist: doomgaze. It's heavy, patient, and dreamy, like watching a glacier drag across the desert floor. Pia Isaksen’s bass is the slow, rumbling heart of the operation, a fuzzed-out tectonic pulse that provides the necessary friction.
Then you get Arce’s guitar work, which isn’t played so much as willed into existence through a vast array of effects. His clean melodies are layered with reverb and delay, creating these shimmering, trippy sonic arcs that float above the sludge. It's beautiful, but menacing.
The true conflict and the album’s essential brilliance lies in the vocals. The delivery is airy, clean, and haunting, with a mood that definitely recalls the detached serenity of Mazzy Star and for the record Hope Sandoval has one of the most beautiful voices in music in my opinion.
The true conflict and the album’s essential brilliance lies in the vocals. The delivery is airy, clean, and haunting, with a mood that definitely recalls the detached serenity of Mazzy Star and for the record Hope Sandoval has one of the most beautiful voices in music in my opinion.
That sound sitting right on top of a crushing, distorted groove creates an undeniable sonic tension. It’s the sound of finding absolute, cold peace right in the centre of a sonic tornado. You get tracks like Sacred Heart where the clean voice asks existential questions while the instrumentation patiently builds towards the noise ceiling, refusing to rush the inevitable crash.
The tracks are expansive and structurally defiant. They are meditations that explore themes of escape, longing, and existential emptiness. A Hundred And Sixteen and Sleep The Day Away are exercises in slow immersion; they don't shift pace because they don't need to. They are meant to wrap around you, suffocating you slowly with atmosphere until you are fully submerged in the band's dual reality.
By the time you reach the second half, the album becomes palpably moody. Abandoned Lands uses the immense space between the notes to enhance the sense of desolation, proving that sometimes the quiet parts hit harder than the distortion.
The tracks are expansive and structurally defiant. They are meditations that explore themes of escape, longing, and existential emptiness. A Hundred And Sixteen and Sleep The Day Away are exercises in slow immersion; they don't shift pace because they don't need to. They are meant to wrap around you, suffocating you slowly with atmosphere until you are fully submerged in the band's dual reality.
By the time you reach the second half, the album becomes palpably moody. Abandoned Lands uses the immense space between the notes to enhance the sense of desolation, proving that sometimes the quiet parts hit harder than the distortion.
Finally, Cremation Sunlight closes the journey, providing a hazy, uplifting march that sounds exactly like what happens when a nightmare ends with a false sense of peace. Softsun has perfected the sound of beautiful, cold surrender. If you have the patience, this album is a necessary fix. I adore this. It is probably a contender for album of the year. 10/10
Gazpacho - Magic 8-Ball (Kscope) [Matt Bladen]
Prog. Art rock. Call it what you want Norwegian band Gazpacho are masters of it. Meeting almost universal acclaim in the progressive music scene for their non-linear musical experimentation and their fearless incorporation of styles that you may not expect.
Gazpacho - Magic 8-Ball (Kscope) [Matt Bladen]
Prog. Art rock. Call it what you want Norwegian band Gazpacho are masters of it. Meeting almost universal acclaim in the progressive music scene for their non-linear musical experimentation and their fearless incorporation of styles that you may not expect.
Much of the Gazpacho discography is driven by stories, thematic journeys through created worlds often inspired by philosophy or societal issues, they tell these tales with atmospheric, interesting and wonderfully executed songs that carry emotional weight.
There aren't too many brands that can conjure genuine emotions with what they do but Gazpacho have been making folks blame with something in their eye for a long time now.
There aren't too many brands that can conjure genuine emotions with what they do but Gazpacho have been making folks blame with something in their eye for a long time now.
Five years since their last album they have returned with Magic 8-Ball, an album that revolves around fate and the Ship Of Theseus, if a person slowly looses parts of themselves and replaces them automatically are they still the same person? Or is it that time in the end will change all of us for better or worse?
Each track on this record deals with a change, most cataclysmic, something that would alter your perspective on things, while also showing that these changes are not always a one off the can return in various forms. So each song is it's own entity but they are all linked by the same theme. One carrying with it the emotion of the last of not the musical approach.
From the piano and strings of the opener, We Are Strangers goes down the anthemic prog route, while the title track has a carnival atmosphere and Immerwahr is dreamy, earnest, using melodies that matches Muse with former tour mates Marillion.
Each track on this record deals with a change, most cataclysmic, something that would alter your perspective on things, while also showing that these changes are not always a one off the can return in various forms. So each song is it's own entity but they are all linked by the same theme. One carrying with it the emotion of the last of not the musical approach.
From the piano and strings of the opener, We Are Strangers goes down the anthemic prog route, while the title track has a carnival atmosphere and Immerwahr is dreamy, earnest, using melodies that matches Muse with former tour mates Marillion.
Gazpacho delve further into the notions of change and chance but the odds are forever in their favour, clever, emotive art rock for prog community, without all the self indulgence. 9/10
Barring a couple of slight grumbles at the very end, I loved this album! It had old school, meeting new school, it made thrash actually sound enjoyable for a change and also had enough modern sounding elements so as not sound dated and cliched, Death Never Sleeps makes an impression that will stay with you for a very long time and keep you coming back for repeated listens. 9/10
Glorious Depravity - Death Never Sleeps (Transcending Obscurity Records) [GC]
The minute you look at the cover for Death Never Sleeps by Glorious Depravity you know what your getting, spiky unreadable logo, dark demon themed artwork, its death metal and there no way around it!
The minute you look at the cover for Death Never Sleeps by Glorious Depravity you know what your getting, spiky unreadable logo, dark demon themed artwork, its death metal and there no way around it!
It’s also a dead giveaway as it on Transcending Obscurity! As its now edging towards the end of the year and I am feeling a slight case of DMOL (death metal over-load) will this re-invigorate me or will it just meld in with the countless albums that have fallen by the wayside!?
Slaughter Of The Gerontocrats certainly gets the blood pumping and is an exciting way to start the record, its got an unmistakable old school sound that has been beefed up and given a modern twist, its like a mid-90’s Deicide jamming with Lamb Of God and that will do just fine for me, we even get a little pig squealy bit at the end that also sounds great!
Slaughter Of The Gerontocrats certainly gets the blood pumping and is an exciting way to start the record, its got an unmistakable old school sound that has been beefed up and given a modern twist, its like a mid-90’s Deicide jamming with Lamb Of God and that will do just fine for me, we even get a little pig squealy bit at the end that also sounds great!
Stripmined Flesh Extractor ramps up the thrash element to the fullest and is invigorating and raging in every sense, there is no re-inventing of any wheels here they play brutally heavy death metal and sprinkle generous doses of equally heavy thrash metal into it to make it super-fast and ultra-modern death metal, and so far its sounding wonderful to me.
Freshkills Poltergeist takes a more measured approach to begin with and slows down the pace dramatically and it doesn’t actually hinder or hold the song back because of it, sometimes when a band dials it back you lose some of the ferocity but not here they manage to just keep everything crisp and on point, when we do get the faster bits they mix in expertly.
Sulphrous Winds (Howling Through Christendom) feels like it should be a Nile title, and musically its not far off either, brutally savage and groove heavy death metal mixed perfectly to make sure not a single note or drum kick is missed, it’s a short, heavy full-on bludgeon of a song that’s all over and done in 2:25 of wonderfulness!
Scourged By The Wings Of The Fell Destroyer has the more thrashy sound pushed to the fore, and usually I’m not a massive fan of thrash but when its done with such conviction and is as heavy as this is I really can t have any complaints, it mixes into the death metal and just creates something that is so savage you cant help but enjoy it.
The Devouring Dust focusses fully on full force death metal, no messing about its chock full of thundering blast beats, big grooving riffs, and all done with such a commitment to be heavy at all cost but also still keep it sounding and it sounds vital and life affirming like only the best death metal can.
Carnage At The Margins has a Napalm Death tinge to the sound, its got all the usual savageness but also seems to have just a little bit more grind-ness to it, but when they do turn on the death metal is just so full on and relentless in its nature but also has such an engaging groove it just gets hold of you and never lets up.
Necrobotic Enslavement is another track that begins slowly and builds towards something huge but here for some reason it just sounds a bit robotic and repetitive and on this listen doesn’t really catch on as well as everting else has, Death Never Sleeps follows on with the slower pace and sort of feels like a slight let down as a closing track, it has all the elements needed to make it a good track but it doesn’t stand out and takes far too long for it to kick into life and really feels like the wrong track to end on.
Barring a couple of slight grumbles at the very end, I loved this album! It had old school, meeting new school, it made thrash actually sound enjoyable for a change and also had enough modern sounding elements so as not sound dated and cliched, Death Never Sleeps makes an impression that will stay with you for a very long time and keep you coming back for repeated listens. 9/10
Oromet – The Sinking Isle (Hypaethral Records) [Cherie Curtis]
The Sinking Isle is interesting; it consists of three tracks - Forsaken Tarn, Marathon and Hollow Dominion. This album is a commitment as tracks range from 11 – 20 minutes long which is what makes this album unique.
The Sinking Isle is interesting; it consists of three tracks - Forsaken Tarn, Marathon and Hollow Dominion. This album is a commitment as tracks range from 11 – 20 minutes long which is what makes this album unique.
Oromet brings us long luxurious soundscapes with a melancholy atmosphere. It’s cinematic in style each track is it’s own entity. The Sinking Isle is deep and foreboding and slowly builds tension and resolves beautifully at the end.
It’s would be a great score for a gothic fantasy film, the vocals are interesting, deep and pronounced like Peter Steele but soaked with distortion and bass which are carried by a sharp lead guitar.
The Sinking Isle is very refreshing, I enjoyed listening to it but it’s not going to make my rotation, however if i were to write a gothic novel I will definitely have this on in the background for inspiration.
Overall, the album is very creative and centres around emotion to a point where the composition feels poetic, and the sheer amount of dedication is evident throughout. 7/10.
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