This is a record that attempts to chart the collision of the cosmic and the personal. Sun Of The Suns' Entanglement is less an album and more a searing philosophical thesis on inevitability, delivered through the lens of crushing Progressive Deathcore. This Italian unit refuses to settle for simple brutality, utilizing hyper-technical chaos to explore the profound weight of existence and the complex stages of grieving.
The conceptual weight is enormous, and the sound is surgically precise. The opening tracks, On The Last Day Of Earth and Ephemeral, Ethereal, Eternal, immediately launch the listener into a frantic space where personal loss is mirrored by universal collapse. The lyrics speak of "souls entwined in a dance" and "fleeting life," setting up the album's core tension: how can anything eternal be tangled with anything so momentary? This duality is expressed through blistering, syncopated rhythms and complex, interlocking riffs that demand mechanical precision.
The band’s compositional strength lies in translating agonizing philosophical concepts into punishing musical pressure. If I Could Hold The Sky uses soaring, desperate melody to articulate the unbearable burden of grief ("If I could hold the sky / I would bear this weight for you"), before One With The Sun turns to a more aggressive, hopeful resolve, rising from the ashes with metallic fury. The vocals are a guttural, cosmic cry of despair, often accompanied by complex orchestral swells that push the music into an epic, cinematic realm.
The midpoint, Please, Blackout My Eyes, is the nihilistic climax. Its brutal core riff and desperate lyrics ("A black dressed God is the hiss I disavow") embody rage against the silence of the universe. This is quickly followed by The Void Where Sound Ends It's Path, a track where the relentless sonic assault slows, giving way to dissonant ambient textures that simulate the consciousness unravelling, a truly challenging and effective piece of dark art.
The epic journey concludes with the title track, Entanglement . Here, all elements merge: the technicality, the cosmic theme ("Particles woven in infinite skies"), and the emotional resonance ("Your light remains as a silent proof"). Sun Of The Suns delivers an unrelenting barrage that demands multiple listens to appreciate the brutal, beautiful depiction of universal suffering set to an unrelenting metallic score.
This album is a triumph of complexity and aggression, proving that Deathcore can still be a highly ambitious and rewarding sound. 8/10
Various Artists - No Life ‘Til Leather – A Tribute To Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All (Silver Linings Music) [Matt Bladen]
A selection of covers all recorded at different times compiled to fit the running order of the original record. The bands on it all add their own flair to the songs, stopping them from just being slavish covers and while some are obvious, Whiplash, Metallica's ode to Motorhead is covered by Lemmy and co and unsurprisingly sounds exactly like it's one of theirs.
Soen do something weird with Motorbreath. Dave Ellefson wraps his bass around Anaesthesia (Pulling Teeth), which is bound to have annoyed MegaDave and The Almighty take Four Horsemen, which on the surface may be a bit of a strange one but the mid-pace chug is perfect for a band with that link to Thin Lizzy.
Elsewhere there's metal on metal with some of NWOBHM band who were so beloved by Lars Ulrich feature as Diamond Head take No Remorse, Saxon have Phantom Lord, Tygers Of Pan Tang run through Jump In The Fire while Raven have Metal Militia. With all of these you can hear the influences of the NWOBHM clearly, the Metallica tracks transforming into songs Mr Ulrich would have been playing to death on cassette.
To get stared through heavy metal revival heroes Tailgunner blast though Hit The Lights with their trademark tenacity as fellow thrash legends Testament give some grunt to Seek & Destroy. No Life ‘Til Leather is star studded tribute to Metallica's now seminal debut album, if you're a fan of the band you'll love these interpretations. 9/10
Various Artists - No Life ‘Til Leather – A Tribute To Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All (Silver Linings Music) [Matt Bladen]
A selection of covers all recorded at different times compiled to fit the running order of the original record. The bands on it all add their own flair to the songs, stopping them from just being slavish covers and while some are obvious, Whiplash, Metallica's ode to Motorhead is covered by Lemmy and co and unsurprisingly sounds exactly like it's one of theirs.
Soen do something weird with Motorbreath. Dave Ellefson wraps his bass around Anaesthesia (Pulling Teeth), which is bound to have annoyed MegaDave and The Almighty take Four Horsemen, which on the surface may be a bit of a strange one but the mid-pace chug is perfect for a band with that link to Thin Lizzy.
Elsewhere there's metal on metal with some of NWOBHM band who were so beloved by Lars Ulrich feature as Diamond Head take No Remorse, Saxon have Phantom Lord, Tygers Of Pan Tang run through Jump In The Fire while Raven have Metal Militia. With all of these you can hear the influences of the NWOBHM clearly, the Metallica tracks transforming into songs Mr Ulrich would have been playing to death on cassette.
To get stared through heavy metal revival heroes Tailgunner blast though Hit The Lights with their trademark tenacity as fellow thrash legends Testament give some grunt to Seek & Destroy. No Life ‘Til Leather is star studded tribute to Metallica's now seminal debut album, if you're a fan of the band you'll love these interpretations. 9/10
Versus – The Catalyst (Independent) [Spike]
This album is a sprint to the abyss. Versus set an impossible deadline, write and record The Catalyst in weeks and the resulting sound is pure, unfiltered urgency. This is high-energy, technical Metalcore/Deathcore forged under immense pressure, dedicated to exploring the brutal cycle of destruction and renewal.
The production here is a marvel of compressed chaos. The band focuses on maximizing impact, delivering songs where meticulous layering gives way to moments of devastating sonic weight. The bass tone, described by the band as "filthy in the best way," is deeper than the Mariana Trench, providing a crushing, physical foundation for the entire record.
The entire album is a testament to calculated brutality. Tracks like Burning Bridges and All Good Things showcase their razor-sharp technicality and ability to blend genres. The guitar work frequently does separate, intricate things before snapping back together into a main riff that carries more weight and impact than anything else on the record. The rhythmic core is punishing, with drums so heavy your grandmother can feel them.
The band’s identity is fractured, by design. Tracks like Overwhelmed hit with relentless fury, embodying the struggle against grief and loss, while the more aggressive Battle Of The Binary Stars demonstrates the full capacity for Deathcore chaos. The dual vocal approach, scorching screams and intense cleans, maintains the high tension, with every word delivered with the sincere force of catharsis. Even the slower moments, like those requiring "massaging" to fit the heavy context, are just temporary respites before the velocity returns.
The Catalyst is the sound of a band knowing exactly who they are in the present, a furious, genre-pulling engine of destruction. It’s an authentic representation of extreme modern music: demanding, heavy, and leaving the listener feeling utterly drained but chemically altered. 8/10
Black Pig Meat - Symbiotic Dream (Raging Planet Records) [Matt Bladen]
You like Jazz? (Bee Movie 2007) well since you asked yeah I do. However I will say that when I first saw the band name Black Pig Meat, I was half expecting some despicable brutal death metal but it turns out that they are a jazz fusion band from Portugal that take their name from the Iberian/Acorn-fed pigs that give such rich meat.
Anyway enough of the gastronomy lesson we're here for music and this instrumental quartet started a musical journey in 2022 as a trio of Marcelo dos Reis (electric guitar), Tiago Vaz (drums), and Pedro Lameira (bass) but shortly after André Duarte (keyboards) joined Black Pig Meat took the form it is now.
On this debut record the quartet play psychedelic rock mixed with thrilling jazz fusion, like Krautrock but with distortion. These five tracks are elongated, mostly improvised jams where the foursome have captured transcendental magic that will shift you to the other realms of existence.
Experience the Symbiotic Dream of Black Pig Meat on their debut as four become one musically. 7/10
This album is a sprint to the abyss. Versus set an impossible deadline, write and record The Catalyst in weeks and the resulting sound is pure, unfiltered urgency. This is high-energy, technical Metalcore/Deathcore forged under immense pressure, dedicated to exploring the brutal cycle of destruction and renewal.
The production here is a marvel of compressed chaos. The band focuses on maximizing impact, delivering songs where meticulous layering gives way to moments of devastating sonic weight. The bass tone, described by the band as "filthy in the best way," is deeper than the Mariana Trench, providing a crushing, physical foundation for the entire record.
The entire album is a testament to calculated brutality. Tracks like Burning Bridges and All Good Things showcase their razor-sharp technicality and ability to blend genres. The guitar work frequently does separate, intricate things before snapping back together into a main riff that carries more weight and impact than anything else on the record. The rhythmic core is punishing, with drums so heavy your grandmother can feel them.
The band’s identity is fractured, by design. Tracks like Overwhelmed hit with relentless fury, embodying the struggle against grief and loss, while the more aggressive Battle Of The Binary Stars demonstrates the full capacity for Deathcore chaos. The dual vocal approach, scorching screams and intense cleans, maintains the high tension, with every word delivered with the sincere force of catharsis. Even the slower moments, like those requiring "massaging" to fit the heavy context, are just temporary respites before the velocity returns.
The Catalyst is the sound of a band knowing exactly who they are in the present, a furious, genre-pulling engine of destruction. It’s an authentic representation of extreme modern music: demanding, heavy, and leaving the listener feeling utterly drained but chemically altered. 8/10
Black Pig Meat - Symbiotic Dream (Raging Planet Records) [Matt Bladen]
You like Jazz? (Bee Movie 2007) well since you asked yeah I do. However I will say that when I first saw the band name Black Pig Meat, I was half expecting some despicable brutal death metal but it turns out that they are a jazz fusion band from Portugal that take their name from the Iberian/Acorn-fed pigs that give such rich meat.
Anyway enough of the gastronomy lesson we're here for music and this instrumental quartet started a musical journey in 2022 as a trio of Marcelo dos Reis (electric guitar), Tiago Vaz (drums), and Pedro Lameira (bass) but shortly after André Duarte (keyboards) joined Black Pig Meat took the form it is now.
On this debut record the quartet play psychedelic rock mixed with thrilling jazz fusion, like Krautrock but with distortion. These five tracks are elongated, mostly improvised jams where the foursome have captured transcendental magic that will shift you to the other realms of existence.
Experience the Symbiotic Dream of Black Pig Meat on their debut as four become one musically. 7/10
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