You don’t just put a record like Growth on; you let it leak into the room like a damp patch on a cellar wall.
Hailing from a space somewhere between the reverb-drenched ghosts of 1991 and the tectonic weight of modern post-metal, Wildernesses have delivered a forty-minute document that understands a fundamental truth: the best noise is the kind you have to wait for. It’s a record of patience, pained storytelling, and a level of distortion that would make Jim Reid nod in grudging, feedback-soaked approval.
It starts with Sleepless, an instrumental that spends nearly two minutes doing absolutely nothing but building a cold, atmospheric dread. It’s a masterclass in the slow-burn, a hazy threshold of clean tones that feels like a long walk home in the rain before the cymbals finally crack and the floor drops out.
It starts with Sleepless, an instrumental that spends nearly two minutes doing absolutely nothing but building a cold, atmospheric dread. It’s a masterclass in the slow-burn, a hazy threshold of clean tones that feels like a long walk home in the rain before the cymbals finally crack and the floor drops out.
When the distortion hits, it isn't just "loud"; it’s a shimmering, multi-layered wash that keeps its melodic soul even when the volume is redlining. It’s that specific Jesus And Mary Chain-style trick: burying the beauty so deep in the fuzz that you have to work to find it.
The real heart-punch arrives with Happy Hollow. As a lifelong disciple of the original shoegaze blueprint, hearing these vocals kick in is pure catharsis.
The real heart-punch arrives with Happy Hollow. As a lifelong disciple of the original shoegaze blueprint, hearing these vocals kick in is pure catharsis.
There’s a pained, melodic clarity here, a direct descendant of the "ethereal-age" legacy that manages to sound fragile even while the rhythm section is trying to shake the teeth out of your gums. It gives tracks like [dread] and English Darkness a narrative weight that feels properly epic, turning the "atmospheric" tag into a vehicle for genuine, bruised-rib storytelling.
The middle of the record, Terrible Bloom and Maintenance, is where the post-rock engine really starts to smoke. These aren't just "jams"; they are expanding soundscapes.
The middle of the record, Terrible Bloom and Maintenance, is where the post-rock engine really starts to smoke. These aren't just "jams"; they are expanding soundscapes.
The production is exceptional, keeping the delicate, needle-fine guitar lines audible even when the low-end churn is at its most oppressive. It moves with a mechanical persistence on Maintenance, suggesting a band that knows exactly how to build a crescendo until the room feels too small to hold it.
As we move through the long-form desolation of Cassino and Four Hour Drive, the "weight of emotion" the band talks about becomes a physical presence. Four Hour Drive, in particular, captures that specific, road-weary exhaustion of a 3 AM transit, leading into the finale of Summertime, 1917.
When the final vibration eventually cuts out, you’re left with a silence that feels heavy and entirely earned. Wildernesses have spent this record measuring the depth of the void, proving that the most interesting thing about a wall of sound is the cracks you can see in it if you look close enough.
As we move through the long-form desolation of Cassino and Four Hour Drive, the "weight of emotion" the band talks about becomes a physical presence. Four Hour Drive, in particular, captures that specific, road-weary exhaustion of a 3 AM transit, leading into the finale of Summertime, 1917.
When the final vibration eventually cuts out, you’re left with a silence that feels heavy and entirely earned. Wildernesses have spent this record measuring the depth of the void, proving that the most interesting thing about a wall of sound is the cracks you can see in it if you look close enough.
It’s an honest, unvarnished account of the grind, a heavy, shimmering reminder that the best shoegaze is the kind that leaves you looking for the exit while you’re still enjoying the fall.
Personally, and it’s my review, I bloody love this. 10/10
Only Human - Planned Obsolescence (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]
Denmark has quite a history with forward thinking prog bands, from the prog power of Pyramaze, to the industrial elements Mnemic and the modern sound from Vola, their prog metal scene isn’t vast but has always been very musically gifted and willing to break new ground.
Only Human are the latest to make their mark internationally with what they call “existential prog metal” inspired by TesseracT, Spiritbox, Bring Me The Horizon and countrymen Vola (early albums), this is as modern as it gets with huge emotional release coming from the clean/harsh vocal, power inside the cavernous riffs and melody and fragility from the atmospheric synths/keys (Sleep Descent).
Planned Obsolescence is a dystopian record that warns of humanities impending downfall as we are consistently forced to replace things are working due to incompatibilities that are deliberately written into the code, it ponders whether it is us who are really the product.
What I do always find humorous, I guess, with albums that deal with ideas like this, is that they are densely layered with electronics and try to emulate that synthetic feel as much as possible while warning you against the encroaching importance of technology, it's this conflict that makes the songs come alive as the skill here is to make it feel automated but with real humans doing the creative part.
Here with tracks such as Breach and Sleep Descent, Only Human, prove to be more than human as the electronic elements are particularly strong. Even a slower tracks like Death Cult and Techno Fascists have introspective ambience, a lingering sensation of the ominous that comes from the fight against losing our humanity.
With ethical technological dilemmas are big on Planned Obsolescence but the music driven by human passion and skill, resulting in cutting edge prog metal from Only Human. 9/10
Divine Chaos - Hate Reactor (Independent) [Mark Young]
Only Human - Planned Obsolescence (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]
Denmark has quite a history with forward thinking prog bands, from the prog power of Pyramaze, to the industrial elements Mnemic and the modern sound from Vola, their prog metal scene isn’t vast but has always been very musically gifted and willing to break new ground.
Only Human are the latest to make their mark internationally with what they call “existential prog metal” inspired by TesseracT, Spiritbox, Bring Me The Horizon and countrymen Vola (early albums), this is as modern as it gets with huge emotional release coming from the clean/harsh vocal, power inside the cavernous riffs and melody and fragility from the atmospheric synths/keys (Sleep Descent).
Planned Obsolescence is a dystopian record that warns of humanities impending downfall as we are consistently forced to replace things are working due to incompatibilities that are deliberately written into the code, it ponders whether it is us who are really the product.
What I do always find humorous, I guess, with albums that deal with ideas like this, is that they are densely layered with electronics and try to emulate that synthetic feel as much as possible while warning you against the encroaching importance of technology, it's this conflict that makes the songs come alive as the skill here is to make it feel automated but with real humans doing the creative part.
Here with tracks such as Breach and Sleep Descent, Only Human, prove to be more than human as the electronic elements are particularly strong. Even a slower tracks like Death Cult and Techno Fascists have introspective ambience, a lingering sensation of the ominous that comes from the fight against losing our humanity.
With ethical technological dilemmas are big on Planned Obsolescence but the music driven by human passion and skill, resulting in cutting edge prog metal from Only Human. 9/10
Divine Chaos - Hate Reactor (Independent) [Mark Young]
A touch of Brit Metal!! Divine Chaos have returned with Hate Reactor, their follow up to The Way To Oblivion that dropped (as I am reliably told) back in 2020.
So, I’m adding Divine Chaos to a list of bands that show an incredible amount of promise in grasping what makes metal tick whilst managing muddy that message up. I’m getting ahead of myself, so lets take in the positives here (and there is a ton of them).
So, I’m adding Divine Chaos to a list of bands that show an incredible amount of promise in grasping what makes metal tick whilst managing muddy that message up. I’m getting ahead of myself, so lets take in the positives here (and there is a ton of them).
It sounds tip-top, its clear, precise and you really get submerged within these super sharp guitar lines. Its aggressively played, harnessing a modern tone that allows them to also drop face-melting lead breaks at will.
I’ll point you in the direction of Hate Reactor, the second track that is a great summation of this approach. Straight forward, down the middle rhythms and guttural vocals, you can’t go wrong with this.
The lead break is excellent, and in all honesty if someone asked me for an example of what good sounds like, I’d set them here. In fact, they have such a handle on making the guitars the main focus, with the interplay, harmony lines everything sounding so on point its hard not to get carried away.
The downside is where they utilise cleans. They come in and add an unwanted sheen to things, so much so that it snaps me out of it. For me, they offer nothing and detract from the oft stunning work they have done on here. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about this before, possibly because of how strong the music is behind I am genuinely upset by it.
The downside is where they utilise cleans. They come in and add an unwanted sheen to things, so much so that it snaps me out of it. For me, they offer nothing and detract from the oft stunning work they have done on here. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about this before, possibly because of how strong the music is behind I am genuinely upset by it.
I hate to be negative about anything, especially this. Again, this is a personal opinion, and on reflection when you weigh up the presence of the cleans against the guitar work that is in place here, the choice of ignoring it is yours to make.
As albums go, they have crafted a strong one in spite of my feelings towards the other style of singing. Of the 9 tracks here, only Condemned To The Void feels like a misstep and again that leans more into the aggravation I have with that clean singing.
As albums go, they have crafted a strong one in spite of my feelings towards the other style of singing. Of the 9 tracks here, only Condemned To The Void feels like a misstep and again that leans more into the aggravation I have with that clean singing.
Elsewhere, each track has that quality that when transposed to the live arena will cause the crowd to well and truly go off. Playing these live will roughen them up, refine their edge but only slightly. On balance, they can be rightly proud of their efforts here. 7/10
Final Coil - 1994 (Nyctophobic Records) [Rich Piva]
Final Coil has had a wild ride on this blog.
Final Coil - 1994 (Nyctophobic Records) [Rich Piva]
Final Coil has had a wild ride on this blog.
Polarizing would be a good word for it, but I gave their 2024 record, The World We Inherited, a pretty decent score as they nicely incorporate 90s alt stuff with some proggy and metal leanings with some synths added in too. Cool.
The band now has decided to go “back to their roots” , mentioning bands that put out important records in that year as reference points: Alice In Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and Machine Head.
I get all these reference points, I just wish they would stop mentioning Pink Floyd, for multiple reasons. Anyway, the four songs from this new EP are supposed to harken back to the days of flannel and whatnot. As someone who pillaged K-Mart’s racks to find a different flannel pattern, I will be the judge of that.
OK sure, it is raw and tuned down, so that’s cool. Instant Fix, the opener, sounds like a band from 1994, but maybe one of the ones that got signed to a major because every other one did and then no one liked it except for me, the band got dropped, and it wound up in the promo bin. This is a compliment. Remember The Vines? I get that too. That one is not so much a complement. Narcissist is a fun little 90s track with all of the self loathing a good kid of the early to mid 90s had. It sounds like a demo from the session where Dig recorded their self-titled debut.
OK sure, it is raw and tuned down, so that’s cool. Instant Fix, the opener, sounds like a band from 1994, but maybe one of the ones that got signed to a major because every other one did and then no one liked it except for me, the band got dropped, and it wound up in the promo bin. This is a compliment. Remember The Vines? I get that too. That one is not so much a complement. Narcissist is a fun little 90s track with all of the self loathing a good kid of the early to mid 90s had. It sounds like a demo from the session where Dig recorded their self-titled debut.
Playing Games gives me Liars Inc. vibes, which is a good thing, but the song is so raw it leans a little too much towards the demo side of the house, which is maybe what they were going for? I like the harmonized vocal effort and its unabashed tribute to the year the EP is named after. It is fun that they got the ex-drummer of 90s favourite Therapy? To perform on the EP, which adds some cred for sure. Speaking of, Woke kind of reminds me of Therapy? Just a bit. It is another fun and raw effort. A song called Woke from an EP called 1994 though?
You can tell Final Coil had fun with 1994. It is very raw and underdone, which is a 180 from their usual output, and is kind of refreshing. The four songs here are a nice tribute to a time the band obviously incorporated into their sound, without it being a boring covers record. Good job. 7/10
You can tell Final Coil had fun with 1994. It is very raw and underdone, which is a 180 from their usual output, and is kind of refreshing. The four songs here are a nice tribute to a time the band obviously incorporated into their sound, without it being a boring covers record. Good job. 7/10
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