Genevieve - Regressionism

By Justin C. When I wrote about Genevieve's last album, Escapism, I got a bit hung up on genre discussions. That point hasn't become any clearer on their new album, Regressionism, but I promised myself not to obsess about it this time.

By Justin C.


When I wrote about Genevieve's last album, Escapism, I got a bit hung up on genre discussions. That point hasn't become any clearer on their new album, Regressionism, but I promised myself not to obsess about it this time. Perusing the interwebs, you'll find them described with every combination of black, noise, grind, and sludge, but let's just agree that they play metal that sounds like ALL THE THINGS.

If anything, Regressionism finds the band expanding even further. The opening track, "Smoke," lulls you with clean guitars, heavy and low, before collecting itself into a hypnotizing doom with clean vocals. But at the halfway mark, all hell breaks loose and the track becomes a real stomper with exceptionally powerful vocals somewhere in the black/death spectrum. They make me feel like PUNCHING THE WORLD or falling to my knees and cursing somebody's god, sometimes both at the same time.

Most of the songs here embrace one or more kinds of dualities. "The Judge" roars through grindy dissonance while lower and higher screams trade off over slower and faster tempos. "William Blake," which is either about a criminal from America's Wild West or your favorite Romantic Age poet, is more compelling than any 11-minute song chock-full of switch-ups and hard turns has any right to be. Whether it be more clean, arpeggiated guitar riffs, a thunderous bottom end no doubt enhanced by the band's use of baritone guitar, or surprisingly emotive clean vocals over brutal eruptions, each section that should feel disjointed becomes one unified piece. Where most bands doing something like this would make me think, "Ugh, what's going to be next?" this band makes me think, "Wow! What's going to be next?" (You have to imagine the difference in tone of voice there, I suppose.)

Even though it's an outlier, I can't help talk about "Wind Chimes." This is a lovely interlude that uses acoustic guitars plucked in arrhythmic patterns to evoke wind chimes, although it's the set of wind chimes that comes with only dissonant intervals. (If I were more skilled, this is something I would craft by hand and annoy my neighbors with.) It would be fantastic on almost any album, metal or not, but Genevieve includes it because...why not? Expectations remain thoroughly subverted.

I said that I felt pulled along by Escapism, but this new album is even more compelling. Music like Genevieve's is more often an intellectual challenge more than emotional one, but I think they've managed both with Regressionism. It's a wonderful, weird ride that may suffer for publicity by coming out so late in the year, but here's hoping we see it on some year-end lists so it gets the attention it deserves.

The Vomiting Dinosaurs - Exoplanets

By Justin C. I reviewed some heavy albums near the end of 2016, and I mean "heavy" in every sense. Anagnorisis put together a powerful, multi-layered chunk of personal history, and I talked about Oskoreien's take on free will and mass shooter Charles Whitman. So it's time to start 2017 off with a little breather

By Justin C.


I reviewed some heavy albums near the end of 2016, and I mean "heavy" in every sense. Anagnorisis put together a powerful, multi-layered chunk of personal history, and I talked about Oskoreien's take on free will and mass shooter Charles Whitman. So it's time to start 2017 off with a little breather and revisit a more fun-loving project: The Vomiting Dinosaurs.

Matt Hinch covered Worship the Porcelain God, their first album for Grimoire Records, back in April of 2015. With their second Grimoire release, the band has turned their eyes skyward with Exoplanets. Exoplanets are planets that have been discovered outside our own solar system, and since we're hellbent on ruining our own, The Vomiting Dinosaurs's tour of the heavens comes at an appropriate time.

Matt described the band as "seriously amped thrash, death and grind," and to be honest, not much has changed on that score. If anything, the band has moved to slightly grindier song lengths, hovering around one minute in comparison to Porcelain God's two- and three-minute epics. "Lava Planet" clocks in at a massive four minutes, but the whole album (or EP?) tops out at 16 minutes. I live in the Boston area, so I've been able to measure my travel times in Exoplanet units. Most trips involve two to three full plays of the album at least, but you know what? I'm happy to let it repeat, because it's fast, dirty, and fun.

And I've learned some science by checking out some of the song titles. "Circumbinary" has a great, grumbling riff, while at the same time describing a planet that orbits two stars instead of one. "Ganymede" is a short ambient interlude, but did you know it's also a moon of Jupiter that happens to have its own magnetic field and a thin oxygen atmosphere? If you use Exoplanets as a study guide, though, you do need to be careful: "Jupiter" is not, in fact, an exoplanet, although the song's only lyrics, "I AM SO BIG!" is a correct description of the planet.

But maybe don't worry about the details so much and just thrash around in your car to this one. I promise it will help make the grim ending of 2016 and worrisome beginning to 2017 seem far away for at least a little while.

Bearstorm - Biophobia

By Matt Hinch. Remember when Kvelertak sort of blew minds with their combination of black metal vocals and mostly hardcore music? Given their recent output it's getting harder to remember the impact of that first album. But if you liked that idea in principal how about black metal vocals over prog/sludge?

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Karl Dahmer.

Remember when Kvelertak sort of blew minds with their combination of black metal vocals and mostly hardcore music? Given their recent output it's getting harder to remember the impact of that first album. But if you liked that idea in principal how about black metal vocals over prog/sludge? Well, it's hard to say “over” as the vocals sit mid-mix but that's what you get from Bearstorm and their second Grimoire release, Biophobia.

The album is listed at five songs but the opener (“Dawn Chorus”) is just nature sounds and “Agaric Catechism” is three minutes of instrumentation that serves little purpose outside a brain reset. Hey, gotta have at least one beef, right?

On the album's other three tracks we get the aforementioned black metal vocals as a voice to dynamic sludge cut with enough progressive edges that it hardly feels like sludge at all. The title track features a nice headbanging pace with doubled triplets (duhduhduh-duhduhdhuh, you know what I mean) giving the track the velocity it needs. There's also a pretty noisy solo, a bass solo, and the beginnings of the prog realms Bearstorm venture deeper into later.

Later as in the next track, “Cravers of a Second Birth”. This one is all over the map in a good way. Riffs continuously spill over into each other, mixing technicality with power, a dark vibe, and fancy fretwork. There's even a big, doomy part to ground things a little amid another bass solo and a skittering, insane feeling. It covers a lot of ground over 6:44.

Not quite as much as on closer “Cryptobiotic Filth Destroyer” though. Since I can't understand the slavering black metal rasps all the time you can draw your own conclusions about the tracks's lyrical content. The vocals are relatively sparse however, as long instrumental passages dominate this one. Rolling thunder riffs with explosive crashes, a building tension, and a delicate, melodic movement where Bearstorm really flex their prog muscles that moves into the payoff you're waiting for comprise the EPs final statement.

Coming in at under 25 minutes the EP isn't as epic as their previous full lengths and the short run time is definitely felt despite the track lengths. Being on Grimoire it comes as no surprise that it sounds great too. Biophobia serves as a nice reminder of what the Richmond, VA product can deliver. Don't be afraid.

Athame - With Cunning Fire and Adversarial Resolve

By Justin C. I'm going to start this review right at the beginning of the album, because it contains a valuable lesson for all metal bands: "The Pillar," the first track on Athame's With Cunning Fire and Adversarial Resolve

By Justin C.

Cover illustration by Slime

I'm going to start this review right at the beginning of the album, because it contains a valuable lesson for all metal bands: "The Pillar," the first track on Athame's With Cunning Fire and Adversarial Resolve, is the intro track done right. It's about a minute long, it builds dramatically with some creepy vocals and electronic touches, and then it gets out of the way, nicely setting up the album proper. It is NOT several minutes of white noise with annoying samples from a movie or a bunch of field recordings mixed while somebody was high. Take note, other bands. This is how it's done.

And with that, we're launched into this black metal trio's debut album. There's a lot to like here, as evidenced by the copious notes I scribbled while listening to it. Athame hits an interesting balance. It's raw and rough black metal in a way, but without a throwback sound or ultra-low-fi production. The guitars have a meaty, sludgy tone, the percussion is crisp without sounding slick, and the vocals are delivered manic-preacher-style, a lower growl than what you typically get in black metal, and drenched in reverb. "A Lost Congregation" comes out the gate with a relatively straightforward drum pattern and riff, but it's mere seconds before it lurches into the blasting and tremolos we know and love. At times I found myself thinking that Athame almost has a grind sensibility for quick change ups between black, sludge, and doom, but the listener doesn't get whiplash from the changes. The infectiousness of the music carries you along through the twists and turns.

And there are turns a plenty. "Five Fold Kiss" starts like a maelstrom, but the band manages to let a little air and space into the middle of the track without losing intensity. The guitar riff in "The Heretic's Horn" sounds, appropriately, like a trumpet issuing a call to arms. "Nameless Craft" even gets ripping with a little old school thrash in the beginning. But like I said before, this never feels like a mish-mash of styles full of wrenching transitions. It's all blended into a coherent sound that starts from the beginning of the album and, with only slight detours in the interstitial tracks "Nema" and "This is what the devil does," carries all the way through the swirling madness in the last track. It might be weird to call a black metal album "refreshing," but I think this one qualifies, without leaving any of the grime and evil behind.

Corpse Light - Without Form

By Matt Hinch. In a whirlwind 16 days back in the Spring, Grimoire Records recorded, mixed, mastered and released (with art) Without Form by Baltimore doomsters Corpse Light. The band obviously take their doom seriously

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Jim Webb.

In a whirlwind 16 days back in the Spring, Grimoire Records recorded, mixed, mastered and released (with art) Without Form by Baltimore doomsters Corpse Light.

The band obviously take their doom seriously as Without Form is full of painfully slow riffs soaked in earth-shaking tone. But they don’t seem slow for the sake of it, or heavy just to be heavy either. There’s a warmth behind those resonating notes yet a painful emotion drips from every pore.

That anger and hurt is tempered by melodies reaching as high as the gut-rumbling doom is low. That sort of back and forth is measured though. For the most part the pace is consistently lethargic with brief excursions into a more explosive sound or heartfelt regions.

How they hammer down and pull back isn’t so much a tension and release mechanism as it is a stalk and pounce, or simply a parallel to the instability of many of our states of mind. Sometimes a riff will stand out as familiar as there isn’t anything terribly original here. It’s a minor gripe though as there is plenty to enjoy, including some aching solos.

Corpse Light work with the epic flair of Cult of Luna and the sludge dynamics of Neurosis wrapped around despondent doom in the vein of say, Cold Blue Mountain.

Writing about Without Form a good five months after its release actually makes more sense as it’s not a Spring-type album. As the night overtakes the shortening days and death looms on the increasingly bitter winds, Corpse Light and Without Form find a more welcoming home as the darkness falls over the land and sadness creeps into your bones.

Genevieve - Escapism

By Justin C. I found Genevieve's new album, Escapism, tricky to write about. That's partly because it draws influence from multiple genres--I've read it described as experimental black metal elsewhere, and although I can't completely discount that, it only tells a small part of the story.

By Justin C.

Art by Brandon Geurts

I found Genevieve's new album, Escapism, tricky to write about. That's partly because it draws influence from multiple genres--I've read it described as experimental black metal elsewhere, and although I can't completely discount that, it only tells a small part of the story. But I fear the bigger risk is that whatever I say (or don't say) might put you in the wrong mindset to absorb this music.

As I said, black metal, even with the "experimental" modifier, doesn't completely cut it. After a mood-setting opening track, "Charnel Flow" and "Memory" does put me in mind of some of the more discordant and jagged black metal that you might expect from the French scene right now, like Deathspell Omega or Aosoth. But Genevieve sheds expectations pretty quickly. To begin with, the instrumentation is slightly unusual. On top of drums and bass, you get a baritone guitar for extra bottom-end punch and a fretless guitar, which adds a slippery, sometimes Middle Eastern feel. Check out the absolutely lovely title track, which is solo guitar with a bit of classical/flamenco flair. It has the loose feel of an improvisation without drifting far from its melodic center. Making the title track an instrumental unlike anything else on the album is quite a statement, even if your humble reviewer isn't quite sure what that statement is. Perhaps, "Ye who enter, abandon all expectations"?

Genevieve throws in plenty more non-black metal elements. The vocals range from growls, yelps, screams, and, in the case of the beginning of "Fell," a mix of singing, proclamation, and harsh whispers. Not content to rest in a quietly menacing place, this track gets angry in a hurry with blasting, some righteously heavy bass lines, and surprisingly melodic guitar lines. Is "melodic blackened grind" a thing? I think it might be on this album.

And that shows where my difficulty is. At times, the album sounds blackish, deathy, grindy, mathy, doomy, and everything in between. But, aside from the outro track, which in my opinion is a bit too long, the album works. It jumps around in a frenzy, with the occasional breather here and there, but strange as it is to say, it's also restrained. The songwriting doesn't try to leave the listener behind, as it can in some challenging music. I'm not sure I fully understand the album yet, even after many, many listens, but I feel pulled along by it nonetheless.

Vermörd - Dawn of the Black Harvest

By Matt Hinch. In a way, Vermörd are to black metal in 2015 as Noisem were to thrash in 2013. A bunch of teenagers with prodigious skills leaving listeners awestruck by not only their chops but by their songwriting acuity. They even come from the same area. Vermörd's debut EP, Dawn of the Black Harvest

By Matt Hinch.

Illustration by Luciana Nedelea

In a way, Vermörd are to black metal in 2015 as Noisem were to thrash in 2013. A bunch of teenagers with prodigious skills leaving listeners awestruck by not only their chops but by their songwriting acuity. They even come from the same area. Vermörd's debut EP, Dawn of the Black Harvest is a feast for the ears.

It's as steeped in eroding darkness as you'd expect from the artwork. Intro track “Disciples of Shakhbûrz” sets an ominous and dreary tone but with shades of triumph in its minimalist ambience. “Plagued Eyes from the Scrolls of Xafmirtas” blows that all away in a flurry of flesh-searing black metal and spirit-conjuring solos. Brilliant tremolos and relentless percussion drive into the skull like cursed nails, hammering home Vermörd's technical death metal side.

Terrifying and frigid BM screeching is met with deathly growls, further cementing their unholy union of blackness and death. They manage to convey that sense of ancient grandeur while absolutely flattening with face-melting speed and superb guitar acrobatics.

Vermörd show tremendous promise and ridiculous talent. They bring together melodic black metal runs with the crunch of death metal and turn it into something harrowing, oppressive, epically stirring and monumental in scale. It's to the point and not moody or brooding. Dawn of the Black Harvest is death and black metal made for getting it done with maximum bloody efficiency and zero sacrifice (other than virgins).

The Vomiting Dinosaurs - Worship the Porcelain God

By Matt Hinch. Now just hold on. Yes, a name like The Vomiting Dinosaurs does sound laughable, and at first I was thinking “Really?” That coupled with the cover art (the toilet from the last metal show you went to in an apocalyptic garbage heap)

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Gruesome Graphics

Now just hold on. Yes, a name like The Vomiting Dinosaurs does sound laughable, and at first I was thinking “Really?” That coupled with the cover art (the toilet from the last metal show you went to in an apocalyptic garbage heap) and most people would be likely to dismiss it outright. But since it came from the Grimoire Records camp I gave it a shot. And wow! Worship the Porcelain God is actually pretty good!

The Virginian trio put together a very Reign in Blood-like 28 minutes of seriously amped thrash, death and grind. Depending on the track and the angle you look at it from, Worship the Porcelain God can feel like any one of those genres, or all of them at once.

The vocals fall into two camps, black metallic and deathly growl (sort of like a vomiting dinosaur). Both quite well done. Except maybe the 30 second track tacked on called “Cat Slug”. It's just the vocalist(?) sounding like a slug coughing up a hairball. Kinda gross, definitely unnecessary but at least it's at the end. But in case you hadn't guessed already this isn't exactly a serious band.

They are serious about kickin' ass though. Crunchy, grinding guitars rip and slash through high-velocity thrashiness and grind-fueled madness. There's even a bit of a crossover feel.

It's not all speed though. Groovier, chugging riffs have their place too. Perhaps it's just where my mind/ears/eyes have been this weekend but The Vomiting Dinosaurs sort of recall the speed of Rigor Mortis, or the menacing blackened thrash of Blood Tsunami. Thrash weekend.

If you can relax a little, shake off that seriousness and give The Vomiting Dinosaurs a chance. You'll be rewarded with a concise blast of grinding death/thrash full of energy and ripping rhythms and riffs. And songs like “ChristianMingle.kill”, “Crypt Kegger” and “Speed Metal Hunks”. Keeping the majority of the 12 tracks under the three minute mark squeezes out the need for solos though. There's the grind for ya.

Grab some buds, some brews, vomit like dinosaurs and Worship the Porcelain God!

Foehammer - Foehammer

By Matt Hinch. First of all, look at that cover! The figure! The woods! The intricate detail! That’s the kind of cover people buy music for, even if it is digital. Digging into the actual music of Foehammer’s self-titled one finds that

By Matt Hinch.

Illustration by Luciana Nedelea.

First of all, look at that cover! The figure! The woods! The intricate detail! That’s the kind of cover people buy music for, even if it is digital. Digging into the actual music of Foehammer’s self-titled one finds that it’s a tad deceiving. On one hand the general mood of the doom trio’s epic length tomes fits like a well-worn glove, whereas all that detail is completely mashed by disgusting tone and a funereal pace that obviously lacks any desire to rack up the note count.

But Foehammer is just as deep and rich as the cover illustrates. Just as the figure appears ancient and at peace with solitude, Foehammer is best enjoyed as a personal experience, unencumbered by the trappings of modern existence. Just darkness and gargantuan doom.

With just three tracks stretched over 34 minutes it’s no surprise these songs unfold slowly and deadly. The plodding pace feels like pure exhaustion dragged onwards by determination and revenge, every note dropping with the crushing might of an indeed foe-destroying hammer. Also as expected, the guitars are tuned down to drop-9th Circle of Hell where string tension seems like a ridiculous notion. Bowel-melting to say the least, Foehammer bring the heavy.

It’s pure crush, menacing without being depressing. Full of hate, not hurt. As slow as it is, it’s not necessarily droney, or slow just for the sake of it. They just let the notes come as they will. But that’s not to say they don’t let some of that amplitude resin-ate. Their hypnotic cadences may be ruinously repetitive and dangerously slow but their doom mastery ensnares the mind like a drug that refuses to let go.

There are some surprises along the way. The vocals, straight from the pit, lend a sub-humanity for the listener to connect to as they disconnect from the world. A tether to reality. Subtle, noodling guitar work pokes in randomly to keep things interesting. Moments of groove grab hold fleetingly and float away before you know it. A bluesy solo crops up in “Final Grail”. And the intuitive drum work throws in well-timed strikes and fills, giving the more physical listener something to air drum to.

The bottom line is this: Foehammer are righteously heavy, mercilessly slow and evil sounding to the core. Funeral doom can add another name to the list of bands that “get it”. There’s nuance and subtlety to raise the album from pure doom devastation into an entrancing and powerful experience. “Herbal assistance” isn't necessary but highly recommended. If you’re into that. If not, Foehammer itself should be enough to make you drop out of life.

[Grimoire Records handles the digital/CD/cassette versions of Foehammer. For vinyl go to Australopithecus Records]

Rhin - Bastard

By Matt Hinch. My seven year old daughter saw the cover of Rhin's Bastard and asked me “Why does that guy have a horn on his head?” I told her I didn't know. It didn't immediately dawn on my that

By Matt Hinch.

Illustration by Renzo Velez

My seven year old daughter saw the cover of Rhin's Bastard and asked me “Why does that guy have a horn on his head?” I told her I didn't know. It didn't immediately dawn on my that it could have something to do with Rhin being an “o” short of “rhino” but then again it was the crack of dawn and I wasn't all with it yet. After some listening an explanation could also be because he's horny for riffs and charges hard. Or the rhino thing.

But I'm more stoked about the riffs. The non-stop, heart-racing riffs raining down like a monsoon. Right from the get-go Rhin are all ahead full with the kind of energy that gets you going more effectively than the strongest cup of joe. And with bassist/vocalist Dominic Gianninato screaming his coarse fool head off, it's the sort of thing you just can't ignore.

I've seen their sound referred to as hardcore sludge and I suppose that's true but I'm more likely to describe it as hard rock for the adrenaline junky. “I Want More” fills that hardcore slot with razor-sharp riffing cramming speed down your throat but that's also where you can hear a touch of the Melvins. Follow-up “Man is Bastard” utilizes the same elements.

“Shovel” really brings the sludge heaviness and bruising mentality. Speaking of bruising, drummer Ben Proudman terrorizes his kit. If the skins still had working blood vessels, his would be every shade of black and blue. Not only does he hit VERY hard but he's got groove, man. No where is this more evident than on “Consumed”. It's a slow burner and at over twice the length of any other track it's like the cool down at the end of the workout.

The other band they can be compared to at times is Helmet. “Gravy” and “Bull Doze” are fine examples of that influence with the latter flashing similarly styled riffs and guitarist Tucker Riggleman digging into his inner Page Hamilton for those solos. That's some AA shit right there. As in, Always Approved.

I'm not sure what kind of moonshine they're brewing out in “Ted's Shed” (they are from West Virginia after all) but it's potent enough to cause blindness and is infused with an addicting essence. This may be a bastard but it'll get you up in the morning and keep you going through the night. Rhin are for sure a band to keep an eye on. Brow-beating and slick as silk, Bastard will run you over and back over your shattered bones. And watch out for that horn.

Barbelith - Mirror Unveiled

Written by Matt Hinch.

Art by Art by A.B. Moore

Regular readers of Metal Bandcamp should know by now that this writer has a bit of a love affair with just about everything coming out of the Grimoire Records camp. They've got a stable full of well-bred stock competing hard in the USBM race. The latest charger to burst out of the gate is Barbelith and Mirror Unveiled.

The horse metaphor comes into play as Barbelith combines unbridled power with an inherent beauty as they marry up blistering black metal with spacious post-rock melodies over the course of four tracks and 27 minutes.

In general, the band dynamic relies on athletic percussive violence, harrowing vocal delivery and guitars that weave amongst themselves in fierce opposition while synchronous at their core. Barbelith's dichotomous nature works to not only scorch the earth to eradicate the negative but cleanse it as well allowing a fresh perspective to take its place.

On the longer tracks a cyclical pattern emerges moving from pure raging fury to serenity and back again while incorporating a mix of tempos. Galloping jaunts, skittering shuffles and a pseudo-groove all find a place alongside the ensuing madness and empyrean melodies. Among the obvious black metal comparisons (WITTR, Bosse-de-Nage) one can hear gentler passages reminiscent of Yakuza, Explosions in the Sky and even Pallbearer.

Most often the emotional cacophony builds to a crescendo as it spirals high to unleash a venom across the astral planes between bursts of energy and recovery. The rage seems necessary to clear clouds of melancholy and let peaceful, healing light bathe the listener. It's the juxtaposition of blasting drums and soaring, intimate melodies that really connect on multiple levels. Such as the anger that follows in the wake of hurt, or the fear that precedes opening up your heart and the relief that results.

One can feel a determination and drive to rise above the despair as Barbelith cycle through emotional states making minor changes along the way as no two experiences are exactly the same. And their tendency towards the mix of scorching black metal hatred and emotional melodies mirrors human nature in that the world is not black and white and nothing is fully understood on the superficial level.

Mirror Unveiled is a convincing and compelling album full of emotions both destructive and passionate. It hits the sweet spot balancing the furious with the halcyon, the raw with the refined. It's quite obvious that a broad palette of influences colour this majestic and triumphant work of art, filling all available space to create a surreal, enveloping and at times transcendent experience.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Myopic / Torrid Husk - Crawling Mountain Apogee

By Matt Hinch. I've written about both Myopic and Torrid Husk before and now the two come together on a split entitled Crawling Mountain Apogee. Each band contributes two tracks, the shortest of which clocks in at 8:12. With so much time to work with there is plenty of room to explore.

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Brandon Geurts

I've written about both Myopic and Torrid Husk before and now the two come together on a split entitled Crawling Mountain Apogee. Each band contributes two tracks, the shortest of which clocks in at 8:12. With so much time to work with there is plenty of room to explore. And explore they do.

Myopic opens the split with the 10:44 “Unction in Passing”. The track builds slowly with dominant bass leading the way. Post-black metal moments give way to the progressive bass and searing black metal runs. Even then, they surge with a tremulous flair and flow and an openness that's hard to categorize. It's when the bass takes over that the soul of the track is laid bare. There's a beauty in the simplicity that gives it tremendous heart. From there the track meanders hither and yon, returning to its blackened core and integrating their exploration as it circles around between aggression and progression.

Moving into “Remembrance” Myopic takes a darker, more menacing turn bringing in doom elements. Holding on to the prog and post touches the storm intensifies as trembling guitars break free of earthly tethers to dance among the stars. Eventually the darkness pulls the track back into the depths and set it upon a chase before concluding in an amalgam of the track's elements.

Torrid Husk follow up with “All Ballasted the Elk”. Field recordings give way to their melodic black metal full of reluctant warmth and disgusted raspy growls. It morphs into a zone with some bounce to the percussion. Even the melodies take on a different, more uplifted feel. That doesn't last as a brief scorched earth moment leads to quiet introspection like a fog clearing to reveal true feelings; shedding an artificial protective exterior. Even more desperate vocals call for a blasting, swirling, burrowing return. Fight and flight at once, closing out with harsh but relieving melody to ease the scars.

“So howled out to the world to give him a name” goes for the throat in a most unsettling way. Deathly growls and a paranoid aura are enough to make the skin crawl under a relentless battering of percussion and fast yet creepy rhythms and melody. Delicate guitar breathes air into the song's midsection only to be destroyed by black metal's annihilating force. Progressive elements and soaring melodies mingle with forceful percussion and slavering vocals coalescing into a wave of feedback and a closing return to the field recordings.

Both bands have upped their game on this excellent split. Fusing powerful and velocious black metal with dynamics and progressive explorations, Myopic and Torrid Husk push their names into new regions of recognizability. Coupled with the spectacular production that comes out of the Grimoire Records camp, it's apparent that there is a wealth of talent and vision comprising these two bands. Crawling Mountain Apogee is everything the name implies and more. Unsettling, awe-inspiring, far reaching, muscular, challenging and captivating.

Wrought Iron - Rejoice and Transcend

Written by Matt Hinch.


I've come to rely on a certain level of quality from Grimoire Records releases. Rejoice and Transcend, the debut full-length from Wrought Iron doesn't disappoint in that regard. It's just as black and unyielding as you'd expect from a band with such a name.

The band doesn't use that iron to build fences however. While firmly based in the black metal realm, they open the gates to other influences as well. Tracks like “White Death” and “Brine” in particular call upon the energies of grind and Swedish death metal to extend their reach around the listener and squeeze for all they've got.

Razor sharp guitars and dynamic percussion anchor a sound that blends both second wave black metal and USBM with the aforementioned styles creating an album that avoids the pitfalls of simply slashing and burning for the entire run time.

For the most part, Rejoice and Transcend is harsh as sandpaper and comfortable in the upper reaches of the BPM spectrum. But they're not afraid to bring things down a notch. “Revelation and Awakening” especially reveals a decidedly less harsh facet through a slower tempo and melodies amongst the battering.

Throughout, no matter the speed or level of sonic evisceration, the vocals remain steadfast in their ability to terrify. Callous black metal shrieks and feral death metal roars reach out from the darkness and grip the listener in an icy embrace. It's those sewer-fed and blood-curdling vocals that hold the album in the clutches of black metal.

Wrought Iron are scathing and violent, carpet-bombing the listener with scorching rhythms and grinding blasts, but not without enough tempo changes and mood shifts to keep your attention. Rejoice and Transcend is a dense and layered album equally content to roll like thunder or send shards of broken glass swirling through the ether. Wrought Iron have captured a nice balance between a bleak and evil Scandinavian flavour and its more brutal US counter. Feel the anguish. Feel the terror. Rejoice and Transcend.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Dweller in the Valley - Younger Dryas

Written by Matt Hinch.

Cover art by Hal Rotter / Rotting Graphics

Frederick, MD's Dweller in the Valley have conjured up a pretty fancy name. It's got a mysterious angle to it and lends itself to images of big skies, gorgeous vistas and other peaceful, serene thoughts. They even bookend this Younger Dryas EP with the sounds of meditation bowls. At least that's what it sounds like.

But between those peaceful moments things are anything but serene. "Welcome to Hell" growls drummer/vocalist Dane Olds on "Mire". That's right. Olds pulls the old Chris Reifert and handles vocals from behind the kit. Neither the vocals or the percussion suffer though. Both are vicious and plentiful. In front of him are guitarist Mike Merriam and bassist Nate McDyer. Together the trio blast through four tracks of absolute savagery.

Feedback rises on "The Shedding" into flaying black metal riffage. They've got a choppy edge but also a touch of groove. Olds' throaty screech matches the rawness that makes up the EP's general tone. The searing track moves without haste as if the thought of stillness is heresy. Blood boils and neurons fire at maximum capacity and then descend to a cooler tempo surrounded by darkness.

The slow-fast dynamic appears again on "Mire" but this time with more extremity. Deathly growls and necrotic shrieks dictate the slitting of throats with razor-edged riffs before a funereal force envelopes the scene.

A dust bowl guitar explodes into a raging vortex of hatred and pain on "Serpent Bearer". The ghastly and ghostly track rumbles and gallops, drowns the listener in darkness and soars beyond the clouds.

Saving the most devastating for last, "Eye of the Ram" closes out the EP. A dirge intro drops the listener into a breakneck swirling vortex of needling and unsettling rhythms. It's abrasive and unrelenting in breaking the will. Burying itself beneath the skin, it causes the urge to tear flesh from bones in futile attempts to end the madness.

Younger Dryas is raucous and raw, belligerent and blackened beyond saving. Dweller in the Valley play with a driving energy that's impossible to ignore. All facets of their blackened death metal gleam in their own way despite their light swallowing qualities. Dweller in the Valley are already a potent force and could very well establish themselves as a name to be remembered in the American black metal scene.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Swamphög - Pearls for Swine

Written by Matt Hinch.


When I first came across Pearls for Swine by Baltimore's Swamphög, the RIYL said "for fans of Clutch, Sleep and Electric Wizard." My first reaction was "Cheese and rice! That's the Holy Fucking Trinity!" Needless to say I was anxious to get my bleeding ears on this little EP. Wading into the bog I was at first disappointed that it didn't sound like a combination of those three bands. The disappointment didn't last long as Swamphög have their own energy that's nothing to shake a stick at.

Their swampy (duh!), sludgy metal has a very homegrown feel. In more ways than one. Not only can you feel the walls of the garage around them, but you can probably guess what they were doing in there between practices if you know what I mean. Just listen to the smoky, heavy-lidded riff on "Writhing Sky".

For another example of the kind of southern-tinged dirt-rock the 'Högs are wallowing in, look at the lineup (c/o their Facebook page). Tom Hatch - Geetar and Yellin', Mike Podczaski - Bass geetar and Hollerin' and Jon Bridges - Smackin' things good and hard. Gotta love a sense of humour. But those sorts of descriptors work. Pearls for Swine feels loose and free, relying more on feel, tone and groove than strict technicality.

Digging deep though, there are little variations and subtleties to the grungy stoner riffs that call for another slug of whiskey when heard. Paying that sort of attention as well brings out those Electric Wizard, Sleep and Clutch comparisons from where they've been hiding. "Demiurge" is slow and dirgy, mostly instrumental and displays those drone qualities that would lead one to Sleep. The bit of vocals are quite angry but their counter with the more mellow track is cool enough.

"Writhing Sky" and "Demon Train" hint at Electric Wizard. Both tracks move a little faster than EW though, especially the latter. It propels the listener down the tracks with gusto. And for the Clutch-ness, look no further than closing track "The Unrocker". The trick here (and elsewhere) is this isn't modern day Clutch I'm hearing. You'll have to go back to the start and their Pitchfork EP. That raw, punky aggression hinting at the groove to come filters through here and on "Mighty High Aspirations". Perhaps maybe run through a Weedeater on the way there though.

What else is there to say? The thunderous downtuned riffs are bound to disturb the neighbours, the hollerin' and yellin' reek of smoke and booze, and things are certainly smacked hard. Dirty, groovy, grungy, beardy and catchy. Hitch up the 'Hög, cuz Pearls for Swine sounds like a pretty good idea.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Torrid Husk - Caesious

Written by Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Noel Mueller

In January I reviewed a little EP by Myopic. That release was put out by Grimoire Records. It's a nifty little operation they've got going over there. Everything is handled in house. Production, mix, master, even art and promotion. This month's Grimoire release features West Virginian black metallists Torrid Husk vomiting forth a three-song EP Caesious.

Reportedly recorded in a cabin in the woods, the three tracks on hand certainly give off that vibe of natural isolation with feral, primitive exaltation to elder gods. "Cut with Rain" is all searing black metal. Torrid Husk really lay it all out in terms of unabated speed. The riffs are more or less typical black metal swept through the forest, up and down hills and valleys on malevolent winds. The percussion (Tony Cordone) is absolutely relentless pushing the tremolos above the tree line. Guitarist/vocalist Tyler Collins' rasp fulfills the requisite evil quotient to inspire the clenching of invisible oranges. On this track, was well as the other two, when Torrid Husk slow things down the entire aura draws inward and impresses firmly upon the heart.

"Thunder like Scorn" continues the obsidian barrage but is punctuated with brief crunchy hammerblows. It's visceral on all accounts. Dancing riffs accelerate to supersonic speeds before giving way to a melancholic and quiet midsection. The track's later half sees soaring riffs float above the thunderous percussion and progressive bass (Jonathan Blanton) with a measured sense of melody.

Tremolos weaves amongst the onslaught on "Paranoia". A blistering black metal cacophony crashes down into a melancholic valley, returning with a slow and torturous tugging. A portentous vocal misanthropy carries across the bleak landscape. Torrid Husk close out the EP by raging through the night standing tall against the eldritch terrors glimpsed in the moonlight.

Caesious is eighteen minutes of blistering black metal hatred. An aura of ancient reverence clings to its essence like the fetid stench of nameless beasts lurking in the darkest of shadows. Torrid Husk's reckless abandon and infecting atmosphere reek of passion and belief.

The full moon beckons. Let Caesious be your soundtrack to its light.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Myopic - Beyond the Mirror's Edge

Written by Matt Hinch.


The press release for Beyond the Mirror's Edge by Myopic presents the 3-piece as progressive black metal. I myself would tend to lean more towards the progressive than black after hearing this 4-song EP. The foundations of black metal are there, but Myopic don't sit still long enough to entrench themselves in the mud and blood of one genre.

The second track however, "Iron Towers" holds truest to black metal standards with a hack 'n' slash approach and plenty of tremulous guitar work. But even it lays back later in the track. Although, even it works its way into an almost jaunty place with some Les Claypool-inspired bass and post-metal touches to go along with the dark atmosphere. As black as Myopic, and this track in particular may be, its not an oppressive black. It remains quite open, making the transition into other genres not as out of place as they could be.

The title track is relatively sludgy but with plenty of drama provided by the progressive moments. While the overall tone isn't necessarily heavy, it has a nice flow. It moves back and forth between the edgy sections and the more melodic, like an artist in the throes of creativity, working furiously one moment then stepping back to observe and contemplate.

Myopic's diversity is on full display during "Backstitch", an entirely instrumental track. Prog mixes with USBM and doom. Soaring guitars nestle close to post-hardcore. The track twists and turns and the listener finds themselves in many different places as the track goes along. There's swing, a paranoid feel, hard notes, upbeat ones, and screaming ones. It's definitely the sort of track that lets the winds of fate determine its course.

Final track "Lord of Damnation" might be the most eclectic of them all. Imagine a mash-up of Primus and the Toadies with rock and roll swagger and pseudo-blackened screaming. It's spastic, light-hearted yet menacing, and often off-kilter.

Myopic come across as a band with plenty of talent who definitely pay attention to the intricacy of their arrangements. It all sounds good and crisp without a cut-and-paste feel. Your ultimate impression therefore depends on whether you regard their unorthodox black metal menagerie as a band refusing to confine themselves to genre restrictions, or as a band unsure of its identity. Everything they do they do well, and it can be crazy catchy. Trust me. I guess it all depends on how open your mind is.

Bet you never thought you'd hear "black metal" and "Toadies" in the same review, did you?

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]