Monumental Torment - Element of Chaos (2011)

Band: Monumental Torment
Country: Tver, Russia/Phoenix, Arizona
Style: Brutal/Technical Death Metal
Label: SFC Records

I'm not gonna lie, I see this group as the little brother of spazz-freaks tech-death band Brain Drill. This album is fast, brutal, and always moving, riffs are going a hundred miles an hour, sweeping, arpeggios, soloing like no body's business. The drums are being programmed to play at a breakneck pace, while the bass is clearly audible and it's short slaps and taps fit right in here. The vocals are brutal, low, and guttural, like one probably expects them to be. It's pretty much like a Brain Drill clone honestly, except for the fact that I found this album to be less headache inducing while listening to it.
Instead of going off into realms of pure self-indulgence, although, let's face it, most of this is anyway, there are breaks that move into the realms of jazz and "classical" on here. What I found interesting was the inclusion of piano on here, it's used throughout the album, and not as filler, but actually within songs, though it is more commonly used as an intro or outro, Mental Slavery. However I first became acquainted with the band through the title-track, Element of Chaos, with it's piano outro, which is what attracted me to check this album out in the first place.
While technicality has it's place, and this is just a complaint I have with bands that do this sort of thing, there are times where this just sounds like it goes nowhere and there aren't even songs anymore, just wankery, hear Lethargic Sleep. Luckily, most tracks on here are under four minutes. However, there are times when, unlike Brain Drill, I can actually find a riff that sticks in my head, Seek to Destroy for example, which is also a bit less full-on than other tracks, if not a bit melodic as well.
Overall, while I'm not the biggest fan of this style of death metal, I found this album to have moments that I did enjoy. I could definitely see others enjoying this a lot more than me, but I'll take a few tracks away from this. If you like really technical death metal, definitely check this out.
Overall Score: 6
Highlights: Slaughter House, Seek to Destroy, Paradox

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (2011)

Band: Mogwai
Country: Glasgow, Scotland
Style: Post-rock
Label: Rock Action Records/Sub Pop

I have to say that I'm rather late getting to the post-rock party, as I'm still a relatively new listener to Mogwai. Having heard good things from friends about them being one of the genre's heavyweights, this is my first real experience expecting a new album from the band. From what I understand, this album continues the band's path at making their music a bit more straightforward and less soft-heavy-soft-heavy-soft-heavy all the time. I have to say that while I did enjoy their 2008, "The Hawk Is Howling," album I enjoyed some of their earlier releases more. Right from the start, this album really just delivered everything I love about the genre to me in excellent fashion and just blew me away.
I found that some of the band's older work, while I enjoyed it, was often a bit to soft for even me, sounding very minimalistic at times, but this album just sounds so full and textured. There are bits on here that I could even call danceable, poppy even, hear Mexican Grand Prix or How to Be A Werewolf. While I've never been the biggest fan of the vocals that have been used in conjunction with Mogwai, there are some good ones, but I'm generally not a big fan of them, the auto-tuned ones on George Square Thatcher Death Party almost killed the track for me. I can also say that this is record is far from being soft and then heavy, the two cross over more than once on here, probably most notably on the first single, Rano Pano.
I have to say that what makes me like this record probably more than some of their others, is really the production. I found that the soft sections had just the right sound to really hit home with me, a certain tone that really just made the album for me. The distortion is also well done, it's not as heavy as metal, but it's still a solid sound, hear San Pedro. However I'd say that Too Raging to Cheers kind of recalls a bit of the old Mogwai sort of sound, more so than some of the other tracks, which might intrigue a few people.
Overall, I really liked this album quite a bit, I was not disappointed by this at all. Though I still favor a few of their older works more, this is still well worth a listen. If you like post-rock in any way, definitely, if you haven't already, pick/check this out.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: White Noise, Letters to The Metro, You're Lionel Richie

Mitochondrion - Parasignosis (2011)

Band: Mitochondrion
Country: Vancouver, Canada
Style: Black/Death Metal
Label: Profound Lore

It takes balls for a death metal album to open with a three part epic these days. The first two parts clocking in both under five minutes each, with the third being just over ten, this is a real death metal epic. But as with all epics, it has plenty of diversity and stylistic shifts, ranging from tremolo picked black metal sections within opener Plague Evockation to more sludge and doom intro of Lex Ego Exitium. But of course, it's the lengthiest track, Tetravirulence, that's the most interesting and compelling to listen to, shifting the most throughout it's length, from more mid-paced sludge to bludgeoning black metal, it's all there.
There's a certain rawness to this record that keeps it sounding very old-school, groups like Autopsy, Incantation, and Immolation come to mind on here. The sound the music brings to the table on here just harks back to groups like those just mentioned where there was technical proficiency lurking behind very dark and profound riffs and guttural vocals. A lot of the riffs on here are pretty twisted as well, like black metal bands tend to do more so than death metal band do, in my opinion, heard on the title-track, Parasignosis. There's also that very dark atmosphere that lurks behind these brutal riffs and vocals that just makes it sound so different to modern bands, which also brings to mind other Profound Lore artists like Portal or Vasaeleth. The thick and massive wall of sound that makes up most of this album is made no more apparent than on the instrumental doom track, Kathenotheism, with it's slow moving and brooding sense of atmosphere that is as dense as anything to come out from doom last year.
Probably my biggest quarrel with this album however, is the use of ambient music serving as a solid chunk of this album, in groups that make that sort of thing a principal, groups that are usually within the ambient/atmospheric black metal or funeral doom realms often do, I found it kind of hindered this album. While Rift/Apex, in the middle of the album was short and rather appropriate for where it was placed, I found that the nine-minute long Ambient Outro to be rather useless. The sounds that accompanied the track really didn't do anything for me, so it kind of ended the album on a bit of a sour note for me.
Overall, this was a really solid record, but not one of my favorites right now, I could see this growing on me with a few more listens. I don't think this is as straightforward as my mind might have tried to make while listening to it, as some things wound up sounding great, while others just sort of blended together. If you like experimental death metal, check this beast of an album out for sure.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: Tetravirulence, Banishment (Undecaphosphoric), Kathenotheism

Pariso - Sooner Insignificant Better EP (2011)

Band: Pariso
Country: London, UK
Style: Grindcore/Hardcore
Label: Throatruiner Records

If what you want is fast, discordant, songs that are usually under two minutes, this is the record for you. Even the intro track is aggressive, after a momentary build-up, this thing just moves into a sludgy groove that'll get anybody moving. However once Solitude opens, the EP just hits the ground running, with brutal riffing and drumming that is just punishing to say the least. The hardcore sound is very present in here as well, but it's not like modern hardcore/metalcore, these guys can write a good groove, hear Birds, have a more throaty yell, and have chants, but that's about it.
What surprised me on here was the amount of atmosphere within these tracks. Behind these heavy riffs is a more ambient sounding backdrop. There's also a decent amount of melody injected into a few tracks as well, Mystifier, which, may not appeal to those that want it brutal all the time with no variety, but it's not done with clean vocals or choruses, it's done more in the riffs.
Overall, this was an enjoyable extended play that was well worth a listen. These guys certainly have a natural feel to them that gives this thing a bit more authenticity than I get from a lot of modern hardcore/metalcore groups nowadays. If you like grinding hardcore, check this out for sure.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: Fevered Egos, Lonqvist

Dan Dankmeyer - Arcologies (2011)

Band: Dan Dankmeyer
Country: Frederick, Maryland
Style: Tech metal/Djent
Label: Self-released

In you haven't been keeping up with the online presence of the artists that are generally put into the tech metal/djent genre, you don't know that Dan Dankmeyer is one of the genre's current rising "solo" stars. Though he's only released music since 2009, on his bandcamp anyway, he released four full-length records last year alone. Throughout his discography, there's a strong sense of melody that really makes him stand apart from his piers within the genre, both against solo artists and bands, some saying he's among the greats like Animals As Leaders, Periphery, and Cloudkicker.
This is his first album from this year and definitely my favorite from him so far. While his last release, "X", saw him making use of an 8-string guitar for the first time, this new album shows a much improved sense of songwriting with it. "X" had his traditional sense of tech metal being mixed with elements from metalcore and melodic death metal, it was an album that was pretty dark and heavy in comparison to this one which feels much more full and brighter. This album, to me, has an almost power metal or old-school prog-metal sort of vibe to it, the melodies and harmonies being used certainly hark back to the happier sounding melodies used by groups like Blind Guardian or Fates Warning, hear songs like Acrophobia.
If you think this album is all melody, you'd be mistaken, as Dan still has a few moments on here that are just groove. It's on tracks like Kill Now, Shred Later, my personal favorite on the album for it's great hook, that really don't have the best melodies but just have a massive sounding guitar groove that you can just bob your head along to. I found that this album, as with each of Dan's releases, is getting more and more melodic, which isn't a bad thing at all, but I found that when he just locks into a groove, he's just fantastic, which is something I wish there might have been a little bit more of on here, but the entire record is still very solid.
Overall, this is a very solid release, and my personal favorite from Dan so far. I have to say that he is constantly raising the bar for himself with each consecutive release. If you like very melodic, yet djent-y, sounding instrumentals than definitely check this out.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Familiar Faces, Kill Now, Shred Later, Name This Something Cool

Airs - Rainclouds Over The Remains of Hope (2011)

Band: Airs
Country: Florida, USA
Style: Blackgaze/Shoegaze
Label: Music Ruins Lives

This is my second review of Airs, I originally reviewed their now disowned debut, "A Left Turn At Happiness," several months ago, but this new release shows that the duo have grown in almost every way possible. While I found that debut to be a bit inconsistent and containing more ideas rather than songs, this new full-length, and the EPs that came before it, have corrected that problem. On here the duo's black metal roots remain, but the shoegaze element has been brought out into the front and is noticeably more apparent than ever before.
After the intro, the duo burst open the doors with dreamy vocals and distorted guitars, playing what can be looked at as a black metal sounding riff, being played more like pop/shoegaze song. It's not traditional at all, though the black metal sound, as previously stated, is still very apparent within this album's sound. There's a certain rawness to the sound on here that keeps it from being a total shoegaze/dream pop record as well. Much like Neige's last record with Alcest, "Écailles de Lune," this album takes a much more dreamy and atmospheric take on the blackgaze sound. I do have to mention that despite the last of actual aggression, and screamed/growled vocals, on here, there are still some nice riffs, hear the bluesy-twang on We're Still Drifting.
Tracks like Cast Into The Sea have a distorted and a "heavy" sound, but are very melodic and almost danceable. Personally, I'm not the biggest shoegaze fan, there are those I like however, so I can't really say that all of these are true to the genre standards, but speaking for myself, I found this album to have really high highs, and some pretty low lows. There are tracks on here that are just fantastic and excellently composed and produced, the almost poppy sound of Joyless, and then there are those that just kind of meander and don't really do anything for me, the Cocteau Twins textures on Innocence just kind of went nowhere for me.
Overall, I'd say that most of this record was done excellently and is very catchy. Like I said before, I'm not the biggest fan of shoegaze music, but from what I've read about this album and from what it sounds like, it's obvious that this project is definitely going into a more dreamy sound as opposed to a more metallic one. If you like poppy, textured, and melodic music, than definitely check this out.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Rainclouds Over The Remains of Hope, Everyone Has Died Post-Haste, Joyless

2011

Well, the new year has begun, and I'd like to thank all the people that have subscibed to this blog and to all those that have actually read the reviews and interviews. This year, my reviews are going to look a bit different, I found that writing the intro was a bit tedious and even I would essentially look skip over it, save the first sentence. So the reviews might look a bit different, but the content should still be the same. For January, since new releases are a bit slow as of right now, I might review the odd record that came out last year (2010) that I might have skipped over or didn't get a chance to review (there were a few I think are really good). So thank you for reading this and I hope you continue to read this blog. Thanks for your support!

Ian