Slice The Cake - The Man With No Face (2012)

Band: Slice The Cake
Country: England/Sweden/Australia
Style: Progressive Death Metal/Deathcore
Label: Independent

I think it's fairly obvious that if you are just skimming through this blog that I am not a deathcore type of a guy. It's a genre that I am really not a fan of at all and find very lackluster. I will go out of my way to say that I have actively gone out of my way to try and avoid covering any deathcore albums because I have been burned a lot when the genre was first getting big. So why am I covering a band that has actually been called deathcore?
Forgive me, but I'm gonna use this review as my soapbox for a moment to describe why I don't usually cover deathcore and why I am not a fan of the genre. While I would say that I don't hate any style of music (except reggae, just can't describe how grating that is on my ears) I can't say that deathcore has had any impact on me to the extent where I would call myself a fan of many of its bands. Sure, I enjoy Job For A Cowboy every once in a while, but it's hard to even call them a deathcore band anymore, and The Contortionist came from the deathcore scene as well, and they're a pretty cool band as well. Hell, even Whitechapel is decent enough, though I wouldn't call myself a fan. Aside from those two examples there, I have found little in the genre that I would come back to repeatedly. Sure, when Suicide Silence first came out I was a fan, but I never even made it to their second record. I just can't wrap my head around why so many bands would actively choose to sound like Suicide Silence or Emmure when those bands already have a sound, and while I can't say I'm a fan, I understand the appeal and draw to those groups. It's become such a pain to find any sort of originality within the genre that I've pretty much given up on it.
"So why am I covering this album then," you're probably asking yourself at this point. Trust me when I say that while I checked the band out on Youtube first before actually deciding to cover it, I was actually very impressed by what I heard. I haven't heard the trio's first EP (I think they were still a duo at that point though), but I've heard that this is a major step up, and I can believe it. This thing absolutely threw me for a loop, and showed me things I didn't think I'd ever heard from a "deathcore" band. Let me first say that while this band is technically called a "progressive deathcore" group, it's actually surprising at how little these guys rely on the breakdown. Sure, there are a couple on here, but most of what's on here is dominated by heavy riffs, technical soloing, and impressive melodies. Another thing I usually dislike about deathcore are the vocals, but, once again, this band proved me wrong and showed me that there are bands who have vocalists who know what they're doing vocally. Most of this album is dominated by growls which reminded me a lot of Johnny Davy from Job For A Cowboy actually, and I've always thought that Davy had an interesting sound to this vocals, so I wound up enjoying these as well; and while there are screams and pig-squeals on here as well, they're used very sparingly, which proved far less irritating than many of their peers have proven to be. Then, you have the addition of clean vocals on a handful of tracks as well, and while they might not be great, I'd certainly call them above average; and there's no reliance on auto-tune either, another plus in my book. I would have actually liked to have heard more of them now that I think about it.
But probably the most powerful thing about this band, apart from everything else I've mentioned, is that they just know how to write interesting and engaging songs. Most of these songs are over five minutes, with the title-track topping twenty minutes, in which none of it really feels like filler and there are noddings toward the likes of Opeth and Between The Buried and Me. For me, any band that can write a song that eclipses ten minutes already has a plus from me (which may seem stupid to a lot of people, but I think that it takes skill) but a band that can not only keep me interested in a twenty minute long song is one that I give a lot of credit to. I think it also takes a lot of confidence for a band like this to put a song on an album that is half instrumental, and that half is actually done with clean guitar (for the most part); and there are plenty of other tracks that have extended instrumental sections as well. But, this album isn't perfect, and I did have a couple of gripes with it, though they really aren't huge in my book. The first would be some of the lower squeals and gutturals which are used on As Written In Pnakotus, an otherwise fantastically written song that is slow and atmospheric, it's not a major gripe, but I'm just not huge into those sort of vocals. The other one that I have is with the drum-programming on Equilibrium, which felt overly digital and mechanical in comparison to every other song on the album which felt more natural.
Trust me when I say that I wouldn't review a band that's called "deathcore" unless I really thought it was worth hearing. This is the first band in a long while that I can recall actually enjoying that has come from a deathcore beginning, and I anxiously await the next release from this group, though it will definitely be hard to top this album. I definitely recommend this to any fan of extreme metal, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Overall Score: 9
Highlights: Of Gallows, Equilibrium, The Man With No Face

Formloff - Spyhorelandet (2012)

Band: Formloff
Country: Nes, Norway
Style: Progressive Black Metal
Label: Eisenwald Tonschmiede

Despite knowing about Formloff for about a year or so now, I never checked them out until I heard this album. I'm well aware of my preferences towards the experimental black metal genres so finding bands that are working within the frame of no-frame concept is one that obviously appealed to me once I began listening to this album. In retrospect, I really should have checked this duo out before, but live and learn (you can probably tell how this one is going to go).
The style in which this duo choose to embrace on this album is one that owes quite a large debt to the likes of Carl-Michael Eide. Bands like Ved Buens Ende and Virus can be heard all over this record, and I don't mean that as a negative thing or a criticism. Whether it's the thick and jazz bass lines that runs underneath all of these songs or the guitars which weave in and out of harmony, recalling black metal, noise rock, jazz-fusion, and post-rock all at once without really ever coming off as derivative. There are build-ups that climax into crazy and dissonant melodies as well as blasting black metal sections that fall into near sludgy calm downs before speeding up again. I should mention that if you are not a fan of music that moves around in various directions throughout the course of a single song, you will probably not like this, despite the fact that the duo keep the entire album pretty consistent in terms of how each part sounds in relation to others. Despite how various genres are blended, this album never really veers off into Mr. Bungle genre-hopping territory (even though I love Mr. Bungle) and instead blends elements from the genres listed above, and more, together into a more natural fusion of ideas.
Now, I'm not the sort of guy who likes to toot my own horn, but I think having listened to (probably) dozens of bands that have been called avant-garde and progressive black metal, despite whatever intentions and influences a group draws from musically, it's hard to really be creative. I'm not immune to bands of the genre treading similar ground, chances are if you're labeled as "avant-garde" or "progressive", I'll wind up liking it either way, but it's the fact that it's getting harder and harder for groups to truly stand out, even in those genres. While the ideas on here won't technically put these guys into the avant-garde league, despite the use of saxophone on Mig Og Drit and the closer Drokkne I Ei Flo Ta Åske. I certainly stand by the Ved Buens Ende and Virus comparisons as two of the more noticeable ones on here, but vocally, I found a striking similarity between the vocals on here and of Kvarforth of Shining (Swe), and it was enough to make me double-take and make sure he actually didn't guest on the album. He didn't by the way. While these elements might not seem all that unique in the long run, let me say that in the long line of bands who have cited the likes of Carl-Michael Eide as an influence, very few have managed to take his maniac style and actually incorporate it into their own. It's more than apparent from this album that this is a band who are more than capable at doing something interesting with the black metal sound.
Despite all of that, the album still has enough sense to be melodic when it needs to be. Songs like the title-track or Skævven feature far more accessible gateways into the album through choruses that are engaging as well as melodies that are interesting. It shows that no matter how weird you try to be, it always pays to have a semblance of melody in your work. While I highly doubt that the melodies are what will draw people to check out this band, in my opinion, it's the element that will draw you back for repeated listens. I should also say that most of the melody comes out closer to the middle and end of the album, with the first couple of tracks being far more abstract.
I thought it was a great piece of work that definitely stands out among the many bands who attempt to pull off dissonance with melody as one that actually does it right. While I imagine quite a solid amount of people digging this, I can foresee others who aren't too interested in the dissonant and abstract side of the band, as well as some that might not enjoy the more melodic side; or I foresee it being a polarizing album for some is what I mean to say. I am definitely looking forward to what these guys put out in the future.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Spyhorelandet, Skævven, Drokkne I Ei Flo Ta Åske

Nutrition - Dusk of The Hunter I EP (2012)

Band: Nutrition
Country: Lexington, Kentucky
Style: Industrial Black Metal
Label: Independent

I don't exactly recall off the top of my head how I first stumbled across Nutrition, but I certainly remember covering their 2010 EP, Eye of The Anunnaki, and liking it. To be honest, I hadn't really kept up with what the duo was during in the time in between that EP and this new one, but apparently they've been working even harder at writing material, since this is just the first part of two albums (from what I've read). Finding this little release certainly reignited my interest in them and made me go back and listen to their work all over again.
I have to say that Nutrition has quite a knack for writing interesting sounding industrial/ambient soundscapes that acts as interludes, openers, or closers. Each of their three releases, including this one, has made use of cold atmospheres with industrial beats and some really interesting samples, and that's basically what you get from opener Forbidden Moon. Dawn of The Hunter I, the longest track of the five on here, is easily the best track and makes use of everything that Nutrition does so well. For those that have yet to find out what the signature Nutrition style is (to briefly summarize), it's a sound that features driving black metal riffing, drums that morph from the standard drum-programming into more electronic beats, and high-pitched screeches. It's rather unfortunate that the last three songs don't end up measuring up to the first two tracks though. While these last three tracks are by no means bad, they don't keep up with the standard of the first two tracks and instead take a more heavy metal/thrash metal kind of approach to riffing and focus on pretty standard song structuring. The last two tracks, especially, are rather simplistic and the vocals actually proved to be quite annoying (at least to me). I'd imagine that there will be plenty of others that will find these tracks to be more memorable, but they just felt rather uninspired to me and were more black metal by numbers sort of songs that didn't really do anything all that different.
Overall, of the three EPs that I've heard from the duo, this is the weakest, in my opinion. It's not bad, but it certainly isn't as engaging or memorable as the previous two were, but I could certainly see this acting as a gateway into the band for many who are unfamiliar with their previous releases. If you like industrial black metal with some more traditional metal influenced riffing styles, I'd say check this out, but if you want to hear them at their best go for the first two EPs.
Overall Score: 6.5
Highlights: Forbidden Moon, Dawn of The Harvest I

Skin Area - Rothko Field (2012)

Band: Skin Area
Country: Norrköping, Sweden
Style: Industrial/Drone
Label: Malignant

My awareness of the whole underground industrial scene has really broadened within the last couple of months thanks in part to the interesting releases by Malignant Records. Compared to the harsher albums I've heard from the label, I was informed that this album was a bit different from other albums the label has released as of recently and so I was quite intrigued. By the cover alone, I could tell that this was going to be an interesting album.
I have to say that as soon as this album began, I knew that I would have, at the very least, an interesting experience with this album. I'm not too sure if this is a concept album or not, but if it is, it sure is a messed up one. Opener Threshold is a short piece that definitely grabs the listener by the throat and pulls you extremely close by doing relatively very little. While that piece is the lure to draw you in further, the rest of the album manages to maintain a sound that, honestly, I actually didn't expect. No matter what my experiences with the records released by Malignant, they always had an unnerving atmosphere that stemmed from most of what I heard being rooted in very raw electronics, industrial, and noise sounds, this one, while it certainly has all of those things, feels much more sedated and brooding. It's not as intense a listen or nearly as disorienting and, thus actually made me listen to it probably a lot more. It felt less like a sonic bombardment and more cerebral and melancholic.
I read that the sound of this could be called drone rock, and I'd certainly agree with that because it is drone-y (obviously) but the use of percussion and low-end bass added this more "accessible side" to what otherwise could have simply been a minimalistic power electronics record. The use of electronics on here ranges from almost synthe-pop-esque (in the sound, not how it's used I should say) on Rothko Field, to more intense and "typical" power electronic-based noise, and that sort of variety does wonders for an album such as this. Having said that, like I said above, this is a pretty subdued record, so all of these electronics aren't overly aggressive and aren't really pushed into your face/ears like most projects tend to from this sub-genre. Going back to the concept idea that might be a part of this album, for those that don't already know, this album is sort of a mirror where the first four tracks are mirrored on the last four, with the track Void acting as the mirror between them, acting as a sort of gateway into the mirror (God, I used mirror a lot in that sentence). When it's written down here it probably looks/sounds like a rather pretentious idea, but it works out surprisingly well. The technique of mirroring the idea of a song allows that song to be turned on its head and expanded or contract that original idea into something hardly resembling the first idea.
Personally, if I had anything to complain about regarding this album it would boil down to the fact that I think it's a bit too long. There were a couple of sections that felt just a tad lengthy for my own taste. I really didn't think that Hypnagoga needed to go on for just over four minutes and I think could have easily been condense into around two, and then a solid minute or two, at most, could have maybe kept Dleif Okhtor a bit more engaging. In all honesty, saying that a couple of minutes could have been shaved off isn't that big a complaint, at least when it comes to this album, because the music and ideas are interesting and worth listening to repeatedly to hear the layers behind what you hear on first listen. It's a very minor gripe and I think the bulk of the album is more than enough to actually make up for it.
Personally, I really enjoyed this record as it took a very different approach to what the project has done in the past, and I think it really paid off. I haven't heard a whole lot off of the project's previous releases but I can say that I do prefer this more subdued sound that was taken on this album. Like the press release said, it's different, but I wound up liking probably because of that.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Rothko Field, Dleif Okhtor, Niks Eht Ni

Spawn of Possession - Incurso (2012)

Band: Spawn of Possession
Country: Kalmar, Sweden
Style: Technical Death Metal
Label: Relapse

If there's been any band in the whole tech-death genre that is revered and held as either at the top or near the top of the genre, I think Spawn of Possession would claim that spot. The groups rather infrequent pattern of releasing albums has lead their first two albums to be held as sacred amongst those who are die-hards in the scene (or at least that's what I've come to assume based on what I've heard and read). So here comes their third album (with yet another pretty new line-up) six years after their last, is it another jewel in their crown?
I know that a lot of people hold Noctambulant up as a modern masterpiece and a genre classic (for which it may rightfully be) I can't say that I was ever one of those guys who preached that gospel. Now don't get me wrong, I've admired Spawn of Possession for their interesting take on tech-death, always crafting songs that stood out among their many peers as perhaps a bit less rampant with needless noodling or forgettable riffs, but besides that I can't say that they were a band that I put on whenever I felt like listening to tech-death. I don't have a problem with the genre as a whole, but after listening to a handful of bands and albums, it can become apparent rather quickly that the well of ideas is running dry. Even for SoP, I can understand taking six years to release a follow-up album, at the time their last one was released, tech-death had pretty much started picking up more steam that I remember it having before hand, and more and more bands started popping up with their own variation on the style, which wound up being just as derivative as the next. In those six years, there really haven't been a whole lot of bands that have stood out, to me at least, as presenting ideas that are unique or original sounding.
So, now that we have this album, I think that there were a lot of questions that people had before even hearing it, with the main one probably being, "Has the band redefined their sound and written a better album?" While that is solely a personal issue, I can say that I enjoyed this album more than either of their previous ones and I did find that the incorporation of more "classical" ideas in both background atmospheres and backdrops, as well as guitar playing, refreshing and a bit more interesting than the hundreds of other bands showing off how fast they can sweep-pick and gravity blast (no thanks to Origin). There's also a very clear jazz influence coming through in each of the instrumentalist's performances as well, though that should come as no surprise, and you need look no further than the bass playing which is both fluid enough to paint the background with some colorful low-end rumble as well as some brighter flares of high-end slapping and sweeping. I also thought that the band branching out and writing some longer songs also added to them as a more unique entity. Obviously the long song idea isn't anything new for the genre, but, personally, I'd prefer it if more bands figured out that they could fit more ideas into a song that's over five minutes and make them even more engaging than if they just crammed them all into three minute long blasts. We know you can play fast, we get it, it's ok to add a slow part that isn't a breakdown into your songs. Tracks like The Evangelist and Apparition sound more cohesive as pieces, and are actually more memorable, than I remember any of the material from either of their previous albums being and are two of the strongest pieces from this album.
I certainly enjoyed this record and like I said above, it's the first SoP record that's stuck with me for longer than the end of an album. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the album, I had hoped it'd be good, but I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it turned out to be. I know I've said it in the past, but I wish more bands would attempt to sound more like this album, it would do the genre a world of good. If you're a tech-death fan you're probably already familiar with this band, but if you haven't yet become acquainted, definitely check them out.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Bodiless Sleeper, The Evangelist, Apparition

Beneath The Massacre - Incongruous (2012)

Band: Beneath The Massacre
Country: Montreal, Canada
Style: Technical Death Metal
Label: Prosthetic

Back when I was bigger into death metal I remember finding Beneath The Massacre and just thinking that they were amazing. I don't think I can claim that I was a huge fan, but I have always enjoyed their take on tech-death, or deathcore as some have seen it. I've been following these guys since just after the release of their debut full-length album and have always found them to be an interesting band that seemed to break away from what I always thought of as "deathcore" right away.
As much as a lot of people may hate to admit it, Beneath The Massacre could actually be called a pre-djent group. While it is difficult to say that they ever contributed to that sub-genre, if you listen to their first EP, Evidence of Inequity, or their debut full-length, Mechanics of Dysfunction, there is a clear Meshuggah influence and all this happened before the big djent wave in the last couple of years. But for everyone who's listened to the releases that have followed those it's pretty obvious that the band have left most of their heavy Meshuggah influence behind them in order to focus solely on tech-death. The deathcore tag was also one that was put on them back when the band first started to come out and get popular as well and is another tag that has fallen away with their last EP, Marée Noire, or at least that was when I stopped hearing deathcore being used to describe these guys. So, with both tags that some might have attributed any success this band having coming from being part of a "trend" being removed in recent years, their evolution into a tech-death band has finally reached its logical point.
If you have a need for speed, I would definitely suggest at least looking into this album. There is no build-up whatsoever between pressing play and the opener Symptoms blasting into spiraling sweep-picking and blast-beats. There really isn't a whole lot of room made more melody or anything that might resemble the band bringing in a mid-tempo section, it's like the band is going full-throttle for pretty much the entire album. The only time when they slow down is when they do a breakdown, which is sort of a no-no usually, but it works on here because it's the only time that they let you breathe during a song. I can appreciate the use of a breakdown in songs like Hopes or Light because amidst the swirling technicality on here, they add a sense (even if it is small) of diversity to the album. The slowest track on here, the title-track, is also the shortest and an instrumental, which isn't a new idea for the band, but it's pretty much just a breakdown stretched out for about a minute and doesn't really go anywhere, but I wouldn't say it hurts the album since it is so short. Also, not a single song on here is over four minutes, most of them are under three minutes to be honest, so it's not a long album at all. It's kind of weird going back into the band's discography and seeing that their songs have become progressively shorter as they've progressed forward and this album features some of their shortest tracks to date.
Coming into this, I was actually unsure how I would like the album because of how short the songs are and how technical they are, I thought it would just go in one ear and out the other, but it's surprisingly memorable (to an extent). There were songs on here that I would actually say are among the band's best material yet, but it's not the type of release that will turn you into a fan of the band if you're not already. I would definitely say it's the band's most "catchy" material to date and is, in my opinion, their best, but it's still probably going to turn off a fair amount of people. Check it out if you're into intense tech-death, maybe even deathcore (to an extent) but that's not your thing, there are other bands out there.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Hopes, It, Damages

Interview - Melted Cassettes

Last year Melted Cassettes released their debut full-length album The Real Sounds From Hell Recordings and brought new life to spastic electronic noise rock. From those who heard it, it was definitely a breath of fresh air into the realms of noise rock and cybergrind and seemed to make me take an interest in cybergrind for once. It was honestly one of the most bizarre releases I had heard last year.

Ian: Why don't you tell us how Melted Cassettes came to be. What were your intentions when you first started the band?

Melted Cassettes: We had no intentions initially except for coming together to make music. Eventually, syncronicity led us to an autonomous intention for the band.

Ian: I curious how you would describe your sound since it is quite different?

Melted Cassettes: Intergalactic struggle jams or alchemical noise.

Ian: Who were some of your influences? You've been described by some as cybergrind, do you feel that is an accurate description?

Melted Cassettes: Creative pursuits as observed in the confines of culture often retain arbitrary attributes to explain what is most often ineffible. I never really identified too much with the cybergrind tag but people can call things as they do. I identify with bands such as Arab On Radar and Big Black and many others as well. Raw shit that sparks an interest and makes you question the sound/source.

Ian: What equipment did you use on the album?

Melted Cassettes: Hardware: Realistic moog, various yamaha synths, stringed instruments. Software: ableton live, fm7, Reason, Logic pro, Pure Data.

Ian: I personally enjoyed how diverse you made the album, it wasn't just going berserk all the time. When you wrote the album, what kind of ideas and concepts did you go into it with?

Melted Cassettes: Much of the concepts for the album were paranormal jokes as heard through a thick muffling veil. On our next album, that veil is lifted.

Ian: Did you mean to make it as diverse as possible?

Melted Cassettes: Diversity seems to be merely a side effect of our source of musings.

Ian: How do you view the connection between electronic music and rock/metal?

Melted Cassettes: Either a paintbrush or a pencil can be used to bring an idea to life. Both are tools that require patience and skill to get the job done. Sometimes you can use both for one project.

Ian: Despite your sound being quite unique, you often utilize sounds that wouldn't be out of the ordinary in club oriented dance and electronic music, what is it about those sounds that made you more inclined to use them on the album?

Melted Cassettes: Coincidence, perhaps.

Ian: How do you approach your vocals, they're quite different and they really stick out as being one of the defining factors on the album in my opinion?

Melted Cassettes: After a series of mutations, the vocals have 'self-actualized' through trial and error, crystalizing them into an identifiable character in the Melted Cassettes continuum. There is very limited lyrical content on real sounds. Alot of what you hear is struggle forced out of the body through audible fits and vocal experimentation.

Ian: I'm curious how you came up with some of the song titles for the album as they are quite bizarre? How do titles like Altered Beatststs or Xzrzrz reflect those songs?

Melted Cassettes: Inside jokes at times. Sometimes it could be based of an original file name or derived from lyrical content. Older material could have many howler and artiznoiz references.

Ian: What is your take on the whole cassette format? Are you favorable towards it and could you see releasing future material in that format? How do you think they compare to vinyl and CDs?

Melted Cassettes: Media format, like genres are just shades in the larger spectrum of given potential. Each has its own appreciable qualities. We'd like to think extraterrestrials could be jamming to us via telekinetic broadcasting frequencies, but tapes are fine as well.

Ian: I've read that you're already working on a new album? What can fans expect from this new release?

Melted Cassettes: As we said, a veil is lifted to reveal somewhat of a rabbit-hole and/or puzzle. One of the songs Body is already streaming online. There has been a lot of strange occurences surrounding the recording of the new album that we will reveal at a later date, hopefully.

Ian: Well, I guess those are all the questions I have. Thank you for your time and music, the last words are yours.

Melted Cassettes: Thank you for the opportunity to speak our minds, and the new album will be out sometime this year.

If you haven't heard Melted Cassettes yet, definitely seek them out, they're hard at work writing a new album for this year.

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