Double Review: Marduk & Merrimack

Yeah, I know, another double review, but this time I actually figured, you know, that these two bands actually sound similar enough to where I could pull this one off well.

Book of Sand - Mourning Star (2012)

Band: Book of Sand
Country: Minneapolis
Style: Post-Black Metal
Label: Music Ruins Lives

Book of Sand has been on quite a bit of a buzz since the project's first album, How Beautiful to Walk Free, several years ago. Since then we've had four other albums, including this one, released and apparently even more are planned to be released soon as well. It's not exactly easy coming into a new album from this project (which is why I've prolonged this review) but if you come in expecting anything, you always know it's going to be interesting.
Just to clear this up right away, for anyone who got the same idea upon seeing the track list like I did when I first saw it, opener The Face of The Water is a different track than the title-track of the project's last full-length album. That aside, for anyone who thought that last year's The Face of The Waters album was perhaps more accessible due to its cleaner production and far more jazz based sound, will more than likely be put off by this. The same could be said of those who enjoyed the metallic energy of 2010's How Beautiful to Walk Free, though in retrospect, every album released by this project has been different, but it's a very weird album and I was certainly taken aback whenever that first burst of distortion comes in. Though this is certainly more "metal" than his last album, to say that it's any more accessible would be one of the last things I would choose to describe this album. It's really bizarre and disorienting, not something I expected, even based on hearing several of the project's past releases. It's by no means an easy album to get into.
The sound really makes me think of what it might sound like if someone like Ben Monder decided to join a group like Blut Aus Nord or Deathspell Omega, it's really off sounding, dissonant and weird, but for some reason it works. Those more metal based parts are really strange and odd, but I love it all the more because it doesn't sound right or even all that great on first listen, but as your ears begin to adjust to what you're listening to and your mind loosens up, it begins to become more coherent. Interspersed with those shots of metal are more genre bending ideas, from folk to ambient and noise. I'll admit that it might have just been the pair of headphones I was using at the time, but the first time I listened to this I felt like there were long stretches of blank silence, and I didn't get it. After listening to it on another pair of headphones as well as in the car and on my computer, I have realized that that was not the case. There are some long moments of more ambient kind of material, but it's not silence. There's also no shortage of extra instrumentation on here either, with the use of what sounds like violin (which is the only one I know for a fact is actually on here), and what sounds like piano, among others.
I don't know about how others feel about this but I thought that the album kind of feel off a bit after the epic Planet SUV. While neither of the tracks that follow it are bad, I feel like because they're shorter, by comparison they just don't feel as complete or grabbing. The ideas are interesting and I like where they were going but I think that they could have helped introduce Planet SUV rather than come after it, or at least one of them could have. Closer, That Tearful Day, does its best to try and bring back some of strange metallic quality from earlier in the album but by then it's just too little too late. Besides that, I can't really say that I was disappointed by anything on here actually.
As a whole, I think it's actually a pretty strong album with a lot to like about it, but there are some flaws that keep it down in my own opinion. It's really interesting and if I could love it just for that I would, but there's so much more on here to hear and reflect on. This is definitely recommended if you happen to like really weird and left-field black metal records.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: The Face of The Water, Fits and Starts, Planet SUV,

Intestinal - The Rottening (2012)

Band: Intestinal
Country: Östergötlands län, Sweden
Style: Death Metal
Label: Hellthrasher Productions

I've said multiple times in the past that I'm rather picky when it comes to the whole brutal death metal subgenre(or maybe I just don't have taste for it) and it remains true. Having never heard of Intestinal before and seeing their song titles, that's the style I imagined them playing. I still gave it a chance though because the band was nice enough to send it to me though.
Now, when I actually looked up the band, they weren't really tagged as a "brutal" band, and since it just said death metal, I kind of just took it for what it meant. Having listened to this, yes, it's not brutal in the sense of overly simplistic slam or other stuff like that, which is a good thing. While influences from tons of classic death metal groups can still be heard on here, the one band that this album really reminded me of was early Blood Red Throne (and I love BRT) and at times a bit of more recent Severe Torture. Modern death metal is sort of a hit-and-miss with me, I used to totally hate it, but when I listen to death metal, I like there to be grit and filth on it. Production wise, clean is fine, but there are albums which are far too clean (and I may like them in spite of it if the songwriting is good) but a death metal band has to sound like a band for me to really get into it. While I can't say the sound on here is my personal favorite (on headphones it just sounded weird for some reason) I like that the guitars actually sound distorted and the drums sound real. I could have used more bass, but for what this is, it's fine.
I can't say a lot of what's on here is surprising (it is death metal after all), but it is well done. It's pretty standard death metal stuff, and I don't mean that to be a negative thing, but for some reason I had a hard time penetrating this record. There are some really solid riffs, I love the vocalist's growling style (except for the pig squeal on Eating Your Inner Organs), and I think that the songs are compact enough to grab a listener right away, but I just couldn't seem to get into it. The faster parts just sort of flew by, but the more groovy, I don't know if you could really call them slow, but the more mid-paced parts where the band settled into a groove really worked well with the production style they have on here. Tracks like Vessel For The Dead or Undead Unleashed which seem to have more emphasis on either more drawn out riffs or groove, hit harder and wound up being more ear catching. I'm not saying the faster tracks are bad though, honestly, I still rather listen to this than a lot of other very stereotypical death metal, but I think it's just a case where one aspect of the band's sound happens to be more appealing to me, than another. I can't really fault a band for that now can I.
Overall, probably the best thing I can say about this album is that it's fun. It's not something that you have to think about too much, it's just aggressive and high-energy stuff that managed to put at least me in a good mood after listening to it. Definitely check it out if you're a death metal fan, it's good stuff.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: Vessel For The Dead, Undead Unleashed, Slaughter

Sutekh Hexen - Behind The Throne (2012)

Band: Sutekh Hexen
Country: San Francisco, California
Style: Raw Black Metal/Dark Ambient
Label: Magic Bullet/Wohrt

By now, Sutekh Hexen has made quite a name for themselves so saying you've never heard of them before is getting to be less of an excuse for not having heard them. By now, their discography is getting more and more lengthy and the same could be said of their sound. With Larvae being breaking open their sound earlier this year, I was quite curious what they would do on here.
Returning to the two track only strategy of their previous work, this album shows the trio of Sutekh Hexen expanding their sound in a different form than Larvae did. When I first saw this album, I was sort of expecting something more intense, more or less in the vein of the band's earlier material, and while I. does bring in some similar ideas from earlier material, this is a very different beast. There are certainly intensely distorted screams and layers of distortion and noise on here, traits that have become intensely important in the band's sound, but instead of blazingly fast black metal riffs, we see the band embracing more of a ritualistic kind of doom and drone style for this release. I. is certainly more "metallic" with long, drawn-out guitar chords ringing out into the abyss, but it's by no means as intensely brutal or exhausting as their other work, and while we do see the band speed thing up near the middle of the track, it just is not the same. There's a melancholic ambiance hanging over the whole thing. It actually reminded me a bit of the Shadows single they released a little while back which had the single track that was a lot more quiet and ambient for the most part. The second track, obviously titled II., is even more in the ambient vein, abandoning most of the traits we've come to expect from the band. In exchange for the aggression, the brutality, the metal, and a good portion of even the noise, we get a very chilling, minimalistic sort of neo-folk-esque dark ambient track. Yes, we still have noise, that's still there for all of you who were freaking out. There are freak-out moments where we get shots of distortion, if only to draw those back in who might have wavered while listening to this, they act as a sort of grounding point, at least to me, which keeps the band's sound tethered to a single point. While the overall sound on this track is very different in comparison to most of what they've done, that distortion and noise keeps their sound controlled, so it doesn't become so overwhelmingly different, you still know who you're listening to. Personally, while I respect the band for exploring this kind of territory, I can't in all good conscience say that it's my favorite. It's well done, no doubt, but maybe it just needs to sit with me longer to have a greater impact on me.
As with previous Sutekh Hexen material, it's obviously very high quality stuff and well worth whatever you pay for it (especially since it comes in so many formats). As with Larvae, this might throw some people off, but if were one of the many who actually really enjoyed that album, you might enjoy this one just as well. Definitely pick up your copy while you still can.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: II.

Wild Hunt - Before The Plane of Angles (2012)

Band: Wild Hunt
Country: Oakland, California
Style: Progressive Doom Metal
Label: Kemado

From the moment I saw this album cover I knew it was something I had to hear. Cover art aside, I was also really interested in the fact that this was a new band. Having never heard the band before (it would have been odd cause this is the debut full-length) I was going only off of what the genre tags told me, progressive doom metal.
The mere fact that this band chose to both open and close their album with sixteen minute long track speaks volumes about how highly they regard their songwriting abilities. I don't mean to make that sound negative, but it really takes confidence to put a track like that right up front, and it's the type of thing where the song has to be strong to make the listener want to listen further. This is even more questionable when the album in question comes from a new group, luckily for Wild Hunt though, they knew exactly what they were doing when they put this album together (structurally). Eidetic Parallax moves from strength to strength, playing up some great doom-based riffing while channeling traces of black metal and I'd say some stoner rock/metal as well. Sure, I'm pretty sure one could just as easily call this a post-black metal album, Wild Hunt do share some similarities with a group like Altar of Plagues, because I've read some comments that do that, but this isn't the sort of album that falls as easily into that stereotype and you'd really have to stretch it to really say this is a black metal album. It's more rooted in doom.
While it might not be a huge deal, the ambiance on here did grab me on more than one occasion. For me, that's probably the biggest link to the whole post-rock genre the band has on here, sure there are obvious builds and some closing sections with clean guitars, but the atmosphere is what conjures images of clouded beauty in my head. I'm sure there's just as much an appreciation towards ambient music in the band, interlude Unravel The Veil of Separation, Bask In The Serenity of Discord definitely shows some strength in that department as well, but to say there isn't a post-rock influence would be lying. In fact, I think that that may be one of the group's greatest strengths.
It seriously shocked me when I found out that the vocalist of this band was their drummer, Harland Burkhart, though I guess that explains the sparing use of vocals throughout. I have to give credit to where it's due though because when Burkhard does roar or sing, he does it well enough to grab my attention; and though the vocals aren't exactly the loudest in the mix, they still manage to pop out from time to time. It's all the more impressive when you hear how great a drummer he actually is though, his fills are interesting while always acting as the backbone to the band and keeps the song moving forward throughout its various sections. But perhaps I'm selling the other members short here for not bringing up the various forms that the guitars manage to help carve this record into. Like I said above, it's doom metal, but the black, stoner, psyche rock, and even post-rock shades cannot be ignored on here. Though it's not the longest track on here, the album centerpiece, Window to The Nether, manages to convey the most varied guitar styles, from tremolo picked sections to traditional guitar harmonies, good ol' stoner grooves, and much more. I kind of wish the bass was a little bit louder in the mix because when I can hear it, it really strengthens the grooves, if not providing its own, but that's a very minimal complaint due to the fact that I can actually hear the bass throughout (I just wish it was a little bit louder). Everyone does a great job, what else can I say.
I'm not sure how many other bands these guys have been in but there's definitely talent in here and it's amazing how well they were able to put these songs together for a debut. It's easily one of the most interesting doom-based albums I've heard all year. Definitely check this out, I'm not going to bother with demographics here because this has something that could appeal to everyone.
Overall Score: 9
Highlights: Eidetic Parallax, Window to The Nether

Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone (2012)

Band: Be'lakor
Country: Melbourne, Australia
Style: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Rockstar/Kolony

Unlike a lot of melodic death metal bands, new ones I mean, Be'lakor has actually impressed me. I can't say that I ever was up-to-date with the band's recording or when this was being released, but when it was released, I was obviously aware of it. Being one of the few melo-death bands, moderns ones, that I can actually take seriously I was obviously going to cover it.
Be'lakor is a band that has a lot going for it. Ever since the my Junior year of high-school, I can't say that I listen to too much melo-death any more, I have a handful of bands that I like and there are always some newer ones that pop up now and then that either make the genre interesting again or at least do a good interpretation of it. Be'lakor is closer to the former in that regard, because their last two albums have definitely carved out a sound that isn't as narrow as many "purists" might have you believe. I've seen the prog tag attached to the band and listened to their enough to say that they definitely have a good mindset when it comes to writing their songs. They're skilled at writing interesting structures, melancholic atmospheres, and catchy melodies which is enough to get my attention at least. In my opinion, they're one of the few "melodic death metal" bands who can get away with longer songs because they don't really feel forced or overlong.
Having said all of that, I can't say that this album blew me away as much as its predecessor, 2009's Stone's Reach, did. That's not to say that the album is bad or anything, but it just didn't reach out and grab me and hold my attention the way that album did. I also feel like the melodies used on here are too similar to each other and that made me question if what I was listening to was a concept album (if it is, please let me know) because it felt like I was hearing repeated melodies or melodies that were very similar to each other throughout multiple songs. But even then, I still think that the melodies are very tastefully done and executed, they're not overly technical or flashy, and in a similar way to what a band like Insomnium has been doing, they manage to convey melancholy, sorrow, sadness through melody and atmosphere rather than through layers of keyboards or vocals. Though there's plenty of piano on the bottom half of the album, I never really viewed that as too much of a dealbreaker because of how sparsely it's used, it never overwhelms the song and is never the source of melody.
I will say that the problem of similar melodies does fade away on the second half of the album though, which contains some of the most progressive songs the band has recorded to date. The last three tracks are all great and definitely close the record in a great way. In Parting is the most straightforward of the three, not really breaking the style too much from the first half of the record, but definitely improving upon it. The Dream and The Waking is very good, bringing in quite a bit more mood through an acoustic break while delivering great harmonized riffs (boy do I love it when a band does that well). Closer By Moon and Star stands as the most "progressive" riff oriented track on the album despite being one of the most aggressive on the album. Though I did question how much I enjoyed this record nearly every time I was listening to the first half, the second half always perked my ears right up and made me remember why I like this band.
I think it's a pretty damn good melodic death metal record, it has a lot of what I like about the genre while not really sounding like a simple rehashing of its glory days. I know some people won't be able to get past the growling only vocals or longer songs, but if those things don't happen to bother you, you'll more than likely enjoy this. It's well worth your time if you happen to enjoy good melodic metal that is more interesting than poppy.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Remnants, The Dream and The Waking, By Moon and Star

Inverticrux - Virgin Reaper (2012)

Band: Inverticrux
Country: Nashua, New Hampshire
Style: Doom Metal/Shock Rock
Label: Independent

It's an odd thing getting emailed by a band who you know absolutely nothing about and who have very little recorded material for you to go off of, which was the case with Inverticrux. I did listen to some of the material that was out there, but it was like demos, so I was a little skeptical. So, upon seeing the cover of this album, I was pretty nervous.
Call me spoiled but when I see album covers like this, they just don't appeal to me as much as when I see something that is more stark and simplistic (when it comes to album artwork anyway). By the time I finally got around to listening to this record I had long forgotten what my initial impression based on their tracks was so I guess you could say that I was going in fresh. Really the only thing I remembered was that vocalist Raypissed could do a nice King Diamond impression, which ultimately was the reason I decided to cover this. Upon hearing the opening title-track, I started to regret that decision. The raw and rather unpolished instrumental performances were solid enough, jumping between blues-rock and death metal with little regard for any middle-ground was fine, I could look past that and see some great ideas at work, but Raypissed's vocals were plain bad. He certainly has a theatrical side to make him impressionable and interesting, but there were so many King Diamond howls on there that it just began to irritate me. That, and the fact that I thought the lyrics to the chorus were just atrocious (and you know that I'm not much of a lyrical man, but I just couldn't get past them).
After that, the album can only go up, and luckally it does. The band bring in influences from traditional metal, black metal, a bit of goregrind in the vocals, and a couple others as well as up their songwriting chops. While the vocal effects on here are a bit tiring and do become somewhat redundant, hear tracks like Azrael Beckons My Name, I have to commend the band for at least mixing things up. I actually have to be blunt with this and say that even though Raypissed was what made me decide to cover this album he is the weakest link on this album. He is most certainly talented and has a great range, what with both his falsetto howls and his occasional ventures into gurgling and guttural growls, I just felt that all the effects he placed on his vocals killed his performance on here. He's over the top and you can hear it, but all the echo and warped effects do him no favors. A song like Lured By The Scent of Infant Blood really shows what he's capable of and the band is certainly at their best on the track as well, delivering some very melancholic doom metal. The tracks that happen to follow that one are more punk-ish in their delivery, but ultimately less than satisfying after the more lengthy doom track. They're by no means bad, but the band seem to be at their best when their channeling more traditional and doom based metal forms. For myself, most of the best tracks happen to lie in the middle of the album.
As a whole, the album is pretty inconsistent, with some tracks really showing a lot of potential and others just sort of falling flat or coming off as somewhat uninspired. I think there's a lot of potential for the band, but there's still a lot of work to be done. If you want to hear an album that's does a pretty interesting fusion of genres while being rather theatrical vocally, I'd recommend checking this out.
Overall Score: 7
Highlights: A Cautionary Tale, To Serve The Dark Design, Lured By The Scent of Infant Blood