Double Review: Sutekh Hexen

Sutekh Hexen are obviously a very prolific group and have earned some major praise this year from their output thus far. These two newest releases demonstrate a shift in tone since the departure of Scott Miller and Lee Camfield. As always, the first album is reviewed from 1-10 and the second EP is reviewed from 1-8.

Drottnar - Stratum (2012)

Band: Drottnar
Country: Fredrikstad, Norway
Style: Technical Black Metal
Label: Endtime Productions

Drottnar are a group who I remember finding something like two years ago when I was really looking into the experimental depths of black metal. Their one full-length album at the time, Welterwerk, was a really unique piece of work that did stand out in comparison to many other groups. I hadn't heard much after finding them so I sort of just forgot them until I saw this new album.
If you ever wondered what it might sound like if a black metal band embraced ideas by early Cryptopsy or Spiral Architect, look no further because this is your band. I have to say that the first couple of times I listened to this band, and then when I found this album, it took me several times to try and keep myself contained and focused. The music on here is actually pretty structured, but the riffs dance around between being dissonant and very mind-numbing and harmonically interesting and pleasant, and my first reaction to it was to simply turn it off. It's the sort of thing that I found rather hard to take in long doses because I would just get headaches from it. But, perseverance paid off because after several listens, I did find myself able to make my way through the album and really enjoy each song; and that's great because each song has a very distinct personality and concoction of ideas that is actually pretty interesting despite adhering to a pretty traditional black metal set of songwriting rules. You will find blast-beats, plenty of tremolo riffing, and shrieked vocals throughout the entire record, so it's not like it's a foreign sound or set of core influences. In a way, this record is not so different from Mayhem's Wolf's Lair Abyss EP, though this is obviously better produced and much more technical, but the line of lineage can be seen.
Once you can get past the initial off-putting sound, if you find it to be off-putting that is, it's the songs that actually keep you. Opener We March is a great track that really sets the tone for what is to follow. It's fast, features a really cool and interesting main riff, and sort of throws it's weight around as much as possible in its short three minute burst. These are all songs that are short and move quickly, so don't expect any long or draw out instrumental phrases on here - there are none, and that's sort of what I like about it. It completely serious from start to finish, and it's the sort of record that makes it's point known in it's opening minutes so if you don't want to go with it, you don't have to, but if you do, you get a real treat of some excellent songs. I also give props to the production as well, it's nice and crisp sounding but also very loud. That great because it really brings out the riffs and it's been a while since I've heard a black metal record with this much dissonance actually craft riffs that are memorable. Despite that, the bass is audible throughout. I wouldn't come into this record expecting depth though, it's pretty much guitars all the way, there's some keyboard on a couple of track for emphasis, but this is a record the guy who's pissed off and wants to go punch people for half an hour. I will say that after you've endured about twenty or so minutes of this, the effect does start to wear off - luckily the album isn't all that long.
If you want to hear a dissonant black metal record that doesn't feel too indebted to what groups like Deathspell Omega or Blut Aus Nord have inspired this is for you. I think that for those people who are a bit sick of bands ripping them off, this might be up your alley. Also check this out if you happen to just enjoy really frenetic and aggressive black or death metal.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: We March, Soul Suburbia, Ersatz

Absent Distance - Common Ghost of The Lifelines (2012)

Band: Absent Distance
Country: Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Style: Progressive Metal
Label: Independent

What drew me to this band was their name, I just thought it was pretty cool sounding, along with how they presented it (IE. logo). I wasn't all that interested until earlier this year they released a song with vocals on it and it caught my attention. It's also a great demonstration of metal coming out of Hungary.
I guess I'll mention it only so I can move on from it, but I did find out about this band from gotdjent.com. Now, unlike a lot of the bands on that site and a lot of the djent groups I wind up covering, this is one of the few bands who don't come across as overly "djenty". Instead of Meshuggah or Periphery worship, this comes across more in the vein of groups like Textures or to a lesser extent, Mnemic. You have the low-end grooves, but it doesn't feel quite so overwhelming or repetitive as some of those bands might give the impression of being. It feels more like those groups who were "pre-djent" in a sense because the record doesn't really have that big, overly processed sound but feels more atmospheric and natural. There's also the fact that this isn't a fast record, most of the songs are pretty mid-tempo based so there isn't a whole lot of quick stuttering rhythms. In addition to that, there's is almost no influence coming in from the -core genre, at least to my ears. You won't find a bunch of breakdowns, guttural vocals, or even chugging with melody playing just as integral a part in this band as rhythm and groove. The more the album goes on the clearer it becomes that the band is probably just as influenced by the likes of Deftones, In Flames, and Soilwork as by groups like the aforementioned Meshuggah and Periphery.
As I've mentioned before, I have lost the interest in listening to bands in the djent sub-genre who are instrumental because I have no interest in listening to an instrumental version of Meshuggah or Periphery if I already have those bands. So, what drew me into this band was the vocalist. Similar to many of the bands in the genre, the vocals on here may polarize listeners, but maybe not for the reason you may think originally. Márton Bencze doesn't have a high voice, but a lower, more baritone voice and a more mid-rangy growl. If I had to make a comparison to another vocalist, I would say his voice reminded me of Matthieu Romarin from Uneven Struture, who is another band who is quite comparable to Absent Distance. There are actually very few songs on here that make growling the default vocal style, and it's Bencze's clean voice that may prove to be the biggest hump for some to get over because it does sound a bit different from other vocalists - and if nothing else, I will say he does have his own style.
In the end I really do have to give it to the band for writing and releasing an album that is not only very well done, but quite unique in their chosen genres. It's not going to be an album for everyone, but I found the songs to be very well written with some pretty nice ideas strewn throughout. If you're a fan of alternative, groove, or melodic death metal, and even metalcore and djent, I think you might be able to find something in here to enjoy and I hope you do.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Hyperwill Crisis, Downstream, Circus

The Algorithm - Polymorphic Code (2012)

Band: The Algorithm
Country: Toulouse, France
Style: Experimental Electronica/Djent
Label: Basick

Originally, I wasn't going to cover this album. I really didn't have much interest in the fusion of various electronic genres with djent even though I did think that the idea was actually pretty interesting. It wasn't until I was actually messaged by some people who told me they'd be interested in my thoughts on this album that I decided to go forward with the review.
Personally, I'm pretty picky when it comes to electronic music. Anyone who skims through this blog will realize that I enjoy a wide assortment of metal styles, but I don't really cover electronic music all too often (even though I am a fan). The idea of mixing electronic music with the mechanical rhythms of djent I thought was a pretty cool idea and had the potential to be really interesting and unique if it was done correctly. I was somewhat familiar with The Algorithm before deciding to cover, or even listen to, this album because I had heard a couple of his early releases and thought that they had some decent ideas on them. I just sort of lost interest after a while and didn't think much more about the project, even when it was announced that they had been signed to Basick, I was still in a state of indifference and didn't really care too much to stay interested in what was going on. But like I said above, a few people did ask me for my thoughts on this album so I did check it out, and you know what, it isn't half bad.
Sure, in terms of the metal element, if you've heard one song from the album, you can essentially figure out how it's going to be used throughout the rest of the album, but the real interest is how it's combined with the electronics. Since this was the brainchild of a producer and programmer, Rémi Gallego is very skilled at adapting his sound to different forms of electronic music. He manages to find a way to blend those metallic "chugs" into everything from the wubs of dubstep in Bouncing Dot to the spastic glitches of Access Granted - which happens to veer into both grindcore and reggae as well, and I think that's an impressive feat. It's not all for me, but I can appreciate how he's at least trying not to limit himself. I'm not too much of a club guy so I don't really dig the pulsing four-four house beats or the bass wobbles of dubstep, but in the context of this album, they're fine and I can tolerate them. They're also used rather minimally as well, you'll hear an idea in one song, maybe a little bit in another later on, but most ideas aren't actually repeated on here. But then there's the traits of electronic music that I do like. That spastic glitchy stuff I dig from time to time, I can get into the 8-bit synths on a track like Logic Bomb, and I'm certainly not opposed to any IDM influence that has seeped into these tracks as well. Frankly, I'm not sure that Panic needed to be twelve minutes long, but it's the sort of track that will appeal to those who didn't enjoy the more metallic excursions from the seven previous tracks.
I actually wound up enjoying this more than I thought I would. Sure, there are elements to the project's sound that I'm just not a fan of, but this was a lot more creative than I had anticipated it being. If you're a fan of experimental electronic music or maybe really eccentric forms of metal (though I may be pushing it with even that) than I recommend you check this out.
Overall Score: 7
Highlights: Trojans, Access Granted, Warp Gate Exploit

Noisear - Turbulent Resurgence (2012)

Band: Noisear
Country: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Style: Grindcore
Label: Willowtip

Even though it didn't wind up being on my top 50 list of last year, Noisear's last full-length Subvert The Dominant Paradigm was one of the best grind albums of last year. I know that the band is pretty productive and Dorian Rainwater has been pretty busy collaborating with the always awesome Cara Neir, but I didn't expect another full-length so soon. Though I'm not sure if one could even call 19 minutes a full-length.
After a short noise introduction, you'll get whatever grind you're needing in your ears. It's fast, it's quick (only three tracks top one minute), and it's brutal, no nonsense just all out sonic obliteration. It's honestly hard for me to come up with anything more to say that that really because it is essentially more of the same from these guys. If you don't know what you're getting yet, I'm really not sure what to tell you. I mean, they still have riffs that are catchy and spastic, drumming that is just crazy, and vocals that are all over the shot, from screamo-esque shouts to death metal growls and everything in between, it's all that in under twenty minutes. I realize that writing songs that sound different when most of what you're playing is under a minute long can prove to be extremely difficult, but that's where I've thought that Noisear succeeded. They know how to make riffs that are different enough not to blur into one another, which is a problem many a grind band has. Maybe that's more of a problem with an album's pacing than actual songs, but Noisear have that problem conquered as well on here as every song feels very separate from each other, no overlapping to be found.
There have been several grindcore albums that I've really liked this year, and this one follows that trend, not disappointing after last year's Subvert The Dominant Paradigm. I can't really say it blew me away as much as that album did, but this is still very good for what it is. If you like grind and you're not listening to this, I don't really know what to tell you.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Indifference, Inflated Ego, Broken Cycle, Fiery Rebirth

Black Mask. - Black Mask. EP (2012)

Band: Black Mask.
Country: Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Style: Hardcore/Grindcore
Label: Independent

Underground hardcore is always the best, at least from what I've found. If a band hasn't blown up or is overhyped, then the chances that they're actually doing something good is a lot higher than if they are. In relation to Black Mask.'s debut EP, I have no reason to doubt that theory as of yet.
The entire reason why grinding hardcore is so much fun to listen to is because band's know how to fit rage, anger, and that sort of stuff into compact bursts without overextending themselves. A four minute song is overreaching for a good band, but pumping out short blasts of intensity is all good with me, it's a plus if you can remember anything that actually happened. With songs like The Greys and Agony on here, you can tell that Black Mask. do have talent to go places that will get them noticed and picked up. Their power-violence side is rather well demonstrated, maintaining the same level of aggression without getting boring. Personally, the influences do come across rather clear on here, with plenty of Converge coming through in the riffing department and some nice references to the chaotic noise of Nails being made. If I had a complaint about the EP, it'd be that the vocals are really low in the mix, which did make me question their relevance on here.
Frankly, if you're looking for originality, you might want to look elsewhere, but if you're more interested in hearing some fun and aggressive grind, this might interest you. The band certainly does have talent and shows a penchant for writing songs that are appealing. Grind, hardcore, and power-violence fans, take note.
Overall Score: 7
Highlights: The Greys, Agony

Nails - Obscene Humanity EP (2012)

Band: Nails
Country: California
Style: Grindcore/Powerviolence
Label: Southern Lord

There's something that you just can't replace when listening to a grind album. That energy is unmatched by pretty much any other genre and Nails is one of the best bands to come out recently to do that sound justice. With a forthcoming full-length on the horizon, they put out this short little re-recording of three songs to hold us over until then.
This is exactly what I needed to hear, unabashed and unrelenting violence. After a day of complete and utter frustration and anger, there's nothing that quenches my thirst for bashing someone's face in (look to Irréversible for an example) like Nails. This is just everything you'd come to expect from the band with both the title-track and Confront Humanity being short bursts of intense hardcore grinding and I couldn't ask for more from it. Then there's Lies, a longer song that is a bit more on the dynamic side, bringing in some slower ideas that definitely make it worthwhile and justify its length. The vocals are simply brutal and are easily among the most intense I've heard this year, with every word seething with rage and passion. I mean, it's not anything different from what you heard on Unsilent Death, but it's still a great piece of work that lives up to the band's name for those who haven't heard this before.
It's hard to really say anything more about this, it's short and it's great. If you like music that's angry and will, potentially, quench your thirst for violence, this is where your ears need to be. Definitely listen to this band!
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Lies