Favorites this week:
Adrasteia - Demo II (Self-released)
This self-described “winter synth” record is, indeed, COLD. Combining vocals that swing from menacing to pained with layers of spectral guitar, synth, and the odd church bell, this EP does a lot without ever seeming like it’s doing too much. No seams are left showing, even when transitioning from modern, delay-laden synth interludes to straight old-school raw BM, and even further on to wind chimes and plaintive acoustic guitar. The vocals are a standout and defy easy categorization — at one point, I found myself genuinely wondering if a sound was a particularly horrifying shriek or a violent winter wind. In a time span that’s seeing a glut of “ambient” extreme metal with minimal substance, this stands apart as a thoughtful, solid piece of work.
Grimah - Intricacies of Bowed Wisdom
Though I don’t understand the short intro track (to me, it almost sounds like the free snippet you get before purchasing the full album), the rest of this is absolutely blistering. Majestic, chaotic, and relentless, Grimah is a band that knows where its strengths lie — Ludwigar’s rough, raw vocals, punishing drumming, and an impenetrable wall of guitars. They really reach their pinnacle, though, when they seem to let go — a banshee shriek out of nowhere, a fitful, unpredictable guitar solo, the drums suddenly speeding up and up and up. Mgla seems like an obvious comparison point here, but Grimah are absolutely doing their own thing, and it’s hard to believe this is a debut. Stoked for what’s next!
Other stuff released this week:
Oath - Legacy (Self-released)
This is Steve Waddell from Scottish trad-metal outfit Tantrum's solo project debut, and the guy’s guitar playing obviously rips. In contrast, the vocals are a bit tortured (“We Are The Blind” is actively bad in this department). The record has a sort of rough recording quality that gives it a lovably shopworn veneer — something that makes it stand out in this subgenre that often leans excessively on too-slick production. Overall, I enjoy this as a nostalgic slice of reverb-soaked traditional metal — as something of a relic of more exciting times in that genre.
Ekmeles - Ekmeles: A Howl That Was Also a Prayer (New Focus Recordings)
It’s genuinely amazing to hear such a breadth of capability from the human voice in one recording. These multi-part pieces — one each from Taylor Brook, Erin Gee, and Christopher Trapani — explore microtonal composition in a setting that is equal parts ars antiqua and avant garde. There is an expansive range of sounds and tones on display here. Lengthy, resonant passages featuring sustained vocal exploration of the microinterval, along with occasional “tricks” like entirely human-voiced dial tones and a flock of birds, are engaging and even stunning. Other experiments, such as the multiple spoken word portions in Taylor’s piece, seem almost parodic, though Ekmeles comes through as an obvious bright light (with a head-spinning understanding of pitch) regardless.
Erythrite Throne - Call of the Northern Moon (Wrought Records)
This is old school (read: of low recording quality), and when the harsh vocals and actual BM parts abade, not unlike something Varg would have made (I hate to invoke him, but it’s true) in his prison years (read: repetitive 4-note motifs layered with wind). Lyrically and with regard to imagery, this is Lord of the Rings worship writ large (combined with some anti-Christianity, pro-old ways stuff), featuring an occasional impressively orc-like vocal (fittingly!). The songs often fall prey to too much going on in too short a time - strings and synths over BM is already a lot to process, and this is a genre that achieves its highs through a kind of prolonged simplicity. Though “Repent" is a pretty unique and modern-sounding track, largely owing to its atypical drum pattern and interestingly layered vocal, most of the songs do follow a bit of a formula -- by "Powers of the Hollow Moon," you know what you’re getting for the next 3 minutes. Though sometimes coming off a bit uninspired, this album is pleasant if you like this kind of stuff, though!