Plush - Find the Beautiful

Plush

Find the Beautiful

Pavement Entertainment

19 January 2024

Some years before the formation of Plush as a band, singer/guitarist Moriah Formica, with Brooke Colucci on drums, caught the attention of fans with the cover of Heart's "Barracuda" in 2018. Then, after continuing to work on covers published online and original songs, Plush as a band was up and running with a self-titled debut album in 2021. Now they return with a six-song EP featuring a classic-contemporary mix of heavy rock anthems and catchy songs. It's so listenable, very melodic and pleasant on the ears, and with such a listener-friendly format of just six songs, it's nice to go back and hear it on repeat. After the 2021 album the band has been touring in the United States, working hard to bring their music to the fans, and the reception has been very positive amongst the fans of classic rock and metal. While we wait for a new album, this EP is a good way to maintain the name of the band going, especially among fans that have not a gotten a chance to see them live yet. In terms of songs, the EP gives a good impression of some newer elements, like more keyboards in the first couple of songs "Run" and "Kill the Noise", giving the EP a smoother, more ear-friendly feel, which, personally, I prefer to the somewhat drier feel of the 2021 debut. "Kill the Noise" has a wonderful part of some tremolo picking, adding a cool, different vibe. The Heart cover, now by Plush as a band, is done very well. A nice addition to the band’s discography.

Plush - Barracuda

https://www.facebook.com/PLUSHOFFICIAL

Meadows - Barabbas (Silence of Innocence)

Here is the video for the song "Barabbas" from the upcoming second album Familiar with Pain by the metalcore band Meadows (U.S.) on Facedown Records. The album comes out on March 29th, 2024. The band's sound focuses on heavy riffs but also making the music in a way that the listener remembers it. Lyrically, this particular song is the biblical story of a notorious criminal favored by a crowd full of rage, and they choose the criminal to be set free, instead of Jesus. Regarding the album itself, the band says that "Familiar with Pain explores the thoughts and themes chronologically from Palm Sunday through the flogging of Christ that took place on that fateful Good Friday. The album considers each moment woven into the story of how Jesus knew what was ahead of Him, and chose to endure it for us."

Meadows - Barabbas (Silence of Innocence)

https://www.facebook.com/facedownrecords

Lutharo - blazing across the Ontario skies

Lutharo

Chasing Euphoria

Atomic Fire Records

15 March 2024

Make your way to Lutharo if you seek a fun roller coaster ride to the mosh pit. Put away that math book, no calculations nor equations are necessary to enjoy this music. Lutharo understands metal as music for energy for the mind and body. After a minute of a mellow introduction, the rubber meets the road, and it’s off to the races. The riffs to make you move, the shredding, the drumming, it looks like they want the listener to find euphoria. Chase no more, friend. It’s here. It’s Lutharo. The speed and melody, the melodic singing and the harsher screaming, the melodic thrashing riffs, it’s all a good time. The band likes to play a spicy style with a bit of variety, kind of coloring outside the lines a bit; it works for them. Sometimes their material has a bit of a neosymphonic vibe, sometimes the drumming goes into blasting speeds for brief segments, at other times the melodies manifest themselves more, while sometimes the riffs take over or the shredding goes to the front. Through it all, traditional heavy metal pulls on the rope that contemporary metal is holding, and the push and pull of the two, instead of seeming like a conflict, results in a beautiful dance of elements complementing each other. This band, I tell you, just continues to deliver the headbanging metal. The Canadians are striking while the iron is hot and getting while the getting is good.

LUTHARO - Chasing Euphoria (Official Music Video)

LUTHARO - Time To Rise (Official Music Video)

https://www.facebook.com/LutharoOfficial

Sovereign - will the real Sovereign stand up?

Sovereign

Altered Realities

Dark Descent Records

19 January 2024

There are many bands with this name, and just looking at Metal Archives one finds close to 20 bands with the same name. This particular band is said to be from Oslo, Norway, with a handful of songs so far: Iron Cast (single, 2018), Sovereign (demo, 2019), and Neurotic (EP, 2020), and now Altered Realities (seven songs in 41 minutes). The band is Gravskjender (Simen Grong) (ex-Stormbeist) on bass and vocals (2018-present); two former members of black thrashers Nocturnal Breed: "Tommy Jacobsen" and V. Fineideath (Vidar Fineidet) on guitars; with Cato Syversrud on drums (2021-present). If your band has two guitarists from Noctural Breed, then it's no surprise that thrash is a foundation. In this case, Sovereign is frenetic, technical, headbanging death thrash. The music is jam-packed with riffs, shredding and skilled guitar action, and a rhythm section that, after you hear the album, will have you icing up your neck. The technical aspect of the music means that it does not sound like some form of punk metal, but rather well-played, well-written songs with precise execution, all while holding the intensity as an important part of the music. It's not super proggy nor excessively technical, and certainly not tech/prog. The vocals are in the style of death metal, but it is not a deep growl but more like intelligible, enunciated vocals. The explanation for the good quality is that they have experience in other bands, and that they also have been building towards the album with the demo and EP. Good quality and musicianship. Impressive.

Altered Realities by Sovereign

https://www.facebook.com/sovereignnorway/

Hyloxalus - operatic metal boldly going to the firmament

Hyloxalus

Make Me the Heart of the Black Hole

January 26th, 2024

Hyloxalus puts operatic singing to the sounds of power metal, a type of fast-paced neosymphonic power metal with some gothic elements. Sometimes it sounds like extreme metal, at that speed and energy, but with very high vocals. You can try to sing along if you dare, but you better clear your pipes and do some breathing exercises, because you might hurt yourself singing along. Actually, forget that! Do try this! You might have fun figuring out if you can sing along. Maybe you can hit those high notes and find out that you, too, have a great voice. Then, form a band! Hyloxalus is a very different type of listening experience, in a good way. After all, how many bands like this one are you going to discover for your collection this year?!

Make Me The Heart Of The Black Hole by Hyloxalus

https://www.facebook.com/hyloxalusmakesloud/

Dreams of Gray - new melodic death metal out of Chicago, USA

Dreams of Gray

A Beginning

1 March 2024

The anatomy of Dreams of Gray (Chicago, U.S.) has been contextualized as "melodic thrash, death, and doom as well as traditional heavy metal," which is fine, but you could just as easily bang your head to the music and be good to go. The 2023 debut EP was a fine work of melodic death metal, but now this new song features a stronger balance between the death growling and melodic singing. This track shows quite a range: the somber melodies, the headbanging extreme metal moments, the various vocal elements. Actually, when you read it on paper, it seems like there might be too much going on, but when you hear it for yourself you will understand how smoothly the composition flows, and not like a forced mixture of incoherent elements. For example, you might be surprised that there are black metal guitar elements showing up or that there is a certain doom vibe in some parts, but those labels "doom" or "black metal" do not really explain the song at all nor the quality of the songwriting. More importantly, the sense of melody is something that the listener will detect without much difficulty! The new song, a precursor to an upcoming 2024 EP, is type of somber, melodic, but also headbanging melodic death metal. Better yet, given that the song is already out, check it out for yourself, and that's a much better way to understand Dreams of Gray's anatomy.

A Beginning by Dreams of Gray

The World After by Dreams of Gray

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090219272895

Ember Belladonna - Canadian flautist brings something different to metal

Ember Belladonna

The Grove

9 February 2024

Canadian flautist Ember Belladonna recruited a bunch of ne'er-do-wells and their street talents to make an eclectic album of folk metal that will delight the layabouts, loafers and goldbricks circling the frozen caves of Saskatchewan and beyond. While Oktoberfest is not here yet, the music for it already is. Dance if you want, prance if you must, for Ember Belladonna seeks to take the flute to the hearts of the people, whether sober or less than. Lift up your glass or put on your glasses and join the gentle and congenial flute teamed up with electric guitars, sometimes in instrumentals, sometimes with pleasant singing and sometimes even with gremlin growling in some spots. Given that it is not every day that you will hear a flautist venture out and take the flute into the world of metal, you probably won't hear another album like this for a long, long while, maybe not until the next Ember Belladonna album.

The Grove by Ember Belladonna

https://www.facebook.com/EmberBelladonnaMusic/

Opprobrium - turning back the clock to the time of the serpents

Opprobrium

Serpent Temptation (reissue)

High Roller Records

13.10.2023

High Roller Records reissues here the 1988 debut album and the 1996 rerecording of the same album by Incubus, which later changed its name to Opprobrium. Thus, this is two versions of the same album. The band was named Incubus (Louisiana, U.S.) from 1986-1999 and as Opprobrium from 1999 to the present. Their first album was Serpent Temptation (1988) with the Brazilian brothers Francis M. Howard (guitars) and Moyses M. Howard (drums) and U.S.-born Scott Latour (bass, vocals). Their second album is called Beyond the Unknown (1990), at the time it was available through Nuclear Blast and was part of the rising wave of death metal. Compared to the 1988 debut, the 1990 album was an improvement in the quality of the recording and the more muscular, heavier growl now done by guitarist, bassist Francis M. Howard, given that the previous bassist/vocalist Scott Latour was out of the band by 1989.

Then, in 1996 the two brothers recorded their debut album again. The Incubus/Opprobrium sound on both versions of the album is relentless, shredding, unmelodic headbanging metal. There are two main differences between the old and later versions: The first version features Kreator-style vocals and music, raging metal like the Ger-mans' Pleasure to Kill (1986) while the second one has death metal vocals and heaviness. That means that the 1988 recording has those death/thrash/black metal vocals that are furious, but not as deep, guttural and brutal as 90s growls. Perhaps the band felt that their sound was more in line with the newer style of extreme vocals, compared to 80s extreme vocals. In particular, their 1990 sophomore album was recorded at Morrisound Studios in Florida, a studio with brothers Tom and Jim Morris and engineer/producer Scott Burns taking the quality of death metal recordings to professional-level, first-rate recordings, especially with landmark recordings like Death's Leprosy (1988), which showed a clear, professional sound, and in 1989 with very important recordings: Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness, Obituary's Slowly We Rot, Sepultura's Beneath the Remains (recorded in Brazil, but mixed at Morrisound in Florida), and also 1989 with Terrorizer's World Downfall, playing as fast as humanly possible and sounding so clear and professional while doing so, especially for the blasting speeds of Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel/Terrorizer).

Anyway, in 1990 Incubus released their second album with that Morrisound production. In 1996, with more experience and knowledge, they recorded the 1988 album again, including changing some lyrics/song titles, giving it a 1990s sound. Both are solid recordings, but the 1988 album would be more interesting to die-hard fans of extreme thrash, while the 1996 version should be more impressive to the death metal fanatics.

Serpent Temptation (Deluxe Reissue) [High Roller Records] SALE! 40% OFF OF EVERYTHING! MARCH 1 - 31. USE PROMO CODE FM40 AT CHECKOUT by Opprobrium

https://opprobriumband.bandcamp.com/album/serpent-temptation-deluxe-reissue-high-roller-records-sale-40-off-of-everything-march-1-31-use-promo-code-fm40-at-checkout

https://www.facebook.com/opprobriumofficial

Master - give you that old time death metal don't try to take you to a disco

Master

Saints Dispelled

Hammerheart Records

19.01.2024

As death metal becomes more outlandish, with bands sounding like jazz from Mars solving equations in trigonometry, Master continues undeterred in the opposite direction: No one needs a calculator to understand it and easily comprehensible from the first listen. Master was a 1980s demo band in the Chicago area, U.S. and in 1990 the debut album was issued by Nuclear Blast. Since then there are some 15 official studio albums, and Master has been based in the Czech Republic for the last 20 years or so. As a cult band in the genre, Master is known for consistent albums with sociopolitical lyrics, growled but comprehensible vocals, a Motörhead-and-Venom vinegar energy muscled up into death metal groovy heaviness. Master comes across as headbanging, no-nonsense, mosh pit tunes. The new album provides an entertaining listen in oldie death metal. While it may be amazing to see a show featuring three-neck guitars played by spider-fingered guitarists dazzling audiences with neobaroque freeform new age postdjent jazzgestalt hautecouture vanmalmsteenianvaisms, Master speaks the universal language of the mosh pit. Sometimes caviar and cuisses de grenouille will not satisfy. Sometimes we need meat and potatoes, and a couple of beers, and that's the bottom line about Master because Stone Cold said so.

Saints Dispelled by Master

https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMasterofficial/

Tonight in Everett: Potential Threat/Rivetskull/Pain Field/Verispul

Tonight (Friday night) at Tony V's in Everett, Washington State.

Path of the War Machine Winter Tour

Potential Threat

Rivetskull

Pain Field

Verispul

perform at Tony V's Garage 7pm door $10

Threat to Society by Potential Threat SF

Trail of Souls : Samsara by RivetSkull

Whitechapel - Live in the Valley

While the band is looking towards making a new album, they have "Live in the Valley" comprised of their 2019 and 2021 albums: "The Valley" and "Kin." On December 22, 2022 they played their 7th annual Christmas Benefit show in their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. It's a good compilation of their most recent sound of brutal deathcore, fast extreme metal and some important slower, melodic moments or songs. Active since 2006 and with eight studio albums under their belt, the band is at this phase of their career capable of going from one mood to a different one altogether, showing a range beyond one category or subgenre. Having said that, this collection of songs lacks no heaviness or headbanging moments. It's good for physical movement or for doing some form of exercise.

Live in the Valley by Whitechapel

https://www.facebook.com/whitechapelband/

Skiltron - Celtic folk heavy metal

Skiltron

Bruadarach

Trollzorn Records

1. Dec. 2023

This is the sixth album by Skiltron (1997-2001 [as Century], 2004 [as Century], 2004-present), a band that originally started out in Argentina, but nowadays is based in var-ious countries in Europe. Skiltron plays melodic, midtempo songs while integrating "Celtic," "folk" or "bag pipe music" elements. On paper, if a listener has not heard it, it may seem like a weird or experimental idea. Or, to the more adventurous listener, it might seem intriguing, depending on one's personality. Whatever the case may be, it is necessary to point out that the music is remarkably good, and surprisingly not strange and certainly not experimental. It's rather catchy, melodic and done with elegance, not foolishness nor is it gimmicky. Recommendation: In fact, do not worry about the categorizations like "folk metal" or "Celtic metal," and just expect melodic, midtempo, ear-friendly heavy metal characterized by flute/bag pipe-like music, in a good, interesting way, not in a joker, drunk, clowning way. Perhaps this makes it the most interesting: It sounds like they are real musicians, not charlatans, respectfully incorporating elements that are not usually associated with heavy metal.

Bruadarach by Skiltron

https://www.facebook.com/skiltron

Eldritch - adult contemporary melodic metal from Italy

Eldritch

Innervoid

Scarlet Records

17 November 2023

The long-running band (1988-1991[as Zeus], 1991-present) returned in 2023 with a new singer, Alex Jarusso (2023-present), replacing the longtime singer Terence Holler [Mario Tarantola] (1991-2022) whose voice was synonymous with Eldritch, given that he sang on every single album before this new one Innervoid, their 13th. The name of the band goes hand in hand with quality, mature heavy metal music for grown-ups: personal or introspective lyrics, skilled musicianship, good singing, and good, melodic, prog songwriting. The album (eight songs in 49 minutes) keeps all the songs between 5:00 and 5:30, and with most of them closer to the five-minute mark, except for one song that lasts 6:48, and a short intro of 1:15. The reasonable song durations match the balanced approach between melody and prog, keeping the songs as the main focus. The Italian band should be of interest to fans of heavy and power metal, of classic prog metal, and of memorable songwriting and singing. While sometimes the band shows that they like headbanging metal, including some smooth thrash riffing in a few spots, they do not really attempt to do much in the way of extreme sounds, like growling, which they avoid. Lyrically, the songs are introspective, existential, personal or make general observations about life, relations and people, and avoid posturing, immature potty-mouth jackassery. It is adult contemporary melodic metal, if you will. Therefore, if you enjoy melodic metal, based on traditional genres, from classic to power prog, then it is very likely that this album is more than worth your time. One last thing: I did, in fact, have a bit of a difficult time accepting the new singer because I had never imagined the band with a different voice, especially since I, like other fans of the band, enjoy the personal, particular singing voice and stylings of Terence Holler. However, setting aside the possible reasons (I do not know) for the departure of Mr. Holler, the new voice of Mr. Jarusso (Shining Fury 2010-2014; Silver Pugnale 2017-present) is really competent, melodic and professional and fits the album very well and smoothly. I have enjoyed the album a lot.

Innervoid by Eldritch

https://www.facebook.com/Eldritchband/