Legacy Black

Legacy Black

Legacy Black

July 12th, 2019

Legacy Black: Legacy Black July 12th, 2019 1.Legacy Black (3:25) 2.While All Along (7:15) 3.Mary (9:32) 4.Current State (5:24) 5.The Winter of My Discontent (11:46) total time 37 minutes

Legacy Black (Chicago, U.S.A.) issues its self-titled five-song 37-minute album. The band is Donovan Torres on bass guitar, Juan Cardenas on drums, Joyce Jenkins on keyboards and vocals, and Clint Davis on guitar and lead vocals. This publication just received the album a couple of days ago. The existence of this band, while perhaps no mystery to the fans in Chicago that have witnessed the shows long before there ever was a recording, was not clear, when seen from a long distance here in the Seattle area. Was this a tribute band? Was it a covers-only band? It wasn’t until the answer came straight from the horse’s mouth that, no, this is new and original compositions and they were working on an album. In addition, supposedly the singer was Clint Davis who, despite making music and being in bands for some two decades (maybe longer), had never been a lead vocalist, only a guitarist. However, the drummer Cardenas, a musician that has done work with Davis in a couple of other bands, has known for a long time that Davis can sing and has been putting a bug in Davis’ ear to finally do lead vocals. Cardenas apparently knew Davis’ dirty little secret: that he sings rather well. Still, the band, despite playing shows in the Chicago area, had posted exactly jack squat online for non-Chicago people to hear. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. It seemed like you had to contact secret sources in Chicago to find out what the deal was.

Until now. The summer of 2019. While still working through it all, let’s see the first song. The guitar tone is ear-friendly traditional heavy rock that just about all metal fans will recognize and be comfortable with, and it features a big riff that demands hearing it again. This one is a show-opening type of song. Relatively short, and ear-friendly big-riff music. The song is very likable, with some proggy keyboards, with a classic rock feel. The singing? It’s a very attractive singing voice that stays on the strengths of the male voice; a voice that projects, and not thin, not nasal, not high, not weak but rather robust while still melodic. The Legacy Black drummer Cardenas was right all along. Davis has an appealing rock voice. Well, now, if this is any indication of the rest of the album, then we’re about to be pleasantly surprised by an accessible adult contemporary metal album that metal moms and dads are going to enjoy, and be ok playing in the minivan while driving the kids to the ballet, kickboxing and lethal combat classes, in an effort to indoctrinate the children into metal music.

Let’s come back to the other songs later. facebook.com/legacyblackband/

Dreams in Fragments

Dreams in Fragments

Reflections of a Nightmare

Rockshots Records

28 June 2019

The symphonic power metal works well for fans looking for soft, high feminine singing and gentle chugging, play-on-riff guitar, the prominent use of keyboards and the catchy songs for a fun, poppy listening experience. The album should be checked out by true, die-hard, love-it-all collectors of all things symphonic power metal. The band prefers to keep the guitars less important than the keyboards, in the sense that there is no shredding, no neoclassical, no guitar hero gymnastics, and no guitar heaviness. Overall, the guitars are there to provide rhythm, and generally this means a softer, gentle chugging type of play-on riffs that have a very functional, practical purpose to keep the song going. Fans who want big guitars, big distinctive riffs and guitar showmanship might be disappointed, but fans searching for music that keeps the guitars restricted to rhythm almost exclusively (with a few exceptions), and that want more melody coming from the keyboards than the guitars, those fans should be pretty pleased with this approach. The effect is a very ear-friendly, pop-oriented type of melodic music. The music is animated, although the band seeks a gothic or melancholic type of poppy sound. The singing is light and soft, although the band uses a bit of low, male growling, but this is always done with a gentle touch and it is not harsh, it is not upfront. The high singing does not have big power behind it, it does not project big time, and it’s kept at a volume or tone that does not give it lots of prominence. To these ears, some of the singing, at times, seems to have a certain processed quality, although it’s not clear what exactly that is, and only a more expert and knowledgeable set of ears with experience in sound engineering (or musicians) might be able to recognize it and name it immediately. The singing is not super high upfront operatic but rather a more subtle style, and whether this is by choice, by virtue of being a newer band, by lack of experience/skill or by lack of natural talent, that is not clear yet, although it seems like the band is not yet well established and we should not rush to judgment because bands can have big resilience and can often improve tremendously with more time and experience. facebook.com/dreamsinfragments/

facebook.com/dreamsinfragments/

Anthrocene: Nucleation

Previously, this publication already commented on the first five songs (1-5) of the Anthrocene (Seattle) album Nucleation that will be released on the 28th of June, 2019. Not wanting to make you click too much on stuff, here below you will find said previous article, but at the end you will now find commentary on songs six through 10 (6-10).

Again, the new commentary is for songs 6-10 below. If you already read the previous commentary just scroll down to see the new commentary. Thanks.

Anthrocene sent in their new album Nucleation that will be released on the 28th of June, 2019. Below is some official information about the band and album. Anthrocene is Jesse Mazur and Danny Tormoen on guitars, Matt Ward on drums, Bo Sagal on vocals, and Keith Wyss on bass.

BIOGRAPHY: Hailing from Seattle, Anthrocene has accumulated a sonic arsenal that draws elements from wide-ranging influences across many metal sub-genres, while maintaining a consistent sound and style. Anthrocene performances take listeners on a journey spanning from blackened thrash bangers to neo-classical power metal anthems to melodeath breakdowns. In support of this musical variety, the lyrical content draws from a cautionary world created by singer Boris Sagal, featuring cosmic perils, nihilistic lumberjacks, Slavic oligarchs, space travel, and mole people.

They are ready to take the metal world by storm with the release of their debut album Nucleation. Nucleation is a concept album telling the story of a self-inflicted global conflagration, exploring themes of survival, loss, and transcendence with a sardonic sense of humor. Anthrocene teamed up with Aaron Smith (Jeff Loomis, 7 Horns 7 Eyes, Ghostship Octavius) for mixing, and Caspian Priebe to create a lyrical comic book that accompanies the musical experience.

Anthrocene

Nucleation

release date: 6/28/2019

1.Spirit of the Maelstrom 4:11

2.Acceptance of Decay 5:50

3.Agent of Chaos 3:23

4.Lumberjack Daniels 2:58

5.Witness the Sublime 3:33

6.Immolator 3:35

7.Celestial Steel: The Cursed Black Blade 4:26

8.Battle Unseen 3:32

9.Defcon 0 3:40

10.Taking on Water 3:33

11.Children of the Earth 6:32

12.Nowhere to Be 3:27

13.Departure of Humanity 4:24

14.Surveyor of the Surface 4:13

15.Exogenic Eyes 3:47

total time: 61 minutes

The most general observation about the 61-minute, 15-track album is how cohesive the various subgenres of this prog power band come together. If one listens to just one segment or even one song, chances are that this cannot provide a good view of the differences in the terrain covered. Given the duration of the album, I have been working my way through it and will do a brief commentary on the songs.

1.Spirit of the Maelstrom. There is a sense of American raucousness to this prog power song. It sounds like prog power but the neoclassical shredding and the bits of extreme vocals hint that there are other components at work. The instrumentation is top notch, and the guitars practically sing melodies. The singing itself has a certain theatrical aspect to it. This song is a good, not-too-complicated way to begin to introduce the album. Personally, I have grown to really enjoy this track.

2.Acceptance of Decay. This track is a roller coaster ride. The theatrical vocals, the growling and screaming. The fury. The breakdowns. All of it. However, the most poignant thing has to be the band’s dare to make a song so anti-anthem. To be sure, there are parts that are repeated, but even after having heard the song at least a dozen times it is still impossible to speak of a chorus. The song seems to have a unique and odd energy because the mind is used to hearing a chorus part of some sort, and in my experience, I don’t feel like there is a big chorus here. This one is more out there in left field. Kind of a twisted little piece, this one.

3.Agent of Chaos. This one sounds a lot easier to grasp. There is a sense that it is more a linear track. The guitars take it easier on the listener and the drumming even sounds like traditional heavy metal grooving, most of the time. (The one negative nitpick here is the prominent potty-mouth word in the song. When bands do this, it means that I cannot play the music to my tribe of children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. No Anthrocene for the children; I guess the kids can keep listening to “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Alexander the Great.”) Anyway, this song is a good rocking time. I find this one to be closer to power metal yet it sounds like melodic death metal; that’s the charm of Anthrocene, friends.

4.Lumberjack Daniels. The bass guitar seems more prominent here. The groove on this track is so easy to get into. The vocals are kind of demented in some places. Mr. Daniels must not be having a wonderful day because he’s kind of ready to rumble. There is a chainsaw involved here, but you’ll have to read the lyrics (I don’t have them) to find out what he is planning to do. A good mix of the various components of the DNA of the band. The melodic thrashing riffs make it easy for headbanging. (I think I heard another potty-mouth word towards the end; this one will also have to be disqualified from children’s listening, too; that’s ok, always keep “Withstand the Fall of Time” handy for the kids.)

5.Witness the Sublime. This is probably the catchiest song so far. The singing is very melodic, but underneath it there is some gremlin growling going on at some points. (The background growling is only slightly distracting, as I would have been 100% satisfied with just the awesome melodic singing.) This seems like the most ear-friendly track. I like the singing and the chorus a lot. The guitar solo sounds really good. It has a bit of guitar hero vibe; like it! I also like the slightly more subdued part, a bridge-like mini-segment in in the solo. Towards the end, the song launches into a faster, double-kicking speed and the more extreme vocals sound perfect for it there. This one should be a hit with all Anthrocene fans.

6.“Immolator”, as the name suggests, is a heavier track in which thrash and death metal come out a bit more and the vocals are also more on the aggressive side. This one is less chorus-centered, and is more focused on heaviness. Here you get those chugging breakdowns for the moshing and the karate chopping in the pit.

7.“Celestial Steel: The Cursed Black Blade” is a more melodic side in comparison to the previous song. The guitar harmonies sing a lot more and the theatrical heavy metal vocals take to the center, and next thing you know the fist-raising anthem vibes have arrived. This song is closer to the more muscular American forms of power metal, with the combination of melodic hooks and the high singing.

8.“Battle Unseen” is a good example of how capable Anthrocene music is. Thrash, power metal, melodic death metal, it all kind of rolls into a single song but coherently, and after a while the elements don’t matter as much as the actual song. Overall, this song shows the band’s heritage in classic-style melodic death metal, with both growling and singing coexisting very well. In this song the rhythm section is highlighted a bit more in some segments.

9.The guitar melodies on “Defcon 0” are inescapable. The song gets heavier towards the middle, but the compact, efficient use of the melodies will make you want to hear it again and see if it’s two guitars or more (not counting the rhythm guitars) doing it. The sense of climbing or spiraling melodies is ear candy.

10.“Taking on Water” uses the chugging, breakdown heaviness more. The song encourages more physical movement with chugging and the breakdowns. It begins in thrashing fashion but that quickly shifts to the grooving for the drumming to do its thing, and it’s the type of song in which other elements (the singing, the guitar melodies, so on and so forth) are good and are present, but the drumming grooves seem more prominent. This track responds to the band’s love of breakdowns, and some moshing or some audience movement should ensue by the melodic death metal and metalcore fanatics.

facebook.com/anthroceneband/

Tony Mills

Tony Mills

Beyond the Law

Battlegod Productions

21.06.2019

1.The Westside (4:12) 2.Beyond The Law (4:05) 3.Running Guns (4:39) 4.F.B.I. (4:17) 5.Black Sedan (4:12) 6.We Sold Your City (4:00) 7.Crackin' Foxy (3:40)8.Bonnie's Farewell (5:21) 9.Code Of Silence (3:44) 10.Gunfire (3:51)

The album features Tony Mills on vocals, Tommy Denander on guitars and keys, Pete Newdeck on drums and backing vocals, Patrick McKenna on piano, Linda Mills, Josh Williams, and Tony Forsythe on bass, and Chris Aldridge on saxophone.

The British-born singer Tony Mills has been riding the rock and roll crazy roller coaster for 40 years. For fans of classic heavy metal, he is perhaps most known for his time with the long-running Norwegian band TNT (1982-present) from 2006 (or 2007) to 2013, and his singing on three studio albums. This is apparently the last studio album that he will make, especially considering the news that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. This new album Beyond the Law is one those works in which every song sounds like a hit single, with wonderful instrumentation by longtime friends and collaborators, and singing that classic rock fans appreciate. The genre flows between anthem heavy rock and melodic heavy metal, with big hooks and big choruses.

The album tells the story of Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious U.S. criminals in the 1930s that captured the imagination of the population due to the news coverage at the time. Musically, the album features the range of styles for which Mills has been known. Songs like “FB,” “Beyond the Law,” and “Gunfire” are classic-style uptempo numbers loaded with ear-friendly vibes, but in general the entire work features bouncy heavy rock, good-time vibes; and only “Bonnie’s Farewell” is the ballad that features that smooth, cool saxophone.

The production is clean and clear as fans of melodic heavy rock would expect. The rhythm section is grooving, and the guitar works so well the blues-based riffs for a great cross section of rocking and grooving, and lots of melodies. Vocally, the singing is, as expected, that of the heavy rock/heavy metal music giants. The singing is a main attraction for fans that want songs to remember and for singing along. This genre is generally associated with fans that demand great, awesome singing, and this is certainly that.

facebook.com/Tony.Mills.Official

Pestis Inferos

Pestis Inferos

Beyond The Veil of Light

independent

24 June 2019

1. From Throne To Funeral 4:46 2. Within the Darkness, I Dwell 4:35 3. Invoking The Sigil 5:20 4. Fine Line Of Salvation 4:43 5. Poison Falling Star 5:37

Girls and boys, grab your best evil malignant malevolent vindictive lipstick and toughest, roughest, thug vandal ruffian eyeliner and makeup that you can steal from your sister or brother because Saturday night is black metal magic night and these U.S.-Americans will lead through the treacherous preposterous mountainous amiable pathways in order to arrive at the hidden public caves of blasting barbaric bubonic bubbly black metal this side of the ocean blue. This doorbreaking gremlinwrestling tag team claims that they recorded this work live and that it has “no fixes, no edits,” and if that is trvv then das ist herzlich willkommen. Don’t blink too much because these five grim canticle hymns might pass you by, and if that does happen, then don’t despair, just play it again and get one for the money, two for the road. The band likes Darkthrone and they like Dark Funeral, just like you, and the music is devoted dedication to the one and only aim of making people bang their heads all of Saturday night. Sunday morning make sure to apply some ice or heat to your hurting neck and you’ll be fine.

No harps and no tubas, just black metal is the one ingredient for this recipe. What does this sound like?! Think: Fire! Fury! Fast drummmmming! More fire! Ripping vocal chords! Cymbals! Bass! Venom aaarg! Bathory ugggggh! Black metal! Dark Funeral! A little bit more fire! Yeah, that’s it. You got it. I don’t know how many times I have heard this thing now. Maybe 27, perhaps 27.5 or maybe 31, I’m not sure, mathematics is hard. For those times when you want necro black metal and no apologies and no big declarations of purpose about changing the rules of the universe, just fast black, black, black, black metal the way that Fenriz ordered, those are the times for this quick EP for a good time for you and the whole black metal crew.

pestisinferos.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-veil-of-light

NEWS: LOGICAL TERROR's New Music Video 'Transition'

The following is some news about the band Logical Terror and their official video Transition.

Italian metal band LOGICAL TERROR has just released a brand new video for their single 'Transition'. The spine crushing track is off the band's album “Ashes of Fate” full of sophisticated lyrics, and technical compositions. The album has already garnered over 2,000,000 Spotify streams. The video is a well-produced gambit that ushers in the sludgy, heavy hitting metal that LOGICAL TERROR has been crafting for almost a decade. The album “Ashes of Fate” was produced by Dysfunction Productions (Fear Factory, Mnemic) and features guests Jon Howard (Threat Signal, Imonolith) and Bjorn Strid (Soilwork. Always one for constant enhancement and evolution of their sound, LOGICAL TERROR have performed alongside many well-known bands including Sepultura, Arch Enemy, and Soilwork. Fans of Fear Factory, Soilwork, and Meshuggah will have a special interest in LOGICAL TERROR, along with anyone keen on blast beats, punishing vocals and fast riffs.

facebook.com/LogicalTerrorOfficial

Howling Sycamore

Howling Sycamore

Seven Pathways to Annihilation

Prosthetic Records

21 June 2019

As long as anyone can remember, Davide Tiso (originally from Italy; resides in the U.S.) just cannot help himself to making music that ends up being out there in left field, avant-garde or experimental or a bit weird. Howling Sycamore, in some ways still is breaking rules, in a different way than expected. If you say “extreme metal that is progressive,” it usually means some form of death met-al/deathcore/mathmetal/core/jazzmetal/whatever with growled/screamed vocals. HS is “extreme metal that is progressive,” but the vocals are actual singing.

This project’s second album features Hannes Grossman (Germany) whose name is associated with lots of beloved albums/bands like Necrophagist, Obscura, amongst a bunch of other names and Metal Archives says he is also drumming for the death metal factory Hate Eternal and the post Celtic Frost band Triptykon. The singer is Jason McMaster who sang on the technical godfathers Watchtower debut album way back in 1985, and a bunch of their demos (he was in the band from 1982 to 1988), and currently sings for Ignitor, amongst others, and has done vocals for tribute bands to Metallica, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Motörhead, Rush, Kiss, and who knows what else, in addition to longtime Texas rockers Dangerous Toys. Lastly, there is Davide Tiso from Karyn Krisis’ Gospel of the Witches and from the now defunct experimental band Ephel Duath, among other projects. Tiso apparently plays guitar, bass, piano and baritone ukulele on the album.

The vocals are high, the drumming is wandering/progressive with some speed moments, and the guitars do not have linear structures. It is not crazy, all-over-the-place musicianship, but the bottom line is that the album requires your full attention, and given the credentials and credibility of the musicians involved, you just have to trust that it is going to be good, but it is going to take a while to understand it. The singing is good, of course, because it’s Jason McMaster. You have to be a fan of high singing, although his voice is a bit lower now as a man in his fifties, considering how high his singing was in the 1980s and early 1990s. The drumming, for fans of technical and progressive, really needs no introduction as Hannes Grossman is as good as it gets in extreme drumming. Davide Tiso shows, if we may say so, some of the most riff-focused metal that we have heard from him. It’s not avant-garde per se, but it is progressive and there are plenty of riffs (not chugging, not plucking away at the low strings) but they go sideways often. Make no mistake about it, HS does want you, the discerning listener, to join the intellectual musical experience. howlingsycamore.bandcamp.com

Lifes

Lifes: Treading Water

Triple Eye Industries/Middle Man Records/Knochen Tapes/Here and Now! Records

28 June 2019

Lifes is a Wisconsin, U.S.A. bass-drum-and-scream tag team with a specialty in transferring the anger, rage and frustration of modern life (stress, marriage, kids, spouse, school, work, no chocolate cookies, unemployment, politics, no money, no fans, no gigs, band frustrations, bad cereal, obesity, too many raccoons, not enough raccoons, not enough potatoes in the salad, and about 37 thousand other things) into a concoction of punk-scream-noise that will make you wonder if this band is trying to make Slayer seem like One Direction because there are 18 attempts to destroy Western music as we know it, and by George, they might just succeed in coming up with some of the rudest bass-and-drum noise this whole summer of 2019. Unlike BTS or Slayer, you can’t sing along to this because there’s no singing, just screaming and more screaming, so you can scream along to it, and if you don’t remember the lyrics, that’s ok because you just growl along to the barrage of noise, and you be ok. They have a song, and we’re using the term song very loosely here, called “Base Level Decency Isn’t Decent Enough,” which also makes you wonder: Who are they screaming about, actually? Their music (again, using the term very loosely) is rude, crude, savage and profane so that even the Slayer fans are going to say, “Man, that’s too noisy, dude, please turn it down!,” and the Wisconsin band itself is a rather obnoxious team of mayhem, and we would tell you what the second song is called but it’s too indecent to write it down. Kerry King believes that he makes aggressive music, but he has no idea that Lifes is making thrash, grindcore and static noise sound too melodic. Remember, kids, there are no guitars here. Bass. Drums. Scream. Random sampled sounds. Here’s a brilliant idea. The Green Bay Packers have been sucking it up for years and Aaron Rodgers is not getting any younger, and we’re still waiting on more championships, so why don’t we have the Packers listen to Lifes before every game so that they come out on the field and have some violent fun and play like a bunch of crazed dogs, baby, ready to take any bear, lion, viking, giant, seahawk, ram or pirate that crosses their way, given that these Wisconsinites have found that sweet spot between total rage interpreted on bass and drums, on the one hand, and the point at which their anger will land them in jail, on the other. Finally, kids, these lunatics want you to know that in the 1980s there were some very nice girls named Natalie, Jo, Tootie and Blair, amongst others, and they were a great group of friends who studied and played together, and talked, fought and made up because in every episode of the sitcom they discovered some very important facts of life upon realizing that in life you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life, and would you believe the genius humor of this Wisconsin rageholics that they have a seven-second cover of the theme song of the famous sitcom? The apocalypse cannot come soon enough, kids, and if you can do anything to help it arrive, then right now would be about that time to do your thing and make it happen so that the world can finally hear what form the destruction of music will take because it’s not going to come in the form of ghouls and zombies and orange pumpkins running down ruining our bowling games, it’s going to take the form of two balding dudes from Wisconsin. Please help. If you can read this then you are driving too close and you better back off.

tripleeye.bandcamp.com/album/treading-water

middlemanrecords.storenvy.com/collections/38349-all-products/products/26125677-lifes-treading-water-lp

hereandnowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/treading-water

knochentapes.bandcamp.com/album/lifes-treading-water

Lunar Shadow

Lunar Shadow

The Smokeless Fires

Cruz Del Sur Music

14 June 2019

The second album by the German band finds them changing vocalist, but by all accounts the new singer is a good addition and now there is a feeling that the picture is complete, considering the criticism on the vocals that they received on their strong debut album (2017). One of the most characteristic traits is the use melodic guitar in impressive and convincing ways, but the other thing that explains why the band is getting such good reviews is that, despite the fact that on the surface it is labeled traditional heavy metal, the guitar work brings a certain new energy to the genre, and this is catching the attention of people that are listening closely. Well, ok, what is it, then? Let’s start with the first song because the first song, correctly or incorrectly, is determining the primary color of the impressions about the album. The first track is called “Catch Fire.” After 45 seconds of somber classical-style keyboards (piano?), the song kicks into high gear and the uptempo, melodic black metal guitar is stellar, and if we were to ignore the melodic singing (good stuff) for argument’s sake, the song is classy melodic black metal with a big rock production. With the guitar soloing, and well-placed mellow segment, this song becomes the type that the band will have to play live now and forever until they break up.

The album presents a wide variety of tempos; therefore, this is not a one-trick pony. Even so, the melodic guitar, the tone of the guitar, the vibes of the melodies, and the soloing continue to hold sway as a main attraction on the album. Not all the songs feature prominently the fast tremolo picking of melodic black metal, but the expertise of the guitar in general is impressive and worthy of investigation. By the way, as a general reference, there are quite a few places where the band does launch into the heavy metal/fast melodic black metal moments. For instance, the last song is another track where this happens, and they even go headlong into some uptempo speed, and then they take it to the maximum with a bit blasting. In the reality, the last three songs feature awesome headbanging, fast moments, while always giving the songs room for other moods, not just speed. On the opposite end of the spectrum, they have a ballad that stays a ballad, without any attempts to distort the song into something else. The keyboards (piano?) and the singing form the foundation of the song, and there’s some guitar, but it’s not rocking, it’s slow, mellow, melodic. In terms of instrumentation, the rest of the band sounds good, the rhythm section is a good listen on the album, and the band has avoided the clicky drum sound, and features a pretty robust bass guitar sound, too. The singing fits the music and it sounds very capable and competent. In other words, if some people felt that these Germans had potential before, then now that potential is a reality. The reason that some people have been raving about them is because of the how fresh the band’s take on the music is. You might get a sense that this band is headed for bigger things, and this album is a strong sophomore effort of uptempo yet somber, melancholic melodic heavy metal with a strong dissected injection of melodic black metal guitar.

lunarshadow.bandcamp.com

NEWS: BLACKSTAR REPUBLIC Signs To Zombie Shark Records; New Album "Humanatti" Out June 28th

The Texas, USA band BlackStar Republic have some news regarding their upcoming album Humanatti.

Texas industrial rockers, BlackStar Republic have inked a deal with Zombie Shark Records. The band’s sophomore album, "Humanatti", was produced by Josh Johnson at Great Interstellar Studio and is set to be released on Friday, June 28th, 2019. The band combines styles that span across many genres; mixing industrial elements and old-school rock plus metal influences with a modern twist. The band has released an official music video for the track, 'Nuclear Hollywood', which can be viewed below. Blackstar Republic released the following statement in regards to the signing, “We are very excited to have joined forces with Zombie Shark Records and Noah “Shark” Robertson with the release of our new album ‘Humanatti’. This is an album we worked on for a while and took some risks in doing things we haven’t done before. We feel we kept the intensity of our past work but also added more melodic moments and harmonies. It crosses in and out of some metal genres. We have never wanted to be put in a certain genre box. We can’t wait to get these songs to the masses!”

BlackStar Republic formed in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas in 2014. The band released an EP in 2016 and the 2017 full-length album, ‘Wolves of War’, produced by Grammy winner Eric Delegard. The group has been steadily building a loyal fan base over the years performing with artists such as Buckcherry, Flaw, A Killer’s Confession, KING 810, 12 Stones, Warbeast, Sons of Texas, Vyces, Invidia, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, and more. With appearances at Rocklahoma and Ride For Dime, regular airplay on Dallas’ 97.1 The Eagle, and a song featured in the horror comedy ‘Cherokee Creek’ - BlackStar Republic show no signs of slowing down.

facebook.com/pg/BlackStar-Republic-219720128213767

NEWS: AXEMASTER new & rebuilt lineup

Long-running old-school heavy metal band Axemaster from Ohio, USA have made the following announcement regarding some changes that have taken place recently.

As some of you may have seen on social media recently, AXEMASTER now has an almost entirely new lineup; we are now taking this opportunity to officially announce and introduce the new band. Remaining from the lineup that recorded "Crawling Chaos" is vocalist Geoff McGraw and guitarist Joe Sims; joining them in this new version of Axemaster is guitarist Edwin Ortiz, drummer Jason "Coz" Causley, and bassist Jimmy Newcomb.

Edwin is the band's newest edition. He is a guitarist extraordinaire originally from Puerto Rico who has been influenced by some of the greatest shredders around, including Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Alex Skolnick, and James Murphy; his ability and style definitely reflect those influences. Edwin is also a skilled producer who has his own personal studio. This, along with Joe Sims and his studio, gives the band extra options when recording a new album.

Jason is a very aggressive and energetic drummer whose intense style is just what Axemaster needed; his playing fits with the material perfectly, to the point of actually improving some of the tunes. His influences include Tim Alexander, Dave Lombardo, Neil Peart, Gene Holgan, Matt Cameron, John Bonham, and Bill Ward. As side note, Jason studied music at a local college while attending tech school where he earned a degree in multimedia.

Jimmy joining the band is a unique situation because he played with Joe Sims from 1987 until 1995 in both Axemaster and The Awakening. He was part of recording the Axemaster releases "Death Before Dishonor" and "5 Demons", as well as "Invictus" from The Awakening. Jimmy is a very skilled player who can play just about anything from a variety of musical genres. He cites his main influences to be Geezer Butler and John Paul Jones.

As previously advertised on the Axemaster Facebook page, the "new" band did recently play one show with an incomplete lineup (supporting NMOBHM legends Cloven Hoof); Edwin had not been with the band long enough to be ready to play a show. However, the band isn't going to play any more shows until Edwin can be included and the band can be at full strength. We hope that all will check on facebook.com/axemasterofficial for updates and future shows; this new version of Axemaster has the potential to be the best ever, will DEFINITELY be worth checking out!

Also, new material for a new album is being written and is on the horizon, be looking for future updates!!!!!!!!

NEWS: CASKET ROBBERY Official Video for New Single "From Hell"

Madison (WI) - Midwest Death Machine CASKET ROBBERY have an official video for new single "From Hell."

CASKET ROBBERY vocalist Megan Orvold had this to say about the single and video:

"From Hell was inspired by the gruesome slayings in London by Jack The Ripper in 1888. Lyrically we tried to keep it pretty 'classic' Casket, very dark and tongue-in-cheek. My favorite lyric is 'fried her kidney in a pan (yum yum), sent half, signed catch me when you can'. We also really wanted to get our amazing fans involved so we ran a contest where they could send in their best evil laugh. We actually layered them all together into different parts of the song, it was a blast! We are super excited to have Chris Collier mix and master this song, he did a fantastic job bringing this to life. For the video, we were very lucky to work with Eddie Curran of Enterprise Films. This was our first time working with him and his enthusiasm and energy for this video really came through. We're very proud of the artwork that we will unveil later on for the single as well and we have a bunch of Midwest dates coming up. We can't wait to see you on the road!"

Casket Robbery Summer Midwest Dates From Hell:

6.29 Sioux Falls, SD @ Icon Event Hall + Lounge

7.12 Dubuque, IA @ The Lift

7.13 Madison, WI - SMP Presents Midsummer Metal Mayhem 2019 @ The Wisco

7.25 Green Bay, WI - Midsummer Madness Featuring Casket Robbery and more! @ SV2

7.26 Kenosha, WI @ Hattrix Baby!!

7.27 Menomonie, WI - Zymurderfest 2019 @ Zymurgy Brewing Company

8.9 Minneapolis, MN - Cerberus Entertainment Fest @ Hollywood Roadhouse

8.10 Rhinelander, WI - Project Mayhem 2019 (official) @ Camp George Campground

8.17 Sioux Falls, SD - Eat Your Face Metal Feast

Casket Robbery quickly gained national attention with their debut album "Evolution of Evil" released in 2016 and have since established themselves as a brutal, heavy hitter in the live show realm. Their debut album was mixed by Chris Wisco (Novembers Doom, Jungle Rot) and they have been generating numerous great reviews for their trademark huge riffs and unstoppable grooves.

Tour dates quickly followed to promote the release. Casket Robbery continues to unleash their intense, high energy show across the U.S. Fueled by their relentless work ethic and DIY attitude. With the release of their follow up EP “The Ascension" in 2017 they quickly caught the attention of Combat Records/David Ellefson/Thom Hazaert to be included on their legendary Bullets Vol. 1 sampler. They can also be found on Ellefson/Hazaert’s EMP Label Group Sampler. Catch the band on tour now in support of their brand new EP. They can also be seen at festivals like the Full Terror Assault open air fest, Milwaukee Summerfest, and more... The destruction continues! Pulse pounding, unrelenting, and brutally catchy.

facebook.com/casketrobbery/

The Lord Weird Slough Feg

The Lord Weird Slough Feg

New Organon

Cruz Del Sur Music

14 June 2019

The year 2020 will be 30 years since they formed in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Hiatuses, relocation to California, member changes, record company changes, hair loss, and this is the tenth studio album, according to Metal Archives. The band plays its own peculiar style of dueling guitars, very much influenced by the 1970s. In the mid 1990s the band’s debut stood out as so different from groove-bro-macho-man metal, death-growl-eat-mic-chop-chop metal, black-makeup-jail-dude metal, industrial-what-what metal, melodic-so-called-death metal, so on and so forth. They formed in 1990, but it seemed like they wanted nothing to do with anything that had just happened in the 1980s, and who could blame them. Here we are, then, if you have not heard them, let’s cut to the chase. On this new album there is a huge Thin Lizzy double guitar sound (as pretty much always has been the case), the production is wild and unpolished like much of hard rock in the 1970s, the singing is melodic but maybe a bit nasal and kind of raw. Humans, not robots, says Slough Feg. The lyrics seem like a person that has been reading lots of literature at the bar, while downing some libations, perhaps too many, and is now explaining that literature to other intoxicated people at the bar. They sound like a close relative of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with 1979 as a good year, if you will.

The lyrics might come across as inebriated, educated, folky, pub philosophy or all of the above. For instance, they have a song called “Coming of Age in the Milky Way,” which if you can figure out what it means, then you are a very special person. There’s also “Sword of Machiavelli,” which is a two-minute discourse on power, and speaking of discourse, they also have a song called “Discourse on Equality,” and that’s the kind of band they are. They have a song called “Being and Nothingness,” and they talk about crime, time, wine and rats in less than three minutes, which is great because it is way better than actually reading the book itself, and a good way of avoiding that other book called Being and Time.

Rock and roll, friends, it’s all in the name of classic rock and roll by way of heavy metal by an Irish-by-way-of-California-Pennsylvania band that still sounds like themselves after decades, and it’s like the 1980s never happened. Slough Feg went straight from 1979 to 1990, and that was such a cool maneuver that they pulled that it is necessary to figure out what they did with the time machine. The groovy year of 1969 turned into hard rock 1979 to Slough Feg in 2019, and the boys are back in town (the boys are back in town) for some good ole rock and roll philosophy.

thelordweirdsloughfeg.bandcamp.com

Moonlight Haze

Moonlight Haze

De Rerum Natura

Scarlet Records

21 June 2019

Moonlight Haze (Italy) is a new name in symphonic power metal, but the personnel comes from established names like Temperance, Elvenking, Sound Storm, Teodasia and Overtures. They apparently only began in 2018 with singer Chiara Tricarico and drummer Giulio Capone, and now they have Marco Falanga and Alberto Felinato on guitars, and Alessandro Jacobi on bass. The new music is fully concentrated on the writing memorable songs that can gain favorable audiences quickly. It takes the template of power metal and adds operatic singing and the sweet sounds of keyboards, and keeps the music fun and animated through a variety of uptempos, with lots of power metal and pop symphonic melodies. Some songs have more of a guitar-based energy, while others work the sound of the keyboards. Even though the album maintains a good pace of upward vibes, they have worked on making the songs develop their own feel. Only one song, the penultimate track “A Shelter from the Storm,” is a true ballad that calls for the lighters to come out during the shows.

The songs are the star show, of course, but in this genre the style and quality of the singing is of high importance. Longtime fans already know Chiara Tricarico from her work with Temperance, amongst others. On this particular album we hear various shades of singing, sometimes we hear the voice at an almost speaking voice in which it seems effortless, in a good way. Sometimes the voice goes for that angelic, ever so soft tone, while at other times it sounds more intense, though still melodic. Naturally, what would a symphonic power metal album featuring Ms. Tricarico be without some glass-shattering operatic singing?! For instance, the song “Time” is a guitar-focused song and the chugging is quite heavy for this style, and it is one context in which the glass-shattering operatic singing shows up, to great effect. This song, by the way, also has a bit of male growling, too. At any rate, this is only the debut. They are just getting warmed up.

facebook.com/Moonlighthazeband/

Glare of the Sun

Glare of the Sun

Theia

Lifeforce Records

June 21st, 2019

Glare of the Sun (Austria) is atmospheric heaviness that draws from post-rock and doom. In this music, which has a gentle heaviness, the guitars are used for the creation of moods. Of course, this music does not attempt to overwhelm the audience with power chords, speed, chugging, shredding or obnoxious loudness. If anything, it could be thought of more along the lines of a question: “Do you think that you’d like to feel, experience something that is musically different?”; that difference is the area where you can begin to explore what they are doing. Patience is necessary because the album is some 66 minutes and the 12 tracks do not have titles, except for the use of Roman numerals I through XII. For this band, they don’t want the titles of the songs or the lyrics to be the main thing. The idea is to listen to the vibes and let that be the main thing.

Listening to the album and reading the lyrics, it is not clear even what the lyrics are saying because, for the most part, the vocals are another layer of the music, not the centerpiece. These lyrics are rather abstract. Some of the lyrics are whispered, and some are growled, some are sung, but in all cases there is a sense of absence, like the vocals are not there to catch your attention but to make you feel a sense of slow, subtle moods of watching the waves of the oceans or the clouds moving across the sky or something else distant.

This album is heavy, it’s heavy in the sense that is heavy post-rock, it is doom-ish, and it’s an inward-looking heaviness. Patience and let go. facebook.com/glareofthesun/

Ravensire

Ravensire

A Stone Engraved in Red

Cruz Del Sur Music

14 June 2019

Ravensire is battle heavy metal, the type that the band imagines goes well with movies of wars in the ancient times of the Greeks, Romans, Persians, and similar contexts. Battles and tests of fighting will, ancient heathen idols and the powers of dark magic, heroes and villains, violence and brutality, and betrayal and royalty are all at the center of the music, and this band conjures it up with their songs as odes to those times and spirits. History and mythology, and tales and legends form vehicles for the band’s music of bravery and treason. The audience’s vision of those images from a long time ago have to play a role in the enjoyment of the music. People with little imagination or little interest in the empires and wars of ancient times might find it difficult to understand or stomach what these “warriors of metal” do. In case it is not clear, in contradistinction to some modern/contemporary norms, this band will never, ever write a song about how their boyfriend/girlfriend does not treat them well nor will they write songs about how bad their relationship with their mom/dad is. However, they will write songs about a queen that married her mother’s lover, then murdered the king, in order to ascend to the throne of a kingdom in ancient Iberia, Carthage or Mesopotamia.

The musicians of Ravensire might be History Channel junkies. They might not know what is going on in the latest popular sitcom that coworkers discuss at the water cooler, but they know about the differences between the weaponry, armor and army formations of the ancient Athenian and Spartan militaries. As a matter of fact, they might have either written songs about the topic already or are planning to do it on future recordings. In addition, Ravensire has decreed that Ravensire tunes must be odes to the warrior values. The songs must say, “Arise, warrior of metal, raise your fist, and bang your head.” The songs must not be too slow that you cannot rock out nor too fast that you don’t know what to do. Uptempo rockers is the main tool at their disposal and they wield it willingly and efficiently. Finally, readers should be sure to hear for themselves the vocals. It’s a gritty, and perhaps a bit nasal type of lower singing, and rough around the edges. “Keep it true” is no convenient slogan for these Portuguese men o’ war, it is their mission.

ravensire.bandcamp.com

Kval

Kval

Laho

May 22nd, 2019

Hypnotic Dirge Records

Kval is chill, relaxation, atmospheric, one-person black metal from Finland. The vocals are extreme, but they are not super harsh and end up sounding almost as background landscape. Keyboards are important and for fans of this genre, this is something along the lines of the aural themes of forests-and-mountains vibes. It is chill rock with a bit of tremolo picking and some gentle-giant, softer growled vocals. Some of this music is just keyboard sounds for meditation or for helping people fall asleep, for chilling out, for a personal comfort zone, for yoga, for meditation, for doing homework, for working on a school project, so on and so forth.

The music might not perhaps sound all that impressive to the outsider’s ear, but in this genre what matters is not how wealthy the production is or the technicality of the musicianship. Feeling is perhaps more important than anything. For this reason, this recording should hold the attention of the devoted fan of this general style. At times the vocals might recall desperation or something different, like a vibe of tranquility, while the music itself often works melodies and if not direct melodies, then a general ambiance of melancholy or a greyness of a state of mind. The quality of the recording is not professional level, and if that bothers some listeners, they probably won’t change their minds with this DIY recording. While it might be accurate that this album will not necessarily convert masses who are not already on the inside track, the music is pretty catchy and competent in this field. The person behind this project at this point has years and years of experience in making this type of music, so it’s going to be worth your while if you are already a big fan of the genre. hypnoticdirge-records.bandcamp.com/album/laho

hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/laho

Striker tours North America this summer (Seattle included)

Striker

Play to Win

October 26th, 2018

Record Breaking Records

This summer of 2019 the new heroes of traditional-melodic heavy metal are heading out to the highway to bring their wares to people of Canada and the United States. Active for more than ten years now, their debut came out in 2010, followed by albums in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018, which is this album right here. They write very catchy, rocking songs, and they have a really good singer. In case you missed it, in 2018 Striker issued the album Play to Win, which is 10 tracks, for 41 minutes, a pretty perfect duration time for rock albums. It features a very ear-friendly guitar tone, and rocking riffs and crystal clear, cool solos. All the songs seem like hits because, you better believe it, that’s exactly how this band intends it to be. It works! The singing is outstanding, the voice is melodic and strong at the same time. Striker delivers an awesome mix of scorchers, rockers, anthems and it includes a ballad at the end to wind it all down. The only question now is: Will there be a new album in 2019 or do we have to wait until 2020? Check to see if they are coming to your town this summer. The Seattle date is July 5th at the Funhouse. facebook.com/strikermetal

Mavradoxa

Mavradoxa

Nightmarrow

May 2nd, 2019

Hypnotic Dirge Records

1.Maple 07:41

2.The Carrion Shade 09:25

3.Nightmarrow 09:34

4.Rustling Leaves 01:45

5.Black Crystal Snowfall 10:57

6.Umbra 03:40

total time 43:02

Black metal, as interpreted by this New York State band, means an effort to make the recording as real as possible, that sounds like human beings playing music; less software; more playing. This band does well in their use of melody on this, their third album. It is very likable to hear a recording in which the drums sound real, the extra noisiness of real cymbals, and the overall labor that is drumming. The bass guitar is there and if you pay attention you hear the low rumble, that pulse of the rhythm.

One thing that stands out right away is the guitar melodies. There are plenty of moments in which the guitar melodies or guitar harmonies shine brightly. Starting on the first song, the guitar harmonies catch the attention of the listener. The second song shows another cool moment for the guitar to have its place at the front. This time, the melodies build up expectation for quite a while and then they arrive in the form of an uptempo segment that takes the song to the end. The third song also has its clear moment of simple but effective guitar melody, although as a song this one underlines the band’s tendency for longer compositions. The music does require more of an effort in order to stay with it because nine minutes is pretty long for a song no matter how you slice it. There is one more long song. By this time, one is more used to the ambitious songwriting. Mentally, it is easier because one knows that this is how these New Yorkers roll. In the end, the progressive side of the music is manifested and hopefully fans can appreciate the goals of the band to incorporate various elements into the music as a more colorful work.

The vocals are rather traditional, raspy and pretty harsh, so be aware that you have to be a fan of the style, and it is best to find out for yourself than to have some reviewer tell you what it sounds like. This work is for those looking for DIY BM recordings.

hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/nightmarrow

Kat

Kat

Without Looking Back

Pure Steel Records

June 14th, 2019

1.Black Night in My Chair 04:40

2.Poker 06:03

3.Medieval Fire 05:32

4.The Race for Life 04:33

5.Flying Fire 06:05

6.Wild 08:42

7.Walls of Whispers 06:05

8.Let There Be Fire 05:05

9.More 08:15

10.The Promised Land 05:57

total time 01:00:57

In the international Western world of metal music, Kat is not a known name, at least not in the United States, but for some longtime fans of 1980s metal bands in Poland and Eastern Europe, Kat is a familiar name (as is Turbo, another veteran Polish band). The oldest generation of heavy rockers in Poland, they undoubtedly tell stories about what it was like during the time of Stalinism. The band formed in 1979 or so. They had a debut album in 1986 in English, and the Polish-language version that same year. In 1988, which is right around the time that the end of the Stalinist Communist Party rule is in sight, the band had a second album (in Polish). It looks like they had four albums in the 1990s. On and off, changing sounds and members, with periods of inactivity, here they are in 2019 with a new album (their ninth, according to Metal Archives). In the interest of brevity, let’s limit the discussion to this particular album. It is traditional veteran heavy metal, close to the general sounds of the reunited/old New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands and of the reunited/old American bands that Europeans call U.S. metal, close in lineage to the current sounds of the old 1980s Ohio bands. In other words, the calling card of Pure Steel Records.

The music features traditional structures that check all the necessary boxes. The fans will be pleased with the traditional heavy metal sequences in the songs. In addition, the songwriting focuses on solid tracks that people can remember and grasp immediately. Kat 2019 is handling their business. This is a mix of uptempo rockers and midtempo sing-along songs, and the tracks show a very good use of some bluesier moments, giving the audience a nice variety of moods. The parts that show a blues side of their heavy metal sound are particularly attractive, and add an excellent, different side to the album.

The guitar work emphasizes functional riffs and memorable melodies. That is the operating procedure for all the songs, as a general protocol. There are lots of awesome guitar melodies throughout the entire work. Similarly, the singing serves the functions of the songs, although the singing by itself is a main attraction on the album, and will be of interest to fans of singing, especially the gritty, bluesier singing with melodic tones. In short, fans of big, catchy, rocking guitar melodies and good vocal melodies should make this June 2019 veteran album a top priority.

facebook.com/KATofficialprofile/

Haze of Summer

Haze of Summer

Stuzha

March 1st, 2019

The most recent recording by this band (Russia) is a boatload of fun, upbeat music. If you want to hear melodic extreme music that will make you feel good, and why not, make you want to dance, then things will not get much better than this recording in extreme metal. It is done remarkably well, and let’s find out why. As a way to rebel against the uptight, cranky metal music rules, they call themselves “hipster black metal.” They have no lyrics about dragons in the rainbows’ dungeons and there are otherworldly demons and devils here, either. Human emotions and relationships is the substance of the lyrics in Russian. An online translation shows a general style of poetic lyrics about love, lost love, the loneliness of the seasons, including a poem by the classic Russian writer Pushkin. The music is melodic extreme metal, but this label does not even begin to scratch the surface of what is going on.

The music is fun and upbeat and a main reason is the free nature of the melodies. The drumming is extreme metal drumming, but with a beat, and then there’s the guitars which go far in delivering an abundance of melodies that sound like happiness. That’s just the beginning because it’s all going to get even better. The band uses fun keyboards melodies and this practically bursts at the seams. There’s more. They have invited friends to play horns (and other instruments) and this takes things to a greater level of catchiness. Black metal + fun keyboards + saxophone, trumpets, violin, accordion + more = Haze of Summer.

They also have done something that some of us have been wondering about. At least for some of us, this is new and very cool: the band has gone and made a performance video of the entire recording from start to finish. Of course, this may not be new to you if you have seen many bands do this already, but it’s new to some of us, and it’s pretty cool. You can hear the entire recording on Bandcamp or be entertained by the whole recording performed as a long video on YouTube. If you want something fun, really fun, then your stop bus is here. Your ticket is Haze of Summer.

hazeofsummer.bandcamp.com/album/stuzha

Temple Koludra

Temple Koludra

Seven! Sirens! To A Lost Archetype

Transcending Obscurity Records

14 June 2019

1.Trimurti 09:24

2.Vajra 06:18

3.Grey Apparition 05:02

4.Namapura 09:44

5.This Diadem Will Last 08:46

6.Vertigo 09:10

7.White I Trance 12:27

total time 01:00:51

This German entity is a challenging trip into black metal experimentalism. Let’s take three out of seven tracks and let’s see what there is: number three, five and seven. Number three is “Grey Apparition” and it is about five minutes. It is a tightly-packed sound of a machine and human synthesis of black metal with a certain air of futuristic, processed dystopia. It would be generally accurate to refer to this song as fast, melodic black metal, with a very hi-tech feel, for the percussion does not sound like live drums. It is not five minutes of total blasting, but it’s a pretty fast one, for sure; this is a headbanging track.

“This Diadem Will Last” is song number five. The industrial-robot-machine-dystopia of the slow-churning atmosphere is in full force. What is real and what is machine? The machine-human synthesis results in the processing of vocals, drumming, guitars and everything else, and the only certain thing is an industrial, cold machine world. This slow-paced tempo lasts for pretty much the duration of the track. This one, in that regard, is smooth, relatively easy to understand as atmospheric roboblackmetal or industrialblackmetal.

“White I Trance” is number seven. Here’s a rough outline of the situation. The first four minutes is all-out black metal, more or less. Then a quieter segment until about 05:18, then the black metal returns until about 5:56, then silence, and by about 6:30 and forward, there’s a bit of random sounds (to make the listener think of space, machines, etc.). By the 08:00 mark, some guitar sounds are more distinguishable. By the 09:54 mark, all of a sudden, the fast black metal has come back to life and dies again by the 11:15 mark, and it is quiet/silence again until the end of the time.

In summary, it is the black metal fans that will be main and first group of cyborgs to sign their names on the dotted line. Of the black metal cyborgs, it will be the more adventurous ones that will take this experimental entity like fish to water. Despite the experimentalism, there is a certain order, and catchiness, to the racket. Fun. Weird. Left field. Relax. Breathe. It will all make sense when you wake up again as a robot.

templekoludra.bandcamp.com

Nucleus

Nucleus

Entity

Unspeakable Axe Records/Me Saco Un Ojo Records

14 June 2019

Nucleus is in some ways some of the most old-school, classic-style death metal. The growling is low and is kept low throughout, and that’s it, in terms of vocals. The rhythm guitar tone and riffs are strictly along the lines of the classic styles. This may be the year 2019, but the band is going for something more timeless, something that won’t immediately stand out as a 2019 thing that listeners will identity. On the other hand, something is different and peculiar. On top of the chunky riffing, they consistently have somewhat odd-sounding notes. The reason that it sounds kind of odd is that the top-layer guitar parts are clearly not common in metal music forms. Usually, in these situations, death metal that is old-school might have some thrashy hooks, maybe some fast soloing, perhaps some melodic solos or licks. Usually there are these types of things that the listener subconsciously expects, and because they are not here in this old-school-minded band, Nucleus comes across as something a bit unique in 2019. Mostly, one could say that these are somewhat dissonant notes and these top-layer guitar parts is something that avid death metal fans really should hear for themselves. It is not super weird stuff, just off the beaten path, but overall this is not music that freaks out the genre’s loyal fans, just make them notice the little bit of uniqueness of this Chicago band.

Nucleus is very purposefully unmelodic. If you are hoping for a catchy melodic thing, forget it, they will not throw you even a little bone. Instead, there are all sorts of guitar sounds that can be somewhat dissonant, sometimes it sounds like the lead guitar is heading in a different direction from the rhythm, almost as if the idea were to keep the listener at a certain distance. Science fiction is important to the concept of this album. The artwork is not easily discernible, and it requires a bit of observation to make up your mind as what it is that you think you see. Similarly, the music functions in a way that it does not match the expectations of certain formulas. This is music for fans of serious forms of death metal. If you have tons of death metal albums and they bring you joy, you enjoy checking out the many varieties of styles that fall under the umbrella, then Nucleus will be of interest. nucleus.bandcamp.com/album/entity