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

Sawyer Path

Sawyer Path

Toxic Temptation

April 13th, 2018

This recording is not from 2019 but from 2018, but it has only recently come to the attention of this publication. In terms of genre, it is metalcore. More specifically, melodic metalcore (or posthardcore, as the critics might call it today) with a big sense of catchiness and vocal melodies that are associated with, in very broad terms, pop punk. The fact is that they are good at writing songs that the listener will remember after the recording stops, and this should be of special interest to fans of metalcore and also maybe pop punk (but this guitar tone is thicker and tighter than pop punk, of course). Having the audience shouting back the lyrics during shows is important for the band, given the shout-along style on display. The lyrics are of a personal and emotional nature. Most of the lyrics reflect some relation with a close person, oftentimes very confrontational, very emo style, sometimes very vulgar or profane (lowering the intelligence of the music, but increasing the anger), and this will mostly seem attractive to audiences that want the lyrics to be a form of therapy. In other words, the shorter-song format and the personal lyrics means that audiences into the various styles of metalcore will find something to enjoy in this Canadian band. sawyerpath.bandcamp.com

hell bent

hell bent

Apocalyptic Lamentations

Horror Pain Gore Death/Armageddon Label/Atomic Action!/Metal Swarm

14 June 2019

What a way to make a much wilder, more real, surprisingly good-sounding huge racket in extreme metal. This recording sounds so refreshing. It almost seems like a live recording at which the listener is present: the drums sound big, good and noisy, in which you can see and hear the movement of the cymbals, and the human that is playing the drums. The drumming by itself is a central attraction on this recording. Moreover, the way that the drums have been recorded is outstanding. Overall, the drum sound and the drumming itself adds so much to the identity of this recording. They refer to themselves as D-beat thrash, so I guess the category-loving people can put them in there somewhere in the more savage forms of crossover.

The vocals in this case truly sound as close as possible to a raging, maniacal lunatic, this side of actually being an insane person in an explosive rage. It is not that the vocals seem angry and all that, it is the way that the screaming, ranting and raving sounds good. It is not brutal-macho-posturing growling nonsense, it is not evil-posturing screechy-cat vocals, it is the art of working the voice muscles towards approaching the unfolding of unleashed rage at the top of the lungs while still remembering this is part of a song. This type of vocals has historically come from the faster, rawer, heavier forms of punk meeting metal, and it would be astounding, almost unbelievable, if this vocalist has not been screaming for at least several years in this or other extreme punk-metal bands.

It is refreshing to hear a band play extreme metal this way. The songs are quick and efficient. This is nine songs in 24 minutes (including a two-songs-in-one-track cover of the 1980s cult thrash act Znowhite). All the songs are easy to grasp and it does not take repeated listens to feel the energy. The first time will do it. For many metal fans, this band might shock them because of how non-computerized, non-safe, non-clinical and utterly wild it all sounds.

facebook.com/hellbentri/

Hate

Hate

Auric Gates of Veles

Metal Blade Records

14 June 2019

For fans of the genre, Hate (1990, Poland) is practically the perfect illustration of modern extreme metal. It’s eight songs in 39 minutes of blasting good times. The vocals are gruff and low, but they are project well, with strength and power. Things are going to go fast and they are going to stay fast for the duration, more or less. It’s 39 minutes of headbanging modern-current 2019 Polish death metal. The tempos stay upbeat pretty much the whole time, but there’s a bit variety here and there, like on the title track, where they explore some slower moments, but even then they spice it up with double kicks. Granted, this is a whole a lotta drumming, a whole lotta blasting, and it’s a whole lotta death metal. The fact that they know how to play blasting metal and find ways to keep listeners engaged speaks volumes about how good the songwriting is. The riffs are distinguishable and pretty catchy for this style. Death metal heaviness is sometimes paired up with tremolo picking for melodies. The guitars is pretty direct, not too complex, and they stay on the message the vast majority of the time. It’s not very melodic, but it is pretty memorable nevertheless. The band does not make great use of soloing; when there’s soloing, it tends to be brief.

Like it is normal in extreme metal, Hate in the past has had clichéd, teenage-like lyrics against religion, as opposed to an intelligent, thought-out critique. It was more anger, less intelligence. It looks like this new album continues 2017 Tremendum’s effort to have more intelligent lyrics, although the anger is still there and I do hear some cursing. Coming from a Catholic-majority country, Hate, like lots of Polish extreme bands, uses religion as a go-to topic for lyrics, which fits the formula in international extreme metal, too. In conclusion, the band delivers a very economical, compact and direct album with an effort to cut out the unnecessary fat. Frankly, it sounds awesome. It’s a play-it-again-Sam album for sure. Don’t sleep on Hate. This band is considered some of the best modern-current death metal from Poland for a reason. hate.bandcamp.com/album/auric-gates-of-veles

Vulture

Vulture

Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves

Metal Blade Records

7 June 2019

The Germans in 2019 follow up their 2017 debut The Guillotine. A crazed bunch devoted to the art of speed metal, the reverb-loving squad is characterized by keeping the guitars fast and the echo-filled vocals maniacal. It’s not that the vocals sound angry or filled with hate, it is that they are uplifted by their love of fast heavy metal for headbanging. At heart, they dedicate themselves to exploring the area where the guitars deliver sharp riffs and fast melodies, and they work that niche with skill. The vocals seem crazed, but done well. It is not the tough-guy screaming and yelling that comes from genres like punk rock or groove metal or middle-America bro metal. The vocals are along the lines of the maniacal vibe of early/young extreme metal, in this particular case, the high screams of early/young phases of Slayer and Destruction; dark, screw-loose type of vocals. It’s not operatic power metal high screaming, either. This is too crazy for that. It’s more like a madman using reverb as a cloud in which to operate. Unashamedly metal, leather, spikes and bulletbelts, the band makes headbanging, fast metal music for the speed metal heaven of tomorrow. vulturekills.bandcamp.com/album/ghastly-waves-battered-graves

Skelator

Skelator

Cyber Metal

Gates of Hell Records

21 June 2019

Plague and pestilence, rain and fire, kings and criminals all have tried to destroy Skelator, and the armor may have some scars and stains, but in 2019 the Seattle grandfather of the new-generation traditional heavy metal returns firing on all cylinders. From where I stand, some of the other traditional heavy metal bands in Seattle in the recent period have succumbed to attrition, and the ranks right now are not in full force as was the case a few years ago, but Skelator, this Skelator, the Seattle one, has not died and the rumors of their death have been greatly exaggerated.

Here is the game plan, according to Skelator’s understanding of the Xs and Os: Whereas classic heavy metal (CHM) is the best, the 1980s (BD [best decade]), and old video games are the most fun (OVG), in addition to an updated production (UP), plus a bit of good ole cheese (CHE), Skelator completes the equation with its own version (SV), which gives us the following result:

CHM + BD + OVG + UP + CHE = SV, i.e. Cyber Metal.

You’re welcome for the calculations, Skelator fans.

Another way to solve the equation will be to put aside your Rubik’s Cube and calculator, and take off your glasses, and start banging your head as an experience in Skelator music. Nerds and bullies, geniuses and mediocres can come together, if only for a while, and coexist in peaceful harmony of headbanging heavy metal, as laid down by this Seattle tactical operations squad.

What’s new with Skelator? Lots. Nowadays they feature a slick and shiny production, which is big news for you, for me, for the city of Seattle and for the United States of America. Skelator has gone and gotten themselves a real pretty production and it is something else, for sure. If I did not know any better, I would have thought that they were a European band, sounding fancy and stuff. I feel like I need to dress more elegantly now when I listen to Skelator. As an entire work, the boys keep the pedal to the metal. There is not much in the way of time-wasting introductions and stuff, and they have just about sliced all the fat that they could. Of course, in this genre some fat you just can’t eliminate because the populace must have their guitar solos, and if you eliminate that, you might as well retire because the traditional heavy metal masses require that your guitar players be competents and trues. trueskelator.bandcamp.com

Wykan

Wykan

Brigid: Of The Night

7 June 2019

There are only three songs on here, but there is enough to know what the deal is. The first song begins in an awesome way. Bluesy and slow guitar, taking it slow and easy. Very nice three minutes, then guitar change and it’s now a black metal guitar tone playing some Iommiesque vibes, with necro black metal screams over it. What do we have here? The black metal blues? It’s the black metal blues! The thing is, this is not bluesy as the blues fans would like, it is not black metal enough as the die-hards want, and it is not as slow and doomy as the devoted stoners would demand, and this might be exactly the point of this band. Confuse everyone and rock with everyone. Do you know what probably happened? These three musicians did not want to be in the same band because the vocalist wanted to form a black metal group, the guitar player just sits at home listening to the first four Black Sabbath albums and old Pink Floyd stuff religiously, and the drummer prefers to avoid human contact. However, they had to join together because they could not find the right people in their neighborhood and that’s how they got together in my fictitious account of their biography. The black metal blues might surprise you. Here is an important question for the future: How will this band continue making progress in their quest to transition smoothly between the genres within the songs? wykan.bandcamp.com/album/brigid-of-the-night

Stargazery

Stargazery

Eye on the Sky

Pure Steel Records

June 14, 2019

This is Stargazery‘s debut album from 2011, issued again by Pure Steel Records for June 2019. It does not matter that this is not new. The production stills sounds good, and the overall recording still sounds great. Musically, the album features midtempo and uptempo songs, songs for singing along, with big riffs, melodic keyboards, and a strong singing voice. The album is nine songs, plus a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Headless Cross,” and an additional bonus track. Stylistically, the album is midtempo/uptempo melodic heavy metal with some neoclassical and stadium rock vibes. In other words, every song sounds like an anthem and a hit. There is a sense that this is melodic metal for grown-ups and for the grown-ups-at-heart. The music sounds completely confident, without any regard for whatever the latest trend in metal music is. There is no thrash, no growling, no extreme metal stuff, just classic-style melodic metal anthems with a strong presence of keyboards and good singing, all made with the intention of creating the ever-illusive timeless melodic metal. facebook.com/stargazery

Anthrocene

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

2.Acceptance of Decay

3.Agent of Chaos

4.Lumberjack Daniels

5.Witness the Sublime

6.Immolator

7.Celestial Steel: The Cursed Black Blade

8.Battle Unseen

9.Defcon 0

10.Taking on the Water

11.Children of the Earth

12.Nowhere to Be

13.Departure of Humanity

14.Surveyor of the Surface

15.Exogenic Eyes

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/

Leathürbitch

Leathürbitch

Into the Night

release date: May 31st, 2019

label: High Roller Records

One succinct formulation to call the question would be: Are you interested in a 2019 metal version of glam-sleaze rock? The answer will depend on whether you are a fan of Poison, Warrant, BulletBoys, Pretty Boy Floyd, Jet Boy, White Lion, Great White and the hundreds of other lipstick-and-hairspray 1980s bands. Does the idea of a heavier form, more current heavy metal version of the glam of “talk-dirty-to-me” Poison and “she’s-my-cherry-pie” Warrant and “Smooth-up-in-Ya” Bullet Boys seem good? This is glam sleaze from the state of Oregon, U.S.A. The album is replete with talent. The guitars, the rhythm section, and the singing is all good. Actually, this is speedy, uptempo heavy metal, headbanging music and one would have to be dishonest to dismiss the talent on display. It sounds good and the band has the horses to compete.

However, it remains to be seen whether glam-sleaze lyrics are accepted by metal fans. Generally speaking, the post-1980s fans have rejected the glam stuff, while the older, more casual 1980s hard rock fans still go to see those bands (and tributes) at the local casino or bar as a nostalgia trip or as a funny joke. Again, speaking in general terms, fans have respect for Judas Priest and Iron Maiden and similar bands, but have frowned upon the glam bands and that image. Will this band change anyone’s mind? facebook.com/HeavyChains/

Inquinok (Washington state) returns with new black metal

Inquinok (2001; Washington state) returned with a new EP on June 1st, 2019. The band is known for its melodic and symphonic black metal, and the new EP for fans of the genre should be a delightful return after the previous three albums. Sadly, this publication missed the boat when the EP first came out, but fortunately, the new Inquinok music is available in full at the link below and we can all listen for ourselves.

Inquinok

The Hallowed Shall Serve

Release date: June 1st, 2019

1.Night Terror 05:33

2.Death Throes 03:31

3.The Order 05:06

4.The Altar 03:25

5.The Hallowed Shall Serve 03:32

6.Desolation 04:44

total time 25:51

inquinok.bandcamp.com/album/the-hallowed-shall-serve-e-p

the return of Washington State's Mysticism Black

On June 28th the black metal band Mysticism Black (Washington State) will have its new album out. The band has now made one song available for fans to hear. Go to the link below to hear it for yourself. The following is the band's announcement.

We've been waiting to share this for a long time and here it finally is! The artwork, tracklisting and the 14+ self-titled track from Mysticism Black's new album "Return of The Bestial Flame"!

Mysticism Black - Return Of The Bestial Flame (2019)

Tracklist:

1. Black Fire Seance (4:09)

2. Return Of The Bestial Flame (14:28)

3. The Black Never Dies (9:25)

4. My Lord (5:04)

5. The Blade Unsheathed (10:55)

6. Glory Beyond Life (Power Beyond Death) (9:05)

Lineup:

Nick "OldNick" Superchi - Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Keys

"Bloodhammer" Matthew Mattern - Drums/Percussion

Artwork done by the legendary Kris Verwimp. Mastered by Joel Grind.

We are currently talking with labels, but we will announce the release date shortly. The album will be released digitally and on varied limited physical formats

More announcement coming soon. Thank you all for the support!

themysticismblack.bandcamp.com

Fifth Angel (Seattle region) posts entire performance at Rock Hard Festival in Germany

Today the Washington State resurrected veteran band Fifth Angel posted on their Facebook page the video of their show in front of the crowds at Rock Hard Festival in Germany. For those that are new to Fifth Angel, here is an older biography. The end of the biography is not accurate anymore because the new music album is already released in 2018.

BIOGRAPHY: Back in the glory days of traditional metal in the 1980's, with the likes of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, The Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Ronnie James Dio, Led Zeppelin and many others as an influence... Ed Archer, Ted Pilot and James Byrd had a vision. This vision was to blend their various musical influences and backgrounds together to form a new version of traditional metal. Thus, the inception of the band "Fifth Angel". Ken Mary was brought on board on drums, and would later move on to much success playing in bands such as House Of Lords, Bad Moon Rising, and Alice Cooper, to name but a few.

From their beginnings in 1984 in Bellevue Washington (near Seattle), Fifth Angel sought to create a musical landscape of their own to express ideas, thoughts, opinions and emotions in the most eloquent form, in the form of music and story-telling through lyrics. Fifth Angel recorded a demo with the now famed Terry Date at the mixing desk and was first signed to independent label Shrapnel Records, which opened the door to an international following and a very positive acceptance of their vision. John Macko was brought on board to become the permanent bass player around this time.

Through fate and happenstance, the band caught the ear of Derek Simon with Concrete Marketing and Management in New York, NY. This again opened new doors for the band leading to offers from various major labels including Atlantic, Elektra and Epic, the latter being the label which seemed the best fit. Epic Records re-released the original "Fifth Angel" album, giving it new life with re-mastering and cover art and the band began the journey of composing new material for a second album, to be the debut for the Epic label. This was also a time of change for the band as Kendall Bechtel became the new lead guitar player.

"Time Will Tell" was recorded with Terry Brown producing, from Rush fame, and was released to a much wider world audience through Epic's far reaching distribution network, being met with much anticipated acceptance. The song "Midnight Love" was featured as the theme song for Howard Stern's cable television show for several years.

In a short period of time the collective musical landscape and listening audience of the world changed...Seattle became a Mecca for a new sound called "Grunge". Fifth Angel was caught in a grey area that many of the up-and-coming 1980's/90's metal bands were in...established enough to be known world-wide to a certain degree, but not established enough to be seen as a profitable investment by record companies when competing against the wildfire known as grunge. The realities of the "business side" of the music industry began to settle in and the writing was on the wall. Ed Archer decided it was time to leave and start a new path in life. Fifth Angel continued on, but as record companies faced the realities of the very profitable grunge music against their bottom line, Fifth Angel was released from their contract with Epic.

The band members went their separate ways, some intertwined with music, some not. Eventually, as fate would have it some of the core band members reconnected and decided it was time to re-visit music and the band became active again in 2010 with a successful reunion gig at the "Keep IT True" Festival in Lauda-Koenigshofen Germany. for that show, they enlisted Jeffrey McCormick on drums, and Peter Orullian (who sang Keep It True with Heir Apparent a few years before) to fill out the Fifth Angel roster.

Fifth Angel then went back to Keep it True in April of 2017 with the same lineup.With "real life" responsibilities dictating progress, it has been slow going....but Fifth Angel is working towards a goal of releasing new music to round out the previous releases from so many years ago.

facebook.com/fifthangelofficial/

Tanagra

Tanagra

Meridiem

Self-Release

Release: 26 April 2019

Tanagra (2010), despite operating out of the nearby state of Oregon, is a new name in the pages of this publication. They are a progressive power band, with sing-along good vocals and ambitious songwriting that should be a cool, challenging listen while still offering lots of melodic elements. The album is a gargantuan 65 minutes in seven songs. It is important to tell the truth. No matter how melodic and catchy an album is, if it’s more than an hour, it’s going to be a challenge because it’s really a double album. It is asking a lot from the audience, and the band is purposely separating the wheat from the chaff, the dedicated listeners from the casual. Think of it this way: If these musicians have poured their efforts towards making an album that can withstand the ravages of time, then it’s only right that they ask for some serious fans, too. This band, as you can tell, is talking the talk, but do they walk the walk? The sound quality is pretty solid. This is an independent release, and unless someone in the band is wealthy, it means that they are not going to make another album soon because they won’t have the money. Even so, this is not their first album, it is their second one in their near-decade existence, the previous one being from 2015.

The skill level here is very high. The prog and melodic guitar fan will get quite the bang for the buck. This is what it sounds like when guitarists are obsessed with being good guitarists. You are going to tell right away that this is the realm of the guitar. The songwriting is prog power through and through. It’s not simple-and-easy songs, but in their defense, they have thankfully avoided the curse that plagues progressive bands: they have not forgotten to rock. That saves the album because if this did not have the rocking, then that would be a deal breaker with such a long album. The singing is one of the best things about the album. It is a strong, midrange tone that sounds good to just about any human ear that is listening. This is how the male voice can sound when it stays in its strong point. It’s melodic, not too high, and it projects rather well, with a certain gentleness to it on the recording. tanagraband.bandcamp.com

Lahmia

Lahmia

Resilience

Scarlet Records

Release: 18 January 2019

Lahmia (2001, Italy) is European-style melodic death metal, from head to toe. Fans looking for the sweet encounter of growling and polished thrashy, melodic riffing should be very pleased. More specifically, the vocals are low, pleasant growling (no high-pitched screaming and no U.S. metalcore screaming/yelling), and there is no melodic singing. This feature (the consistent growled vocals) will really be attractive to those fans who don’t like the mish-mash-salad vocal styles. The album has some definite highlights like “Her Frantic Call,” a song that is ridiculously infectious. Hear it once and you’ll want to hear it four more times, and then one more time for the road. “The Age of Treason” is the album’s centerpiece, clocking in at more than 11 minutes. This is the song that probably took them the longest to compose and arrange. It’s a good representation of all that the band does in its style. This is an album for die-hard fans of European melodic death metal, for those seeking new bands in this particular field, especially in the classic style, with that melody and grace in the songs. facebook.com/lahmiaofficial

Aubzagl

Aubzagl

Eilífa Kuldinn

Release date: June 6th, 2019

1.Núll 00:34

2.The Hermit 05:14

3.Varaha 04:03

4.The Oath of Blood 03:23

5.Voices of the Aether 03:50

6.Ógilt 01:01

7.The Adversary 03:10

8.The End of All Things 06:30

total time 27:45

Aubzagl has just come to the attention of this publication. Right off the bat, here are some important traits about this Yorkshire, England music. If one were to describe the sound, it would be headbanging black metal, with speed in the drumming and raging classic-style vocals. To the best of the information available, this seems to be a full band with Paul Priest on bass, Arron Healy on drums, Jamie Silver on guitars, and Andy Wears on vocals, and it appears that guitarist Martyn Hare is now a former member. This information is mentioned here not because it is 100% accurate (only the band knows that), but to show that this is not some anonymous one-person project, but rather a band, and it sounds like it, it sounds good. Basically, fans of traditional black metal should be the first group of people to sign up for this covenant of metal music. This recording aims to please the desire to hear raging black metal. Be confident that the band is dedicated to that art. In fact, the only non-black metal moments, strictly speaking, would be the two very short intro-type tracks on here, but they are very short, so it's not like it is 10 minutes of nonsense wasting your time. In a word, for anyone that wants fast black metal with the purpose of banging your head, then there is one new word in your vocabulary: Aubzagl. aubzagl.bandcamp.com

Protector

Protector

Summon the Hordes

High Roller Records

Release date: 26.04.2019

Protector is here to destroy robotic metal music. Considering that they initially began doing demos in the middle of the 1980s, by the time their 1988 debut album Golem and the 1989 album Urm the Mad came out, they were pushing the boundaries of thrash with more speed and harsher vocals than their U.S. and German peers. It makes sense that Protector stand up for the older values of extreme metal. Their 1991 scorcher A Shedding of Skin is just as much death metal as it is thrash metal, especially for the sound of those times.

Eventually returning after years of inactivity, nowadays Protector has been for years on a second life with different personnel. This new album features a very robust sound: guitars, bass, drums and growling. Do not expect things to get melodic. The only little bit of melody available is some of the guitar solos. The drums sound rather thick, saying that they want a sound that is realistic, that approaches the feeling of live drums in concert. The double bass does not sound clicky, suggesting that they went for a realistic sound in that department, too. They are concerned with sounding realistic, like they can pull off these songs live and make them sound rather close to the album versions. This is not a garage recording, though. It sounds professional and good to the fans of old-school thrash, with the truly legendary Harris Johns taking care of the sound engineering work.

The guitars stay on task at all times. Thrashing riffs, and that’s pretty much the story. The vocals are growled, in the style that is aggressive and fast, in a percussive way, as if the drumming and vocals are often matching on the points of impact. Protector is taking care of business with one mission assignment. You come here to Protector to thrash and you’ve come to the right place. The times have changed, the members have changed, the hair is thinner, but the attitude on the album remains the same as in the old times.

facebook.com/Protector.666not777

Iron Griffin

Iron Griffin

Curse of the Sky

Label: Gates of Hell Records

Release date: 22.03.2019

It is very difficult not celebrate everything that Iron Griffin stands for. Integrity in the music is of the utmost importance to them. They don’t want computers to play and perfect the music for them. Some metal fans, who are some nitpicky people, would see in Iron Griffin something to support: honesty, and a band playing music as organic as they can in 2019, waging the perilous fight against the Milli Vanilli values of overzealous studio magic. The musicianship is good and the singing features cool, traditional rock singing as associated with 1970s early heavy metal and hard rock. The vocals are very appealing for fans of the raucous Robert Plant-Janis Joplin type of wild singing that captured the imagination of the masses. The thing is, this is the debut album, and there was only a 2017 EP before this. We can safely assume that the singing is only going to get better in the future and one can look forward to hearing how the singing sounds years from now.

The bass guitar is audible as a rumble that is present throughout. The drums could stand to be clearer and crispier, but they sound very real (Are they?). The guitar does fine work here, but it is also generous because it allows room for the bass and drums to be heard. Would you believe that this is just two people: Oskari the drummer from the well-received Mausoleum Gate is apparently a talented person and can play bass and guitar, too. The vocals are the responsibility of Maija, about whom Metal Archives provides very little information. Anyway, the Finns have locked on to the magic time machine. Why don’t you come with them, little friend, on a magic carpet ride?

irongriffin.bandcamp.com

Hath

Hath

Of Rot and Ruin

release date: April 12th, 2019

label: Willowtip Records

1.Usurpation 06:00

2.Currents 06:02

3.Rituals 08:45

4.To Atone 03:31

5.Withered 06:08

6.Worlds Within 07:13

7.Kindling 02:25

8.Accursed 07:00

9.Progeny 07:48

total time 54:52

This band (New Jersey, U.S.A.) is difficult. The first four songs show a death-based super heavy band keeping the blasting-and-growling at front and center, although they do begin showing their predisposition for slow-grooving sludgy heaviness even in these four songs. The first four songs place the band in modern extreme metal territory, mostly current-modern 2019 death metal. The fifth song, however, is where they come out in full display of their other sides. The sludge grooving heaviness is now manifested in full. By about halfway, there is a sense that more elements have started to come out of the woodwork, and song number five is a good marker of what’s going on. The band is decidedly unmelodic even when the music is slow, and the chugging, that super-duper heavy-duty chugging is all out walking about the room like it owns it. Sludge and groove, and slow, gruff growling are dominant. Instead of melody in the slow passages, the band chooses colder, somewhat dissonant sounds. Towards the end of the song, the speed picks up, for variety’s sake. In short, heaviness is king of the ring here, for sure.

One gets the impression that the band is flexing its muscles very well. In fact, perhaps too well. Song number six features unmelodic clean or acoustic guitar, then blasts its way through the door for a bit of dissonant death metal, then the clean guitar returns, but no matter how many times one hears the song, the transitions do not flow as smoothly as they could (which is normal; this is only the band’s full-length debut; they had an EP in 2015). Now, what’s interesting is that this is perhaps their best song because it feels like they finally, finally, finally let some melody out of the bag (the guitar solo), but it seems like they are still being timid about it. More melody here, and in general, would be welcomed. Actually, this song is all over the place, in a good way. Towards the end, the blasting death metal appears, lest we forget. Anyway, this is a nice track, despite the band throwing a bit too much, too abruptly at the listener. To conclude, some people will say that the band lacks focus, but it seems like these musicians know what they want at this point. They’re a bit too enthusiastic to show all that they can do, if anything. The fact remains: if a listener loves the current-modern-2019 grooving-chugging progressive forms of extreme metal, then this album will be a pretty cool challenge.

hathnj.bandcamp.com/album/of-rot-and-ruin

the new Large Marge is large and in charge of Seattle

Large Marge

Rotted Tower

release date: June 3, 2019

tracklist

1.The Whispered One 00:38

2.The Hand 00:12

3.The Eye 00:20

4.Vecna Lives 00:14

The Seattle symphony of grind Large Marge took a two-year break from releasing new material because they were preparing the new recording called Rotted Tower, a concept album that tackles the difficult moral dilemmas that the German philosopher Immanuel Kant posed in the late 1700s for humanity to ponder. Large Marge music, as they have repeatedly stated in their interviews with the New York Times and the London Times, as well as The Onion, deals only with philosophical questions on their recordings, and never do they write songs about truck stops, domes, sleeping, sweeping nor ashes nor bunions.

The first song "The Whispered One" is both a cover of Beethoven's "5th Symphony" and the band's critique of the state of the theories of the universe. The following is quote from the lyrics to the song, as they have understood the writings of Kant:

"I come now to another part of my system, and because it suggests a lofty idea of the plan of creation, it appears to me as the most seductive. The sequence of ideas that led us to it is very simple and natural. They are as follows: let us imagine a system of stars gathered together in a common plane, like those of the Milky Way, but situated so far away from us that even with the telescope we cannot distinguish the stars composing it; let us assume that its distance, compared to that separating us from the stars of the Milky Way, is the same proportion as the Milky Way is to the distance from the earth to the sun; such a stellar world will appear to the observer, who contemplates it at so enormous a distance, only as a little spot feebly illumined and subtending a very small angle; its shape will be circular, if its plane is perpendicular to the line of sight, elliptical, if it is seen obliquely. The faintness of its light, its form, and its appreciable diameter will obviously distinguish such a phenomenon from the isolated stars around it.

We do not need to seek far in the observations of astronomers to meet with such phenomena. They have been seen by various observers, who have wondered at their strange appearance, have speculated about them, and have suggested some times the most amazing explanations, sometimes theories which were more rational, but which had no more foundation than the former. We refer to the nebulæ, or, more precisely, to a particular kind of celestial body which M. de Maupertius describes as follows:

"These are small luminous patches, only slightly more brilliant than the dark background of the sky; they have this in common, that their shapes are more or less open elipses; and their light is far more feeble than that of any other objects to be perceived in the heavens."

...It is much more natural and reasonable to assume that a nebula is not a unique and solitary sun, but a system of numerous suns, which appear crowded, because of their distance, into a space so limited that their light, which would be imperceptible were each of them isolated, suffices, owing to their enormous numbers, to give a pale and uniform luster. Their analogy with our own system of stars; their form, which is precisely what it should be according to our theory; the faintness of their light, which denotes an infinite distance; all are in admirable accord and lead us to consider these elliptical spots as systems of the same order as our own—in a word, to be Milky Ways similar to the one whose constitution we have explained. And if these hypotheses, in which analogy and observation consistently lend mutual support, have the same merit as formal demonstrations, we must consider the existence of such systems as demonstrated...

We see that scattered through space out to infinite distances, there exist similar systems of stars [nebulous stars, nebulæ], and that creation, in the whole extent of its infinite grandeur, is everywhere organized into systems whose members are in relation with one another.... A vast field lies open to discoveries, and observations alone will give the key."

The second song is called "The Hand." This song in particular questions whether Kant's quarrels with Confucius ought to be understood differently as they haven been heretofore. The band underlines Kant's statements as follows:

"The child must be brought up free (that he allow others to be free). He must learn to endure the restraint to which freedom subjects itself for its own preservation (experience no subordination to his command). Thus he must be disciplined. This precedes instruction. Training must continue without interruption. He must learn to do without things and to be cheerful about it. He must not be obliged to dissimulate, he must acquire immediate horror of lies, must learn so to respect the rights of men that they become an insurmountable wall for him. His instruction must be more negative. He must not learn religion before he knows morality. He must be refined, but not spoiled (pampered). He must learn to speak frankly, and must assume no false shame. Before adolescence he must not learn fine manners ; thoroughness is the chief thing. Thus he is crude longer, but earlier useful and capable."

Of course, as everyone knows, Large Marge questions whether we should reconsider by astutely pointing out what Confucius stated on these very matters:

"It is only he, possessed of all sagely qualities that can exist under heaven, who shows himself quick in apprehension, clear in discernment, of far-reaching intelligence, and all-embracing knowledge, fitted to exercise rule; magnanimous, generous, benign, and mild, fitted to exercise forbearance; impulsive, energetic, firm, and enduring, fitted to maintain a firm hold; self-adjusted, grave, never swerving from the Mean, and correct, fitted to command reverence; accomplished, distinctive, concentrative, and searching, fitted to exercise discrimination. All-embracing is he and vast, deep and active as a fountain, sending forth in their due season his virtues. All-embracing and vast, he is like Heaven. Deep and active as a fountain, he is like the abyss. He is seen, and the people all reverence him; he speaks, and the people all believe him; he acts, and the people all are pleased with him."

The third composition by Large Marge is called "The Eye." This song is the second part to the King Diamond album "The Eye." Large Marge took upon themselves to write the follow-up to the King Diamond album, while, again, bringing new light to Kant's views on motives. The following is an excerpt from Large Marge's lyrics:

"Although individuals who have begun to awake to freedom of cogitation, after having long unconsciously slumbered under the yoke of a belief (e.g. Protestants), do straightway deem themselves ennobled, in proportion to their articles of belief are scanty; yet, singularly enough, they whose understandings still lie dormant, cling to a very different principle of safety. “Better Believe Too Much Than Believe Too Little,” is here the adage; for whatever is done beyond and above what is duty, cannot in any event harm, but may perchance to good. Upon this delusive dream, which would make dishonesty the very spirit and soul of religious confession, is based on the well-known argumentum a tuto, which obtains a more easy and extended currency, because religion compensates for every fault, and hence also for dishonesty in adopting it. If, says the sciolist, what I profess to believe concerning the Godhead is correct, then I have precisely hit the very truth. Should, on the other hand, the articles contain an error, still, as there is nothing in them morally improper, then have I merely assented to something superfluous and unnecessary, by all which I have no doubt molested, but certainly not incriminated myself. The peril arising out of the improbity of his profession – The Lesson of Conscience-necessarily undergone, when what is declared in the presence of God to be certain, which mankind must nevertheless know not to be so constituted as to admit of being affirmed with unconditioned certainty, are all overlooked by this dishonest maxim, And Indeed Pass With The Hypocrite For Nothing. The genuine safety-principle of true religion is contrariwise as follows. Whatever is a mean or condition of future bliss, unknown to naked reason, and promulgated singly by revelation, can strike root in my conviction, just like any other history; and so far forth as it does not militate against morality, cannot be absolutely false. Besides leaving this point totally undecided, I may unquestionably trust, that whatever of salutary there may lie in a document, will stand me in good stead, provided I do not by my moral short-coming make myself unworthy of it. In this maxim, there is a real moral safety, viz. That conscience be not violated; and more cannot be demanded from mankind. There is, moreover, an utmost danger and insecurity in that lauded stratagem of expediency, whereby we think astutely to evade any disadvantageous sequents that may spring from unbelieving nonconformity. Thus tampering with either party, we destroy our credit with both."

"Vecna Lives" closes out the album. Here, as a conclusion, Large Marge chooses to emphasize the Confucius-Maoism disputes through the prism of both Kant and the nostalgic desires about the old German Democratic Republic. In the argument that Large Marge proposes, they choose to view the contradictions in the light of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's hypothesis, as quote by Large Marge:

"I place a profound belief—indeed a fervent faith—in the virtues of self reliance and personal independence. On these is founded the whole case for the free society, for the assertion that human progress is best achieved by offering the freest possible scope for the development of individual talents, qualified only by a respect for the qualities and the freedom of others...For many years there has been a subtle erosion of the essential virtues of the free society. Self-reliance has been sneered at as if it were an absurd suburban pretention. Thrift has been denigrated as if it were greed. The desire of parents to choose and to struggle for what they themselves regarded as the best possible education for their children has been scorned. I do not believe, in spite of all this, that the people of this country have abandoned their faith in the qualities and characteristics which made them a great people. Not a bit of it. We are still the same people. All that has happened is that we have temporarily lost confidence in our own strength. We have lost sight of the banners. The trumpets have given an uncertain sound. It is our duty, our purpose, to raise those banners high, so that all can see them, to sound the trumpets clearly and boldly so that all can hear them. Then we shall not have to convert people to our principles. They will simply rally to those which truly are their own.It is good to recall how our freedom has been gained in this country—not by great abstract campaigns but through the objections of ordinary men and women to having their money taken from them by the State. In the early days, people banded together and said to the then Government, “You shall not take our money before you have redressed our grievances. It was their money, their wealth, which was the source of their independence against the Government."

For a fuller appreciation of Large Marge we would like to direct to the following link:

largemargegrind.bandcamp.com/album/rotted-tower

Acracy (conclusion)

Acracy

Doorways to Destiny

April 5th, 2019

1.Liberation (Control Denied) 6:29

2.Aging Desires (9:35)

3.Book of Faces (9:26)

4.On My Own (6:09)

5.A Love Least Expected (9:25)

6.Come with Me (11:05)

This is the conclusion to the commentary on Acracy's debut album. The two previous parts are here.

metalbulletin.blogspot.com/2019/04/acracy_13.html

metalbulletin.blogspot.com/2019/04/acracy-continued.html

The other day I was listening to some big-name progressive album, but I got so bored. Do you know why progressive music can be so mind numbingly boring? Because so many bands refuse to rock. I feel like some musicians are so full of themselves or so “done with metal” that they just don’t want/know how to rock anymore. The playing may be fine, the singing good, the production excellent (if they have money and resources), the lyrics good, but there is no rocking music to be found. I can’t hang with that. If a band see themselves as “beyond rock and roll” and they really think that “metal is kind of stupid,” and this attitude comes across in the boring, colorless, midpaced plodding grooving, then I’m out. Hasta la vista, baby.

I mention this issue because someone (or someones) in Acracy seems to understand that they may be a progressive band, but this is a metal band, too. Hey, I do not want to hear a band croon like some sort of tortured-soul intellectual Michael Bublé for 93 minutes. What on Earth are those drums for, then? Why do you need that electric guitar distortion for, really? Are you trying to do philosophy with songs? That’s not possible. If you want to write a treatise on philosophy, then you should write an actual treatise on philosophy.

If Rush, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Opeth, Queensrÿche, Enslaved or Whitechapel, Rivers of Nihil, Job for a Cowboy, Devin Townsend, and even Evergrey (on a couple of occasions!) and so many other bands have figured out how to rock and be progressive, then it is possible to do it. Or, a band can cry and moan like Pain of Salvation for 186 minutes or choose to make music-for-musicians and be nerds like Dream Theater. I cannot and will not listen to grown people cry in their music for 289 minutes (or however long albums are these days). Well, you can do a bit of crying in the rain in the still of the night. We all understand that the sun is shining, but it’s raining in your heart, but don’t cry the whole time. Patience has its limits, people. I already have about a dozen crying children who go around having meltdowns and crying about spilled milk all day long. I don’t need my music to be annoying like that, too.

Acracy seems to understand all of this perfectly well. Check out the last two songs on this album. Both are on the longer side of things, both have plenty of good musicianship on display, and if you read the lyrics you’ll see that this is most likely based on the difficulties of finding a soulmate. Emotionally, there are some low, painful moments that are expressed in the music, but this is not cry-in-my-beer music. There are sad moments, this is progressive, but this is rocking metal, too.

“A Love Least Expected” takes the listener through the high and lows, but the lows are not the main part of the song; and we get plenty of guitar-and-rhythm-section action, and the singing is no sob-story vibe, either. “Come with Me” begins as a ballad for the first few minutes, then it lays down the transition towards changes of pace. This is probably the most laidback song on the album, serving as the last piece of the puzzle. Once a listener becomes more familiar with this last track, it is a dynamic song with distinctly different segments (a groove section, an uptempo part, a solo, so on and so forth). In conclusion, the album as a work offers a variety of moods with solid, experienced instrumentation and with an abundance of melodies to keep the audience coming back for more. The discography of Acracy has begun well. Looking forward to more chapters.

facebook.com/acracymusic/