October 2024 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Barren – The Hanged Man

Pegah

Sometimes, carrying on, just carrying on, is the superhuman achievement.
― Albert Camus

It’s time to fire up the time machine and travel back to the least glorious decade of humanity: the ’80s. At MER, we understand that nostalgia fuels today’s economy, and Massacre knows this well, too. Necrolution is clearly intended as a tribute to the early days of Death Metal, but with a level of production that some of us, at least, can appreciate. It’s a delicate balance, giving these Florida veterans the respect they deserve while keeping this review honest—but I’ll do my best not to retch too much at the ’80s.

Halloween releases: Kvelstimer & Mythbegotten

Halloween is almost here, and for all those into Metal, that means it’s time to celebrate. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Iowa or Ulaanbaatar. If there’s an excuse for a Metalhead to dress up and indulge in melodramatic obsessions with the obscure and occult, they’ll take it. So, today, we’re diving into two releases coming out this October 31st. Let’s see if they fit the vibe—but let’s be real, you’re always in the mood for something decadent and evil, aren’t you? I thought so.

Paganizer – Flesh Requiem

Here we go again! Another Old School Swedish Death Metal album. Yay… Oh, you can’t feel my excitement? Maybe that’s because we review a few of these each month in our True Kvlt section. However, Paganizer isn’t just another knockoff of Entombed or Dissection. This band means business and has been delivering solid albums for years. Flesh Requiem has the challenging task of offering something new from a band that values consistency above all else. Personally, I’m curious to see if Paganizer manages to break the Old School mold this time.

One With the Riverbed – Succumb

SonikGoat

If Kalamazoo, Michigan, conjures the exoticism implied in the phrase “from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo”, then a band name like that of Kalamazoo natives One With The Riverbed immediately signaled to this writer an expectation for something rooted in the ever-growing Post-Metal genre. My mind went straight to ArcTanGent—that stellar UK festival that curates the best of Post-Metal and Post-Rock. Would Succumb merit the attention of the ATG scouts, a surefire marker of rising prominence for any young band?

EP madness part 3: Enforced & Dragoncorpse

Continuing the barrage of releases this week, we had to consider some upcoming EPs, too. It wasn’t easy to decide, but the sting of regret made me hold onto these two rather than let them fade into oblivion. I gave them a spin or two, or three, and good thing I did—things went from weird to interesting pretty fast. Here are two EPs that might just bring a bit of color back to your bleak life.

Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean

This has been an intense release week, with both veteran and emerging bands hitting us with nearly unchecked energy. But my attention was elsewhere. Schammasch presents an intriguing proposition, to say the least. With an unusual blend of Prog, Death, Gothic, and a hint of refined snobbery, The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean promises the kind of elevated experience I’ve been craving all week—or it might just crash into a spectacular dumpster fire. Fingers crossed!

IXION – Evolution

Alright, Metalcatto is back, and despite all my fellow reviewers covering this week’s epic releases (because deep down, I’m a generous bastard), I wanted to give something outside our usual comfort zone a chance. Have you ever heard of atmospheric, electronic Doom? I hadn’t either, which is why IXION’s Evolution grabbed my attention immediately. I knew the chances of me loving it were low, but you know what? Sometimes I get fed up with the “brahh… brahh… blastbeat, blastbeat, brahh brahhh,” and the French usually defy expectations. So, let’s go!

Ataraxie – Le Décline

Pegah

Le Déclin (meaning The Fall) is the sixth full-length album by the French Funeral Doom Metal band Ataraxie. However, its style isn’t confined to Doom Metal’s subgenres, as some tracks can be categorized as Progressive Death Metal. The first time I listened to Ataraxie, I was thrilled by the sudden changes in rhythms—shifting from calm, low-tempo, Doom-like rhythms to high-speed, Death-like blasts. Specifically, as a Funeral Doom Metal fan, you’ll be surprised by how, in the blink of an eye, they pull you out of the dreary, depressive atmosphere and thrust you into the cruel world, forcing you to face reality.

Iotunn – Kinship

Stargazer scholar

Some bands deserve more than a simple review. Some albums deserve an elegy. It is well-nigh impossible to give a verbal description to the whirling tangle of emotions they evoke, but this is why music exists in the first place – to channel sentiments that evade other mediums of expression. In a hopeless attempt to perceive the divine machinery of art, we can only aspire to arouse curiosity in others with the humble means at our disposal. And it is with this hope that I bid you welcome to the world of Iotunn‘s Kinship.

Month: October 2024