Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
With an album named The Arsonist, you’d expect Wailin Storms to blast this place out of existence. Yet what I found was a strange concoction of Heavy Metal, Gothic Rock, and Blues. I don’t quite know how to label it—it sounds almost rural to my city ears. But this band comes from Season of Mist, and we all know they only sign bands that are marketable… I mean, excellent! So with that in mind, let’s dive into this thing with as much optimism as possible.
Thechopstickdrummer
I’m a Star Wars guy, not a Doctor Who guy. If you were to order me to name ten characters from Doctor Who, I’d say TARDIS, Captain Kirk, Superman, and the Pillsbury Doughboy. I’m joking, I’m joking. I do know, however, of the “Weeping Angels,” a race of Doctor Who aliens that appear as statues and move to send victims into the past when unobserved. Pretty terrifying, if you ask me. Weeping angels also appear in real life, mostly on gravestones to symbolize grief and mourning. Whether New York’s Weeping Angel drew their eponymous title from TV or a graveyard isn’t clear; what is clear is their progressive metalcore tendencies and the release of their newest album.
Metalcatto
How would you call a band that has folk sounds straight out of Scotland, sings in Italian, and riffs like a German Post-Metal band? Well, Duir seems to be the name, and Catarsi caught me off guard for once in my life. I’m not saying get excited yet, but you’d be right to believe that the artwork promises something interesting. And sure, this album is interesting—but is it good? The tracks are long and the mood is depressing, so is it going to get drony? Let’s find out.
Metalcatto
We keep approaching the top. As with any Cult of Luna album, that means a huge amount of drama, tension, and long sections. You’ll probably disagree with me, but isn’t that the whole point?
Thechopstickdrummer
Coprolith is the scientific name for fossilized feces. Lovely. Their newest record’s album cover depicts a horrid amalgamation of humans where one man’s snot is another’s cerebral vein. Lovely. Everything about this Canadian band is just lovely. If my sarcastic tone isn’t potent enough for you, I’ll just scrap it entirely: Death Metal isn’t supposed to be lovely, and I expect nothing but gore-drenched horror from Coprolith and their debut album Putrescence. If the package this gore’s delivered in is nicely handled, I’m leaving a five-star rating for the delivery men. If there’s even one tiny dent, they can hear my critical wrath. That was also sarcasm.
Metalcatto
I’ve been waiting forever to do this. Cult of Luna is without a doubt my favorite Post-Metal band. It’s like Neurosis but with better vocals and less abuse. So that’s good for you people who care about morals and stuff. I should also mention this top will include the band’s collaboration with Julie Christmas. I hope you can live with that. Anyway, let’s start.
Metalcatto
Look. It’s Icelandic Black Metal from Germany (you read that right). AAAAHHH. Now that I’ve calmed down, I can say that Fyrnask is exactly what I mentioned before: a band from the school of endless cold caves and godless volcano eruptions, but most of all, ridiculously long tracks. However, you’re not here to know all this—you already know. You’re here to find out if Íosir will defy your patience or help you travel to a darker time.
Thechopstickdrummer
INSURRECTUM is a one-man project manned by the Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist Anatoliy Bliashuk, delivering an eclectic hodgepodge of progressive, symphonic, and Blackened Death Metal in its debut record, The Last Battle. Now I don’t want to be overly judgmental, but the abundance of AI-generated artwork–graciously excluding the official LP’s cover–doesn’t make for a suitable first impression. It’s a sign of laziness, a lack of creative drive. On the contrary, Anatoliy’s fifty-two-minute epic is brimming with ideas. In fact, The Last Battle is two different albums: there’s one in English (the edition provided for universal coverage), and another in Ukrainian. They’re musically distinct, with only the lyrical translations and core themes remaining mutual. This choice illustrates the tenacity behind INSURRECTUM’s ideas, but whether they’re as good as their covers is to be determined.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 