Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
It’s been a while since we’ve had something more Thrash Metal. You know, an album mostly focused on speed that feels like a knife fight. Temple of Dread is bringing us somewhere well-balanced Death and Thrash that should make you feel like the tectonic wave is back and well—not just Kreator. Anyway, Deadspawn Dominion has a cool name, but is it cool Metal? Stay put, and maybe you’ll find out.
Metalcatto
For some strange reason, I jumped into this album thinking that it would be another retro-Death take with crunchy distortion and grey riffs. Turns out Ceremonial Worship had other plans for our sorrowful lives. Between Sleep and Death is rancid and underground, for sure. You’re traveling back to the 90s, but maybe the result is something that will make you feel hope in Metal again. Or probably not. But hey, keep reading.
Metalcatto
Rarely has a band had a more fitting name than Emptiness. It’s hard to define whatever is going on in Nowhere Speaks, but what I can tell you is that “depressive” is the lightest way to put it. Is this Industrial Goth? Like, I’m edgy but live in an Industrial wasteland? Hard to tell. But if you’re into strange imagery, you should keep reading, because this is only going to get weirder as we descend into absolute despair. That sounded awesome, right?
Metalcatto
As you know, we almost never cover EPs, but today we’re talking about Scald. Probably the most important Doom Metal band from the land of cheap booze and great writers—I wonder if those two are connected. Scald already had a comeback that made me fanboy around, but could Relics have a similar effect? Can it keep changing a formula so old yet so effective? Yes? I’m kind of excited. Deal with it.
Metalcatto
You know what we don’t cover much around here? Traditional Proggy albums. It’s just not something many bands can do better than Dream Theater. However, North Sea Echoes‘ How to Cast a Shadow isn’t exactly a Prog album. It has a lot of the aesthetics, but it simplifies many things. There’s way less instrumental wanking here. I know that might let you down, but how about the other elements? Are they good? Let’s see.
Thechopstickdrummer
Fogos seems like an unpretentious black metal band at first sight. At second, third, and any other sight after, the Catalonian kvlters remain unadorned in their style. This isn’t a negative—sometimes black metal is done best simplistically. Whether that applies to the band’s second record, Of Wyrm And Men, is something to be determined by a plethora of factors, most imperatively, if the music is, uhh, good?
Metalcatto
Fuming Mouth is quite a name for a band—I’ll give them that. However, that doesn’t mean things are going to convince me right away. Looking at Fuming Mouth‘s artwork, you might think this is either a hipster retro-Rock album or some Gothic melodramatic journey. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth, because this thing moves in areas and greys that don’t seem to fall into any obvious category. It’s interesting, I guess. Right?
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.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 