Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
Yes, we actually got an OG promo for once. If you don’t know who Taake is, well, it’s time you go back to his first three albums or so. They’re Black Metal landmarks—some of them even a 5/5 in my book. However, it’s been forever since Taake didn’t bore me to death, and En Skog Av Nidstang has to beat my overwhelming negative bias. Will a miracle happen?
Metalcatto
It’s not that I’m a Protest The Hero expert, but I’ve been a fan since Kezia. That means I’m OG, and my opinion matters more than some noob’s, right? Anyway, I don’t think the band has an album below a 4.0 out of 5.0. Its blend of Prog, Mathcore, and Metalcore has made this project one of the most unique out there. Not to mention the almost optimistic feeling in each one of its releases, no matter how dark the subject actually is. So how do you top such an impeccable career? Let’s find out with Within.
Metalcatto
I know what you’re asking, but you’re too afraid to make a fool of yourself, so I’ll make it for you: Is Complexant complex? Is Apex actually peak, or as many times before, are these just meaningless words? I had no expectations of anything but getting bashed with violent riffs and endless blasting. But perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I’m about to be surprised and get destroyed in new, beautiful ways. Let’s see.
Metalcatto
I love how we went from not hearing anything from Green Carnation in more than a decade to getting two albums in one year. The Metalsphere can be really unpredictable. We already reviewed Part I and Part II, and though I wasn’t as blown away as many other reviewers, I’m still excited to review A Dark Poem Part III: The Messiah Complex. Is this going to be the epic next step in the trilogy, or am I going to fall asleep? Whatever happens, this can’t top Light of Day, Day of Darkness, right?
Thechopstickdrummer
Sixth grade was fun. Yes, the year situated itself right in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but hell, at least we learned about the ancient Egyptians! Both historians and metalheads share a mutual infatuation with past civilizations, as reflected in the metal community by strong devotees–Nile, South Carolina’s best output since sweet tea, and Polish mainstay NEOLITH, come to mind first. Since 1991, the latter has been eviscerating, desiccating, and wrapping the people of Poland and beyond in linen with a classic combination of death and black metal. Inbir, meaning “war” in Sumerian (widening their scope of ancient societies, I see), is the band’s sixth installment of this threatening sound, so I’d better get listening and lamenting about its potential shortcomings before I’m ḫȝtb*
Metalcatto
We’ve got an OG of the ultra-underground section today. It’s Die Entweihung with a new album named World Wide Terror. That’s not news here—the project releases something basically every year, so I know what to expect: old school Amorphis worship with a touch of Folk Metal that can remind you a tiny bit of Orphaned Land, except the production is rawer than a sushi roll. But is it as tasty? Let’s see.
Metalcatto
What does this band have against carpenters? It’s a noble job. Hell, I’d like to be good at woodworking—you can actually make money out of it, not like writing… Anyway, Between Blood and Silence is supposed to uppercut us to the stratosphere, but you know the problem with ultra-heavy albums: they can numb you harder than the news. Let’s enter this slaughterhouse.
Metalcatto
Another Willowtip album? Are we getting bribed? Unfortunately, that’s not the case yet. We just think that when a Brutal and Tech Death Metal band like Vulgar Mephitis drops an album named From Dust, we need to pay a lot of attention. This hasn’t been the best year for ultra-extreme bands so far, but not all hope is lost. We can still hope to get our faces properly melted again. Yay.
Thechopstickdrummer
Israeli Ethno-Prog ensemble SUBMASQ (previously Subterranean Masquerade) joins the slew of masked bands. We’ve all come across S***p T***n, Korn, and Ghost, but have any of them donned the intriguing creation that vocalist Vivi Dolev wears on the album art (Yalon Schori, Shay Darvish)? I figured as much. For their debut on Willowtip Records, SUBMASQ taps deeper into their traditional and progressive minds to bring forth Spirit Animal, their fifth full-length record. Fit with a diverse instrumental session crew and a regained sense of imagination (the band released a short EP this February with a contemptible AI-generated cover), SUBMASQ is already impressing cranky ol’ me. Can they keep it up?
Metal Eclipse Reviews 