Suffering so you don't have to!
Part three of the endless search for albums we missed. This is a bit of a mixed bag. We have huge omissions, but also some underground darlings that we couldn’t let pass—regardless of our excuses (usually staff shortages). I’m thinking about opening a review factory in some country with no workers’ rights, of course! So watch out, USA—here we come! But I digress. Let’s continue our dive into some albums worth remembering.
As we approach the end of the year, it’s almost time to annihilate whatever remains in the filter, so we can start the new year full of promises and dreams completely out of touch with reality. However, before I do that, there’s still some time to explore what the underground has left to offer this year. In this case, we return to this blog’s guilty pleasure: Death/Doom. Harkane‘s Argo claims to be inspired by The Argonautica, the most boring-interesting Greek epic I’ve ever read. Let’s hope it delivers more action!
SonikGoat
I discovered Nepenthe shortly after writing my review of its labelmates, QAALM, and its mighty offering, A Grave Impression of an Unbroken Arc, under Hypaethral Records. Having found in that album an excellent blend of styles, the description of this Ontario-based band was enough to pique my interest. Would they manage to incorporate these diverse styles into a cohesive blend of their own?
Monolithe has the honor (or disgrace, depending on how you look at it) of having two 5.0/5.0 albums in my book: Monolithe II and Monolithe III. Both are masterclasses in Funeral Doom. However, those days of ultra Doom are long gone, and now Monolithe has evolved to such an alienating degree that it feels almost unrecognizable. Yet, it’s still the band in Doom Metal that makes my blood flow the most, reminding me how infinitely insignificant our existence is in the vastness of the cosmos. You might not love every risky step it takes, but I find it refreshing that, despite working within such a focused framework, Monolithe always manages to surprise me. Will Black Hole District be the same?
Pegah
The French Melodic Death/Doom Metal band Lying Figures returns after a long hiatus with its new album, Inheritance. This time, Frédéric Simon (vocals & bass) and Matthieu Burgaud (guitars) guide us on a profound introspective journey, confronting emotions long buried or ignored. The album delves into deeply personal themes, exploring self-alienation, frustration, inner conflict, despair, and disorientation. These ideas are mirrored in the album cover, which portrays a dark, abandoned cityscape devoid of light, teetering on the brink of collapse. The inverted city hints at duality and the tension between mind and body, as well as a fractured sense of reality. The dominant red tones evoke intense emotions such as self-expression, aggression, and resilience, while birds and barren branches in the corners suggest life fleeing this desolate scene.
Alright, my beloved readers (I’m in a good mood, so you get some love for once), it’s time to dig into the depths of the underground and dish out the love—or hate—these submissions deserve. You know the drill: some of these bands are working with the production value of a 2009 smartphone short film, but who cares? We’re here for what’s true and kvlt, not for petty concerns like beauty, right? Let’s get this firing squad ready!
Pegah
“Suppose that pleasure and pain are so intertwined that whoever wants as much as possible of the one must also have as much as possible of the other – that whoever wants to know ‘rejoicing to heaven’ must be prepared for ‘grieving onto death’ as well?“
― Friedrich Nietzsche
SonikGoat
Extreme Metal, in all its guises, seems to oscillate between two states: on one hand, the worship of the comfortingly familiar—usually through the repetitive perfection of rigid forms; on the other, the “outer limits” of Metal serve as a home to a ceaseless churning of these forms. 2024 has seen several excellent releases that together confirm that for every clutch of bands setting out to achieve perfection in older styles, there are those striving to take Metal in new, sometimes startling directions. Thus, we have Blood Incantation fusing ripping Death with the rich analog sounds of seventies Prog Rock and synth; Ingurgitating Oblivion pushing the envelope of avant-garde composition and technicality; or Iotunn fearlessly combining Prog innovation with Heavy Metal passion.
Pegah
Sometimes, carrying on, just carrying on, is the superhuman achievement.
― Albert Camus
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!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 