USA – Page 11 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Druparia – The River Above

It’s that time of the year when everyone in our deranged community swallows a pack of stimulants and tries to assemble an end-of-year list. Because why not? Why not put yourself through this absurd stress right when you’re (hopefully) on holiday? Anyway, in another attempt to procrastinate this thankless task, I’m reviewing Druparia’s The River Above. I’m feeling generous, and a unsigned band releasing a debut at the end of the year feels fitting for the season. Let’s go—I have a Christmas dinner to eat!

Marilyn Manson – One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1

Ok, sigh, here we go. You guys voted for this in our Instagram poll, so I wash my hands of it! Saying that Marilyn Manson is a controversial figure is like saying Burger King sells burgers. So when I received the promo, my reaction was, “Oh no! What do I do now?” I asked the people—that’s what I did. I also want to state that if MM is guilty of even half of what he’s been accused of, that’s more than enough reason for me to not enjoy anything he’s produced. However, I’m a professional, and in One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1, I’ll do my best to separate the art from the artist.

Veilburner – The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom

SonikGoat

Mephisto Deleterio and Chrisom Infernom follow up 2022’s VLBRNR with their seventh and arguably most potent conjuring yet—and their fourth album on India’s Transcending Obscurity. For those not yet initiated into the Pennsylvania-based act’s particular cult of audial occultism, this is as good a place to begin as any. For those who have followed their earlier work, this album (The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom) delves further into the peculiar dimension I’ll dub the Veilburnerverse.

Thunraz – Incineration Day

You look at that name, you look at that art, you even look at the few band members, and you know that Thunraz’s Incineration Day isn’t going to be an easy ride. It’s not going to be chill or fun. This looks like a trip straight into hell—everything unholy and obscene. But am I exaggerating? Am I falling for the solid marketing job by its creators? In a year brimming with complex and impressive Disso-Death, Thunraz will need something truly distinctive to stand out among the heavyweights. Enough talk—let’s dive in!

As I Lay Dying – Through Storms Ahead

It’s time to travel back to more angsty times—and less angry ones. It’s the late 2000s, the peak of Metalcore. The world is about to be hit with a recession so devastating that we collectively decided any pack of imbeciles could run nations just as well. Oh, sorry! Did I say something controversial? Is it any more controversial than the drama surrounding As I Lay Dying and its new album Through Storms Ahead? I don’t think so! But, like any wannabe professional, I’m going to refrain from edgy commentary and focus on the music. Shall we?

Molder – Catastrophic Reconfiguration

SonikGoat

What’s to be done with a corpse, you may ask? To most, a corpse is just a swiftly decaying pile of blood and guts—a mess, an inconvenience. Sure, you could burn it or dispose of it, but it will cost you time and effort. Wouldn’t it be more useful to repurpose it somehow? Let Molder show you the way. The band knows how to take a cadaver, reanimate it, imbue it with an undead will, and let it thrash around for 30 minutes or so. A most excellent and entertaining use for a heap of remains, wouldn’t you agree?

Witnesses – Joy

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

Oriska – Oriska

In the sea of heavy releases we have this autumn, sometimes I feel like giving a chance to the little guy. It’s not the first time we do it, Oriska isn’t new here, it’s a True kvlt darling, but there was something else about Oriska‘s self-titled album that drew me into the bleak, crushing depths of its Post-Metal, where soundscapes feel as cold and isolating as missing the last train at midnight in the dead of winter. If you don’t relate—lucky you. But let me share my thoughts on Oriska anyway!

QAALM – Grave Impressions Of An Unbroken Arc

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.

Sleepless – Through Endless Black

Stargazer Scholar

Let’s face it, genre debates have become as much a staple of Heavy Metal culture as battle vests and band t-shirts. Is it Thrash or Death? Is this record more Technical than it is Brutal? And if it happens to be Black, is it more Melodic or Atmospheric? Oh, and most importantly—ubiquitously, inescapably—tell me: is it, by chance, Prog?