PALMS - 'Palms' (Review)

Ipecac Records – 2013

What happens when you take three members of the now defunkt 'ISIS', and throw in Chino from Deftones? 'Palms' happens.

There was a buzz around this project as soon as the news broke not long after 'Isis' split in 2010. However there had been a long wait for even a glimmer of material until recently, when the single 'Patagonia' was shared with the world. Interestingly this song sounds more much like Deftones with a hint of Isis, rather than the other way round. The rest of the album however, sounds very much ¾ Isis with ¼ Deftones.... either way who cares about ratios, this album is brilliant.

'Palms' manages to be somehow beautiful yet devastating all in the same breath, even more so than the two aforementioned bands, that have slowly cultivated this sound over the last 20 or so years. 'But how can a band sound tranquil and yet crushing at the same time? How is that possible??'' - just shut up, listen to this and find out.

Album opener 'Future Warrior' is a belter; if you don't like this song straight away then you almost certainly won't get Palms, and it's probably best to stop listening. [...salesmanship.]

On first listen this was my favourite track on the album. It's exactly the sound you would expect to hear from the collective minds of Aaron Harris, Clifford Meyer, Jeff Caxide and Chino Moreno.. basically pure bliss!

'Patagonia' follows and we then arrive at track 3, Mission Sunset [listen below]. This one really encapsulates the whole album for me and I know I will still be playing it in the car months from now. Chino's voice is as great as ever and the vocal melodies really work well with the music, on all of these songs in fact. And you already know what to expect from the members of Isis. I suppose if this sounds like any of their albums, it is Panopticon. But that still doesn't give you an idea of what to really expect here, you need to chill out and listen with some decent headphones and find out for yourself.

The riff at the end of Mission Sunset comes from nowhere, and before you've really had a chance to comprehend the brilliance of it, it comes to an end and we're into 'Shortwave Radio', which follows on really well. Definitely one of the growers on the album, seemingly slightly aimless and boring to begin with, but then reveals itself. The bass and drumming are both really tight on this track and they carry it well, before winding down into 'Tropics' which I have to admit is the song that speaks to me the least overall. It's very ambient but besides the section towards the end I don't really find it that beautiful compared to other moments on the album.

'Antarctic Handshake' is the final track, and perhaps the strongest track on the album. Like 'Mission Sunset' it clocks in at almost ten minutes, but passes in no time at all. You can really get lost in the outro, which is so perfect an end to the album it almost makes you want to applaud like you'd just seen it live [which will hopefully be announced for later in the year; we will keep you updated]

'PALMS' is as good as I hoped it would be, and will get better with more listens. If you are a fan of Isis or Deftones, you don't need me to tell you to buy this. If you are not a fan of Isis or Deftones, this is still well worth a listen as it manages to find a more accessible space in between that feels like uncharted ground. Oh and also, Mike Patton himself co-founded Ipecac records, so if this has his blessing, then you know it's top qual.

**** 1/2  - Scotty

1. Future Warrior (7:56)
2. Patagonia (6:41)
3. Mission Sunset (9:58)
4. Shortwave Radio (6:57)
5. Tropics (5:44)
6. Antarctic Handshake (9:42)

(Highlights: Future Warrior / Mission Sunset / Antarctic Handshake)

Mission Sunset:

- Scotty

TBFM

The Ocean - PELAGIAL (Review)

ARTIST:  The Ocean

ALBUM:  Pelagial

LABEL:   Metalblade Records
RELEASE:  Monday 29th April 2013 (UK)

Loic Rosetti - Vocals

Jonathan Nido - Guitar

Robin Staps - Guitar

Luc Hess - Drums

Louis Jucker - Bass

Here we have the seventh full offering from German post/progressive metal band The Ocean, who have resurfaced (sorry) after completing 2 years of extensive touring across the US and Europe. They decided to return to Berlin to work on Pelagial, and having retained the same lineup for the last 3 albums, you can hear their progression as a unit now; the band have never sounded tighter or more focused.

Pelagial is a proper concept album; a 53-minute continuous piece that traverses the five pelagic depth zones of the ocean (Epipelagic, Mesopelagic, Bathyalpelagic, Abyssopelagic, and Hadopelagic) - starting at the surface and descending deeper and darker into chaos. This is heard in everything on the album, as the light guitar tone and riffage of the first few tracks gives way to a sludgier doom-metal sound, with the production transitioning from lighter and crunchier to deeper and more sinister, giving the impression of suffocation under the heightened water pressure. Resisting as many puns as possible in this review, one word that simply must be used to describe the album is 'deep'. You really do feel like you are journeying down as the album progresses, and by the time you reach the Hadopelagic zone it is hard not to feel submersed.

In the vein of many other concept albums, there are certain passages that you will hear again and again throughout the 53 or so minutes, which I personally love. There is brilliant riff after brilliant riff, and that's a good sign at an early stage with the type of album that rewards you more and more after repeated listenings due to it's complex nature and layered production. 

Beginning with 'Epipelagic' which is a beautiful piano piece that introduces us to the surface, we can close our eyes and feel the transition from one song to another, without necessarily knowing where each track finishes and the next begins. This is an album which really does flow effortlessly, unlike some in the past that have simply felt too jagged and contrived to really be considered as one continuous piece. The 'Bathyalpelagic' zone is where the metal really begins, and where we hear the band's familiar sound. Originally meant to be an instrumental album, in the end the band decided to use Loic Rosetti's vocals after he conquered health problems that initially kept him from being considered. Guitarist Jonathan Nido said ''Loic is the frontman of this band and we all felt that Ocean and this album needed him, and although we were quite used to the instrumentals I'm glad we decided to record vocals in the end, because it really adds a new dimension to the album that was not there before.''

Pelagial will arrive with two discs, with the second simply offering the original intrumental version of the album. As much as Rosetti is an accomplished singer, I felt that I enjoyed the album more and was able to better realise the scope of the sound without his vocals. Clean singing makes several appearances on this album and that may not go down too well with hardcore fans of the more metal side of the band. However I must state that The Ocean have always been a metal band and this is most definitely a 'metal' album. As Pelagial journeys deeper we hear a crushing post-metal tone that bands like Neurosis and Cult of Luna have been perfecting for years. You can also hear bands like Opeth and Mastodon during the Bathyalpelagic section whilst the band still retain their own sound. 

This band do not make bad albums, and Pelagial is  probably most coherent album to date, and arguably their best (too early to tell if it's a 'Precambrian' beater!) 

It deserves to be a candidate for metal album of 2013 and I hope to see its name mentioned in 8 months time.

4.5 *

- Scotty

Check out ''Bathyalpelagic Part II:'' here:

1.   Epipelagic

2.   Mesopelagic:  Into the Uncanny

3.   Bathyalpelagic I:  Impasses

4.   Bathyalpelagic II:  The Wish in Dreams

5.   Bathyalpelagic III:  Disequillibrated

6.   Abyssopelagic I:  Boundless Vasts

7.   Abyssopelagic II:  Signals of Anxiety

8.   Hadopelagic I:  Omen of the Deep

9.   Hadopelagic II:  Let them Believe

10.  Demersal: Cognitive Dissonance

11.  Benthic:  The Origin of our Wishes

REVIEW: Cult of Luna's 'VERTIKAL'

[2013 - Indie Recordings]

So 5 years have elapsed since Cult of Luna were writing and recording Eternal Kingdom, and now they have returned to the studio to dish out another 60 or so minutes of cathartic goodness. Time to reinvent the wheel, or play safe.?

   'Vertikal' manages to carve out a new direction for the band in style and production, and yet retain their unmistakable brand of crushing post-metal... and it all comes off as effortless and natural as usual. Did we expect anything less?

The dystopian imagery and art that they have surrounded themselves with and cited as inspiration for the album is apparent after just a few seconds of 'The One', which brings to mind the brilliantly ominous intro 'Inside Fort Meade' from 2003's 'The Beyond'. [A decade ago already?]

Dark synths then give way to a brutal and familiar wall of distortion and anger, which leads into 'I: The Weapon', one of the strongest and instantly catchy tracks on the album, a true headbanger. We then again explore slightly new territory in sprawling 19 minute opus 'Vicarious Redemption', which does not outstay its welcome nor sound forced. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today, I can imagine him enjoying the suspense here! Arguably the focal centrepoint of the record and also perhaps one of the finest songs they have ever written. A voyage..

There is time to catch your breath during interlude 'The Sweep', which comes and goes without offering much other than cementing the dark cold and sci-fi atmosphere. The sounds of repetition and fear continue through the track 'Synchronicity', which carries a quite brilliant riff for seven minutes through subtle variations. The second half of this song in particular is a personal highlight: trademark chugging guitar riffage over careful and precise drumming, which is easily one of the catchiest sections of music they have written. The album continues going from strength to strength with 'Mute Departure' which is a lesson in dynamics. The stark theme of Vertikal perhaps calls for less moments of beauty than previous releases (particularly masterpiece 'Salvation') so it is most welcome here.

'Disharmonia' is a challenging and unsettling interlude that breaks up the second half of the record before 'In Awe Of' again demonstrates why this band are now deserving of their legendary status amongst underground metal fans. The album then draws to a close with 'Passing Through' which will wind you down and help you to come to terms with what you have just listened to.

It is too early to tell for sure whether this will stand up to their finest hour of 'Salvation', or indeed the incredible 'The Beyond', 'Eternal Kingdom' or 'Somewhere Along the Highway'.. but one thing is immediately clear. They have done it again. An agonising 5 year wait now seems completely worth it somehow. Thanks again CoL for showing everyone how it's done. See you in Wolverhampton.

95/100

- SCOTT

FOR FANS OF: Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Amenra

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS: 'I: The Weapon', 'Vicarious Redemption', Synchronicity', 'Mute Departure'

Check out 'I: The Weapon' here;

Tomorrow's Show ! Back to the post-melodic-blackened-grind!

REVIEW: DUO OF RELEASES FROM SOUTHERN LORD: WARTORN & KROMOSOM

A duo of releases from American label Southern Lord released on Monday  -

Name: Iconic Nightmare

Artist: Wartorn

Label: Southern Lord

Date: 21^st January

Wisconsin’s WARTORN feature members of Dresden, Remission, and Words that burn. They have had several releases before ‘Iconic Nightmare’ but it is this LP that really brings them into the limelight.
This is political blackened crust punk with a message that is actually audible to some extent. The production is clean enough to hear what is going on musically, and just about dirty enough to satisfy our very own CRUSTY FOX (a mammalian character on the FRIDAY FRENZY). There is much variation within this record, ranging from the all-out vicious riffing of the title-track-come-opener ‘Iconic Nightmare’, to the  post-rock elements of ‘Betrayal’.
The album provides the listener with some great epic vibes reminiscent of CONVERGE, on tracks such as ‘Knee deep in blood’ and ‘Six Feet Under’. Oh and it’s got guitar solos too! Great!

Iconic Nightmare has kept me entertained on several listens to far, and I've no intention of putting it down yet!

74/100

Name: Live Forever

Artist: Kromosom

Label: Southern Lord

Date: 21^st January

Now.. for those of you with a more hardened crusty ear-hole, KROMOSOM are the remains of the legendary PISSCHRIST. 'Live Forever' is a compilation of releases, containing all the material previously available on vinyl from the band, so it features many different mixes and recording sessions, but all are “mastered for maximum pandemonium” by Jack Control.

This release is so damn crusty its making my media player lock up! Those excepting to hear what is going on musically will not find solitude in this release, the production is harsh, unforgiving and frankly putrid. Which is awesome!

Stand out tracks include ‘Sentenced to life’, ‘Living dead’, ‘Paranoid’, and the more classically punky ‘Swine control’.

Occasionally, abrasive sound effects peep through the mix, although I’m not sure if these are generated live or in the mixing stage, and songs are mastered so that they flow into each other really well.
Defiantly one for the veterans.

72/100

REVIEW: BLOCKHEADS' 'THE WORLD IS DEAD'

Name: The World Is Dead

Artist: Blockheads

Label: Relapse

Released: 22^nd January

French grind-core act BLOCKHEADS return with a ferocious, political, and violent LP.
Songs are short in true grind-core fashion; with none of them clocking in at over 3 minutes, with the exception of the final track, an unusually placed slow tempo 7 min doom song.

BLOCKHEADS have supported NAPALM DEATH in the past (as well as ENTOMBED, CARCASS, OBITUARY, & more), and the NAPALM influence shines through. The sound leans toward death metal more than hardcore, with relentless blast-beating included, if the vocals were set at a lower pitch and the production more polished, this could pass off as American death metal at times.

Stand out tracks include ‘Awaken’ , ‘Deindividualized’ and title track ‘ The world is dead’. Some tracks take a more interesting turn and have a epic an majestic atmosphere mixed with an unrelenting hardcore assault, such as ‘Be a thorn to power’, blackened crust track, ‘To the dogs’, and ‘Pro-lifers’ (for which a video is available online below). Aforementioned album finisher; ‘Trail of dead’ is a crushing 7 minute epic, a great way to finish off the LP.

The production on the album is original, and certainly not mainstream, it has a great atmosphere, but some of the tracks could have been dropped without the album loosing its integrity, it could even have been split into two releases.

69/100

Lyric Video to 'Pro-Lifers' Available Here:

SV

REVIEW: DEVOURMENT'S 'CONCEIVED IN SEWAGE'

Name: Conceived in sewage

Artist: Devourment

Label: Relapse

Released: 19th Feburary

Texan Metaller’s DEVOURMENT play a style of slamming death metal for fans of low guttural vocals and breakdown driven riffs. Produced by Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan, ‘Conceived in sewage’ provides the listener with a heavy as fuck, well presented, powerful attack, akin to a sledgehammer hitting a bovine corpse repeatedly.

Although I’m not personally a fan of this type of death metal, DVOURMENT are possibly one of the better bands in their niche, but the lack of solo’s or technical guitar-work is disappointing, and the album could have easily been half as long, I became reasonably bored after 5 tracks.

To be fair to DEVOURMENT, the gruesome cover artwork certainly doesn't leave much to the imagination, and the consumer will certainly be able to make a quick judgement on whether it is their cup of tea.

Some of the better tracks are ‘today we die, tomorrow we kill’, ‘Fifty ton war machine’ and title track ‘Conceived in sewage’.

Brutal, savage, abhorrent, and vile, this album is not eloquent or beautiful. It’s disgusting, but I’m pretty sure that’s how DEVOURMENT wanted it to be…

 49/100

A lyric video for 'Fifty ton war machine' is available here:

SV