Vyrju - Black

Vyrju is a (mostly) one-man black metal band from Norway. Jan F. Lindso performs all instruments except drums and clean vocals which are handled by session musician Tim Yatras. Lindso contacted me on Twitter before the album's release last year in hopes I'd review Black and it unfortunately got lost in the shuffle. Time to make amends, however brief.

Over four songs Lindso, as Vyrju searches deeply for peace. Through undulating melodies and icy tremolos one can feel the desperation. Marching rhythms feel like a listless plod through life, one foot in front of the other, moving inexorably towards doom.

"The Residue of Life" begins majestically before launching into a scathing black metal tirade with anguished screams calling to the void. Despite the outpouring one does not feel a sense of triumphant catharsis. Just endless suffering, emptiness and misery. While instrumental "Gone" and its acoustic nature lays bare a tortured soul that rages elsewhere.

Black is dark and necrotic, pulling inspiration from second-wave bleakness while fulfilling the desired melodic quotient. It's very personal lyrically as well as musically becoming something both its creator and the listener can get lost in.

Black is both fiery and beautiful reflecting a deep-seated anxiety towards finding peace within oneself and the struggle to get there. This is emotionally-charged melodic black metal worth getting into. If only I'd done so earlier.

Black on Bandcamp

Vryju Official Site

Vyrju on Facebook

Vyrju on Twitter

Horisont - Break the Limit 7"

If you've been waiting for Swedish throwback rockers Horisont to release a new album you'll have to wait a little longer. I know, Fall 2013 was so long ago! But in the meantime the quintet has released a killer 7” called Break the Limit (Rise Above) to whet the appetite. Comprised of two songs both just barely cracking the four minute mark, it's not much but the boys pack in as much as they can.

“Break the Limit” utilizes deft fret work and cruisin' riffs to great effect, immediately taking the listener back to the days of yore. The chorus is as hooky as Hell is hot in August particularly thanks to vocalist Axel Söderberg himself. When he hits those hight notes you just have to sing along. Or at least try to.

Drummer Pontus Jordan is swift and filly, with jazzy movement. The bridge is slow(er), ominous and heavy on Magnus Delborg's bass. And of course, guitarists Charlie Van Loo and Kristofer Möller simply tear it up with soaring guitarmonies and shredding solos.

Flipping over to “Yellow Blues” we're greeted by some fancy keyboard work. No word on who's playing them but they need to keep it up! It lends extra flair to the bellbottoms and makes hair grow. They don't stick around too long as they give way to some rumbling riffage. Jordan propels his thunder feet down the highway like a semi without brakes. The keys come back with a psychedelic edge just before the glory. Van Loo and Möller battle each other as if they went down to Georgia. It's all very bluesy and such but when they lock horns together they just fire off into the stratosphere. Fantastic.

I actually missed out on 2013's Time Warriors so this 7” is the first I've heard Horisont since 2012's Second Assault and I just about forgot how tight these guys are. I never realized how much Söderberg reminds me of Early Man's Mike Conte until now. A Horisont tour with Early Man and Dune would be stellar! Anyway, as good as Break the Limit is, it's more of a tease than a stop-gap.

These songs have a fire burning under them and one can only hope that extra energy carries over to a new full length as soon as possible.

In the meantime, check out the video for “Break the Limit”!

RIYL: Witchcraft, Blues Pills, Brutus, Graveyard, Thin Lizzy

Released November 3, 2015 on Rise Above Records.

Fayne - The Queen of Kings

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on The Queen of Kings by Montreal's Fayne. Mostly because this sort of music is targeted at a young audience and at 36 I feel anything but young. But also because regardless of age, there isn't much that's interesting about it.

Metalcore/deathcore is a tired genre whether the genre's backers want to admit it or not. And Fayne pretty much regurgitate the same recipe as a million other bands. Whiney emo vocals, like Alien Ant Farm covering Michael Jackson's “Smooth Criminal”, or a third-rate Chino Moreno, trade off with your typical death grunts.

(I kid you not, mere seconds after writing that Alien Ant Farm bit, a guy walked in on me and when I shut it off for him to use the phone he says “Oh I know that one! Smooth Criminal! Alien Ant Farm!” To which I replied “You'd think so. But no.”)

Breakdowns a plenty and that djenty lack of flow comprise the bulk of their sound, with a fair share of guitar acrobatics and emotive solos. Some of those breakdowns are worthy of breaking a chair over someone's face (in a good way) but it's nothing countless others can conjure up.

Stuff like this sells whether I like it or not. I suppose it does have a market (a buddy of mine likes it) among the melody deprived karate dancers. And for what it's worth it sounds good. But despite production values that make The Queen of Kings sound as clean as a waxed asshole, it doesn't change the fact that what's coming out is shit. And it doesn't smell like roses either.

Released November 20, 2014

The Queen of Kings on Bandcamp

Fayne on Facebook

He Whose Ox is Gored - Rumors

He Whose Ox is Gored followed me on Twitter about a dozen times. Must have been a glitch but I never followed back. No offence, but at the time it was just another random band. Until the promo for Rumors landed in my inbox. I had no idea what I was missing.

After diving into this 10+ minute EP I feel like a fool. This band is really cool. It deserves to be said plainly. If these three tracks are any indication of their style, they can be added to the list of bands defying categorization. One can hear alt-rock, noise rock, grunge, sludge and techy/progressive elements woven into an aesthetic that feels decidedly unpretentious.

Vocalist/synths Lisa Mungo sings with confidence. One can sense her natural expressiveness and ingrained talent. Her vocals are a mix of sweet and easily digestible and a more passionate yell without loss of control. Paired with the atmospheric synths and she serves as contrast to the more abrasive tones laid down by her bandmates.

Opening track “Void Assault” has guitarist/vocalist Brian McClelland bringing a rolling semi-tech riff somewhat akin to modern Mastodon but with enough mathiness to make it sound like Meshuggah through a post-hardcore filter. Bassist/vocalist Mike Sparks also shines here with a bass solo that is just bonkers.

“Buried Twice” shows off their gnarlier side. The superfuzzed tone and straightforward, catchy riffs take hold as Mungo wails the chorus beyond a doubt of conviction.

The synths aren't as prominent on much of the title track but their subtle impact is still felt. The track drives hard as well as leaves space open for Sparks's dynamic bass to not get lost amid the crunchy fuzz and drummer John O'Connell's energetic and nuanced playing.

Overall, Rumors sounds intimate and heartfelt while maintaining an adequate energy. It's just edgy enough to be cool, but not so aggressive as to turn off a larger audience. They walk a stylistic line that could lead to quite the broad cross-section of converts. Rumors is incredibly catchy, especially in the vocal department. I have a feeling they could do much more musically but they wisely sacrifice overbearing virtuosity in the interest of songcraft and gut reaction.

He Whose Ox is Gored on Facebook

He Whose Ox is Gored on Twitter

Rumors on Bandcamp

Can-Con Double Feature: The BODY POLITIC - Egressor and WHERE GIANTS ONCE STOOD - Live Above

I try and support Canadian metal, I really do. But sometimes I get promo CDs that I have a hard time promoting. Like Egressor, the new EP from Nanaimo's The Body Politic. And even then it comes down to taste. The Body Politic can be categorized generally as mainstream metal. A young band for young fans. I'm old.

There are a lot of progressive elements weaving their way through the emo-core these lads are co-ordinating. Djent and staccato rhythms hammer away as synth/key melodies meander below the current and soaring vocals trade off with aggressive screams.

At times TBP sound like they are tripping over themselves in an effort to make the songs as jagged as possible. Also, in the attempt to diversify they shoehorn parts in where they aren't necessary and it can ruin any flow the song has going.

There's no doubt their live show is a co-ordinated attack with the long-banged masses losing their shit over the emotive outpouring juxtaposed against the back-breaking poly-metrics. For those raised on Sumerian-core, Protest the Hero or anyone who thinks that Meshuggahswitch Engage would be the sickest shit ever will find that Egressor scratches that itch between the shoulder blades. But if you had pimples when say, Metallica released ...And Justice for All, you might want to run the other way.

http://thebodypolitic.bandcamp.com/track/armature-single 

On your way out of there you may come across the place Where Giants Once Stood. This Toronto group bears a lot of similarities to TBP but take things in a more metalcore direction. There are still staccato rhythms but they incorporate more groove and defined breakdowns on their EP Live Above. Less emo, more aggro. Vocally the death growls and snarls pull down the clean vocals making it all less whiny sounding than it could be. The technicality is less in your face but still tight. Many karate moves will be flashed around the pit at a WGOS show, I can guarantee you that. I could have seen such a sight for myself a couple weeks ago but I was out of town.

I can hear a similarity to Linkin Park here and there but without the electronic elements and again, less whiny. Actually, the growls and snarling screeches aren't all that bad. “Living In Security” (nifty little play on words) has some nice guitar work, both within the riffs and the solos but follows with the syncopated nature of the album.

Less progressive and more -core than their Nanaimo counterparts, WGOS may appeal to a larger subset of metal's younger demographic. Still not my cup of tea but I could see this doing well on satellite radio or that Vevo metal channel. Plus, I know a guy who is going to love both. Kids these days....

https://soundcloud.com/where-giants-once-stood 

Moloch / Haggatha split 7"

I find splits to be a good way to introduce myself to new bands. Thus this 7” split from Dry Cough Records serves as my intro to the UK's Moloch and Vancouver's Haggatha. Clocking in at just over ten and a half minutes it won't take up much of your time but it may sap you of all your energy.

Moloch offer up four minutes of doom-laden sludge with “Head of Coil”. Vocals like a sadistic and vengeful badger spit venom from a mouth full of hate. Feedback and thick as tar tone issue forth from straining amps in powerful downstrokes and menacing riffs. Their rolling crush of ill-content snarls and oppresses sending waves of negativity cascading through your mind. Find the pleasure in extreme pain.

Haggatha counter with “Time and Suffering”. The six and a half minute track is depressive and slow, dragging the listener toward oblivion with a plodding cadence. An incessant doom riff drives you deep underground as its hypnotic aspect coils around you. Buried under immeasurable pain, the deep roars of utter anguish anchor the track in a world of despair. It's funereal and heart-wrecking. Throw these guys on a bill with Loss and Pallbearer and they'll fit right in. You listening, Profound Lore?

Weak souls may find solace in the relative brevity of this split but hardened doom warriors will ache for this kind of punishment til the end of days. Sign me up for a double dose of Moloch and Haggatha please.

http://drycough.bandcamp.com/album/moloch-haggatha-split-7

http://moloch.bandcamp.com/

http://haggatha.bandcamp.com/

King Dead - King Dead

It wasn't the self-proclaimed “spaghetti western doom sludge” tag that drew me to King Dead. It was the fact that the instrumental trio is two bassists and a drummer. I love that dynamic. In fact, the spaghetti western part could very well have turned me the other way. It's not exactly a style I'm fond of. Try as I might I couldn't even make it all the way through that last Across Tundras album. But I gave King Dead the benefit of the doubt and forged ahead.

Forging ahead is actually a common theme on this self-titled debut. Without the benefit of vocals the music itself does the narration. Most often one can get a sense of the scene by the way King Dead shape their dynamics. They build up towards the spilling point creating a sense of drama.

The really interesting thing is one bassist, Will McGrath plays a 6-string and his role is higher pitched and steely, while Kevin Vanderhoof takes the low road with his growling low end. At times McGrath will soar like an eagle while Vanderhoof plods away below. At others Vanderhoof plays the lead role while McGrath provides more atmosphere. It's not the sound you'd expect from two basses but that makes it all the more appealing.

Directing the show in a way is drummer Steve Truglio. As he goes, so does the song. He can sit back and let the bassists do their thing or he can push the energy through, sparking the drama to unfold in cathartic climax.

On the hole King Dead is ethereal and smokeladen. The steely and rumbling basses are quite expressive. It can go from depressing to triumphant and back again. Their bluesy psychedelia sounds like solitude and introspection. But there's a resolve, determination and urgency that filters through over the course of the journey.

From ambling cadences to full-on sprints the album unfolds with a sense of purpose. Drone, doom and sludge all have their place on this heartfelt, expansive and callous-handed release. The desert aura and steely/synth tone would have you thinking in reddish hues but the album pulses with a blood more blue. The noonday sun shines not on King Dead. Storm clouds gather on the horizon at dusk bringing a chill to the air. And well, King Dead is pretty cool.

King Dead on Bandcamp

King Dead on Facebook