It hurts to update this intro after the departure of Master of Muppets from these hallowed halls, but I wish my furry friend the very best in his quest for wellness and in all of his future — and I’m sure successful — endeavors. He’s a great dude and wanted this interview to see the light of day so the band could get a little more exposure. Back in May, Muppet covered the debut record from Oakland, California-based progressive black/death metal band, Dawn of Ouroboros. The Master used the review to profess his love for the band’s stylistic approach, as well as to utter some disparaging remarks against one of his incredibly talented and extremely likable friends, whom I shall not name here. While Muppet was holding court in the comments, he suddenly found himself addressing the band themselves, and that fortuitous interaction led to this interview. If you don’t stop reading right now, you just might find out what it says.

— Holdeneye

Muppet: Before I start demanding answers and all that, I’d just like to say thanks again for taking the time to talk with me! The Art of Morphology was such a neat personal find. Thanks for reading my Muppety nonsense about it and for offering to do this interview in the first place!

Tony: You’re welcome! We’ve read many of your reviews and interviews, and have always found them well written and thoughtful. We were genuinely excited to find out you were going to give our album a review given the circumstances of how you discovered it.

And of course! we’re always happy to give interviews and interact with any listeners. Given we’re such a new band, the fact that people are listening, wanting to interview, and learn more about us is beyond anything we could have expected.

Muppet: The fact that Dawn of Ouroboros are such a new band is actually kind of baffling in and of itself. I understand that everyone in the band has performed in additional acts as well, yet this particular entity/lineup is quite young; The Art of Morphology has a decidedly steady hand on every twist and turn it takes, belying the erratic misdirection one might typically expect from a fledgling act comprising musicians with such disparate backgrounds… how did you all manage to pull that off?? More specifically, how were you able to balance out everyone’s varying influences and styles into such a cohesive and kickass album, instead of creating a chaotic mess of mismatched subgenres?

Tony: We really appreciate that assessment. For our song writing approach, it was pretty free range, and [we] didn’t have a plan for how we wanted them to turn out in the end. We just tried to write songs we enjoyed, without thinking how it should sound or what genre it should fit into; we didn’t think about if we were switching up styles in any given moment.

For this album, the general approach in the song writing process was I would program some drums, improvise with my guitar over different sections until something stood out to me, add in synths and guitar leads. The synths are usually just chord compliments, and I prefer to improvise the leads as much as I can.

From there I would send the song out to David (bass) and Chelsea and really just say ‘Do whatever you feel is right as your first instinct,’ and we would go with that 90% of the time without revisions. Since this was originally meant to be a studio project, Ron’s contributions to the drums were mainly done in the recording process; he is, however, much more involved in the song writing for the next album.

Muppet: Interesting, so each song is essentially constructed around a main riff or melody, as opposed to composing music to fit with predetermined lyrics or something. Having seen what this approach has brought the band with The Art of Morphology, do you expect to maintain this method of songwriting as The Way of DoO, so to speak? You already mentioned your drummer adopting a greater writing role on future albums; do you expect the whole songwriting process to continue to adapt as the band itself collectively grows and matures, or does the Morphology methodology maybe feel something along the lines of you having already figured out the trick to making DoO work?

Tony: I am constantly writing music in my free time, be it for DoO, or another project I may be working on. So it’s likely to be a mix of me continuing to create songs alone, and others starting with a drum arrangement from Ron. Like I previously stated, I rely heavily on improvisation for coming up with ideas so I work best with jamming over a drum arrangement and building on that. Having said that, Chelsea has expressed great interest in having a larger role in the song writing aside from her writing her harsh and melodic vocals. Overall, it’s really a free environment and everyone can bring any ideas they have, and if we all agree it’s something worth pursuing we’ll expand on it. This band is really about any one of us contributing what we can, and then doing our best to write for our respective roles in the framework of the idea.

Muppet: Oh man, I’d be particularly interested in hearing songs that Chelsea was more directly involved in writing; obviously I dig the band in its entirety, I would just be really curious to hear music written for that voice by that voice.

It seems like you have a relatively straightforward approach to songwriting, yet the lyrics hardly adhere to any kind of straightforward theme or trend. From what I can gather, it seems as though pretty much anything was up for grabs regarding the album’s lyrical concepts. I understand that the vocals were crafted around the music, but was there anything that was always gonna end up on the album, no matter what? For instance, the band’s ‘favorite horror manga series’ is cited as lyrical inspiration on Bandcamp; was it ever important that things like that made it onto the album, or are such topical oddities more the kind of happy accidents that naturally occur in the absence of rules and thematic restrictions?

Tony: Yes, I am very much looking forward to hearing what we can come up with together as far as instrumental arrangements are concerned. For the lyrics, the themes were generally based around what visualizations were created by her imagination after listening to the instrumental songs. The only theme that was planned prior was for “Spiral of Hypnotism,” which is very loosely based on the cosmic horror manga Uzumaki, for which she tried to capture the essence of the story in her writing. Other than that, we try to keep it open and stay away from restrictions with lyrical themes.

Muppet: That definitely stands to reason – your music isn’t confined to any one particular sound or style, so why should your lyrics be any different?

Speaking of being confined, I have to ask: how is the band handling the Coronapocalypse? No one’s really able to tour at the moment, and normally one might expect something like this to kill a band’s career before it’s even begun, but then again not every band’s debut is received with the widespread warmth that Morphology has enjoyed… Has this shitshow gotten in the way of DoO’s trajectory at all, or do you feel like you’ve been able to make the most of the situation somehow?

Tony: The COVID-19 outbreak definitely affected us, our release date March 30th was right in the middle of when most countries were going into some sort of a lock down. This delayed our label and us from receiving the physical copies of the album, thus delaying us from getting it out to those who ordered. Thankfully, everyone has been very understanding. We also had a western United States tour planned for around June with some friends, this will likely be cancelled for this year, or at the very best rescheduled to this fall depending on how things progress. As far as music is concerned, we’ve maintained being productive as a band. We’re about halfway through writing what will eventually be the material for the next album, and Chelsea and I are also involved in a few other collaborations that will hopefully have releases some time this year.

Muppet: Well damn, getting right at it I see. Is there anything in particular that you’re specifically hoping to achieve or explore this time around? Additionally, piggybacking on the notion of normalcy inevitably reigning once again some day: once tours and festivals are a thing again, are there any bands that you would particularly love to play alongside? What would the dream roster for a DoO headline tour with up to 3 other bands look like?

Tony: For the next album we are playing around with more variation in song lengths, greater usage of odd time signatures, and probably more of an emphasis on the style we developed in some of the more standout tracks (music videos songs.) Of course we will still maintain the mix of styles we did on The Art of Morphology, but hopefully in a more refined way. As for bands we love, since we listen to so many different bands across the many types of metal and even other genres, it can be difficult to really choose an accurate dream roster for a tour. I will say these days we are listening to a lot of post metal with some of our favorites being Heretoir, Lantlôs, and Kauan among many others.

Muppet: There’s never a wrong time for Heretoir! Are you familiar with Nathanael’s solo project, Bonjour Tristesse? Basically the blacker side of that same sonic coin, I can’t praise that band enough – clearly!

To that end, I’m not at all surprised to learn that you are fans of such atmospheric material as the music of Heretoir or Kuaun. Atmosphere and shifting yet balanced dynamics are decidedly important components of DoO, and one can easily hear that the band has learned a lot about attaining and maintaining these things from all across metal, as you said; on the other hand, are there any bands in particular whose music compelled you to explore the more riff-centric, head-banging side of DoO? Not so much regarding a certain sound or style of influence, but are there any bands or artists in particular who made you wish to wield the power of the Almighty Riff?

Tony: Yes, Heretoir is fantastic, I just recently found The Circle at a reasonable price on vinyl so I am looking forward to that arriving. For their other projects I have heard of King Apathy, but not Bonjour Tristesse. I am listening to them now and it sounds pretty good so far.

For more riff-centric favorites, I’d say it’s still all over the place. This could be bands such as Archspire, Between the Buried and Me, Der Weg einer Freiheit, Meshuggah, and even Spiritbox. There is probably also a subtle late 90s, early 2000s metal influence on the song writing as well, having been a big fan of bands like Death, Cynic, Theory in Practice, Quo Vadis, and Necrophagist around that time. Despite these influences, we still wanted to keep the riffs relativity straight forward and have the more black metal sounds be the focus.

Muppet: Now you’re speaking my language: powered by black metal, inspired by all. With such varying inspirational foundations, what is it about black metal that essentially pulls DoO all together? As you say, your influences are all over the place, so why is a black metal sound ultimately the focus?

Tony: For me black metal is what really got me into extreme metal. Bands like Mayhem, Emperor, Darkthrone, or even Lord Belial were a big part of my listening experience as a teenager. It still sticks with me as I always found it to have a greater emotional intensity and atmosphere than the other sub-genres. While I did learn to appreciate everything else, I always come back to some type of black metal as a listener eventually. I know the same can be said for our bassist David, who has his own post-black band, Deliria, where he is the main writer. For Chelsea, she had never actually explored the genre until we decided to start DoO. After several months of listening she fell in love with it, and it’s now what she listens to most regularly. However, our drummer Ron, is very much a prog guy as a music fan, [though he] enjoys expanding on his skills whenever possible.

Muppet: God what I wouldn’t give to relive falling in love with black metal, and I can only imagine what an experience it must be to discover that whole soundscape at the same time that your band is starting up and taking off.

To that end, DoO have enjoyed a pretty enthusiastic reception into the metalverse. Critics and commenters alike have been quick to commend Morphology for many reasons; from your own findings in reviews all across the interwebz, does there seem to be any particular component to the band or album around which listeners are more or less united in their love? You’re definitely doing something right, yo, what do you think that might be?

Tony: Yeah, it can be a great experience. It did take her a while, first starting with bands such as Deafheaven and Alcest, who are more on the edge of it. However, she kept exploring, until she became immersed in the genre fully in all its many forms.

As for how we are being received, we are really taken aback by the response we have been getting. Originally this was supposed to be just a fun studio project to experiment with ideas and have no real restrictions. We never could have expected to be getting the response that we are from critics and listeners. For what we believe people are responding to the most, clearly people are united around Chelsea’s voice, and rightfully so. Having been in several bands over the years, I have never worked with a vocalist who takes his or her job as seriously, with such passion and a desire to constantly improve and experiment. For example, she had never tried to do clean singing before this project, but just decided to give it a shot, and I believe it worked out wonderfully and will only improve with time. For our music, what aspects we feel people are most resonating with are; our coherent use of sonic variability, our desire and ability to put genuine emotion in our music, and perhaps that our music can conjure up visualizations almost in a cinematic way, which we try to capture in our music videos.

Muppet: I’d say that that checks out, pretty much touched on what I love about the album anyway. For the next album, is there anything you feel you may have learned *not* to do, i.e. has your experience with Morphology made you rethink any particular parts of the writing process, album promotion, fan interaction, etc?

Tony: Thanks for taking the time for this discussion! I think for the next album (which is already well underway) we don’t want to go into it with the idea that we have to meet a certain expectation people may have about our music. When we were writing The Art of Morphology we were really just writing music for ourselves. We feel we just want to go into it with the same mind set and hope people enjoy just as much. Really the only thing that will change about the writing process is to have everyone involved in the overall construction of the songs, to potentially let everyone have more of a stylistic influence on our sound. For album promotions, we do wish we had planned the release a little better, but we didn’t really have experience in that regard and it went over pretty well. So with that in mind, we do hope we can promote the next album a bit more effectively. As for fans, we are just happy people are listening so we try to interact with any and every fan as much as we can.

Muppet: Given what I’ve seen and heard of other debuts over the years, it certainly seems like things have been working out for the best so far anyway. Honesty, I could see the overall reception of Morphology making its successor a daunting prospect, expectations and all, but if nothing else I feel like you all are more than capable of meeting your own challenge. I’m excited to hear the follow up to Morphology, and I’m happy to wait as long as it takes for that to happen.

Well, I’m pretty much out of any Ouroboric questions, though while I’m on the record I’d like to reiterate that Chelsea should feel bad for being so damn good, or at the very least for making me feel bad for her contemporaries/competition. That’s just uncalled for, yo.

Before I get outta your hair and back to anxiously awaiting Chapter 2 of the DoO saga, is there anything you’d like to say to our readers? Don’t worry if it’s ‘Fvck you, you elitist shits!’ most of them can’t read, anyway, and the ones who can know their place.

Tony: Yes, ultimately we started this band and made this album, because it was something we found enjoyable. Since this was the first band — for Chelsea and I at least — that we started from the ground up really, that allowed us the freedom to explore aspects of our creativity [which] we had not before. We do hope people respond well to the follow up, and it would be great if people enjoy it even more. However, if not, we’ll keep doing what we do and keep DoO going as long as we can.

Thanks again for taking the time, and I have been telling Chelsea for years how good she is. She has only gotten better since we’ve been working together and I expect her to keep growing as a vocalist.

For your readers: thanks for listening to the music we created! If you have the interest to, check out our other projects: David has his post-black metal Deliria, which should have their second album out some time this year. Ron and I play in a progressive metal band called Sentient Ignition, and you’ll also hear us both on the next Botanist Collective album. There is also a possibility Chelsea and I will have two different un-announced side-project albums out in the near future. Anyway, thanks so much for your time, and for listening to our creations!

Muppet: Likewise, thanks so much for putting up with me, and for sharing your music with the world! I can’t wait to see and hear the future of DoO!!!

The post Interview with Tony Thomas of Dawn of Ouroboros appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

I’ve mentioned before that I quite enjoy the phenomenon of listening to a new album and immediately knowing which of my scribe litter-mates will enjoy said album. Got something heavier than a planet and math’d out to the point of being unlistenable? Give me my Kronos, yo! ‘What’s that cheesy thing making grampa-metal sounds, and why is it wearing jorts?’ Sounds like a job for… Captain 4.0ldeneye! For everything else, there’s TheKenWord. Today’s review, however, is one of doom for of Doom: In the Company of Serpents’ fourth full-length is an unholy concoction of sludge, doom and cowboys, and frankly things don’t get any Cherdier than that. I’m certain that Cherd Fergvson will take to Lux like BP took to the Gulf of Mexico’s seabed,¹ which means I’m likewise certain that AMG Himself will care for it about as much as BP cared for the Gulf of Mexico’s seabed—but what does that mean for you?

For starters, it means you’re in for a bit of a weird ride. Things seem straightforward enough for the first few minutes of “The Fool’s Journey,” during which some enjoyable sludge-doom à la Ghost Brigade gets the album off to a grooving, driving start; indeed, the first time I heard the song drop gears into Motherslugging desert rock around the 4:00 mark, it was so unexpected and seemingly out of place that I was subconsciously certain that the next track had started. After a minute or so of ethereal chillaxation, things get thick and sludgy, then suddenly they get thickly Slugdgey with a downright deathy riff—and that’s just the first track. ItCoS own enough sonic property as to enjoy 3 wheelhouses—doom, sludge, and what the promo calls ‘spaghetti Western scores’—and they are apt to saddle up and roll out to the next one at any given time in any given song.

While this array of inspiration may initially sound like an odd combination, the songs on Lux are as strong as they come, finding equal success as a collective as when experienced in stand-alone listens. Much of this can be credited to Greg Netzorg’s vocal performance; just as his guitar frequently changes it’s tonal direction at a moments notice, Netzorg grunts, growls and croons his way through a disparate mix of sounds that somehow suits said shifting instrumental scenery to a T. When “Scales of Maat” morphs from Cult of Luna worship into something almost Ulcerated, it’s the most natural thing in the world, and somehow everyone is able to stay on the same wildly diferent page as the track slithers and writhes through a 6 minute metamorphosis. ItCoS are very much their own entity, and they conquer their unique kingdom by being completely united with themselves, in the heavy times of “The Fool’s Journey” as in the still desert air of “The Chasm at the Mouth of the All.”

Once upon a time, Jean Luc-Ricard lamented two crucial shortcomings on ItCoS’ part: insufficiently engaging songwriting and production woes, the former—and inherently subjective—grievance being cited against the quality of ItCoS’ riffs while the latter largely stemmed from the absence of a bassist at the time. Today, I have news of each variety. The good: ItCoS have greatly improved their abilities to craft memorable riffs and songs in general, to my obviously wildly superior ears anyway; “The Chasm…,” a curious but delightful dance in the desert between Electric Wizard and Ghost Brigade, is among of the more intriguing things I’ve heard all year, and the rest of the album is just as uniquely enjoyable. The bad: while the band now features full-time bassist Ben Pitts, negating that particular gripe, there are still production issues. Namely, volume: anytime the album transitions from clean sounds to electric distortion—which occurs often—the accompanying change in volume is almost always literally painful. A somewhat minor offense considering Lux’s otherwise total success, but an offense all the same—and quite an annoying one, at that.

Lux is a bit difficult to describe, yet pretty easy to recommend. Our other resident Muppet, who is vastly wiser than I and yet was unable to prevent this album from falling into my unqualified claws, describes it as a ‘bit of a mix between Goatsnake and Eagle Twin,’ but I find that description to be entirely too informative. As far as I’m concerned, Lux is the sound of a wild Cherd in it’s natural habitat, at home on the range where the doom and the sludge monsters play. A helpful description? Not even a little, but I’m not the reviewer you creeps need, yo, and I say it’s the assessment that you deserve.

Rating: 3.0²/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: inthecompanyofserpentsdoom.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/inthecompanyofserpents
Releases Worldwide: May 15th, 2020

The post In the Company of Serpents – Lux Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Akolyth unceremoniously whips itself to life with “A Work of Ages,” an unrelenting whirlwind of deranged wailing and blackened madness, and from there the album never rests or else dials back its own intensity until the final moments of closer “To Become His Doorway” have passed. Even the slightly less immediately frantic, grooving core of “The Night, the Fog” maintains the possessed and malevolent momentum of a thousand madmen, thanks in no small part to the almost primitive yet devastatingly effective assaults endured by the drum kit along the way. Each track clocks in at just over 9 minutes, and yet each track flies by with deceptively breakneck fury, extending gnarled and taloned middle fingers to the notion that less might be more. A lean tracklist comprising just 4 offerings certainly plays a role in crafting the album’s illusion of immediacy, but the trvth is simple: time flies when you’re having fun, yo.

With its openly hostile atmosphere and a production so raw that you can hear it gibbering in fear, Akolyth is as uninviting as it gets, an unmasked defiance and defiling of all things placid. Akolyth might not outright decry all semblance of song structure entirely, as evidenced by the use of recurring passages throughout “The Night, the Fog,” but they certainly don’t have any use for the traditional verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus nonsense either, as evidenced by the entire fucking album the freeform ferocity of “A Work of Ages.” Furthermore, 9 minutes is still 9 minutes – Hell, it’s practically 10; these tracks might fly by for the properly assimilated, but for everyone else Akolyth represents a direct challenge to accessibility and modern attention spans. For just over a half-hour, the murky malevolence of Mayhem and the more modern, malignant mindlessness of Mylingar are merged into a murderous monster, one that preys on the weak and shits on the basic.

Akolyth may be ugly, but its hideousness is honest to the point of attaining beauty. The unpolished and unhinged delirium of the vocals is convincingly captivating, and the baleful black tone of the guitars is so infernally evocative that I suspect constant exposure to this album could lead to 2nd degree burns. Whether you’re into that sort ov thing or not, Akolyth have crafted a surprisingly engaging and incredibly believable sonic encapsulation of Hell itself, and their ability to create something as sincere and compelling as it is deceptive and inhospitable absolutely demands respect. Indeed, trve legend Roquentin himself hath deem-ed this obscure bit ov Belgian blackness to be “… as if someone unspooled Skáphe into something just a bit more compact, but simultaneously more varied.” Classic black riffs and rhythm are intertwined with contemporary dissonance and unbridled rage, resulting in the kind of carefully coordinated chaos that you just can’t help but be impressed by, regardless of how you usually take your black metal.

There’s a good chance that many of you suck will disagree, but as far as I’m concerned, Akolyth is something special. It’s as relaxing as bathing in lava and probably just about as healthy, but it’s also all so indescribably real, a ritualistic invocation of chaos worth its weight in gold for its insane sincerity alone. Listeners seeking a straightforward assemblage of organized riffs and the sounds of sanity may as well keep on keepin’ on, but those typically too trve to be bothered with that frvity Mvppet atmo bvllshit, take note: whether we’re talking about metal or caffeinated sugar-water, my taste is better than everyone’s, including yours, but just this once I’ll raise a glass to your craven tonal taste buds, in mutual celebration of the wretched glory that is Akolyth.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Amor Fati Productions
Websites: Are for the untrve
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2020

The post Akolyth – Akolyth Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Gelidae is a fascinating thing, but it does not give one fuck about your feelings, and every second of every sound herein transpires for the sole purpose of utterly stifling the listener. The vocals are about as joyous and pleasant as whacking one’s funny bone off of a rusted iron cactus, the guitar tone sounds as though it was dialed in by these guys, and not only are there ambient interludes between every song, but the last of these—“Isolato Da Un Mondo Senza Speranza”—is a Bell Witching 32 minutes long². A languid array of tortured screeching, eerily ethereal atmospherics, and bilious, bone-dry guitars is assembled into a 74-minute monster hellbent on making itself unloveable. Even devout fans of the genre might find themselves less enamored with Gelidae than they might typically expect.

User mileage will vary, as with any album, but the fact that Noctu has a truly commanding grasp on musical atmosphere is not up for debate. Each track is an exercise in sonic imagery, creating worlds and playing out lives through sound alone; I may not speak Italian, but my imagination speaks music, and when I listen to Gelidae I hear a funeral. From the beginning, “Fitte Tenebre (Le Radici Dell’ Inferno)” captures the morbidly celebratory essence that accompanies pre-interment congregation, with its simultaneously dirgeful yet bizarrely revelrous plodding pianos and droning, swirling choir vocals. “Lucida Oscurità,” with its descending organ progressions and masterful applications of negative musical space, is the somber sound of the ground consuming a casket, complete with the resultant flood of mortality that surges in the moments immediately thereafter, rendered by a somewhat Saturnuscent doomy guitar solo which swells in the wake of a suspenseful lull. The capstone is the behemoth “Isolato,” a half-hour fire n’ brimstone sermon on death itself—as opposed to a reverently candid celebration of the life that has passed—delivered via rotting blackened doom, increasingly discomforting ambiance and ominous chants interspersed with snarled incantations.

Though the evocative strength of Gelidae’s successes is admirable on many levels, the album is not without its flaws. Three of its six tracks are ambient/instrumental interludes; none are essential. At best I’ll concede that the eerie Beethoven adaptation and cheesetastic horror-movie scream found on opener “Suicidio Al Chiaro Di Luna” establish a theatrical vibe and flow for the rest of the album. The other two, however, are both sandwiched between the respective fadings in and out of their neighboring tracks, negating their validity as moments of respite. Further adding to the bloat is a particular passage on “Isolato” during which listeners enjoy breathy, ambient shrieks which fade in and out repeatedly yet fail to either build or release any significant momentum. This lackadaisical lull, coupled with the needless detours of tracks 1, 3, and 4, is an unpleasant and noticeable bump on an otherwise astonishingly smooth ride, something that somewhat ruins the experience for me and which ultimately plants itself between Gelidae and The Holden Numeral.

When I first saw this album on Bandcamp, boldly declaring its scented promotional deviance, I thought “What the fuck?” When it emerged in the promo pit and I glanced at its track lengths, I observed “Isolato” and thought “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” When the final notes of that same track faded out for the first time, I removed my headphones with trembling hands and thought “What the fuck just happened to me? Also, how much fucking coffee did I drink today?” There’s a good chance that this album is either too funeral or too doom for many of you precious COVID factories; it is not intended to be an easy listen, and it is not entirely free of fault, but it is a mesmerizing thing of artistic triumph nonetheless.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: noctuitaly.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/noctu.funeral.doom
Releases Worldwide: May 15th, 2020

The post Noctu – Gelidae Mortis Imago Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

I’ve tried so hard to defend the potential inherent to all walks of musical life, nü-metal included, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter. Willful subjection to nü-metal was a self-destructive gamble at best, and Walking Rumor dealt me the unforgiving hand that I apparently deserved: 42 head-shaking minutes of nü-metal being as nü-metal as nü-metal can nü-metal-ly be¹. Looking for chugs so low to the ground that they need shoes? No? Too bad, this… is… NÜ-METAL! Seeking lyrics as edgy as a straight razor and half as complex? You aren’t, you say? Sucks to be you. Did you maybe want said angstbursts to be… rapped??? Whaddayamean, “It’s 2020, no one wants that?” Either Walking Rumor missed that memo or they’ve decided that the cold limitations of reality are mere suggestions, as they’ve opted to extend a middle finger to modern decency and make nü-metal great again. They didn’t, but damn them it they tried.

I suppose we’ll start with the good—for such does exist within these agonizingly derivative 42 minutes. With a range and delivery at times on par with Ashe O’Hara of TesseracT, Vocalist Kenio Gustavsson is easily Walking Rumor’s greatest asset and decidedly the best aspect of Symbiosis. His edgetastic lyrics could make a high school poet cringe, but the dude can sing. For better or worse, the choruses on Symbiosis are also hookier than a fucking tackle box, and they don’t let up easy. It also must be noted that there is evident technical skill throughout the rest of the band, as evidenced by Andreas Løvenhorst’s noodlery on “Breaking Point” and Simon Bork’s surgical percussive near the end of “Turn the Tides.” It’s not that making nü-metal in 2020 is the worst thing that a band can do², and it’s not that Walking Rumor are doing an outright poor job of what they’re doing, but… but…

*Sigh* …but the fact remains that Walking Rumor are making nü-metal in 2020, and for fuck’s sake that needs to stop. I stand by my wildly heretical respect and enjoyment of Hybrid Theory, but I acknowledged this stance as indefensible for a reason; nü-metal largely clung to such concepts as metal relevance or even compositional merit by Day Glo’d threads and the clasps on its JNCO’s back in its heyday, attempting to resurrect its poorly dressed corpse is an act of treasonous necromancy so foul it deserves its own anti-holiday, like Easter for assholes. Symbiosis couldn’t be more by-the-numbers if it tried, and all evidence indicates that that’s exactly what they did. Things don’t get any safer than “Expectations”³, and “safe” is the least of Walking Rumor’s crimes. Safety is often the musical harbinger of repetition, and tracks like “Expectations” and “My Illusion” fuck that pig-like rabbits,⁴ resulting in an overabundance of overdone nü-metal tropes and made-for-radio moments so derivative Five Finger Butt Slap would be ashamed. It’s cool if nü-metal’s your thing, but you’d have to reee-hee-heeeally have a hair-trigger love gun for the genre to be able to endure derivative, candy-coated abortions like “My Illusion” and think “Oh damn dawg, I’ve already heard a million versions of this song but THIS IS THE ONE!!!”

Despite hardly being a cherished institute of artistic catharsis and virtuosic prowess, I maintain that nü-metal can hold value, but Walking Rumor don’t care about that. They care about doing what’s already been done, desperately attempting to capitalize on the successes of established acts but failing to realize that one of—if not the only—things that allowed nü-metal pioneers and their clones to flourish was the relative absence of territorial competition at the time. I suppose to some degree it actually is about time for nü-metal’s inevitable resurgence as a retro white walker, but Symbiosis is no such dread force. It’s everything elitists devour greedily in order to unceremoniously recycle it directly upon the face of the genre, the kind of album that makes haters feel superior for hating and defenders of nü-metal question everything that they stand for.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 128 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: walkingrumor.bandcamp.com⁵ | walkingrumor.com | facebook.com/walkingrumor
Releases Worldwide: April 10th, 2020

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For starters, one of the weirder batches of name drops that I’ve ever whipped together: Then Comes Silence sound something like the frolicking gloomchild of The Cure, MGMT, Eurythmics, and Impure Wilhelmina. Machine is a strange thing of bouncing electronica and sullen prog, a 45-minute dance through the tears—or maybe it’s with? The lyrics and scales of the album are laced with woe, utterly defying the downright dance-y vibe of the largely synthesized rhythms. Bassist/synth warrior/vocalist Alex Svenson is incredibly comfortable in this disparate environment, sounding just as ready to tell me at any given moment that boys don’t cry as he is to declare that I spin him right round, like a record baby.² He does neither of these things, but he certainly could. Identity crisis aside, Machine is corona level catchy, and it is genuinely difficult for me to keep still during “Devil.” By and large, this fancy fusion of forlorn feelz and funky, footloose nonsense actually works… kind of.

I’ve got nothing against this relatively unorthodox sound, clearly. In a way, I feel like part of me has been looking for this kind of downright irresponsible yin and yang of musical lunacy forever, but having an enjoyable sound doesn’t necessarily equate to having made an enjoyable record. It’s not that Then Comes Silence didn’t make an enjoyable record with Machine, but they didn’t exactly make a great one, either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely a fan of this album, but I’m also a fan of gas station pizza, Katy Perry, and Doc Grier’s adorable attempts at coherency: sometimes I like hot garbage, yo. I like what I like, whether it’s gourmet cuisine or a scavenged Hot Pocket, and I might personally enjoy Machine but I’m also not here to lie to you: compositionally speaking, this thing’s a Hot Pocket that was thrown in the microwave with the wrapper still on and then nuked for 40 seconds.

That might sound a bit harsher than I necessarily intended, but it’s still a fair descriptor for the amount of effort that feels absent from the songwriting on Machine. My key gripe to that extent is the repetitive nature of the songs, often recycling central melodies and rhythms to the point that verses and choruses become indistinguishable. This sin of rererererererepetition occurs time and time and time and time again and again and again and again, at great cost to the album’s front-to-back listenability.³ To make matters more worserer,⁴ the fine line between “distinct artistic identity” and melodic over-recycling is effectively pissed on throughout the album, as Then Comes Silence are content to ride the dead horses of a scant few melodies as far into the ground as they can on Machine; sure, I might enjoy the d-d-d-digital digital gothdown of “Apocalypse Flare” and “In Your Name”, I’d be hard-pressed to point out much in the way of immediate differences between the two. Such being the case, Machine offers plenty to enjoy yet very little to actually savor.

All things considered, Machine is a difficult album to score. The whole Blaqk Audio with Less Energy thing that Then Comes Silence do definitely does it for me, but I’m also well aware that it’s a basic bitch boohoo bonanza; it does what it does well enough, but it tends to do it too much and whatever that is is basically bargain-basement b-side level at best. Machine is that magical, questionable slice of gas station pizza, the one you knew to be made without sanitary gloves or love the moment you saw it, and yet you ate it anyway, only to be amazed and slightly horrified by just how much you didn’t hate it. It apparently wasn’t for Steel, and it might not be for you, but I’ve liked better things less—and vice versa—and I’m content to do the Mope Town Shuffle with Then Comes Silence while I wait for my fellow wordslingers to stop hoarding all the 4.0s like they’re toilet paper.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Oblivion Records
Websites: thencomessilence.bandcamp.com | thencomessilence.eu | facebook.com/thencomessilence
Releases Worldwide: March 13th, 2020

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Brevity dictates The Art of Morphology be categorized as ‘progressive blackened death metal,’ but that tells us nothing and fuck that, anyway. True to its own name, The Art of Morphology is an ever-shifting thing, employing the stylistic devices of several subgenres yet never adopting the mantle of any one in particular. Be it the unexpected lurch into thunderous chuggy rumblings² that follows the otherwise clean and dreamy intro of “Pinnacle Induced Vertigo,” the transition from the melodic yet deathy outro of “Sorrow’s Eclipse” into the epic progressive black metal of closer “The Valiant Abscond” or simply the intensely dichotomous beauty/beast nature of the vocals, it’s clear that variety is the spice ov Dawn of Ouroboros’ life. Thankfully these sonic seasonings are applied with the steady hand one might expect of a more, well, seasoned act; The Art of Morphology bounces around often enough as to elude immediate succinct categorization, but never at the cost of the music, and almost always to the benefit of the music. Almost.

I say ‘almost’ all cliff-hanging and ominously because I don’t care about your feelings; Dawn of Ouroboros make no missteps in their frequent directional changes, at least not to my velvety ears. The success of this is owed largely to an ancient concept, in which it was hypothesized that a diminished presence of a given force could, in fact, become a greater presence at times: sometimes less is more, and Dawn of Ouroboros know this well. Things shift frequently, yes, but never in jarringly drastic or else blatantly gimmicky ways. When “Lunar Cathexis” drops its shimmering, folky pretext to unveil a blackened death furnace at its core, it’s as natural as the frequent lapses from flighty prog into pummeling death metal which transpire wthin “Sorrow’s Eclipse,” and every other such example of genrestlessness found on The Art of Morphology. Such moments largely adhere to the established scales and pacings of the preceding material, allowing the sudden changes to feel organic and comfortable. What’s more, these moments don’t overstay their welcome and lapse into gimmickdom; Dawn of Ouroboros don’t strive for the multifaceted cacophony of Igorrr or Corpo-Mente,³ they just don’t mind painting with more than one color or medium.

Despite being thoroughly impressed with this debut effort, I’d be remiss not to address some minor criticisms that my total enjoyment of The Art of Morphology is nonetheless unable to negate. First of all, Chelsea Murphy’s clean singing is, somewhat unfortunately, the closest thing to a weak spot that this album has. Her performance is hardly incompetent or even subpar, it’s more just kinda there, arbitrary and executed sufficiently yet without the immediate passion – let alone the flawless delivery – of her harsh vocals, which are trvly monstrous to the point of defying Muppety description. This, of course, segues nicely to my second complaint: Chelsea Murphy has raised the bar for female harsh vocals so high that I feel bad for her contemporaries, and I don’t particularly appreciate being tricked into empathy. Lastly, Morphology being but a debut, I can’t dive mindlessly into an ocean of Ouroboric offerings, and that just pisses me off.

As far as I’m concerned, The Art of Morphology has ultimately taught me that crime pays. Stick with the herd and you get Enzo, shitty nü-metal and a front row seat to 4.0ldeneye’s happy metal guy time. Break free from your restraints and you will seize the likes ov Dawn of Ouroboros, Malist, RÛR; break free from your restraints, and you will seize greatness. The Art of Morphology is easily the most promising debut full-length that I’ve heard since Unsettling Whispers, and it was worth every HR sanctioned lashing just to catch a glimpse of this fledgling beast out in the glorious, glorious wild. There’s always room for growth, particularly among Murphy’s clean vocals, but Dawn of Ouroboros have impressed the Hell right outta me and I absolutely cannot wait to hear whatever they’ve got in store for us down the road.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Naturmacht Productions
Websites: Dawnofouroboros.bandcamp.com | Facebook.com/dawnofouroboros
Releases Worldwide: March 30th, 2020

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The difference between what one might expect from something labeled as atmospheric black metal versus what to expect from Malist was something I stressed when reviewing their debut, In the Catacombs of Time, and I really can’t stress it enough this time around. The songwriting is just as multifaceted now as it was then, if not more so; Catacombs found Malist exploring the concept of… well, exploration, whereas Mantle sounds like the work of seasoned explorers. The twists and turns taken along the 7 track way are maneuvered with a graceful sense of command, confident forays off the beaten atmoblack path made with little warning which arrive at surprising and satisfying sonic scenery time and time again. Detours to the realms of death, prog, thrash, ambient, and more are seamlessly worked into a travel itinerary designed to explore black metal at large, making for an inspired and consistently engaging adventure all in all.

Just because Mantle isn’t ‘just’ atmoblack doesn’t mean it isn’t still atmoblack all the same. One-man sovereign kvlt nation Ovfrost certainly favors a blackened aesthetic, doling out distorted fretboard dissonance and shrieks as grim as they come. Guitars etch jagged patterns of riff and atmosphere alike into the very air, carried adrift by pummeling currents of percussion, and Ovfrost’s shrieks and roars match every bit of blackened instrumental intensity herein. In a manner not far removed from the explorational, alchemical spirits of The Negative Bias or Gaerea, the core ov Malist’s sound is built upon the skulls of 2nd wave black metal and allowed to fester in its own filth, incessantly growing and mutating into a new, hostile ecosystem of sounds. There’s the occasional whiff of melancholy in the air a la tracks like “Tempest of Sorrow” or closer “Karsted Hearts,” but by and large Mantle is a seething thing of hate and energy, a wrathful tour de force through black metal and beyond.

This is the point where I typically kneecap some poor album with a list of grievances, usually delivered with much cursing and velvety contempt. Not today, you sub-Muppet fuckwits, since I’ve no complaints to speak of – not regarding To Mantle the Rising Sun, anyway. Shall we discuss the horrors which have befallen my as of late over-used and under-maintained slippers, instead? Didn’t think so. Catacombs was a particularly promising portent of potential and possibility,¹ and Mantle came through on every level. There’s a certain familiar, grim feel which can now be recognized as a distinct sonic identity, and while Mantle retains its predecessor’s eagerness to explore, it likewise exhibits a certain sense of control and direction that Catacombs only threatened. Songs such as “The Ultimate Possession” don’t just sound multidimensional and imaginative, they sound big and fucking scary, harnessing the full evocative capabilities of atmospheric black metal and unleashing them unto deathier, proggier terrain. Malist took everything they once did right and then did it better, rather than diving into the safer waters of homogeneous anonymity that every other atmoclone is currently drowning us with, and that in and of itself deserves some kind of medal.

For 47-ish minutes, To Mantle the Rising Sun provides me with an oddly two dimensional view of black metal. On one level, it lets me peer back to my earliest successful flirtations with the genre, when everything was new and exciting and I was unable to predict the next twist or turn of any given song. On another, it cautiously opens an optimistic eye that I didn’t even know I had,² allowing me to peer into the murky future of the genre I love and glimpse hope on the horizon. It’s the kind of follow up that every reviewer knows better than to bother praying for, and I’m not sure why Jørn saw fit to bestow Mantle’s greatness upon such undeserving wretches as we but it does my trve faith good, all the same. If this grand panorama of sounds before me is what you call atmospheric black metal, then atmospheric black metal is not dead.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Northern Silence Productions
Websites: Malist.bandcamp.com | Facebook.com/malistband
Releases Worldwide: April 24th, 2020

The post Malist – To Mantle the Rising Sun Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Today’s interview took place between myself and Nils Groth, the drummer for Heretoir and former vocalist of King Apathy. Given the melancholic introspection and social commentary of the bands’ respective lyrics, I sought to examine the space between the two perspectives; we discussed the importance of looking into/ out for each other, remembering that the big world and the little people in it are one and the same. Nils opened up a little about some of his own encounters with depression, as well as offered advice and encouragement for those dealing with similar issues. The unforgiving bastardry of reality coupled with the fevered pipe dream of a functional publishing schedule caused this candid conversation to be cut short,² yet I took something HUGE away from the experience nonetheless, and I’m hoping that some of you will do the same.

I don’t know Nils, nor had I ever had any contact with him prior to this interview; for all intents and purposes, I basically showed up outta nowhere and started grilling this stranger via email all about his thoughts and experiences regarding depression—and he opened right the fuck up. That someone would so readily and openly discuss topics such as being depressed or seeing a psychiatrist was somewhat surprising as it was, but when I think of how daunting such conversations can seem versus how comfortable and natural this one felt, it blows my mind and reminds me that we’re all in this together. By and large, people don’t wish to see others suffer any more than they wish to suffer themselves, and if you take the often seemingly terrifying step of putting yourself out there, you might be amazed by just how ready the world actually is to catch you when you’re falling.

My point: If you need a hand, reach for one. If you need a shoulder to cry into, lean into one. If you need a set of ears to vent to, start screaming; if you can’t get through something alone, then fucking don’t, yo. Sure, people suck and a lot of them may still fail at saving the day, but no one is going to randomly put out a fire that they can’t see. Always remember that there are people all over the world who understand and care about you and what you’re going through, whoever you are and whatever that may be, and never be afraid to reach out to them by any means necessary.

Muppet: Before I get all inquisitive and whatnot, I just want to say thanks for joining us with this. Your work in King Apathy spoke volumes to me, and Heretoir remains one of my go-to bands for when I need to center myself, so to speak, and it means a lot to me that you would take the time to speak on a topic that not many people care to honestly discuss, so thank you for talking with me, very very much.

For starters, let’s talk about talking about depression. It can be very difficult to open up and establish any helpful lines of communication when you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, etc. It’s not difficult to imagine why someone experiencing mental distress—be it situational or clinical—would not wish to expose their pain, and yet it seems like it can be quite difficult for many to even approach the subject when they witness a struggle in others… Why do you think this might be? Why might the mentality of “not my problem, I don’t see anything here” seem to come so easily, despite the very real dangers that this could pose?

Nils: Hey MoM! First of all, I‘d like to mention that English isn‘t my native language but I‘ll try to write as clear as possible.

Hmm, I guess there are many reasons why people don‘t get involved. One might be that people simply don‘t understand depression and mental illnesses. Here in Germany, we have a mentality of “don‘t whine, get your shit together” and “we don‘t talk about it.” This affects the situation for depressed persons. The illness isn‘t taken seriously although suicide as a result of mental illnesses causes way more victims than car accidents for example. Another reason might be that it‘s exhausting to try to help depressed people (which is not meant to be judgmental). I know how tiring it can be. Because I am one of the people that deals with emotional struggle, self-doubt, and depressive episodes but also has/had close contact with people with many sorts of mental illnesses/disorders (I am not always sure which term is used or preferred, please correct me if I use it incorrectly). A broken arm is way easier to understand than a person with suicidal thoughts. Many people can‘t understand how it‘s possible to not be able to get out of bed for days. I am really happy that I am more the restless guy who needs to do stuff even in the dark days. The thought of being so passive/inactive scares me.

I started writing lyrics early in my life, but until we released the Thränenkind 7“ I never used them. I have never been a singer in a band before so this was my way to scream some thoughts out into the world. I am really grateful for this opportunity and for everyone that took the time and listened. Especially during the last period of the band, I started to become more open on stage and tried to address the topic of mental health. We need to be more open and have a better look at our loved ones. It‘s always easier to look away. It‘s easier to concentrate on your own life and the “functioning” friends. I experienced a whole group of friends who didn’t know how to handle me as a teenager who was depressed, hated life, and was a cynic—a pretty difficult mixture. I don‘t wanna blame them too much but some did really stupid things, and only a few people sat down and asked how I felt. I am 33 now, still dealing with depressive episodes, self-doubt/hate and the urge to avoid stressful social meetings. Yes, being in a band seems like a paradox. I am really happy and proud that I learned strategies to cope with many of my dark emotions. And I accepted the “black dog on my shoulder.” It will always be there. I can‘t get rid of it, and in a way, I don‘t want to because it‘s a part of me for over 20 years. And I love dogs, haha.

Muppet: I’d say you pretty much summed it up, yo. Being a human gets in the way of being a consumer or producer, so we don’t have the time for these matters as a society. It’s troubling how not novel that concept is, I’ve gotten very similar assessments from the other artists I’m interviewing for this—you’re definitely not the only one who feels like that.

Considering the idea that such feelings are experienced on such a broad scale, what suggestions for coping or helping others might you have for individuals who might not have a musical outlet of their own? What are some proactive choices one could make to alleviate some suffering for themselves or others outside of metal/music in general?

Nils: Oh it’s pretty difficult to give people advice on how to cope with their issues. I can tell you what I usually do. Writing lyrics or going on stage is only a very small aspect of how I deal with my demons. One thing that I did a lot when I was younger was listening to the saddest and most depressing songs I can find to put me down to a point where I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to lift myself up. It sounds weird, I know, but it had kind of a cathartic character. Like some kind of medicine. I never used any medicine, but for some friends antidepressants and such helped. But as I don’t have any experience, I don’t wanna get into that. Nowadays I go for a walk with my dog, ride my bike, or play some sports. This helps a lot. But the good old music self-therapy is still a part of my life, and in a way I like it. It feels like home.

Another thing is: try to speak to someone you trust. Even though I wrote songs about it and everyone can read it, it still feels weird to talk to my friends about it. I think most of them know me at least a bit so they won’t be that surprised and sometimes it helps just to tell someone how you feel. Of course, this can also have negative results if the person can’t take it. You really need to think about who and what you tell them. If the pressure is really high, you can also call a help number. I think if you have any form of creative output—use it. It can help you. It doesn´t really matter if you present the result (if there is one) to anybody. You might be able to find a way to channel the darkness into something. This isn´t supposed to sound esoteric or so. It’s just what I experienced—getting creative and being active lets my dark thoughts feel less heavy. There are chances to find some good in many different things. One thing I learned when I first talked to a psychiatrist (I was 20 or so) was: buddy, try to keep your head high and don’t let your shoulders hang. Try to feel your body and try to have a bit more physical control. It’s hard to describe it in English, but it helped me a lot. Every time I walked around feeling shitty, worthless, and depressed I tried to remember him and it helped—as funny and mundane as it sounds.

Muppet: “It feels like home” is a perfect way to put it, man. The process of cathartic listening certainly seems downright instinctive—like a subconsciously guided migration back to shelter.

I’m glad you mentioned talking to a psychiatrist; to some unspoken extent discussing mental distress is all but forbidden on a social level, and this perceived stigma can make the idea of turning to a doctor literally inconceivable to someone who is experiencing mental duress, actively weakening the possibility for positive change as a result. I am not asking for specific details at all, but could you explain the mindset that allowed you to pursue professional help? What was the general train of thought that led you to consider talking to a psychiatrist, rather than people in your life or else no one at all?

Nils: I was around 20 when I first went to see a doc that was also specialized in psychology. A partner at that time asked me to go. She thought it could help me to cope with depressive episodes and low self-esteem. She was right. I only talked to the doc a few times, but he gave me some really basic tools at hand. For example, try to get your shoulders and head up a bit more if you‘re feeling weak. It sounds so banal, but it opened a door for me. I worked a lot on my own over the years but went into a longer therapy some years after to deal with recurring depressive episodes.

I guess the stigma is one that society and communities build up a lot. In Germany, it‘s still uncommon to speak about your mental condition and “being strong” is still the status quo (at least for “me”). Many people have no idea about depression, i.e., we need way more education and more doctors that know what they‘re doing. Instead of medication upon first examination, we need to examine where the problems are rooted and what we can change in the social and educational net of the person. As an educator and soon-to-be teacher, I have a lot of different kids in groups. Many have mental disorders or illnesses (I don‘t want to get too deep into the terms. Sorry if I mix things up—I am not a psychologist). We often see that we need to find the core of the problem which is pretty often the relationship with other people/parents/peers. Instead of stigmatizing people, the most healing part could be welcoming them. Having this inclusive community is one of the most important parts for me in the left-wing/punk scene. There is still a hell lot of work to do but many people are trying.

But I don‘t want to be too idealistic. I still think people need the will to change. Although many problems occur when interacting with other people, we are also responsible for our actions. It‘s too easy to pin it on the mental condition. You should know what you‘re dealing with and try to communicate it with your close friends. It‘s hard but makes life so much better.

Muppet: Well put, man. I agree that much of the stigma surrounding mental health concerns is starting to dissipate within many parts of the metal community and the world at large. Things are hardly perfect, but it does feel like by and large people are starting to try and change things for the better and I really appreciate it anytime I notice this.

Piggybacking off of that a bit, what bands out there would you say are making some of the most directly progressive steps towards changing how we address depression, suicide, etc.? It’s not hard to list a bunch of bands who essentially wallow in the dark end of the lyrical pool, but who would you say is currently addressing these issues in a somewhat brighter light?

Nils: I agree, many bands (especially in the BM scene) glorify depression or suicide, which is total nonsense in my eyes. It has a certain kind of attraction that caught me as a teenager, but it never really helped me to get over anything. It just reinforced my negative feelings. But there are bands that address those feelings in a different way. The new Knocked Loose record has really dark and negative lyrics, but I feel a positive vibe behind it. Not this lethargic kind of feel full of self-hatred but an “I hate that I feel this way but wanna get better” vibe. This is awesome and can help a lot. Bands like Svalbard, Petrol Girls, RVIVR, or War on Women address the topic from a different perspective and add feminist views. I think this is really important as most bands still are cis-male hetero groups complaining about their lives. I know it sounds weird as I fit into this box as well. But for me it´s important to reflect this and the way most male bands address this topic. It’s so often romanticized and aggressive but without the proper look behind many reasons. It’s necessary to hear non-male voices talking about depression because so many non-male people suffer from it. I think the new Killswitch Engage record is also a positive example that can inspire people to look after another and seek/give help (although I oppose any form of religion). Heavy Heart released a really nice record and the latest Architects record is also a positive example. It’s really dark but full of positive attitude towards life.

Muppet: Nice to hear a shout-out to War on Women! If you’re not already familiar with them, I’d throw Couch Slut in that mix as well. Regardless, we definitely live in a time where more and more voices are being used to actually speak as well as being heard, I certainly appreciate this as well.

As much as I would love to keep prodding your mind for input (seriously, you’ll probably be hearing from me again someday), it’s about time for me to wrap things up. Before I retreat back to the shadows, is there anything you’d like to say directly to any readers who might be dealing with struggles of their own?

Nils: Hey, no problem at all! Thanks for letting me participate and thanks for trying to help people.

There is not much I‘d like to add, except to try to speak with people you can trust about your feelings. Try to open up and give your loved ones any insight on how you feel and what you‘re dealing with. There are, of course, topics that are hard to understand and might be better with professionals. I am right now learning again how to deal with the experiences of my loved one and how to handle my own problems and telling her how I feel. It‘s difficult and sad, but it brings us further every time we sit down and talk, as “easy” as it sounds. It can help and might be a good start towards your mental health.

Muppet: Well thank you so much once again for your time and words, dude. Your insight has been refreshing and fascinating, and it’s been an honor talking to you a bit about this otherwise typically unpleasant subject. Take care, man, and best of luck with your musical adventures!

The post Mental Health Awareness: Interview with Nils Groth of Heretoir appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Seriously, I am glad that you asked:¹ it’s nice to have some actual dialogue after my solitary confinement to Shape Without Form. That’s right, tubthumpers: Ghost Toast are an instrumental band! There’s been a lot of that lately, and I’m not really sure why, but I was bound to deal with something of the sort sooner or later, and now here we are, Ghost Toastin’ it up. The air is brighter here than anything suggested by the bleak, monochromatic artwork, yet never are things as downright whimsical as the Hungarian act’s utterly rigoddamdiculous moniker might suggest. Similarly, the technical prowess on display is undeniable without being noodly, while in the same breath Shape Without Form chugs and chugs and chugs yet never djents. There are perplexities and subtleties to this album which simultaneously compliment and contradict each other, comprising a 46-minute adventure that left me with but one question: seriously, yo, what the fuck is a Ghost Toast?

If nothing else, I know what a Ghost Toast sounds like. That’s right, you wet-sprocketed toads: name drops. I can’t say that Ghost Toast shamelessly emulate Scale the Summit, but I also can’t not say that there are a lot of similarities between Death Breakfast and Go Hiking. The two employ similarly structured songwriting and share several soaring sets of scales, particularly during Haunted Waffle’s most energetic passages. The lead guitar tone of Grave Biscuit also strongly recalls that of Climb a Mountain, its warm vibrancy lending itself naturally and effectively to the narrative role left vacant in the absence of vocal evocation. Also, I’m pretty sure that Deceased Pop-Tart might have stolen all of their lyrics from Get as High as You Can, but that’s neither here nor there. The big takeaway is that if you enjoy the adventurous, proggy stylings of Be at the Opposite of the Bottom, you’ll likely find much to love about Slain Toaster Streudel. A healthy dose of cello and synths gives Shape Without Form some shimmering distinction of its own, yet still I wonder: WHAT THE FUCK IS A GHOST TOAST???

Whatever it is, it makes for a decent—if not wildly memorable—instrumental outing. The songwriting here is pretty slick, with each song being sensibly balanced with a measured ebb to every flow; for every wax, a wane. If things are chugging along aggressively, just wait: a gentle zephyr of clean guitars and airy cello is just around the corner. This keen sense of momentum allows tracks like “Frankenstein’s” and “Y13” to do their thing with grace and aplomb, and yet there’s a distinct absence of standout riffs or passages throughout the album which ultimately renders this superb sense of motion somewhat wasted. I enjoyed every track just fine, but here in the aftermath I can’t recall a single second of a single song to describe to you butthole surfers, and that is significantly less than fine, yo. Why bother dedicating so much thought and energy towards giving the songs legs if you’re not gonna let them really run free? Also, on the offhand chance that now is when I finally get my answer: WHATTHEFUCKFUCKINGFUCKISAFUCKINGGHOSTTOAST???

I’m a big advocate of the instrumental album, yet all too often I seem to find merely inoffensive background tunes in our hallowed/hated promo pit, competently delivered performances that stand out against absolutely nothing and leave no traces of themselves to meander amidst my musical memories.² Shape Without Form is, unfortunately, no exception. If you meat puppets are looking for some shimmery, guitar-driven nonsense with a side of keys n’ cello, hold the vox, then, by all means, dig in. If you prefer your instrumental bidness to be a bit more distinguished and impressive, you may be better served scaling summits and such to find the right album for you—this most likely isn’t it. Of course, before we part ways I must ask one final question: can you believe it’s not butter???

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Inverse Records
Websites: ghosttoastband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ghosttoastband
Releases Worldwide: March 3rd, 2020

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