“Self-releasing an album is a monumental effort. Between production, distribution, artwork, press, yadda yadda yadda, the logistical weight quickly consumes vast amounts of time, money and energy. And that’s before you factor in the arduous task of creating music that’s actually fucking good. Indeed, for a young band, initial encounters are everything, which means it behooves one to ensure everything is as polished and professional as possible. Desoration understands this” Self against self.
December is the best time to browse through the October Filter flotsam, as they’re now heavily discounted like Valentine’s Day candy in August. They’re probably still fresh though. Maybe.
“Kiwi stalwarts specializing in thick, atmospheric sludge-doom goodness, Beastwars boast a strong track record, remaining a dependable force within their field. Sharing loose stylistic similarities with acts such as early Leviathan-era Mastodon, High on Fire, Crowbar, and Boss Keloid, Beastwars continue blazing their own battered trail. Displaying resilience and determination to navigate various personal and career challenges, Beastwars march onwards with sixth album, The Ship // The Sea.” Beastwar is beasthell.
“Long, long ago, around when I first joined the staff here, Shepherds of Cassini released Helios Forsaken. I didn’t discover it in time to actually write anything about it, but it quickly became one of my favorite records. Prog is still my greatest musical love. I’ve been burnt out on prog metal of late—or perhaps it all just sucks. But I still often return to Helios Forsaken. I always felt a little guilty about not having been able to bring more attention to a band that deserved to be a lot bigger. Never mind, I told myself. I’ll cover the next album! Ten years later, during which I had entirely given up hope, here we are.” Great expectations.
2024 can’t truly be history til all the Filters are unclogged. Here comes the gunk!
Look at that! We did double duty on the Filters, covering August and September. We really only cleaned them once but billed double. Don’t narc on us!
“Why is great stoner metal so rare? We see an ever ongoing cavalcade of stoner rising and falling like the desert dunes, but the vast majority is as inspiring and interchangeable as loose sand. What’s more, the bands that rise above mediocrity frequently make it seem the simplest thing in the world. If you pack enough groove, don’t skimp on the riffs, and use anything but a poor Ozzy imitation for vocals, you’re already miles ahead of the pack. Sidewinder is a fresh outfit from New Zealand coming up on their second album Talons, and to call them miles ahead of the pack is a gross understatement. Let’s get groovin’.” Hooks in, fuzz out.
“If any metal style has the right to be instrumental, it’s a three-way tie between djent, drone, and post-metal – and I’m guessing you’re cringing right now. While the former two are dragged across oft-unwilling ears in masturbatory guitar wizardry and booty-thick minimalist sprawls, respectively, post-metal has always felt a bit more exploratory and dynamic. Acts like Tempel and Russian Circles have crafted landscapes out of massive riffs and complex compositions, and New Zealand’s Thousand Limbs takes a similar approach with debut full-length The Aurochs.” Phantom of the limbs.
“By titling their seventh full-length as they have, Ulcerate reach into the murky realms of human values, agency, responsibility, and the burden of choice, of freedom, of being. Never a stranger to the philosophical, the band have come also to pair their uncompromisingly intense dissonant death metal more and more with a melodicism that heightens, rather than eases, the music’s winding tension, and an atmosphere that never compromises brutality.” Of gods, men, and madness.
“One of the greatest feelings as a reviewer is rolling the dice on a completely unknown band and discovering they’re amazing. But you have to play to win, and I totally failed to pick up any reviews by bands I didn’t already know last year. I resolved to do better this year. There’s no magic formula I’ve found to identifying great promos, so I tend to skim the promo submissions queue and wait for things to catch my eye for whatever reason. Look to Windward immediately stood out. Prog with a name that might be an Iain M Banks reference? Perfect.” Rolling the prog bones.
