“It’s difficult and pointless to pigeonhole Cruce Signatus into any one genre, but stylistically I find that it fits snugly between the electronic baroque-metal hybrid of Keygen Church and the metallic synthwave of GosT. More theatrical than the former and less dance-y (and less batshit bonkers crazy) than the latter, Cruce Signatus finds its niche as both a cinematic soundtrack to a larger framework, and as a standalone, fulfilling metal record.” Sign of the strange.
“Metal identity often rests in the tongue curling, the glottal fluttering, and the breath-rendering prowess that mic-holders abuse to fuse music with a unique enough mouth power. We even segregate genres based on the level of distortion and ill-advised technique that these brave souls apply—the shout-bark to the core kiddies, the shrieky wail to the frosty tones of LARPing black metal enthusiasts, the septic gurgle to death metal. Then, do we call it brave when a band like Dysrhythmia thinks to conjure the same riff-led drive and drama without verbal assistance?” Hush, hush, keep it down now.
“As you may guess by its minimalist cover art, Fall of Leviathan takes inspiration from the ocean. Its placid surface, an unassuming miles-wide smile at the sun, and its brutal depth, a guttural roar and a gnashing of magnificent teeth, quietly collide to create a face that looks down upon man as he stands atop it, his hubris an engorgement of sails and a swelling of his chest. When faced with its might, the relentless apathy and his insignificance in the face of mountainous waves and the abyss at our rocky borders, man crumbles – sand castles deserted by distracted children. Fall of Leviathan embodies this dichotomy: sunbathed beauty and sunless brutality.” Deep waters flow DEEP.
“When I reviewed B R I Q U E V I L L E’s third record, Quelle, I got tetchy about all the spaces between the letters, and various other pretensions. However, the Belgian project’s mesmerizing brand of instrumental post-metal won me over. Its bleak, misery-drenched tones conveyed everything that slightly uncomfortable-to-look-at album artwork suggested it might, ranging from a sludgy Bossk to Godspeed You! Black Emperor in tone. At almost an hour in length, and with a few strange choices in its composition, Quelle did struggle a little under its own weight but it still held my attention. Although the spaces now seem to come and go, it would appear BRIQUEVILLE have found a new way to irk me with their fourth record, IIII.” B r i c k by BRIQUE.
“Belarusian instrumental tech death duo Essence of Datum did what many have tried and failed to do: help me enjoy of deep instrumental metal. For me, there’s something missing in metal that lacks a vocal element. Part of that is surely rooted in the fact that I almost never listen to purely instrumental music anymore. Nonetheless, the core problem I encounter is that so little instrumental metal excites me, either because of fluffy songwriting with no real backbone, or because it’s simply an excuse for a solo artist to wank all over me without my consent. Not so with Essence of Datum or their last effort, Spellcrying Machine, which was a thoughtful, detailed, and compelling instrumental piece. Can its follow-up, the strange and wacky Radikal Rats, keep that trend running?” Rats in the tech.
“I know this looks like the daftest thing imaginable, but stay with me here: this is actually brilliant. I have no idea what led to one pun escalating quite so far out of control, but here we are: the Nuclear Power Trio. Three guys in terrifying dictator masks, playing Latin fusion instrumental metal, brilliantly. Three years ago I loved their EP A Clear and Present Rager, which brought me in with a comedy video and immediately gripped me with the quality of the music. Wet Ass Plutonium is their debut full-length. Does an instrumental band teetering on the edge of being a novelty act have a full album in them?” Strong Mancore
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“Look, I get it. You’re a new post-metal band trying to make it, but is it, maybe, a bit of a stretch to tout that your debut EP was recorded at the same studio that, 21 years ago, hosted the sessions for ISIS’ iconic Oceanic and has, at some point in the intervening two decades, changed its name? Yes, but I’d do it too. So, Boston-based Lesotho recorded its 2021 EP, Summer Wars, at The Bridge Sound & Stage, formerly known as Fort Apache Studios, where post-metal legends ISIS … Never mind.” Studio stalkers.
“Five-piece NATT comprises a core duo of songwriters, René Misje (Kraków) and Roy Ole Førland (Malignant Eternal), who are then joined in the studio by others, including Enslaved’s Iver Sandøy behind the kit. Would the launch gig for their self-titled debut justify a visit to Norway?” Tour core.
“With a lineup of New York experimental metal and prog veterans, it’s no surprise that the group glint and dazzle like so many subatomic scintillations, but the strength of Vonals lies in its subtle ebb of the ridiculous and the restrained.” Jazz monsters.
