April was not a good month. After a truly spectacular first quarter on the music fronts, it was a right disappointment. There were loads of releases, and although there were a few enjoyable things here and there, but very few of the I love it category.
Halestorm: Into the Wild Life
So Halestorm is supposed to be hard rock. I say it's unashamed pop rock, but that's all good - they are not very interesting or original, but very catchy. Surely party song material. Sometimes I'm just in the mood to listen along to badass female vocalists; and since the lyrics are super uncomplicated, this is just the music for that. (Guilty pleasure or not.)
Apocalyptica: Shadowmaker
Confession: I really like Apocalyptica. They're campy as fuck, but I don't care. Sure, it's awfully poppy, but they can actually play (and I love string instruments more than anything anyway). The new vocalist is pretty good, and he fits their music quite well. It's not their best work, but it's not that disappointing either, even if I'd like it more if it were less pop and more metal.
Tribulation: The Children of the Night
(it's from that silent film)
I'm pretty sure this is my favourite album of the month. Well, sure, the phrase 'progressive death metal' might sound scary to some and pointless to others, but I always say that I like all death metal but the pure, classic version of it. And while I might be more partial towards to the melodic and symphonic sprouts, this is still well within the circles of my favourite genres. (That's me saying I'm biased in too many words.)
The album is well put together, exciting, engaging, good quality, some great guitar work - especially on The Motherhood of God, that track is just brilliant all around. There's a distinct sound to them, but the songs don't mash together at all; really all you can ask for in your metal.
Mare Infinitum: Alien Monolith God
Excruciatingly slow atmospheric death metal - I suspect that unless you like the genre, you will not like this album. I found it a pleasant listen, although I too have to be in the mood for it. Maybe it's the genre, but the album as a whole feels more like a stream-of-consciousness of an alien than a collection of songs. Moreover, since the entire album is five super long songs, one of which is instrumental, I feel like picking 3 would be nonsense. Check out Alien Monolith God though, that really stands even on itself and is easily the best song on there. It's only 14 minutes.
Arena: The Unquiet Sky
I generally find progressive rock a little boring; but when it veers close to its metal brother, it's a different story. There's some interesting guitarwork here, and while the whole album to me gets a little same-ish, it's a pleasant listen.
Dawn of Azazel: The Tides of Damocles
Despite my usual claimes, here's some 'straight up death metal'. Hey, the lyrics are surprisingly understandable! (They also don't sound like shit coming back from the toilet, which is something that happens far too often in the genre.) Listening to the whole album in its entirety is a little too much for my delicate heart, but a few songs here and there don't hurt. It's nothing special as for songwriting or technique (but what's new in death metal?), and it definitely pulls no heartstrings for me, but it's a good album, I'll give as much.
No comments:
Post a Comment