Here I am with the new review! Summer is usually bleaker for releases, but these are the months I have more time to write, so I work with what I have. There were two records I was really looking forward to, but there are some nice finds apart from those as well.
Dark Suns: Everchild
This first one is a relatively mellow progressive record; to be honest, too mellow for me, but it has many interesting moments (like incorporating jazzy sounds), and is actually really accessible to probably all kinds of people who like alternative rock.
Sleep of Monsters: II: Poison Garden
Also a progressive/alternative record, with a slightly more avantgarde feel and an overall happier and catchier atmosphere and sound. Could still be recommended for everyone, it is a fantastic album.
Listen to: Poison King, The Art of Passau, Beyond the Fields We Know
Gojira: Magma
Gojira is one of my favourite bands, so I was really looking forward to this release - even though I did so with increasing worry, as the singles were released. I'm not to say I don't find it interesting, but it is also very, very far from From Mars to Sirius or even The Way of All Flesh. It is, so far, the most ambient and least heavy Gojira record; it is a lot slower in general, and one of my favourite things about the band, Mario Duplantier's crazy drumming is less prominent. On some tracks the new ambient-clean singing is jarring and the composition feels jagged (like on The Shooting Star), while on others it surprisingly works (like on the catchy Magma). So yes, I'm a bit disappointed, but there are still quite a few things to like. A shorter description would be that the album feels like how the album art looks like.
Be'lakor: Vessels
The other release I was tremendously looking forward to, and this one did not disappoint. Admittedly, I'm very easy to please when it comes to melodeath, but after the disappointment of the new Omnium Gatherum, this record was very welcome. On the whole, it's interesting enough, with that usual Be'lakor melodicity, and there are a couple absolute gems on it. I definitely recommend checking it out.
Countless Skies: New Dawn
A surprise melodeath release of the Insomnium-OG-Be'lakor variety. Especially of the Omnium Gatherum variety. It almost sounds more like old OG than their actual release of the year, so if someone was missing that sound (me), here it is. This is not to insinuate this is but a copycat band, as this album is hugely enjoyable. Even if the cover is dangerously hipster-ish.
Forteresse: Thèmes pour la rébellion
A slightly atmospheric black metal release; heavy and energetic and oppressive, as black metal should be. Maybe even a bit too much, so that the album is hard to listen to in its entirety all the time, but the best tracks on their own are definitely worthy of attention.
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