One month in and 2022 already has an impressive selection of material to cover.
Meshuggah - “The Abysmal Eye”
Widely credited as the forefathers of the djent movement, this influential Swedish technical death metal band just released their first new song in six years. Meshuggah is the kind of name whose music speaks for itself, and "The Abysmal Eye" is reliably aggressive, with a blistering guitar solo to boot. An April 1 release date has been set for their ninth album, Immutable. It's new Meshuggah, they deliver their signature sound, complete with off-kilter time signatures, and not much else needs to be added. The Swedes' technical sound occasionally experimented with avante-garde compositions, especially on the underrated Catch Thirtythree. The band may venture into a similar headspace on Immutable, which they summarized as "their wildest sonic adventure yet."
Loathe is currently working on a full length album to follow up their breakthrough 2020 project I Let It In and It Took Everything. This abstract, experimental track appears to be a stand-alone single. "Dimorphous Display" remained unreleased in demo form for a while before Loathe finished it last year. The song still maintains the spontaneous nature of a demo, as well as the spirit of a 1990s alternative track, much like I Let It In and It Took Everything deep cut "Screaming". Frontman Kadeem France's feral snarls interject at the just the right moments, countering the brooding clean singing that comprises most of the vocals. The sonic cacophony represents a raw expression and experimentation moreso than an indication of how their upcoming material will sound, so it’s still a question of where Loathe will go next. The sky's the limit for the Liverpool band's creativity. Don't forget that they had the boldness to put out an entirely ambient instrumental project the previous year.
Northlane - “Plenty”
Now an independent band, Northlane return to the signature cyber-djent style they perfected on 2019’s Alien. The third single from their upcoming April album Obsidian is dark and technical, forgoing the poppy nature of the previous two. A stunning vocal performance from Marcus Bridge alternates seething snarls with his impeccable clean singing on the chorus. Over an unorthodox time signature, "Plenty" contemplates the question of whether you would start your life over again if given the chance. It is by far my favorite of the three Obsidian singles. While the first two took a few listens to get on board with, I found myself loving "Plenty" almost immediately. While Northlane have received multiple ARIA awards in their home country of Australia, I still think they don't get enough credit for their ability to hybridize genres - and blend the old with the new - in a way that rivals crossover superstars Bring Me the Horizon. Northlane's recent material masterfully incorporates early 2000s influences (the first Celldweller and Linkin Park albums come to mind) within the context of a heavier, modern progressive metalcore sound. They are also one of the frontrunners in terms of promotion, writing a theme for a tactical video game esports league and launching the Worldeaters patreon this past year. With tracks like "Plenty" in the band's arsenal, Obsidian is on track to be one of the best heavy albums of 2022.
Wolves at the Gate - “Lights and Fire”
Wolves at the Gate got their start as an aggressive, fervent post-hardcore band with a dichotomy of light and dark, tension and release, screamed and clean vocals. That duality was in full force on the band's debut full-length Captors, one of the finest metalcore releases of the 2010s. Every track on that album, including the heaviest ("Amnesty") and the softest ("Safeguards" and "Man of Sorrows") incorporated both aspects of their identity. In contrast, "Lights & Fire" is an entirely melodic rock track that exhibits Wolves at the Gate at their most accessible, and in fact has been receiving some attention from satellite rock radio station SiriusXM Octane. There are no screamed vocals here, which is rare for a non-acoustic Wolves at the Gate track. What hasn't changed is the band's love of Thrice, and their creative interpretation of that influence continues to take on new forms. The lyrics are also evocative, as vocalist Steve Cobucci sings about about a moment of clarity that came with the realization that he was holding on to something self-destructive. While upcoming album Eulogies is unlikely to top their first three, this is a strong single that proves "radio-friendly" doesn't always mean stale.
Absent in Body - "The Acres/The Ache"
Composed of Neurosis vocalist/guitarist (and frequent Mastodon collaborator) Scott Kelly, former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera, and two members of Belgian doom metal group Amenra (Colin Eeckhout and Mathieu Vandekerckhove), Absent in Body has proven to be a formidable metal supergroup. The first released song from their upcoming five-track album Plague God is powerful and surprisingly dynamic. Starting with a measured drum cadence over an ominous hum, "The Acres/The Ache" descends into Stygian depths with Igor Cavalera's echoing percussion evoking a dark underground dungeon. This crushing sludge metal onslaught suddenly gives way to atmospheric post rock halfway through. Around the four minute mark, a slow melodic guitar line breaks through the gloom, and ghostly clean vocals follow. The dark, cavernous atmosphere returns in the end, capping off an otherworldly eight and a half minute journey. This song proves to be an intriguing start to a promising collaborative project.
Erra - “Nigh to Silence”
This new track was recorded last year for a special edition of Erra's self-titled album. "Nigh to Silence" starts off sounding like a track from Jesse Cash's Ghost Atlas project, before incorporating previous eras of Erra into one song. "Nigh to Silence" is a song about loneliness, which Jesse described as "set on an empty earth observed by the moon." As proven before, the band's lyricism continues to stand out, with lines like "wolves of ash, howling in a present past" and "walking in the shadow of my own ghost" vividly describing a cold solitude. Simultaneously emotive and pummeling, "Nigh to Silence" displays Erra's mastery at progressive metalcore.
While rooted in deathcore, Fit For an Autopsy have always worn their Gojira influence on their sleeve. This is most notable in "Far From Heaven," with a memorable guitar rhythm and chorus hearkening back to Gojira's album L'Enfant Sauvage. Produced and written by guitarist Will Putney, Oh What the Future Holds spans a spectrum of heavy music that incorporates more subtle influences. Whereas some deathcore records follow the same formula for every song on the album, Fit For an Autopsy make a clear creative choice to branch out. Of special note are the contemplative, melodic "Two Towers" and "The Man That I Was Not", spaced apart as tracks 5 and 10 respectively, which venture into progressive metal. Elsewhere, straightforward deathcore cuts like "Collateral Damage" are absolutely relentless. As one of several albums released by prominent deathcore bands on the same day (January 14), this held its own against some competition.
Underoath - Vouyerist
Underoath have left a lasting legacy over the years. The band's sound has always been distinct and recognizable, particularly since Spencer Chamblerlain came into the fold, but the Florida metalcore stalwarts never made the same record twice. Nothing will top ø (disambiguation) for me (one of my favorite albums of all time), but Underoath's latest project is very solid. The self-production has a heavy, sludgy tone that works well for the bleak mood of the album, especially on the experimental closer "Pneumonia". The two-track sequence of ambient Sleepwave-esque interlude "(no oasis)" and fierce post-hardcore dichotomy on "Take a Breath" is the finest moment on Vouyerist. The only aspect that might prevent me from listening to this album more throughout the year is its relentlessly bleak and futile lyrical tone. I can certainly relate to the Ghostemane-featured "Cycle" as it echoes the frustrated inner dialogue when my mind is on a negative spiral, but it's not a headspace I want to succumb to or remain in for long. However, that brutal honesty also works in the favor of an album this cathartic and furious in sound. Vouyerist leaves no doubt that Underoath still has new avenues to explore.
Other Noteworthy January Releases:
Singles:
Haunted Shores - “Hellfire” (Jan 12, instrumental djent)
Bad Omens - “Like a Villain” (Jan 18, post-hardcore)
Ghost - “Call Me Little Sunshine” (Jan 20, doom/rock)
Vein.fm - “Fear in Non Fiction” (Jan 24, hardcore)
Shinedown - “Planet Zero” (Jan 26, rock/post-grunge)
Albums/EPs:
Animårum - The Gaian Mind EP (Jan 14, djent/technical death metal)
Shadow of Intent - Elegy (Jan 14, deathcore)
Enterprise Earth - The Chosen (Jan 14, deathcore)
Worm Shepherd - Ritual Hymns (Jan 14, blackened deathcore/symphonic black metal)
Pridelands - Light Bends (Jan 14, metalcore)
Mizmor - Wit’s End (Jan 14, black metal/doom)
Aethereus - Leiden (Jan 14, technical death metal)
Great American Ghost - Torture World EP (Jan 20, hardcore)
SOM - The Shape of Everything (Jan 21, doom/shoegaze)
Krosis - E.V.I.L. (Jan 31, deathcore, technical death metal)
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