Territory’s Edge - Best New Metal of January 2022

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. 

Fit for an Autopsy - Oh What the Future Holds

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)

Territory's Edge: Best New Metal of October 2021

October is generally a good month for metal releases, given the Halloween season and all.  There's plenty of quality material this time around, so let's jump right into it.

Mastodon - Hushed and Grim

 

While progressive/stoner/sludge metal Atlanta band Mastodon has crafted 13-minute individual songs earlier on in their career with "Hearts Alive" and "The Last Baron", their latest album Hushed and Grim marks a new endeavor of epic proportions.  It is Mastodon's first double album and their longest release to date, clocking in at 86 minutes across 15 tracks.  While the band's last three albums were their most accessible and straightforward, this one returns to their conceptual nature in a way that sounds like a natural progression.  While very melodic and atmospheric throughout, the album contains plenty of dynamics - the doomy, ominous "Dagger" is followed by "Had It All", a subdued rock ballad with a Kim Thayil guitar solo.   Hushed and Grim is a concept record dealing with grief, and is dedicated to the band's longtime friend and manager Nick John who passed in 2018 from pancreatic cancer.   Throughout there's an acceptance of the inevitability of death, best summed up on the third track with the lyric "Death comes and brings with him sickle and peace".  The album doesn't grab your attention immediately, but further, closer listens will reveal just how fantastic it really is.

Mastodon are no strangers to grappling with loss and death in their music.  Albums like Crack the Skye and The Hunter were tributes to drummer Brann Dailor's sister and guitarist Brent Hinds' brother respectively.  From the beginning, as aggressive and feral as their early material could be, something more was present beneath the surface than just mere rage.  Dailor credited Mastodon's first album Remission with helping him heal and process the pain of his sister's death, and explained that the title represents forgiveness and healing.  Remission was lyrically abstract and chaotic in nature against a backdrop of intense technical drumming, but it contained more subdued instrumental sections as well, perhaps representing stability found in the midst of turmoil.  A similar sense of acceptance and healing in the midst of tragedy is present here, but is more multifaceted and contemplative in tone.   Hushed and Grim is a masterful, multi-faceted record, but we shouldn't expect anything less than quality music (not to mention consistently fantastic artwork) from Mastodon.  Expect this, and one other October album, to be very high on my year-end list.

Frontierer - Oxidized

Scottish noise/hardcore outfit Frontierer have made one of the heaviest and most abrasive albums of the year.   Pedram Valiani's breakneck, technical riffs combined with harsh, distorted electronics result in a chaotic sound comparable to Godflesh, Fawn Limbs and Will Haven.  Fans of Code Orange (particularly their more intense material) should find something here to enjoy as well.  The result is a difficult album to get into for sure, but also a very well crafted one.  "Daydark" is the cut I'll highlight further and treat as a single, as delving into the entire 16 tracks of this sonic cacophony headfirst is a daunting prospect for listeners, even those who are well acquainted with this style.  Reminiscent of Loathe, this aggressive mathcore track unexpectedly gives way to ambience and atmospheric clean vocals, before delving back into the chaos.  I particularly like the way Frontierer incorporates this contrasting melody surrounded by the tumult on both sides.   The band made Oxidized available on Bandcamp as a free/pay what you want download.

The Breathing Process - Labyrinthian

 

My first encounter with this band was their 2010 album Odyssey Undead, which combined a European symphonic black metal flavor within the context of an American death metal band.  Between that time and the present, the sound of The Breathing Process has streamlined to symphonic deathcore and more closely resembles the likes of Shadow of Intent and Brand of Sacrifice.  Their latest album Labyrinthian comes shortly after they were signed to tech-death/deathcore label Unique Leader Records.  Guitarists Jordan Milner and Sara Lorelein also incorporate some riffs reminiscent of black metal such as on "Wilt".  Subtle dissonant melodies and prominent orchestration throughout provide a sense of grandeur.  While the drum production is somewhat muffled, Labyrinthian is a cohesive record and the band's technical skill comes through clear.

Arch Enemy - "Deceiver, Deceiver"

Arch Enemy have roared back with a new track, "Deceiver, Deceiver".  This is a standalone single and for now, nothing further has been announced.  Barring a January 2019 covers compilation, the song marks the first new material for the Swedish melodic death metal crew since their 2017 full-length Will to Power.  Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz sounds as fierce as ever.  Her aggressive delivery combined with the chaotic atmosphere and blast beast drumming make her chastisement of a duplicitous antagonist especially convincing.  A tradeoff of lead guitar riffs between Jeff Loomis and Michael Amott provides a suitably dark backdrop.  Amott stated that the track is "not the happiest of tunes, but believe me - we're ecstatic to be back!"  That feeling seems to be mutual among metal fans, as "Deceiver, Deceiver" has already received over 600 thousand Spotify streams within 10 days of its October 21 release; an impressive feat for material this heavy.  

Veil of Maya - "Outrun" 

 

Like Arch Enemy, Veil of Maya's last released album also dates back to 2017.  However, the Chicago progressive metalcore band has remained on the radar and released four standalone singles in the last three years.  Veil of Maya's latest song "Outrun" is as catchy as it is unpredictable.  Starting off with an aggressive djent sound and harsh vocals, the music switches to a synth pop instrumental as vocalist Lukas Magyr sings a Weeknd-style R&B melody in the chorus, and then transitions right back.  Guitarist Marc Okubo also has a moment of homage to Iron Maiden.  His guitar harmonies in the bridge are an intentional nod to 1983 hit "The Trooper".  "Outrun" could become a future staple at live shows, as indicated by the music video, which features live footage from the band's tour with Dance Gavin Dance.  

Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon

 

This stellar and surprisingly ambitious record was the only release that could rival Mastodon's double album this month in terms of quality.  Trivium's new album In the Court of the Dragon has drawn some well-deserved comparisons to perhaps their most acclaimed work, Shogun.  In fact, the closer "The Phalanx" was originally written during that era but remained unused until now.  The title track is a relentless, take no prisoners beginning much like Shogun opener "Kirisute Gomen".  Trivium's 2020 effort What the Dead Men Say indicated that Matt Kiichi Heafy and company were comfortable in their lane and had settled on their sound.   What the Dead Men Say was not a bad album by any means, but it went through the motions and was not nearly as impressive as its predecessor The Sin and the Sentence.  Some tracks sounded like B-sides from that album.  That's not the case on here.   The sound is unmistakably Trivium, but the songwriting is stronger and more adventurous.  Subtle symphonic flourishes also give this a more epic tone.  The strings are most effective on the three 7 minute songs "Shadow of the Abattoir", "Fall Into Your Hands" and "The Phalanx", which are strategically placed as tracks 6, 8, and 10.  There's also some throwbacks to their early Ascendancy era, especially "A Crisis of Revelation", and more subtly, Matt Heafy's singing style on "Shadow of the Abattoir", which is reminiscent of the dark penultimate Ascendancy song "Departure".  This is easily among Trivium's best - I'd give it the edge over Shogun and What the Dead Men Say on a good day.

On a side note, 2021 isn't the first time Trivium have used dragon imagery.  Dragons appeared in the artwork for the Shogun cover and The Crusade singles "Becoming the Dragon" and "The Rising", as well as some tour merchandise during that era designed by Paul Romano, so Trivium hearkens back in more ways than one.

Hollow Front - Loose Threads (2020)

Independent release, June 19, 2020

Tracklist

1. Afflicted

2. Nameless

3. Loose Threads

4. Left Behind

5. Vagabond

6. Wishful Thinking

7. Falling Apart
8. P.A.N.I.C.
9. Ghosted
10. The Itch
11. Serendipity

Hollow Front is an independent Michigan-based metalcore band. Their debut full-length, Hollow Threads, is their first release in two years, following an EP called Still Life which was put out on local label Beckwith Records. This group plays a style of metalcore in the vein of bands like Invent Animate, Wage War or Fit For a King that occasionally veers into a heavier direction.  The atmospheric opener "Afflicted" belies Hollow Front's aggressive side, as this track is actually much more melodic than the rest of the album. "Afflicted" is a clear highlight which shows the band's strengths right away.  Also appearing early on, the title track follows a similar direction, again emphasizing guitarist Dakota Alvarez's clean vocals in the beginning before the heavy sections that come later.  Both of these tracks retain a nice back-and-forth dynamic between the cleans and Tyler Tate's harsh vocals.  Dakota Alvarez's vocals are underutilized in this album and I would have liked to hear more from him.  He's got a great voice and deserves to be prominent on more than just two out of eleven tracks.

The band shows a few different sides to their sound.  While the two most melodic tracks show up at the start of the album, the most aggressive ones appear towards the end.  Tracks nine and ten, "Ghosted" and "The Itch", are the heaviest songs.  Both are intense, breakdown-heavy and cross over into deathcore territory.   Elsewhere, Loose Threads has an inclination for incorporating keyboards into heavy tracks. "Nameless" and "Falling Apart" use a simple keyboard line for some contrast atop an aggressive sound with vocals that are predominantly screamed.  Here they seem to be going for a similar style as Make Them Suffer's "Widower", and it works for them.  "P.A.N.I.C." also has a brief quiet keyboard section in the middle. 

Loose Threads does show room for growth.  Tracks like "Left Behind" and "Wishful Thinking" are merely average and lack a strong hook or staying power apart from with an interesting guitar line in the opening.  The album's pacing could also be improved as we have a long stretch of similar sounding aggressive metalcore tracks following the first three tracks.  The tracklist is a bit unbalanced and seems to just get heavier and more aggressive as it goes along.  While their sound isn't particularly unique, this is not an issue for a group at such an early stage of their career.  Hollow Front is a promising young band with room to grow and further develop their own identity in the future.   For now, they have a solid debut album to their credit which gets a score of 7/10.

The Breathing Process - Odyssey (Un) Dead (2010)

Siege of Amida Records, March 8, 2010

Tracklist

1. Hours
2. Grimoire
3. Leveller
4. Vultures
5. Pantheon Unravelling
6. Odyssey: (Un)dead
7. Starless: Eternal
8. Metamorphosis
9. Hordes
10. The Living Forest
11. Wind Ritual
12. The Opaque Forest
13. Decaying Form

This entry is one in a series of ten-year retrospectives on my favorite albums from the year 2010. Odyssey was one album that stood out to me primarily for branching out and sounding different. This Pennsylvania-based band is a good example of a relatively obscure group bringing European-inspired gothic and symphonic metal influence to an American death metal/deathcore style and pulling it off successfully.  

The keyboards played by Jared Sloan are prominent and bring a gothic undertone to the sound of The Breathing Process. Throughout the album, the keyboards alternate from a background instrument underlying the guitars to moments where they are a primary focus. The sung sections from clean vocalist Sara Loerlein further strengthen the atmosphere. I particularly like the fourth song “Vultures”, which is the first track she appears on. From then on she has a prominent role in the album and is the primary vocalist in the song “Wind Ritual”. “Vultures” has a excellent balance between Sara’s vocals and the low growls from John LaFreniere, and does a fine job showcasing the two sides of the band’s sound.

Odyssey is a pretty solid release from 2010. One area where it could improve is in consistency. There are some songs where the keyboards and other gothic metal elements don't mesh as well with the death metal ones. That being said, while the symphonic/death metal combination has been done before, it is clear that the band made an effort to be their own entity rather than following trends. This sense of nuance was refreshing in a year where many death metal and deathcore albums followed a formula to the letter, and thus it earns a score of 7/10.

After the Burial - Evergreen (2019)

Sumerian Records, April 19, 2019

Tracklist

1. Behold the Crown

2. Exit, Exist

3. 11/26

4. In Flux

5. Respire

6. Quicksand
7. The Great Repeat

8. To Challenge Existence

9. A Pulse Exchanged

After the Burial's Evergreen is the band's fifth release on Sumerian Records and their first with current bassist Adrian Oropeza. The band has gone through some hardships especially with the tragic loss of rhythm guitarist Justin Lowe, but have remained a key presence in the progressive metalcore scene throughout their existence. Like their previous two albums Wolves Within and Dig Deep, Evergreen is nine tracks long and has a runtime of approximately forty minutes. The group's Meshuggah influence and Trent Halfdahl's technical skill on the guitar is evident and listeners know to expect from an After the Burial album. The opening track and early single, "Behold the Crown", is dominated by pitch harmonics and a single catchy riff pattern, not unlike "Lost in the Static" from 2016's Dig Deep. However, it's the three tracks in the middle that prove to be Evergreen's most interesting moments. "In Flux" is the album's longest track at six minutes long and is one of its best. This song is both impressive in its complex riffs and composition and provides Evergreen with some needed dynamics, ending with a two-minute ambient instrumental section that leads directly into "Respire". "Quicksand" closes and opens with a similarly ambient section, and follows a slower, more ominous pace. It's got a darker undertone to it and builds nicely. "Respire" bookends these two tracks that have ambient sections, and is a more straightforward song that really stands out for its melodic guitar solo and riffs.

Evergreen is a solid technical metal album that doesn't have many issues with it. The drawbacks mainly come down to a lack of variety. Though a couple of tracks change up the pacing or atmosphere slightly, some variation in the vocals or additional dynamics would help the individual tracks stand out more on their own. I also would have liked to hear a track with buildup and release like "Disconnect" in the mix. Overall, while Wolves Within is still my favorite from this band, Evergreen is a very solid release from a band that remains consistent in their output, and earns a score of 8/10.