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)

On the Psychology and Theology of Silent Planet: "Am I Terminal?"

Silent Planet's frontman Garrett Russell has never been one to shy away from the subject of mental health.  He lives with bipolar depression and anxiety, and has been very open about his diagnosis in several interviews.  The band's second album Everything Was Sound has an entire meta-narrative about mental illness, informed by Garrett's master's degree in clinical psychology and internship as a college counselor.  However, his own struggle with mental illness would soon inform the band's music in a rawer, more painful way.  In November 2019, Garrett attempted to take his life while suffering a scary mental breakdown in Belgium in between shows on a European tour.   Shortly after, he checked himself into a psychological rehabilitation facility for a month.  Hospitalized and at the lowest point of his life, with the band's future in doubt, he tried to make sense of the broken pieces.   That traumatic 24 hour span and the resulting psychogenic struggle shaped Iridescent, the band's fourth album.  In Garrett's capable hands, lyrics about living with a stigmatized mental health condition are written with a rare depth, care, and raw honesty.  

Iridescent is visceral in sound.  Like  “Native Blood”, which I wrote about previously, the intensity of the lyrics is matched by the music.  Throughout, Alexrene Camarena's relentless percussion and Mitchell Stark's fast technical fretwork keep pace with Garrett's rapid-fire vocal delivery.  Atmospheric passages both melodic (the ending of "Second Sun") and ominous ("liminal") weave in and out.  Bassist Thomas Freckleton has traditionally handled almost all of the clean singing, but on here the duties are much more spread out, which adds further to the unpredictability.  The opening tracks "112" and "Translate the Night" convey a dissonant, eerie atmosphere on the same level as Loathe, while the aggressive industrial-laced djent of "Anhedonia" and "Panopticon" echoes Northlane's recent forays on Alien.  The emotive "Second Sun" and "Terminal" counter the chaos.  On tracks like "The Sound of Sleep", this album is also reminiscent of Underoath's Ø (Disambiguation) (Garrett's favorite Underoath album as well as mine).  Like that landmark album, Iridescent reflects its dark sound with desperate, soul-searching lyrics. 

Whether intensely personal or discussing broader overarching issues, every track on Iridescent conceptually fits into place.   "Trilogy", initially a standalone single on February 2020, was penned in one session by Garrett during his hospitalization.  The band finished and recorded the song shortly after he was released.  In it, he expresses a longing to heal and feel human again amidst the cyclic, clockwork structure of life in a mental facility.  The sole break from the chaos is when Thomas enters on the chorus, singing "Be still and human."  This frantic, fast-paced song encapsulates the manic state, as he screams about static in his head before the sound dissolves into distortion in the final seconds.  Iridescent's second single "Panopticon", named for an observation tower centralized within a circle of prison cells, alludes to a concept introduced on Everything Was Sound.  In an in-depth 2016 interview, Garrett explained how the panopticon on that album represents "the stigmatization of mental health and the way that we understand disorders", with the prisoner of each cell representing a different mental illness.  At the end, the prison is destroyed.  The track "Panopticon" has no guitars at all - just bass, drums, and electronics - and takes this concept in a more dystopian direction ("They see all but we see one/Shut down the system/Burn away the veil/What waits? A face behind a face behind a face").  The buzz of the bass strings is audible as Thomas’ low-end crunch provides the ideal backdrop. Lyrics allude to addiction to technology and screens, something Garrett was experiencing in an unhealthy way prior to the November tour.

On a similar note, the furious "Alive, As a Housefire" rages against the dehumanizing, machine-like nature of unjust systems.  Written during the June 2020 protests, it lyrically parallels "No Place to Breathe" as both tracks reference police violence against African Americans and generational trauma ("Cold as the empire that stole away your breath... and long as the history they poured inside your chest").  "Alive, As a Housefire" notes how it often takes a drastic event to recognize corruption ("We hide in the guise of benevolence until the system burns").  While this track is obviously about brokenness on a large scale, its catharsis and anger make its inclusion on Iridescent ideal.  Fire is also referenced multiple times throughout the album, including "Terminal" ("Burn the forest for the splinters"), "The Sound of Sleep" ("Bastard sun/you'll burn alone"), and "Anhedonia" ("Lost inside a fevered dream/Set fire to the forgery").  The latter track specifically addresses the devastating fires that occurred in northern California, not far from Garrett's hometown of Redding.  "Anhedonia" takes its title from the depression and numbness he felt for a while afterwards, unable to take pleasure in things he normally enjoyed. 

While Garrett's mental health struggle has been referenced on previous Silent Planet material, Iridescent is more akin to a trip into his own psyche in metalcore form.  The beautiful, haunting "Terminal" reflects raw desperation with nothing lost in translation.  This song is dominated by disassociated sounding clean vocals (sung by Garrett and guitarist Mitchell) floating over dissonant guitar riffs.  The ghostly, detached atmosphere echoes Garrett's shift from reality as he took mind-altering medications in the hospital.  He wonders if the anesthetizing, mood stabilizing drugs are only masking the hopelessness and brokenness he feels.  The way he tentatively sings, "The hourglass is vacant/Sand turns to medication/You can fill me but I'll never be full/I'm slipping to sedation/The seconds are contagious/Can you tell me if I'm terminal?" is beautiful and heart-wrenching.  Every lyric reflects this existential and spiritual tumult as he underwent treatment.   During the months leading up to Garrett's mental breakdown, severe depression, anxiety and fear of failure (often centered around losing his voice) weighed heavily on him.  "The Sound of Sleep" is about his insomnia leading up to his mental collapse.  As a central symptom of bipolar disorder, disturbance in sleep cycles is very frequent during manic episodes. Garrett's thoughts of lying awake at night ("I learned to forget how to lose myself in a dream until I sink/I learned to forget the intervals of syllables that sound like sleep") tell just how routine his sleeplessness has become.  Alex’s drumming is standout here, as he lays down an ominous rhythm.

Garrett's lyrics contain many attachment themes of self-worth, despair, and questions of brokenness.  In his words, "This album, for me, was the first time that I allowed myself the space to look at my demons long enough to give them names and try and describe their faces."  Iridescent doesn't conclude with easy answers or a neat resolution, allowing room for a present ambiguity.  To do so on an album this unflinchingly honest would be disingenuous.  However, a few rays of light and faith remain present.  Most notable is the penultimate song "Till We Have Faces", which takes its title from a C.S. Lewis novel.  Metanoia, a term in Christian theology meaning spiritual transformation and repentance, is referenced in the lyrics.  In the midst of instability, he finds grace within the darkest depths ("Laying inside the lowland, I bowed within the reeds/I gave myself to consequence when grace devoured me").  "Second Sun" echoes faith in the divine presence in the closing line, "Every turn returns to You."  In the midst of self-doubt and guilt, the grace and support Garrett received from the band and community ensured that those 24 hours wouldn't mark the end of Silent Planet.  The Night God Slept's opening song "The Well", is also interpolated: "Hold us together when the fear tears us apart/Lovers, forever, you are the answer to the dark".  The closing title track, a tribute to Garrett's dog Birdie who passed away that year, contains glimpses of eternity in the midst of a farewell - where all that is broken will be made new again.

Silent Planet's Iridescent deals with mental health in a more personal and painful way than their previous material, and the entire band handles this concept to perfection.  I wish all the best for Garrett and his bandmates going forward and hope he can find a space of peace, recovery, and happiness.  Simultaneously volatile and introspective, Iridescent is well deserving of a 10/10 score.  I'll leave you with a link to a 2020 interview between Garrett and former Sleeping Giant vocalist Tommy Green.  While difficult to listen to (be aware that it contains detailed discussion of medication, mental illness and suicide attempts), ultimately grace, hope and resilience is present in the midst of darkness, much like Iridescent itself.  There is a beautiful prayer at the end that speaks of how every broken piece is gathered and not one lost.  If you are going through any of the struggles described here, please never be afraid to seek the help and support you need, wherever that help may be for you.  Lovers forever.  Birdie forever.

Territory's Edge: Best New Metal of November 2021

Territory's Edge entry for November, which proved eventful for heavy music.  Other noteworthy releases I enjoyed from this month include the brutal post-metal of Twin Dream by Glassing, the instrumental prog/post rock soundscapes of A Vast Field of Silence by Outrun the Sunlight, the symphonic alt-metal of Heaven in Hiding by Imminence, and the Christmas themed metalcore single "Lowborn" by Wolves at the Gate. 

MØL - Diorama

 

Here is a very good black metal/shoegaze combination similar to earlier Deafheaven material.  While Deafheaven’s most recent album Infinite Granite is primarily shoegaze with only trace remnants of black metal, Diorama is stylistically closer to Sunbather and is a near 50/50 split of the two sides of their sound.   Kim Song Sternkopf’s harsh black metal-style delivery is countered with melodic guitar riffs and ambient instrumental sections from Nicolai Bladt and Ken Lund Klejs.  The band takes their name from the Danish word for “moth” and writes both Danish and English lyrics, sometimes within the same song.  “Diorama” is the calmest and most atmospheric of the eight songs.  This closing title track is entirely in Danish, and features Sternkopf singing cleanly for the majority of it alongside vocalist Kathrine Shepherd.   Another clear standout is “Itinerari”, which uses ambient instrumental sections and clean vocals to great effect.  MØL sees shoegaze and black metal as styles that meld well with each other, and blend them together expertly.  They have also listed Gojira, Mastodon, and Danish alternative rock group Mew as influences, making for a diverse, well-rounded take on the genre.  

Venom Prison - "Judges of the Underworld"

  

Over their seven years of existence, Venom Prison have steadily gained traction within the metal underground.  “Judges of the Underworld” may be the song to break them out.  The Welsh band’s metalcore influenced take on death metal is just as fearsome as their name implies and remains so.  However, their purposeful message and frontwoman Larissa Stupar’s dual vocal style provide potential for the band to reach a greater audience, particularly fans of larger acts like Jinjer or Arch Enemy.  Larissa both sings and growls over a driving guitar riff on a song just as memorable as it is brutal.  The track marks Venom Prison’s first single from their February 2022 album titled Erebos, which in Greek mythology refers to the primordial personification of darkness.  Several song titles on this upcoming album allude to ancient Greek myth, including this one.  The underworld of Hades had three judges named Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus, who weighed the deeds of the deceased.   Lyrically, this song is about the criminal justice system – in particular the isolation of prison and the underlying factors of poverty and inequity that can lead to a cycle of violence.   The art of using myth as a lyrical metaphor by making a parallel with a modern situation often makes for a compelling message, as Trivium has shown on several occasions.  "Judges of the Underworld” is a ferocious and incisive single that marks Venom Prison as a band to watch in 2022.  

 

Northlane - "Echo Chamber" 

  

I named Alien as my album of the year in 2019, so anticipation remains high for anything this band releases.  After completing the recording this summer, Northlane finally announced the details of their 2022 album Obsidian this month.  In the meantime, my favorite Australian progressive metalcore band has certainly stayed active.  They’ve hosted live streamed shows, released acoustic and remix EPs of songs from Alien, and launched a new Patreon - not to mention frontman Marcus Bridge’s endeavors at building new guitars and recording instrumentals on his girlfriend's DIY punk project.  Their new single was written about addiction to social media.  Initially sounding like a synth-pop song with an electronic beat and upbeat singing dominating the first verse, “Echo Chamber” eventually grows more distorted and progresses into Northlane’s signature style.  They have a goofy video to go along with it, which depicts (very poorly) disguised mannequins performing in place of the band members before Marcus shows up in a black hoodie to take down the imposters – accept no substitutes!  The whole silliness of it all is a bit out of left field, though given the intensity of "Bloodline" and "Eclipse" (which dealt with subject matter of heroin and child abuse) I get Northlane wanting to make a less serious music video for once.  Guitarist Josh Smith said this was as poppy as Obsidian gets, so expect a heavy album in April. 

Slipknot - "The Chapeltown Rag"

  

Slipknot is now 22 years removed from their debut album, but show no signs of slowing down.   Their latest single is both aggressive and insightful.  Thematically, "The Chapeltown Rag" contains similarities to the previous song, also dealing with social media and the dangers of being addicted to life behind a screen.  However, it's specifically inspired by a true crime documentary the band’s vocalist Corey Taylor watched on the 1970s case of the Yorkshire Ripper.   The lead detective in the investigation trying to catch the serial killer mistakenly believed the Yorkshire Ripper only targeted “fallen women” and pursued that hypothesis even though there was no proof.  The press on the investigation soon focused on the alleged moral failings of the Yorkshire Ripper’s victims, rather than the actual crime committed.  Because the false theory wasted time, the serial killer was not arrested until five years after the first murder.  Corey Taylor noted similarities to the misinformation and distortion that can rapidly spread within social media today.  He described the track as “classic Slipknot” in sound.  This aggressive and catchy track is indeed reminiscent of the chaotic style of Slipknot’s first album, and is delivered with the razor-sharp precision of We Are Not Your Kind.  Jay Weinburg’s drumming in particular is a standout performance.  

Volumes - Happier?

  

Volumes has had somewhat of a revolving door lineup, especially for a relatively young band, with bassist/producer Raad Soudani the only constant member throughout every album.   The original vocalist Michael Barr reentered the band on Happier?, joining Myke Terry (formerly of Bury Your Dead) on vocals.  Following the loss of former lead guitarist Diego Farias, who sadly passed last year, the band does not currently have a permanent member in that role.  Max Schad played session guitar on this album as well as contributing to its fantastic production.  Volumes is coming off a 2017 full-length Different Animals, which suffered from a disjointed, directionless track listing, despite a fantastic vocal performance from Myke Terry being the one real saving grace of it.  Lineup changes aside,  Volumes actually play to their strengths here, and Happier? is a far more cohesive and consistent album than its predecessor.   The balance between aggressive djent groove and smooth R&B melody is expertly done.

 

Silent Planet - Iridescent

  

Silent Planet’s new album is darkly beautiful and deeply personal.   I’m writing a much longer post going in-depth with Iridescent, as I felt this space alone wasn’t adequate to cover my thoughts on this one.  Go listen to it now.  

Northlane - Mesmer (2017)

UNFD/Rise Records, March 24, 2017

Tracklist

1. Citizen

2. Colourwave

3. Savage

4. Solar

5.Heartmachine

6. Intuition

7. Zero-One
8. Fade
9. Render
10. Veridian

11. Paragon 

 

A little over a year ago, the Australian progressive metal band Northlane released the dark and experimental project Alien, which became my favorite album of 2019.   Part of understanding Alien involves taking a look back at Mesmer, the band's 2017 album that preceded it.   Mesmer was released as a "surprise" full-length on March 24, 2017 with no foreshadowing of its release.  A major step up in quality from Node, this project marked Marcus Bridge's second album as frontman.  Mesmer was not only an excellent album in its own right, it showed glimpses of what was to come next for Northlane. 

The eleven tracks of Mesmer maintain an atmospheric, spacey overtone at some point or another.  Aggressive riffs from Jon Deiley and drop-tuned basslines from Alex Milovic set a heavy backdrop that is balanced out with atmospheric vocals and electronics.  Compared with Node, the overall presentation is more cohesive, as the writing and structure builds around Marcus Bridge's vocal skill rather than simply integrating his voice into the band's previous sound.  Showcasing his beautiful vocal delivery, tracks like "Colourwave", "Zero-One" and "Savage" float in and out and emphasize melody.  The catchiest song "Heartmachine" recalls Periphery with an infectious djent riff and vocal melody.   "Intuition", the heaviest and angriest track, follows as a strong counterpoint.   Northlane show that dynamics are a clear strength.  Overall, the pacing and structure of Mesmer is excellent.  This includes "Veridian", the song I consider the weakest of the bunch.

While I consider Alien to be Northlane's opus in terms of concept, structure and lyricism, Mesmer shows great strength in the songwriting department as well.  The music and writing work in sync - the subject matter reflects the sound of these songs.  A key example of this is album highlight "Savage" which is about space exploration and opens with some otherworldly sounding production.  On Mesmer, rhythm guitarist Josh Smith wrote most of the lyrics, while two tracks were written by Marcus Bridge.  While the songs are about specific situations, they vary in subject matter.  Opener "Citizen" is about surveillance and refers to the CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden.  The final track "Paragon" is a tribute to Architects guitarist Tom Searle, who died from cancer in 2016.   Other tracks deal with personal issues such as "Colourwave", which Josh wrote about "a really dark time in my life" and  "Heartmachine", which is about a former girlfriend of Marcus and the fallout they both experienced.  However, none of these songs feel out of place here.  "Fade" which mentions Marcus' father's death.  This was the first Northlane song to discuss his violent and troubled father, but was a subject that would be discussed more in-depth on Alien.  And like on Alien, the music of one song often flows right into the next track.  So while these songs may be discussing different topics, the album maintains a cohesion and unity throughout its runtime.  The production, which is neither raw nor polished, is also consistent.  While overall it could be sharper and clearer, it gets the job done.

Northlane is a band of two different eras.  Their early material with Adrian had a distinct sound that other artists would follow after and be influenced by (Invent Animate's Stillworld album is a good example).  With the arrival of Marcus they again found a niche, emphasing atmosphere and his vocal strengths.  Through it all, Northlane is a band that never stops moving forward, always trying something new while keeping the quality high.  Mesmer scores a 9.5/10 rating.

Periphery - Periphery I (2010)

Sumerian Records, April 20, 2010

Tracklist

1. Insomnia
2. The Walk
3. Letter Experiment
4. Jetpacks Was Yes!
5. Light
6. All New Materials
7. Buttersnips
8. Icarus Lives!
9. Totla Mad
10. Ow My Feelings
11. Zyglrox
12. Racecar
13. Captain On/Eureka (bonus tracks on some versions)

This entry is one in a series of ten-year retrospectives on my favorite albums from the year 2010. Periphery's self-titled debut, while showing room for growth at the time, is technically impressive and provided a preview of what was to come. While one of their less cohesive albums overall, it showed the band's brilliance early on as the first full-length project from what would become a major metal band of the decade. Periphery has become one of the front-runners in the modern progressive metal or “djent” scene and their self-titled debut was the beginning of it all.

Guitarist Misha Mansoor had announced this long before it actually released. The album showed room for improvement which they would accomplish, as the overall songwriting structure and cohesion between vocalist Spencer Sotelo and the band's three guitarists would become stronger on subsequent albums like Juggernaut: Alpha/Omega and Periphery III: Select Difficulty. A couple of tracks here do meander a bit without really going anywhere, and you get the feeling that this album isn't quite as concise as it could have been, and a comparison of "Jetpacks is Yes" with "Priestess" indicates Periphery has made progress in writing ballads. However, it was clear early on that the band's skill was undeniable, and this is a very impressive progressive technical metal debut. It also displayed the band's sense of humor with the less-than-serious nature of the song titles. "The Walk", single "Icarus Lives", "All New Materials", "Letter Experiment" are some of the highlights on the album.

Periphery I is a rather lengthy introduction to the band, reaching 73 minutes across twelve tracks, including the progressive closer "Racecar" which is over fifteen minutes long. The rest of the songs each range from four to nearly seven minutes long. From the memorable polyrhythms on "The Walk" to the simultaneously melodic and technical "Icarus Lives", Periphery has much to offer the listener. If you like instrumental complexity or guitar skill then this is the album for you. It earns a score of 8/10.

Loathe - I Let It In and It Took Everything (2020)

SharpTone Records, February 7, 2020

Tracklist

1. Theme

2. Aggressive Evolution

3. Broken Vision Rhythm

4. Two-Way Mirror

5. 451 Days

6. New Faces In The Dark

7. Red Room

8. Screaming

9. Is It Really You?

10. Gored

11. Heavy Is The Head That Falls With The Weight Of A Thousand Thoughts

12. A Sad Cartoon

13. A Sad Cartoon Reprise

14. I Let It In and It Took Everything...

Based in Liverpool, England, Loathe is making their mark as one of the most multidimensional and interesting up-and-coming bands in the metal scene. Inspired by groups such as Slipknot and Deftones, as well as soundtracks like Silent Hill, the band hybridizes those influences into a punishingly heavy hardcore/djent sound that is not short of melody or experimental elements. I Let It In and It Took Everything is the follow-up to their 2017 album, The Cold Sun. In between, they released two tracks "White Hot" and "Servant and Master" for a split 2018 EP with Holding Absence. Both of those tracks displayed Loathe's songwriting growth and abilities within a short time, and their new full-length album progresses the band even further.

Kadeem France, the band's frontman and vocalist, has plenty of raw power to his voice. His voice complements the dual guitar attack of Erik Bickerstaffe and Connor Sweeney. "Broken Vision Rhythm", "Gored" and "Heavy Is the Head That Falls With the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts" are all-out onslaughts that show just how heavy Loathe can get. The latter track even ventures into black metal territory with its use of blast beats and Kadeem France incorporating a snarling vocal style. Other songs like "Aggressive Evolution" and "New Faces in the Dark" display that signature aggression and cover similar territory to "White Hot" with punishingly heavy sections that give way to ethereal choruses. While Loathe has plenty of ferocity to their sound they also maintain a dark, ethereal undercurrent throughout. Like a well-written horror movie, I Let It In and It Took Everything is full of peaks and valleys, and the moments of calm give the album a chance to breathe and only further accentuate the brutal sections. The four shortest tracks, "Theme", "451 Days", "Red Room", and "A Sad Cartoon (Reprise)" all act as interludes and add cohesion to the album, strengthening it as a whole. "Screaming", "Two-Way Mirror", "Is It Really You?", "A Sad Cartoon", and the closing title track are heavily atmospheric tracks with varying amounts of melody and experimentation. The haunting closer "I Let It In and It Took Everything" brings all of these elements in full circle and is comparable to Slipknot's "Iowa" in its ability to convey a horror film-like soundscape. 

But before we reach that point, it's by the fourth track "Two-Way Mirror" where it becomes clear Loathe is covering new ground. It is the album's softest song and is driven by ethereal, shoegazy vocals in its entirety. Instrumentally, the guitars are restrained in the verses before coming in with a heavy riff in the chorus. The song has been noted for its Deftones influence, and in fact Chino Moreno, Deftones' lead singer, is a fan of the song. Moreno gave the band some additional promotion prior to the album's release, sharing the music video for "Two-Way Mirror" on his personal social media account, as he frequently does to share a wide variety of music he enjoys. "Is It Really You?" is another Deftones-inspired track that feels like Loathe's homage to Koi No Yokan. The song has a truly beautiful chorus and a song structure that ventures out into atmospheric post-metal territory. While many bands in the rock and metal scene claim Sacramento-based band Deftones as an influence, Loathe is doing something special by making that influence part of their own unique entity rather than attempting to clone or recreate an existing sound. 

The song "Two-Way Mirror" asks the question "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" Loathe is a band who is clearly unafraid to experiment and explore the possibilities of heavy music. I Let It In and It Took Everything is an easy early contender for album of the year and earns a score of 9.5/10. As strong as this album is, it may merely be the beginning of Loathe's potential as they show willingness to continue to take their sound even further.

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.

Northlane - Alien (2019)

UNFD, August 2, 2019

Tracklist

1. Details Matter

2. Bloodline

3. 4D

4. Talking Heads

5. Freefall

6. Jinn

7. Eclipse

8. Rift

9. Paradigm

10. Vultures

11. Sleepless  

In October 2014, a young vocalist named Marcus Bridge became the new frontman for the Australian progressive metalcore band. He was chosen out of many auditions. Adrian Fitipaldes, the former Northlane singer, had announced his departure - citing health and vocal issues - shortly after the group's second album Singularity. Only 23 at the time, Marcus had recently endured a rough background of childhood abuse and witnessed his sister's spiral into methamphetamine addiction. Growing up with unstable, heroin addicted parents and moving and forth between hotel rooms in Sydney's notoriously violent King's Cross neighborhood, he had endured years of trauma and insecurity. Marcus would start writing Northlane lyrics with songwriter and rhythm guitarist Josh Smith on the band's 2017's album Mesmer, but Alien marks the first point where, with support, he was comfortable and confident enough to fully delve into these topics. As unflinching and honest as it is in its portrayal of childhood abuse and violence, Northlane's Alien is ultimately a survivor's tale. Marcus has said that he hopes this record will also help others who have had difficulty opening up about similar situations, and foster an empathy and acceptance of those with a difficult upbringing.

On Alien, the Australian progressive metalcore band experiments with industrial metal, goes in a heavier direction, and unflinchingly delves into raw and authentic subject matter.  Vocalist Marcus Bridge discusses his upbringing in a violent, unstable household, projecting intensity and emotion over an equally intense musical background.  He's continued to make strides as a vocalist as well.  The two calmer, more ethereal tracks, "Sleepless" and "Rift", showcase the strength of his singing and the emotional weight behind the songwriting.   Tracks like "Eclipse", "Vultures", and "Details Matter" take a sharp left turn from the melodic Mesmer and display Northlane's sound at its fiercest.  Programmer and guitarist Jon Deiley, the writer of the instrumental demos for the album, portrays a brooding, eerie soundscape backing Marcus's cathartic self-disclosure.  While sonically different from its predecessor, Alien is still at its core a Northlane album, and sounds like a logical progression of their sound rather than a complete reinvention.

Alien is a dynamic album and ranges from low tuned djent riffs and a menacing industrial buzz to reflective, haunting passages over electronics.  Despite the subject matter, the goal behind the project was ultimately to show that one can make it out no matter your circumstances.  Marcus has stated that he hopes the album with help those who have experienced similar situations, and foster an empathy and acceptance of those with a difficult or violent background.  "Bloodline", released as a single in April, best describes this message.  On the chorus, Marcus makes a defiant declaration against his violent upbringing as he sings, "I was raised in hell, I made it out by myself." By exploring a new direction within the djent subgenre, Northlane have made something thought-provoking and unique with an important message to tell.  Ambitious, passionate, and purposeful, Northlane have made one of the best heavy albums of the year. Alien is a landmark release for Northlane and earns a score of 10/10.