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.  

Dayseeker - Sleeptalk (2019)

Sumerian Records, April 19, 2019

Tracklist

1. Drunk

2. Crooked Soul

3. Burial Plot

4. Sleeptalk

5. The Embers Glow

6. The Color Black
7. Already Numb

8. Gates of Ivory

9. Starving to Be Empty

10. Crash and Burn

Forming in 2012, Dayseeker is a relative newcomer to the post-hardcore scene, but has built up a solid reputation, predominantly off the strength of vocalist Rory Rodriguez. It has been a little over two years since their last project, July 2017's Dreaming Is Sinking//Waking is Rising, which was a conceptual post-hardcore project influenced by Trainwreck by Boys Night Out. Sleeptalk, the band's fourth effort, strikes in a decidedly different direction. The lyrics here primarily focus on girls, dysfunctional relationships, and human nature. The post-hardcore style has been dialed back to a more melodic modern rock sound. While not a total reinvention, Sleeptalk is a boldly divergent outing and is easily Dayseeker's softest album to date.

The band's greatest asset is clearly vocalist Rory Rodriguez, and he is the reason why Sleeptalk's step away from the band's 'core' roots works. The album's increased focus on R&B and pop spotlights his clean vocals further. A good example of this is the third track, "Burial Plot". Opening on a soft, ambient tone, the well-calculated atmosphere emphasizes Rodriguez's clean singing and holds back the guitar distortion until the chorus. Both heavy and light elements have always been present in the band's sound - they've included softer "reimagined" versions of their own tracks on the special editions of their first two albums and on an EP released after their third. This time around, Dayseeker takes that softer, electronic-driven direction and puts it front and center. However, this is pop-influenced, not a pop album, as the guitars, drums and rock structures still play an important role.

"The Color Black" is a track that combines the heavy and soft, mixing some screaming and heavy guitars in with a piano line. The first single, "Crooked Soul", provides an accurate sampling of the album and showcases Rodriquez's emotive vocal performance. The piano rock of "Already Numb" and the power ballad "Starving to Be Empty" are two songs fully emphasizing the softer end of the spectrum. Sleeptalk concludes on a strong and unexpected note with "Crash and Burn". This closer fully builds up to a climax and ends on the heaviest moment on the whole album, actually including a metalcore styled breakdown at the end.

Dayseeker has proven with this album that they are one of the more underrated bands in the scene and are worthy of attention. However, at 36 minutes in length, Sleeptalk could have benefited from including more tracks or structural variety. There are only nine actual songs, as one of the ten tracks, "The Embers Glow" is simply a one-minute interlude. With the radio success of artists like Bring Me the Horizon, Sleeptalk is an album I could see getting substantial airplay at a station like SiriusXM's Octane, or rock radio in general. Sleeptalk is a successful blending of pop with post-hardcore and earns a score of 8/10.