For Those About to Squawk: Waldo’s Pecks of the Week

Well, it’s a new year, and that means not much is coming out. There’s a ton of reissues that typically are released this time of year, but really there’s just nothing. I’ll scrape some shit off of the floor of my birdcage.
The mysterious NINE COVENS are releasing On the Dawning of Light, which is a concept record based on the premise that humanity has been kept under control for too long and now are coming to the realization that… blah blah blah. These dudes (maybe women) don’t want you to know who they are, masking the public image of the band by appearing in robes and other things like that. The production here is pretty standard–the vocals in particular are pretty vitriolic and strong–but the rest is pretty regular black metal with some blackened thrash thrown in for good measure. This isn’t a bad record, and it can stand on its own, but it’s not really dangerous or threatening. Check out the track “The Mist of Death,” which is really the best outing on this otherwise forgettable journey through the human experience of blah blah blah. 3 Fucking Pecks

Old-school death has been making a comeback, and ENTRAPMENT from the Netherlands fits snugly in that pigeon hole. The Obscurity Within could have been an early ’90s release for Nuclear Blast, and it seems to retain that type of ethic. Euro/Swedish death with Cronos-style vocals, toss a reverb into the mix and you have this record. This is pretty cool; if this is your thing, you’ll dig it, but if you’re not into this style, this is not really all that exciting. This is pretty good stuff, but you know when it’s a throwback to a certain genre, there’s not much to be surprised by, and by my beak, there’s nothing surprising here. 4 Fucking Pecks

Holy Hell! You got some slam in my death metal; no, you got some death metal in my slam. Russia’s KATALEPSY release the ultra brootal Autopsychosis. This thing is super fun, the vocals are along the lines of Dying Fetus and sometimes go into the pig-grunting style, but if you dig moshing, tighten your laces and dive right the peck in. This has some surprising riffs and, while not entirely a game-changer, this won’t bore the feathers off of you. The production here is pretty clear and even the triggered kick isn’t mixed too high. Get your pinch harmonics and swept arpeggios ready, folks, and give this a shot; by far the best release this week.
6 Fucking Pecks

Well, that’s about it for now. There will definitely be some more next week. The releases will be pecking up a little bit.