Well, it’s your old boy Waldo here, and man, there are a TON of releases coming out. There seems to be too much to sift through, while this is a good thing, as it gives the listener more options. It does seem like there’s a lot of pap to sift through, though, and it’s my pecking job to help narrow it down a little. How cool is that?
The polarizing Deafheaven are releasing their follow-up to the much-debated Sunbather, and although “troo” black metal fans and “kvlt” enthusiasts will be let down, New Bermuda is, well… polarizing. Deafheaven are known for kind of “abandoning” metal and creating a sorta black metal/shoegaze amalgam that left most metalheads flat, and got the mainstream press buzzing. New Bermuda is no different. While not quite metalgaze, this was recorded live and the overall sound of the recording really lends to the feel of the record. There is most definitely an indie rock feel to this, and they have stated that Britpoppers Oasis are a huge influence on the writing process for this one, as well as Metallica’s …And Justice for All, and although it seems weird, it all makes sense here. People are going to want to pluck my feathers on this one, but I’m really pecking liking what I’ve heard so far. This thing is morose, melodic, catchy, poppy and metal (sorta). This is not black metal — let me reiterate this — although there is some trem picking and blast beats, this IS NOT BLACK METAL. Or, you know, this isn’t really metal in a traditional sense, but it is good. 7 Fucking Pecks.
So, you know when a band get signed just based off of something that’s not their music? Huntress is one of those bands, signed because of Jill Janus, who’s like an ex-nude model, or a DJ that was topless, or something like that. Anyway, here’s the deal with Huntress: Static is like heavy metal, and I really don’t mean that in a good way. You know when you see a movie — more specifically an ’80s movie — and in the movie there’s a metal band. That’s EXACTLY what Huntress sounds like. I really want to give this a fairer shake, but it’s just poopy, and saying it’s poopy is being generous. The mix, too: sheesh. I get it, your singer is a Hottest Chick in Hard Rock, but does she really need to be three times louder than the rest of the band? I’m not into this at all. Bonus point for making prepubescent boners pop with a song titled “I Want to Fuck You to Death.” 2 Fucking Pecks.
I really like to review some brutal death on these things, but I can’t dig up the new Malevolent Creation. I did hear the new record by the French tech-death band Gorod, A Maze of Recycled Creeds. Well, my hopes were a little higher than what was delivered. These guys can play their instruments alright, no doubt, but there is no sack to this whatsoever. I mean, this has the teeth of a three-month-old, and just feels, I dunno, sterile. It’s true they have a huge jazz influence, and you can hear it on this record, but this isn’t going to win over anyone that’s not already a fan of this genre. It’s not heavy, and a little too noodly for me. 3 Fucking Pecks.
