What’s up, beak freaks? It’s your old boy Waldo backatcha to review some upcoming releases. And remember, I’m not an elitist, you just have bad taste.
Doomsters Khemmis come back at us with Deceiver. A lot of the experimentation and “artiness” that defined the previous LP, Desolation, is WAY less present here. There are all of the cornerstones of doom here, isolation, depression, expansiveness. Vocalists Phil Pendergast and Ben Hutcherson have come a LONG way from their debut. Phil (the clean vocalist) has more range and Ben (the “screaming vocalist”) sounds more vicious than ever, and they compliment each other perfectly on this. Deceiver is not really a droney, boring affair, but considering the content (see above), but also rocks, too. Don’t get me wrong, this is not wimpy by any means, but rather there are some HEAVY moments here. These guys top themselves every time, and I’m not surprised, they’re a great band. 8 Fucking Pecks.
Pathology, in the midst of a pandemic is releasing The Ever Lasting Plague. C’mon, naming shit after COVID is SO last year (probably when this was recorded.) Anyway, what about this? This is exactly what Pathology is known for, moshy, brutal death metal. BUT (there’s always a but) This one is a little different. There are a lot of doomier parts, and a bunch of atmospheric stuff. I’ve gotta say, I’ve never loved them in the past (I always considered them just OK,) but I kinda like this one. It’s not too experimental—the moshy heaviness remains intact—but it’s a different enough to not be sterile. Kudos. 6 Fucking Pecks.
Following in the “I just think that band is ok,” is Moonflowers by Swallow the Sun. This is exactly what you think it’d be; melancholic doom that has an orchestrated feel (in fact, the bonus disc is instrumental versions featuring string line up, TRIO NOX, yawn.) Not that this is bad, because it’s not, it’s just super “by the numbers” and really sounds like Katatonia most of the time. This is a beautiful sounding record, but also doesn’t really seem to display ANY intensity. I dunno, some may like it, but I’m not pecking digging it. 4 Fucking Pecks.
Until next time, Waldo out!
