What’s up? It’s your old boy Waldo to inform you about some new and upcoming releases—good, bad or otherwise. Remember, I’m not an elitist, you just have terrible taste.
Sleep Token is releasing Take Me Back To Eden. I had never heard of these guys until the infamous “somebody ripping a big one during a quiet part of a song” incident. First of all, one review stated that this band is a “hype machine.” I don’t see it. This band is mostly super downtuned chug riffs, melodic solos and quiet parts. Songs about love abound here (look at their lyrics). And they wear masks. MASKS! There are a lot of clean vocals, and they do seem to be sung with some power and emotion. But all of this kind of comes across as wimpy. The guitars are really laid back in the mix, while the vocals are at the forefront. I’m not saying that he’s not a competent singer—he is—but the whole package comes across as weak. This is not really metal in the traditional sense. It’s really kinda like a weaker H.I.M. I dunno, maybe the need farts in all their songs. 3 Fucking Pecks.
One of my favorites from the old school is back, Metal Church is releasing Congregation of Annihilation. Say that three times fast. For those that are not in the know, Metal Church hails back to 1980, and their first couple of albums are classics. For me, I prefer their legendary David Wayne, but we lost him in 2005. Anyway, this isn’t either the singer after him—Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in 2021—this is a completely new guy, Mark Lopes. He’s certainly not their best singer, but probably the worst. Sounding like Udo Dirkschneider (on a bad day,) mixed with a pirate. The drums are triggered to all hell (contrary to the earlier organic sounding records.) The songs are long and uninspired. I just kinda don’t get it. Why taint your legacy just to make a buck? I was looking forward to reviewing this, but meh, just kinda flat and boring. 4 Fucking Pecks.
Waldo out!
