What’s up, guys? Hope everyone is hanging in there. Again, it’s your old boy Waldo here to tell you about some upcoming releases here to try to take your mind off of some of the more bleak aspects of life.
Wow, Moonspell. Isn’t this the band that used to dress up like vampires? I dunno, what I DO know is they have a new record Hermitage coming out on Napalm, so, like, be forewarned. It’s really no shock that I don’t like this (what a way to open a review) but I gotta say, I don’t pecking hate this as much as I thought I would. This is your standard “Euro metal” fare. Gothy, moody openings, “epic” chorus, SUPER slick production and has all of the teeth of a newborn. However, I have to say as bland as this thing is, it’s surprisingly easy to listen to. Don’t get me wrong, this won’t make anyone AOTY lists, and is mostly forgettable pap, but it’s way less annoying than a lot of their previous efforts. Choirs and synths abound, and there isn’t much that sticks out to me as far as any stroke of brilliance. Just a release by Napalm that isn’t too bad. It’s not great either. White bread radio friendly metal. A generous 5 Fucking Pecks.
I always like to give some love to some of the more extreme stuff. Sadistic Drive is that. I don’t know anything about this band, but the new record Anthropophagy is being released on Blood Harvest. This is cool, old-school, brutal death metal the way it’s supposed to be played, you know, with riffs. There isn’t anything that’s a chock here. I mean, from the cover you can basically tell what this sounds like (it’s OK to judge a metal record by its cover.) This is depraved, mean death metal. There are all aspects thrown in here, some harmonies, some blasts, some doom, but it’s ALL death metal. I wish the bass had a a little more presence in the mix, but the songs are short enough to rip and not lose attention, but long enough to make an impact. This certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I dig this. 7 Fucking Pecks.
Not too sure what I just stumbled into here with Summoning the Lich’s United In Chaos on Prosthetic. This is that sort of death metal/metalcore amalgam that Prosthetic often seems to uncover. The first thing to note, is although they are proficiently played, the drums sound bad. I mean, they may as well be someone using a typewriter. The rest of it is fantasy-oriented technical death metal, and this is first in a trilogy? That’s a lot for me to digest… What is super cool is that the vocalist has a whole grab bag of voices: death growls, screeches, pig, and what is best described as “goblin vocals.” The solos and harmonies are cool in these tracks, but the overall impression is a little scattered. These guys can play, and they certainly can write riffs, it just all seems to get lost in the mire, like they’re trying to throw too much in at once. It’s not terrible though. 6 Fucking Pecks.
Well, guys, until next time… Waldo out!
