Mindkult - Lucifer's Dreams

Record Label:Transcending Obscurity


One Man band Mindkult hails from the USA and crosses doom metal with shoe gaze, which has lead to great results. There's a pop sensibility to the doom of "Nightmares", think the John Lennon sings for Black Sabbath sound of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats meeting My Bloody Valentine. Check the tune out for yourself below.





Whilst the Sabbath riffs come out strong in the over nine minute track, "Behold the Wraith", the song veers into shoegaze territory. "Howling Witch"opens with with a horror movie sample then it's equal parts Jesus and Mary Chain and Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats. Mindkult mastermind, Fowst creates an otherworldly feeling in the album's title track combining the more psychedelic side of Pink Floyd with doom and stoner rock.

The bottom line is that much of "Lucifer's Dream"sounds like Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats gone shoegaze but not veering far from the template that makes Uncle Acid so listenable. Mindkult have discovered a winning formula.



3.5/5


Release Date: 20 September 2017


Mindkult on facebook


Mindkult on bandcamp

Poseidon - Prologue

After only existing a year London UK band, Poseidon release their debut album "Prologue". When a band opens with an album with a song that spans past the thirteen minute mark, it better keep the listener's attention. Poseiden manage this feat by changing styles without a blunder in "The Beginning The End The Colony"with the tunes opening Neurosis heavy drone later integrating a layer fuzzed out stoner rock on top without halting the drone, then there's a post-metal/hardcore part with guttural vocals that keep a listener which twist Poseidon will take next.
There's a real surprise in the second track as the band take a much quieter approach with an acoustic guitar and keyboards on "Mother Mary of Scorn" which brings The Church to mind due to the vocals. There's a menacing torment of a metallic hell about to break out in the latter parts of the track.

Anyone who has ever been curious as to what fuzzed out post-metal sounds like should hear the intro to "Chainbreaker"which breaks the shackles and chains with interludes of short metallic riffing. The track builds into an absolutely ripping finale. The album concludes with a lengthy track "Omega", which starts with samples from a mad preacher then a Pink Floyd style intro builds and there are a few thrash metal style riffs and drumbeats spiced up with more than a teaspoon full of sludge.

"Prologue"is an interesting start to an ongoing narrative entitled "The Medusa Chronicles"which Poseidon promises to carry through to future records and detail the collapse of civilization and its reconstruction all wrapped in a post apocalyptic sci-fi opera. I'm anxious to hear much more from this UK band.

Release date: 21 July 2017


3.5/5


Poseidon on bandcamp


Poseidon on facebook


Pos

Widower - The Unholy Oath EP

In their press release Texan band Widower are described as a blackened thrash quartet. Taking a look at the legible band logo and the album's cover, thrash metal rather than its corpse-painted counterpart is the major expectation.

Truth is the first few songs beat with a pure black metal heart with only a hint of a crossover into thrash metal territory. The question of style or sub-genre often matters very little if the songs are up to standard and Widower's songs have the punchy drums and the guitar sound from hell accompanied with evil goblin vocals that cause most black metal fans to wipe off more than just their make-up. Elements of thrash kick in on the intro to "Unholy Force" but it quickly gallops away into a darker locality where one has to be aware of getting pricked by the sharp riffing. The blackened thrash description makes sense when "The Council" kicks into session. This is a successful marriage between the two sub-genres of metal. The sharp thrashing riffs recalls the heyday of "The Big Four" although this tune by Widower is closer to the Scandinavian metal that was coming out during that period. "Whore Crusher" thrashes along in "Kill 'Em All" mode without betraying Widower's black metal roots.

This 5 song EP is an unholy noise that will excite most black metal fans although those strictly looking for pure(?) blackened thrash may be slightly disappointed but they'll still find some treasure in "The Unholy Oath". It will be interesting to keep an eye on this Widower.

3.5/5




Widower on facebook



Widower on bandcamp

Desert Suns - Desert Suns

There aren't any prices for guessing which style of music San Diego band Desert Suns play. Their bandcamp page states, "In that space where psychedelia, blues-rock, doom and sludge coalesce, it’s there you’re likely to find Desert Suns." This is heavily 70's tinged desert rock,

The band provide knockout blows early in the album with the psychedelic hard rock of "Burning Temples" and the hard-out jamming groove of "Space Pussy" with its wailing guitar. There's a definite Sabbath influence in "Passing Through". The vocals sound close to Ozzy but Desert Suns have the talent to manage not to sound like yet another Sabbath clone. "Ten Feet Down" is a serious change of pace with a huge dose of Southern blues. The opening vocals on "Memories of Home" remind this listener of "The Real Thing" period Mike Patton although there's also Ozzy simultaneously shining through.

This is a great debut and it's easy to see why the two labels wanted to re-release this. I hope Desert Suns stick around for some time.

This album was originally released on a limited 300 run of vinyl but has been re-released in Nort America on vinyl and CD by Ripple Music and HeviSike music.

4/5


Desert Suns on facebook



Check out the whole album on Desert Suns bandcamp page.

N.Tesla - Lux Manifesto

This slab of post-metal comes from a small country that you might have heard of called Russia. As N.Tesla clearly take their moniker from the Serbian American inventor so you either expect the band to be inventive or to be heavily influenced by the American metal band. N.Tesla are much further to the left of than the American band with a similar name and are far more creative.

N.Tesla move from ambient to more avant-garde metal to black metal with barely a whimper and often on a single track. The bands vocalist is definitely a huge talent as the man can do more than just scream as the times where singing is called for he handles the situation with aplomb.

There's a lot of black metal running through the music on "Lux Manifesto" and a little bit of Pink Floyd in the album's title track. Rather than comparing N.Tesla to other post-rock bands Agalloch seem a fairer comparison as the music and creativity both bands have are similar. The blues guitar on the album's closer, "Here Speak Only the Birds" is a nice surprise although it's nearly a little too short and sweet.

N.Tesla have recorded a metal album that clocks in at a little over thirty minutes instead of the usual full hour so that's a huge thumbs up here as we hate time-wasters.

Check out the title track below. Then go and click on the bandcamp link below to hear the full "Lux Manifesto" album.






3.5/5




N.Tesla on bandcamp



N.Tesla on facebook

Necropoli "I"

After the speed of Reign of Fury and Drones for Queens, here's a real change of pace as Italian band, Necropoli are deathly slow and describe their music as funeral doom.

While the band play long doom metal songs there's definitely a death metal influence in their musical stew. David Unsaved vocals are slow death style grunts which are placed atop the haunting sounds of guitar, bass, synth and programmed drums. It's a real credit to the band that it's not really noticeable that the drums here are programmed. There's a Godflesh style industrial feel running through the mix too. Check out, "Curriculum Vitae" the shortest track on the album below.



While the length of the songs may be off-putting to many, Necropoli have produced an interesting and innovative debut.

3.5/5



Listen to "I" on bandcamp



Necropoli on facebook

Drones for Queens - Practically Weapons

This E.P. from Philidelphia band, Drones for Queens, is a tasty slab for the D-beat fan to drool over. There's a very metallic feel to the EP's title track that won't really annoy D-beat fans and may even convert the more open-minded metalhead. For a large sum of the song, the guitar sounds like it could have a thrash or grind album which gets the thumbs up on this blog. "A Blinding Future" has a similar metallic leaning running through it and you know what? It works. Drones for Queens have offered up something much more interesting than standard Discharge worship. A thrash metal pulse with a tinge of death(of the metal sub-genre kind) runs through "Duress".

Play the title track "Practically Weapons"



"Practically Weapons" is being released as a limited to 300 copies 7" white vinyl. There's a link or two below for pre-orders.

4/5

Drones for Queens on facebook

Pre-order the vinyl here.

Tears of Martyr - Tales

Spanish band Tears of Martyr are musically very much in the same symphonic metal band mode as Nightwish and Leave's Eyes. A major factor of the band's present sound is the female soprano singing style of Berenice Musa. She's not the only vocalist but is her voice that contributes to a major factor of the band's sound.

When a male vocalist enters the picture in "Golem" there is a nu-metal feel fortunately it's only a small snippet of the sound. The vocal delivery in "Mermeid and Loneliness" is incredibly operatic and the whole band don't come across very well. It's difficult not to imagine the "Metal or Die" crowd running for cover with their fingers in their ears when the band plays this song live. The contrast of the dirty male and cleaner more operatic female voice works well on "Vampires of the Sunset Street" as does the spoken word interlude, which gives the song a fairy-tale feel. "And Ravens Born" uses the same techniques and it comes across really well as the spoken male voice adds a doom metal element.

The operatic style doesn't always mix well with the band's more metallic leanings. If you want to sell your Grandmother on metal, this album would be the one to convert her with. Fans of Nightwish, Leave's Eyes and other female fronted symphonic metal bands will want to give this one a look into. However, those seeking grittier metal will want to stay well clear. That the band actually has their own website is a huge plus in this day and age.

3/5


Tears of Martyr website

Clouds Taste Satanic "To Sleep Beyond The Earth"

  Instrumental albums have always been tricky beasts to review.  New Yorkers Clouds Taste Satanic wear their influences and sound a lot like "Dopesmoker era Sleep. There's that same Sabbath at a turtle's pace vibe over two long songs.  That's one more than "Dopersmoker" had!   However, it's clear at times that these guys come from a post-rock background and ambience takes over as heaviness isn't always the goal. The two songs are an enjoyable listening experience.

3/5


The band are selling CD's from their bandcamp site.


Clouds Taste Satanic on bandcamp



Clouds Taste Satanic on Facebook





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Unscarred "Fake Democracy"

 Unscarred are a French based thrash metal band who have an Iranian female lead vocalist.   The band appear to be more influenced by European thrash than the American brand of thrash metal.  There's also a mixture of power metal thrown in for good measure.

The band chug out five songs on "Fake Democracy" with the vocals of  Niloofar Melody being the band's strong point.  She doesn't sound like she's after an endorsement from Children's Television Workshop yet sounds like a woman unafraid of brutality.  There are a few moments where she sounds like a female rapper in a metal band but those don't last for long as she bursts into angry battle cries which are clearly backed by the old and new metal Gods.Although Unscarred are thrash metal, the band aren't always putting their feet on the accelerator which helps Niloofar's vocal performance to really shine.

Those who need their quota of blast-beats will find them whipping their necks during "100 Lashes". There are some tasty guitar leads allowed to reign free within "Meet Your Fate".  Tempo-wise, it's clear that Unscarred enjoy a little variation as this song goes from slow groove metal style to all out thrash a number of times.

  Thrash metal fans of old may see the band's tempo changes as a drawback. A huge disadvantage is none of  the tunes  really have hooks that get stuck in the head and have a listener begging for more.    Nevertheless, soundsUnscarred's thrash metal is an interesting take on a genre that some metal-heads complain is stale.  Those that dig power metal and the more symphonic side of metal should also check this band out.

This release was put out by  Contorted Records, which is run by Matt Baggins.  Matt is also the major player in the great metal blog Two Guys Metal Reviews.

3/5

Unscarred on bandcamp



Unscarred on Facebook

Chugger "Scars"

Chugger are one of David Dahl from melodic Swedish death metal band,  Taketh's other bands.  You remember Taketh?  We reviewed them here.

Chugger are also in the melodic death vein although groove metal also chugs within their engines. The band won't be for those that run a while from melody and clean singing. The band get the toes tapping and the heads banging with "Bleed" which contains a huge groove metal underbelly.  Chugger are more about rocking out than entering into the most brutal of all contest.

 The song "In Vain" has a lot of proper melodic singing instead of just grunting.  The grunts are more present on "C.U.N.T" although at the beginning of the song they duel with clean vocals but end up winning and the band have a crunching metal sound which moves a long to a steady beat and the death vocals take proceedings to an angrier level.  There's a clean guitar sound also dueling with a far dirtier tone and there's no telling who the winner is even after the song ends.

Despite there being guitar riffs and solos that a listener will go back to for further listens, other than the cleanly sung parts most of the five songs really aren't all that catchy. By the way, are five songs on a release an album or an EP these days?  "Scars" is an enjoyable release.  It is bizarre to me that the band state on their bandcamp site that their music can be described as thrash metal as I just don't hear anything from the  thrash metal era in their sound.

3/5


Chugger's band website



Chugger on facebook

Home "Bound To Gravity"

As a longtime supporter of the underground it's always great whenever a band takes the time to email me rather than just go through a label or a publicist. I'll admit I appreciate hearing from labels and publicists too if they actually have taken the time to look through the blog and realize whether or not the music they are currently pushing fits with the blog.  The amount of rap and country music that comes my way astounds me as it just doesn't fit with the context on the blog.  Anyway enough about the blog and back to the recent email(it was actually received in late February), I really wanted to talk about.  It came from Austria from a guy named Amadeus who said his band Home were Austrian Sludge/Stoner/Post-whatsoever and that because it was release day of their album "Bound to Gravity", the trio were going to get drunk.

On listening to the first track it became apparent that post-whatsoever really means post hardcore as there is a bit of both Quicksand and Fugazi in both the music and the vocals.  The sludge label makes sense for the track "Next To Last", though the song opens with stripped bare metallic riffing, the vocals recall the likes of Killdozer and Clawhammer.  There's no prettying things up here.

I'm willing to bet that "Not Even Me" is a live favourite and unites hardcore and metal kids only to battle it together in the pit before the abrasively raw sludge applies sandpaper to their wounds.  Often the direction where Home go with their rhythms takes the listener by surprise and the unpredictability adds to their charm. The lengthy "Dead City" slowly pulsates with a Black Sabbath heart although Home take a more experimental turn with speeding up the rhythm and lightly applied sandpaper raw vocals.

The initial description of the band by Amadeus still rings true to my ears as this is likely to appeal equally to fans of Eyehategod style sludge, rawer post-hardcore and amphetamine reptile fans.  Check out "Bound to Gravity" on their bandcamp site linked below.

4/5


Bound To Gravity on bandcamp



Home on facebook

Brood of Hatred "Skinless Agony"

 Some things just fit together.  Fish and Chips.  Pizza and Cheese.  Death metal and brutality go together like wine and cheese.  However Death metal and a moody atmosphere are as much of an ill-fitting couple as chalk and cheese.  Post-metal and mean and moody is much easier to buy in.

Tunisian band walk the line between death metal, post-metal and post-rock.  The most obvious comparison that the band are likely to get is to recent Ulcerate.  The death metal is often present with growls and blastbeats but the band are digging up ground that isn't familiar territory for a lot of metal heads.  If the vocals were done away with Brood of Hatred would be considered a post-metal band.  At times, Sonic Youth come to mind more than any metal bands as the instruments are more important than vocals and when a human sound comes into play it's more to enhance the mood although it is characteristically death metal.  The samples used in the quietly "The Singularity is Near"  and "Obsession and are well chosen as they compliment the music with academic musings on death and religion.  "Predestined Suicide" has more layers than an onion.  Strip away one part, and there's more on the inside.  It's near impossible to listen to a single instrument on its own without your attention being grabbed by the band's turn of directions.

The initial track "Deconstruction" starts off quietly and haunting before becoming a brutal assault that later walks the not well-trodden path between brutality and atmospheric.  This band knows how to gets a listeners attention right away and a listener needs to be hit straight away.

On the band Facebook page and bandcamp Brood of Hatred describe their music as some haunting atmospheres guiding you through progressive journeys and some unconventional writing inspired by a strange state of mind.  The band are on the money as that description nails the sounds contained on this album.  It's also assuring that what was once a one-man band has been fleshed out into a full band.

4.5/5



Brood of Hatred on Facebook



Brood of Hatred on bandcamp

Amok - Somewhere In Time

  Many of the UK thrash metal bands back in the 80's never managed to get into the first or second tier.  Xentrix and Slammer are possibly the only thrashers from that period of time and corner of the world that ever managed to leave an impression but it was never as large as their German and American cousins.

  Decades later Evile have fought their way into the first tier of retro-thrash but there's a Scottish band called Amok following hot on their heels.  These guys don't sound the average pub metal band who have plugged away for years playing the requisite Metallica/Megadeth and Slayer due to the melodic vocals of Stephen Matulevicze   being close to Joey Belladonna which lends Amok that sound Anthrax achieved when they were on the top of their game.  There are a few moments here and there were he sounds like late 80's Chuck Billy as some of the echo effects could have come from "Practice What You Preach" .  This is a thrash metal frontman isn't scared to prove that he has singing ability.  When was the last time you heard an Anthrax cover in your favorite music dive bar?  Yeah, I can't remember either.  Deciphering the lyrics isn't difficult due to the vocals and the fact that they come through crisp and clearly.

The music backing up the vocals is largely reminiscent of Anthrax too.  The riffing is crunchy and technical and backed with strong speedy drumming. Despite the speed, it never sound like the individual musicians are competing in a race to the finish line.   It's not all full-on thrash either as some of the guitar sounds are clearly from the Maiden songbook but throughout "Somewhere in the West", it's Joey Belladonna period Anthrax that come to mind.  "Lawbreakers" has an undeniable New York sound as there's a tinge of New York hardcore bands like Gorilla Biscuits in the guitar sound and rhythm section.   Some may write Amok off as a clone band but in an age of  Cookie Monster soundalike bands putting brutality ahead of writing music , Amok's easily accessible Anthrax sound is both very welcome and highly enjoyable.  Wherever you are on the globe, it's time to listen to Amok run so make time to kill time and click their bandcamp link to listen this album.

3.5/5

Amok's bandcamp



Amok on facebook




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Noumena - Death Walks With Me

Noumena are a Finnish death metal who contrast their dirty death dealing with symphonic female vocals.  The male vocals are of the death metal scooby-doo ilk.  It may be due to the symphonic influence but there's a clean sound that fights through paper bags and finds out way out in tracks like "Play Dead".  If it weren't for the male death metal vocals "Sleep" could pass for a ballad. The female vocals don't really work here as the  incongruous sound of the male vocals and the quietly lulling music is all that is needed for this track.  The title track is a fast burner and the duet between the two vocalists comes together perfectly.  Rockers will sink their teeth into "Let It Run Red" as much as diehard death metal fans with its effectively speedy but simple head nodding beat.

  "The Storm" originates with the calm female vocals that recall the likes of Clannad before a whirlwind of death metal torments and then without warning leaves.  This number is a typhoon. You know it's coming but have no idea what damage it will do or when it'll be calm enough to go outside again.  When the female and male vocals really come together for Noumena on tracks like "Nothing" the band's gothic tinge and metallic death leave no bad aftertaste.  "Only The Silent" punches with speedy death metal with undertones of classical guitar.

When Noumena get it right, they slay and fortunately these risk-takers get it right most of the time.  There's not a shred of doubt that this slab of music is some of the more innovative death metal out there.  The whole album is linked below on the band's bandcamp site so check it out for yourself!

3.5/5


Noumena's bandcamp site



Noumena on facebook



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Leka "Catopia"

 Felines taking over the world and controlling mankind is an interesting concept.  One Finnish man thought it was worth a death metal project.  Juuso Lienonen is the person pulling most of the strings of his Leka project.  I say most because there is more than one vocalist on his second release "Catopia".

The truth is calling this death metal is a little unfair although it is undeniable that style is the most dominant on Catopia but there are jazz and more traditional rock elements.  The chants at the end of "All Hail The Cat" are reminiscent of Queen.  "The End Starts Now" combines show tunes with Voivod style guitar, Joey Belladonna vocals with a more deathly sound.  This is difficult to make up, mainly because who'd even want to hear that in the first place?  Yet it doesn't sound disjointed and because of the changes in the song grasps the listener's attention.

Leka are the king of surprises.  Just when you think they're getting wimpy and only capable catching small game with fish hooks, they go right ahead and spear you right in the face.  This is much more interesting than just going for straight out brutality.  Most of the times it works although the pop-style singing about intestine eating kittens comes off a little too weak.  There are some great ideas on "Catopia" but not all of them work.  The fluffy ones that do scratch your eyes out.  Check "Catopia" out for yourself on the bandcamp link below.

3/5



http://leka.bandcamp.com/

Promiscuity - Basic Instinct

 

  You might ask yourself how good can an Israeli black metal band be?  Promiscuity answer this question by ignoring it, sticking up their middle finger and simply playing a dirty blackened rock and roll.  There's the straight no-nonsense loud and heavy Motorhead approach blended with a more throwback-style of black metal in "The Beauty and the Bitch". As far as I can tell the band don't sound dated but then  And yes, the EP title, "The Beauty and the Bitch"  and album cover are all referencing the movie that cast Sharon Stone into fame.  The vocals are the gruff and gravelly which suits this style of music.  The drums are pummeled at rapid speed and the guitar and bass do more than just manage to keep up.  "Pedophile" opens with an intro which sounds like it was taken from a talk show.  The song contains some furious metallic leads that threaten to pull your ears off and sew them back on your backside.  The song absolutely rips.  Promiscuity's cover of Celtic Frost's "Into The Crypts of Ray" not only let the listener know where the band is coming from but the band manage to inject a little of their own rotten style into the tune.  "Maniac's Blues" is a change of pace with its slower tempo and doesn't aim straight for the throat but goes the serial killer route with a planned out attack.  The song even provides a short interlude of  AC-DC bluesy style swagger.

This is a great EP and one of the best examples of blackened rock and roll out there.  Beware the ice pick killer!



4.5/5




Click the bandcamp link below to hear the whole EP.



Promiscuity's bandcamp

Promiscuity on facebook

Cvinger "Monastery of the Fallen"

Here's a black metal band from  Slovenia called Cvinger.  As English is not their native language it's difficult to tell if the band want to use the v in their name as a u as in kvlt.  There's definitely nothing commercial about Cvinger's music and it is highly likely they will have a cult following but both of these are simply due to the nature of their music.


A creepy atmosphere is created at the fore of the album on the track "Chapter 1 - Into The Depths of Arcane Sanctuary"  but the music  on "Monastery of The Fallen" is largely generic black metal although the vocals are slightly clearer than most of the genre but the guitars sound like angry bumblebees and there are choral parts that would make the Mormon Tabernacle Choir proud.    Simply having a song entitled "Blaspherion" makes it apparent that Cvinger's blasphemy is an important ingredient in this band's  black metal.  Chants end "Among The Crucified"  and proceedings are kicked off with what sounds like a church choir.   It's nigh impossible not to wonder if a group of monks were brought in to chant on "Chapter 3: Amen" because the song does sound like it was recorded at a monastery.


Applause is deserved for the Cvinger's willingness to experiment with quieter moments however at the end of the dark night, however there's almost nothing other than location that separates Cvinger from the rest of the face painted corpse.  "Monastery of The Fallen" will still appeal to fans of generic black metal who need to be as corpse-rotting cult as humanly possible.

2/5

The album is available on CD for 10 euro and "Monastery of the Fallen" can be heard at Cvinger's bandcamp site.

Cvinger on Facebook

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Impiety "The Impious Crusade"

Singapore based blackened death metallers, Impiety are back with another short release.     On this five song release, the band's blending of black metal and death metal works well and despite the frenzied pace of the songs, Impiety don't stretch themselves musically.  Other reviewers will criticize them for this but imagine the reviewer's backlash if AC/DC recorded a new album and just one song was acapella  or death metal.    Sticking with what they know and do well really works in Impiety's favour too.


Buzzsaw guitars threaten to chop off any meek listeners ears and that's probably not a bad thing  because with song titles like "Commanding Death & Destroy" and "Accelerate the Annihilation",  the Christianity hating and worship of evil in the lyrics  is blood that clearly runs  strong in the veins of this band.  There is no room here for any goodie-two shoes unless they're in more than one piece.


With only five songs, this release is really too short and the best song is a cover of "Lucifer's Legion's", which was originally from Swedish death metallers, Sorcery although Impiety have beefed up and very much stamped their own style on the tune.  Why the hell is Abba's "Super Trouper" on my promo?  I kept waiting for Impiety's version of the song but no, it's not there.  I really hope this song isn't on the actual release.  I'd link to the band's website but there's no mention of this release which means whoever takes care of it isn't on top of events.  A link to the band's facebook page will have to suffice.

3/5



https://www.facebook.com/impietyofficial.




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Obsidian Kingdom - Mantiis

Spanish band Obsidian Kingdom state on their bandcamp that their music is hard to classify heavy music with plenty of contrast. Stating that your music is difficult to classify can often work against you because there are no easy reference points for a potential listener or reviewer. However Obsidian Kingdom are correct that they fit almost directly under the heavy metal umbrella. Although they're not afraid to wander off into other and explore and incorporate other musical directions.

Obsidian Kingdom's "Mantiis" album introduces itself to a listener as post-metal with "Not Yet Five" and like all post-metal, it would be the perfect instrumental soundtrack to a rainy day whether rooted in reality, film or a documentary. "Oncoming Dark" sounds like a Peter Murphy tune due to the vocals and acoustic guitar but the drumming defies gothic or pop tendencies as it is firmly entrenched in heavy metal. Black metal rears its ugly head in "Cinnamon Balls" and attacking riffs that veer towards groove metal bring the track to its conclusion.

Unlike a lot of post-metal, "The Nurse" swings towards jazz although this shift comes very late in the track and doesn't continue long enough. "Answers Revealed" starts as a progressive rock track but finishes with a bite of chunky metallic slab. Is there black metal jazz fusion? As far as I know there's only Sigh but in "Last of the Light" Obsidian Kingdom throw their name into the gauntlet as they incorporate jazz, black metal and Latin rhythms. There's also more of the black metal jazz fusion approach in "Endless Wall". Although I haven't listened to Queensryche in years, the quiet yet still heavy "Fingers in Anguish" brings Geoff Tate's crew's softer moments in the late eighties to mind. It's clear that this album was intended to be listened to as a whole when the last song"And Then It Was" commences with the lines "When the music over, turn off the lights". The song itself starts with clean singing but that doesn't last long at all before a black metal journey unfolds.

Much like the aforementioned Sigh, Obsidian Kingdom join them as heavy metal artists that are able to mesh styles yet manage not only to keep the listener interested in what's around the corner by continuously offering surprises but also own the sound that they have created. The album, "Mantiis" is free from the band's bandcamp site and because Obsidian Kingdom are feirce belivers on free digital music online, their entire discography is up for download.

There is also a nice looking digi-pack CD offered at a price.

4/5


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