Mar 22, 2023
0:25-6:55
GOROD
(France)
Savitri
— French perfection in technical and
production continues with Gorod. Opeth-styled prog beauty
with a spectrum of rage and glorious guitars.
7:56-12:57
ÚLFÚÐ
(Iceland)
Faceless
— According to bandcamp, pronounced
“ool-wooth”. Vocals that shake the world, romantic black
metal guitars create meditation with a bit of death leaning
dissonance also in the album.
13:21-18:47
CONTRARIAN
(NY)
Sage of Shekhinah
— Super-prog, super-bass with ethnic
instrumentation and experimental jazz sections. But when the
eclectic becomes pummeling, this becomes huge. Quick moving,
exciting album.
19:19-22:45
NIGHT DEMON
(CA)
Rebirth
— Yes, I love bands that can do
Scorpions covers (last year’s album). This band is led by a
stunning vocalist that does battle with any of the Swedish greats
in this beautiful 70’s and 80's heavy metal style with amazing
ballads. Tons of groove and soul.
23:12-29:07
DESOLATE REALM
(Finland)
Forsaken Ground
— Death and thrash with glorious
vocals that range from doomy to high-pitched Mercyful Fate
style.
29:34-33:37
KRUELTY
(Tokyo)
Manufactured Insanity
— Brooding textural death vocalist in
a mix of hardcore and death with noodle-y guitar and an overall
chugging moshpit attitude.
33:59-39:50
FORETOKEN
(VA)
His Riastrad
— Virginia in the hiz-house! Gruff
vocals and a galloping melodic death metal with soulful harmonizing
guitars and a wicked black vocal rasp with cold shards of black
metal tremelo picking.
40:22-45:48
FANGE
(France)
À La Racine
— Touch industrial rhythmic blasts
mixed with death vocals, cool 70's horror movie sounds, and massive
headchurning riffs.
46:37-53:07
ISOLE
(Sweden)
Open Your Mind
— Doom with soaring vocals amid
massive slabs of guitar harmonizing emotion.
53:30-END
SUOTANA
(Finland)
The Ancient
— Epic folk black metal with a
high-pitched shriek of a demon vocal.