Albums of the Week - August 21, 2012
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Life can rip you to shreds sometimes. Heartache hit hard and fast when a long-term relationship went south back in June, prompting a quick escape to a new neighborhood and a friend’s spare room. But in the midst of upheaval, something funny happens: happiness becomes a much simpler thing. It’s out of reach, sure, but you can see it glowing on the horizon–something to aim for, something to work towards, because what else are you gonna do? You suffer, then you rebuild. The things that matter–friends, family, work, and, for people like us, metal–come into focus.
Despite everything else, I’ve been to more shows this summer than ever before. By simply looking, I’ve found more great metal releases than I could have imagined. And since taking over as editor here, I’ve made more friends in the past few months than I have in the past 5 years. It’s easy to project intangible meaning onto unrelated things, but who gives a shit? Music gets us through tough times–when it comes to music, I reach for metal. This weekend I move into a strange new apartment–I’m not taking a whole lot with me, but my iPod is fit to burst with amazing new shit, including some of the albums below. I may not be out of the dark quite yet, but that glow on the horizon doesn’t seem so distant.
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ALBUM OF THE WEEK (SHOULD RULE HARD)
Krallice boldy leap into the unknown on their latest, Years Past Matter. Not sonically–it’s a natural progression but still clearly sounds like Krallice. Rather, this marks the first album since leaving Profound Lore and striking out into self-released territory (Gilead will eventually release the vinyl). Whether intentional or not, the record reflects that sensation of exploring unknown space: the band constantly reaches outwards–towards new dimensions, new worlds, new sounds. Blasts rule the day but clean breaks soften the edges, letting light creep in through the holes. Vocals never rise above the din, allowing the guitars to speak in their place. It’s all precision riffing, calculated structure, and melodic repetition: classic Krallice. We’ve come a long way since Crom-Tech, baby.
Krallice — Years Past Matter (8/25) [Preorder CD]
Krallice – “IIIIIIIII”
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MIGHT RULE HARD
Another slow week for releases (next week picks up in a major way). So it goes. These are all a little odd, but interesting enough in their own strange ways.
Germany’s Pure Steel Records is one of the last bastions of True Heavy metal–defiantly uncool and either proud of it or unaware, they release stuff by bands with names like Dragonsfire and Steel Raiser (!). This week they bring us Emerald. I won’t lie: the album art is almost awful enough to unsell the whole thing. But then the album trailer defies conventional logic by somehow kicking all kinds of ass: we get a full 7-minute music video featuring the band playing an album-spanning medley to a room full of “fanatic metal chicks”. Production values are low; enjoyment values are high. This is traditional Heavy Metal without pretense–you know what to expect, and Emerald deliver.
Despite the presence of Xasthur somewhere in their back-catalog, it’s still a little weird to see black metal from Hydra Head. Featuring a member of Dodecahedron, Nihill hail from the Netherlands and go for broke summoning frost, wind, and noise. Is it cold in the Netherlands? I haven’t heard the whole album, but advance tracks splash ultra fuzzy guitars on top of a slow, loose rhythm section and anguished screams from a frozen pit of hell, or something. Vacation Vinyl had a copy of the LP sitting on their display counter this weekend; it looked appropriately awesome.
And then there’s a new one from Ringworm. Not a new album–rather, it’s a new live album on vinyl. “Why,” you cautiously ask, “do I want a live album from a hardcore band?” Good question. This one happens to rip. Guitars hit as hard and tight as their studio output, delivering the thrashy Holy Terror jams you want and need, and singer Human Furnace sounds as disgustingly rough as he always does. Clearly not an essential purchase, but this thing is surprisingly cool for what it is.
Emerald — Unleashed (8/24) [Buy MP3] / [Buy CD] / [Buy LP]
Nihill — Verdonkermaan (8/21) [Buy MP3 / CD / LP]
Ringworm — Stigmatas in the Flesh (8/16) [Buy LP]
Emerald – Album Trailer
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NOT METAL, NOT BAD
The Darkness have a new album. Apparently people like The Darkness, including people whose taste I generally trust. One of these days I should probably give ’em a fair shake. The lyric video for new single “Every Inch of You” is fun in that it features a model taking her clothes off over and over for no real reason, so there’s that. Song’s not terrible, either–just a lighthearted cock-rock strut with predictably silly lyrics.
And I missed this one last week, so I’m mentioning it now: Dead Can Dance have shaken off the past sixteen years of slumber to reemerge with another batch of dark classics. Time away has subtly changed the sound: Oriental and Middle-Eastern melodies pop up in place of the African rhythms of Spiritchaser, and this is probably the most synthetic they’ve sounded since Within the Realm of a Dying Sun. Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard both sound fantastic, even if the album doesn’t quite stand up to their insanely strong back catalog. Either way, Anastasis is well worth hearing.
The Darkness — Hot Cakes (8/21) [Buy CD] / [Buy MP3]
Dead Can Dance — Anastasis (8/14) [Buy MP3] / [Buy CD] / [Buy LP]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Zvxlv7an0
Dead Can Dance – “Return of the She-King”
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