This most interesting releases of the week!
Mið was released on Nuclear Blast. The legendary black metal band has never grown stagnant. Enslaved have moved farther away from their black metal core, with more folk elements incorporated than on Utgard or Heimdal. Apparently they also changed up their songwriting process for this album, which adds to the feeling of the band turning onto a dark gravel road. But Enslaved haven’t gone full Akerfeldt here. There’s plenty of bite and howl throughout Mið. Enslaved incorporate plenty of vocal twists throughout Mið. But their second wave howls still charm.
There’s a lot to talk about regarding the songwriting, the guest appearances, the chanting that draws from Below The Lights, the Moonsorrow blend, but my biggest takeaway from Mið is simply one of joy. Every time I listen to this record my heart warms up. I love that a band this established is experimenting this much. Taking this many risks. Trying to make something harsh and beautiful. I love the songs, I love the intent. And while people seem not sure how to handle this record today, I believe that it will be considered one of their better albums 10 years from now. I’m so happy that we get to experience art like this. Give it a listen.
Magic Love Destruction is PreHistoric Animals‘ fifth full-length release. It’s also their fifth excellent prog rock album. The band sounds like Fates Warning took a deep breath and went to a history museum on psychedelics. The band doesn’t play extravagant epics (at least here). I appreciate the vocals on Magic Love Destruction. The band plays around with delightful harmonies and add flair to otherwise straightforward passages simply through the weight of their performances. Neal Morse fans will also enjoy.
Some prog, prog that I deeply respect and listen to regularly, requires close, repeated listens in order to “get” the full experience. Not so here. While listening closely is deeply rewarding, my preferred method of listening to PreHistoric Animals is to just kick back and enjoy their clever melodies. Yes, there’s intricate stuff here. But have you heard the ending of “The Wedding Singer”? It’s so charming! PreHistoric Animals do such a great job with their melodies that I forget how difficult the rest of their job is. They make it sound easy. Time to go relisten to The Magical Mystery Machine after this album ends.
Shadows In The Night was released on Listenable Records. Rattlesnake sound like something between High Spirits and Tower, which is to say high energy, sharp riffs, and a 70s hard rock tinge with absurdly catchy choruses. But I need to address the vocals. The effort that oozes out of every note is admirable, and the performance is impressive. But it’s all the way to 11 all the time. While I can appreciate wanting throat-cutting energy throughout, the album would have benefited from some more subdued vocals now and then so that the highs could be that much higher.
The performances on Shadows In The Night are so tight. I know I just spent sever sentences whining about the vocals, but my problem is the intent. If you accept what the performer is conveying, they’re excellent. The drums and guitars have some nasty hits together as well. The band just pulses at a hard rock tempo that can make even the most miserable wretch smile. And man, those choruses. One of the catchiest albums I’ve heard since Safe On The Other Side.
Ok. Lamentations Of The Shadow Kingdom was released on Profound Lore Records. This album follows Dungeon Serpent‘s wildly acclaimed 2021 record World Of Sorrows, which is still on regular rotation. And while the cover art has received a makeover with the label signing, the music remains pure. Even though there’s a full lineup now? This is technically death metal, but it’s death metal for black metal and dungeon synth fans. The album contains long instrumental passages with meandering guitar lines that convey a world more than they do a melody. A lot of people are going to be recommended this album and repel off of it as hard as they have anything in their lives. But if you like inward-looking metal that’s a soundtrack to a long-lost story too pure for this world, here you go. It’s like Obsequiae with extra bite.
The criticisms of Lamentations Of The Shadow Kingdom are as predicable as they are true. Yes, the album meanders forever and doesn’t really reach a conclusion. Some of the passages feel stapled together. It’s more of a sidestep from World Of Sorrows than a progression. But dammit, there’s something heartfelt and unique here that wouldn’t exist if Dungeon Serpent were slaves to modern convention. So spend a bit of time in their world, take it or leave it, and see if you find it in the back of your mind years later. World Of Sorrows grew on me. Lamentations Of The Shadow Kingdom grew on me. This music can’t exist if the artist is deciding which track to make the lead single during the songwriting process.
Primordial Rites was released on Shadow Kingdom Records. Vigil have made some nail-biting blackened thrash on their debut full-length. The vocals are a standout, but the engine of this machine is the drums. The powerful beats throughout keep the energy up. The bass serves to provide depth to the guitar lines, but I’m writing about it because it’s so fucking rare that I can actually hear the bass on a blackened thrash album and I want to reward that choice.
This is one of those albums that doesn’t have something unique or quirky about it, it’s just a well-written thrash album with vicious riffs that maintains a high energy from start to finish. The effects on the vocals make me curious how the band would be live, but that’s curious in a “when are they touring” manner and not in an “oh god why” one. Another album that just makes me smile. Keep it coming.
