The most interesting releases of the week!
Chepang are a grindcore act from Nepal and New York, releasing their third full-length Jhyappa on Relapse Records. Referring to their music as “immigrindcore,” Chepang have always made music that stood out as particularly personal, even within the politically charged world of grindcore. Fans of Pig Destroyer, Shock Withdrawal, and Cloud Rat may enjoy.
While the lyrical themes of Jhyappa are quite intense, the music is direct and focused. Most riffs err on the side of simplicity, most songs err on the side of moshability. The performances throughout are as top notch as you’d expect from Chepang. I miss the absolutely batshit insane experimentation of Swatta, even if the final side of that album extremely missed the mark. But while that approach is lost, this album’s more direct, return-to-basics punch to the face satisfies as well. Chepang can write some absolutely brutal songs.
The heavy influence of electronics was a surprise. While As in Gardens, So in Tombs felt like a black metal album first, The Regeneration Itinerary is a shift towards electronic and symphonic styles. Released on Season of Mist, The Regeneration Itinerary is …And Oceans‘ third full-length since reforming. While I miss the over-the-top melodies of their previous releases, this is quite an interesting release. Fans of Ihsahn might want to check this out.
While The Regeneration Itinerary isn’t as bombastic as previous releases, there is still quite a bit of heft and passion here. The production doesn’t always do the album favors, but I can forgive that given some of the more interesting songwriting choices that …And Oceans makes. There are plenty of standard black metal moments sprinkled throughout, with immensely satisfying riffs and borderline-hardcore intensity in the vocals. But it’s clear that …And Oceans are trying to expand. While there’s nothing too crazy or eyebrow raising, The Regeneration Itinerary sticks out in the band’s catalogue, and seems to be a building block as well a satisfying listen.
Italian folk metal with both the “epic” and “symphonic” tags on bandcamp, featuring a band photo with a million people in it that appears to have undergone some digital enhancement. Buckle in. Myth of Mankind, released on Rockshots Records, starts off with “orchestrations” and choral chants into the intro before opening the first proper track with what seems to be dueling flute solos and death metal growls. Sing along verses are punctuated with sing along verses. Everything is louder than everything else until they break for a violin solo. Myth of Mankind sounds like Fleshgod Apocalypse would if they truly gave no fucks. Fans of Ephemerald might also find some fun here.
This record had every chance to fail catastrophically, and I braced myself the whole time. But I can feel the earnest performances. Aexylium simply effort their way into a great album. There are times when the drums sound too artificial, the transitions from one melody to another sound too constructed, and the whole “folk/symphonic with a limited budgetness” of it all cracks suspension of disbelief, but even with the blemishes I couldn’t help but smile when listening to Myth of Mankind.
