Azure Emote – Cryptic Aura Review

By Owlswald

Azure Emote is the project of two very busy musicians, vocalist Mike Hrubovcak (ex-Monstrosity, ex-Vile) and guitarist Ryan Moll (Hypoxia, Total Fucking Destruction). In between their work with many acclaimed death metal acts, the duo reconvenes every five years or so to craft a new Azure Emote record.1 What began in 2010 with Chronicles of an Aging Mammal as an experimental think tank for their genre-defying ideas has steadily evolved into their own eclectic brand of avant-garde death metal. Cryptic Aura marks the group’s fourth full-length and their third featuring the same all-star lineup: drumming powerhouse Mike Heller (Abigail Williams, ex-Fear Factory), legendary bassist Kelly Conlon (ex-Death), and violinist extraordinaire Pete Johansen (ex-Sirenia). Anna Murphy (ex-Eluveitie) also joins this renowned lineup, contributing her enchanting clean vocals.2 While long gaps between releases and an overabundance of ideas have historically hindered Azure Emote, Cryptic Aura strives to defy this pattern, arriving with a clear ambition to be both darker and heavier than anything they’ve released before.

Imagine a collision of Dimmu Borgir, Ne Obliviscaris, and Mithras and you’ll be in the ballpark of describing Azure Emote’s sound. Hrubovcak’s symphonic keyboards and Shagrath-esque blackened growls top Moll’s driving riffs, Conlon’s dexterous bass and Heller’s remarkable drumming to create occult-infused songs rich with dark atmosphere and dramatic flair. Heller’s performance on Cryptic Aura is mind-blowing. His blazing tom rolls (“Aeons Adrift”), tight rhythms (“Disease of the Soul”), and creative backbeats (“Return to the Unknown”) are consistently jaw-dropping, at times even overpowering the album’s bright DR 9 master. Johansen’s violin steps into a main role, often assuming a folky, crestfallen tone across the album’s ten tracks.3 Enhancing Johansen’s violin are Murphy’s backing vocals, her majestic croons (“Bleed with the Moon”) and ethereal melodies (“Feast of Leeches,” “Aeons Adrift”) driving haunting transitions. She is a welcome addition, offering bouts of serenity and a fresh touch to Azure Emote’s relentless instrumental virtuosity.

Azure Emote’s technical elements frequently coalesce to create powerful, well-structured material, despite their inherent complexity. Still incorporating a wide array of musical styles and ideas into a progressive death metal mélange, Cryptic Aura feels more calculated than past efforts. “Disease of the Soul” is a prime example, standing out as one of the album’s strongest tracks. It demonstrates the group’s unified musical vision, maintaining control amidst torrents of virtuosic chaos. Likewise, “Feast of Leeches” showcases this synergy—Murphy’s soothing pitches, Johansen’s violin, and Hrubovcak’s synth arrangements artfully balancing its thrashy riffs, relentless blast beats and Moll and Conlon’s adventurous soloing. Johansen’s violin plays a crucial role in grounding Cryptic Aura’s songs and providing a consistent thematic thread. Far from being buried in the mix, Johansen often takes the lead, offering melodic death-folk elements and a variety of engaging leads and solos that share the spotlight with Moll. From trilling melodies (“Aeons Adrift,” “Insomnia Nervosa”) to chilling atmospheric passages with delay (“Defiance Infernus”) to a somber homestead feel (“Bleed with the Moon”), Johansen’s versatility adds a distinctive layer to Azure Emote’s multifaceted soundscape.

While Cryptic Aura features impressive technicality and several strong tracks, its prevailing density occasionally hampers it, thereby leading to listener fatigue. Heller’s performance, while spectacular, is overwhelming at times—particularly on “Defiance Infernus,” “Into Abysmal Oblivion,” and “Aeons Adrift”—due to his blistering speed and the drum-forward mix. Furthermore, the powerful beginnings of “Provoking the Obscene” and “Aeons Adrift” ultimately dissolve into exhausting complexity during their chaotic conclusions. “Bleed with the Moon,” meanwhile, offers a repetitive, cascading instrumental barrage that offers little reprieve from its intensity. Murphy’s performance serves Cryptic Aura well, however, helping to counterbalance the overwhelming instrumentation. Her choral passages shine—notably the Gladiator-like ambient transition in “Bleed the Moon”—and her dramatic and warm tone commands attention on “Return to the Unknown” and “Provoking the Obscene.” Unfortunately, she is largely confined to backup duties—a disappointing and missed opportunity.

Though not without its flaws, Cryptic Aura remains a good album. A consistent lineup has allowed Azure Emote to streamline their creativity, presenting their impressive virtuosity with a newfound focus. With Cryptic Aura, the group has found solid footing, marking a positive evolution and resulting in my favorite record from them to date. Such progress ignites my excitement for the future. My only hope is that their next iteration arrives much sooner.

Rating: Good
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Testimony Records
Websites: azureemote.bandcamp.com/music | facebook.com/azureemote
Releases Worldwide: July 25th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AbagailWilliams #AmericanMetal #AvantGarde #AzureEmote #CrypticAura #Death #DeathMetal #DimmuBorgir #Eluveitie #FearFactory #Hypoxia #Jul25 #Mithras #Monstrosity #NeObliviscaris #ProgressiveDeath #Review #Reviews #Sirenia #TestimonyRecords #TotalFuckingDestruction #Vile

Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement Review

By Maddog

Yes, I picked this up entirely because of its cover. Girardi’s gorgeous spiral of tombstones and skeletons conjures vintage highbrow death metal of the likes of Death. The title Chasm of Immurement grasps at brutal badassery in the vein of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten. Clairvoyance’s logo remains indecipherable even if you know the band’s name, suggesting kvltness galore. The promo materials describe lyrics that address the isolating effects of depression, foreshadowing a harrowing listen. In isolation, each of these judgments strikes at the truth but glances off. Chasm of Immurement is the debut album from Poland’s Clairvoyance, an unknown band comprising unknown musicians. Lying at the intersection of brainless death-doom and brainiac digressions, Chasm of Immurement is a powerful foray into death metal.

A first pass through Chasm of Immurement suggests primitive death metal with a dollop of doom. “Eternal Blaze” opens the album with a bang that recalls Faceless Burial’s Speciation. After grabbing me by the anus, Clairvoyance maintains its hold by alternating between mid-range Obituary riffs and lurching Autopsy-style death-doom. These lowbrow highlights feel both as slimy and evolved as an amoeba. With both its riffs and its guitar tone, Chasm of Immurement leaves a palpable layer of grime that justifies multiple colonoscopies. “Blood Divine” emerges as a late gem through riffs that are gory enough to draw blood and enormous enough to evoke Immolation. This isn’t isolated to a subset of the tracks; throughout its runtime, Chasm of Immurement alternates between a sixteen-wheeler and a used minivan without dulling its fun.

On your fifth listen, Clairvoyance’s experimental bent comes into view. The same doomy riffs you’d heard before reveal spooky foreground melodies (“Reign of Silence”). The same track that you’d interpreted as a caveman ditty blossoms in baffling melodic directions in its second half (“Eternal Blaze”). The same song that introduced itself as by-the-books death metal culminates in a monstrous doomy climax (“Fleshmachine”). The same sections that you’d dismissed as repetitive transform into home bases for grimy excursions, interfering with your sleep schedule and your family obligations. Adorning hefty riffs with sinister melodies, Clairvoyance recalls both Lovecraft’s Azathoth and Morbid Angel’s Trey Azagthoth. It took me a while to realize that I was doing Chasm of Immurement an injustice by pigeonholing it into old-school death metal. It is indeed that, but it’s so much more.

Clairvoyance’s varying ambitions both empower and dilute each other. Spanning 34 minutes across 6 tracks, Chasm of Immurement is a concise collection of lengthy tracks. Some of its pieces wander, especially at their simplest. For instance, despite being the second shortest track, “Blood Divine” feels lengthy because of its dearth of creative ideas. Similarly, the shortest song, “Eternal Blaze,” suffers from riffwork that’s decent but unimaginative, before eventually redeeming itself with more variety. Even so, these flubs are rare. The six-minute “Hymn of the Befouled” is the starkest counterexample, balancing length with girth by combining a vicious off-kilter main riff with melodic escapades that hold me rapt. Parts of Chasm of Immurement could do a better job of remaining engaging, but it’s hardly a fatal flaw.

Balancing thoughtful death metal and anti-intellectual death-doom, Clairvoyance’s debut is as weird as it is powerful. Neanderthals who need their fix should look here, as Chasm of Immurement’s crushing death metal riffs rival the best of old-school death metal. Conversely, fans of Morbid Angel’s wonkiness or Tomb Mold’s shapeshifting shenanigans will find just as much to love here. Chasm of Immurement is unlikely to dethrone Faithxtractor’s Loathing and the Noose atop my 2025 death metal ranking, as its occasional meandering loses my interest. But it’s a promising debut from a crew of talented Polish fiends.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/clairvoyancedeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Autopsy #BrutalDeath #BrutalDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #ChasmOfImmurement #Clairvoyance #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #FacelessBurial #Immolation #Jul25 #MorbidAngel #Obituary #PolishMetal #ProgDeath #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Suffocation #TombMold

Supreme Void – Towards Oblivion Review

By Owlswald

Relative newcomers Supreme Void began their journey as Depravity in 2016, releasing a couple of EPs over a five-year period, culminating with 2021’s End of Games. The EP delivered a familiar slab of Polish death metal, packed with the aggression, technicality, and power that flagbearers like Behemoth and Hate have long championed. Presumably realizing the existence of numerous other bands named Depravity, the trio changed their name to Supreme Void in 2023, coinciding with their signing to French label Dolorem Records, who then re-released End of Games under the new moniker. Now, Supreme Void’s debut full-length, Towards Oblivion, aims to fuse the brutal, fast and specialized Polish sound with the dissonant and stylish tendencies of the likes of Ulcerate and Gorguts—a conceptually intriguing and ambitious endeavor that tests Supreme Void’s ability to carve out their own niche within a formidable death metal landscape.

Like a murkier Hate colliding with the ominous atmosphere of Ulcerate and groovier ambitions of Replicant, Towards Oblivion oscillates between crushing weight and morose, undulating passages. Strategically placed starts, stops, and tempo changes enhance Supreme Void’s varying moods and textures as eight-string guitar provides conquering low-end and drums pummel everything into dust with devastating precision. Exile’s monstrous roars blanket Supreme Void’s underlying chaos with a thick layer of demonic miasma while the grim rumble of bass rounds out the trio’s vast and immersive sound. Opener “Remnants of Hope” is a fitting representation of what to expect on Towards Oblivion with Ravager’s cacophonous arpeggiations, blazing tremolos, and mammoth chugs shifting and writhing with Cyklon’s syncopated eruptions and Exile’s massive roars. Benefiting once again from excellent production, Supreme Void crafts a dissonant and heavy soundscape marked by writhing tension.

Supreme Void’s powerful guitar-drum attack drives Towards Oblivion’s sinister manifestation with colossal might, binding twists, turns, and jolts into an intense and turbulent auditory assault. Tracks like “Sustained by Malice” and “Eclipse of the Exalted” contrast storms of discordant chords, thrashy riffs, and machine-like rhythms with trudging grooves, enigmatic hooks, and dark atmospheric transitions that are off-kilter but also captivating. Tasteful solos (“Embrace Extinction,” “Dissolution of Power,” “Repulse Manifesto”) showcase both technical skill and emotional vision while Meshuggah-esque drawls and plodding hits drag you further into the abyss. Cyklon’s drumming is outstanding—his menacing blasts and kicks melding with darting tempos, grooving transitions, and flickering cymbal flares augment Exile and Ravager’s swirling arpeggiated dissensions and percussive shredding. Unleashing terror, Exile’s growls saturate everything with an ardent layer of filth, effortlessly tearing through the instrumental mass. The production enhances everything, granting the material the necessary space to exude its qualities while allowing each piece of Supreme Void’s sonic onslaught to shine through with refreshing clarity.

For all of Supreme Void’s merits, Towards Oblivion is sometimes challenged by a sense of imbalance across its thirty-eight-minute runtime. “Repulse Manifesto” follows a less compelling arc as “Dissolution of Power” or “Remnants of Hope,” for example, which fully realize Supreme Void’s immersive qualities. Beginning with a subdued militaristic-like primer that feels like it should be a separate interlude, the track takes too long to develop before surging into its more convincing second half. While this hints at Supreme Void’s ability to command a “slow burn” style of songwriting, the execution is awkward and affects the song’s course. Additionally, closer “Embrace Extinction” lacks the same memorable hooks as Towards Oblivion’s stronger compositions, and “Eclipse of the Exalted” feels a bit overlong, largely due to the song’s cyclical back end.

Despite these stumbles, however, Towards Oblivion finds Supreme Void delivering a strong debut that effectively merges the ferocious sounds of Polish death metal with the dark, ominous tones of today’s disso-death scene. The young trio’s dynamic interplay of crushing heaviness, shifting tempos, maddening dissonance, and technical skill—particularly the one-two punch of the guitars and drums—is enveloping and will appeal to fans across the ever-widening death metal spectrum. Although Towards Oblivion occasionally trips at asserting its vigor, Supreme Void’s clear command of aural intensity, coupled with their ambition, serves as a gateway for them to rip open the abyss with reckless abandon in the future. I, for one, will be eagerly waiting to venture into the void again.

Rating: Good!
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Dolorem Records | Bandcamp
Websites: supremevoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/supremevoid
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Apr25 #Behemoth #DeathMetal #Depravity #DissonantDeathMetal #DoloremRecords #Gorguts #Hate #Meshuggah #PolishMetal #ProgressiveDeath #Replicant #Review #Reviews #SupremeVoid #TowardsOblivion #Ulcerate

Kardashev – Alunea Review

By Carcharodon

Kardashev’s return has been the most eagerly anticipated in a year, and so far, it has been full of returning favorites. Since I discovered their stunning 2020 EP, The Baring of Shadows, they’ve been a firm favorite. Their progressive, blackened “deathgaze” was both haunting and beautiful in its ferociously emotive stylings. Although 2022’s Liminal Rite suffered a bit from its production, that didn’t stop me awarding it a 4.5 and placing it at #5 on my end-of-year List, both decisions that I stand by. Upping their progressive tendencies and leaning into longer form storytelling, I hoped the Arizonan quartet would carve their own little niche just a little deeper on fourth full-length, Alunea. Three years in the making, and picking up a tale they began on 2017’s The Almanac, can Kardashev possibly match what they achieved on Liminal Rite?

As Alunea opens on “A Precipice. A Door,” it’s immediately and unmistakably Kardashev. From the swelling wash of synths, through which Mark Garrett’s crystalline cleans and Nico Mirolla’s precise guitar lines slowly surface, to the propulsive, deftly progressive drum work by Sean Lang, I felt like I was on familiar ground. However, as Alunea progresses, it’s clear that the band’s journey is taking them in a subtly new direction. Dubbed as ‘deathgaze’ from an early stage in their career, much of the ‘gaze’ is now gone, with the band focusing on progressive, and even technical, death metal, recalling the likes of Fallujah and Aronious (parts of “Reunion” and “Truth to Form”). Garrett, whom I’ve lauded as one of metal’s most versatile vocalists, rampages through the album’s heavier passages, rasping, snarling, and growling like a man possessed. However, this juts up against fragile, stripped-back melodic passages, which see his soaring cleans, replete with powerful sustains set to rising guitar melodies and Alex Rieth’s liquid bass groove.

At an hour long, Liminal Rite risked faltering under its own weight. The fact that Kardashev reined in this tendency, keeping Alunea to a tight 43 minutes, despite the band’s deeper forays into progressive metal, does them credit. However, the compositions here don’t hold a candle to Liminal Rite or The Baring of Shadows. Meandering, often lacking an obviously discernible structure, Kardashev packed so many ideas in that it’s actually disorienting as tracks lurch unpredictably between frantic techy heaviness, extended melodic passages, or both. At its best, Alunea pulls this off. Lead single “Reunion,” probably closest in tone to earlier Kardashev, is great, while “Seed of the Night” and “We Could Fold the Stars” both showcase what I think Kardashev aimed for throughout: vicious heaviness, borrowing from both post-black and tech death, to create something harsh and crushing, but also complex. This is then played off against soft, but deceptively involved, melodic passages. While there are flashes of brilliance elsewhere (the back end of “Speak Silence,” which sees guest vocals from Genital Shame’s Erin Dawson being one), much of it falls short.

Too often, Alunea feels like Kardashev exploring partly formed ideas, leaping between them, without taking the time to either fully flesh out what they’ve written or consider logical sequencing. The skill of the musicians involved prevents the record from descending into the chaos it could have been in less capable hands, with transitions smooth, and the musicianship still top tier. But, whether it’s the confused “Truth to Form” or “Edge of Forever,” which simply runs out of energy and ideas around the halfway mark, Alunea lacks both bite and incisiveness. Garrett, so often the band’s MVP, is also clearly trying to further expand his already huge versatility. While his death growls and snarling, blackened rasp remain on point, and his cleans are as gorgeous as ever, he often leans into a heavily distorted bark, which sounds slightly forced and lacking in power. Kardashev did at least learn from the production errors made on Liminal Rite, with Alunea’s soundstage more expansive and the guitars just about in the right place in the mix, likely the work of new engineer Zack Ohren (taking over from Mirolla).

Penning this review of Kardashev’s latest outing has given me even less pleasure than Alunea itself. I was so disappointed by the first few spins that I had to leave it completely alone for a week before returning fresh. Rose-tinted spectacles duly crushed underfoot, I started to see some of Alunea’s qualities (“Reunion,” Seed of the Night” and “We Could Fold that Stars”) but its key shortcoming came into focus also: it lacks structures, which guide the listener through the journey Kardashev want to take you on. They did this very effectively on Liminal Rite, but, in cutting length, they also lost clarity in the songwriting. Alunea has many strong building blocks, but they have been stacked at overly jaunty angles.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: kardashev.bandcamp.com | kardashevband.com | facebook.com/Kardashevband
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#25 #2025 #Alunea #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #Aronious #Deathcore #Deathgaze #Fallujah #GenitalShame #Kardashev #MelodicMetal #MetalBladeRecords #PostMetal #ProgressiveDeath #Review #Reviews

Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens Review

By Maddog

Allegaeon’s six albums have received tumultuous marks in these halls. After their fantastic 2010 debut Fragments of Form and Function broke the score counter, Allegaeon sank as low as a 2.0 for 2016’s Proponent for Sentience in the eyes of then-tadpole GardensTale. While their latest outing recovered to a more respectable score, Allegaeon’s techy brand of melodeath has polarized socialites and critics alike. The band excelled with their riffier onslaughts and soaring melodies, but fell for the forbidden fruit of proggy excess. The Ossuary Lens showcases a leaner, meaner Allegaeon. I won’t be listening to it in a decade, but it’s a worthy soundtrack for today.

Allegaeon have trimmed their bloat but not their ambitions. For the uninitiated, Allegaeon’s brand of death metal resembles a noodlier Arsis, with its melodicism matched only by its technicality. That said, Allegaeonites will recall that these Coloradans would rather cover Yes or Rush than classic death metal. Allegaeon’s career has sometimes descended into a vulgar display of prog, combining protracted tracks with a penchant for flamenco breaks. These proggy elements live on, as Allegaeon gallops from punchy riffs to melodic leads to clean jams and back again. However, The Ossuary Lens displays newfound restraint. At 45 minutes, this is the band’s shortest album by a full eight minutes. Allegaeon’s escapades no longer leave a salty aftertaste, and the band’s forays into other genres no longer feel like pleas for a yardstick. The Ossuary Lens preserves its identity without getting lost in its own reflection.

Accordingly, The Ossuary Lens hits across both its bigly riffs and its creative tangents. The album’s fierier cuts are a refreshing return to form, with “The Swarm” reviving Elements of the Infinite’s infectious riffcraft. As hoped, these sections still ooze technicality, as guitarists Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel dominate their fretboards even in their most explosive moments. Meanwhile, Allegaeon’s genre-bending experiments feel creative but not overwrought. Most notably, “Dark Matter Dynamics” pulls a First Fragment stunt of seamlessly transitioning between jubilant strumming (courtesy of Adrian Bellue) and formidable death metal melodies. Indeed, The Ossuary Lens hits hardest when these forces unite. For instance, “Carried by Delusion” voyages from serene melodies to Revocation worship to blackened tremolos to upbeat bass and guitar solos to downcast crunchy riffs, eviscerating both my heartstrings and my neck. The Ossuary Lens’ moderation goes a long way. Rather than clobbering the listener with decades-long Spanish guitar jams, The Ossuary Lens presents its creative side through measured four-minute tracks. Tech, prog, melody, and home sweet death metal unite into a potent concoction.

While each piece of The Ossuary Lens is impressive in isolation, the album sometimes loses my interest. One reason is its lack of climactic moments. During tracks like “Scythe” and “Wake Circling Above,” I zoned out and had to abuse the rewind button, because there weren’t enough valleys, buildups, and peaks to keep me engaged. Another reason is sequencing; while the five middle tracks from “Driftwood” through “Dark Matter Dynamics” shine, the bookends fall short. The most predictable reason is production. Despite aiming for creativity and dynamism in their songwriting, Allegaeon continues to brickwall their albums into tepid gruel. As a result, The Ossuary Lens often loses my focus despite its seemingly manageable length. Conversely, the album’s highlights show how it’s done. Most strikingly, “Driftwood” has colonized my brain with a soulful mix of melodeath and metalcore that recalls Venom Prison. With highs this high, it’s a shame that The Ossuary Lens often slips into uniformity.

Allegaeon is a relatively new band, but they inspire nostalgia. I vividly recall pimply nights with the addictive Fragments of Form and Function. I still think that “Accelerated Evolution” and “Genocide for Praise” are two of the greatest album closers of this millennium. And the iconic 2014 music video for “1.618” sealed Allegaeon’s place in my heart forever. Measured against Allegaeon’s first three albums, The Ossuary Lens falls short, hampered by its dearth of standout moments. Still, it isn’t a stinker. It still bangs; it still shreds; it still progs. Warts and all, it earns its keep.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: allegaeon.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Allegaeon
Releases Worldwide: April 4th, 2025

Iceberg

Allegaeon are something of a known quantity around here, having been nodded at by Steel, eviscerated by GardensTale, and patched up by Cherd. The Colorado crew helmed by guitarist Greg Burgess have amassed a legion of rabid followers (who are sure to raise a ruckus in the comment section) for their signature style of Gothenburg-meets-tech-death. I’ll admit to being a fan of 2016’s Proponent for Sentience, one of the first reviews I read on this site, but got lost amidst the dense material of Apoptosis and frankly didn’t even give Damnum a shot. Allegaeon’s latest LP, The Ossuary Lens, sees the return of original vocalist Ezra Haynes and a much-welcomed stripped-down runtime, two intriguing changes in my book. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been excited about an Allegaeon release, can The Ossuary Lens be the record to change that?

Allegaeon’s style of melo-tech-death needs little introduction here, but for those of you who haven’t been following the past decade’s worth of drama, I’ll provide the CliffsNotes. Sweeping, scalar guitar riffs courtesy of Burgess and Michael Stancel form the backbone of most tracks, and the dual guitars make for an indulgent offering of solos (“Driftwood,” “Wake Circling Above”). The drums here, while dripping with modern production sheen, are compelling and energetic without being overly technical, a sincere compliment for Jeff Saltzman. Allegaeon have never strayed from highlighting their bass players, and standout moments in “Chaos Theory” and “Carried by Delusion” show Brandon Michael has as much a command of melody as he does of relentless, galloping rhythms. Ezra Haynes, of Elements of the Infinite fame, comes roaring back to life on The Ossuary Lens, employing a gritty death roar alongside commendable clean vocals on “Driftwood” and “Wake Circling Above.” The performances on The Ossuary Lens are everything one would come to expect from a band nearly two decades into their career, and make for a wholly engaging listening experience.

Allegaeon albums tend to have similar issues holding them back, and the band have largely addressed them on The Ossuary Lens. First and foremost is the 45-minute runtime, a nearly 25% reduction in music from their last three records. The renewed focus on editing shines, with tracks that hit fast and get out of the way while still managing to be memorable (“The Swarm,” “Imperial”). This represents the first major improvement in The Ossuary Lens; Allegaeon have not only figured out that less is more, but they’ve also magnified the parts that work. Sing-along melodeath choruses lurk throughout the album (“Driftwood,” “Dies Irae”) but none so impactful as penultimate track “Wake Circling Above.” Clearly the best Insomnium track released this year, Allegaeon’s ode to all things Gothenburg is a monumental testament to what this band can do when they stop doing so much and let the music dictate the song’s course.

The hits don’t stop there. The Ossuary Lens takes a while to really get moving, with the first three tracks treading familiar territory. But then comes “Dies Irae,” a barnburner that incorporates the three-note musical motif for the Dies Irae text of the Requiem Mass, a nice music nerd Easter Egg that only enhances the ripping triplet-infused breakdown sitting in the song’s center. And Burgess’ requisite flamenco guitar, something sorely overused in Proponent for Sentience, is here condensed into the driving groove of “Dark Matter Dynamics,” a powerfully infectious rhythm ripped straight from a Rodrigo y Gabriela record, or the breath-before-the-plunge moments of the darkly harrowing “Carried by Delusion.” Whereas previous Allegaeon records were dense, academic affairs that required shoveling through noise and notes to discern, The Ossuary Lens presents a barebones masterclass on Allegaeon’s modus operandi.

This isn’t to say that The Ossuary Lens is infallible. Early tracks “Chaos Theory” and “Driftwood” are technically proficient, but fail to reach the emotional highs of the rest of their brethren. Final track “Scythe,” while holding some excellent verse grooves, feels underbaked after the astonishing “Wake Circling Above,” and its cropped ending leaves the album on more of a question mark than a statement. And there’s the lingering issue of the DR5 master and production, which, while not as obscene as earlier records, is still crushed and fatiguing. But overall, The Ossuary Lens represents a massively successful repositioning for the Coloradoans, making it one of my favorite spins of the year for its precision, refinement, and memorability. If Allegaeon continue on this trajectory, we may see their best work yet just over the horizon.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

#2025 #30 #35 #Allegaeon #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #Arsis #DeathMetal #FirstFragment #Insomnium #Melodeath #MelodicDeathMetal #MetalBlade #MetalBladeRecords #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveTechnicalDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Revocation #RodrigoYGabriela #Rush #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheOssuaryLens #VenomPrison #Yes

Buried Realm – The Dormant Darkness Review

By Owlswald

Colorado’s Buried Realm, the technical melodic death metal project of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Josh Dummer, has built a steady following since 2017’s The Ichor Carcinoma. This is largely because— alongside his role as the primary writer and producer of Buried Realm’s music— Dummer is one hell of a guitarist. Additionally, he enlists a prominent cast of guest musicians for each album, adding another layer of proficiency to his progressive soundscape.1 While Dummer’s talent and networking ability are compelling, 2020’s Embodiment of the Divine received a mixed reception from AMG’s own Twelve. Since then, Dummer has made notable upgrades through the addition of drummer Heikki Saari (Fintroll, ex-Norther) and the outsourcing of post-production duties, resulting in a heavier and more polished sound on Buried Realm’s 2022 self-titled third album. With these refined elements and the promise of further evolution, I was eager to delve into The Dormant Darkness to see what I would find lurking in the shadows.

What I found was a great album. Building upon the foundation of Buried Realm, The Dormant Darkness finds Dummer taking the next step in his power-tinged melodeath assault. The opening barrage of “Bloodline Artifice,” with its relentless blasts, tremolo onslaught, and visceral screams, channels the power of tech-death giants like Allegaeon. At the same time, the album’s overall melodicism is indicative of The Living Infinite-era Soilwork. Guest appearances include the likes of Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry) and Christopher Amott (ex-Arch Enemy), who fortify tracks like “Human Code” and “Futuristic Hollow Nation” with sweeps, dives, and wails galore. Saari’s intricate rhythms and colorful accents amplify Buried Realm’s dazzling riff craft. Additionally, Dummer’s Laiho-esque rasps intertwine with Bjorn “Speed” Strid’s (Soilwork) roars and Christian Älvestam’s (ex-Scar Symmetry) soaring choruses to add sophistication and depth. With a well-rounded mix that delivers plenty of punch and low-end heft, The Dormant Darkness features a concentrated and layered sound that is rich, heavy, technical, and a ton of fun.

For those who crave virtuosity, Buried Realm will not disappoint. Guitar wizardry is delivered in droves, with memorable solos, melodic leads, and powerful shredding across the record’s eight tracks. Nilsson’s dynamic fretwork at the heart of “Human Code,” Amott’s dive-bomb acrobatics within “Futuristic Hollow Nation,” and Daniel Freyberg’s (ex-Children of Bodom) blazing solo on “A Futile Endeavor” stand out as particularly jaw-dropping moments.2 Dummer and Saari’s merciless grooves— shredding and hammering with precision— strengthen the album’s star-studded guest list, constructing Buried Realm’s tech-heavy compositions. Contrasting Buried Realm’s unyielding virtuosity are Älvestam’s uplifting serenades on songs like “Jaws of the Abyss” and “Futuristic Hollow Nation” which present striking melodies and refreshing hooks that draw me back again and again. Ultimately, while the constellation of guest musicians warrant attention, The Dormant Darkness is filled with highlights that will appeal to a wide audience.

With its intensity and compositional depth, The Dormant Darkness could have easily become overwhelming. Indeed, the songwriting periodically suffers from overly dense passages and abrupt transitions. The disjointed vocal exchange between Dummer and Strid before the chorus in “Human Code,” for example, is jarring, as is the song’s mid-section where a whirlwind of blasts and leads stutters and starts erratically. That said, while occasional missteps somewhat detract from the album’s pacing and flow, they are minor quibbles in a record rife with strong songwriting. Furthermore, Francesco Ferrini’s (Fleshgod Apocalypse) poignant orchestral arrangements on tracks like “Ophidian Dreams” and “Where the Armless Phantoms Glide, Pt. II” provide atmospheric grandeur and emotional depth, mitigating aural fatigue and upholding sonic balance.

Overall, The Dormant Darkness is a blast. The album is the culmination of Buried Realm’s evolution and proves that Dummer’s persistence and dedication have paid off handsomely. It’s full of highlights and genuinely impressive moments, blending technical prowess with memorable melodic hooks, exceptional guest contributions, and compositional maturity. Despite the occasional minor slipup, the album’s technical and charming melodeath personality seizes my attention from the start and maintains its spectral grasp until the record’s final notes fade into the ether. With The Dormant Darkness, Buried Realm has established itself as a formidable force— one that melodeath fans won’t want to miss.

Rating: Great!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: buriedrealm.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/buriedrealm
Releases Worldwide: April 4th, 2025

#2025 #40 #Allegaeon #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #ArchEnemy #BuriedRealm #ChildrenOfBodom #DeathMetal #FleshgodApocalypse #MelodicDeathMetal #PowerMetal #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #ScarSymmetry #SelfReleased #Soilwork #SpaceMetal #SymphonicMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheDormantDarkness

Diatheke – …And the Word Was God Review

By Killjoy

It’s no secret that many of us here at Angry Metal Guy share an outsized fascination with progressive death metal. It has a seemingly infinite capacity for pathos and logos to raise one another to otherwise unreachable heights. It can also assume wildly different forms from artist to artist, which appeals to those who are always looking for something fresh and unexpected. This is what led me to Diatheke,1 from Dallas, Texas, and their debut …And the Word Was God. As a Christian group, their album’s concept is biblical, both literally and figuratively, representing the first moments of the universe’s existence through the final days of humanity. The scope of this concept is about as enormous as they come, but if any genre can pull it off, it would be progressive death.

It, then, caused me considerable consternation to discover that Diatheke married their prog death with metalcore. To be clear, I wouldn’t disparage something solely for having metalcore influence, but here the two styles clash hard. The musical compositions, which reach for—while never quite attaining—the dramatic, theatrical grandeur of Ne Obliviscaris, are often buried like the wicked during the Great Flood by a deluge of scalding screams, gruff growls, and cloying clean vocals. Elements of melodic death metal and deathcore attempt to bridge the gap between the two aesthetics with some success, but they tend to devolve into chugging breakdowns peppered with double bass. Congruous unions of the fundamentally opposite objectives of prog and metalcore might exist somewhere, but this is not one of them.

It doesn’t help that …And the Word Was God mainly inherited the less desirable attributes of both its parent genres. It has some of progressive death’s intricacy but little of its overarching cohesion. Diatheke discharges a slew of ideas that are rarely borne to fruition, yielding song fragments that are stuck together haphazardly. “The Coronation” opens with a regal guitar and synth melody befitting of the song’s title, only to inexplicably rip it away for a monotonous growled verse atop nondescript riffs. Many other transitions are navigated in like manner with the grace and subtlety of a snowplow. Things might have been salvageable if more of the individual components commanded the hooky sensibilities of metalcore but, aside from a chorus in “The Coronation” and a resurfacing guitar line in “The Creation,” there are no recurring features to cling to for memorability across the hour runtime.

These fundamental flaws all but smother the bright spots scattered throughout …And the Word Was God. There are some genuinely compelling moments—like the back-to-back guitar and bass solos in “The Redeemer”—but in their isolation, they wither like branches without a vine. Frustratingly, most of the instrumentation, which ranges from inoffensive to decent, is muddied by the vocals. Three band members (Peter Watson, John Wesley, and Michael Osborn) are credited with vocals, though the problem isn’t too many cooks in the kitchen so much as the cooks preparing the wrong order. The screams that permeate …And the Word Was God sound out of place in this type of music, distracting and detracting from any emotion the listener might have otherwise gleaned. Conversely, the singing in the intro of “The Promise” and the conclusion of “The Creator” offer glimpses of how impassioned the album could have been with a more befitting vocal approach.

In the end, …And the Word Was God doesn’t have enough redeeming qualities to overcome its glaring macro and micro issues. It’s likely too disjointed to appeal to the progressive death crowd and not immediate enough to please metalcore enthusiasts. While there are worse sins for a young band than struggling to rein in their ambitions, it’s difficult to enjoy something this unfocused and self-conflicting. But with youth comes the inherent potential for growth if Diatheke can concentrate their efforts and attention. There is an audience out there for them; they just have to pick one.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Rottweiler Records
Websites: diathekerr.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/diathekemusic
Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025

#AndTheWordWasGod #15 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Diatheke #Mar25 #MelodicDeathMetal #Metalcore #NeObliviscaris #ProgressiveDeath #Review #Reviews #RottweilerRecords

Anciients – Beyond the Reach of the Sun Review

By Saunders

Canada’s Anciients made an explosive impact on a pair of ambitious albums, courtesy of 2013’s promising Heart of Oak debut, and 2016’s flawed though frequently great sophomore opus Voice of the Void. Displaying a fresh penchant for chunky, intricate progressive metal featuring sludge, stoner and psychedelic elements, Anciients displayed influences like early Mastodon, Intronaut and Opeth as touchstones to a vibrant sound they could call their own. Then shit went dark as a series of personal events and line-up changes halted momentum. News of a long-awaited return filtered through, resulting in the release of their eagerly awaited third album Beyond the Reach of the Sun, featuring striking Adam Burke cover art. Hardships and the passage of time perhaps places question marks on whether Anciients can expand upon their formula to achieve prime career results.

Beyond the Reach of the Sun exhibits trademark songwriting characteristics and fresh ideas, whipped into an ambitious prog opus, carrying familiar traits from its predecessors, while forging its own path. Heart of Oak and Voice of the Void have grown in stature over the years; however, I have been patiently waiting for Anciients to deliver a knockout album to fulfill their enormous potential. Beyond the Reach of the Sun features a gloomy, melancholic undertone contrasting against a vibrant and adventurous songwriting framework that doubles down on the prog without neglecting the other multi-genre hues, including shades of hard rock, sludge, folk, psych, and death. Parting ways with guitarist/co-vocalist Chris Dyck, mastermind Kenny Cook (vocals/guitars) and drummer Mike Hannay are joined by new members Brock MacInnes (guitars) and Rory O’Brien (bass). Cook handles all vocal duties, with his smoother, emotive croons complimented by beefy, Åkerfeldt-esque death growls for extra punch.

Beyond the Reach of the Sun sounds like a blockbuster culmination of the band’s career to date, rejuvenated after the preceding tumultuous years. The exuberant, technical flourishes and proggy indulgences are ever present, while shreddy, groovy guitar work forms a gripping center point. Like many a grand prog album, Beyond the Reach of the Sun operates best in its entirety. The slightly odd single choices (“Melt the Crown,” “Cloak of the Vast and Black,” and “In the Absence of Wisdom”) fit fluidly in full album context, fine examples of their intricate, psych-enhanced prog metal and hooky songcraft. Soaring melodies, gripping musicianship and mellower musings collide with more full-blooded riff and vocal assaults. Longer form cut “Forbidden Sanctuary” is a curious opening selection. Its slow build heightens tension before unfurling into an effectively moody, progressive sludge rocker. Cook’s excellent clean vocal melodies worm their way into your brain as sparkling guitar harmonies and noodling jams give way to an all-guns-blazing climax, where death roars and frantic blasts take hold.

More concise heavier songs color the album’s varied palette and progressive overtones. “Despoiled” boasts serious fucking teeth to match its groovier prog rock swagger, enlivened by beefed-up riffs, irresistible hooks, and an intense, headbangable closing gallop. Meanwhile, “The Torch” is another stellar, memorable example of Anciients digging into their heavier roots, unleashing one of many sizzling guitar solos rippling through the album. Beyond the Reach of the Sun is an epic guitar album, with Cook and MacInnes the stars of the show. Exuding confidence, technicality and style, the duo stuff the album full of gorgeous melodies and harmonies, psychedelic touches, and burly sludge rock meets prog-death riffage. Cook also nails his increased vocal responsibilities. His cleans are constantly gripping, sounding more confident and assured, while expressing the fragile emotional journey that led to the album’s eventual conception. Vocal highlights are aplenty, however, the mournful, yet hopeful turn on doom-laced epic “Is it Your God” hits with particularly wrenching impact. Meanwhile, the regularly deployed death growls land some killer blows, lending a punch of heaviness to proceedings.

Not all is peachy. Although Anciients most concise and consistent album, self-editing could still use improvement. While the album doesn’t lag or stall as such, a few meandering moments suggest careful trimming of the fattier bits may have reaped benefits. The solid production lacks dynamics, and a warmer, breathable master would have done wonders, while the meatier guitar sections could stand to pack more weight and horsepower. Song sequencing could use a subtle tweak as well. Overall, these are relatively minor quibbles in the big scheme of things and fail to significantly hinder a superbly written and performed album, marking a welcome return and striking evolution of the Anciients sound and wondrous progressive metal showcase.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6| Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: anciients.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ANCIIENTSRIFFS
Releases Worldwide: August 30th, 2024

#2024 #40 #Anciients #BeyondTheReachOfTheSun #CanadianMetal #Intronaut #Mastodon #Opeth #ProgRock #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMistRecords #SludgeRock

White Stones – Memoria Viva Review

By Saunders

The side project of Opeth’s bass-slinging extraordinaire Martin Mendéz, White Stones emerged on their 2020 debut Kuarahy. Marketed as Mendéz’s return to his death metal roots following Opeth’s increased forays into vintage progressive rock, the debut featured some solid tunes and a chunky, quirky brand of prog-dabbled death. Striking while the iron’s hot, White Stones returned in quickfire fashion with 2021’s Dancing Into Oblivion. Unfortunately, the solid groundwork established on the debut was muddied on the sophomore opus, which increased the proggy inklings, yet lacked focus and cohesion, largely disappointing as a gripping, cohesive album. As an avid fan of progressive music and death metal in all its forms, the ways in which the two forms united failed to stick the landing. As a result, the album left me underwhelmed and disappointed. Regardless, there is a lot to like about White Stones. After a lengthier break, the project returns as feelings of trepidation and cautious optimism rise up.

White Stones have rapidly and impressively established a unique sound, despite the big-name baggage. The music is not completely devoid of Opeth-isms, nor have they jettisoned the more overt progressive leanings of the sophomore album, yet there is a genuine creative spirit and intriguing punch to the material. The experimental and progressive elements remain entrenched in the songwriting, as layered instrumentation and ambient atmospheres reside alongside the thick, rumbling nature and intricate twists of the heavier material, again proving the most appealing aspect of White Stones’s varied songwriting palette. Mendéz bass is expectedly given ample space in the mix to showcase his excellent low-end skills and melodies. Further embracing the band members’ Spanish heritage and culture, vocalist Eloi Boucherie delivers lyrics in his native tongue, with his clever phrasing and thick, throaty growls delivering the goods in a standout performance.

The painfully slow-building ambient tones and gradual rise and fall of the opening instrumental title track kick things off in low gear before the album launches proper. White Stones operate at their most vital and effective when they indulge their heavier impulses, without eschewing the quirky songwriting traits, rich instrumentation, and progressive intricacies embedded in their writing formula. An exotically intriguing instrumental build-up transforms into the signature, offbeat and muscular prog-death and groovy bluster White Stones execute well on the powerful “Humanoides.” The song structurally feels a little scattershot, but the mix of styles and twists somehow works, even including some scorching blasts and solos to spice up the meaty grooves and proggy elements. Elsewhere, White Stones make impactful statements in more succinct terms. “D-Generación” and “La Ira” are each loaded with a myriad of cool ideas, musical influences, and stellar musicianship. The compact, challenging structures gel and the hooks stick. The excellent axework across the album walks the tightrope between their prog and death urges, incorporating intricate, playful melodies, slashing shred work, beefier riffage, and idiosyncratic quirks to intriguing effect, such as the restlessly shifting turns on late album epic “Grito al Silencio.”

White Stones enjoy their pretty, quirky, ambient instrumentals, with a number scattered across the album, including “Zamba de Orun,” a jazzy, flute-adorned piece that intrigues, though overstays its welcome and arguably disrupts the flow of the album. “Somos” is a meandering less appealing interlude, while closer “Yemayá” closes proceedings with mournful, pleasant tones, ending the album in a peaceful, albeit anti-climactic fashion. I would not ordinarily place too much focus on interludes and instrumental pieces. However, it is important to highlight their prevalence and the fact they consume eleven minutes of the album’s tight thirty-seven-minute runtime. However, the overall writing and high points of Memoria Viva hit hard and outshine its predecessor, despite further issues with flow and balance between the band’s heavier moments and mellow excursions.

Memoria Viva features some of White Stones most accomplished, gripping songs in their short career, yet the songwriting balance remains a bit out of whack for my listening tastes. Despite my enjoyment of progressive metal and rock, White Stones insistence on scattering mellower, proggy experiments and interludes throughout the album’s course, including its bookends, disrupts the exotic and compelling writing that highlights the meatier, full-blooded material evident. The balance may work differently for others, however, while scraping a pass grade, Memoria Viva feels like another missed opportunity for the potential packed outfit to create something truly special.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix
Website: facebook.com/WhiteStonesOfficial | whitestones.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: June 28th, 2024

#2024 #30 #DeathMetal #MemoriaViva #Opeth #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveMetal #ReigningPhoenixMusic #Review #Reviews #SpanishMetal #WhiteStones

Eigenstate Zero – The Malthusian Review

By Maddog

After a six-month hiatus from writing (and most everything else), I couldn’t resist reviewing an artist with eigen- in their name. My excitement for linear algebra drew me to Eigenstate Zero’s third record, despite my inkling that “eigenstate zero” was a nonsense phrase.1 Unsurprisingly, Eigenstate Zero is a solo prog project, and The Malthusian offers 78 indulgent minutes of off-kilter death metal from Sweden’s Christian Ludvigsson. The album is full of surface-level variety, mixing riffy goodness with keyboard melodies and copious genre experimentation. And yet, its strengths and weaknesses are exactly what you’d expect, for a 78-minute prog-death album with a sci-fi name.

The Malthusian combines hit-or-miss death metal with hit-or-miss prog tropes. The death metal foundation of Eigenstate Zero’s sound is executed with mixed success. Even The Malthusian’s shorter straightforward tracks sometimes misfire with by-the-books riffs that lack the genre’s power (“Serfs & Zealots,” “Reset”). Conversely, The Malthusian slays when it remains laser-focused on engaging its listeners. The title track’s hefty riffs could hold their own against death metal’s best, while its creative rhythms and keys lean deftly into Eigenstate Zero’s prog sensibilities. Meanwhile, groovy bass lines (“Telomeres”) and thoughtfully ballistic drums (“Mindcrime”) make the rhythm section a highlight throughout. Despite those successes, The Malthusian struggles with prog idioms. Digressions like the waltz of “Spiritdebris,” the theatrical clean vocals of “Thingfish Diaries,” and the gratuitous wind sections of “Holomind” feel like weirdness for weirdness’ sake. Echoing Serdce’s craziness without Serdce’s writing prowess, The Malthusian’s proggy bits often lose my interest.

The Malthusian’s frequent lack of cohesion makes it a jumbled listen. The album’s ambition is admirable, but it tends to long jump between disparate styles without the requisite effort to glue them together. The Malthusian’s proggy shenanigans often feel jammed between unrelated neighbors, like the cabaret melodies and keyboard detours of “Black Pages.” At their worst, these aren’t just isolated missteps; rather, tracks like “Orch Or” fall flat by cobbling together jigsaw pieces from different puzzles for their entire runtime. Still, The Malthusian’s choice cuts demonstrate songwriting excellence. Album highlight “Mindcrime” channels Alustrium with caveman riffs, proggy rhythms, an acoustic break, and soaring solos, blended together perfectly and tied up with a thoughtful bow. I wish the rest of the record had followed suit.

Now for the elephant in the room: The Malthusian is elephantine. Even the better songs could use a trim, like the fluid but beefy ten-minute title track. The back half of the record is particularly bloated, housing all but one of the album’s chunkiest pieces. As a result, The Malthusian is a tiresome listen, extending for nearly eighty minutes with only enough compelling material for half of that. Adding to the excess, the album’s crushed production makes it difficult to identify interesting melodies above the din. Exhausted by both sonic clutter and a glut of content, I struggle to distinguish or recall much of The Malthusian. Indeed, it took me multiple spins to realize that the promo materials included an extra copy of “Telomeres” in place of “Reset.” Some more restraint would go a long way for Eigenstate Zero.

While The Malthusian doesn’t have any single fatal flaw, its missteps hold it back. The album’s riffs and melodies suffer from inconsistency, especially when they veer into prog exhibitionism. On a macroscopic level, the lack of restraint in The Malthusian’s composition and production hampers the final product. The record’s apexes display a talent for melody and composition that’ll keep me hopeful for Eigenstate Zero’s next release. But despite its ambition, The Malthusian hasn’t left much impression on me. In the linear transformation of my ears, Eigenstate Zero’s newest release has eigenvalue zero.2

Rating: ​2.0/5.0
DR:​ 7 | ​Format Reviewed:​ 320 kbps mp3
Label: ​Self-Released
Websites: ​eigenstatezero.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide​: May 17th, 2024

#20 #2024 #Alustrium #DeathMetal #EigenstateZero #Independent #IndependentRelease #IndependentUnsigned #May24 #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #Serdce #SwedishMetal #TheMalthusian