Cathartic - Through The Abysmal Gates Of Subconscious

Labels: Awakening Records/Concreto Records/Metal Coffin Records/Raise The Dead Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 26 Aug 2022

Tracklist:

1. Beyond Grief

2. In The Pits Of Anguish

3. Vanish Into Oblivion

4. Gloomy Ways To Decay

5. Carried By The Wings Of Death

6. Hateful Faith

7. Path To Perdition

8. From The Unknown

9. Obliteration

What's not to like about Mexican death metal that pays homage to the Swedish way! That's what Guadalajara's Cathartic do on their debut full length 'Through The Abysmal Gates Of Subconscious'. The album was released back in August of last year by ever growing Chinese extreme metal label Awakening Records, as well as via Mexican labels Concreto Records and Metal Coffin Records soon after. It's getting the much deserved vinyl treatment later this year from UK label Raise The Dead Records too! Given that this is their debut record, it's pretty amazing to see that they're due to play alongside the likes of Dark Tranquility, Immolation and Grave amongst others in Mexico this September at Candelabrum Metal Festival.

Yes I know I’m behind on this one but part of the joy of music for me is discovering stuff at seemingly random times. I like how it often takes me by complete surprise. While I have a bit of a hankering for thrash metal at the moment, death metal’s a more than adequate substitute and Cathartic nail that old-school death/thrash sound on opener ‘Beyond Grief’. It’s rip-roaring and full of energy, while also being dirty enough to remind you that this is a debut album (though I have to say, the production and mastering job done here is spot on). 

There’s more rough and readiness to ‘In The Pits Of Anguish’ but it’s blasting percussion and frenetic riffs banish any notion that this is a release dreamt up by a demo band. Cathartic have chops and the song-writing skill to back them up. Their tempos range from mid-paced to fast and ‘Vanish Into Oblivion’ switches between the two with relative ease. At times the transitions do sound a little awkward but that doesn’t harm things too much, especially when Cathartic go into overdrive later on in the song, with the help of a subtle yet wailing solo.

I’ve read comments that almost consistently refer to the band’s love of HM2 guitar and I can hear exactly why people have drawn such comparisons on ‘Gloomy Ways To Decay’, where that really satisfying buzzsaw guitar sound comes through. The overall pace of this album is noticeably intense, even with the unnecessary pauses between songs. ‘Carried By The Wings Of Death’ is s sub five-minute barrage of the highest order. From it’s fierce first half to it’s more atmospheric, old-school latter that shows a different side to Cathartic, it’s pretty damn good!

I have to say that in variation terms the second half of Through The Abysmal Gates Of Subconscious is where it’s at for me. There’s a lot more lead work going on during the excellently titled ‘Hateful Faith’ and it really accentuates the raspy, growling vocals. ‘Path To Perdition’ is more stomping in places, but not in a slam-death way. It still has plenty of melody and personality hidden throughout it’s layers. Ear-to-ear grinning fun. 

From there you’re greeted with probably the gnarliest song of the whole record in the form of ‘From The Unknown’. It literally is from the unknown, bringing together everything that makes Cathartic great musically. The death metal community continues to expand and bring great bands to the fore of modern day extreme metal. Why can’t Cathartic be one of them! Closing with ‘Obliteration’, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that some kind of grind song awaits. Instead Cathartic provides a riff-filled instrumental that’s as catchy as it is precise, showing how musically excellent they are.

We all like different flavours from time to time and when you think how raw metal from Central and South America can be, Cathartic put Mexico on the map as a North American country that’s on the rise musically. A fact only made more real because both Chinese and UK labels (amongst others) have helped and are helping to spread their music far and wide.

You can stream and purchase the album digitally, as well as on CD and tape formats from Cathartic below:-

Cathartic - https://www.facebook.com/catharticdm

Depending on where you are in the world, you can buy physical copies from the labels below:-

Awakening Records - https://awakeningrecordscn.bandcamp.com/merch

Concreto Records - http://www.concretorecs.com/categoria-producto/

Metal Coffin Records - https://metalcoffinrecords.com/en/product-category/metal-coffin-records/

Raise The Dead Records - https://raisethedeadrecords.com/collections/all

Awakening Records - https://www.facebook.com/AwakeningRecordsCN

Concreto Records - https://www.facebook.com/concretorecs

Raise The Dead Records - https://www.facebook.com/raisethedeadrecords

SkyThala - Boreal Despair

Labels: I, Voidhanger Records/Moonlight Cypress Archetypes

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 18 Nov 2022

Tracklist:

1. Eternal Nuclear Dawn

2. Variegated Stances Of Self Mockery

3. Boreal Phrenological Despair

4. Rotted Wooden Castles

5. At Dawn They Walk

6. Yielding Quivers Of Revolution

If ever there was a greater enigma within underground/avant-garde extreme music currently, it would be  experimental and orchestral black metal band SkyThala. So much so that as a band they decided to remove any obvious reference to modern US musical influence in favour of Russian history and the classical music of Igor Stravinsky, Naturally, they found a home in the form of I, Voidhanger Records alongside the mysterious label Moonlight Cypress Archetypes in which to release their debut album Boreal Despair. Let's not waste anymore time, for twisted wonderment awaits.

This album is truly where classical music and extreme metal meet. Symphonic bands have tried to marry the two together for many years now, but in my opinion they’ve failed with each attempt. SkyThala mixes cold and somewhat curdling black metal with orchestration that includes keys, woodwind and brass instruments. Okay so it does at times nod towards off-kilter/avant-garde jazz, but there’s nothing wrong there as it challenges you as a listener. I certainly wouldn’t call in anti-music but it’s not an easy listen throughout the ten minutes of opener ‘Eternal Nuclear Dawn’.

‘Variegated Stances of Self Mockery’ makes me think about the varied differences between mainstream music (and even what could be considered gateway metal) and the truly inspiring, thought-provoking works that pass us by everyday. It’s a travesty that we’re not encouraged to listen to more intelligent music and indeed musicians. I guess that’s just the world we live in right now. I never did truly understand music theory nor did I attend university, but I’m utterly fascinated by this album already. 

They say that music is one of the greatest of escapes (aside from travelling maybe) but as the calm acoustic/stringed tones of ‘Boreal Phrenological Despair’ begin, you’re whisked off to somewhere entirely different. It strangely prepares you for the black metal intensity that follows. Airy orchestration sits amongst the extremity, with unnerving choral singing hidden within it’s depths. Varied mental images are painted throughout each of Boreal Despair’s six lengthy songs, but none more so than here. 

The album’s second half is as transfixing as it’s first, as ‘Rotted Wooden Castles’ flourishes with instrumental prowess and truly epic choral melodies that give way to a clash of yet more ice cold black metal, and constantly switching jazz/classical textures. The lead guitar work really sticks out here as well, giving the song’s latter half a proper old-school headbanging twist, at least for a couple of minutes. 

Penultimate song ‘At Dawn They Walk’ contains probably the greatest orchestral-metal ratio of the entire album; however, SkyThala manage to retain an extreme edge from within their haunting crypt. The organ that leads much of this song is brilliantly played and while it seems like the song’s full nine minutes are split into smaller movements, everything works as a (slightly odd) cohesive whole. Album closer ‘Yielding Quivers of Revolution’, with the additional guest vocals of Starer, is an exceptional way to end. Musically, it encompasses everything that makes SkyThala such an engrossing and enjoyable band to listen to.

I refuse to accept that bands like Five Finger Death Punch or Falling In Reverse are considered challenging. Okay, those examples are somewhat lazy but as I eluded to earlier in this review, the breadth of talent within the counter culture that makes up extreme music is growing ever richer and SkyThala belong in the pantheon of the most extreme, and musically gifted. 

You can stream Boreal Despair and buy it all available formats via Bandcamp below:-

SkyThala - https://www.facebook.com/SkyThala

If you're in Europe and would like copies on CD/Vinyl, head to I, Voidhanger Records here - 

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/boreal-despair

I, Voidhanger Records - https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records

Moonlight Cypress Archetypes - https://www.facebook.com/MoonlightCypressArchetypes

This Noise Is Ours: March 2023 Spotify Playlist

This monthly playlist creation thing is getting later each month and for that I'm sorry. On a whim this evening I've put together one featuring (almost) all of the bands I wrote about last month, but with a twist. Instead of featuring just one song by each band, I've featured two (groundbreaking I know!). You can listen to it here:-

March was a great month thanks to the variation of bands I was luckily enough to review. As with my other Playlist posts, I also want to share music by those bands who don't have Spotify. I personally only started using the platform near the turn of the year, having previously been loyal to my trusty iPod Classic and Bandcamp. Below are the Bandcamp pages of those bands for your enjoyment:-

 

Mrtex/Carl Johnson - Split

Labels: Polar Summer/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 27 Feb 2018

Tracklist:

1. Mrtex - That Plant Gets Me On A Deeply Personal Level

2. Mrtex - Human Is Death Process

3. Mrtex - Our Governing Body Is A Toxic, Rotting Corpse So Let's Dump It In The Fucking Sewer

4. Carl Johnson - Second Wind

5. Carl Johnson - Against You!

6. Carl Johnson - Pull The Trigger

7. Carl Johnson - Enemy/Self

8. Carl Johnson - Hot Kila

This review feels like the end of era, as it's the last one I'll get to write about a Mrtex release. This split with Russian screamo/emoviolence band Carl Johnson was released back in early 2018, on tape (limited to 50 copies) via Russian label Polar Summer and Zegema Beach Records. Mrtex have three songs here while Carl Johnson has five. Also, I feel a Polar Summer deep dive coming!

If you’ve been following my ZBR roster review series or even my random review schedule that came before it, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the emoviolence that made Mrtex what they were. Giving it their absolute all on this last release was the only way to go. Their opener ‘That Plant Gets Me On A Deeply Personal Level’ features the noisy, intense craziness of Mrtex for what seems like the briefest of moments before the movie/tv sample takes over. Itself, making perfect sense on top of the buzzing/atmospheric guitar. 

‘Human Is Death Process’ is vintage Mrtex, where sub one-minute songs are still filled with enough music to get the blood pumping. Closing both their side of the split and their final chapter, ‘Our Governing Body Is A Toxic, Rotting Corpse So Let’s Dump It In The Fucking Sewer’ is like the emoviolence version of a rock-opera (I mean that because of it’s playing time). Off-kilter signatures mixed with pogoing percussion lead into an introspective second half that builds in volume and emotion. What a way to sign off!

Talking of signing off (or maybe not), this split also contains the last recorded output from Carl Johnson to date. The screeching feedback that opens ‘Second Wind’ is downright piercing. It leads to a somewhat heavier, more hardcore influenced sound. CJ’s longest song ‘Against You!’ is also their most dramatic, with it’s anxiety inducing guitar melodies and higher-pitched screams. 

Wrenching you back in a faster and heavier direction, ‘Pull The Trigger’ mixes emoviolence with chunkier hardcore. It’s a sound that really catches the ear, especially if you like things slightly heavier. That sound carries on into ‘Enemy/Self’ with it’s bass-laden tones and mathcore-esque explosiveness. It’s latter half is where the grandeur happens, reminding me a bit of the final track from Totem Skin’s Still Waters Run Deep, albeit condensed.

Carl Johnson close things out with the hot mess that is ‘Hot Killa’. All twenty-four seconds of it. The subtlest of subtle melodic riffs join a final burst of technical, noisy screamo/hardcore. For me to sum up this split, I’d say that both bands fell silent too soon. Granted CanaDave has talked at some length about the break up of Mrtex, it’s still a loss given their complete output. Carl Johnson left behind a briefer discography but one that, especially with this split, really left an impression. The feels are strong on this one.

You can stream and download both sides of this split from Mrtex, and Carl Johnson below:-

Mrtex - https://www.facebook.com/mrtexrebellion

Carl Johnson - https://www.facebook.com/carljohnsonforlife

Tapes copies are still available from ZBR's US store here - https://zbrusa.com/collections/tapes/products/мятеж-carl-johnson-split-cassette

Polar Summer - https://polarxsummer.bandcamp.com

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Ominous Scriptures - Rituals Of Mass Self-Ignition

Labels: Willowtip Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 27 Jan 2023

Tracklist:

1. Demonic Totem I Am

2. Rituals Of Mass Self-Ignition

3. Enraged

4. Fanning The Flames

5. Serpentine Wisdom

6. Mangled Perception

7. Inhabitant Of The Lacrimarium

8. Codex Rescriptus

Willowtip Records has always been a label that's pushed extreme metal at it's most extreme. From the likes of Discordance Axis and Capharnaum during their early days to Pyrrhon, Seven Nines and Tens, and Belarusian brutal death metallers Ominous Scriptures more recently. It's the latter band that draws my attention this evening. Ominous Scriptures released their third and latest full-length via Willowtip in January. Let's get into it!

Death metal’s such a varied sub-genre and it keeps on growing with every passing week. Granted, Rituals Of Mass Self-Ignition was released back in January but it’s still hot! Album opener ‘Demonic Totem I Am’ presents a rawness that’s not usually associated with brutal death metal bands. The vocals are the main focus of that rawness, while the instrumentation gives off a slamming intensity early on. The percussion leads the way on the title track ‘Rituals Of Mass Self-Ignition’, providing a maddening tempo for the guitars to align with and align they do. Brutal death can be a bit of an endurance test sometimes, especially if you’re a fan of old-school, doomier death metal but Ominous Scriptures have their style nailed down and it works really well.

It’s all about the riffs for me on ‘Enraged’, which goes by all too quickly. There’s some melody present but it’s only fleeting. Instead, OS’s slam-death influence shows itself right the way through to ‘Fanning The Flames’, which is both unapologetically brutal but also technical in the best way. That explains why OS have become a prominent member of Willowtip’s roster in recent years. 

The album’s latter half begins with ‘Serpentine Wisdom’, which is where OS’s thunderous bass hits me. I thought for a minute that it was my neighbour banging on the floor above me, but I was wrong. That’s how massive it is! Talking of massive, ‘Mangled Perception’ is jammed full with every element that makes brutal death metal interesting, from the percussive barrage to the razor riffage and the deep, bellowed growls. 

There’s literally no let-up as ‘Inhabitant Of The Lacrimarium’ takes over and continues the brutality that’s been the bedrock of this album so far. The lead-work towards the end is well worth shouting about alone. OS do at times seem a little confined, when they could really let their artistic technicality show, but that’s a minor gripe from me as album closer ‘Codex Rescriptus’ (the longest song on the album) drips with old-school atmospherics behind the brutality.

Rituals Of Mass Self-Ignition is an album that really grows on you. It’s not for the faint-of-heart but it’s really enjoyable at the same time. There’s definitely much more to this sub-genre and Ominous Scriptures. You just have to be willing to find it.

You can stream and purchase Rituals Of Mass Self-Ignition digitally and physically below:-

Ominous Scriptures - https://www.facebook.com/ominousscriptures

Willowtip Records - https://www.facebook.com/willowtip

The Sons Of Montana - Subpar Lovers

Labels: Self-Released/Owlripper Recordings

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 30 Mar 2023

Tracklist:

1. Beard Of Bees

2. Dead Asner

3. Saint Banger

4. Drunken Ships And Sunken Sailors

5. We're Not Dead Yet

6. Kathleen E. Goodwin

What do you get when combine a band that's been likened to Refused, Cave In and Boysetsfire (to name a few late 90's/early 00's post/metallic hardcore bands) with one that's supported Soulfly already this year? You get The Sons Of Montana (okay so there was only one band!). Right before the end of March,  the Connecticut band released this double EP via Owlripper Recordings from Czechia. It features three brand new songs alongside their 2021 EP Songs To Seduce Your Future Ex. 

I’ve been really looking forward to doing this write-up, for more reasons than just the fact that this release is a total outlier amongst Owlripper’s roster. Straight away opener ‘Beard of Bees’ goes super hard instrumentally before bringing the sass vocally. Kinda like if Refused, Snapcase and Every Time I Die all formed one massive band together. Super good, as expected! Also, could be wrong but is that title a Simpsons reference? I can hear the Boysetsfire comparisons too (BSF are probably my all time favourite band). 

‘Dead Asner’ is an off-kilter, panic-inducing number that’s over too quickly. It’s definitely got a heavier edge, one more rooted in angry hardcore without being meathead-ish. The final new song comes in the form of ’Saint Banger’ and as it’s name suggests, it’s a banger. Really well delivered post-hardcore with metallic and mathy elements. Total escapism in musical form, especially if (like me) you’ve had a tough working week in the real world so far.

The next three songs are all from TSoM’s 2021 EP Songs To Seduce Your Future Ex. ‘Drunken Ships And Sunken Sailors’ sounds more on the raw side, but not in the recording. More in the way it’s delivered with a much greater dissonant mathcore-edge. The brutalist hardcore/emo-violence that exists on ‘We’re Not Dead Yet’ shows how explosive TSoM were when they recorded their first EP. As a song it does flit between blistering heaviness and more upbeat semi-clean vocal passages, meaning there’s plenty to get your ears around.

Final EP song ‘Kathleen E. Goodwin’ parks the chaotic heaviness, leaving you with a song that’s slightly easier on the ear, before it builds in volume and noisy intensity towards an eventual end. Honestly I’m floored. Maybe that final conclusion lit the blue touch paper, but whatever it was, it truly hit the spot. Out of nowhere The Sons Of Montana have made an unforgettable entrance. 

It would be really foolish to underestimate the ability of independent (and sometimes digital-only) labels. In my experience, they’ve been responsible for unearthing and pushing out some absolute gems, and Owlripper Recordings have done it again here, just like they did with Forcefed Horsehead and many others. Don’t turn your back for a second!

You can stream and purchase the entire double EP digitally via Owlripper Recordings below:-

You can also grab both EP's digitally from The Sons Of Montana here - https://thesonsofmontana.bandcamp.com/album/subpar-lovers

The Sons Of Montana - https://www.facebook.com/Thesonsofmontana

Owlripper Recordings - https://www.facebook.com/owlripperrecordings

Niboowin - Breathing

Labels: Dingleberry Records/IFB Records/Mosh Potatoes/React With Protest/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 18 Feb 2018

Tracklist:

1. Resting Peacefully

2. Raided

3. Careless Conscious

4. New Dawn

5. Eager Burden

6. Silhouettes

7. Chasing Sanctuary

8. Ashes Ignite And Awaken

I was so sure that I'd already reviewed this album, but going right back through what I'd already written about told me otherwise, so I'm making up for it now. Breathing is to date the only release from the US quartet that makes up Niboowin (ex-Old Soul, Dakhma etc). Niboowin plays black metal-infused noisy screamo, I guess. Whatever happens from here on out, It's Niboo-for-the-win!.

If you enjoy the likes of Dawn Ray’d and bands from the Alerta Antifascista Records roster, you’ll enjoy the sounds created by Niboowin on Breathing. Album opener ‘Resting Peacefully’ has a slightly crusty edge to it, alongside really authoritative guitar work, adding to the percussive blasts and proper emotive screams. There’s also a subtle heap of technicality thrown in for good measure.

‘Raided’ plays on Niboowin’s post-metal/rock influences a little bit more, even though those textures don’t play a huge part in the song as it quickly ratchets up in tempo and intensity. This album is so good! ‘Careless Conscious’ instills the quality of the musicianship on show, into you as a listener and I promise that if you’ve got this far into the record you’ll be hooked.

The mood and atmosphere dealt by ‘New Dawn’ is one of fresh belief, and hope, as the title suggests. It’s glorious instrumental build-up is light and upbeat, and even when the full band kicks in with menacing heaviness, it still feels so. I dunno, maybe cathartic might be a better descriptor. Either way, it’s great. Note: bands who don’t publish their song lengths on bandcamp are really onto something. This subtlety works in Niboowin’s favour here as it encourages you to invest time and listen till the end. It’s far too easy in today’s society to let your attention span own you (I should know).

The album’s later half starts with ‘Eager Burden’, which is decisively fast and noisy. It provides a bit of a jolt that’s unexpected, even if you don’t need one. Talking of jolts, the off-kilter hardcore/noise rock of ’Silhouettes’ is amongst the heaviest thing you’ll hear on Breathing. When it’s balanced by the melodic/post mid-section though, it’s so satisfying. 

‘Chasing Sanctuary’ will make you think warm and comforting thoughts fleetingly before being wrenched back to the present. The quiet/loud, soft/hard dynamic employed by Niboowin is at it’s most potent here for sure. Ending with ‘Ashes Ignite And Awaken’, it all feels like Breathing is over too quickly. It’s much better to have one stellar album than ten mediocre ones. This is that stellar album. Grab it while you still can!

You can stream and purchase Breathing digitally from Niboowin here:-

Niboowin - https://www.facebook.com/Niboowin

Physical copies are available from the labels and links below:-

Dingleberry Records - https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/1088285561

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/niboowinbreathing

Zegema Beach Records USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/niboowin-breathing-12

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/DingleberryRecords

IFB Records - http://www.ifbrecords.com

Mosh Potatoes - https://www.facebook.com/moshpotatoesxvx

React With Protest - https://www.facebook.com/reactwithprotestdiy

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Forcefed Horsehead - Monoceros

Labels: Owlripper Recordings/Screaming Skull Records

Formats: Digital/Tape

Release Date: 24 Mar 2023

Tracklist:

1. Every Death You Take

2. Futile

3. Novgorod

4. Ruins

5. Iri

6. The Black Sun

7. Dragged Back To Live

8. Ubernecro

9. Spell No Stones

10. Unending Appetite

11. In a Rut

12. ...And Then There Were None

As promised if you saw one of my most recent FB posts (if you didn't, find and follow me there!), you'll know that I was planning to write reviews of two very recent releases from Owlripper Recordings. Forcefed Horsehead are from Oslo, Norway and Monoceros is their newest body of work. They released their self-titled debut EP way back in 2011 and have remained somewhat under the radar until now, as they've gathered well-deserved coverage via Decibel, Invisible Oranges and Bandcamp Daily amongst others! Owlripper released this album digitally in late March, with Oslo's Screaming Skull Records putting out a limited tape run of 50 copies around the same time. 

Forcefed Horsehead deliver grind and punk as only Norwegians can. Cold Scandi-rawness sits alongside raging heaviness on album opener ‘Every Death You Take’ (is the title meant to be a play on the famous song by Sting & The Police?). It’s fast but there’s also a more foreboding sensitivity to it as well. I’ve known Paul from Owlripper for many years now and I know he has a love for bands with this intensity, so this release comes as no surprise.

Alongside the grind und blast there’s a hefty dose of proper punk attitude, as evidenced on ‘Futile’. It’s rhythmically catchy while also being off-kilter in the right places. It stops short of being a straight-up grind song thanks to FH’s excellently performed guitar work, which for this type of extreme music, is surprisingly crisp. It reminds me a bit of some of the metalcore bands that made up the NWOAHM back in the early 00’s, like Overcast, Blood Has Been Shed and the like (as opposed to the more theatrical names). Comparisons are fruitless though so don’t shoot me down here. 

‘Novgorod’ goes in a different direction with a rawness that’s as cold as the city it’s named after. Coldness doesn’t necessarily mean unlistenable though, as it’s still got undeniably listenable hooks and melody, amongst the percussion and full-on growls. I’ve read that people have name-checked Cancer Bats when referring to FH and I can totally see why.

I can already tell this review’s gonna turn into a lengthy one (sorry, not sorry) as ‘Ruins’ begins with the most black metal-esque intro so far. It leads into a song that’s over before you know it, crawling with crust and a belligerent outlook. On hearing ‘Iri’, I’d say that FH embody fellow Scandinavian bands Turbonegro and Kvelertak purely for the catchiness of the riffs alone. That is before they go in a bewilderingly progressive death metal direction though. There’s so much going on here and we’re not even halfway through yet!

Closing the first half of Monoceros with ‘The Black Sun’, FH channel the dread induced sludge/doom of Primitive Man with the psych/prog of Leviathan-era Mastodon. It’s a departure from their faster songs for the most part, proving that they’re not just about the shock and awe (though fastness does seep in at times). The album’s latter half begins with the off-kilter/thrashing punk of ‘Dragged Back To Life’, in case you were too relaxed after listening to ‘The Black Sun’. Gang vocals are used to full effect here as well.

Naming a song ‘Ubernecro’ is either pure tongue-in-cheek or brave depending on your outlook. The song that bares it’s name is anything but necro, relying instead on FH’s musical blueprint. It’s a blueprint that brings to mind the sludgier PV of Famine (the Leeds, UK one). ’Spell No Stones’ moves in death metal circles again, but briefly. Categorising them is futile (no pun intended). The aptly named ‘Unending Appetite’ is the quickest song on Monoceros and it embodies the craft that’s put in by FH. As does the similarly fast ‘In A Rut’, which seems to last way longer than it’s ninety-second playing time.

Akin to the closing of the album’s first half, the second half concludes with ,,,And Then There Were None’, which is a post-metal beast that stretches for nearly ten minutes. The screams that are buried amongst the instruments herald what’s to come. Blackened hardcore mixed with metallic tones and orchestral flourishes. Ultimately, it’s unnerving. More-so than what’s come before on the album, though the clean vocals that come to the fore during the song’s latter half are able to wrestle back some light. 

For such a (seemingly) unknown band to produce an album with this level of assured musicianship is rare. Maybe we’ve been looking towards the wrong bands until now. Forcefed Horsehead, as well as being brilliantly named, have something special. Monoceros could well be album of the year. Fantastic!

You can stream and download Monoceros via Owlripper Recordings below:-

Forcefed Horsehead - https://www.facebook.com/forcefedhorsehead

Owlripper Recordings - https://www.facebook.com/owlripperrecordings

Physical tape copies (if still available) can be purchased by contacting Screaming Skull Records :-

https://www.facebook.com/ScreamingSkullRecords/

Void Of Light - Enshroud

Labels: Trepanation Recordings

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 24 Mar 2023

Tracklist:

1. Deign Torrent

2. Gild

There's no time for April Fool's jokes today. There is time though for new music from a Glaswegian post-metal band called Void Of Light. They're a band that came to my attention recently, especially when I noted that they're playing in Leeds (Royal Park Cellars) later this month, alongside fellow Scottish post-metallers Codespeaker. Oh and in August they're gonna be playing at a festival in Scotland alongside Deafheaven, Chat Pile, Rolo Tomassi, Frontierer and more in their home city.

Void Of Light begin proceedings on Enshroud with clean singing and melodic instrumentation, which gives way to heavy post-metal at the three-minute mark of ‘Deign Torrent’. When they embrace the heaviness, Void Of Light are able to weave atmospheres that are both monstrous and epic at the same time.

Their second song ‘Gild’ is a very different beast. It’s tempo is obviously faster from the start, before shifting into a more conservative structure later on. Layered with technically proficient metal that grows in intensity during the song’s first half, introspection takes over during it’s latter half and shows how sensitive, and endearing post-metal can be. 

Void Of Light have created a really strong grounding for themsevles with this EP and it builds further from their 2022 debut EP. A new UK name to me, but another one that adds to the ever-growing musical tapestry of this island nation. Their trajectory can only go up from here.

You can stream Enshroud and purchase it as a name-your-price download directly from Void Of Light below:-

Void Of Light - https://www.facebook.com/voidoflightband

Physical CD copies can be purchased from Trepanation Recordings below:-

https://trepanationrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/enshroud

Trepanation Recordings - https://www.facebook.com/TrepRec