Triptykon - Melana Chasmata (2014)

Coming on the heels of 2010's critically acclaimed "Eparistera Daimones," Triptykon, fronted by Tom G. Warrior of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost fame, have returned with another dark, brooding monster of an album in "Melana Chasmata." The oft-repeated phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" certainly doesn't apply to this album as the sick, twisted art of H.R. Giger perfectly matches the music. And the album doesn't waste any time revealing its sinister nature to the listener. Right from the opening of "Tree of Suffocating Souls" with its heavier-than-lead thrash attack and Warrior's trademark commanding grunts through the hauntingly beautiful "Waiting", "Melana Chasmata" is truly a beast of an album that hearkens back to the old days of Celtic Frost. The real genius of the album is its ability to seamlessly weave black, doom, thrash, death, heavy, and avant-garde metal into a singular, monolithic package that almost goes beyond genre classification. In that sense, Triptykon still hold firmly to the pattern established by Celtic Frost on such albums as "Morbid Tales" and "To Mega Therion" which influenced an incredibly wide range of bands and even spawned entire genres. The difference here is that Triptykon, especially on this album, have taken the classic Frost sound and expanded it into the territory of avant-garde with a heaping dose of dissonance and drawn-out, hypnotic tracks that make me think of such nightmarish things as Inferno by Dante. Indeed, the whole album is a trip through hell. "Altar of Deceit" is perhaps the heaviest track on the album, and perhaps the most violent part of the trip through hell, and features gargantuan riffs that sound like Black Sabbath on steroids. Another highlight for me is "In the Sleep of Death" which features some truly demented, almost psychopathic vocals that just plain creep me out (in a good way though). It is also worth mentioning bassist Vanja Slajh's beautiful, siren-esque singing which complements Warrior's fierce growls perfectly. And of course let's not forget Warrior's morbid lyrics which, as usual, fit the music like a glove. While I enjoy this album more than its predecessor, it's not perfect. "Black Snow" is probably my least favorite track here as it goes on for far too long than it should. Otherwise, "Melana Chasmata" is a fantastic achievement that shows not only shows Warrior/Triptykon's relevancy in the incredibly crowded world of modern metal, but also stands out as a uniquely dark and, in a very odd way, beautiful artistic statement.
9/10

(Special thanks to Century Media records for sending me a promo copy.)

Havok - Unnatural Selection (2013)

Thrash metal has been in revival mode for a few years and this band is quickly rising to the top of the movement. Havok's third album doesn't really see any innovation in their sound i.e. towards something more progressive like Vektor. Rather, it's another album chock full of awesome riffs, awesome solos and loads of fun. It may not be quite on the level of Time is Up, but it's still a thoroughly enjoyable record that should please the fans and serve to remind other thrash bands (I'm looking at you Megadeth) how it's done.
8.75/10

 

Byzantine - Byzantine (2013)

Progressive thrash almost seems like a contradiction in terms given thrash's very straightforward, relentless sound, but I believe that it is the perfect descriptor for this amazing album. It deftly combines the heavy, groovy riffing of Testament with the melodic sensibilities of Opeth. Their songwriting is so tight and the vast array of influences are incorporated so well that there's never really a dull moment on this album. If there's a metal sleeper hit for 2013, this has to be it.

P.S. Thanks to H.P.L. on TheRushForum for recommending these guys to me!
9.5/10

Shadows Fall - Fire From the Sky (2012)

Before listening to this album, I'd only heard a few songs from this band and thought they were decent. After having listened to this album for the first time, I can say that this is a very musically proficient band that knows how to make catchy and surprisingly technical metalcore songs. There's no obnoxious breakdowns as in other "core" bands; just solid, well-written stuff that would probably cause even the most ardent defenders of "tr00" metal to at least respect this band if not headbang along to their songs. This is one of the most inspired metalcore albums I've heard in recent times, and it's made me become a fan of the band.
9/10

 

Mors Principium Est - ...and Death Said Live (2012)

More Finnish metal this year? Yup, and it's unsurprisingly quite good. I haven't listened to this band before this album, but I'm a fan now. They mix melodeath with thrash which adds a whole lot of aggression to the catchiness of the songs. Not much else to say other than that it's a very solid release with tight songwriting and that it's definitely one to check out.

9/10

Bloodshot Dawn - Bloodshot Dawn (2012)

An impressive blend of tech-death and thrash, this album is just killer. Amazing solos, riffs-galore, incredible drumming, brutal vocals, what more could you want? Give this upstart band a listen. You won't be disappointed.
9.5/10