Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere (2014)

When I heard Agalloch were trying out a space theme rather than their traditional nature/winter theme, I was very excited. "Marrow of the Spirit" was great but it showed signs of a band aging and starting to run out of ideas. A change was indeed in order. Unfortunately though, it seems Agalloch's musical abilities were not up to par for this change. Much of this album feels tedious, repetitive, and downright boring. Take the opener "Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation" for example. It's probably the first time they've Agalloch have attempted a straight-up doom metal song and I have to applaud them for that but it could have been so much stronger by either cutting it in half or adding more variation. The song kinda plods along and I find it difficult to emotionally connect with it in any way. The same goes for "Plateau of the Ages." It's 12.5 minute long metal instrumental whose most interesting feature is perhaps the cool drum beat. Every time I listen to it I think about Agalloch's other metal instrumental, "The Hawthorne Passage,"and how much better it is. Then take "Dark Matter Gods." That song has so much potential but it far too repetitive and unnecessarily long to stand anywhere near Agalloch's best songs. On the plus side, you have "Vales Beyond Dimensions" which features an excellent dark, doomy lead melody that fits the space theme perfectly. Then there's the lead single "Celestial Effigy" which is the most dynamic, progressive track on the album. It's the kind of song that keeps your attention throughout. "Astral Dialogue" is not only one of the most aggressive songs Agalloch have penned, but it's also my favorite song on the album. It's a perfect blend of doom and black metal, and it features the unique songwriting the band are famous for, something sorely lacking elsewhere on "The Serpent and the Sphere." Another positive feature is the lyrics which are fantastic as ever. As for the acoustic interludes, they unfortunately all sound basically the same and are very stale and uninteresting. There is absolutely no comparison between them and the songs on "The White" EP or the glorious "Odal" on "The Mantle." Simply put, this is Agalloch's weakest album but it certainly does have a number of redeeming factors that make it worth listening to. You can hear the seeds of better songs throughout, but those better songs never materialize. If you're expecting something on the level of the first three albums then prepare to be disappointed. I suspect though that this one's a grower so my opinion might very well change later on.
7.5/10

Lantlos - Melting Sun (2014)

After Neige, vocalist of Alcest, left the more black metal-oriented band Lantlos after their last album "Agape," the future of Lantlos was murky. Thankfully, it has been nicely resolved with a complete shift away from black metal and towards post-metal. This isn't the kind of dark, depressive post-metal associated with acts such as Cult of Luna, nor is it technical in any way like Russian Circles. Rather, it's beautiful, bright, expressive, and downright uplifting while being quite heavy at the same time. I like to think of this album as "Shelter's" metal brother. From the winding ambient soundscapes filled with subtle, emotion-laden melodies to the raw intensity of the riffs, this is an album that sets the listener on a journey through forgotten corners of the heart and mind. It's hard not to be completely hypnotized by the vast, immersive sounds of this album, nor is it so easy to restrain your imagination from running wherever it pleases as you're soothed by the calm sounds of, for example, "Golden Mind." Perhaps the most captivating moment on the album is the intro on "Cherry Quartz" which transitions from serene to heavy-as-lead so gracefully and effortlessly it'll likely leave your jaw on the floor. The only fault I could find on this album is the sometimes stale vocals, but it's a minor issue on an otherwise incredible achievement. I absolutely loved Lantlos' second album ".neon" with it's dark atmosphere and Neige's melancholic howls, but "Melting Sun" marks a whole new chapter for the band and I can honestly say I love it just as much. In a word, it's glorious and a unique addition to the post-metal genre.

9.5/10
(Special thanks to Prophecy Productions for providing me an advance copy.)

 

Russian Circles - Memorial (2013)

In contrast to "Forever Becoming," the new one from Russian Circles is chock full of emotion and atmosphere, particularly of the dark variety. This is easily seen on lead single "Deficit" which almost immediately captivated me. Like the next track "1777" it's dark, heavy, and beautiful all at the same time. There are some gorgeous melodies and clean sections throughout (especially on "Burial") as well as plenty of dissonance to create a striking contrast. Besides emotionality, Russian Circles really know how to rock and deliver some good riffs though I must say they're a bit lacking in this department as compared with Pelican. But with the variety, intensity, and sheer beauty of this album that's not really a big deal. Finally, I must mention the sublime track "Memorial" featuring Chelsea Wolfe (I'll get to her new album soon). It's simply one of the best things they've done and is an utterly perfect closer to this album. Overall, I think this album stands alongside "Enter" as my favorite from the group. While they seemed to be getting a bit stale on "Empros," here they really pushed the musical boundaries and delivered a great record.
9.25/10

 

Pelican - Forever Becoming (2013)

Since founding member Laurent Schroeder-Lebecleft this well-known instrumental post-metal band, many including myself were nervous about how this record would turned out. The answer is: not really that well. I absolutely loved the band's previous output, especially "What We All Come to Need," but this one seems to lack the atmosphere and memorability that characterizes those works. It's by means a bad record though. In fact, "Immutable Dusk" is already one of my favorite Pelican songs. But besides that cut it just kinda falls flat and doesn't really connect on an emotional level (especially when you compare it with "The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw"). That said, I think this is a grower so I'll have to give it more listens and hopefully it will indeed grow on me. But for now, it's a good record but one that doesn't really stand up to their previous ones.

8.25/10

Inter Arma - Sky Burial (2013)

After hearing a lot about this album, I decided to check it out and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. It's a really diverse, interesting record that sways back and forth between feelings of utter bleakness and despair, and consolation and resignation. What I really love is how the record is so all-over-the-place in terms of influences (black metal, Neurosis, High on Fire, Earth, Mastodon etc.) yet it feels so coherent and flows so naturally. Another noteworthy talent this band possesses (and this kinda goes for all good post-metal bands) is the ability to forge a close connection between the lyrics and the music. The lyrics evoke a post-apocalyptic landscape and the music perfectly follows suit. The vocal style is one of the key elements here that not only helps bring to life this landscape in the listener's imagination, but also help give the band a unique identity. The lo-fi, black metal-esque vocals really help make the music all the more desolate and inhuman while simultaneously bringing the issues raised in the lyrics to the forefront and dealing with them in a direct, uncompromising fashion. If you still aren't convinced that 2013 is a renaissance year for post-metal then I highly suggest you check out this dark masterpiece.
9.25/10

 

Mouth of the Architect - Dawning (2013)

Post-metal masters Mouth of the Architect have returned for their fourth outing and while it may not be as good as The Ties That Blind (my favorite record from them), it's still a solid and 100% worthwhile entry in their discography. As with their past three records, MotA construct epic, atmospheric tracks that are so tension-filled that you feel an incredible sense of catharsis by the end of them. Dawning flows very naturally; in fact, it's so seamless that the whole thing almost feels like a single song with different movements. The melodies are very simple, but quite powerful and gripping in the context of the songs. The harsh vocals on this record are simply fantastic and just what you'd want from any post-metal release. The clean vocals, on the other hand, are nothing to write home about and don't really seem to jive with harshes at times. That aside, I highly recommend this album. "How This Will End" and "The Other Son" alone make this an awesome listening experience to say nothing of the other great songs on Dawning. As this record shows, 2013 continues to be a great year for post-metal as well as metal in general.
9/10

 

The Ocean - Pelagial (2013)

The Ocean's latest release sees them at their most progressive and varied while still retaining their trademark heaviness and sweeping atmospherics. It's a kind of concept album with each track representing a deeper section of ocean than the last (similar to Precambrian which explored geologic time scales). The instrumentation is excellent with some nice indirect references to early Mastodon, and the vocals, both clean and harsh, fit perfectly. I'm not sure if it's actually my favorite Ocean album as I need more listens to see how it ranks, but it's definitely up there. Along with the new Cult of Luna and, most likely, the upcoming Mouth of the Architect album, this is a sure contender for post-metal album of the year. It's great to see how such a talented band have progressed their sound so much and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do in the future.

9/10  

Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory & Injury (2013)

Post-black metal band Altar of Plagues' first two albums featured some of the most apocalyptic, gut-wrenching music I've ever heard so my expectations were pretty high for their new release. After being disappointed by the first song/video released, I am quite pleased to say that the album as a whole stands up to the quality of the first two albums. It's quite a different proposition for this Irish trio with electronic elements featuring prominently, sparse clean vocals, and a less focused or structured approach, but at the same time the core of the music and the emotions behind it have not really changed. As the album cover suggests, the band have taken an even more experimental and unorthodox route on this album - literally contorting and transforming their tried-and-true sound. It's a highly fascinating, unpredictable affair that demonstrates the incredible versatility and creativity of this underrated band. And let me add that Dave Condon's vocals sound absolutely vicious in parts which is one of the main strengths of this album in addition to the music itself. In all, this is a chaotic beast of an album that takes black metal in new directions and cements this band's legacy.
9/10

 

Minsk - The Ritual Fires of Abandonment (2007)

Minsk are a fairly well-known post-metal band hailing from Chicago that really know how to create atmosphere. Like Neurosis, they intersperse their sludgey metal riffs and howled vocals with beautiful, ritualistic, and quite hypnotic guitar drones. In fact, there might even be more of these ritualistic passages than actual metal on this album which is fine by me. While they do indeed follow the formula that pretty much every post-metal band does, they still do a hell of a job with it. I'm extremely impressed on my first listen and I'm sure I'll come to love it even more after time.
9/10

 

Gallowbraid - Ashen Eidolon (2010)

This pretty much blew me away on the first listen. If you're an Agalloch fan, you MUST check this out. That's not a request, it's an order. Even though it's technically an EP, it has the feel of an album and to be honest, I like this even more than Agalloch's most recent work "Marrow of the Spirit" (though that one is still quite excellent). I sincerely hope this talented fellow makes another album. Stunning stuff.
9.5/10

 

Burst - Lazarus Bird (2008)

Well, it's been a while since I reviewed an older album so having just listened to this slice of awesomeness, I figured: Why not? Simply put, this is a magnificent piece of progressive wizardry with an aggressive hardcore attitude. The most notable aspects of this album are riffs which are some of the best I've heard in ages as well as the clean sections which are absolutely spellbinding. The only reason I won't give this a 10 is because a few of the songs meander a bit too much and the vocals are a tad underwhelming at times. Aside from that though, this band can easily hold its own against the progressive hardcore greats (don't know if that label applies, but I can't think of any other way to describe them) such as Isis, Mastodon, Baroness, and Converge. I was pretty much blown away starting from track one and continued to be so throughout. I really hope this band gets off their hiatus or whatever their situation is and makes another full-length. In the meantime, I'll be digging through their back catalog hoping to find something as good as or even better than this album (not sure if that's even possible though).
9.5/10

 

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (2013)

                                 
Intronaut are a band that have always gone beyond mere imitation of their influences and have carved their own musical path. Each album in their discography is a unique, innovative experience and the band's latest release is no exception. Deciding to forgo harsh vocals altogether, Intronaut have crafted what is probably their lightest, most experimental album to date with influences ranging from metal, prog rock, and even jazz. I use the term "experimental" here very loosely since this album doesn't really mark a total transformation of the band a la Ulver, but rather a conscious decision to veer off into new territory while still retaining a good deal of their original sound. In that sense, one can compare this stylistic shift to the most recent albums by Mastodon and Baroness in terms of a greater focus on harmony and songwriting. In fact, with Intronaut's newish sound it's easier to see just how skilled the members of the band are. The vocal harmonies are some of the best I've heard from the band (especially on "Harmonomicon"). The drumming is fabulous as usual. The riffs are great and the fretless bass work is a stroke of brilliance. This album has given me even more respect for this phenomenal band, and I am eager to see what direction they take in the future.
9.5/10

Consciousness Removal Project - Tacit (2013)

This is an excellent instrumental album from an awesome one-man band. It's quite varied and contains just what you'd want from post-metal music: heavy riffs, beautiful atmospherics, deep bass, and electronic melodies (optional for post-metal but still great). It's just more great music from Finland and definitely something worth checking out.
9/10

 

Gaza - No Absolutes in Human Suffering (2012)

 

This album can best be described both as a venomous, high-decibel rant against the world and as a sort of catharsis and search for order amidst the chaos. At times it's violent, ugly and suffocating and sometimes it's hypnotically beautiful. This is a truly unique album that takes post-metal back to its hardcore roots and blends the best aesthetic qualities of both genres into a potent and very organic synthesis. Lyrically, the band makes no qualms about assaulting you with their radical political and anti-Christian views which is perhaps why the music sounds so fresh and inspired. This is one of the darkest and most compelling hardcore albums I've heard yet and I urge you to give it a try.

9/10

Huldra - Monuments, Monoliths (2013)

If there's any post-metal band who sounds almost exactly like the much-missed Isis, it is this one. The atmospherics are incredible, and the vocals, both clean and harsh, are excellent if a bit too low in the mix for my taste. Another slight issue I have with it is that some of the heavy parts lack a certain punch and dynamism that Isis were so adept at. Of course, it is probably very unfair to compare Huldra to Isis, but if the former wants to pay homage to the latter then it would been befitting to put more emphasis on refining and intensifying the heavy parts. The clean parts, however, are just great and I have no issues at all with them. But my issues with the album are quite minor, and I see no reason why Isis fans and post-metal fans in general shouldn't enjoy this album. This band shows a whole lot of promise and I expect more great music from them in the future.
9/10

 

Cult of Luna - Vertikal (2013)

Wow, what a way to kick off the year. This is an awesome musical adventure presented by one of the most recognized names in post-metal. Vertikal is an ode to Fritz Lang's legendary film "Metropolis" with the music echoing the film's industrial tones and dystopic theme. Vertikal shows a clear sense of progression from the band's previous albums in terms of adding in electronic sounds and giving the album the kind of cohesion that I felt the previous ones lacked. This is certainly their most experimental album to date, but of course they still retain a very good deal of their traditional sound. This is definitely the best post-metal release I've heard in a while, and if this is any indication for the rest of the year, I'd say 2013 will be another phenomenal year for music.
9.5/10

 

Downfall of Gaia - Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes (2012)

This album is extremely intense, dark and cathartic. It's probably the first one I've heard to mix black metal with post-metal; quite an interesting and amazing mix actually. With all the Neurosis/Isis soundalikes out there, this band actually has something really unique and powerful to offer the post-metal genre. On my first listen, I'd say this is one of the best metal releases of the year.
9.5/10

Neurosis - Honor Found in Decay (2012)

After trying for quite a while to get into this band, Neurosis seemed to click with their latest album. It's a very dark, brooding album with a very gradual development of their metal soundscape. It's actually quite a beautiful album with some passionate vocals and lyrics from Scott Kelly. I'll definitely be diving back into their back catalog and hopefully be coming back with some more good reviews. For now, Honor Found in Decay is another great album of the year and something to please the more cerebral metal fan.
9/10

 

Arctic Sleep - Arbors (2012)

Here's a pretty unknown band who have made the year's best post-metal album. There's quite a bit of Pelican in there and some of the atmospherics of doom bands such as Daylight Dies and Insomnium but without the harsh vocals. It's quite droney and relaxing.

 

Isis - Oceanic (2002)

Moving on to another classic metal album, Isis' Oceanic is often said to have initiated what is called "post-metal" fusing elements of sludge, and post-rock. The songs perfectly match the beautiful album cover to give a refreshing oceanic theme (like Leviathan). Aaron Turner's soothing clean vocals and emotionally charged growls along with the atmospheric guitars make for a hypnotizing experience. Except for their unfocused debut Celestial, Oceanic is Isis' heaviest album and one that is quite highly regarded in the metal community (as it should be).
9.5/10