ALBUM REVIEW: Rosetta - "Utopioid"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/09/2017 | 12/01/2018

Label: The Anaesthete (CD//CS//DD) |

Pelagic Records (LP)

“Utopioid” is beautiful, challenging, at times catchy, and more emotionally resonant that a great deal of music I hear in a given year.  But if you’re measuring for sheer heaviness – aural, conceptual, even spiritual – “Utopioid” is heavy as a dying star, and just as terrifying in its beauty.

“Utopioid” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Amnion

2. Intrapartum

3. Neophyte Visionary

4. King Ivory Tower

5. 54543

6. Détente

7. Hypnagogic

8. Qohelet

9. Intramortem

The Review:

We’ve all heard that anecdote that the Eskimo have a huge number of words for “snow”, supposedly for each subtle variation only people surrounded by frozen tundra would notice on a regular basis.  If only there was a similar glossary for types of “heaviness” that could serve as a sort of musical Esperanto for metal enthusiasts.  We tend to flatten out the term so much that it becomes kind of meaningless – the tri-tone opening of “Black Sabbath”, the breakneck shred of Converge’s “Concubine”, and the menacing rainfall of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” are all quintessentially “heavy” moments in metal music.  It can be an easy shorthand in some cases, denoting dissonance, harsh vocals, or low end guitar riffing, but by boxing “heavy” or “metal” into some confined structure, we’d eliminate some truly haunting, melodic, beautiful, but undeniably heavy outliers.  Case in point: Philadelphia’s Rosetta, who have been crafting “metal for astronauts” for over a decade.  On their sixth release, “Utopioid”, Rosetta push the emotional limits of melodic post-metal without abandoning their heavy bona fides, albeit in ways that may be so alien to some metalheads that they’ll flatly reject the metal tag whatsoever.

               

Make no mistake, Rosettalurks at the periphery of metal orthodoxy.  Interludes and codas like “Amnion”, “54543” and “Intramortem” are more Sigur Ros than Neurosis.  The clean vocals, in both their register and placement in the mix, almost subsumed by mirrored guitar harmonies at some points, are akin to the earlier waves of emo – I was consistently thinking of Christie Front Drive, Mineral, and Sunny Day Real Estate.  But just when the pathos threatens to turn sour or twee, the progressions often turn sour, introducing dissonance, minor chords, or gut-wrenching screamed vocals.  “Intrapartum”, in particular, vacillates between ethereal and eerie, with a gang vocal closing that is intense and triumphant.

               

The prevalence of vocals on “post” anything can be a barrier to entry for some enthusiasts, but the members of Rosetta seem to be keenly aware of economy and the qualities of a voice as an instrument – the majority of the hour-plus album is dominated by guitars and effects, while even the screamed vocals seem precisely “composed” within the strictures of each track.  Each ragged syllable seems a part of a symphonic whole, while the guitars often track the clean vocal progressions, especially in verses.

               

The whole “metal for astronauts” tag feels kind of silly, but it’s remarkably apt.  The reverb-laden, echoey feel of everything screams “space”, while the emotional heft feels outside of temporal concerns – there’s something almost spiritual (I found myself writing down “cinematically cosmic”) at work in the balance between angelic singing and primitive shouts.  Maybe it’s just the sheer amount of time and exploratory leeway Rosetta grants their respective components that feels untethered from gravity.  Occasionally the explorations veer off unsuccessfully, like the meandering ambient coda of “Hypnagogic” that is begging for a triumphant reprise.  But then a track like “Qohelet” crashes through a finale as effective and thrilling as any I’ve heard in 2017 and the whole experiment works.  Particular praise has to be given to the rhythm section of Dave Grossman and Bruce McMurtrie Jr., whose precise bass work and drumming, respectively, anchors the band through numerous space rock outbursts.  Without steady hands at the wheel, the dual guitar lines of Eric Jernigan and Matt Weed could meander into incoherence – instead of the near transcendence they achieve on track after track.

               

Of course, the drawback to any “post-metal” album is the tendency to overstay its welcome, and “Utopioid” does that for exactly seven minutes and fifty-three seconds on the final track, “Intramortem”.  It isn’t a bad number, per se, but has the distinct disadvantage of following the natural climax of the record, “Qohelet”.  The resulting ambience and repeated builds has a lot of potential but never has that moment of resolution that makes the piece worth sticking around for.  Rather, it feels like a neat bonus track that should be absorbed well after you’ve caught your breath from the remarkable ending of “Qohelet”.

               

So is “Utopioid”a “metal” release?  I can’t say for certain.  It’s beautiful, challenging, at times catchy, and more emotionally resonant that a great deal of music I hear in a given year.  But if you’re measuring for sheer heaviness – aural, conceptual, even spiritual – “Utopioid” is heavy as a dying star, and just as terrifying in its beauty.

“Utopioid” is available digitally herevia bandcamp (CS//DD//CD) here and LP here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Allochiria - "Throes"

By: Andre Almaraz

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/03/2017

Label: Art of Propaganda

“Showcasing a consistent ebb and flow of heavy riffs mixed with spacey passages, harsh to vicious vocals throughout, and a rhythm section who can stand up to just about any I’ve heard, “Throes” is a rock solid album and Allochiria are set to make a name for themselves in the international post metal scene.”

“Throes” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Thrust

2). Little Defeats, Tiny Victories

3). Cracking Fractals

4). Lifespotting

5). Counting Fives

6). Denouement

The Review:

Allochiria is a post sludge metal band from Athens, Greece. Their new album is called “Throes” and it is set to be released on March 17th, 2017. Fans of Isis, Rosetta, Cult of Luna, and Red Sparowes should definitely grab a copy of this recording. The opening track almost immediately ‘thrusts’ you into a mesmerizing groove that doesn’t let up for over seven minutes. Some clever playfulness between the bassist and drummer are prominent as they join forces to make this one stand out right away and serve as a perfect opener. The song swells and fades continuously, never staying with one dynamic for very long which works well to keep the listener interested.

 Second track, “Little Defeats, Tiny Victories,” starts off with an ominous yet groovy bass line that eventually brings us to a point where the whole band joins in and takes us to a much darker place which the first track had only touched on previously. The middle section of the song also has a nice passage where the bassist is given the lead spot and he rightfully owns it. The heavy stomp part at the end of the song leads into some pummeling double kick and then takes the listener into some soaring, celestial guitar work. With the third track, “Cracking Fractals,” we continue down the dark path we entered in track two and also receive a slight twist of fate in which the drummer takes center stage for the first time since the album’s beginning, and he nails it to the floor like a boss. His fluttering hi-hat work is impressive and a perfect accent to the dark jazz flavor of the song. After a couple minutes of spacey groove, everything kicks in and rocks the listener to his knees in a stunning disarray. The ending riff of this song is as heavy as anything you’ll ever hear. The vocalist, who up until now has remained rock solid and ever steady, rightfully answered the unrelenting call to change her tones in accommodation of this heightened viciousness.

 On track four, “Lifespotting,” we begin with a smooth groove which makes good use of some impressive ghost notes on the snare drum before the guitars begin to weep and mourn as they draw us in to becoming a part of this congregation. A mid-song break in the action gives way to more depressing guitars which sound like tortured spirits of regret, yearning for their story to be told. Track five, “Counting Fives,” begins with some swelling Moog like sounds which act as the harbingers of something monolithic that is about to unfold, as it undeniably does within the first minute of the song. More ghost notes and tasteful hi-hat eventually bring the slow boil to a violent head. The bassist is ever plodding along as the guitars soar and fade into oblivion. The mid-song break in this one gives way to some soul searching guitar chords before the heft returns to hit you in the face like a brick and slam you back into a full on attack of the senses.

 The sixth and final track is titled “Denouement” and starts off with a very rhythmic guitar passage as the drums join in shortly after. The drumming in this one is nothing short of brilliant and the melody is unshakable. The sheer grandeur of this song does not disappoint. The middle section has some very nice heavy chugging going on and sounds increasingly maniacal as if something is about to give way, but at over ten minutes in length, this levee does not break as easily as one might foolishly anticipate. Finally, the outro of the song strips away everything but the main driving force behind the entire album; the rhythm section, who have painstakingly proven to keep things punchy and interesting throughout the entire forty-six minutes of total running time. This staggering duet between bass and drums is a fitting and impressive way to end the album. Showcasing a consistent ebb and flow of heavy riffs mixed with spacey passages, harsh to vicious vocals throughout, and a rhythm section who can stand up to just about any I’ve heard, “Throes” is a rock solid album and Allochiria are set to make a name for themselves in the international post metal scene. 

“Throes” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Various Artists - "Meantime" (Redux)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 19/08/2016
Label: Magnetic Eye Records

Meantime (Redux)” is a face-melting reinterpretation of what many consider Helmet’s finest hour, it   pulls off the tricky balance of paying respectful tribute to a classic album while being an excellent listen in its own right. Hopefully it will introduce long-term Helmet fans to some exciting new bands and make any other people with their ears stuck in the underground realise that Helmet were great all along.

“Meantime (Redux)” DD//LP track listing:

01 – I Am Become Death– “In The Meantime”
02 – Earthship – “Ironhead”
03 – Ironweed – “Give It”
04 – Sunflo’er – “Unsung”
05 – KEN mode – “Turned Out”
06 – Kings Destroy – “He Feels Bad”
07 – Meek Is Murder – “Better”
08 – Ironweed – “You Borrowed”
09 – The Glorious Rebellion – “FBLA II”
10 – Fuck The Facts – “Role Model”

Bonus tracks:

11 – Fashion Week– “I Know”
12 – Rosetta – “Like I Care”
13 – Livver – “Sinatra”
14 – Heads. – “Blacktop”
15 – BlackWolfGoat – “Bad Mood”
16 – Brief Lives – “Milquetoast”

The Review:

The influence of Helmet seems particularly strong in the current heavy underground. Their brand of noise rock-indebted alt metal can be detected in a number of 2016’s finest releases, the relentless adrenaline rush of Wrong’sself-titled LP being a good example. It feels like the time is right for Magnetic EyeRecords to unleash “Meantime (Redux)”into the world. A track-for-track recreation of Helmet’s 1992 major label debut “Meantime” by ten contemporary amp abusers, it demonstrates that the impact of the bands 90’s output is still felt almost 25 years into the future.

I’ve got to come clean and confess I am not the world’s biggest Helmetfan. They were always a band I meant to check out but from the mid-90s to the mid 2000’s I knew them only as the band with the guy who does a killer guest solo on Therapy?’s “Troublegum”. I finally heard them in 2005 when I caught a tepid set at Download festival. This put me off listening further until now. “Meantime (Redux)”is a face-melting reinterpretation of what many consider Helmet’s finest hour which has given me the opportunity to go back and give the band the respect they deserve.

All the bands here deliver the goods and sound like they are having a blast getting to grips with such classic riffs. I Am Become Death kick things off with a filthy and feral run-through of “In The Meantime”. It’s a faithful reproduction of the original with a throat-shredding vocal performance and distortion levels well into the red. Earthshipand Sunflo’eralso stick fairly close to the script and deliver excellent versions of “Ironhead” and “Unsung” respectively. Ironweed, Kings Destroy and The Glorious Rebellion also don’t deviate too far from the source material but bring the latent stoner rock undertones in “Give It”, “He Feels Bad” and “FBLA II” to the surface.

The highlights of “Meantime (Redux)” come when the original tracks are bent almost out of recognition. Meek Is Murdertransform “Better” into a searing blastbeat-riddled beast of a track in the vein of Converge while Fuck The Factsachieve similarly brutal results by recreating “Role Model” as two minutes of fearsome grind. Although not as shockingly different as these two belters, KEN modemanage to inject enough of their trademark sound into “Turned Out” to give it an angular Botch-style makeover.

Not content with a full recreation of “Meantime”, “Meantime (Redux)” also features six bonus tracks where more bands tackle songs from the Helmetback catalogue. The cream of these extras come from Fashion Week and Heads. Fashion Weekinject some burly riffage into “I Know” from “Betty” but also bring a welcome dose of synth-assisted melody. Heads’ classic Shellac/Jesus Lizard style rumble is a great contrast to the metallic sound of the majority of bands on “Meantime (Redux)”. They stretch “Blacktop” from “Strap It On” into six minutes of taut, dark menace.

“Meantime (Redux)”pulls off the tricky balance of paying respectful tribute to a classic album while being an excellent listen in its own right. Hopefully it will introduce long-term Helmetfans to some exciting new bands and make any other people with their ears stuck in the underground realise that Helmet were great all along.

“Meantime (Redux)” is available here