Continuing the Soilwork revisit...Natural Born Chaos is brilliant but, to me, Figure Number Five is where they truly embrace the fusion with the poppier melodies, and the results are astoundingly good. The heavy and the melodic blends so well, and everyone's performance is super. Strid is just incredible here. Probably a top 3 Soilwork record for me.
As for newer things - Gaerea's new album (Mirage) came out today. I've been reading they are up and coming in the new wave of black metal bands, but I hadn't really checked them out yet. Well, the vocals are a bit exhausting after a while, although they feel suitably "real" and raw, and convey a true sense of desperation. Some of the climaxes are quite striking, though. Interesting listen.
Algebra are from Switzerland, and this is a pretty cool thrash record...I haven't fully figured them out yet - they seem to oscillate between straight-on thrash and a more technical version of it (the first song proper, Resuscitation, is a good example of this). The vocals are mostly "shouty" (more of a crossover-thrash type of thing), although they have more "melodic" moments too. Constricted is interesting this way - it starts like a chugging Sepultura song, but then the chorus is strangely melodic. My favorite song is probably Suspect: the initial riff is a banger, and there's a lot going on after that. Anyway, the musicianship is very good, and I've listened to this more than once, so clearly I'm enjoying it. Let's see if it sticks.
Topic: What album are you listening to? v.7 (Read 180693 times)
