Album Round-Up (September 2019)

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1) Korn - The Nothing (13th September)

Roadrunner/Elektra Records

WORDS: Joanne Gray

California’s nu-metal pioneers Korn are certainly no strangers to material which addresses deeply dark, personal and sometimes disturbing issues. Even still, the band’s thirteenth album, The Nothing feels like the first Korn album in a very long time that embraces emotional themes that are comparable to their early records. This is all very understandable considering this is the first album to be released since the death of frontman Jonathan Davis’ then ex-wife and his mother in the last few years. In typical fashion, Korn place high importance in capturing such inner turmoil and anguish. In fact, these emotions are truly intertwined within the artistic output here.

This is immediately evident with ‘The End Begins’. Throwing you back to 1994’s ‘Shoots and Ladders’, there are some sinister sounding bagpipes which introduce an eerie gothic low vocal from Davis alongside a lumbering bassline. As the short track continues, Davis begins to get more openly distressed to the point where the track ends with him wailing and sobbing in an unsettling manner. Without any context for this album, this could seem a bit over the top, but in knowing that Davis primarily uses his music as a method of cathartic release, the song really does builds an ominous mood that’s quite spine tingling.

And this uncomfortable vibe continues into the lead single ‘Cold’. Jagged and discordant guitar stabs give an uneasy but satisfyingly heavy feel to things while the drums and half-rapped vocals give an oddly off-kilter sounding swung rhythm to proceedings.  Things then get a bit chunkier with some very heavy seven string riffing which compliments some killer death growls from Davis. These powerful and ever-improving vocals are something which have become more prominent within Korn’s live shows of late, and they sound just as impressive every time they surface here. Unfortunately, the melodic chorus doesn’t feel like it really goes with the track when placed after this, therefore it doesn’t have the impact it normally would. But this is still a really solid single here.

Perhaps bravely, the band then follows up with the second single from the album ‘You’ll Never Find Me’. With a punchy old-school squealing riff, subtle electronics and a rumbling bass, the track has a very effective sort of eerie bounce to it. The cleaner vocals and gothic shimmering guitar line in the verses leads perfectly into the absolute earworm of a chorus. Accompanied by slabs of doominess that may be found on the heaviest songs of Deftones’ Gore, the simple musical canvas which supports the hook really allows it shine through nicely. I’ve got to say that the true highlights of the track are when things get heavier though, as seen in the middle and end sections, where increasingly frantic riffing and drums explode into some deranged sounded screams from Davis. This is unquestionably one of the standout songs on the album, and I’ll be very surprised if Korn don’t keep this within their live set for a very long time.

Immediately after this, ‘The Darkness is Revealing’ is nowhere near as memorable. Some interesting, atmospheric Nine Inch Nails esque electronics linger in the opening section before being largely replaced by a pretty bog standard low end riff that doesn’t really distinguish itself. Sure, there’s a nice little bounce going in the rhythm section but it’s not built upon particularly excitingly. The same can be said about the vocal lines and melodies. The chorus in particular really doesn’t stick in the mind at all and the riff in the pre-chorus has the unfortunate effect of sounding familiar to Korn’s blander material. Taking a sharp turn back to the late 90s, there’s a fast nu-metal vocal delivery in the second third of the track which becomes another doomy and dirgy offering of low end chugging riffage. This gives the whole song a nice little injection of energy and bounce that’s largely missing throughout, but it would’ve definitely been a better move to construct the song around this section rather than have it just be one small section.

Falling more into line with the cohesive nature of ‘You’ll Never Find Me’ are the next three songs. One of the strongest songs on the album, ‘Idiosyncrasy’ immediately slaps you across the face with an absolutely filthy, spidery riff that is more than slightly influenced by Alice In Chains. Catchy stuff. Alongside some gentler instrumentals in the verses, Davis’ clean vocals sound unexpectedly soulful and almost jazzy at points, which gives things an interesting flavour. But it is definitely that recurring riff that is the centre-point here. Contrasting with these verses, it makes a hell of an impact when it slams in each time. Showcasing the lyrics of remorse very succinctly, the wonderfully punchy and furious death growled vocals then slot in perfectly here to give a cool punch of energy before the more melodic and strangely danceable chorus. The second third then sees one of the most uncomfortable but fascinating section where lyrics of “God is making fun of me” seriously see him evoking the disturbed Korn of early albums. Ending with the chorus once more, this is without a doubt one of the strongest, most emotionally challenging songs here.

This discomfort continues with the more sonically restrained ‘The Seduction of Indulgence’ which presents some minimalistic drums, claps and noises. Some creepy, layered vocals from Davis also give off a bit of that sickening feel present on the first few albums. With lyrics such as:

“They say the torture is divine

Looking at me, oh they take their time”,

Davis’ anguish is very much put into its uncomfortable place by relaying the horrible things it’s doing to him. Particularly affecting is that “touching me” section. Like with the opening track, this is another incredibly personal moment that makes you feel like you’re viewing something you really shouldn’t be, but you can't help but be intrigued by it.‘Finally Free’ likewise keeps things very intimate but it does so by striking a more contemplative tone. A slower echoing build with electronics and guitars accompanies Davis’ heartfelt vocals before the bass and drums push things along for a less hooky but effectively sombre sounding chorus. As the track continues, the intensity of Davis’ replaying his experiences builds until he brings back those awesome growled vocals once more. I’ve got to say that the end section in particular really packed a punch for me on this one.  

In comparison to this pretty strong first half, the second half of The Nothing is markedly less consistent. For example, ‘Can You Hear Me’ is another more sedate track which has slight Slipknot vibes in the eerie, almost extra terrestrial tinkling electronics at the start. This accompanies a rather forgettable guitar line, however, which saps much of the intrigue here before it disappears throughout the verse. The clean vocals from Davis once again evoke that jazzy sound but the chorus feels rather lacklustre compared to previous songs. I didn’t really find the riff here to be too hot either. Utilising similar lyrics to ‘You’ll Never Find Me’, this is one of the blandest tracks here that never really lifts or provides anything all that different.

Up next are‘The Ringmaster’ and‘Gravity of Discomfort’, which, although providing a nice little energy boost with some cool bouncy bass heavy riffs, suffer from similar issues. Things have a habit here of dropping off within the verses and choruses and only providing small moments of punch throughout the songs. It doesn’t help that one of these moments comes in the form of an incredibly dated scat section that sounds like the late 90s reincarnated. Yeah, this sounded cool back then, but twenty years on, I can’t really say it has the same impact.‘H@rd3r’ is slightly more intriguing though through its use of drum and bass elements and some mad overlapping vocals which seem to mimic the multiple voices that are talking over one another in Davis’ head. This song is definitely the best of the three here, and the really cool end section sees some brief blast beats which make the song sound like it’s effectively falling apart.

‘This Loss’ then introduces some nice little additions shortly before the album ends. Brief tinklings on the piano enter before another chunky riff and drum beat comes in that has a nice bounce to it. Some robotic sounding, and oddly layered vocals from Davis’ vocals transition into some grittier barks in the pre-chorus, which then becomes a gothy chorus. Things only get weirder in the middle of the song where Davis’ theatrical singing goes a bit cabaret before everything descends and deteriorates into a furious break section. It is this song more than any of the others that shows the rather musically schizophrenic nature of this album. Perhaps this was intentional, perhaps it wasn’t. All I know if that by adding some weird little elements here, this track could’ve been an effective album closer. Instead though, we get ‘Surrender To Failure’ which only features some atmospheric electronics and Davis’ rather angelic vocals that serve as a final, more melodic call to the audience. Building to a more choral vocal, we’re then presented with Davis breaking down at the end once again, bringing things back full circle.

It is at this point that I’m very much reminded of the circumstances of this album’s construction. Although these elements do not automatically make this album a great one, they do help to depict it is a confusing depiction of grief in all its forms of anger, resentment, sadness and hopelessness. As a body of work, this makes the album a very uncomfortable and at times, messy album to listen to. Honestly, this makes it a little bit difficult to assess. There’s definitely some great moments here, and the level of emotional honesty is admirable at a creative level throughout. A common issue I found here though is that the great moments are incredibly fleeting, leaving behind half an album's worth of solid songs. I do wish there was a bit more cohesion to the album and a bit of a bite in some of the more lacking songs. In saying that, if the aim of cathartic release has been achieved, then it’s a job well done for Jonathan Davis in particular, who really does shine throughout this album.

For me, I’ll take a few of the more solid songs here but I doubt I’ll go back to this full album very much in the future. Perhaps that isn’t really the point anyway for an album like this...

Tracks to check out: 'Cold', 'You'll Never Find Me', 'Idiosyncrasy'

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2) Blink-182 - Nine (20th September)

Columbia Records

WORDS: Joanne Gray

The 2016 album California could’ve well been the album that sunk the career of the San Diego pop punk legends Blink-182. Featuring Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba instead of founding member Tom DeLonge on vocals and Goldfinger’s John Feldmann as producer, this was a change that didn't sit too well with some fans out there. For me, and a healthy portion of Blink-182 fans though, California was an awesome comeback album. This sounded like a band who had regained their enthusiasm for playing, all the while never sounding like old men trying to get back in touch with their younger selves. I must admit that California was my album of the year when it was released because of how much fun I had with it. Looking back at some of the quality albums released in 2016, that tells you a fair bit about how I feel about that album. This year's Nine had a high bar to reach for myself then. 

When the album first reared its head with ‘Blame It On My Youth’ though, it became clear pretty quickly that this was going to be a rather different album from what preceded it. Adding the writing credits of Tim Pagnotta, Sam Hollander and Matt Malpass alongside the band and Feldmann, the song itself sounds like the result of having so many people working on it. Disorientating vocals bounce from left to right to open the track before compressed drums and an 8-bit like guitar (or synth, I'm not entirely sure...) comes in to introduce a rather flat and edgeless verse. There is a catchier, more bittersweet sounding chorus which follows this, but the production does a great job of completely smothering the hook. This song is just incredibly compressed and the addition of very zeitgeisty woahs in the background make it obvious that this is an attempt to do a modern pop song. This has opposite effect in that it ages the song dramatically. At the heart of it, this is a decent song melodically, but it is so overloaded with these out of place production quirks that the energy is stifled to no end here.

It pains me to say that this is case throughout so much of this album as well. The opening track ‘The First Time’ showcases some decent distorted guitars which underpin the song, but there is a sense of distance in the echoing, multi layered vocals of Hoppus and Skiba alongside some soulless drum machine sounding rhythms, which really removes much of the energy needed here. Third single ‘Darkside’ displays some overly syrupy and similarly suffocated verses which provide an awkward and clashing build up to what is actually a killer and joyfully danceable chorus. Even though this is one of the hookiest songs on the album, displaying some ingenuitive drumming from Barker in the process, the direction of the song feels like it’s all over the place. '

Pin the Grenade’ is another track which highlights these clashing sounds. Hoppus’ main vocals in the verses do a decent job at breaking out a soaring and satisfyingly euphoric sounding chorus, alongside some awesome off kilter drumming from Barker. The verses are painful in comparison by just how clipped and soulless they are, and this only really picks up towards the end of the song when the pace ups a bit and the instruments are allowed to reveal themselves a bit more within the mix. This is a common theme within this album, as can be shown in tracks like 'Happy Days', 'Heaven', 'Run Away' and the questionally warbling, Soundcloud-rap influenced 'Ransom'. 

In fact, this is so common throughout this album that when the 40-second skit-track-that's-not-quite-a-skit track 'Generational Divide' pops in, the impact the song has is quite astounding. Without a doubt the album highlight, this pacey, punky tune instantly has more of an Enema of the State era injection of pace and energy, alongside some frantically cool drumming from Barker. As with the short tracks on California, this is the fastest and rawest sounding that the album gets. The fact that Blink could’ve done more with this template and chose not to is a mad decision to me though, and I really wish this was longer as the band actually seem like they are enjoying themselves for a little while. 

Instead, we get more songs like the ones mentioned above, such as the half-measured ‘Ransom’ which features obnoxiously warbling, a lifeless drum sound and effect laden vocals on an incredibly plodding verse. The chorus is a jarring but welcome change as the pace and energy ups to give us a more classic Blink sound. Once again though, it’s over too quickly and leaves only disappointment in its wake. Other than the arguably more sincere and edgier affair of ‘Black Rain’- which hints towards a level of experimentation from the band- this disappointment was very much etched into my brain upon reaching the halfway point of this album. Let’s race through the ones I still haven’t talked about then before I totally lose the will to live then, shall we?

The more morose, trap influenced ‘Run Away’, ‘I Really Wish I Hated You’ and ‘Hungover You’ sound like they’re trying very hard to be Post Malone like rap songs that they may as well just cover their faces in tacky tattoos if they ever decide to play these songs live. Maybe that would distract from the total lack of memorable lyrics or melodies here. Taking a slightly different tack, ‘On Some Emo Shit’, and ‘No Heart To Speak Of’ attempt to be more anthemic tunes, but they just come across like less inspired leftover tracks from the California writing sessions. The former, which is remarkably the only song to be written by the band themselves, introduces some decent reverby Cure like guitars, but on a whole, it is a pretty unremarkable affair. The latter song gets only slightly more interesting with the 30 second piano and drum section at the end. 

At long last, we reach the closing track ‘Remember To Forget Me’, which tries to build from being a more sedate acoustic ballad to a more rousing anthem with the inclusion of a decent melodic guitar line. By the time the song ends though, it’s far too late to inject any real interest after a largely forgettable song that is only briefly interjected with any signs of life.

And that pretty much sums up the full album. There are quite clearly some sections here which shine through above the rest, but such fleeting moments are snuffed out before they can really make an impact anyway. Sure, people like to point to Feldmann as being a negative influence on California due to his overly synthetic writing and production style, but at least that album had plenty of catchy and enjoyable songs, alongside only a few rather average ones. Take out most of the hooks, the sense of sincere feeling and fun that was evident on that album and add in a confusing minefield of extra writers and an apparent lack of self-belief in their own material and you're left with an album that makes California sound like Dude Ranch in comparison. I would level this to even the most ardent of Feldmann critics as well. 

I’m genuinely stunned at (some) of the suggestions I have seen from some fans and music outlets that this is in anyway an improvement on the last album, or indeed on any Blink album ever. For me, this is without a doubt the worst album the band had released to date, as it sounds like a band that has lost its sense of enthusiasm for music. Sure, one could say that 2011’s Neighborhoods was just as confusing musically, but (hot take approaching), that was a far superior album than this absolute snorefest of an album which sees a group of aging pop punks attempting to write a contemporary mainstream album. 

In short then, if you stick with the few songs that are more engaging here then you'll have a decent time. Save your time by giving this album a miss in its entirety though, and just listen to literally any other of their albums instead and stop when you get to California. Trust me on this one.

Tracks to check out: ‘Darkside’, ‘Generational Divide’, ‘Pin the Grenade’ 

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3) Opeth - In Cauda Venenum (27th September)

Nuclear Blast

WORDS: Gabe Martinez

Progressive rock. It pushes and pulls, warping time signatures and throwing traditionalism in the bin. It takes us on a journey, a unique and emotional journey. Sometimes it latches onto something deep within us and sinks its teeth in a memory locked away from childhood, showing us a mirror to see ourselves both past and future at once, with an occasional faint call of a mother's voice sleeping in the wind. 

Opeth's Mikael Akerfeltd understands this and incorporates it so well. Almost too well. In Cauda Venenum marks the fourth record in the Swedish band's 180° renaissance shift to prog from their long established death metal roots. Regardless of genre though, Opeth have retained the same approach of mature and professional songwriting to every body of work under their banner. As one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year, myself being included in that optimistic bunch, In Cauda Venenum is a cup that overflows in ideas, risks, riffs, melodies, memories and bravery. Every second is dark, macabre, and sinister, yet it's the most beautiful moments on the record that really highlight this evil construct.

Before we dive into each track, there is the matter of preference for deciding whether to go with the original recorded in Swedish or the translated English version. You may be inclined to honour the band's original vision and spin the Swedish copy. Or maybe you don't understand Swedish and want to understand the lyrics. To be completely honest, it really does not matter. It's up to you to listen to what you want how you want. Both are incredibly polished sides of the same coin. That being said, to keep things super simple, the tracks I will speak about here will be from the English record. Don't like it? Too bad.

'Garden of Earthly Delights' is a somber instrumental beginning for the album. Haunting choir? Check. Spooky atmosphere? Check. Stranger Things-esque hypnotic rumble? Double check. Could have been a minute shorter as we very much get the idea by the time the song ends... But is a great intro track for 'Dignity', which has a delightful opening with soaring solos and Akerfeltd's angelic voice. It quickly quietens down and takes us by the hand through a lovely field of melody filled with blossoming chimes as far as the eye can see. Then...Boom. By the hand are we thrown into a slow chugging collection of high rising colour. A solid vocal track.

With 'Heart in Hand', heavy riffs and pocket-tight rhythm carry Akerfeltd's words into our lungs, wiping the floor with anyone betting Opeth have nothing left to offer. As the album's first single,'Heart in Hand' takes a similar approach as 2016's Sorceress with its simple yet diverse arrangements which are strong enough to send everyone's heads rolling. The last third of the track then grabs our other hand and reminds us of the fields of melody, sprinkling vocal performances from a bygone era. This is a cure of a 70s folk piece bereft of emotion and truth.

Slow and brooding, 'Next of Kin' then uses the structure introduced on the second part of their Damnation record, where the band writes from the heart with melancholy and guilty joy. Mendez's bass runs thick and smooth across and is married oddly, yet perfectly, with Svalberg's organ, which could shatter stained-glass windows with gusto. With a piano oozing despair, 'Lovelorn Crime' then took me on a low and rainy memory through life. Maybe it's because I've been looking out the rain-spattered window like I'm in a music video, but dammit it helped my depression. Not from happiness, rather catharsis. People I've not thought of in decades. Trading off from solo to solo in its latter half, 'Lovelorn Crime' really got me.

Then kicking down the door and rattling your bones free of all that thinking, 'Charlatan' is a track plucked right from Opeth's death metal years. No, there are no growls. Deal with it. There is, however, a heavy performance from everyone. The groove. The tone. The bass. That fecking bass! Mendez has never been better. Staying strong, 'Universal Truth'  is a strong contender for my favourite track on the album. The song takes a well-established quiet-verse-high-octane-chorus approach and injects it with that clever Opeth touch. Changing pace once more, 'The Garroter' is a clever piece with so much to say. It's a ghoulish ragtime shuffle. Axenrot, who is Opeth's secret weapon and one of the greatest drummers of modern music who deserves more recognition, sprays his brushes like rain across the kit. It's soft and technical. Everyone takes his lead; Akersson and Akerfeltd pluck their strings, Mendez takes the bass for a walk, and Svalberg sways his fingers across his keyboard like milk flowing across the sky.

Unfortunately, 'Continuum' isn't quite as successful. I understand what they were trying to do. This is a prog-folk statement that is a cushion between 'The Garroter' and the final track. And for the most part it works... But it almost seems like the arrangement of the many ideas on display here aren't performed quite as strongly as intended. In a record exploding with creative perfection, 'Continuum' fails to carry its weight and nearly feels out of place because of it. That brings us to the final track 'All Things Will Pass'. This is a calming hoard and a mass of erupting chords and smooth violence. The final song here is a a slow burn that leaves behind heavy embers of riffs falling on us as we wave goodbye to another ending. As the album ends, I found myself feeling like I was on the edge of a mountain looking out at the valley below with a mental view of beautiful soaring hills and low melodic valleys. An echo rolls out beneath me to spin the record again and take the plunge out into a sea of Opeth's dark and mysterious wonderland In Cauda Venenum.

Yes, that's pretentious, but that's how I really felt. Bare in mind that when I first listened to the album, I sat in the dark concentrating on only the music. If your first spin of the record is out and about then you might get a slightly different reaction. But this is a truly excellent album.

Tracks to check out: 'Dignity', 'Heart in Hand', 'Lovelorn Crime', 'Universal Truth'

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The Short List

4) The HU - Gereg (13th September)

Eleven Seven Music

WORDS: Ross Donald

The Hu are a Mongolian rock/metal band formed back in 2016 and this is their official debut album. They aren’t a metal band in the traditional sense, as their music is made up of instruments such as the morin khuur (a kind of fiddle), a jaw harp, tsuur (a kind of flute), and a tovshuur (a kind of lute), with the additional inclusion of Mongolian throat singing. They’re definitely something different for sure, and the band found their fame in viral fashion through their interesting and different music videos. But these were only singles. So how does the full album measure up? Surprisingly well actually. 

I was expecting to be bored after a couple of songs, but I’ve now listened to this album around 6 times since its release and I’ve enjoyed it more and more with each listen. The different styles of tracks flow really nicely here with the softer, more peaceful tracks (‘The Legend of Mother Swan’ & 'Shireg Shireg'), mixing well with the hard hitters (‘Wolf Totem’ & ‘Yuve Yuve Yu'). Only ‘The Same’ comes across as a filler track but 1 out of 9 ain’t bad. Out of all the songs here though, I’d urge you to check out ‘Shoog Shoog’ because this is one funky ass track. Just listen to that opening bassline and that catchy chorus. This was awesome. 

Last but not least, I also think a lot can be learned from the band’s views on their album closer ‘The Song of Women’ :

"In our culture, respecting women is one of the most important things. They should be respected and loved everywhere in the world. Every woman is beautiful in her own way. We wanted to praise the women through this song and encourage them to be free and to pursue their dreams." (Louder Sound)

They’ve definitely got the right idea here and the band come across as way more advanced than the Western world does in most musical forms. This album was great overall, and was worth so many relistens for me. I can guarantee you won’t hear anything else like it this year and it’s bound to be one of the year’s better albums for myself.

Tracks to check out: 'Wolf Totem', 'Shoog Shoog', 'Yuve Yuve Yu' 

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5) Pixies - Beneath The Eyrie (13th September)

BMG/Infectious

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Following 2014 and 2016’s mildly received albums Indie Cindy and Head Carrier, Pixies needed a solid album to prove to the naysayers that they were right to reform back in 2004 and that they could manage without bassist Kim Deal (who left the band in 2013). Beneath the Eyrie is an album which delivers where the last two albums failed.

Recorded in an isolated converted church in upstate New York, there is a gothic, mournful Nick Cave like tone which lingers throughout this album. Ghostly and hauntedly beautiful themes are aplenty here. It is this vibe more than anything that holds these 12 songs together, rather than the musical direction which flows into slightly different territories here.

Much of this album sits within dark but mellow folky bluegrass territory (shown particularly well in songs like ‘Ready For Love’, ‘Long Rider’, ‘Daniel Boone’ and ‘Birds of Prey’). Tracks like ‘This Is My Fate’ and ‘St Nazaire’, on the other hand, have psychobilly vibes in the way that they bounce along in more slightly dark but fun saloon tunes. ‘Catfish Kate’ and ‘Death Horizon’ are jaunty, catchy little tunes and, alongside the more discordant Sonic Youth-like ‘Los Surfers Muertos’, are perhaps the most conventionally Pixies like songs here. The standout track here for me though is ‘On Graveyard Hill’ with its extremely catchy prominent bassline which exudes post-punk bands like Joy Division, all the while adding a bit of that quiet-loud dynamic that Pixies are now most well known for.

Allowing the relaxed but slightly creepy vibes to take hold over the duration of several listens, I can safely say that Beneath the Eyrie has gotten its hooks in me and this will probably only grow with time. For some, this album may be a move away from what they love about early Pixies material, but for me, this seventh album shows a band which are finally realising how to gel together and age gracefully. Give this one a listen, as it is quite different from anything you’ve heard from this band before. 

Songs to check out: ‘In The Arms of Mrs. Mark of Cain’,‘On Graveyard Hill’,‘Catfish Kate’  

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6) Cult of Luna - A Dawn to Fear (20th September)

Metal Blade Records

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Now over 20 years into their career, Cult of Luna have become one of the defining post-metal bands, alongside bands like Pelican, Isis and Neurosis. After only really getting into this sort of music in the last year or so, I picked one hell of an album to do my first proper post-metal review in the Swedish band’s fifth album A Dawn to Fear…

Clocking in at 79 minutes with just 8 songs to show for it, A Dawn To Fear is an insanely expansive mood piece of an album. This is not an ambient record by any stretch of the imagination though. The sounds of bludgeoning genre-bending bands like Conjurer, Rivers of Nihil and Behemoth very much come to mind all the way throughout this dirgy and dense, but utterly intricate album. In fact, the extent in which this album feels so winding and pondering alongside the fact that I’ve only had a few listens of the album in its entirety, make it feel difficult to talk about such long songs in such a short review. There are some tracks which stood out to me though: the majestic and attention grabbing opening track ‘The Silent Man’, the dirgy, rattling doom laden ‘Lay Your Head To Rest’, gently atmospheric, electronic led Wear Your Wounds-esque track ‘We Feel the End’ and the strangely dance infused rhythmic 'Nightwalkers’.

I definitely feel like I need another few months to be able to talk about this more fully, but from the time I’ve had with A Dawn to Fear’, I can already tell that this is a masterpiece of an album. This is about as dense and challenging heavy music can get while still retaining a sense of space, gorgeous atmosphere and classiness. Jumping in straight at the deep end to post-metal has turned out to be an awesome experience for me, and with an album of this quality, I doubt I will be alone here. Give this album a chance and see whether it grabs hold of you like it did with me. You may be surprised at how engaging this mammoth album really is. I will probably still be talking about this release come the end of the year…

Tracks to check out: ‘The Silent Man’, ‘Lay Your Head To Rest’

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7) Mudhoney - Morning in America (20th September)

Sub Pop

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Hot on the heels of Digital Garbage, the tenth album from the Seattle grunge pioneers Mudhoney, comes the 22 minute EP Morning In America. Consists of songs written during the last album's writing sessions, it is not surprising that this companion piece takes similar swipes at modern society through the uncharacteristic lens of socio-political commentary.

Thrashing through 7 songs over the EP’s short duration, Morning In America is a considerably more gritty release than the Digital Material. There is a familiar sense of dirge which exists alongside some thick early Black Sabbath bluesy fuzzed up riffs (best shown in ‘Vortex of Lies’, ‘One Bad Actor’ and ‘Snake Oil Charmer’) which really give an effective sense of dread to the songs. Even with the faster, more blatantly Stooges influenced material here (‘Creeps Are Everywhere’ and ‘Ensam I Natt’), there is an extra level of punch here is incredibly satisfying to listen to. ‘Let’s Kill Yourself Live Again’- an alternative version of Digital Garbage’s ‘Kill Yourself Live’- provides the perfect comparison point between those two releases. The pace is upped here and there is a dirtier sound to the instruments than within the original track. Particular shout out here to the almost identical and incredibly cutting lyrics which suggest that the issues commented upon in Digital Garbage show no sign of easing up in the future.

This is a great EP which really highlights the strength and consistency of Mudhoney’s musical output, 31 years into their career. As someone who enjoyed last year’s Digital Garbage but wanted something a bit darker sonically to accompany the disturbing satirical political commentary, this material certainly scratches an itch I didn’t quite know I had. It may only be an EP, but it also showcases Mudhoney at their absolute best. This far into their career, that is quite something. 

Tracks to check out: ‘Vortex of Lies’, ‘Let’s Kill Yourself Live Again’, ‘One Bad Actor’ 

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8) Nervus - Tough Crowd (27th September)

Big Scary Monsters

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Hot on the heels of last year’s Everything Dies, the Watford-based indie punks Nervus’ album Tough Crowd marks the band’s third release in about as many years. This alone makes it seem like the band have a statement to make, and this is only emphasised with the change in musical and lyrical direction here.

There is a social consciousness which bleeds through this album which largely replaces more introspective lyrical content previously relating to addiction and gender dysphoria. Taking shots at police brutality, the inequality of society and the elitism of government, the post-truth landscape, global migration and climate crises, Nervus display their criticism of the world around them with a sense of conviction that would make even the most politically opposing listeners pay attention.

The ambitious lyrical content is matched with a desire to expand their sound throughout the album as well. Keys tinkle gloriously on ‘I Can’t Dance’ and ‘The Inconvenient Truth’ while choruses soar triumphantly in Weezer meets PUP power pop-punk bangers ‘Flies’, ‘They Don’t’, ‘Piss’ and ‘No Nations’. Things take a grungier turn with the mosh-worthy Milk Teeth-like anthem ‘Fake’, before launching into jaunty indie-folk campfire tune ‘Burn’. Most notable here is the further expansion into softer terrain. The gentle swelling of the piano provides a moment of sad respite in ‘Engulf You’, while the moment of this album comes within the epic and emotional album closer ‘Where’d You Go’. By stripping away much of the joy from previous tracks, there is an overwhelmed sense from the band that the world can’t “stop the rising seas” until unity has been achieved in the future. Incredibly powerful stuff, and a perfect way to end an album that covers such huge topics using really effective broad strokes.

With all of this in mind, I’ve still got to admit that this album took a bit of getting used after the first few listens. Much of this comes from the fact that the noisier sound of the band recording together, alongside the addition of producer Neil Kennedy, occasionally muffles Foster’s vocals and some of the instruments when compared to the more isolated, sharper bedroom recorded material of the past. Hearing the band completely gel as a unit and add another layer of depth to the album in the live environment though, I’ve been won over by the songs and ambition of this album.

If you’re a fan of infectiously joyful melodic hooks and meaningful lyrics, then this album might just do the same for you too.

Tracks to check out: ‘The Inconvenient Truth’, ‘Piss’, ‘Fake’, ‘Where’d You Go’

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9) Dragonforce - Extreme Power Metal (27th September)

Metal Blade Records

WORDS: Ross Donald

I didn’t ever think that eleven years after ‘Through the Fire and Flames’ frustrated the hell out of me on Guitar Hero 3 that I’d be reviewing one of Dragonforce’s albums. But here we are. I do have to say from the get go that the album cover looks like a rip off of the cover for Far Cry: Blood Dragon in all its 80s neon glory... 

So if you’re familiar with the previous work of Dragonforce then you pretty much know what to expect here. Does that make it a bad album? Not at all. In fact, I had a ton of fun with this album, something I wasn’t expecting at all given that I wasn’t a big fan of their 2017 album, Reaching into Infinity. In the same vein as a band like Amon Amarth, there’s really no need to change the formula since the band are already so good at what they do. So if you all want is long, ripping guitar solos and cheesy song lyrics, then you’ve come to the right place here. 

There are quite a few highlights here though. My favourite track comes in the form of ‘The Last Dragonborn’ with its far Eastern-inspired intro which then leads into one of the biggest and catchiest choruses I’ve heard all year. I know I’ve been singing this one to myself all week. I also loved ‘Strangers’ which definitely had an Iron Maiden-like sound which of course I, of all people, appreciate to no end. There’s even a freaking cover of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ that I have been listening to non-stop. It’s so good. 

After hearing this album, I really want to go back and listen to their older stuff to see if they were always this good. Recommended for some goofy metal fun.

Tracks to download: 'The Last Dragonborn', 'Strangers', 'My Heart Will Go On', 'Remembrance Day'

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10) Steel Panther - Heavy Metal Rules (27th September)

Self-Release

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Taking a bit of a musical detour in 2017’s Lower The Bar, the previous album from the politically incorrect LA comedy band Steel Panther was arguably the band’s weakest record to date, with few stand out tracks and a misguided feel to the album as a whole. Out of the gate,‘Zebraman’ (from 1986’s Heavy Metal Parking Lot) makes it quite blatant that Steel Panther are attempting to capture the heavy metal magic of 2008’s Feel The Steel. Released more than a decade later in a far more sensitive and outwardly polarised social media world, it’s easy to see why Steel Panther have become the whipping boys of the music press in 2019. And Heavy Metal Rules does nothing to really change this.

Lyrically, the band really haven’t moved on from the low-brow jokes they started out with and album number five is largely a rehash of what the band have done before. For me, the joke began to wear a bit thin from All You Can Eat onwards, so that definitely applies five albums down the line. What is slightly more disappointing to me though, is the fact that there are only a few truly big sounding songs here. This far into Steel Panther’s career, it makes sense that this album isn’t wall to wall bangers, but with the amount of tunes this band have produced in their ten years performing as Steel Panther, I imagine they could still pump out huge songs if they really wanted to…

And this is clear with the musicianship on show here. Clocking in at only 36 minutes, the band wastes no time going into weird musical territories this time and just focuses on some good old heavy metal. Other than a few ballad tracks, this is a true heavy metal album that is riddled with technically proficient riffs and solos that would challenge the best of the 80s metal bands out there. It does very much sound like the band are truly enjoying themselves with this more heavy metal oriented material. This sense of fun which has been reinjected here, and the musical proficiency that accompanies it really meant that I actually have enjoyed this album musically a lot more than I expected going into it.

Sure, this is yet another Steel Panther album which does the same thing the band have made their mark doing. Those who hate this band will no doubt still hate this one, and those who adore them in their entirety have no real reason to dislike this. This is no Feel The Steel by any stretch of the imagination, but if you’re able and willing to listen to the band beyond the lyrics, you’ve got the most consistently enjoyable Steel Panther album since All You Can Eat, for my money.

Tracks to check out: ‘Always Gonna Be A Ho’, ‘I Aint Buying What You’re Selling’

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Thanks to Ross and Gabe for helping out with September's Album Round-Up Review, and thanks to you for reading! Feel free to check out our playlist of songs before from this month's round-up and beyond, or you can leave a comment below if there's any albums you want to talk about. You can also support RWEI by giving us a like/follow over on the socials. As always, get in touch for any collaborations or submissions as well. 

Cheers!