August Albums Round-Up (2020)
Sect of Vile Divinities is the 11th studio album from legendary death metallers Incantation and the first since 2017’s Profance Nexus. I say legendary as they are usually cited as a major influence on most modern extreme metal bands- especially those leaning into a more death metal sound. They were first formed in 1989 back when death metal was still quite young and big bands like Death and Entombed were turning heads with new sounds that would remain as staples of the genre to this day.
In a lot of these reviews for albums I enjoy quite a bit, I usually end up saying “I need to check the rest of the discography after this one”. This time I was way ahead of myself and went back to check out their debut 1992 release Onward to Golgotha, as it seems to be their most popular album and I wanted to compare to how they sound today.
To be honest, there wasn’t a huge difference outside of improved production quality. The band seem to have stuck with their core sound even nearly 30 years later, so; good on them for that. Of course, I haven’t listened to any of their other releases so who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe they had a KISS phase where they suddenly went disco... So how does this new release stack up with their early material? Pretty well, in fact.
I won’t go over every track as I’ll end up repeating myself over and over. This band do like to stick to their death metal roots, after all. Thankfully though, there are still some different moments to keep the listener surprised on initial listen. Many of these tracks have a method of starting out as a proper old school death metal track before slowing down and going into a doomier section and vice versa. They also like to stick in some slam metal now and again to keep you on your toes.
As someone who had to listen to this multiple times for review, it was refreshing to have so much variety throughout the brisk 45 runtime. Of course, you still have tracks like ‘Fury’s Manifesto’, 'Ignus Fatuus' and 'Scribes of the Stygian' which are just sheer death metal tracks with a bit of thrash or doom for any older fans.
It was normally these tracks that mixed these genres beautifully that ended leaving the biggest impression on me.‘Propitiation’ surprised me a bit as it’s the second track on the record and comes after a pretty damn good opener, so you think it would keep the death metal going. But nope... This one starts slow with some chunky as hell riffs to bring us our first proper taste of doom. As you hit the halfway point, the speed picks up and the blast beats come pounding back for a nice finish. There's also some nice twin guitar work to keep me happy.
Also worth a mention is ‘Entrails of the Hag Queen’, as it’s one of the better death metal tracks there and it gave me some nice classic Cannibal Corpse vibes with those guttural vocals and vicious guitar riffs. They even manage to have a slower section in the middle which doesn't lessen the impact of the entire track.
Whilst all the short tracks are a lot of fun, the one that really stood out to me was ‘Guardians of the Primeval’. Somehow managing to fit a 6 minute track in just over 2 minutes, the song is complete with an atmospheric intro, a death section, a doom section, and a face melter of a guitar solo. Great stuff.
Really there, there aren’t any bad tracks to be found on this album and very little filler material. Only ‘Shadow Blade Masters’ stands out as a skippable track as it never really did much to stand out from the rest. But even that’s a nitpick, as it isn’t a bad track at all.
Overall, I had a blast with this album. It’s great to see old school death metal doing so well this year even with the current pandemic circumstances. Somehow Sect of Vile Divinities has a bit of something for everyone (if you are into extreme metal, that is), but this is an album that demands multiple listens for the full experience to take everything in.
This album highlights why Incantation have been strong for so many years and it also really shows off their versatility as musicians. Check it out.
Tracks to check out: 'Propitiation', 'Entrails of Hag Queen', 'Guardians of Primeval'
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FFO: Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins, Hum
In a year of seemingly-constant grim news and having to ask 'what's happened now?' every two seconds, music still brings joy in surprising ways...
However, it goes without saying that finding such joy in the release of Narrow Head's sophomore album 12th House Rock was no surprise at all; being eagerly anticipated by shoegaze and alt-rock fans alike all around the world.
Having been initially formed as a trio by vocalist/guitarist Jacob Duarte in 2013, the Houston-based rockers are now a 5-piece (joined by additional guitarists William Menjivar and Kora Puckett, bassist/producer Ryan Chavez, as well as Carson Wilcox on drums) and are now signed to the legendary Run For Cover Records to release their follow-up to their 2016 debut Satisfaction - a record that found much acclaim upon its release within shoegaze/grunge circles and local DIY scenes.
By opening with the contemplative-sounding, Deftones-influenced dirge of 'Yer Song', the band have already established the pace and mood of the album: a melancholic and reflective journey accompanied by some very Smashing Pumpkins-esque guitar work, and a hard-hitting bassline that might be a top contender for one of the catchiest bass riffs of the year.
Right off the back of this comes 'Ponderosa Sun Club', the lead single from the album which acts as a good example of where the band are currently at with their songwriting - having expanded their sonic palette since their debut album. The band again wear their influences on their sleeve, with this song in particular having some definite Hum vibes, as well as a tinge of other hidden 90s favourites such as Mineral popping up here and there - it wouldn't be unfair to guess if there was some influence from contemporaries such as Basement and Nothing in there for good measure as well.
As well as being packed with new material, the band also revisit some older tunes from their already formidable back-catalogue, as seen with the long-awaited reappearance of 'Stuttering Stanley', a song originally from Spring Singles - one of the band's first releases which has now been touched up from its previous lofi-style recording. The song now tonally blends in well with the rest of the album's material and still sounds as dreamy and hazy as before - the production skills of bassist/producer Ryan Chavez already paying itself off just three tracks in.
On the topic of generally trying new things out, it's not hard to see that Narrow Head are experimenting with the album's format itself compared to that of Satisfaction; mainly with the inclusion of some interlude tracks to break things up and shift the mood where appropriate.
I like to think it wouldn't be an insult to say that these could be mistaken for lost tracks off of Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness; whether it's the acoustic-driven 'Wastrel', which helps to slow things down after the more aggressive tracks; or the fantastically fuzzy groove of '12th House', which in particular acts as an mellow segue between the previous song; and the in-your-face punchy rocker 'Hard to Swallow', another track released as a single - the choice of which is pretty easy to see given how packed it is with all manner of hard-hitting riffs and lyrical angst, not to mention some equally raging-sounding Helmet-esque vocals at the end.
The effect-laden 'Crankcase' doesn't let up much either, with its very Silverchair sounding riffs and thick chords being strummed and stabbed out through the amps, topped off with some frantic shredding - you can just feel the volumes of aggression and despair running right off the musicians.
Following this comes 'Nodding Off', another song reappearing from the band's old Spring Singles release - again having been updated for this album but of course sounding a lot more refined - with more dreamy and shoegazingly sad sounding melodies than you could shake a stick at. There's some more Pumpkins and Deftones-style goodness on show, as Duarte's longingly breathful lyrics intertwine elusively with a whirlpool of heavy guitar fuzz and every chord having endless ounces of emotion hitting you with every strum.
On an unusually personal note, I'm going to go ahead and add this one to the list of songs I wish I wrote and will be forever envious of - which perhaps goes to show how much I dig this album.
Next up is 'Night Tryst' - a song released fairly early in the run-up to the album's release, which features a slightly different drive and vibe to Narrow Head's usual material; but still very much encapsulates their sound and showcases their versatility as a band trying their hand at different sounds and ideas without straying too far from the path.
This is further exemplified by 'Delano Door', the longest track on the album (which is by no means a bad thing) beginning with some very ominous-sounding string picking creating an atmosphere of unease and a sense of dread, accompanied some spoken-word female dialogue - which only adds to the tension. As the momentum builds up, the full band kick back in, driven by Duarte's swirling phase-effect vocals and some more of those wide-sounding power chords which have so become a real defining factor in this band's sound.
Again, long-time followers will be in for a treat with the inclusion of 'Bulma' - a fan-favourite which originally appeared as a standalone single in 2018 - again acting as a nod back to the band's more grunge-driven output, and yet still sounding as punchy and bright as it did initially; which again highlights the songwriting skills of the band that can produce a song able to withstand the test of time regardless of production methods. Practice really does make perfect, and it's easy to hear how tight knit a unit these guys are.
Even the closing track, 'Evangeline Dream', is a sonic landscape in itself as the band build up layers upon layers which (regardless of what you're doing while listening), will be sure to conjure up appropriately vivid images in your mind - something which in my book is always a good sign and a sure-fire mark of excellent musicianship.
It goes without saying that the wait between Satisfaction and this album has been entirely worth it, with this release very much highlighting the multiple ways Narrow Head have chosen to evolve their sound - while still implementing the approach that has made them one of those bands that you feel lucky to know about, and to be able to follow them on their journey of climbing the ladder towards the next big step.
Let's hope that in a better situation, fans will be
able to experience this new material live. But in the meantime, there'll be
plenty of time for new fans to discover this band and their music both new and
old - and become part of the large following that they have rightfully earned.
Tracks to check out: 'Yer Song', 'Ponderosa Sun Club', 'Hard to Swallow', 'Nodding Off'
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Cheers!
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