Summary Judgments, Volume 14

These are the ones that don't get a full hearing from me. But that doesn't necessarily mean you won't enjoy them.

Volume IV: Long in the Tooth (2014)

Volume IV is named after my favorite Sabbath album, and they have influences I really like: mid-period COC ("Blackwater"), Mastodon ("Utero/Long in the Tooth"), Alice in Chains ("Save Your Servant"), doom, hard rock, and more. But it doesn't have an identity of its own, and I don't feel compelled to put this on again.



Common Eider, King Eider: Taaleg Uksur (2014)

Taaleg Uksur is nothing but quiet droning, largely but not entirely vocal, and occasionally tribal-sounding. Which is kind of neat in the background, but without a tense/eerie movie scene to pair with it, I don't know. If Devin Townsend ever hosted Saturday Night Live, they could make a skit about a band like this, and I'm not confident I could tell the difference between the real thing and a parody.




Deep in Hate: Chronicles of Oblivion (2014)

There was a time not very long ago that I would have enjoyed Deep in Hate for three or four listens. It's somewhat technical, very precise deathcore with not even a passing nod to the idea of subtlety. The production would make the dynamic range defenders shake their heads in disgust. There is a place for metal like this, so if you own a Whitechapel T-shirt then, by all means, enjoy.



Thy Flesh: Thymiama Mannan (2014)

There's nothing about Thy Flesh in particular that I don't like. But there's also nothing about them in particular that I like either. It's some pretty decent-sounding, but generic black metal, and nothing about these riffs is making me all that excited.



Solace of Requiem: Casting Ruin (2014)

The only reason I ever spend any time on a technical death metal band is when they are the exception to the rule (i.e., that it's all just technical precision for its own sake). Solace of Requiem is not the exception to the rule. Also, the drum sound is flat and lifeless.