Agalloch: The Mantle (2002)

Motion for Reconsideration
Tenth Anniversary

Ten years have passed since the release of Agalloch's second full-length, The Mantle. The record is not revolutionary in and of itself, exactly. But it does represent two radical changes in metal. After its release, those shifts slowly gained prominence. That is no coincidence.

The style is one that is still, to this day, difficult to define. It's been described as everything from post-metal, to black metal, to folk metal, to pagan metal, to doom metal. Others have suggested other genre names, like "gray metal" or "dark metal," descriptions that don't have much meaning. What it is, in fact, is neo-folk music with some black metal elements, rather than the other way around. The distorted tremolo riffing doesn't even begin until nearly a half-hour into the record, and never really takes center stage at any point. Metal that's barely even metal: That's the first shift.

Novembers Doom: Aphotic (2011)

Review

My first exposure to Novembers Doom was in their very well-received The Novella Reservoir. I didn't hear the much less lauded Into Night's Requiem Infernal, but I had high hopes for the band's number eight.

Aphotic is instantly identifiable as a product of the Chicago death/doom band. It's a cleanly produced blend of mid-American death metal and English death/doom, complete with some excellent riffing and vocal work. In fact, the death growls are top-tier, while the baritone clean vocals (usually in harmonized layers) are equally powerful.

uneXpect: In a Flesh Aquarium (2006) Review

uneXpect is a Canadian extreme avant-garde metal band with an extremely clever name. How does one unexpect something? You may learn how, by the time their 2006 In a Flesh Aquarium is over.

The sound is very similar to the more well-known Diablo Swing Orchestra, though uneXpect was doing it before those Swedes. There are only two really obvious differences. First, the female singer does not strictly follow the rules of operatic singing. Second, uneXpect writes much stranger songs.

The similarities are more obvious, however. You will find piano, saxophone, violin, cello, clarinet, and even some sound effects on the album. You will also find songwriting inspired by such outlandishly disparate sources as "black metal, death metal, progressive metal, melodic heavy metal, European Classical music, dark cabaret, opera, medieval music, jazz, electro, ambient, noise, gypsy music, and circus music," according to the Wikipedia article.

But uneXpect has much more (dare I say?) unexpected songwriting tendencies. They'll get you into a groove well enough, but then abruptly shift into different territory, and some passages seem like they were recorded from a schizophrenic's hallucinations.

Every aspect of it is excellent, but the real star of the album is the bass. Played in a slap style, it keeps the groove going throughout the album even with all the insanity going on.



The Verdict: If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know I love crazy music, and this is definitely crazy. But it's also very accessible, simply because it's written so well. I give the album 4 out of 5 stars. I only wish they would get around to recording a new album.

Sigh: Scenes From Hell (2010) Review

Yes, lately I have gone out of my way to find Japanese metal. Sigh is probably the most well-known Rising Sun band among extreme metal circles, and for good reason: They are both uncompromising and experimental.

Their latest, Scenes From Hell, is the first to include new member Dr. Mikannibal, saxophonist, vocalist, and thinly veiled attempt to appeal to male hormones. The album makes good use of the saxophone, though, and also includes a full horn section. This doesn't detract from the metal, but instead it seems to transform it from ordinary black metal into a demonic war march. The brass instruments evoke both militaristic and ecclesiastical feelings, putting them into a very dark context, but they also often stray into Latin horn territory for a very strange juxtaposition.

The other thing that really makes Sigh stand out on this album is the guitar solos. Instead of doing thrash or black metal style solos, they seem pulled from old school heavy metal or hard rock albums, providing another interesting contrast.

Aside from the brass and the guitar solos, this is pure black metal. If it wasn't, then you wouldn't be able to recognize it as such. What I don't understand, though, is that with all of their innovation, they have still stuck with the lo-fi, poor recording favored by some black metal purists (who ironically profess anti-conformist beliefs while enforcing a definition of black metal which is extremely limiting and, therefore, conformist). The music is awesome, and I'd be willing to bet these guys can kill in a live show, but the recording is terrible. And I'm no audiophile, either, but please just don't make it sound like you recorded it in a parking garage.



The Verdict: The music is awesome, and it's innovative, but the recording is terrible. If you turn the stereo way up, and then walk into the next room, it will probably sound natural, and in that situation it may be one of the best you hear all year. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.