The Dillinger Escape Plan: One of Us Is the Killer (2013)

Everybody’s Got One . . .

A new release by The Dillinger Escape Plan is, at this point, not really an opportunity to write an album review. Not a necessary one, anyway. The event is essentially the catalyst for everyone to voice their already well-established and strongly-held opinions, which fall into one of three camps. One, the people who don’t get it and don’t care. Two, the people who think they were great at Calculating Infinity but they began to suck more than any other band, ever. Three—and this is where I’ve pitched my tent—the people who love what they’ve been doing for approximately the last decade.

Dark Americana Briefs, Part 7

Home and Far Away

Riitaoja: Mantereelle (2013)
3.5 out of 5 stars

Now here's something a little out of the ordinary for this series: a Finnish band with Finnish lyrics. But the fact it's Americana is undeniable, with Western-sounding electric guitars and banjos, plus a bit of harmonica, and an overall American folk vibe through most of the music. The promo spiel referred to Wovenhand (possibly because the promoter was catering to me specifically?) but it's a fair comparison. That's not to say the European-ness is absent. The vocal style (both female and male) is decidedly un-Americana, and a few lighter tracks sound very Euro. Complete with bass and understated drums, the best songs on here are fantastic, even bordering on heavy (as the title track). Besides the great songs there are also a few very good droning tunes, as well as some weak ones that might sound like lullabies or lifeless indie rock. Overall, much more good than bad.

Woe: Withdrawal (2013)

Trying My Best Not to Make a "Woe Is Me" Joke

Woe began as a one-man black metal band, but 2010’s critically acclaimed Quietly, Undramatically marked their first outing as a full band. That one was written more or less by the original member, Chris Grigg, but the follow-up Withdrawal is reportedly a truly full-band effort.

Writing credits notwithstanding, Woe still plays fast, deceptively simple US-style black metal of the kind that (at least I imagine) really pisses off any Scandinavian wearing gauntlets. But there are some noticeable differences. The most evident change is that the drums are no longer the primary instrument. Where Quietly had drums play the aggressive part and gave them a prominent place in the mix, Withdrawal gives them a more traditional role. Which is not to say that they’ve started blasting all the time; far from it. But they are much less central to the music.

Serpentine Path: Serpentine Path (2012)

Earthly Trance

The bad news: Unearthly Trance has disbanded. The good news: They’re actually still together, operating under a new name with an expanded lineup (including Tim Bagshaw of Ramesses/ex-Electric Wizard renown).

Other bands have expanded their lineups in the past, adding members and making their sound more complex, and haven’t bothered to change names. But it’s fitting that Serpentine Path has been released under a new moniker, because the music is quite different from anything Unearthly Trance has ever done. But still quite good.

Evoken: Atra Mors (2012)

Legacy

Profound Lore is a label that's been on a winning streak essentially since its inception, and over the last three years at least has become the premier all-around metal label. To mark a milepost in the label's history, PL tapped Evoken for its 100th release. The band is a wise choice for the occasion, since they released the classic Antithesis of Light and have never put out a bad (or even an OK) record. Atra Mors is the fifth full-length from a band that I have cited numerous times as one of the best funeral doom bands in existence.

This record is going to make me change my tune on that, because you're going to have to forget about being "one of" the best. They are now easily "the" best.

Danzig: Danzig III: How the Gods Kill (1992)

Motion for Reconsideration
20th Anniversary

As a junior high kid first getting into metal, without any guidance from an older and more knowledgeable metalhead, I had few methods to discover new music. One of the most eye-opening was the shotgun method, i.e., blindly buying a whole lot of stuff all at once. At that time, there was no such thing as music downloading, so the next best thing was to sign up for one of the music clubs. Younger readers will have no idea what I'm talking about, but you could sign up for these "clubs" and get a dozen or so CD's for very cheap. They then planned to send you unsolicited CD's and charge you for them afterward, but most everyone would cancel immediately.

When I signed up for one of these, I got albums from Black Sabbath, Korn (this was before Follow the Leader), Type O Negative, Sepultura, and a handful of others. But out of these, the one that stood out the most to my developing tastes was Danzig, the debut by the band of the same name. Later I began collecting all of the band's albums, and I've listened to them, especially the first four, many times over the course of nearly two decades.

Disma: Towards the Megalith (2011)

Review

Old-school death metal has seen a huge resurgence in the last year or so. So many albums, so little time. Well, let me help you narrow your search. Disma's Towards the Megalith is one of the very best.

Featuring members and former members of Funebrarum, Incantation, and Carnage, you know these guys are veterans. They know death metal is supposed to be filthy and disgusting, and it should sound evil. They never touch the upper registers--hell, they barely even touch mid-range. Satan himself doesn't have a death growl the equal of Craig Pillard's.

Gridlink: Orphan (2011)

Review

It will take me longer to write this review than it would take you to listen to Gridlink's Orphan. Yes, this is grindcore, and it's very good.

Gridlink is from New Jersey, and the album is their second full-length. I still hesitate to call a 12 minute album a full-length, but I guess that passes in grindcore circles. Despite the short runtime, it has as much aggression and riffage as a 40 minute thrash album. All the fat is trimmed, and each song is as short as it could possibly be. They do fall into the cliche of recording a less than 10 second "song" (thanks a lot, Napalm Death), and it might as well not even exist, but the rest of the album is thoroughly engaging and bewildering.

Danzig: Blackacidevil (1996)

Motion for Reconsideration

Danzig's Blackacidevil was a huge departure for the man and the band, and by many it has been sharply criticized. But really, it doesn't deserve the bad reputation. And it certainly should never have been a big surprise change in direction.

Of course, Glenn Danzig started out as a formative influence on the punk world with the Misfits in the late 70's, and left that band to form his own punk band Samhain. These are still the only punk bands I listen to. It wasn't until 1987 that he got into metal. The first three albums from the band Danzig were stripped-down, simple heavy metal with a strong focus on Glenn as a powerful frontman. Yet each of these albums had its own character, and had forays into different styles (such as country). By the time of 4p, he was already experimenting with industrial elements (see "Cantspeak"). The band Danzig has always been about the man Danzig, and the man has always been about trying different things. In that sense, the fifth Danzig album should have been an entirely expected experiment.

And it's not bad, either. Throughout the album, industrial noises and rhythms seem to be the key, especially in the verses. The title track and "Power of Darkness" are really just noise without riffs, and they're not very compelling. But some of the choruses tend toward classic Danzig: Opener "7th House" and "Sacrifice" have some excellent (and unmistakably Danzig) riffs. Other tracks are industrial doom in character, with industrial noises on top but extended guitar chords in the background ("See All You Were") or slow, crunchy riffs ("Hint of Her Blood"). The latter doesn't work terribly well, because other than a change in drumming halfway through it doesn't seem to go anywhere. "Serpentia" starts out as merely industrial, but turns into this kind of industrial doom, and it happens to work well. "Come to Silver" is mellow, with acoustic rhythm guitar and electric leads, and it's pretty good--but it's actually better in the non-industrial version off The Lost Tracks of Danzig.  The compelling Closer "Ashes" is based around piano, and recalls Glenn's Black Aria more than any of his band work.

The real highlight is the Black Sabbath cover "Hand of Doom". The crunchy industrial sound works really well to emphasize the ominous and hypnotic nature of the verses, and they throw in some great new guitar solos.

The original version doesn't really have a whole lot to recommend it ("Sacrifice" and "Hand of Doom" are the only essential cuts), but the bonus tracks on the 2000 reissue make it worthwhile. "Deeper" is a heavy and simple reworking of a song that appeared in the X-Files movie soundtrack, and has a killer How the Gods Kill style riff in the chorus. "Bleedangel" sheds Danzig's normal verse-chorus-verse structure and shows that, at some point, he figured out how to make a really eerie and interesting industrial song. On the downside, "Don't Be Afraid" is just stupid, and "Ashes" makes a much better closing track.

The Verdict: In all, it was an interesting experiment, even if it was very hit and miss. I give the original version 2.5 out of 5 stars, and the 2000 reissue gets 3 out of 5.

Woe: Quietly, Undramatically (2010)

Review

Woe is an American (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) black metal band whose second album (and first as a complete band) Quietly, Undramatically got a lot of end-of-year praise in 2010, so I decided to check it out.

Their sound is instantly recognizable as American black metal, inviting comparisons to Instinct: Decay-era Nachtmystium. The band was started by Chris Grigg, who seems to be, spiritually at least, a drummer (he has played drums for Krieg). The drums are very prominent in the mix, and it's a pleasure to hear them. They are interesting throughout the album. The beat is recognizably distinct in each song, there is a wide variety of fills (check out the cleanly sung section in the title track), and they have a perfectly natural tone. They are often the most aggressive instrument on the album.

In contrast to the drums, the guitars tend toward the understated. They generally play at a slower pace, only rarely venturing into full-on tremolo picking territory. The riffs sometimes have a hard rock sensibility (see the opening of the title track). All the guitar work is simple, but there is enough variety to keep things interesting (the hint of dissonance in opener "No Solitude" or the solos to "The Road from Recovery"). The vocals are generally done in a screechy Norwegian style, with the occasional growl and one very well-done cleanly sung section. You probably won't notice the bass except at the end of the epic "Full Circle".



Woe knows how to write a quick, aggressive cut, like "Without Logic" or closer "Hatred Is Our Heart". But longer, sad (woeful, even) tracks like the title track and "Full Circle" are where they really shine. Each instrument has a deceptively simple role to play in these progressively structured songs, which lead you on a journey rather than just assaulting your senses.

The Verdict: This is a very good album, and it's further proof that the American black metal scene is on the rise. I would have been much more impressed by this album if I hadn't already heard Kansas City's Lo-Ruhamah and their amazing The Glory of God (it has a very similar approach, but absolutely blows this album away). But this is good nonetheless. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Krieg: The Isolationist (2010)

Review

Krieg's sixth full-length (and first since 2006) got a lot of attention in end-of-year lists, so I decided to check out The Isolationist.

Krieg is from New Jersey, and is essentially the one-man project of Imperial, a guy who looks like you might expect any metal dude from Jersey to look. Ironically given its title, The Isolationist employs a number of other musicians.

The sound is appropriately American-style black metal, a bit like a slower and scarier version of earlier Nachtmystium (see "Blue of Noon") with a taste of Cobalt (see "...And the Stars Fell On"). It's urban-sounding and lonely, misanthropic in a way that only those who are surrounded by too many people can be. Usually the drums are going at a faster pace and the guitars at mid-pace; an extreme example of this is the opening riff of "Photographs from an Asylum", with one note for every eight beats. The vocals are very harsh rasp/screeches, and the bass is noticeable but unimportant except in a couple places.

Some of the album is forgettable (like "Decaying Inhalations") or "Remission"), but when Krieg tries something different it really works. "All Paths to God" has a great dissonant riff that breaks things up, and "Ambergeist" has a punk rhythm to it. "Depakote" is structured like a palindrome with its opening Cobalt-esque riff, straight-up USBM, then minimalistic drumming with screams before going back to USBM and ending on the Cobalt riff again.

In a few places the experimentation takes the music to dull places, as when they go to minimalist drumming with sound effects on "Religion III", and when they don't experiment at all it just blends in and becomes utterly forgettable. And there's simply too much of both of these to make the album a standout.

The Verdict: Certainly overrated by the metal press, but not bad by any measure. It has a fair measure of experimentation that works, but gets bogged down by too many boring parts. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.