Koma "Dichotomy" Promo Single Review

   Following on from their hugely popular debut single The Betrayed Progressive/Melodic Metalcore quintet Koma are on the cusp of releasing their second single the brilliant Dichotomy lets dissect some of the finer details within this track.

   Much like their previous single Koma delivers a high tempo display of intensity intertwined with melodic/progressive intricacies and taut aggressiveness making Dichotomy an interesting listen full of hooks and all the urges for a proper headbanger,everything from the vocals,guitar intricacies,the high tempo drumming,aggressive backing vocals and lyrics exudes an abundance of passion and an element of real life struggle,even the imagery(artwork) used to depict this track and yes it does have a subtle reminder to the iconic image of a protester in Tiaanamen Square back in 1989 in the case of this artwork it's attempting to portray the shackled individual vs state dichotomy and as to whether they can truly be free from  a moral or societal point of view.

   Dichotomy offers alot of fantastic elements from Koma's brand of Melodic/Progressive Metalcore,combining plenty of groove,melody ,passion and all the nuances to push the band to another level, one thing the band have developed is how to build a track up to a massive crescendo with all the elements mentioned pushed to the fore with concise precision.

   The Single will be released on Friday 9th Decemeber and will be available on all releveant streaming platforms,here's a link to Pre-save or Pre-Order the single before it's release: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/koma14/dichotomy  in the meantime you'll find the bands social media and steaming platform links below,give them a Follow/Like/Subscribe to keep updated

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0yLoO1CPbeeojKSpD4KQua?si=d782ZtHhRja-FlO-kKoreQ

BANDCAMP: https://komaofficialni.bandcamp.com/track/the-betrayed

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@user-jz1tt6lt2o

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/komaofficialni/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/koma_official_ni/

Nømadus "Axis Primordial" Album Review

   Ever since i discovered Nømadus the progression and evolution of their sound has been absolutely mind blowing,there's a very noticable maturity musically and lyrically,the band have being creating massive waves throughout the local scene since their inception in 2016, this year alone the band reached the final of Metal 2 The Masses and despite getting the runners up spot the band would earn a reputation for their devastating live performances and unsuprisingly (to me) would eventually get the call to appear at the hugely popular Bloodstock Festival and by all accounts they once again delivered the goods ,furthermore all this is about to culminate in the release of their highly anticipated debut album Axis Primordial.

  As soon as you hear that opening riff on Last Words Of Wisdom you can feel the depth and scale of the journey you're about to be taken on the progessive element and groove within the song have a truly epic and passionate aura which sets the tone for what's to come on the rest of this adventure, Apex Breath opens with a gradual build then explodes with sheer ferocity before going into a melodic and progressive tangent which gives the atmosphere an really emotional feel,the lead guitar work on this is exemplary and very awe inspiring, the crushingly heavy and groove laden Fraction treats us to some absolutely heart wrenching lyrical and vocal delivery, again the progresive element throughout this just compounds the high level of musicianship been unleashed by the band.

  The brief instrumental that is Hadean creates an atmosphere that feels beautiful and melancholic and sets the tone brilliantly for The Ultimate Fuse to push the progressive element to another level while injecting vitriol fueled vocals,pounding drums and meticulously constructed rhytmn and lead guitar work, the standard just keeps getting better with each track on this and we get a full on barage of heaviness and speed with the sublime Paradox(Nerve Burn)  the drumming on this is pretty relenetless and sets a different tone to what proceeded it the aggression combined with the progressive riffing adds another layer to these passages and sets the album up for a explosive ending.

  The penultimate stages of the album go into a much higher level with the monumental heaviness of The Pounding Curse which reaches epic porportions of progression with mutiple and well blended time changes throughout before unleashing an absolutely heartfelt and majestic guitar lead,the groove laden element also hits an unstoppable level, which are all pushed by the passionate vocal delivery, the melodic tendencies get pushed up a notch with Scent Of Death add the crushing heaviness to this and you have a fantastic mix of atmosphere and aggression, closing track The Passage brings every element on display to the fore with calculating precision,it nows becomes noticable that this was a very taut and well exceuted meticulously constucted piece of work only adding to the obvious persausion that this band are going to getting better in the long run.

  

  Axis Primordial offers an absolutely fantastic portrayal of the struggles with mental health and the ultimate sacrifice involved to maintain your own sanity and how it affects the people around you,the progressive elements, atmosphere and every facet of this album are nothing short of sublime offering plenty of heartfelt passion,aggression and a level of musicianship second to none, Nømadus have lit a fire that is unextinguishable and that fire shall spread throughout the land with devastating consequences,furthermore this is a definite contender for album of the year.

      

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2caGUbjIGxotyPDiY9tFVJ?si=HhebjWaASN6M7vIuoW04Hw

BANDCAMP: https://nomadus.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@nmadusofficial1563/featured

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/nomadusni

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nomadusofficial/

Karpackonaut "Distant Sequence" Album Review

 

   Now do we have something extremely interesting to delve deep into this time, it's not often you get to immerse yourself in something done on improvisation jams,no re-takes all recorded in one take,this is what the really unique Karpackonaut has to offer with absolutely fantastic aplomb on their excellent new album Distant Sequence.

   Straight away you can instantly feel the outworldly atmosphere hit like a tonne of brick on the crushingly heavy Outwards Through Time the vocals add a somewhat visceral appraoch to the atmosphere all while having a truly epic soundscape, Wordless I treats us to some deranged guitar pieces layered over a filthy bass and very rhytmic drumming while the vocals seem to be in synch with guitar while gradually getting more deranged and torturous,the atmosphere on this is extremely dark and disturbing, Sigils gives off a somewhat chilled out atmosphere with the beautiful guitar riff running throughout the track added by the slow hypnotic drumming and throbbing bassline,there's a vocal sequence half way through the track which keeps repeating the same line to push that crushingly heavy element to the fore.

   Things begin to get all the more epic with the brilliant Immaterial End which creeps and crawls through a devastatingly heavy and torturous atmosphere added by snarling and screaming vocals combined with the crushing vocals giving the atmosphere an altogether nastier feeling, this eventually build to an extremely disturbing crescendo and pushes the atmosphere to another level, it's about to get bleak with the lo-fi atmosphere of The Parellel it becomes noticable that the atmpshere gradually changes throughout the album with the addition of a cleaner vocal style and let's not forget the chants in the background which add a soothing yet impending dread element to proceedings, everything comes to the fore with the sublime title track Distant Sequence there's a nice subtle approach to the atmosphere on this track which makes the outworldly element all that more prevelent more then half through the song the vocals hit like an absolute juggernaut of crushing heaviness then gradually ends with a pace faster then any of the tracks that proceeded it.

   Karpackonaut have unleashed an album full of atmosphere, epic soundscapes, bleakness,dark and disturbing undertones,the further you delve into this the more you feel every essence of it consume your being,the band aren't afraid to mix different styles like Post Metal,Sludge,Atmospheric Doom,the fact that this is all done on improvisation makes it all the more interesting to listen to, this one is a grower folks one listen of this ain't enough you need to let all of it's atmosphere become a part of you to truly realise what a monumentally brilliant album this is.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3GHjX0LIhCCD91Cb5GMAtm?si=d5hSbAG8Rl6T2ojAr6wB6w

BANDCAMP: https://karpackonaut.bandcamp.com/album/light-as-a-particle

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/karpackonaut

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/karpackonaut/

Superstatic "Glimmering Veil" Album Review

   Wanted to give this ridiculously overlooked album some much needed exposure and adoration, Superstatic is the side project of Rustam of the Russian Folk/Black/Doom outfit Rakoth, this is a completely different sort of entity to what Rakoth are all about with a sound stepped in the throes and misery of  90's inspired Death/Doom and subtle hints and odes to Funeral Doom luminaries such as Evoken,Esoteric and Skepticism,this is explored with magnificient abundance on the brilliant Glimmering Veil.

   Instantly there's a noticable theme with the opening track I Have No Mouth, and I Must Speak the unfathomable horrors that are about to unfold,you get the feeling with the musical structure that less is more with crushingly heavy riffs while making evrything about the atmosphere of the music,even a drum fill or simple riff adds an extremely dramatic yet bleak aura throughout this opus, Mutabor offers some really 90's inspired Death/Doom passages,this is possibly the only track on the album that has a plethora of Riffs but the focus on atmosphere is still prevelant even the presence of those whispering vocals create a foreboding darkness yet at the same time give an essence of something beautiful that lays beneath all the horrors, the darkness gets alot more noticable on House Dagoth the minimalistic tendencies within the album get used to devastating effect throuhgout this track combined with the intermittent chants in the background create an extremely haunting atmosphere.

   The Atmosphere is pushed to another level with the brilliant Edge those female chants at the start give a whole different element to proceedings and creates an extremely Ethereal yet dark ambience,again with get those whispering style vocals which have became that little bit nastier,not mentioned is the fantastic epic structure which is beautifully melancholic and adds alot of depth to the music, I Am The Doorway has a very strange type of electronic/keyboard parts that give off a really eerie atmosphere before going full on into some My Dying Bride type homage were things get that extra bit darker and heavier, The Rose Garden opens up with a beautifully arranged piano piece with a brief ochestral voice then suddenly that foreboding darkness and heaviness returns to hauntingly creep and crawl like a despicable entity lurking in the shadows ready to strike at any given moment, we go into the truly epic closing track Remember Citadel there's some sort of intermittent tranmissions that sounds like a computer programme or AI intertwined with slow building riffs and extremely taut drum sections and electronic parts, the brief heavy guitar parts and nasty growls push the whole horror inspired elements into an inevitable moment where the horrors have finally come to envelop you within a web of unescapable despair and tragedy finally consuming every fibre of your being.

   Superstatic have created a Death/Doom Opus of epic proportions, this is a really well executed and concisely created masterpiece with elements of Funeral Doom mixed with some 90's inspired Death/Doom throw in extremely dramatic and horror driven madness combined with an atmosphere that's beautiful,tragic and melancholic also created with a less is more ethos ,you're not likely to hear something as innovative and taut as Glimmering Veil in the near future.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2siaOaTNJjRHnjvcaHf6vY?si=7PyISFQ1Rx6JJPB_6tK_ig

BANDCAMP: https://superstatic.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRp1_53KatnnLqpY57nyu_g

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SuperstaticEquilibrium

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/superstatic.equilibrium/

War Of Attrition "The Social Apocalypse" EP Review

    

   Let this serve as an introduction and a brief adulation to one of the hardest working new bands in the local scene the absolutely sublime War Of Attrition, having only started gigging just over a year ago the band have developed a reputation for a live show full of unbridled energy,passion and aggression, they defied all the odds by getting through the first heat of Metal 2 The Masses Ireland which resulted in them playing at the semi final of the popular competition, they continued to garner more attention by gigging on a very regular basis not just in their native Limerick but plenty of exposure in Dublin.this all culminated very recently with their first ever appearance at the extremely popular Siege Of Limerick which happened to coincide with the release of their brilliant debut EP The Social Apocalypse.

   As soon as that opening riff hits on Throne Of The Fallen King followed by the sirens in the background you get the underlying feeling of impending chaos and an empire is about to fall into the  throes of an apocalytic nightmare,this sets the tone perfectly for what's about to come to fruition, time for some riffs for days with Victims Of Avarice the combination of the dual guitars and the in your face vocals create a really raw and aggressive vibe to proceedings there is also a lot of melody which adds a great atmosphere, the darkly atmospheric intro to I Am Your God set a very foreboding tone eventually building to a raw and hectic pace which creates an abundance of madness and controlled chaos.

   We're treated to something different with the epic ballad like atmosphere of The Constant Gray we even get to hear what vocalist Nathan Price is truly capable of with some clean vocal parts and the lyrical content has an almost desperate/melancholic vibe added with the beautiful guitar intricacies of  Oceann and Diarmuid,this eventually builds up to possibly what the band can offer on future releases, an added bonus track in the form of the sublime and one of my favourite tracks by the band BPD which is full of aggression and taut riffing while the lyrical content touches on the theme of  faking mental health issues and being coercive and manipulative about them.

  For a debut release this ticks all the right boxes with regard to energy,passion,aggression and an honesty that is second to none, the production is extremely raw and is something i really enjoy about this EP, it perfectly captures what the band a truly capable of as a live entity being that it's has the sound of a live performance,stripped down rawness,aggression and an unbridled energy that is instantly addictive to listen to, War Of Attriton have set a standard that has garnered them much deserved recognition and they have all the attributes to develop their sound to another level.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XBjelMBEwljcDYkaJqVEe?si=J9opRYPZS4azF_cMwbQujw

BANDCAMP: https://warofattritionie.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCny8jkaanm9fFEVegNB1iDw

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/WOAIE

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/waroaie/

Fornoth "Assembling Trees" Promo Single Review

    Yet another quality release from the absolute riff machine that is the mighty Fornoth after the ridiculously positive feedback to their last promotional single The Ferryman and The Lock Keeper the band have unleashed another absolutely fantastic single in the form of the brilliant Assembling Trees.

  As soon as that opening riff to Assembling Trees hits you can instantly hear a massive Thin Lizzy influence with an atmosphere to give the track an extremely epic soundscape,this seems to be a trademark the band have consistently focused on with previous releases,the presence of this makes the listener feel like they're been taken on a somewhat melnacholic journey, we're lead into a path of mystery with the extremely atmospheric tribalistic offerings of Roots Of Ritual, there's some really cool throat singing which adds a very hypnotic and meditative atmosphere to the song,this is an uplifting new dimension the band have added to their repetoire and in my opinion it's a welcome element to what the band have to offer.

  Overall this is another quality addtion to the bands sublime discography,they continue to improve and evolves as a band and as musicians, i like the way they are attempting to add new elements to their ever improving sound,this will definitely hold them in good stead with gaining much deserved attention in the future and gives listeners an exciting insight into what sort of other potential avenues they will go down.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7y7MKmhUz3jIKrEdHNmAhV?si=J7wPTM-yQUq6QYuGz9HssA

BANDCAMP: https://fornoth.bandcamp.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FornothTheBand

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fornoththeband/

Strangle Wire "Shaped By Human Frailty" Album Review

  Yet again the quality within the Irish Metal scene never ceases to amaze me this is very much the case with the absolute fantastic new Strangle Wire album Shaped By Human Frailty, the band formed in 2017 but members have been around the scene for the over 25 years with bands such as Condemned,Lesshelp,Putrefy,Oncology and War Iron,suffice to say you will be treated to music of the highest quality on this release and done with relentless efficiency.

   Straight from the off  Heavily Medicated goes straight for the juggular with crushing groove laden riffs and the vocals really hit home with relentless aggression, Learned Wretchedness delivers a barrage of concise drumming and abundance of riffs, Judas Switch offers a nice balance of groove laden heavy riffs mixed with machine like percussion whuch drives everthing to the fore, The Human Tensile Experiment has a really cool Old School Death Metal, there's also a taut psychological twist to the atmosphere within the album.

  An Abhorrent Intervention is a brief instrumental interlude that brings the whole atmosphere of the album into an even more disturbing and psychological edge to proceedings, we're treated to some absolutely relentless assualt with the title track Shaped By Human Frailty the further you delve into this album the more disturbing and relentless the music becomes, Dead Before The Still delivers with relentless precision with the pace at times slowing a slight bit but keeping the eerie psychological atmosphere intact, the opening riff on Psychology Of The Sick sets up a smooth groove laden element before the eerie atmosphere goes into overdrive with the taut and brilliantly executed closing track Horrors Breath the atmosphere and barrage of unrelenting taut execution on this album is another a level most Death Metal acts can only dream of.

Shaped By Human Frailty is an album full of all the nuances associated with Old School Death Metal and add an atmosphere that's almost horror-like you have an opus done with perfect precision,it's very noticable that everything element within the album is done with taut accuracy putting it as a modern Death Metal Classic and the potential to be on alot of end of year lists.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3FbsMi1iKh39ItEtt49VvP?si=XFJreQttRxuMrp3g2LO1OA

BANDCAMP: https://stranglewire.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/StrangleWire

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/stranglewireband

iNSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/strangle_wire/

Eternal Helcaraxe "Drown In Ash" Album Review

   Following on from their sublime opus In Times Of Desperation Epic Black Metal Stalwarts Eternal Helcaraxe have really surpassed their previous offering with a strong contender for album of the year with the ridiculously sublime Drown In Ash, not in my wildest dreams did i ever think it was possible to improve on such a fantastic album.

  As soon as that piano intro hits on Withered Strands Of Existence your interest will be instantly grabbed and pulled into the albums uplifting yet depressive artmosphere,then as soon as the full repertoire of instruments kick in you know full well you're about to be taken on an epic journey. this is compounded with the brilliant Drowned In Ash with it's 9+ minutes of emotionally tinged melodic and relentless soundscapes, things get a bit more emotionally charged with possibly my favourite track on the album When Dead Things Roam Free it's very rare i listen to a song that makes me get a bit emotional with a combination of elation and melancholy when it interchanges between the clean vocal parts and  melodic and melancholic elements within the song.

  We're treated to a beautiful piano interlude with None Of It Mattered which evokes a feeling of loss,suffering and depression,this tracks acts as a catalyst to delve further into the emotionally charged theme within the album which seamlessly leads us into Ice Cold Winds there is no comfort or warmth left only loss,despair, abandonment and hopelessness the deeper you go in this album the gradual build of melancholy and pessimism are honed and crafted with spellbinding precision, as soon as the first notes of Cease hit you with a flurry of razor sharp riffs and an atmosphere reminiscent of peak second wave of black metal, closing track In Dark Woods and Dreams is intertwined with feelings of desolation and loss were the darkness seems to envelope all around you and there's no way of finding the diminishing light.

   Drown In Ash is an instant masterpiece and i'll go as far as saying there won't be many Black Metal releases this year that will match the levels of musicianship,atmosphere,emotion and continuity with each track,this is not just a selection of killer individual tracks each track develops the album into a story of realism,loss,depression while combining a surprisingly uplifting atmosphere with elements of Post Metal and Black Metal making this an extremely strong contender for Album Of The Year.

   

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tHKPNHAQ6itWfyiX8jeXv?si=xGDpApLCSTmn97SrPNOkpA

BANDCAMP: https://eternalhelcaraxe.bandcamp.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/eternalhelcaraxe

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/eternal_helcaraxe/