Astralnaut "Astralnaut" Album Review

    Veterans of the Irish scene Astralnaut took an extended hiatus aorund the later stages of 2014 and alot of folk have been wondering since what had become of the band,well a few line up alterations and dilligently working behind the scenes has resulted in an absolutely stellar release with their self titled debut album Astralnaut,an absolute tour de force of groove heaviness and grit is what we've been treated to,the old saying good things come to those who wait rings true with this offering,let's dissect the finer points of this brilliant album.

   The album kicks off in fine style with the launch single Tipping Point with it's slow paced groove that instantly pulls you in and doesn't let go,the gritty vocal delivery almost has a subtle blues element to it hinting at a southern rock vibe, Adrift flows with soaring vocals and a crushing groove that seamlessly blends with the intrciate rhytmns and the background female vocals which adds a fantastic atmosphere to the track, the dark and foreboding sludginess of Plebicide wraps a cloak of melancholy until launching into some some soaring lead guitar work, the building atmosphere on Humanity shows a real pomp and confidence from a band that knows how to deliver some thought provoking lyrics with tasty goroves of heaviness, the spoken word section creates a somewhat dytopian feel to the song yet another element the band explore with brilliant aplomb.

   

   Things get a bit more thought provoking with the brilliant The Veil there's something mysterious about the way the lyrics are delivered and then you add the excellent riffage which have a really fantastic way of grabbing your undivided attention,the sole vocal sections in this is another element that shows the full repotoire of what this band are capable of, White Feather introduces a really epic structure to the overall product,those gritty vocals really go into overdrive creating some truly crushing passages until about half way through the track the pace begins to speed up creating a wall of crushing heaviness that has an almost Sabbath-esque feel to it, did i mention epicness,yes there's plenty of that afoot on the ultra heavy Husk which weaves those trademark vocals with sludgy grooves, another thing not mentioned is the drumming is exemeplary throughout and has some subtle homages to Bill Ward with it's wholt rhytmic and tribal feel,the leads add to the epic output and create a really awe-inspiring feeling to the track.

  

   

  The darkness becomes even more prevelent on the instrumental The Confederate Pt1 which opens up with some brilliant lead guitar layered on top of  some intricate harmonies, returning to the crushing grooves with The Confederate Pt2 once again this delivers a consistent flow of keeping things interesting while maintaining all those trademarks elements we've come accustomed to hearing,closing track Blood Sacrifice flows with a mid paced groove that will leave you wanting even more,this track really shows every element the band have delivered throughout this release and as previously said this band know how to deliver memorable tunes while keeping your attention focused on all their qualities.

  Although we waited the better part of a decade for this album Astralnaut have delivered a really quality album and it was like they were never away,hopefully we get more of the same in the not too distant future, as previously said good things come to those who wait,this is very much the case with this album.

RATING: 8/10

 FB: https://www.facebook.com/Astralnautmusic

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/astralnautband/

 

Partholon "The Ocean Pours In" Album Review

    Almost 8 years since the brilliant Cork outfit Partholon released their excellent debut album Follow Me Through Body and although this may slow momentum with the large majority of bands,this is not the case with Partholon and their highly anticipated second album The Ocean Pours In ,the old saying comes to mind good things come to those who wait,confirming what alot of people were expecting we have a bonafide masterpiece to delve into and explore to the deepest depth that our consciousness can fathom.

  All the tension begins to release when those first notes kick in on Skin Of The Beast the beautifully crafted harmonies during the intro create a dark atmopshere that wraps onto your consciousness and won't let go,the presence of two alternating vocals gives off a mirroring/echo element that creates some sort of dual entities that have the same thoughts. the tensely built aura of Gathered In Circles is both haunting and full of tautly executed dark melodies,there's the added element within the track that makes you feel like there's a location or place of some massive significance been referenced throughout.

  This album gradually builds with each track which leads us into the phenomenal Pillars which introduces us to a crushing rhytmn section layered with intermittent lead sections,there's a part with soaring and passionate vocals that are layered above the music giving a whole new atmosphere to the overall product, the atmopshere created at the start of Light Chambers has a really dreamy element which eventually builds with plenty of twists and turns until about half way through a crushing rhytmn section with layered Lead Guitar sections which pummel with a relentlessness that is awe inspiring and will leave you speechless.

  

   The atmosphere is taken to a level and height beyond the stratosphere with the mind blowing closing track We Swallow The Ocean the simplisticness of less is more is very prevelent at the intro with the slight presence of music with dual vocals layered on top of everything before venturing into very slow heavy sludgy progressions that keep building while seamlessly blending in leads that build to an epic crescendo until it closes out with some distressed sounding voice hidden behind a melancholic piano section which slowly closes out the opus beautifully.

  Overall this is a monstrous progession from their debut and leaves an extremely lasting impression, the more listens to this the more new elements you will notice ,the tension and atmosphere within this are at times suffocatingly heavy and the rhytmn sections crushes with a relentlessness that's full of beautifully crafted harmonies and melody, everyhting about this oozes quality of the highest standard making this an absolutely sublime offering which is definitely one of the best releases you're likely to hear this year not just in the Irish Scene but also far reaching.

RATING: 9/10

 FB: https://www.facebook.com/partholonian

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/partholonian/

Coroza "As Within" Album Review

  For the better part of 5 years the absolutely brilliant Cork Progressive Sludge/Post Metal Merchants Coroza have been dilligently crafting the highly anticipated folow up to their excellent debut Chaliceburner and recently they dropped the absolutely earth shaking masterpiece As Within,this is nothing short of monumental so lets get into the finer details of this sublime offering.

  Straight away the crushing wall of sound on Myrrh hits like a sledgehammer ,the twist and turns throughout this track are at times mind numbing,while been treated to some doom laden groovy riffs the bass and drums lay down a rhytnm foundation that crushes like a wrecking ball then you layer the soaring and abrasive vocals on top of that ,there's also plenty of atmosphere to create this wall of sound, from the beginning of Immersed there's a relentless black metal type riff  with those trademark abrasive vocals which last almost a minute before going into some calm and atmospheric interlude that creates a melancholic aura ,yet another added twist is some clean vocals that are like some dream sequence before launching into an absolute riff fest of crushing heaviness.

 

 

   The brilliant instrumental The Shifting Sands is like some dreamy sequences that brings you through some sort of psychedelic trip,while combining really fuzzed out stoner grooves there's a seamless blend with brilliantly executed progessive riffing,the drumming on this is almost hypnotic which adds yet another element to the overall sound.

  

  The twist keep on coming when they launch into the phenomenal Scorched Earth the twin vocals add more depth and atmosphere and once again the drumming drives and pushes the boundaries to even more unpredictable twists and turns, closing track As Within shows some mind blowing progressive elements while still maintaining the overall atmosphere created on the previous tracks, that trademark wall of sound that they execute so easily reaches an even higher level then before and creates an absolutely monumental crescendo to end this flawless offering.

  Not often would i usually say an album is absolute perfection but on the very rare occasion it becomes very hard not to say so,Coroza have created an absolute masterpiece with As Within,5 songs of the utmost perfection,and while there is alot of twists and turns and plenty of depth and atmosphere to the album there is a structured unpredictablity that keeps you guessing what direction you're going to be taken on next,this is for all intense purposes a monumetal materpiece of epic proportions with absolutely no flaws.

RATING:10/10

FB: https://www.facebook.com/CorozaBand

IG: https://www.instagram.com/corozametal/
 

Atlantic "Black Sands" EP Review

 located on the West Coast of Ireland  the brilliant Post Metal/Atmospheric Black Metal solo project Atlantic takes inpiration form the cruel and treacherous conditions of the atlantic ocean to deliver an absolutely stellar brand of Atmospheric Black Metal, following on from the debut demo Torrents with the sublime new EP Black Sands .

 Instantly the atmosphere on Waves set a tone both epic and full of feeling,the combination of  peak post metal brilliance with a somewhat treacherous aura prevelent within the vocal delivery,there's alot of soundscapes that evoke a feeling of  solitude and time away from civilaisation, the gradual build throughout To Exist(Exit) creates a soundscape both epic and melancholic ,the rawness and melody of the guitars, the vocals have an abrasivenss which gives the overall feeling a touch of aggressiveness while still maintaining that beautiful atmosphere

  

  

   The atmosphere begins to get a little more dark and dreary with the extremely melancholic The Grey this really captures the whole essences within this release,you can hear subtle elements of doominess combinedwith  a dreariness while still staying true to the atmosphere already prevelent,this time we're treated to some clean vocals that feel like you're being brought through some sort of journey into unknown plains, there's epicness abound on the closing track Outro-Rememberance the build on this is a truly is truly magnificient that takes you on many twist and turns while journewying through soundscapes that have both a calm and treacherous atmosphere,this is possibly the best way to close this EP out.

  Overall Black Sands is a massive progression from the Torrents demo,and sets about creating soundscapes full of atmosphere,bleakness,epicness,nostalgia and treachery while drawing inspiration from the atlantic ocean,this really ticks all the right boxes in what it set out to achieve and portray to the listener,it may take numerous listens for this to really hit home with you but it has plenty worthwhile to grab your attention.

RATING:8/10

 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/atlanticband.official/