Lüger – Hellraisers of the Waste (2018) / 80%

Sleaze, Leather and Metal

The Montreal quartet finally released their debut album this year and it’s a lethal banger. The band led by singer/guitarist Jim Laflamme are proud sleazy fellas and they brought their A game for their first full length. It’s forty minutes spent in a post apocalytipc world where the only thing you can find to drink is whiskey that tastes like motor oil and there’s apparently a strict dress code since everyone wears leather pants and all the men are shirtless. It’s a world where the gimp from Pulp Fiction is having a lot of fun and where you can see a young Mel Gibson roaming around.

The band owes a lot to Motorhead and Pentagram, it’s dangerous, uncompromising and highly sexual. The record smells like it was conceived during an orgy in a secret Montréal basement. The guitars of Laflamme and Max Meunier are huge and really shows how well the band has managed to create their distinct sound. One huge dose of fast paced doom metal, a lot of speed metal, some heavy metal and some devout praise to the gods of dirty rock & roll. They also integrate a fair share of psychedelia (the overture of “Beneath the Red Sun” for example) and it helps them create an occult and entrancing mood. The aggressive bloody vocals reminds me of the most idiosyncratic thrash singers from the hey days of the style, an approach not too dissimilar from Tom Angelripper from Sodom!

The eight minutes track “Lust Paradise” is my highlight of the record, it shows everything the band can do and add an enjoyable epic feel. Lüger has strong musicians, above average songwriting but I do feel they could be even better and that it will be a wild ride to see them evolve and crush motherfuckers with their explosive biker sound.
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Akitsa – Credo (2018) / 95%

I’m a credible reviewer so I’m not gonna namedrop Darkthrone

Unlike Quebec’s sovereignty project, Quebecois black metal has been quite healthy recently. The scene is diversified and hits hard from both Québec City and Montréal. There’s the occultism of Gevurah, the icy winds of Cantique Lépreux, the atmospheric/post power of Basalte or, obviously the nationalistic panache of Forteresse. Akitsa, at least for me, has always been a lone wolf in terms of sound even if they have a varied discography. With Credo, their sixth full length and first for Profound Lore, they bludgeon the competition with their sharp riffs and their arcane knowledge of second wave black metal.

I’ve probably said it before but for me, the quality of the riffs is the most important thing in black metal (if you’re not Summoning, that is). You’d say that it’s important in all metal genres and you’d be right but for that specific style, it’s usually the main focus, especially when we have to deal with raw bands. If you do a simple pizza and its only topping is the tomato sauce, your sauce needs to be fucking good. It’s the same here. We’re lucky though since Akitsa are master riff crafters. They cultivate rawness like we cultivate apples to make ice cider. “Siècle pastoral” opens the album with an introduction buildup of urgent and primal guitars. You know what you’ll get right from the start.

They’re skilled at creating atmosphere with the strict necessary (like our ancestors dealt with life), they could do it with the strength of their riffs alone but there’s some interesting touches like that chanting on the opening track. Those riffs are so good that they’re able to hypnotize by their drony repetitiveness and their punk might akin to Darkthr... uhh Bone Awl or Raspberry Bulbs! Furthermore, the vocals of Outre-Tombe are spiteful and they’re able to deliver the French lyrics well. If you think they’re too raw, you might not listen to the adequate genre for you.

The blast beats ferocity of “Espoir Vassal” transports you into the frigid time of the year in Québec where the snow melts and cold mud just enters every pore of your body. Speaking of its thematic approach, Credo develops themes very well. It’s mixing history, poetry and a clear focus on the rough Quebec winters. Just like their music, it’s abrasive, buried in dark realities. Akitsa burns with coldness. It’s like sticking your tongue on a frozen hockey net on a dare. For some weird reasons, once your tongue is released from that ordeal, you’ve still enjoyed yourself.

They’re strong musicians but they’re also quite apt at creating a solid identity for themselves. From the old campfire photo used as the artwork (taken in 2000) to the cult forest band pictures, it’s rooted in traditional black metal aesthetics and I mean, I’m fine with that since I’m a big fan of Darkthr...oh shit!

All in all, Akitsa defied my expectations and managed to beat Cultes des Ghoules to gain the prestigious number one spot for black metal released in 2018. It combines excellent riffs, epic song structures and a mighty ambiance. 

 

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Heavy Sentence – Protector/Darkest Hour (2017) / 85%

Gunz, Axxxes and Spykkkes.

I’d be lying if I said that I checked Heavy Sentence because I was interested in the music. It’s obviously because they had the best artwork I’ve ever seen. It’s over the top, silly and fun. I knew I had to acquire the seven inches, my wall asked for it for its birthday. From the lady with the latex suit, the weird boobs and the big gun to that winged skull head dude, it’s incredible. If you don’t like the artwork, there’s chances that you really suck at parties and that you order your 12 inches subway sandwiches without any sauce and cheese.

Luckily, Heavy Sentence’s music is fucking cool as well. The debut release of the Manchester based band gives us two fast paced numbers with a lot to digest. It’s heavy metal, sure but there’s a plethora of interesting genres included in their recipe as well. There’s the rough, throaty vocals of Gareth Howells who’s in a lot of bands I’ve never heard of that gives me a sort of blackened thrash/speed vibe. There’s surely some punk here too mixed with their NWOBHM love. It’s only like seven minutes but it’s all over the place and they mix melodic leads with an evil, vintage voice. What’s great about them is that it’s pretty unique despite their familiar sound. Exciter, Maiden, King Diamond? Sure, but it doesn’t sound like anyone in particular. The two songs are somewhat different too. “Protector” feels more like outgoing classic heavy/hard rock and “Darkest Hour” is like a dark mournful speedy heavy number.

It’s not cute nor safe heavy metal and this was made clear with the troglodyte wielding a great axe on the cover. Buy or get decapitated.

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Un - Sentiment (2018) / 82%

Ruins & Flowers

The American west coast (Portland, Seattle etc...) sure has a distinct sound, call it Cascadian or whatever, it’s unimportant in the end. What matters is that most of those bands are pretty damn good and interesting. Acts like Lycus, Alderaban, Ash Borer, Usnea or Bell Witch put a lot of atmosphere in their extreme metal and they help the creation of a potent sound.

Un (one in French) released their debut full length back in 2015 and I thought it was an impressive slab of slow stuff. Sentiment, their sophomore album improves their formula ever further. Funeral doom is a hard style to mess around, its primary components make it hard for its disciples to truly distinguish itself. They’re like those black cultists preaching at the altar of the olde godes like Esoteric or Thergothon. While Un aren’t iconoclasts or genre revolutionaries, they did enough to separate themselves from the pack. 

Funeral doom is often seasoned with death metal or even black metal (see Nortt) but using the American blend of sludge (high in trans fat, see Crowbar) was definitely a good idea. It doesn’t make a super huge difference in the final result but it’s a bit more exciting than your run of the mill funeral doom band. The growls of front-man Monte Mccleery (probably also a cowboy with that name) are deep and ultimately quite traditional but what sets them apart is their guitars. You obviously have those slow, crunchy riffs but the band lets itself loose with those big joyful melodic leads like at the end of the title track. It’s borderline post metal at times but it’s never unfocused.

Just like the artwork where ruins are meeting a meadow of colorful flowers, darkness meets light. The inclusion of female vocals on “Pools of Reflection” did wonders for their atmosphere as well. Un’s strength relies on the small details and their propension for melody and beautiful guitar leads.

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Carcolh – Rising Sons of Saturn (2018) / 89%

The Baguette Doom Series pt. XVIII: Risen

Risen from the remnants of the promising but ultimately deceased Marble Chariot (read Baguettes V and XIV), Carloclh unleashed their debut full length back in March and they're now signed on the excellent Emanes Metal Records.

The French quintet from Bordeaux are able to go beyond the confines of traditional doom metal and find a sound of their own through the somber plains of the style. They don’t sound like anyone else and that’s already an important quality to have in 2018 doom when everyone are worshiping at the diminished altars of Electric Wizard or Sleep. Some French bands like Huata or Witchthroat Serpent are guilty of this misdemeanor. Not Carcolh. No sir.

Something important about Rising Sons of Saturn is that it never sounds derivative or forced to evolve in a certain niche. It’s authentic and it sounds authentic. From the natural and subtle production to the well written riffs (the most important component of doom), Carcolh has everything.

After an intriguing introduction with some piano intertwined with their riffs near the end, the real deal starts with the sorrowful but fat guitars of “Signs of the Afterlife” and we’re served more than forty minutes of top tier doom. Like any good doom bands, Carcolh knows that varying their tempos is the way to go. We have the fast gem in “Master of Midnight” and the slow dirge of the ten minutes epic “Into Eternity, I Will Rise Again” as dichotomous examples. They excel at all the speed they’re trying and they’re also able to keep the slower moments interesting.

In terms of likeness, they’re probably closer to Weird Light, France’s best hidden doom secret. Heavy riffs, dark atmosphere and grandiose clean vocals are their similarities. If Carcolh’s riffs were not as good as they are, the vocals of Sébastien Fanton would be the highlight. He’s even better here than he was with Marble Chariot. His strongest strength is his ability to be rough and moody while at the same time keeping things clean. Fanton’s approach is diverse but like the whole band, it’s focused and nothing is out of place. He gives us his best performance on the heartfelt “And the Sun Died”. On the other hand, the top notch solos of Olivier Blanc (now gone from the band) add another layer of musicality to Carcolh and I hope they’ll be as effective on their future releases. I’d take more bass in the mix next time though, it’s there, I can feel it but I’d like to shake a bit more.

From atmospheric and brooding to catchy and robust, the seven songs record explores many facets from trad doom that aren’t always combined under the same umbrella. They mix them with ease and panache and were able to release one of the top doom albums of the year alongside Acolytes of Moros, Dautha or Solemn Ceremony. What Carcolh offers us is trad doom that can play in the major league and for a rookie, it’s impressive. It’s obvious that those dudes aren’t novices. They clearly knew what sound they wanted and they did an impressive job with their debut full length. Support French doom. Supremely good baguette.

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Tanith - Citadel (90%) / 2017

 Cold but Warm

This single really took everyone by surprise when it was released last year. It's a blistering ten minutes of uber catchy heavy metal/hard rock and I'd probably sell my grand mother to get the full length before everyone else.

The best thing is that it's timeless but also able to bring you back to different rock eras with ease and panache. You get some hints of prog rock, especially in the way the four musicians are playing (they have skills for days) but also a fair share of other elements, intricately put together. The title track showcased the proggier and epic sound reminiscing of the hey days of NWOBHM and the proto metal of Uriah Heep while "Eleven Days" demonstrates some folky overtones with beautiful acoustic vocals and some deep electric soloing. For a short release, it's really varied and demonstrates how well Russ Tippins has assimilated all those sounds in one compact comet. It's not quite heavy and never needs to be to put you on a brief voyage through cold but warm lands as illustrated on the classic looking artwork.

The highlights of the release are the twinned guitars and the twinned vocals of Tippins and his American counterpart Cindy Maynard. Both vocalists do take an AOR approach but it fits the hyper melodic guitar riffs and the loud but evocative bass lines. It's clean, easy to sing along and just makes me happy and jolly.

The American/British quartet showed everyone how quality heavy/hard is done. I'm stoked to see what they can do on a longer medium. Maybe some extended tracks with proggier moments!? STOKED.

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Idle Hands – Don’t Waste Your Time (2018) / 83%

Idle Hands – Don’t Waste Your Time (2018) / 83%

Idle No More
After In Solitude's demise, I was longing for the style they showcased on their swansong album "Sister" and while some bands did approach that sound (Tribulation for example), my itch wasn't satisfied. Portland's Idle Hands definitely follow into the Gothic fueled footsteps of the Swedish corpse but bring enough new elements to create an exciting take on heavy metal.

Gabriel Franco's vocals are full of emotions and might. He's able to perform the sorrowful lyrics with panache and ease. His deep but comforting voice would be the highlight if it wasn't for the intricate and melancholic compositions found on that debut release. On Don't Waste Your Time, we're served five compact numbers that, well don't waste their time with the listener. They're full of both empathy and despair and translate those feelings with the help of heavy traditional riffs and guitar leads (from maestro Sebastian Silva) reminiscent of the NWOBHM scene and the German greats. They intertwine their metal influences with an healthy dosage of Gothic rock, new wave, alternative rock and post punk. From the old school influence of The Sisters of Mercy to the modern touches of Katatonia (see those leads in "Can You Hear the Rain"), there's a lot to ingest here and twenty minutes is not enough! I'd like to hear them go slower and be even gloomier, I think they could even more impressive.

There's a lot of urgency in those midpaced songs, it's catchy and dreamy. Like a good heavy metal, they don't forget the riffs and like a good goth band, they don't forget the airy atmosphere. The production (handled in part by Franco) fits the sound that Idle Hands wanted perfectly. It's aerial and there's a lot of place for the vocals at the forefront of their formula. Sometimes, the rhythm guitars could benefit from a bit more oomph but that's just me. With their debut EP, we see a band in full control of their identity, I'm stoked to hear what they'll do next.

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