Whew! Yeah, best to simply avoid the light at all costs and remain right here in natural world where your Last Rites buds hammer out mightily verbose lists like idiot savants (with an emphasis on the idiot.)

Related: it’s a pretty big release day for heavy metal; probably the biggest of the year to date. If you’re a part of our snuggly little tribe, chances are pretty high that you grabbed (or plan to grab) something, because most every base is covered. Here’s a slice of 12:

• Cirith Ungol – Forever Black [Metal Blade]
• Katatonia – City Burials [Peaceville]
• Elder – Omens [Armageddon (US) Stickman (EU)]
• Ulcerate – Stare Into Death and Be Still [Debemur Morti Productions]
• Dark Forest – Oak, Ash & Thorn [Cruz del Sur]
• Total Fucking Destruction – …To Be Alive at the End of the World [Translation Lost]
• Anubis Gate – Covered in Colours [Nightmare]
• Auroch – Stolen Angelic Tongues EP [20 Buck Spin]
• Sölicitör – Spectral Devastation [Gates of Hell]
• Terrestrial Hospice – Indian Summer Brought Mushroom Clouds [Helter Skelter]
• Warbringer – Weapons of Tomorrow [Napalm]
• The Wizar’d – Subterranean Exile [Cruz del Sur]

So, yeah—if you have the means, please go buy something! The scene ain’t nothin’ if we don’t support it, and bands and labels definitely need our support right now.

Right… Back to the list! Similar to the wide spectrum of April 24th releases listed above, Volume 8 covers a hell of a lot of bases, so we expect absolutely zero guff for our choices. Have your favorites found their way to the spotlight yet? If not, there’s only two more chances left for us to win your favor! Gasp!

As always, here’s your cheatsheet:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7

Tenno Heika Banzai!

ARGUS – BOLDLY STRIDE THE DOOMED

At the crossroads of epic doom and traditional heavy metals sits Pennsylvania’s Argus, perpetual Last Rites favorites because they’re quite simply one of the strongest American metal bands of the past few decades. For this one, guitarists Erik Johnson and Jason Mucio weave Maiden-y harmonies around Candlemass-y riffs, balancing the galloping drive against the lumbering trudge, sometimes celebratory and mostly forlorn. Vocalist Butch Balich possesses one of the finest sets of pipes in modern metal, his voice powerful and somber as it soars, never reaching into the stratospheric head-voice heights of most trad-metallers, keeping the whole of Argus’ work striding boldly in that beautiful gloomy doom below.

All individual greatnesses aside, Boldly Stride The Doomed succeeds primarily by virtue of being an absolutely killer collection of monstrous metal tunes, with crushers in “A Curse On The World” or the historical epic “Durendal,” the latter of which is especially tasty with a vast array of Murray-Smith-styled guitar leads.

Argus is a band that sounds both vintage and current, one that’s literally timeless because this blend of heavy riff and powerful melody never gets old. If you don’t like Argus, then you may not like heavy metal… [ANDREW EDMUNDS]

• Released: May 3, 2011
• Label: Cruz del Sur Music
• Last Rites review
• Killing cut: “Durendal”

AZARATH – BLASPHEMERS’ MALEDICTIONS

Rotating Azarath lineups had been releasing great, vicious metal for a decade by the time Blasphemers’ Maledictions showed up in 2011, but nothing prior to this moment could quite have hinted at the absolute ferocity on hand. One reason was new member Necrosodom, who leveled up the throaty dominance of the vocals so much that the band allowed him to bellow out the intro all on his own before unleashing total hell. But the success of this record was a full band effort. Every damn element—Inferno’s relentless drumming, the perfectly raw guitar tone and gloriously forceful Polish death riffing, the feeling that the songs are pushing you closer and closer to some unseen ledge—combines to make truly one of the most punishing records in the long history of extreme metal.

Really. That is not hyperbole. The way the riffs, kicks, blasts, and vocal cadence are so perfectly synced up in a unified barrage of blackened death makes it sound like the sole voice of an unknowable beast on a murderous rampage. The somehow slithery punch of “Crushing Hammer of the Antichrist”; the constant shelling of the chorus in “The Abjection”; that moment of twitches and harmonics in “Holy Possession”… Every second is guaranteed to remove your face quicker than a direct stare into the Ark of the Covenant. [ZACH DUVALL]

• Released: June 29, 2011
• Label: Witching Hour Productions
• Last Rites review
• Killing cut: “The Abjection”

MAGISTER TEMPLI – INTO DUAT

Friend, I don’t know your life. I won’t presume to know your onramp to heavy metal, nor precisely what it is about these horrible sounds that so tickles your fancy. The Norwegians in relative upstarts Magister Templi don’t know your life, either, but on their two immaculate albums of this decade past, they nevertheless saw straight through you and me and all of us with our ridiculous pretense and facade and said, “This is what you need.” And friend, goddamn but weren’t they right.

Magister Templi doesn’t quite sound like either Candlemass or Mercyful Fate, but if you imagine using a NWOBHM bowling ball to nail a 7/10 split between the two, you might be partly on the right track. Although thoroughly classicist in their interweaving of doom and straighter-ahead heavy metal, Magister Templi never once sounds like pastiche or mere wink-winking homage. These songs are coiled around Hall of Fame-level riffs that swing, swagger, and stomp all the way from Oslo down the muddy Nile, and every one of them is anchored by the impossibly charismatic voice of singer Abraxas d’Ruckus.

“Slaying Apophis” kicks out of the gate like an Iron Maiden instrumental cut, while “Osiris” sports perhaps the album’s fist-pumpingest chorus alongside a Fate-ly, chewy riff playing against relentlessly forward-leaning downbeats. “Horus the Avenger” just might be the most irrepressibly fun tune, which on an album as absurdly heart-warming as this is quite the feat. To highlight the essential oneness of heavy metal with all things, closing track “Destruction” reprises the opening track “Creation,” the universe smiles, and all are at peace. Don’t be a no-account doofus; listen to Magister Templi. [DAN OBSTKRIEG]

• Released: October 2, 2015
• Label: Cruz del Sur Music
• Last Rites review
• Killing cut: “Horus the Avenger”

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – EPICLOUD

We were told that The Devin Townsend Project was going to be a quadrilogy, so in turn I figured that after releasing those four albums in less than three years, he might take some time off to rest, regroup, and recharge. But there we were, less than a year later, presented with news of a fifth album, Epicloud.

Add another to the long list of things I’ve been wrong about—but also to the shorter list of things I’m happy to have been wrong about.

Whereas the previous DTP albums each had their own musical focus, there was no such constraint here. It was more like an amalgamation of its predecessors: it’s heavy, mellow, abrasive, gentle, cacophonous, melodic, poppy, ambient, beautiful, and ugly all at once. The result was not only his best output of the decade, but possibly the most definitive of his career. Epicloud (epic and loud, get it?) runs the entire Devin gamut, putting his full genius on display while showcasing just a bit of his madness. Speaking of madness, it’s worth noting that these songs were written while he was trying to write the Ziltoid sequel (both parts, I assume). That’s like discovering plutonium by accident! [DAVE PIRTLE]

• Released: September 18, 2012
• Label: InsideOut Music
• Last Rites review
• Killing cut: “Liberation”

IMMOLATION – MAJESTY AND DECAY

If Immolation’s career could be said to have a low point, it would have to be its 2007 release, Shadows in the Light—an album that would be a crowning achievement for the average death metal band, but it was a bit lackluster for Immolation. This is perhaps why, of the three excellent Immolation albums eligible for this list, we chose 2010’s Majesty and Decay: because everybody loves a comeback. Majesty finds the band back to its usual inspired death metal mastery. Even though Immolation didn’t tinker with its core sound here—as the band’s trademark sullen trudge and squawking dissonance are still in full effect—the band sounds re-invigorated. The songs throughout Majesty feel more potent, grander in scope and, fittingly, in Immolation’s own twisted way, majestic. While it is safe to say that Jesus is still on Immolation’s shit list, Majesty and Decay’s lyrics address a broad swath of societal ills beyond religion, including war, greed, and environmental devastation. Though these lyrical themes are grounded in real-world problems, vocalist / bassist Ross Dolan presents them in his own uniquely brutal yet epically poetic way, rendering Majesty and Decay’s songs simultaneously topical and timeless, which is why the album feels as relevant and powerful today as it did ten year ago. [JEREMY MORSE]

• Released: March 5, 2010
• Label: Nuclear Blast
• Last Rites review
• Killing cut: “A Glorious Epoch”

PYRRHON – WHAT PASSES FOR SURVIVAL

Every time I throw this thing into my head, I walk away feeling like I was just told every ugly thing everyone who ever lived ever did. From the smashing-into-all-the-mirrors-in-the-funhouse opening pastiche to the Mr. Bungle on meth on Mr. Bungleness of “Goat Mockery Ritual” to the epically craggy roll down the stony mountainside of “The Unravelling” trilogy, whatever you think you are feeling at any given moment will become a faint recollection a second later.

But always there is the insane riff, or insane vocalization, or insane beat that gets trapped in your head, even if only for the moment, that makes you long to return to the scene of the mayhem. That’s the magic. You may not even remember WHY you want to listen again, but you do. Pyrrhon rewards your bravery with so many moments of clear, perfect metalness that you just have to step into the chaos over and over. [CHRIS SESSIONS]

• Released: August 11, 2017
• Label: Willowtip Records
• Last Rites review
• Killing cut: “Trash Talk Landfill”

MADDER MORTEM – RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW

Just what in hell ARE Madder Mortem, you might honestly ask. This confounding, beguiling, enrapturing band has been following such an idiosyncratic muse over the course of its seven albums that although their sound has shifted significantly over time, they have never once sounded like anything other than themselves. Emerging from the same fertile period in Norway that birthed fellow travelers like Beyond Dawn, In the Woods, and The 3rd and the Mortal, Madder Mortem’s music is progressive but not outré, emotional but not overwrought, dramatic but not theatrical, touched by both doom and sludge but beholden to neither.

“Impassioned” might be the best all-around descriptor, but Madder Mortem’s music is defined by bulletproof pop hooks, deft instrumental interplay, mysterious atmosphere, head-spinning dynamic shifts, and the truly extraordinary vocal talent of Agnete Kirkevaag. Album number six Red in Tooth and Claw emerged after a seven-year gap but proved that the band had been anything but idle in the interim. “Blood on the Sand” and “If I Could” make for an emotionally harrowing opening tandem, but each of these ten songs is a fully realized universe, from the twanging crush of “All the Giants are Dead” to the psychedelic lilt of “The Whole Where Your Heart Belongs” to the mathy fugue of the devastating closer “Underdogs.” In the end, it doesn’t matter just what in the hell you call Madder Mortem; what matters is that you make a space for them in your heart, because they have already made a space for you. Let’s step into that clearing together. [DAN OBSTKRIEG]

• Released: October 28, 2016
• Label: Dark Essence Records
• Killing cut: “If I Could”

SVARTIDAUDI – REVELATIONS OF THE RED SWORD

The most striking detail concerning Svartidauði’s sophomore full-length, Revelations of the Red Sword, is the fact that it sounds as if every person involved in the Icelandic black metal scene stepped into the studio to make it, yet all this ghastly pandemonium is the result of just three individuals. How can so few humans create such an impenetrable, knotty, damnable maze of deliciously grim torment? Aliens is the clear answer. Not the film series, but actual aliens that have visited the earth and implanted Cosmic Terror Microprocessor Chips in the cerebral cortexes of these fated (fortunate?) individuals.

The overall density here is, in a word, gigantic, with little time allotted to serenity, despite also flashing some of the prettiest guitar layering to be heard on a modern black metal record in the last decade. Controlled chaos is probably the best way to attempt to describe the album’s overarching methodology: even if guitarist Þórir Garðarsson is taking a break from piling dissonant riff after dissonant riff upon an endless parade of jarring chord progressions in favor of something truly pretty (5:30 into the opening “Sol Ascending,” for example), drummer Magnús Skúlason is very likely punishing the skins like Gene Hoglan with a bee in his ear. The result is just… Stunningly helter-skelter, but not without glimpses of gracefulness to trick your mind into believing that this blitzkrieg ride into infinite pandemonium might not be as terrifying as it actually is? Oh, but it is. Vocalist ( / bassist) Sturla Viðar roars orders from a burning pulpit, and by the time you reach the 47-minute mark, it’s pretty much too late, you poor, poor bastard. [CAPTAIN]

• Released: December 3, 2018
• Label: Ván Records
• Killing cut: “The Howling Cynocephali”

KOWLOON WALLED CITY – CONTAINER SHIPS

Kowloon Walled City is heavy. The tectonic, lumbering bass is heavy. The angular, noisily trudging riffs are heavy. The lyrics and emotional weight of the songs are heavy. Container Ships is an incredibly heavy album. Opener “The Pressure Keeps Me Alive” will squeeze your anxiety until it cries. Closer “You Don’t Have Cancer” doesn’t feel like relief at all. It plods along in defeat before dropping some of the heaviest riffs the band has ever written, made all the heavier by the relative calm that preceded them. These bookends are clear highlights, but the entire 35 minutes is an exercise in cathartic sorrow and despair.

While Kowloon Walled City has always been more on the AmRep-style rock side of the fence, they share more than enough features with their sludge metal brethren, with shorter hair but just as many black t-shirts. You can certainly listen to Container Ships in the sunlight as you enjoy life, but it will always be a dark album, bringing you back to wearier times. For the full experience, turn the lights low, pour a larger-than-usual glass of your favorite depressant, unbottle your emotions for once, and play Container Ships loudly and without interruption.

A quick word of warning before you click that review link below: know that the original writer has left the nest, and we have learned to embrace this album’s rugged perfection with the wisdom of hindsight and functioning ears. Scott Evans’ ragged but decipherable vocals convey the bleak emotions of the lyrics and fit perfectly with the music, and we’ve already covered how fantastic the final track is. Dig in, you miserable bastards. [FETUSGHOST]

• Released: December 4, 2011
• Label: Brutal Panda Records
• Last Rites review
• Killing cut: “The Pressure Keeps Me Alive”

ENSLAVED – RIITIIR

Not just a great album name to hear Grutle rrrrrrrrrroll on stage but it’s also an album that is among Enslaved’s best (and since we’re talking about Enslaved that means a whole lot). What does RIITIIR do so well? For starters, it contains some of their most straightforward, pleasing melodeath ever recorded. The clean vocals of Herbrand Larsen (no longer in the band) are perfectly matched to the melodious, almost doomy, guitar lines on what should be pop hits like “Death in the Eyes of Dawn” and the incomparable “Roots of the Mountain.” Equal to the composition, the production provides ample bottom end supporting and cradling these precious compositions like an alien demon baby swaddled in chain mail and wet goofer dust. RIITIIR is an ugly-face album. You will absolutely growl along in the most inappropriate of places. You will sing the melodious clean parts while showering, urinating or cooking deviled eggs for grandma’s 90th. And Enslaved doesn’t merely head down the shiny road of pop on RIITIIR. There is enough grit, muck, jarring rhythm changes and absolutely filthy vocals to satisfy the most painted of corpses. When discussing the best albums of the last decade it would be a horrific shame if this one wasn’t on your shortlist for the absolute best. [MANNY-O-WAR]

• Released: October 9, 2011
• Label: Nuclear Blast
• Last Rites Review
• Killing cut: “Roots of the Mountain”

«»

The post 10s Essentials – Volume Eight appeared first on Last Rites.

As a right-of-center Canadian, which is much more moderate than our American counterparts, and a geoscientist for “Big Oil,” I tend to keep my political thoughts to myself amongst my fellow interlocutors of the musical persuasion. Despite my political leanings, I don’t subscribe to extreme views of how the world works and find myself drawn to liberals and vehemently opposed to right-wing extremists. This should tell us something. We can (and should) decouple our tendency to disagree from our tendency to dehumanize and demean others when we can’t seem to find common ground.

The fact that so many writers, with different minds, beliefs, and backgrounds could find so much to love about the body of metal music released in 2016 — despite numerous disagreements on the absolute highs of this landscape — can attest to this.  We will indeed find a way to move forward, but it can be difficult to obtain the quality information necessary to find where this path resides.

One of the more useful metaphors I’ve heard to describe this is one of flipping over rocks. Sometimes there will be nothing underneath them, but sometimes there will be pieces of information worth knowing, provided that you know where to look. Sometimes you may not know how these disparate pieces fit in with the rest of the quality information that enriches your life and forms the basis for your interpretation of the world. The collection and analysis of this quality information is a painstakingly slow process. It is hard work.

Exchange of ideas by open conversation is the most efficient way to expedite this tedious process of rock flipping. Disagreement on a particular topic amongst individuals who are prepared to discuss it in a productive way, is usually a good indicator that we have not reached the optimal interpretation.

With music, we often have to resist the urge to boil everything down to aesthetic relativism. It is a seductive position to take. After all, if beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, then would I bother writing a 1000-word review of any particular album, metal or otherwise? My opinions constitute noise. I think most of those reading this right now would recognize that is not the case. Clearly, there is something valuable about this process. We are fans, writing for fans, and our meaningful interactions with each other allow us to appreciate art better. These are not fruitless projects.

Below are pieces of art that resonated with me in 2016; hopefully, in a time of uncertainty, you will find them useful, as I have.

The post Evan Thompson’s Best of 2016 – Finding the Way Forward appeared first on Last Rites.

In truth, we mostly get our drank on and argue about it on the internet until we get something concrete to nail to the village doors. But it’s a private area of the internet where no one else can see us argue, so we’re being very parental about our squabbling. So, no Dungeons & Dragons, unfortunately. There is a lot of magic involved, though. At least I think it’s magic. Could also be severe dehydration. Or those weird cookies the intern from Oranssipazuzustan brought in.

It’s worth noting that planet Earth’s devious scheme to compel its inhabitants to question the authority of voting in 2016 seems to have worked its pesky tendrils into Last Rites HQ harder than usual. There was an even louder collective “Who the what?” howled to the cosmos when this year’s final list came across our desks. Despite being a lousy year (any year where you lose Lemmy, Bowie and Prince is automatically lousy, no matter what other good managed to eke through), there was enough great music from each of metal’s sub-genres to ensure a more vigorous singularity across individual lists. Because of this, smaller correlations between crew members had a greater impact, which also means you’ll see a nice bit of variety once we start posting our personal picks next week.

Also worth noting, Devin Townsend deserves a special tip of the cap for driving the most divisive wedge between friends I’ve ever seen from a metal artist. There is very little middle ground when it comes to this guy, so you either get the addicts who vault him to the clouds and talk about him in the same shmoopy way you might address a puppy (“Awww, look! Devy’s got a Santa hat on!”), or you get the soreheads who make statements like “they sound like the house band for the Mormon church.” Anyway, good art and smart artists polarize the public, so his place amidst anyone’s favorites is warranted during any year he elects to release an album.

Enough of the prattling. Last year, Tau Cross ran home with the prize, which wasn’t so much a prize as it was, well, absolutely nothing. Bragging rights associated with being very highly regarded by a group of individuals who spend a large amount of their free time lamenting over the fact that Tony Martin-fronted Black Sabbath remains terribly under-rated. Who will take the illustrious #1 spot this year? We’re about to find out.

[MICHAEL WUENSCH]

25. HELCARAXË – THE LAST BATTLE

“Red Dragon was a monster, appropriately enough, but the addition of further emphasis upon Helcaraxe’s already mighty mastery of the epic pushes The Last Battle in a slightly different direction, even more fantastic than that which came before and every bit as metallic. At $5 for the digital files on the ol’ Bandcamp, The Last Battle is a must-buy.” [ANDREW EDMUNDS]

Released: Independent, August 30th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

24. ASPHYX – INCOMING DEATH

“The goal perseveres to crush, and it does so with the continued cooperation of the modern, well-groomed mix/mastering work of Dan Swäno and Unisound Studios. Some might argue for a dirtier, less “crunchy” approach, but a production such as this embiggens the punch of the heftier numbers, of which there are plenty. If the heft of a song like “Forerunners of the Apocalypse” doesn’t flatten your honker, you probably shouldn’t have taken that left turn at Albuquerque and landed in the damn neighborhood in the first place.” [MICHAEL WUENSCH]

Released: Century Media, September 30th
Last Rites review
Samples

23. INVERLOCH – DISTANCE | COLLAPSED

“Distance | Collapsed is a seamless mixture of death and doom metal with a sound that moves away a bit from classic early diSEMBOWELMENT and toward that of, maybe, latter day Evoken. Riffs, and more riffs trodden down with a glacial pace are the name of the game, but Inverloch picks it up here and there with a gallop. Take Evoken, toss in some Incantation, and you’re in the ballpark. Add some atmospherics as a garnish, and serve.” [DAVE SCHALEK]

Released: Relapse Records, March 4th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

22. OPETH – SORCERESS

“Sorceress finds Opeth comfortably following the path that they forged on Pale Communion. It’s a fantastically arranged and produced record. It successfully pays homage to many high watermarks of the Opeth catalog, but also firmly supplants any hopes of the band returning to the death metal stylings of their earlier material that made them such a dominant force in heavy music.” [EVAN THOMPSON]

Released: Moderbolaget Records, September 30th
Last Rites review
Samples

21. NUCLEUS – SENTIENT

“Certainly, as is the case with most death metal today, Nucleus has been influenced by many of the giants of death metal, particularly those that fly the Finnish flag. But, again, they are far from a lame carbon copy. Nucleus throws a sci-fi take on the early bands, but they modify the sound with a sturdy helping of American death metal influences.” [MANNY-O-WAR]

Released: Unspeakable Axe, April 15th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

20. KHTHONIIK CERVIIKS – SEROLOGIIKAL SCARS

“…beneath all of the clangs and blasts and wiry dissonances and malevolent vocal bellows are catchy moments. Damn catchy moments, in fact. For example, “Biinary Epitome (Spyder’s Web)” utilizes trills to offset some particularly brutal moments, while the aforementioned “SeroLogiikal Scars (Sequence 2.0: Veiled Viiral Vektor)” is more subtle in its hook, simply freeing a tremolo line from its harmony for a brief moment, using its nakedness to glue the phrase together.” [ZACH DUVALL]

Released: Iron Bonehead Productions, February 8th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

19. TREES OF ETERNITY – HOUR OF THE NIGHTINGALE

“Like so many children, the birth of the production cost the world its mother. But, even without the backstory and the emotional drain before even pressing play, Hour of the Nightingale is a harrowing work of utter beauty. Using a goth-inspired take on doom, Trees of Eternity weave compositions that are not wholly separate from their Katatonia roots. Melody, emotion and super long song arcs predominate, but it’s Aleah’s stunning vocal performance, dripping with butterscotch sweetness and syrupy emotion, that steals the show.” [MANNY-O-WAR]

Released: Svart Records, November 11th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

18. FATES WARNING – THEORIES OF FLIGHT

“Theories of Flight’s cover art hints that flight, like Life, is made up of basic movements hardly noticed in real time but that together carry us to wondrous places. Its songs reflect the journey, being deeply personal, discreet yet relatable, maximizing the shared space between storyteller and listener. Ray Alder wrote a lot of the lyrics for Theories and it’s obvious that these words matter to him, his performance here perhaps his strongest ever. Classic Matheos riffs and solos are brighter around the edges, vital and uplifting, dynamic scaffolding for all that evoked power. From the core, Jarzombek’s drums inject a flow of metal to gird the fresh embrace of harmonic and melodic texturing that fans that power out across the color spectrum. The effect for the listener is connection not just with the words, ‘Yeah, been there before,’ but with the essential emotion, ‘Oh, I know how that feels!'” [LONE WATIE]

Released: InsideOut Music, July 1st
Samples

17. CHTHE’ILIST – LE DERNIER CRÉPUSCULE

“Chthe’ilist vocalist, guitarist, bassist and synthist Pat Tougas has forged a fresh world (Eil’udom) inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, and just how far he plans on weaving these realms and its principle inhabitants – the Typhodians – remains to be seen. I can tell you that the shifting moods throughout Le Dernier Crépuscule paint a fertile, horrific and compelling landscape, and Pat’s crackpot vocals serve to push the narrative off the charts.” [MICHAEL WUENSCH]

Released: Profound Lore, January 29th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

16. SPIRITUS MORTIS – THE YEAR IS ONE

“The Year Is One is loaded from top to bottom with simple, but very catchy, riffs and a slow to mid-paced tempo that anchors the sound. But it’s the soaring melodic, yet richly delivered, vocals from Sami Hynninen (Reverend Bizarre‘s Albert Witchfinder), who joined in 2009, that elevate the band’s sound to a higher level.” [DAVE SCHALEK]

Released: Svart Records, November 11th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

15. MESHUGGAH – THE VIOLENT SLEEP OF REASON

“The result is an album that might as well be called “Meshuggah: Jam Room,” as if the mentality was to write a shitload of riffs and rock their socks off. Again, this is all very relative, and because being “normal” isn’t in their vocabulary, and because they’re simply better at this metal thing than 99.99 percent of all other bands in existence, The Violent Sleep of Reason still ended up being a crazily technical, rhythmically mind-boggling, and oppressively heavy album.” [ZACH DUVALL]

Released: Nuclear Blast, October 7th
Last Rites review
Samples

14. WORMED – KRIGHSU

“What makes this album any different from the countless oceans of over-produced BruTech drech, you ask? Vision, motherfucker, that’s what. Wormed does this awesome thing where certain riffs in certain spots recall past or present riffs, which makes their songs relate to all of their other songs in some fashion. If a band like Tool or Radiohead does that, They get the cover of Rolling Stone. Why not Wormed, I ask? I already imagine Madrid shuts down at least once a day to have a parade for these guys, complete with a kid throwing a bottle of Coke at vocalist Phlegeton and him coming down off of his float to give him his Wormed jersey.” [CHRIS REDAR]

Released: Season of Mist, March 18th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

13. INSOMNIUM – WINTER’S GATE

“The one thing the album-length song almost always suffers from is moments when you feel like you have heard enough. When listening to music, perception really is reality, so anything in the experience that moves you away from enjoying yourself can kill a song, or an album for future listens. But Winter’s Gate does not, to my mind, have any of these moments. By record’s final third the listener is invested and able to simply enjoy the finale.” [CHRIS SESSIONS]

Released: Century Media, September 23rd
Last Rites review
Sample

12. ORANSSI PAZUZU – VÄRÄHTELIJÄ

“Oranssi Pazuzu are, I suppose, a jam band for the eternal void. Each song on Värähtelijä feels like an hours’-long, chemically assisted freak-out and exorcism whittled down to its purest essence, like Hawkwind or Amon Duul at their untidiest directed into some kind of order. Värähtelijä is less outwardly aggressive than Valonielu, but by jacking up the psychedelic elements of OP’s sound, it maintains a level of sustained intensity that would be overbearing if the band weren’t so expert at ratcheting the tension again and again, higher and higher, and finally relenting just shy of the listener’s breaking point.” [DAN OBSTKRIEG]

Released: Svart Records, February 26th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

11. ANAAL NATHRAKH – THE WHOLE OF THE LAW

“Of course, Anaal Nathrakh’s modus vivendi has always been manifestly unhinged music. Nevertheless, the ruthless discipline with which they execute that manifesto throughout The Whole of the Law marks the album distinctly apart from their recent output. “Hold Your Children Close and Pray for Oblivion” demonstrates the band’s extremes brilliantly, with some of the album’s harshest, blown-out electronic beats and Hunt’s severely unwell vocals butting up against some legitimately uplifting melodic guitar work from Kenney in the midsection.” [DAN OBSTKRIEG]

Released: Metal Blade, October 28th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

10. DARKTHRONE – ARCTIC THUNDER

“All said and done, people will likely tromp out the old “If you love/hate modern Darkthrone…” line to either praise or condemn Arctic Thunder, and that’s an understandable stance, to a point. But what ultimately sets this record apart is the fact that it sounds more like Darkthrone being Darkthrone, as opposed to Darkthrone paying tribute to our ancestors. The good times continue to roll, and one can still have fun trying to bridge these riffs to dusty bands of times long past (and likely be wrong), but the return to harsh coldness without sacrificing a high-quality production or the band’s unique brand of revelry allows Arctic Thunder to stack very close to the top of the heap when it comes to their modern harvest.” [MICHAEL WUENSCH]

Released: Peaceville, October 14th
Last Rites review
Samples

9. INTER ARMA – PARADISE GALLOWS

“It would be easy to get lost in the minutiae of Inter Arma’s compositions and the breadth of the material on offer here. As stated previously, this a big record with a lot to digest, but there is also a lot to love. Plenty of interesting melodies, savagely complex grooves, and nuanced instrumentals await those who take the time to immerse themselves in Inter Arma’s masterpiece of modern metal. A fundamentally great heavy record with a sense of scale unlike any I have heard in recent years.” [EVAN THOMPSON]

Released: Relapse Records, July 8th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

8. HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE – DEAD REVOLUTION

“Although it has been a long five years since 17th Street, that interim period has seen Hammers of Misfortune‘s ringleader and guitarist John Cobbett release two albums of gloriously crusty psych-thrash with Vhol (albums which, on occasion, bear traces of the pre-Hammers group Unholy Cadaver). Even so, any new Hammers release should be greeted as the gift that it is, because very few bands channel everything true and righteous about traditional heavy metal into music that sounds anything but traditional.” [DAN OBSTKRIEG]

Released: Metal Blade, July 22nd
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

7. MOONSORROW – JUMALTEN AIKA

“Moonsorrow are clearly inspired by not only their musical heroes and mythical tales of yore, but by the metal music that they themselves have created. Otherwise they would have long since become bored and attempted something far more drastic. Let us all be thankful that this has never happened, because to many a fan, they offer some of the most constantly captivating and joyful experiences in music, and Jumalten Aika continues the tradition. That’s a kind of magic that you just can’t teach.” [ZACH DUVALL]

Released: Century Media, April 1st
Last Rites review
Sample

6. SUBROSA – FOR THIS WE FOUGHT THE BATTLE OF AGES

“It is a funeral bouquet, steel and blood; potted in granite. It is a confident drawing composed of sumptuous curves boldly and satisfyingly depicting the decay of a soul. It is the last sigh of a death welcome and deserved. It is funeral dirges, lovely voices, disturbing strings, dissonant harmonies, anger and pain and, above all, heavier than all the guilt in hell.” [CHRIS SESSIONS]

Released: Profound Lore, August 26th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

5. DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – TRANSCENDENCE

The difference between Transcendence and the last several DTP albums is as real as it is difficult to pin down. All of them are joyous, overflowing albums, but the dominant mode on many seemed to be extroversion; they worked their magic because they led by example: “If we can be this happy, so can you.” Transcendence, by contrast, is somewhat more introverted, or at least introspective. It’s no less positive or joyous because of that, but it has the feeling of a deep satisfaction that comes with learning something about oneself after long struggle and denial. Transcendence doesn’t sound like Ocean Machine, really. Or Terria. Or anything else, specifically. But it sounds like it is looking with compassion on the people who made those albums, remembering the way they felt when that was what was in their heart. It also sounds like looking with compassion on the people who made City. It also sounds, for the record, like a maximalist auteur at the absolute top of his goddamned game. Get higher. [DAN OBSTKRIEG]

Released: HevyDevy Records, September 9th
Sample

4. KATATONIA – THE FALL OF HEARTS

“Like most Katatonia albums, The Fall of Hearts has a sneaky depth. Even the most direct and catchy of the band’s works have treats and details hiding in plain sight, and this is no different. If anything it is even more brimming with detail and nuance than other albums. It is also as beautiful, haunting, professionally crafted, and oh-so-sweet to the ears as we have come to expect from the band, with what feels like one of the best sets of songs of their career.” [ZACH DUVALL]

Released: Peaceville, May 20th
Last Rites review
Sample

3. BLOOD INCANTATION – STARSPAWN

“What’s notably satisfying about Blood Incantation‘s brand of death metal is that they’re a part of the faction that doesn’t pay heed to the masks, hoods, costumes, or any of the other ancillary bullshit that so many bands seem to think adds to their appeal. Furthermore, they manage to play a form of galactic death metal that’s brutal, technical, atmospheric and funereal without those tags becoming deadly-strict identifiers –– just like those young and raw death metal bands of the early 90s.” [MICHAEL WUENSCH]

Released: Dark Descent, August 18th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

2. VEKTOR – TERMINAL REDUX

“Terminal Redux is not only Vektor’s best album to date, it reveals a band that is just beginning to discover its potential. They are entering a truly progressive zone where attempting to temper any part of their crazy expression might hurt the whole. So I’ll definitely take those minor missteps, because flawed masterpiece or not, this is still a masterpiece.” [ZACH DUVALL]

Released: Earache, May 6th
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

1. MITHRAS – ON STRANGE LOOPS

“And that is what this record is about. We all love our riffs, and we all love our grooves and speed and dynamics and textures, but Mithras writes motherfucking SONGS. Like few who can blast this brutally, Mithras never ever does so at the expense of making an emotional connection to the listener via honest-to-Mithra beautiful metal songwriting. They give us all the other components, mind you, but these are truly deep and moving compositions into which all the right ingredients are poured.” [CHRIS SESSIONS]

Released: Willowtip, October 21st
Last Rites review
Bandcamp

A sincere thanks is once again owed to all of you who remain at our side. Perhaps it goes without saying, but we appreciate any attention we can get in a world where a near limitless amount of metal-related content is at your fingertips. We’re thankful for your presence here, and that’s straight from all of our hearts. Here’s to hoping 2016 somehow managed to bring goodness into your lives, and we hope to see you all as we limp, crawl and claw our way into 2017.

As always, we’d love to see your lists as well; it’s a two-way street and we like reading ‘em as much as we enjoy compiling ‘em, so have at it in the comments below.

The post Last Rites’ Best Of 2016 – Combined Staff appeared first on Last Rites.

Two qualifiers for this little write-up. First, I am a massive fan of Townsend’s music, but who better to discuss such a release, right? Second, I have not seen the DVD side of The Retinal Circus, so this is merely a discussion of the audio portion of the set.

On we go, to the thoughts!

1. THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE

Live albums, that is. Don’t insult us with the obligatory fulfillments of contracts. Don’t follow every tour with yet another live album (sorry, Iron Maiden) just because you always have. And certainly don’t exploit your hardcore and rabid fan base through blatant cash grabs. But THIS. This perfect celebration of a man and his music, and those he has chosen to bring along for the ride over the years. Devin and his cast of musicians (including the ever-divine Anneke Van Giersbergen) aren’t just resting on a collection of great tunes and their impeccable abilities, but upping the fucking ante anywhere and everywhere possible. This includes a full choir, some Jed Simon appearances on SYL standards, and a tendency to slightly adapt songs (“Hyperdrive” is reworked again, and “Love?” sounds more Synchestra than Alien). What Epicloud did for “Kingdom,” this album does for every song included, at least to a certain extent. It causes The Retinal Circus feel less live album than just album.

2. THE RETINAL CIRCUS STANDS ALONE

At least, among metal live albums. There is simply no point of comparison for The Retinal Circus within metal when it comes to how this was designed and conceived. Some might point to live productions of Scenes from a Memory and Operation: Mindcrime, but those were designed for individual concept albums, not full careers. For something comparable, you have to look back to a pair of live albums Frank Zappa did in the 70s: Roxy and Elsewhere and Zappa in New York. (Hell, whoever plays Ziltoid’s wife sounds strangely like Terry Bozio as the devil in “Titties & Beer.”) By ignoring rules about live albums – even in an era in which the live album ruled – Zappa gave these two collections a feel all their own. Townsend has done the same here, redefining classic material not only through the aforementioned adaptations, but through the arrangement of the whole. It isn’t just a metal show, it’s a production. But more than anything, those two live albums may have been the best examples of exactly who and what FZ was, and The Retinal Circus does the exact same for Devin.

3. MATERIAL IS ELEVATED

Material that I initially rated as “merely pretty good,” either by the silliness (Ziltoid the Omniscient) or through feeling a touch of Devin overload (Deconstruction) finds new life here. “Juular” is a perfect pummeling to follow “Kingdom,” while “Planet of the Apes” feels far more at home – and seems to drag less – within this setting than in its original incarnation. As for the Ziltoid material? It was always fun, but mixed in with the “story” of The Retinal Circus, it’s both a blast and a complete laugh riot, adding to the party atmosphere of the album. The lyric “WE! ARE ALL! PUPPETS!” never sounded more fitting.

4. THE MARRIAGE OF VOICES

Has there ever been a more perfect union of vocal talents than Devin Townsend and Anneke Van Giersbergen? Doubtful. When mixing Devin’s chameleonesque tendencies to scream, growl, croon, wail, and do everything else humanly possibly with Anneke’s immeasurable ability to both soar and sound angelic (you can almost hear her smile), you find a level of lung and vocal cord talent unlike anything else. Anneke provides plenty of leads (“Babysong”), but the tiny flairs she adds really enhance the whole. Harmonies in “Wild Colonial Boy,” background work in “Planet Smasher,” some horror-movie-wails in “Vampira,” it all goes so far in upping the texture for music that is already tens of layers deep. The power of this duo (may it never cease to be) is at its height during “Ih-Ah,” the quite unmetal ballad from Addicted. With full realization that metal fans aren’t always searching for beauty in their audio adventures, this still has to be heard.

5. LIFE AFTER LIVE AFTER DEATH

Because of the stated reasons, The Retinal Circus may very well be the greatest metal live since Live After Death. Go ahead, try to think of something else. Maybe Alive In Athens, but what else? Most metal live albums are either 1. A clinical rehash of studio material that is muddled in crowd noise, or 2. Sloppy performances that are exposed without the energy of being there. (To make up for the dig at Maiden earlier, I’ll admit that they somehow still capture that energy on tape. After all, they’re Iron Goddamn Maiden.) Because of this, and because it is such a great intro to The Man Townsend, The Retinal Circus is easily more necessary a purchase for the casual fan than several of his studio albums.

6. PRESENTING THE ULTIMATE GIFT

With all of the classic albums Townsend has released under any number of banners, something about The Retinal Circus feels like his ultimate gift to his fans. If he retired tomorrow (please, no), this would be as perfect a send off as one could imagine. Casual fans will love it; hardcore fans will be in absolute heaven. If one thing defines the magic of this set (other than “ONE MORE TIME FOR THE WORLD” done in full Paul Stanley voice), it is the moment right when the classic “War” is hitting stride. Devin, with blissful earnestness in his voice, yells out “Who here’s ready to fucking party?!” to the crowd, revealing that despite all of the struggles he has had in life, through all of his self-deprecating humor, there is nowhere else he would rather be than on that stage at that exact moment. Long time fans will feel exactly the same.

Pure joy. Can’t wait to dive into the DVD.

The post Six Thoughts: Devin Townsend – The Retinal Circus appeared first on Last Rites.

But enough about me — I just know there needs to be an introduction, and I have no grand declarations about the state of metal this year. Truth is, there have been some unbelievable albums released in the past (almost) twelve months, and my complaints are few and far between. I reviewed a few sour records, sure, but I also wrote about my share of winners. Since joining this site almost two years ago, I’ve always felt like the kid who’s just happy to be here, listening to (sometimes) phenomenal albums, writing reviews, interviewing bands, and bonding with the talented journalists on the team.

Now, we’re Last Rites, and this renovation and recreation hopefully marks a new era for our publication. Thank you all for sticking with us, or if you’re just joining us now, welcome aboard.

See you guys next year! And hey, 2013? Don’t f*ck this up. 2012 left some big shoes to fill.

1. AHAB – THE GIANT

Those of you who have been following my reviews this year (all three of you) will probably not be surprised with Ahab nabbing the top spot. This gorgeous, somber, and staggering record sends the notion of formulaic funeral doom to a watery grave. It’s their strongest and most dynamic album to date, emulating the tranquil lull of a gentle tide, as well as the body-breaking devastation of a stormy sea. The Giant is an all-enveloping soundtrack of shipwrecked woe.

2. WOODS OF YPRES – GREY SKIES & ELECTRIC LIGHT

When David Gold sent me this album to learn, I spent a month straight listening to it, learning David’s amazing drum parts – as well as trying to absorb the incredible depth and poignancy of the music. David Gold and Joel Violette cultivated an inimitable musical chemistry that resulted in this masterwork. This album is more than a collection of heartbreaking and beautifully written songs – It is the final chapter of a stunning legacy.

“Mortal men are living gods. More real than any God ever was.”

3. CONVERGE – ALL WE LOVE WE LEAVE BEHIND

My connection with Converge has wavered over the years – Their manic, unhinged, energy can be overwhelming, and I’ve found myself enjoying specific songs rather than entire albums. Not so with AWLWLB. Converge’s technical and emotional prowess has been focused and stitched together with strands of steel. There are deep breaths and weary pauses amidst the hyperventilating and abrasive tracks, and these dynamics prove that Converge has only gotten stronger with age.

4. ANAAL NATHRAKH – VANITAS

This album is thirty-eight minutes of Anaal Nathrakh at their finest, bursting with talent, tension, and fury. Vanitas’ thrilling unpredictability plunges the listener into the mind of the sinister animal created by this demonic duo of musicians. Commitment to a specific genre, be damned. Unrestrained and evocative, Vanitas displays technical virtuosity and fearsome intensity. This music clamors, screams, and snarls its way into masterpiece territory.

5. DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – EPICLOUD

Yeah, I hear ya. Maybe this should be on a non-metal list. But it’s not. Epicloud is tender, lovely, and completely incandescent. There is a rare innocence about this album, and Townsend has no shame when it comes to expressing his joy in the form of melodic and shimmering pop rock. Even the ‘heavier’ moments are brimming with positive energy, and Epicloud is a brilliant balloon, filled with blissful vulnerability.

6. ENSLAVED – RIITIIR

‘Dependable’ doesn’t even begin to cover Enslaved’s legendary career, and RIITIIR knocked already high expectations out of the park. Their incendiary blend of blackened prog has reached a new level of ambition and artistic bravery, nixing any semblance of convention in exchange for lengthier songs and more innovative writing.

7. SAMOTHRACE – REVERENCE TO STONE

It’s been a hell of a year for doom, and this quartet managed to shine brightly amidst many other gems to clinch the #7 spot from me this year. The two tracks on Reverence to Stone are expertly crafted sonic vessels that take the listener on a journey through a chameleonic range of emotional terrain. Riveting despite its brevity, this album is a double dosage of doom, with more than a spoonful of sorrow to make the medicine go down.

8. BE’LAKOR – OF BREATH AND BONE

Like I said back in June, “Goddamn, this is some great melodic death metal.” Aside from Woods 5, this was easily one of my most listened to albums this year. Insanely catchy melodies, lush harmonies, and expert musicianship — Who could ask for more? Sure, parts of the album could be called derivative, but European melodeath bands have a longstanding list of shared musical traits. In this case, Be’lakor performs them brilliantly.

9. IHSAHN – EREMITA

What do you get when you combine saxophone, mercurial shifts in mood, guest vocals from Devin Townsend, and nearly absurd amounts of creative energy? The answer is pretty damn obvious, and one of the coolest progressive metal offerings of the year. Full of surprises, Eremita is shockingly enjoyable, original, and imaginative.

10. ROYAL THUNDER – CVI

Not only was this album a knockout, but Royal Thunder’s live show may have been the best I saw all year. The band has presence, chops, and no shortage of potential. This rumbling epic record of blues/rock has the nostalgic air of summer’s past, brought to life by Mlny Parsonz’s phenomenally expressive vocals. This is an electrifying debut full-length from an exceptional group of musicians.

11. Meshuggah – Koloss
12. Beyond Terror Beyond Grace – Nadir
13. Mutilation Rites – Empyrean
14. Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
15. MGLA – With Hearts Toward None
16. Heidevolk – Batavi
17. Witch Mountain – Cauldron of the Wild
18. Evoken – Atra Mors
19. Witchcraft – Legend
20. Alcest – Les Voyages de L’ame

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Incantation – Vanquish in Vengeance

Dordeduh – Dar De Duh 

Lord Mantis – Pervertor 

Primitive Weapons – The Shadow Gallery 

Panopticon – Kentucky

Obsidian Tongue – Volume I: Subradiant Architecture

Wilderun – Olden Tales & Deathly Trails

THE NON-METAL CHAMPS:

Anathema – Weather Systems

Swans – The Seer

Ulver – Childhood’s End

El-P – Cancer For Cure

Beach House – Bloom

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT*

Katatonia – Dead End Kings

In this case, the title of the album was painfully descriptive of the content therein. The diseased bird expelling smog on the cover? I like to think it’s a metaphor for Katatonia regurgitating stale songwriting ideas. And this comes from someone who loves Katatonia.

*There’s a difference between Biggest Disappointment and Worst Album. This is far from being the worst album of the year (that’s a category I won’t delve into, because it seems needlessly subjective and sort of mean). But anyway, I had high hopes for this record, and they were dashed. Katatonia, I’m not mad…I’m disappointed. Now go to your room.

SONG OF THE YEAR:

It was a tie. I absolutely couldn’t choose between “Save Our Now” (Devin Townsend Project) and “Of Fire, and Fucking Pigs” (Anaal Nathrakh)

They are, um, slightly different in mood. I would not recommend listening to them one right after the other, unless you want your brain to sh*t itself.

Alright, I think that’s it! I hope that 2013 brings an abundance of health, happiness, and rainbow unicorns that shoot lasers out of their hooves.

The post Rae Amitay’s Best Of 2012: Here’s A Clever Title appeared first on Last Rites.

Now, it might seem weird for a “new” webzine to be bursting out of the gate with a Top 926-or-whatever Albums of the Year list, but, despite appearances to the contrary, we’re not new. Behind this fresh paint job, we’re still the same MetalReview crew, and we voted on the mightiest albums of the year in the same manner as we have in calendars past.

So, let’s get down to business. After an extensive voting process–and an exhaustive tallying process–we’ve compiled a list of the Top 25 Albums of 2012. (Anything less would be uncivilized, and anything more would be indiscriminate.) Enjoy, destroy, and deliberate.

The post Last Rites’ Best Of 2012 – Combined Staff List appeared first on Last Rites.

Epicloud is not an album that allows for hipness or smugness or bon mots laden with sneering superiority. Epicloud is a boxer whose fists are pop songs and honey-wine and who won’t fight you anyway because it’s too busy hugging rainbows and helping old ladies cross the street to win the lottery. You see, I have a bit of a theory about Devin Townsend. I think his public image has been magnified and caricatured (whether intentionally or not I can’t quite say, as I’ve never met the man; I might surmise it to be a little bit of both) so as to more easily allow for the purer self-expression of humble, questing, embarrassing, and ultimately rather innocent ideas.

As anyone with even a passing interest in the heavier of heavy musics in the past few decades may know, the man has somehow developed a reputation for being a bit of a clown. A massively multi-talented one, to be sure, but between the over-the-top aggression of Strapping Young Lad and the wild, willful diversity (sometimes bordering on hyperactivity) of his solo career, plus his public blending of outgoing humor and careful, inward thoughtfulness, the image carried by many is of a rather madcap Canadian screaming in a microphone and running around with puppets.

It’s all a feint, though, as I see it, and that’s become increasingly clear with the progression of Townsend’s music with the Devin Townsend Project. Starting off with the rather ambitious goal of recording four albums in four different styles with four different line-ups, the Project seemed designed right from the off to parse out and amplify all the myriad stylistic and lyrical tendencies of Townsend’s career, as if the easier to facilitate self-examination. From this perspective, everyone throwing around adjectives like “zany,” “wacky,” “hilarious,” and so forth in reference to two of Townsend’s most notably ‘out there’ statements of recent years – 2007’s Ziltoid the Omniscient and 2011’s Deconstruction – has badly misread the intent of those albums. While not discounting the presence of purposefully strident humor in both albums, I think the storyline and intentionally absurd, over-the-top nature of each served as a mask for Townsend’s true animating concerns.

Basically, if you think that Devin is singing to or about an actual hand puppet when he screams “I am a puppet! / I am a puppet! / We are all puppets! / We are all puppets!” on “Color Your World,” or that he’s actually interested in singing about a cheeseburger on Deconstruction’s title track, then I’m arguing that you may have bought into a convenient (and partially self-promoted) narrative about Devin Townsend The Man And The Artist that I think is flawed and false. But whatever your opinion about those preceding albums or any of Townsend’s other solo work, it seems clear to me that Epicloud is where any of those distancing tricks, any masking, any last vestige of ironic or humorous detachment finally and completely falls off. As saturated and gleaming and sumptuously produced as the album is, Epicloud is finally, unavoidably, irreducibly naked.

So now in more detail to the album at hand. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the album is the fact that, despite the many superficial similarities – streamlined and highly accessible song structures, massively hooky choruses, and the presence of Anneke van Giersbergen’s heavenly vocals – Epicloud never quite seems just like Addicted, Part Two. Of the albums in the DTP quadrilogy, Epicloud is certainly closest in spirit and execution to Addicted, but there are traces of Townsend’s other solo work all over the place, from the slightly “Bad Devil”-ish vibe of the swinging, rollicking “Lucky Animals” to the fleeting reference to the bliss-drenched guitar heroics of the midsection of Devin’s all-time great “Deep Peace” that crops up on Epicloud’s closer, “Angel.”

Infinitely more important than the details of these specific songs is the fact that this particular reviewer has found it physically impossible to be unhappy while listening to Epicloud. I’ve only had access to the album for about a week, but I’ve easily played it a dozen times, and every single time, without fail, I get a massive grin on my face and feel like I’m being warmed from within and hugged by a million puppies all at once.

One of the crucial reasons for that is the presence of a full gospel choir. You shouldn’t have to tax your grey matter too much to recall that throughout the history of popular music, one nearly infallible way to signal that shit is about to get really real is with a full choir. The Stones did it with “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Sisters of Mercy did it with “This Corrosion.” Madonna with “Like a Prayer.” Coolio with “Gangsta’s Paradise.” And on and on, an eternity of shit getting real. The choir accompanies Townsend throughout the album, from the a cappella introduction “Effervescent!” to the glorious synth-pop metal of “Save Our Now” to the miraculous “Angel.” Nowhere on Epicloud does the choir shine brighter, however, than on the inspirational break in the glowing “Liberation”: “Rock! Let’s rock! The time has come to forget all the bullshit and rock!”

If a gospel choir exhorting you to “Rock!” is the sort of thing that’s likely to have you running for the exits with arms unwaveringly folded across your chest, then this was probably never intended for you. Still, keep in mind what I said earlier: Devin Townsend, and on this album perhaps more than ever, is a destroyer of irony. The entirety of Epicloud oozes and swells with huge, hooky, sugary, diamond-plated pop, but Townsend absolutely never seems like he’s winking or mugging for the camera or rolling his eyes as if to say, conspiratorially, “Hey, isn’t it hilarious that we’re pretending to express such uncool sentiments?” If the joy and yearning that is Epicloud’s primary currency ever felt like a put-on, the album would be a post-ironic hipster-baiting atrocity. Instead, it’s a fucking love song, so cool it with your bad vibes already.

Two major assets still need to be spotlighted. First is the decision to remake one of Physicist’s highlights, “Kingdom.” It’s a fantastic song and a proven crowd-pleaser, but if you had asked me a few months ago whether or not it needed to be remade, I would’ve said probably not. After hearing this updated version, though, please slap my ass and call me the world’s silliest baboon because it is so MASSIVE there’s simply no way to say so without getting all caps-lock-shouty. The production is thicker and more resonant, and Devin’s vocals are simply untouchable, raw and pure and sleek. In fact, placing this remake in the dead-center of the album was a pretty ballsy move. It’s such a brilliant song, and the remake is so impossibly huge, that it runs the risk of overshadowing anything else on the album.  Luckily, thanks to another particularly gigantic song, “Kingdom” comes across as the perfect midpoint, a towering crescendo that puts a capstone on the album’s first half and clears the way for the life of the world to come.

There but for “Grace,” as it were. After the soothing interlude of “Divine,” with its echoes of “Ih-Ah!,” Epicloud delivers “Grace.” Opening with one of Anneke’s most generous solo spots, the song soon explodes in the most forceful distillation of the maximalist, Technicolor approach that defines Epicloud. Compositionally, the song is exceedingly simple, with the choir mostly backing up single words at a time with the tactile force of many human diaphragms working in tandem. But in its stunningly widescreen execution, and backed by Ryan van Poederooyen’s most SYL-ish drum punishment, “Grace” sounds like jumping into an endless mosh pit with all the angels of all the heavens. What’s more, the song serves as Epicloud’s emotional linchpin, ensuring that what may have felt at first like a compendium of warm fuzzy songs is instead easily recognizable as prelude to and comedown from that single, most fundamental, most pitilessly irony-demolishing thought: “I know the way! / And you know the way! / We all fall down if we fear love! / Never fear love! / Never fear love!” Snicker at the emotional nakedness of that if you want, at the simplicity bordering on the obvious or the coy or the naïve, but the music does not tell you that you should feel that way. The music tells you that it believes what it is saying, and what it is saying is sweet, and the world is a place that can sometimes be sweet if you just cut your bullshit and let it.

The very end of the album’s closer reprises the choral opening of “Effervescent!,” and thus caps the remarkable one-two touch of sweetness and light that is “Hold On” and “Angel” in a nice circular fashion. The pacing and sequencing of the album is so remarkably good – I have already served notice that I would like to nominate the transition between “Save Our Now” and “Kingdom” as The Finest Thing Ever – that the jumped-up shuffle and cock-rock-faking solo in “More!” yields effortlessly to that beautiful concluding suite. Anneke’s voice dances all over the place on the chorus to “Hold On” and the intro to “Angel,” such that thinking back on the album, you know her voice must have been dancing all over everywhere, off the page and out of the speakers and into your life, forever. Still, when all the jubilant noise settles, what resonates most deeply, like a slow-motion tapping of the pristine water’s surface at the beginning of all things, is that first and also final stake through the heart of the foul beast, irony: Anneke’s simple introductory refrain to “True North”: “I love you, I love you / I need you / I’ll always be around.”

Bring it home, Madge – let the choir sing: Music makes the people come together.

The post Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud Review appeared first on Last Rites.

As we reach the final entry in the Devin Townsend Project series, it’s become clear that Devin’s entire work can be broken down into (roughly) four categories: unhinged metal, song-based heavy-pop, sprawling prog, and smoothed-out chillage. These aren’t rigid categorizations, by any means–bleedthrough abounds–but these are the broad strokes with which mere mortals can swing unwieldy brushes. He’s had varying success with these angles at different points in his career: Where he failed with Physicist, he succeeded with Addicted. The missed tackles on Synchestra were pick-sixes on Infinity. Et cetera.

With Ki–and now Ghost–Devin Townsend has proven that his forte, at least at this stage in his career, is subtlety and restraint. Crazy, considering that this is the guy that wrote “Underneath the Waves,” but he’s seemingly shifted his focus from electroshock to acupuncture.

Ghost is a welcome respite from the unfocused clusterfuck that was Deconstruction. From the opening seconds of “Fly”—where a smoothly rippling bassline is accented by earthen ambience and a lilting flute—it’s apparent that this is the most relaxed work Devin has ever concieved. Unlike Ki—which was quiet, yet seething—Ghost is completely free of tension. It’s a liberating listen; “Fly” is deceptively simplistic, built around a soft-yet-robust chorus punctuated by acoustic guitars and electronic tones almost reminiscent of his Project EKO excursions (though much more even-keeled).

And, in all, Ghost is a gorgeous record, the first half in particular. “Heart Baby” a cascading lullaby, as Devin turns his wall-of-sound production technique inside out, pumping a ton of lifeforce into layer-upon-layer of breathy whispers. “Ghost” and “Blackberry” are comparatively upbeat campfire jams, combining this newfound new-age tilt with folky pep. But Ghost’s true treasure is the naked, acoustic “Kawaii,” a delicately-brushed masterpiece of quiet honesty that stands alongside “Terminal” and “Numbered!” as the most brilliant rays generated by the Project’s energy.

The second half, however, is a more challenging listen. Not in that the compositions are difficult, by any means, but that the intent is blurred. Where there are moments on Ghost that require undivided attention due to their evocative nature—the aforementioned “Kawaii,” for one—there are lengthy passages that simply drift off into the ether, taking your attention span with it. There are colossal chunks of this record that are seemingly designed to be background music, and this runs in direct conflict with the more song-based tracks. (The eleven-minute “Feather” is a microcosm for this compositional confusion, as it initially engages before dissipating into the wilderness.)

While Ghost is designed to provide calming closure to this four-album cycle (and, simultaneously, a commencement of sorts), it’s still a tad too stream-of-consciousness for its own good. However, Ghost’s lack of focus lies in stark contrast to the madness of Deconstruction, as it’s not only a pleasant listening experience, but it’s arguably the mellowest thing ever released by a heavy metal musician. Also in contrast to Decon, Ghost arrives exactly as advertised: far from perfect, disarmingly passive, and often beautiful.

Chris McDonald’s take:

At long last, we’ve finally reached the last chapter of the four-album Devin Townsend Project. It’s been a fun ride, if a bumpy one, with some incredible peaks and some pretty disappointing lows, but above all, it’s been a great experience to witness this outpouring of creativity from one of heavy music’s most unique and likeable characters. A lot of people, including Townsend himself, were questioning the future of his musical career around 2007, and to see it reaffirmed in such grandiose fashion was a real pleasure for yours truly. And while closing album Ghost’s ambient/new age style is anything but grandiose musically, this album nevertheless feels like one of the more complete and well-realized projects Townsend has created, and opens up a fresh new dimension to the man’s musical output that few would have seen coming three or four years ago.

A soothing, ethereal union of beautiful vocal harmonies, quiet acoustics, and a variety of instrumental and atmospheric touches (primarily in the form of some gorgeous flute accompaniment), Ghost’s mellow and unassuming atmosphere is an absolutely ideal follow up to Deconstruction’s manic, oppressive cacophony. Ghost layers lots of different sounds and subtleties on the listener, while simultaneously maintaining a clarity of focus and theme that was lacking from its heavier counterpart. This is deep and carefully constructed music that feels simple, relaxing, and carefree, and it’s primarily due to how honest and pure it sounds. Townsend has remarked several times recently about his increasing lack of interest in metal, and when spinning Ghost, this observation takes on a whole new significance. Everything just feels so much more natural and unforced then it did on Deconstruction. Ghost flows along at its own pace, on its own terms, and the music benefits greatly from the lack of pressure.

While this is definitely an album meant to be digested as a single piece, I was surprised at how distinctive each song feels after a couple of listens. Considering how light and airy this music is, Townsend does a great job at structuring the songs around coherent hooks and melodies that really pull you in once they distinguish themselves. Moments like the escapist musings of opener “Fly,” the more upbeat pulse of “Blackberry,” and the stirring melodic swells of “Texada” are surprisingly memorable and do a lot to move Ghost out of the realm of pleasant background noise that his purely-ambient albums occupy. Some of the longer songs do feature extended jams that feel unnecessary, but fortunately there’s a bevy of shorter, more immediate tracks to break up the pace. I was particularly fond of the soothing “Kawaii” and the spacey meditations of “Monsoon.”

Special attention has to be paid to the production on this album; it’s some of the most impressive production that Devin Townsend has ever achieved. The unrestrained, low-maintenance nature of this music allows Townsend’s mixing expertise to shine through like few other of his projects have, and the results are simply stunning from this standpoint. Melodies float in and out of the mix with an incredible sense of grace and delicacy, and the myriad different sounds are always perfectly leveled against each other. It’s becoming easier and easier these days to blow people away with a wash of harsh, loud noises, but few albums can be as simultaneously complex and unassuming as Ghost. Most of my listening with this album has been late at night at a low volume, and the depth of the sound is still incredible. The utter mastery of dynamics and layering seen in the gradual, serene fadeout to “Infinite Ocean” or the uplifting chants that gradually seep from the speakers as the title track opens is simply a sight to behold.

Ghost is perhaps the most un-metal album you’ll see reviewed on the site this year, and even rabid Townsend fans well accustomed to the man’s diverse musical vocabulary may need some time to uncover the intricacies that make this album great. While Ghost is a bit excessive in terms of running time and is probably the least immediate record that Townsend has made to date (that isn’t named Devlab or Hummer), it’s a beautiful journey that happens to feature some masterful production values and a plethora of worthwhile hooks and memorable moments. While certainly not for everyone, even Devin Townsend fans, this is easily one of the man’s most immersive excursions yet, and a fitting end to this chapter of the musician’s storied career.

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