AuditoryAppreciation: The Two Year Anniversary Post

Time flies, huh? This blog has hit year number two, and it's been a real fun time here. Ranting about music has been such a great catharsis for me, and this has been an outlet for a lot of my creative energy. As time went on, though, I knew this site wouldn't last. It was a great starting point, but slowly I realised there were certain things that this site just couldn't do for me.

So, in bittersweet fashion, I announce the end of auditoryappreciation.

This name has served me long enough, as a placeholder for a passion project that needed time to fully develop, an idea to bloom into fruition. This site too, has worked wonders as a place for me to put my words while I figure out how I want to make a better place for it. And we're there now.

Moving forward, auditoryappreciation will become quietless, and instead of using Blogspot, the new site is built from scratch. All existing posts have been transferred over, and updated to fit the format and style of the new site. This site will no longer be updated, but in the archival spirit, I will leave it as it is. But this will be the last post here.

I took extreme inspiration from Xisuma's blog, and with it most of his format, but from the beginning there were clear differences in what I wanted on my posts, and over time more things got added that didn't fit as well with what the platform could offer. Some posts had more tags than the platform would allow, the hyperlink system was too manual, the visual style just didn't really cut it and the mobile view was just bad. And as a computer science student, it's honestly ridiculous that it took this long to finally build a website for this, but it's done.

This isn't the only change for the anniversary. Head on over to the new site, I have a completely different write-up for that site's anniversary post, it's a whole lot of exciting stuff. This isn't a sad end in any way at all, it's just the start of the next era. It might be a new name, it might be a new look, but it's the same mind and the same kind of words. Welcome, for the first time yet back again, to quietless.net.

Song: Ghost Atlas - Lesser Gods [Dust of the Human Shape (2024), 2023]

Jesse Cash's solo project Ghost Atlas is something that I've half-listened to. I put on the full-length record All Is in Sync, and There's Nothing Left to Sing About a few years ago, but for some reason I only remember the first three tracks. I don't even count that album as one that I've heard, because I don't have any recollection of the other nine tracks.

But of course, I was excited to hear that he was releasing a new album. I may not have had to experience the full gruel of the six-year wait, but I still went "finally!" in my head as if I had been a longtime fan of his anyways. His work in ERRA is astounding to say the least, but he takes on a different sound and persona on this project.

The moment the song starts, I'm thrown right back into the sound and vibe of his previous record. He hasn't lost his touch at all, and it only sounds better and better. I've always loved how he can make simple instrumentation so captivating underneath his vocals, and the sound feels right at home for me.

His lyricism has always been formidable but a lot of the lines on this song stuck with me. The first verse is perfect, every single line is golden, especially with the last line and how he separates "progenitors to a future generation" from "of wounds", god, that hit so hard the first time around.

I can always count on Jesse to deliver some of the best vocal melodies and performances I've ever heard. The chorus is addicting, and that extended section is such a good follow-up. He has some tasteful cadences in the second verse that I kept going back to as well, it's all in the details but he nails it perfectly.

Making the bridge a 7/8 time signature section was a really fun choice, and he pulls off the subversion without any of the off-kilter weirdness. For someone who can push guitar technicality to its limits (see: Gungrave), he seems to be perfectly capable of the simple-but-effective riffwork as well, the guitar melody on this bridge accentuates the odd rhythm like you wouldn't believe.

Lesser Gods is only the first single for the album and I love it so much already. Despite having only a month to impress me before my year end list was finalised, it flew straight into 71st place (which is a feat considering how volumous my listening was for 2023). With any album, I hope for a deep cut to take the place of being my favourite over the singles, but I won't mind if Lesser Gods remains on top after the album releases. Hoping for a killer album though.

Rating: 4/5

Album: TesseracT - War Of Being [2023]

When the title track/first single for War Of Being came out, I remember being intrigued. I hadn't yet seen any other band take the progressive metal/djent genre as exploratively as Periphery had, but TesseracT pulled it off in a very different flavour. Where Periphery took the genre to new creative limits in very heavy fashion, TesseracT seemed to be the band that did it in a more artsy fashion, leaning closer to progressive rock stylings and letting ideas evolve and develop more within a song. Their riffs and melodies weren't overly fast-paced and chaotic as they tend to do in djent, but it was equally technical all the same, aiming for a more stable and sturdy display of mastery.

The actual album itself kept me on the fence for a long time. I remember the first few playthroughs left me grasping for anything to love about the album, knowing that there should be something to love about it, but I just couldn't put a finger on anything. I kept going back to the album again and again, knowing that some albums need a lot of time to grow on me, but even now I can't say I'm fully in love with it. There are some very obvious and easy things about this album that I'm happy to publicly commend, but I don't think it's become much of a favourite.

TesseracT definitely has a knack for this blend of progressive rock and metal that they have on their hands. They pull it off seamlessly on every song, building captivating passages of rhythmic prowess and melodic tastefulness. Very few moments are designed for shock value or impact, but all of them are well-built and musically intricate. They don't have a tendency to play fast or extremely heavy either (with the exception of some moments like The Grey's chorus), and a lot of the harsh vocals are used in a very textural way. It leaves way for a lot of nuances to develop in the drumming and for the guitarwork to hold space, which they do a lot. There aren't a lot of notes played and a lot of them are left to ring out and sustain in very interesting ways. Credit where it's due, they have some really good songwriting going on. I noticed they love to put in a groove section that's mostly sequencing of muted notes while the drummer does some wild polyrhythmic stuff in the background, not the most astounding but I love how meditative it is, reminds me of Animals As Leaders a bit.

I guess my main gripe with the album was that, for a long time, I had nothing too substantial to grab hold onto and say that I loved about the album. It wasn't an issue of underdeveloped ideas, no, it's pretty fully fleshed out as it is, but I couldn't seem to find a strong foothold on the listening experience. It was one of those albums that are great to let play in the background but I wouldn't end up remembering most of it. It was only after repeated playthroughs that I started getting familiar with some of their catchier songs and moments. For an album to take so long to actually find itself a place in my music consciousness is a bad sign.

Maybe it's just a matter of taste, I have no doubt that they are objectively a very good band pioneering their own sound, and they deserve all the success they have now and much more. But taste is most of what makes music special, and I will have to say it did not end up in my hall of fame. Which sounds like a damning sentence, but in reality it's still getting a pretty high rating, I just went into it thinking it would blow my mind a lot more. Expectations, huh. Solid work though, I had some favourites to cherrypick from this album and it was definitely unique, and a technical awe in every right.

Rating: 7/10

Tracklist:

1. Natural Disaster

2. Echoes

3. The Grey

4. Legion

5. Tender

6. War Of Being

7. Sirens

8. Burden

9. Sacrifice

Lyric Of The Week 102: Beyond the Pale

"Have we inherited the flaws of fumbling gods too small to stumble on their own?"

The Dear Hunter - Beyond the Pale, from the EP All Is as All Should Be

Song: Dance Gavin Dance - The Ghost of Billy Royalton [2023]

The Ghost of Billy Royalton evaded my confidence to write about it for a while. I don't usually find myself too attached to bands to feel the kind of parasocial grief and sadness that most fans do when someone has an untimely passing, but this song was so undeniably in tribute to Tim Feerick's life and the part he played in Dance Gavin Dance, I couldn't help but feel that secondhand bittersweet celebration of his legacy whenever I heard this song.

It is a great song, don't get me wrong. Songwriting alone, it's one of the best tracks they've put out in the past six years. The chorus is unbelievably divine, I haven't heard a Tilian/Jon vocal combo this perfect since the ending of Evaporate. I love that everyone got to say some words, it's been a while since Will threw down some bars in a Dance Gavin Dance song, and Andrew's part is just so touching that I think I teared up the first time I heard it. The instrumentation remains as unique as ever, Will cooks up some new sounds as well with whatever he's doing with pedals these days, and Matt's drumming is on point as always. Sergio taking over bass duties in Tim's absence, he does well in doing Tim's legacy justice.

I think the most heartwarming thing about this song is how they've decided, a year or so after Tim's sudden passing, that they've finally started on the road to healing from the grief and celebrating his life. The title of the song itself is probably an inside joke, but it's clear that it was written about Tim. The lyrics are bittersweet but they are positive, which is not a common thing for them to do. Not really sure what Tilian's lines on the chorus are about, though. It seems the most out of place, but maybe it's about the haters? They do talk a lot about the band in this song too, about keeping it going even after almost two decades of music.

I don't want to say that the tributary nature of this song is integral to its sound, but it's definitely a weight that is impossible to overlook. It's hard not to envision the passion in their voices when they're singing about someone that they lost like this, and it is an emotional experience at its core. It's always been a key aspect of the band that when they decide to tug at the heartstrings, they tug at it hard. The intensities of every part of the band just translate so vividly into emotional capacity.

I'm glad they put this song out, because it many ways it serves as closure for the band and the fans. And if not for anything else, isn't it a great way to be remembered, with an amazing song written by the people you used to take the stages with? It's great to see the band starting to move on and writing music again, and equipped with this new emotional heaviness (and new members), I'm definitely expecting them to sound a bit different for the next album. We're already seeing it with War Machine, but the next album cycle is about to come by soon given their usual two-year cycles, so I'm waiting to see what's new in store. Exciting.

Rating: 4.5/5

Album: Termina - Soul Elegy [2023]

Gotta be straight up with ya, I was surprised by how good this album was. I love Nik Nocturnal, don't get me wrong, I love his YouTube content, but I've been mostly indifferent to the solo music he puts out. Granted, a lot of the songs under the "Nik Nocturnal" name are for content anyways and made in a day or so, but with projects like NIK NXK, IKARI (ok not solo but still) and DEATHPHONK feeling quite meh to me, I wasn't expecting Soul Elegy to blow me away. (I also haven't heard Dysphoria so shhh.)

Nik has been a spearhead of the modern metal scene for longer than I've been a fan of it, and in recent years he's really been an influential person in what becomes popular and well-known in the scene. He's also very talented in his own right, and his charisma is evident on screen, but Soul Elegy is the first time I've seen his clear musical skill and forefront understanding of modern metal in full display. In arms with vocal extraordinaire Andy Cizek and drumming nightmare Chris Turner, they put together a surprisingly diverse set of eleven tracks covering many different sounds, with a wet dream's worth of guests to boot.

Anyone who's been following Nik for a while will not be shocked by what's in store. There's the mainstream metalcore track with big chorus, there's the dumb heavy one, there's the wonky electronic-infused metalcore banger, there's the sadboi post-hardcore-ish one, there's the production heavy cut that's also insanely heavy, there's the slightly more classic rock one and then there's the thall one. I love how subtly but clearly this album is an homage to the wonders of the modern metal scene, and they make the most perfect guest choices possible for all of them. Taylor Barber gets to rip on Inferno, Marcus Bridge kills the Northlane vibe on Bathed In Solitude, Phil Bozeman does demon stuff while Joshua Travis riffs like crazy on Parasocial, Sean Harmanis brings the feels on Blackwater, Kyle Anderson is monstrous on Erase You, instrumental behemoths Saxl Rose and Jason Richardson shred like the legends they are on Under Your Knife, and the father of thall Calle Thomer does his thing effortlessly on Wounded Masquerade with Ryo Kinoshita murdering on the vocals.

I know it sounds bad, but I really didn't expect this level of quality coming from Nik Nocturnal. I guess this is what happens when he actually spends more than a day on a song. Jokes aside, it doesn't shock me but it still amazes me that he is fully capable of matching the modern metal greats in writing. To be fair, he does have the best band members he could possibly have with him, but if I'm being honest, the guitarwork does stand out the most on this album for me. 

The vocals are a close second though, god bless Andy. Also of commendable internet fame before he started becoming the vocalist for like four different bands at the same time, he is definitely the most versatile vocalist out there. He can do beautiful cleans, insane screams, crazy highs, unbelievable lows, he can do it all. No doubt part of the reason they can be so diverse on this album is because Andy can comfortably match anything Nik gives him. If you can cover Dance Gavin Dance and heavy Spiritbox you can do just about anything.

Chris Turner's drumming is definitely not to be missed out either, I remember when Nik first said he got an android to do the drumming, I thought it was a joke about programmed drums, but nope, Chris Turner is just unbelievably on the grid. Besides, his work in Oceans Ate Alaska makes it clear that he has the knack for modern metal, with its demands for hyper-technical drumming, both in speed and rhythm concepts.

Soul Elegy is a modern metal paradise, basically. It may not be a masterpiece of one singular idea, but it is the coalesced spirit of the past few years of modern metal, and it is oh so beautiful. And if I'm allowed to be a bit corny, it does feel like a tribute to the modern metal community and how it has evolved over the years. The guestlist is definitely a consequence of how the digital age has changed the way we interact with the community and find new music, and the sounds in this album are definitely by-products of all the modern metal that Nik has played a big part in experiencing and influencing.

Sentiment aside, it's at its core a really good modern metal album. I kept finding myself going back to it for its great choruses, amazing guitarwork and simply satisfying breakdowns. Nik knows what he wants, and he made the best version of it for himself. Bangers, internet man. You wrote some bangers.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:

1. Translucent

2. Inferno (feat. Taylor Barber of Left to Suffer)

3. Everything//Nothing

4. Bathed In Solitude (feat. Marcus Bridge of Northlane)

5. Parasocial (feat. Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel and Joshua Travis of Emmure)

6. Blackwater (feat. Sean Harmanis of Make Them Suffer)

7. Take Flight

8. Inside My Walls

9. Erase You (feat. Kyle Anderson of Brand of Sacrifice)

10. Under Your Knife (feat. Saxl Rose and Jason Richardson)

11. Wounded Masquerade (feat. Calle Thomer of Vildhjarta and Ryo Kinoshita of Knosis)

Lyric Of The Week 101: Uncanny long arms

"Just admit it, you don’t have a world that you’re up against."

underscores - Uncanny long arms, from the album Wallsocket

Song: Rabbitology - Millie, Warm the Kettle (Dorm Demo) [2023]

Sometimes the Algorithm has its benefits. Rabbitology popped up on my Instagram feed of all places, but the snippet of Millie, Warm the Kettle sounded really cool (and let's be honest, the name is awesome). There was something quite mysterious about it all that beckoned my interest, and it grew on me pretty quickly.

This five-minute song evolves quite a bit throughout its runtime, and I love how definitively unreal it sounds. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what genre and sound this is: self-described as folktronica, it sounds like an eclectic blend of indie folk and art pop with varying influences and vibes. It sounds medieval, it sounds gothic, it sounds like the forest, it sounds like faeries (most of which Rabbitology has used to describe her own music). This unique sound that she's blended together is not revolutionary in principle, many of the elements have been seen before in the component genres, but I couldn't name a single other artist that sounds like her.

I love how intricate and complex the soundscape is, I love how articulated it feels and how cohesively surreal it is. It feels like magic (which does help to sell the branding of Rabbitology I suppose), and it feels so nuanced and well-versed. The 'Dorm Demo' tag almost feels like a joke, because it sounds amazing as it is. With the amount of layers and sound design this song has, it's hard to believe that it's just one person putting this together.

The vocals are more than perfect for this, it definitely has that magical timbre, one that sounds mysterious and has the tiniest tinge of sinister. The melody choices also hit it out of the park for me, they sound divine and very unorthodox. What really puts it all together though, are all the crazy harmonies and vocal layering that this song boasts. It sounds beautiful yet uncanny, and the sound design gives it a really strong fairytale feel. This song would fit perfectly as a soundtrack to some forest magic adventure game or movie, and it just has this unmistakable aura of fantasy. The lyricism is also in the same vein of magical and weird, I adore how she sequences and cuts up sentences to enhance the melodies, and every line is as mysteriously mythic as the rest.

The instrumentation plays an equally big part to the sound of the whole song, nothing overly complex but everything does its job perfectly. The percussion is strongly folk-based but the pacing is fast enough to invoke that adventurous feel, the guitars are mostly barebones but they are tonally on point, the synths and electronic elements aren't overpowering but they sit nicely in the background alongside everything else to spice up the sound design. God knows how much time she spends in the DAW to put this all together, much how less how much talent it takes to think of something like this.

In the grand scheme of things, Rabbitology is basically a newborn baby artist in the world of music. But that's the power of modern day social media, I suppose. You can discover the most specific artists that cater to your taste without waiting for years to gain traction and get popular before you finally hear of them. As of now, she's got three other dorm demos out on Spotify and they're all similarly delightful, but I'm keeping an eye out for the possibility of an album from her in the near future. It's got real potential to be a big favourite of mine.

Rating: 4/5

Album: '68 - Yes, and... [2023]

There ain't nothing quite like finding an album that immediately and unmistakably drops my jaw for how unconventionally creative it is. '68 is the newest name to join a very small roster of master chaotics that I love, alongside names like Every Time I Die and Empire State Bastard. They may reside in a different area of the rock and metal umbrella, but the limit-pushing tendencies and deceivingly nuanced cohesion are all the same.

Yes, and... is their fourth album, and the first one I've listened to. Removed Their Hats grew on me and before I knew it, I wanted to hear the whole thing. It was that kind of uncompromising boldness that surprised me, to continually go in directions I didn't expect yet sounded great, that sold the intrigue to me.

I love how With Distance Between starts the album off as a near-perfect scene-setter, with this two minute monologue-esque intro that slowly and ominously builds up the atmosphere of the album. And with a fitting line ("take it to the limit boys"), they start their noise rock shenanigans. The ending refrain also has me in a chokehold, what an amazing melody. With the next few songs, they continue to explore their unorthodox musical ideas in very cohesive and fleshed out ways.

I'm a big fan of the way their songs develop, and how they make it feel like the same song by using consistent themes and smart sequencings to achieve this conceptual and melodic continuity that's hard to get in chaotic music. Odd and constantly changing time signatures are always fun, but I love how they also introduce a lot of variation when repeating sections, they basically never repeat the same thing twice.

A lot of the soul and character is split equally between the vocals and instrumentation. The drums take up such a foreground position with this album, which is rare to find in most bands, at times spearheading the sound of the song. The vocals and guitars seem to go head to head for telling the story, both unbelievably expressive and free-spirited in their own ways. So many great riffs, so many great vocal lines, and not a single one of them feels out of place. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a few electronic and production elements here and there, and how nicely they complement the intended soundscape. They seem like they could go for a near-live sound if they wanted, but the little tidbits here and there make the studio version slightly more vibrant.

Every song on this album feels like they're in the right place. "End This War" has this melancholy grudge, They All Agreed has this poignant demeanour, Then Got Bored has this sardonic sound and barely resolving musicality throughout the song, they all contribute such a strong identity to the album that makes the overall experience so much more than the individual parts itself.

Yes, and... is the type of album you should listen in full. I'll admit it, some of the songs don't stand too well on their own, but they suddenly become gold when experienced as part of the album. I guess '68 really was weaving the songs together in more ways than one when they made the song titles spell out a story. I love how captivating this album was, and I'm excited to dig into their older stuff.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. With Distance Between

2. The Captains Sat

3. Removed Their Hooks

4. Removed Their Hats

5. "Let's Be Friends"

6. "End This War"

7. They All Agreed

8. Then Got Bored

9. Within the Hour, They Were No More

Song: '68 - Removed Their Hats [Yes, and..., 2023]

It's one of those rare times where you find a name in two seemingly unconnected places and you figure that there must be something special about them if they're making songs with two of your favourite bands. I first heard of Josh Scogin with his feature on a Bring Me The Horizon song, and then a few years later I saw his current band '68 show up as a feature on an Every Time I Die song, and the moment when I opened up the Wikipedia page to find that Josh Scogin was the vocalist, that was when I decided I needed to know what they had.

I say that, and then I didn't actually listen to any of their existing albums. Oops. But I did end up stumbling upon their ongoing album cycle for Yes, and..., and I caught this song in particular a day after it dropped. I missed the first two promotional singles, but honestly I think it's for the better. This song is my favourite of the singles (and maybe even the whole album), and I might not have been interested to listen to the album if one of the other singles was my first impression.

In hindsight, I can safely say that Removed Their Hats is one of the weirder and more chaotic cuts on the album. It's where the push the label of noise rock the furthest, making some very unique and distinct songwriting choices that makes this song stand out on an album that already stands out quite a lot in my library.

I got hit with a sudden understanding that I was in for a very different ride the moment the first line started. That vocal tone, the gritty riffing, ohmygod that snare roll is genius, the sardonic lyrics, it's somehow perfectly chaotic. I suddenly get why they were a guest for Every Time I Die, they are the same in spirit. I don't know if I can call it a chorus, but this refrain repeats again with slightly different instrumentation and lyrics, and we see some variation in the chaos. That slightly flat harmony, that falsetto note at the end, so different that it feels like a completely different section.

After that is where it starts to get real wonky. They start throwing in hearty amounts of time signature changes for this super cheeky but somehow tasteful instrumental section, one that sees the guitar let its voice out while the drums pull off some sneaky killer stuff. And then out of nowhere, the drums go near silent and the guitar just takes the stage with this unorthodox playing that is so stylistic and full of character, a solo display of free-range artistry that feels so right despite standing alone. This was when I knew there was truly something special about '68.

I don't have too much to add about the last refrain, but I just want to comment in general, how much I love his vocals here. I love how freely he's able to switch from technique to technique, but more importantly, how interestingly he decides when to do it. There's such a unique flare of recklessness and confidence that comes through in the way that he sounds like he's just winging it, yet it sounds amazing.

This song is such a smart showcase of how fluent they are in the noise rock of the own style. Their sequencing of motifs is smart, the flow of intensity is on point and the fun is undoubtedly all there. The album may be a very solid display of their ability across the board, but this single stands out as one that is full of merit all on its own. It definitely scratches that chaos itch for sure.

Rating: 4.5/5

Lyric Of The Week 100: Variation

"You think the world was made to wield your weight and bleed out?"

Dance Gavin Dance - Variation, from the album Instant Gratification

Album: No Party For Cao Dong (草東沒有派對) - 瓦合 [2023]

This has been a long time coming for me, but I finally listened to chinese music. It is my mother tongue, and I did suck at it in school but I always felt like I should at least start listening to music in chinese to remain connected to the language, and I was always expecting it to be mandopop but this chinese punk rock band has taken the honour of popping the cherry.

No Party For Cao Dong (or 草東沒有派對) was a band I found quite literally out of nowhere, I can't even remember if it was a YouTube feed suggestion or a Spotify recommendation, but it looked interesting regardless and I figured I might as well try a listen for my one-record-a-day project. Turns out, it's one of the best things I've heard all year (last year).

Now, I'm not sure how much weight I want to put on the fact that it's in a different language, but that aside, it also isn't particularly in my usual taste of rock subgenres? It's a punk-influenced indie rock record, one that I can't really say that I listen to quite often. It definitely feels a bit progressive musically too, I guess it's just that I was quite surprised to find a rock album this good in chinese so quickly, one that clicked with me as instantly as this did.

There's a lot to love about this album. I remember when I first played it and 苦難精算師 played, I was not expecting to hear a instrumental rock cut and it intrigued me. Then 缸 came next and I was mesmerized by how well-written the whole song was, with its structures, vocals and instrumentation. Song after song, I kept finding more things to love about their pristine indie punk sound. The wordplay on some of the songs were amazing, the riffwork on most of the songs were either energetic and exciting or beautiful and serene, some of the parts are basically math rock too. The production was also on point, especially when bringing in dance-pop and dream-pop influences on some of the cuts or just sticking to the pure punk rock tone on others.

I really do adore how unapologetic and youthful this album feels, with that tinge of maturity that makes it all so human. Everything they did on this album makes them far from generic, and there are many popular english-speaking bands that aren't as memorable and diverse as this one is. It really speaks to the simple fact that there's an endless amount of amazing music for anyone out there as long as you keep looking for it, the number of albums I've stumbled upon that I never expected to love so much is growing slowly but surely.

Also, this album is legitimately the turning point for me to want to be interested in the learning of the chinese language again, and to listen to chinese music, and that's a feat. I can't fully express how much I want to find more chinese rock music like this now that I've heard this album. Isn't that more than enough to deserve this recognition?

瓦合 is definitely one of the most unexpected great finds of the year, and it's the way it strangely fit so comfortably in my ears like I've been listening to it for all my life that strikes that chord with me. If not about the spark to reconnect with a mother tongue, then it's absolutely about the bangers.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. 苦難精算師

2. 缸

3. 空

4. 人洞山

5. 孑

6. 白日夢

7. 床

8. 八

9. 老張

10. 芽

11. 但

Song: Bring Me The Horizon - Kool-Aid [2024]

I might be sad that POST HUMAN 2 got pushed back to a summer release, or that Jordan Fish is no longer in the band, but I am definitely not sad about this new single to tide us by. Kool-Aid is the newest and one of the most promising releases for this album cycle, what might be their band fully back in the swing of things.

Kool-Aid is the song that embodies the hype of POST HUMAN the most so far: encapsulating every aspect of their sound while sounding incredibly cohesive. While the previous releases showed the potential of their future emo sound, this song is the one that has really combined it with their existing array of sounds.

I love the punkiness of the intro and first verse, I love how it intersects with the pop modernity of clap sound effects and the "yes" "no" cheers. It transitions so smoothly to the chorus, which is probably one of their best choruses for this album so far. The switching between the gritty singing and the falsetto scratches an itch for me, and I love that I can hear That's The Spirit coming through. He does even more falsettos as embellishments on the final chorus and I love it.

That first breakdown is sheer whiplash, oh my god. Those screams? Insane. Production makes it so sharp it could cut me through the speakers. Going from that high to that low also makes my heavy metal heart so happy, as short as it is. The main breakdown is definitely super fun as well, I love how cheeky the build-up is with the background vocal stuff and choir going on. The breakdown itself also has a chant at the back and glitchy vocal production, that second half with the slide-up slide-down riff is so cool and I absolutely love how carefree they are with throwing in that solo at the end. They do bring back that first breakdown at the end, but it sounds so different with no vocals and pure chunk, that final line also makes me go feral.

That little extra bit at the end is pretty playful, and I like that they added it because it's fun, but it also does remind me that this album cycle so far has been collaboratively stacked. I would imagine that the voice message was to either Zakk or Daidai, both of whom have been helping with the production work, and it's so cool to see them both play a big role in their songs. Zakk Cervini has been a fast rising modern metal producer in the scene and Daidai's work in Paledusk is something I adore as well, and it really is just worlds colliding.

If the delay means that we get songs of this quality, I am all for it. We're expecting at least six more songs on the album and that's pretty exciting, although that probably means they don't have any left to release as singles until summer comes around. I sure am hyped though. Fish's departure seems to be a clear explanation for why the band had to slow down and postpone their original release date, it definitely had to be a bit of a rough spot internally for them, but now that the news is out and Bring Me The Horizon seems to be moving on from it, hopefully there won't be anything else in the way. Great start to the year though, for sure.

Rating: 4.5/5

Lyric Of The Week 99: hypochondriac

"Had to hollow my lungs and let out a bad lie."

brakence - hypochondriac, from the album hypochondriac

Album: END - The Sin of Human Frailty [2023]

When it comes to modern metalcore violence, END stands unrivalled. A supergroup of some great bands in the metalcore scene, they channel their collective rage in this borderline hardcore project, one that is spearheaded by top tier production looking to pinpoint the sharpest yet most raw-sounding soundscape possible. In other words, they want the grittiness of the heaviest shit you've ever heard, without sounding like shit at all.

The Sin of Human Frailty stands at a mere thirty minutes, but it's more than enough time to leave no man standing. This album is jam-packed with brutality the likes of which most beatdown bands can't even match. Despite that, they excel in maintaining a solid array of atmospheres and ambience that enhance the album experience, keeping the eerie and sinister sound on lock the whole way through.

Admittedly, I don't know many of END's existing songs. Just Necessary Death, really, so I wouldn't say I know their sound too well. This album does make it quite clear what they're good at, though. The production is a hard carry, all thanks to legendary modern metal producer Will Putney on the team, especially with the sound design and all of the electronic elements. The vocals are on point, there's literally nothing that makes you want to get up and punch people as much as his screams do. The instrumentation surprised me too, honestly. I knew I wasn't expecting anything technical but there were some pretty catchy riffs and some really fun odd time signature sections, breakdowns galore. Some parts get quite chaotic too, but nothing detracts from the main goal of unrestrained brutality, and that's all they need to do in the end.

It might not be too high on my favourites list, but if I'm ever looking for something brutal to pump me up, I am not hesitating to put this on. It's full throttle all the way through, and more concentrated than any other album, it's basically an energy drink. What more can I ask for?

Rating: 7/10

Tracklist:

1. A Predator Yourself

2. Gaping Wounds of Earth

3. The Sin of Human Frailty

4. Thaw (feat. Debbie Gough of Heriot)

5. Embodiment of Grief

6. Twice Devoured Kill (feat. J.R. Hayes of Pig Destroyer)

7. Worthless Is The Lamb (feat. Dylan Walker of Full Of Hell)

8. Hollow Urn

9. Infest

10. Leper

Song: END - Thaw (feat. Debbie Gough of Heriot) [The Sin of Human Frailty, 2023]

I caught wind of the supergroup END coming back for another album, and I was intrigued. Their lethal brand of violent metalcore and hardcore has had its merits, but I was curious if they could hook me in with a full album. I followed the singles, and before the album even came out, they got me.

Thaw is probably the song on the album that's the furthest out. Where every other song boasts a brutal entirety, this one has a touch of melodic darkness and ominosity in place of rage. As much as I love how caveman the other songs are, there's something quite appealing about a song infused with so much character, how varied it is and how much it evolves.

The tremolo riff at the start brings a lot of the sinisterness to the table, perpetuating throughout the song even as they add more and more to the song. Coupled with that dark clean arpeggio later on, most of the atmosphere is set up nicely. The drum grooves and electronic beats are a really nice vibe as well, especially with that drum solo, a very unique and tasteful addition to the song.

The screams are super vibrant against this backdrop of sound, I love how villainous they sound when recontextualised like this. The production helps a lot too, some of the reverb and layering are very well done. The talking parts are really cool as well, it adds a lot of depth to the feel of the song. Debbie Gough is a great vocal feature too, her screams bring in this contrasting harsh vocal texture that really shifts the tone of the whole song, and does especially well on the breakdown callout. Absolute menace.

Breakdown is super fun, the callout line is intense, the delivery is golden. The 6/4 groove is pretty simple but immensely satisfying, making for some crazy rhythm coupled with the vocals. By far my favourite part of the song, and the whole album too. Love the cleans right after too, I think it's the only singing featured on the album but it fits the vibe perfectly.

Thaw stands out so much in this album because it's really the only song with any amount of variety in a collection of relentless ragers, of which I could say blur together a bit if you're not paying attention. In some ways you could consider this the soft song or the ballad of the album, but I like to think of it as the best song on the album. Pure hardcore never had my heart quite like melodic core does.

Rating: 4/5

Lyric Of The Week 98: Lesser Gods

"Progenitors to a future generation of wounds."

Ghost Atlas - Lesser Gods, from the album Dust of the Human Shape

Album: Wolf & Bear - Bloodletter [2023]

Bloodletter has been one of the most fun albums to come out of 2023. Discovering them as a contemporary of swancore founders Dance Gavin Dance, partially due to late bassist Tim Feerick's involvement in both bands, it was a bittersweet but tributary record to find.

It took a bit to grow on me, but once I got past the initial hurdle of getting used to their style, I got addicted to this album. It really does remind me of how I fell in love with Dance Gavin Dance's music in the first place, and I guess it does have that same touch to it. Wolf & Bear embodies everything so special about swancore but does it in their own way, and within that subgenre they sound worlds apart.

In many ways they are similar to Dance Gavin Dance: the two vocalist setup, the embellishments in the riffwork and drumwork, the genre influences and even some of the lyricism. I realised they resemble early Dance Gavin Dance the most, especially with the soul vocal style of Marcus and the rawer harsh vocal style of Tyler matching up with the pre-Tilian era.

What I love most about them is where they differ from Dance Gavin Dance though. Although most of the cuts on this album wouldn't feel completely out of place on a Dance Gavin Dance album, they'd definitely be the weird one by far. Even songs like K. RESORT and FOOL'S GOLD, that sound the closest to Dance Gavin Dance, still have a distinct sound. I think it boils down to three things: the pacing, the vocals and the funkiness. Wolf & Bear moves around a bit more frantically than Dance Gavin Dance does, there's not a lot of wordless moments and the instrumentals rarely stand alone in the mix. The clean vocals are done quite differently too, there's a lot of production choices that stylise it distinctly, I noticed a lot more background adlibs and vocalisations, a lot more overlaps and echoes. The vocal delivery itself is also a lot more rooted in funk and soul influences, which gives a lot of identity to the songs too. Speaking of funk, the riffs and drum grooves are super funky, whether it's the chorus of QUICK SIP 84, the verses of CHAD B. KANG or the entirety of POOFY, they just got a completely different vibe down on lock.

They've also got a formidable selection of great choruses and great riffs, some that honestly surprised me. The chorus of FOOL'S GOLD and QUICK SIP 84 was were instant hits, PAINTED LADY's chorus took my breath away and the choruses of K. RESORT of CHAD B. KANG are just sexy. The riffs underlying the choruses of FOOL'S GOLD and QUICK SIP 84 are so tasteful, the guitarwork for POOFY is so dreamy and summer-y and the dissonance on BONSAI B. is undoubtedly fun.

To put it simply, Bloodletter is an excellent album from the swancore side of the world. I'm amazed at what else this genre still has to offer for me, even though I've already soaked myself in the entire discography of Dance Gavin Dance for so long already. Wolf & Bear really stole the show this time around, and it looks like I'm a fan now.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. INDIGO

2. K. RESORT

3. FOOL'S GOLD

4. POOFY

5. CHAD B. KANG

6. BELLADONNA

7. THERE'S NO DUST IN THE CITY (feat. Andrew Wells of Eidola)

8. QUICK SIP 84

9. PAINTED LADY

10. COUNTING CARDS

11. BONSAI B.

12. DREAM SNATCHER

Song: Wolf & Bear - QUICK SIP 84 [Bloodletter, 2023]

Despite being a fan of swancore's founding fathers Dance Gavin Dance, I never really explored any of the more well-known swancore bands, especially those under Will's very own Blue Swan Records label. Sure, there was Eidola, but I'd argue that they're moving away from the swancore sound with their more recent releases. I finally decided to listen to one of them when, under bittersweet circumstances, discovered that Wolf & Bear was releasing the first single for their last album written with Tim Feerick, with Andrew Wells as a feature.

The first single didn't strike me well too heavily, but their second one absolutely did. QUICK SIP 84 had the perfect first impression: intriguing song title, instant funk, tasteful guitarwork and an earworm of a chorus. I immediately understood why they were such a standout in the swancore sound, they embodied the chaotic fun of it without sounding like a clone of Dance Gavin Dance.

The first verse is super tasty. It gets right into the funk, the chords are so colourful and the swancore licks are super fun too. I love his vocal style and how it strangely but completely fits. Guitar pedal effects on point as well, super familiar to the genre.

The chorus fucks hards, its definitely the highlight of the song. The cadence of the vocal melody transitioning into it is exquisite, and those three chords that follow the first line are sublime. It sounds like a hyperfunky version of what Dance Gavin Dance does, and the more soulful vocals are a bonus.

The harsh vocals are something that took a bit to grow on me, but I adore what the vocal tone and mix are doing for the sound of the band and the song, especially with how much it sounds like Jon's early screaming style. It does completely differentiate them from the current dual-vocal setup of Dance Gavin Dance, which is a plus especially when they're using some similar styles of vocal overlap and harmony work. I can't tell if he's emulating Jon's lyrical style though, I'm getting one or two peeks of that absurd and playful lyricism that reminds me of Jon, but the rest seem normally normal.

Simply put, it's got me hooked. This song was the turning point for me, to decide to listen to the album on release day. I wasn't sure before this if anyone could even come close to Dance Gavin Dance's reign on their very own swancore style, but it seems there's at least one band who's formidable enough in their own way to challenge the throne.

Rating: 4.5/5

Album: Unprocessed - ...And Everything In Between [2023]

Wow.

Unprocessed made a very promising display of unparalleled djent ingenuity with the singles leading up to this album, particularly with the bold choices on Thrash, but I wasn't expecting this. A band who has built a reputation on insanely technical and beautiful guitarwork-heavy progressive works has taken a sharp turn into a creatively heavy territory, and none of the innovation has been lost.

This album definitely stands out in every fashion against the sea of progressive modern metal. Everything from the unorthodox instrumentation and unique vocal cadence to the tastefully half-gritty half-muddy mix and bold production choices. Every single song on this album has something different to offer, and there are few albums where this statement is as true as it is for ...And Everything In Between.

What impresses the most is how seamlessly they blend such creatively demanding and generally less compatible aspects of modern metal into one cohesive experience. The technicality alone is some of the best in the world, but they manage to meld that with thoughtful and strong songwriting, something many other technical bands falter with, and on top of all that, they blend the heaviest parts they've ever written by far with their signature pretty riffwork and they still make it work.

Also, they really love the blast beats, huh? So do I, though, and they seem to challenge the idea of what purpose a blast beat can serve. Beyond the intensity that most bands use it for, it feels like they've managed to hone in on using it as a texture, as a complement to the rest of the instrumentation. It's intriguing to say the least, their blast beats have been some of the most creative usages of the technique that I've heard.

Manuel also really elevated the band with his improved vocals. Of course, the screams were a pleasant surprise, but I have to commend how much firmer his cleans are and how much better he can traverse around syllables now. His melodies are also really interesting, which contributes to how memorable some of these choruses are. David doing secondary harsh vocals also makes for some really nice back-and-forths on certain cuts.

Guitarwork will never fail to be a highlight for this band, though. Some of these riffs are insane, and I love that the overall style has shifted from purely technical math rock to bringing in some heavier and groovier djent work. They do jump in on the thump craze a bit here and there too, but the overall sound and style still ends up being something completely unique. Also, the solos?!? Tasteful again and again, and the guest solos are an absolute treat.

They've really proven themselves to be more than just a guitar-heavy gimmick on this album. It all feels so fully fleshed out, I love the experimentation and boldness on cuts like Abysm and Thrash, the variety of influences like on the speedy punky verse on I Wish I Wasn't, the dark electronic intro on Purgatory, and arguably some of the blast beats are basically deathcore.

...And Everything In Between has no doubt made a lasting impression on me. I knew Unprocessed was something special but I wasn't expecting something quite so unique from them, and especially this heavy. I am more than happy to have got what I was given, though. One of the best albums of 2023 no doubt, and definitely their new best album.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. Hell

2. Lore

3. Thrash

4. Blackbone

5. Die On The Cross Of The Martyr (feat. Tim Henson and Scott LePage of Polyphia)

6. Glass

7. Abysm

8. I Wish I Wasn't

9. Purgatory