SHORT REVIEWS Our thirty-fourth (34th) edition of Short Reviews for 2023 finds me grabbing at six notable releases from the end of the month of September, highlighting heavy rock weirdos, black metal expressionists and an atmosludge outlier. I’ve done my best to showcase the most interesting works that I come across while still presenting some decent variety here but choices boil down to what sticks, what inspires or what is worth writing about. These are more easygoing and casual than longform reviews, so relax and think for yourself — If you find something you dig go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase! If you’d like your music reviewed, read the FAQ and send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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Woe is a moderne, fittingly despondent black metal project from Brooklyn, New York-based musician Chris Grigg (ex-Krieg, Glorious Depravity) which has clipped back into a largely solo act in the last three years, almost assuredly out of necessity. To start ‘Legacies of Frailty‘ puts up a bit of a wall, a hallucinatory level of temple-gripping frustration as their arms-length set blur of (very slightly) synth-kissed dramatism only begins to seep color back into its greyed-out melodic/post-black metal shape after a couple of listens. Time spent chipping away at the ice of it all was generally rewarding, plenty of flooded-out melodic black metal landscaping, a wandering ear for tremolo-picked post-whatever nuance and a tornadic performance from Lev Weinstein (Krallice, Geryon). If you want to call it post-hardcore inspiration or just a different sort of shouting, we find something a bit different on standout piece “Distant Epitaphs” deeper into the experience, one the more remarkable moments where the artist shakes loose on this oft sleepy, numbing full listen. The dirge of the album picks up towards the end and hits a Mgla-esque determination as thins wind down (“Shores of Extinction”). If more of this record had the command of “Far Beyond the Fracture of the Sky” and its blitzed melodic black metal energy this’d have been a nuclear reactive record for my taste.

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Rorcal is a Geneva, Switzerland-based post-metal/atmospheric sludge quartet who’ve been around since the mid-2000’s first experimenting with post-hardcore and dissonant textures until they’d taken to complex bouts of noise and extreme metal influences, essentially keeping up with groups like Celeste and Amenra while having their own exaggerative, high-fidelity take on sound design. ‘Silence‘ is one of their least anxietous releases in terms of moment-to-moment ease between the bigger storming and screaming sludge movements, better accentuating the ambiance when possible. Their sound design is thrilling to start and overall this is one of the most chaotic and arguably least riff-focused record from the group to date if we except shorter diversions per “Hope is a Cancer” and “Under the Nails”. While I didn’t find any personal connection with the music it was impressive in terms of presenting a unique spectacle throughout.

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Berlin, Germany-based rock trio Maggot Heart return for a third full-length album and this time around we get a clearer than ever vision of songcraft by way of Swedish guitarist/vocalist Linnéa Olsson who leans heavier into post-punk and grunge rocked noise rock pieces for the most part. The weirding, affected anthemic tone which the band-leader hits on “My Shadow” and opener “Scandinavian Hunger” introduce her ironic/sardonic voice as an artist and peak around lead single “Looking Back at You”, distraught and energetic as they reveal. This timbre, or deadpan coldness doesn’t stand up to every moment, though, such as the Cows-like bounding and dissolving scramble of “Concrete Soup” and its disharmonic cheer out but still generally works. The one piece that simple doesn’t work for my own taste is the biggest chance taken in terms of introducing a seemingly sentimental or intimate nod with the quasi-ballad “Archer”, which generally doesn’t work with its meandering conversational tone and its scraggly hook. While I appreciate the ambition and variety applied herein ‘Hunger‘ doesn’t quite land with the full ten-fingered punch of ‘Mercy Machine‘ (2020) yet they’ve managed an entertaining and affected weird rock experience. The lyrics are especially evocative and well written, worth your time if you tend to dig that deep.

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Best known for his innovative outsider gothic country/alt rock beginnings in 16 Horsepower starting in the early 90’s and eventually the transition to “solo but not solo afterall” work with Wovenhand post 2002 or so Denver, Colorado-borne musician David Eugene Edwards cannot be reduced, taken down to less than a brilliant groomsman of distinctly American folk rock music. With the sound of his band heavily stylized over the last decade this solo project allows for fresh textures, electronic beats and crystal clear presentation of Edwards‘ incredible voice. The psychotropic effects-laden rock register of ‘Silver Sash‘ (2022) now appears worlds different to the very present but hall-resonant timbre of ‘Hyacinth‘, a record unafraid of a quasi-trap hits, tape hissed beats, and kinda new romantic/post-punk ooze but also intent on reminding folks that this fellowe still has such a voice. Highlights: “Bright Boy”, “The Cuckoo”, “Howling Flower” and of course main single “Lionisis”.

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As this sixth full-length album from Stockholm, Sweden-based heavy rock quartet Graveyard kicks off with quick “Good Night…” it sounds like vocalist/guitarist Joakim Nilsson has been working on the range and timbre of his vocals first and foremost, stretching out into slower blues rock pieces and opium den-level chill for the majority of this record, an intention counterpoint to the sparking heat of ‘Peace‘ back in 2018. This eventually finds him hitting Morrison-esque territory (see also: “Breathe in Breathe Out”) and does a fine job while the album does hit a few heavier rock pieces like the quick and catchy “Twice” and the soulful heavy psych push-and-wail of “Just a Drop” later on, the latter being my favorite piece on the album. The majority of ‘6‘ aims for epics, slow-burners and easygoing ballads and that isn’t what I’m after per se but all of it meant for an entirely chill record with a few clear standouts.

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‘Pesten som tar over‘ is the fourth full-length album from Greece-borne and Norway formed black metal band Den Saakaldte which has been lead by guitarist Sykelig since 2006. The guitarist was best known as a founding member of eh… Naer Mataron as well as an early member of Disharmony in the early 90’s but the style of black metal explored here isn’t tuneful or exaggerative in the same way, instead opting for mid-paced and semi-melodic work. Clever riffcraft and slowly formed vision is the main appeal of this work where ~8-10 minute pieces develop slow, find their hook (see: “Dødstrett Av Alt”) but demonstrate little that could be considered over the top or brazen in their work beyond maybe the howling vocals which close “Pesten Som Tar Over”. It is strange to describe black metal as “modest” in performance, a first for me I think but the mid-paced and buzzing style here isn’t so alien for fans of Norwegian black metal post-millennium and avoids use of rock cliches and such else. I’d come to enjoy the guitar compositions of this work above all else with the vocals slightly grating over time and the drumming professionally set otherwise. Favorite riffs are probably the faster points of “Å Skjende En Engel” in its first half as they reminded me of early Setherial a bit, the rest of the piece has a pagan black touch to it otherwise.

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