• SHORT REVIEWS • Our third edition of Short Reviews for 2024 releases finds me grabbing at six releases from the general pool of early January 26th with an outlier or two from early February. This year Short Reviews will arrive every ~1-2 weeks dependent on how many extra releases are worth talking about. // 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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‘Nonagon‘ is the eleventh full-length album from Norwegian death metal staple Blood Red Throne and no doubt you will find a lot of folks suggesting you already know who they are, that they are up to their usual gig in terms of groove-driven, kinda brutal classic death metal toughness and while that’d be correct enough I’m not sure it is the right time to give these folks the “legacy” band treatment and give ’em a pass for dues served. The high points in their deal for my own taste have been ‘Altered Genesis’ (2005) and their self-titled record from 2013 and I think if you agree outright you’ll appreciate the straightforward, kinda modernized thump of this record but may not be interested in the up front and wildly varied vocal performances (via Deception‘s Sindre Johnsen) which direct the way forward more often than not.

The broad appeal of a band like Blood Red Throne is no fluke as they’d made a name for themselves by way of persistence on the road and via simple songcraft, focusing on the brutally achieved texture and the functional relationship between instruments inherent to mid-to-late 90’s death metal to create kinetic groove metal inspired riffs as their driving force. They’d never been outright technical per their original surroundings in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, it depends on the album and the line-up after that point, but the driving force of the group has typically been something like “meat and potatoes” death metal of the moment. The sing-along aspect of Deicide hits here and there, a simplification of mid-90’s Cannibal Corpse riff wheel and some of the melodic side of later Dismember loosely flavors their craft. Their production values were decided upon in the mid-2000’s and this is what kinda holds back ‘Nonagon‘ from my perspective (beyond not liking every aspect of the vocalist’s range) which feels like a step back to the dry, clattering era where bands like Nile and Behemoth were treated with a less than dynamic render for the sake of harsh brutality. I don’t have any truly strong opinions beyond that, though I do think this is one of the best album art choices to date.

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The Oldest House is a solo extreme sludge/doom metal project from A.M. who is best known as the vocalist/guitarist for Spanish black metal group Aversio Humanitatis. The initial intent here seems to be to marry the thundering hi-fi of modern sludge metal sized guitar tones with the primitive grooves of black and doom metal in slabbed out jogging motions (“A Worm Through Time”) but that core idea develops as the record crawls on. We’ve seen a lot of bands take the more extreme bits of bands like Conan and attempt to work that sound up to certain level of brutality or excitement over the years but very few have taken on post-metal atmospherics in this particular way wherein the artist does well to lean into something more than shout-and-chug mechanics. Though it isn’t integrated into the four main pieces on this record the extended ambient electro piece (“Interdimensional Mold”) fits in nicely within running order and adds to the overall atmosphere of the recording. I’d like to see the ambient side of the project deeper integrated into the full listen.

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The sixteenth full-length album from Bradford-borne rock band New Model Army reminds us once again of the core flexion of the band as folk anthemic storytellers, still bearing the signature affect of Justin Sullivan up front after forty-plus years but also letting the basslines do a bit of the work per their best known 80’s songcraft. If you’ve not found yourself following the spiritual journey the band’ve taken beyond 1990’s ‘Impurity‘ much of this album may feel out of left field, having balanced some of their social and political commentary with more personal work (see also: Sullivan‘s solo work) as well as a slow process in approach of theatric modern rock ideas. This is yet a bigger vision, or, expansion of ideas which were nascent in the distant past. As a longtime but not at all consistent fan I’d say ‘Unbroken‘ stands out in mind primarily for its uptempo pieces, the folken new romantic/post-punk jog and shake they’d been noticed for early on is yet part of their core experience but the dramatic and orchestrated side of their work is also at least partially in view on a couple of songs here after the recent success of ‘Sinfonia‘. Per my own experience the album’d had its say around the time “Legend” hits in the second half and from there the directional feel of their presentation gets a bit lost in these atmospheric rock pieces. That said, if you’re more partial to their worldly, warming folkish style and dramatic reach that may very well be when the album picks up. The alt-rock swinging of “Coming or Going”, the signature tragedian anthem “I Did Nothing Wrong” and bassline footed movement of “Language” were the major highlights for my own taste but all in all we get a bit more than we asked for (and most all of it well above average) from this long running act.

https://www.newmodelarmy.org/news/1403-new-model-army-i-did-nothing-wrong

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Hauntologist is a long in-process experimental atmospheric black metal project from The Fall (Over the Voids…, Owl Woods Graves) and drummer Darkside, both longtime contributors to Mgła among other projects. Their process seems to be a matter of crafting around a skeleton of what comes naturally to the duo, an atmospheric and driven form of modern black metal which derails itself for the sake of post-metal segue, occasional neofolk pieces and post-rock infused tirades. More importantly the desired effect is not a welcoming lush cascade of comfort but rather an anxietous gallop through dangerous lands wherein a dark and listless clench of the jaw seems to dominate the atmosphere created. The sense that time is passing, death encroaching, and the fruits of all labors are rotting away is well met. The mid-album feature of “Hollow” as a neofolk piece is brilliant but somewhat out of place at the heart of the experience, if only because there are no other pieces which compound these traits on the running order. “Car Kruków” seemed to be the song to confirm it at first but doesn’t end up delivering more than a blurry fade out of the full listen. If they’d brought three or so neofolk inspired pieces into the fray I think ‘Hollow‘ might’ve stuck in mind longer but as is I think they’ve proven these ideas work together well enough.

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Dave Curran (ex-Unsane) is hissing and spitting to such an intense degree in this newly formed Milan, Italy-based noise rock trio that you might mistake it for some sort of early 90’s sludge throwback depending on the song. All the venom that sprays is however resolutely noise rock/post-hardcore of the gnarlier and kinda metal variety with a big aching bass guitar tone clobbering through frustrated and simple grooves given to repetition for effect. Guitarist Federico Bonuccelli (Council of Rats) does well to trace curved, stroking-out and anxietous guitar lines which worth with, and step around, the locked-in rhythms presented by Curran and drummer Luca Antonozzi (Marnero) as we find his work acting as the squeal of the brakes (“Pay Dirty”), the glint of a concealed weapon (“Don’t Look at me I’m Hideous”) and some kind of atmo-rocking ride (“Nervous Wreck”) as the trio pour the frustration-core on thick. While I would’ve been impressed enough if they left most of the work in shorter songs and mean-assed grooves there are a few sludgier dirges which add some dimension to the full listen, starting with the slow clobbered step of “Adherence” (plus “Pope of Dope to some degree) and culminating with the psyche-draining dread of album closer “Glutton”. The end result drags low, hurts like a noise rock record should, and makes for a pretty solid debut LP. Album art is kinda bland but not for lack of effort, at least; If you’re looking for noise rock in early 2024 make sure you put new albums from Haystack and Barren Womb on your list alongside this one.

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‘333‘ is the eighth full-length album from Netherlands-borne and Czechia based artist Hellchrist Xul‘s traditional black metal entity Funeral Winds. Around since the early 90’s but faced with a nearly ten year gap in their 2000’s era output this fellow has been incredibly dogged in his pursuit of the riff since 2017 or so with each release bearing the standards of early 90’s black metal from a very straight forward point of view. Bestial Summoning, Mayhem, and Demoncy all come to mind as the raw garage-burnt guitar sound and backgrounded drum hits hurl along these ~4-5 minute songs. Though the rhythm section may as well be background noise (by design) and the vocals are a less than tuneful hiss, the main point of interest here centers around fantastic guitar work delivered primitive but menacing in most cases. The first half of the record jets through its best riffs within the first handful of songs but I’d stuck around for a few additional listens for the sake of slower burners like “Forever Cursed and Bound”, finding the mid-paced side of the band best suited for these production values (or lack thereof.)

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/333

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