• SHRT REVWS • This condensed version of short(er) reviews focuses on releases arriving in the second and third weeks of September covering black metal, noise rock, melodic punk, heavy/doom rock, stoner rock, and death/sludge metal. // In an attempt to be more conversational 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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Sporting blades, shredded dirt-strewn clothes, grease paint smudged faces, and a pagan-black metal past southern Germany-based black metal quintet FIRTAN bring a strong enough European standard for modern black metal aesthetics on this fourth full-length album. Of course I could make similar remarks of their music: Ruddy in the right places, stoic in some sense but fully in touch with modern sound design. There is a dramatic intensity to their work and no doubt their use of electric violin, post-metallic drang, and a variety of keyboard heightened sensations all add to their directive of melodic yet grand muse yet the more I sit with ‘Ethos‘ the less sure I am of the bands purpose, or, point of view. Something vital is lost in translation here on my end beyond appreciation of the spectacular momentum of their work and its many moderne tics. Despite this lingering feeling of non-specificity these folks still managed to catch my ear and keep it there by way of compelling enough presentation, as was the case with ‘Marter‘ a few years ago. In terms of highlights I’d particularly appreciated “Raukh” and the descending grooves of “Contra Vermes”.

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The Hauge, Netherlands-based noise rock trio FINE CHINA SUPERBONE return with another fine album here with ‘Hunk‘ a more direct foot in their early 90’s inspired but here-and-now set portal. They’re still having a good time here of course and I’m still a fan as you might recall I’d reviewed their previous album ‘Plaguey‘ back in 2019 with pretty high marks. This is generally my flavor of noise rock/post-hardcore in terms of their creeping, obsessive rhythms, at times mocking vocal tones, and a host of delirious chord progressions stringing the mind along. I am a huge fan of the way Wayne Adams (Bear Bites Horse Studio) treats noise rock in the sense that he can strap on a band like USA Nails and a band like this who’ve some similar needs but produce a characteristic result for each. If this album has a leg up on the previous one for my taste it is in the tone and turbulence felt throughout alongside some unexpected pieces such as “A Stranger Punched Me in the Face” with its kinda Psychic Graveyard feeling narration. I’ve missed a ton of shit-hot noise rock in 2024 thus far, and I’ll make a big feature of it sooner or later, but I’m glad this one made it to my inbox.

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If you’re not all that familiar with the last twenty plus years of solo work from BRANT BJORK, who’d co-founded Kyuss, featured in Fu Manchu and (briefly) Fatso Jetson among other projects in the 90’s, there’ve been a few iterations in terms of his overall crew for different records but most all of his stuff brings a bustling, feeling good-ass type of song-oriented, bluesy heavy psych and/or stoner rock to the table. Since I’d enjoyed his previous record ‘Bougainvillea Suite‘ (2022) and saw he’d brought in folks from Yawning Man and his Stöner project for this one I was stoked on what’d appeared to be a more guitar-forward sound based on previews. In fact the guitar tone might be my favorite aspect of the sound design here as its chunky stoner-toned buzz gives Mario Lallo‘s bass guitar tone plenty of room to push its spongey growl. The three folks here have some slick chemistry here, obviously tight musicianship that reaches for relatively sweet harmony as they build on twanging heavy rock grooves and Bjork‘s own brand of wordy melodies and shuffling rhythmic sense. The lyrics are thoughtful enough, unlimited hippy free-form that is variously off the hip and cleverly structured and none of the subject matter is going to make your day heavier. Each time I pick up another record from Bjork‘s general circle I become more of a fan of where the attitude and the technique match up in a distinct way.

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THE BLACK PACIFIC is a long-running side project from vocalist/guitarist Jim Lindberg who is best known as the vocalist for popular melodic hardcore punk band Pennywise, in fact the first we’d heard from this band (‘The Black Pacific‘, 2010) came about a year after he’d briefly left that band only to return in 2012. Most of the commentary around that debut was that, yes, his distinct voice paired with simpler melodic punk songs had a similar effect to the band he is known for but clearly there’d been more leeway for pop-punk hooks and variety with Lindberg running the show. Since we’ve gotten one record from his other band in the last ten years and his work is few and far between I get the sense these are the most sentimental, catchiest pieces that’ve stuck in mind over the years and not quickly jetted-out ditties. So, in some sense we do get the stuff that wouldn’t work on a Pennywise records, songs that’re too personal/cozy for the Wraths, but also more distortion driven than his solo LP from 2021. Just a heads up though, this is definitely a pop-punk or melodic punk record and longtime fans of the sub-genre should pick up on the late 90’s feeling of this record between the Green Day-esque trot anthem of “Here We Come” and the major label era Bad Religion-esque step of “Won’t Make a Sound”.

At eleven songs and ~36 minutes there is a lot to take in here but most of it lands as simple hooks paired with buzzing mid-to-fast paced guitar ripping along. There’re love songs, socio-political frustration, and a pretty well rounded chunk of songs but he loses me with the thicker application of sentimentality in the second half after the first half charmed it up with whoa-whoa head boppers. I’d echo my comments from back in 2010 or so that this’ll be one for folks who know and love his voice and want that extra side quest, but by no means does that imply anything but a catchy all-pro get up.

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Though they’ve technically been around since 2006 or so Birmingham, England-based heavy rock band ALUNAH didn’t really begin to catch a broad audience until about seven years ago when their (now former) vocalist Siân Greenaway joined in and they’ve taken on a bluesier hard rock style since, at least compared to the heavier stoner/psychedelic doom metal of their first handful of records. If you can hang with the softer side of ‘Violet Hour‘ (2019) and the stoner grooves of ‘Strange Machine‘ (2021) it might be less of a shock that this follow-up almost completely steps away from their doom metal aspect. I have to admit I didn’t appreciate this change to start with these busier compositions and stripped back guitar tones making for a more typical feeling retro heavy blues rock sound but as the album trots on we get a few far-out pieces (“The Odyssey”, “Fever Dream”) which help reinforce this change. To my ear it feels like it was clear Greenaway wanted to do a lot more with her voice, and very much does so throughout this album, though in the process Alunah kinda sheds a lot of their long-standing points of signature. Though I can’t say it is my favorite record from the group I wouldn’t contest that this was a big step-up moment for the band, to the point that they’re basically jumping out their skin into a new realm.

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Denver, Colorado-based death metal trio GLACIAL TOMB return for a second full-length album six years on from the first and no doubt they’ve put some considerable work into the sidewinding grooves of ‘Lightless Expanse‘, an album which might appear to be a blunt-toned instrument up front before it slowly unravels its complex (but not too complex) innards. While the suggestion of late 90’s/early 2000’s Gorguts influence should be obvious enough between their main rhythm guitar tones and gnarlier wrung riffcraft this is not a purely challenging technical death metal record or anything decidedly ‘old school’ otherwise. There is however a starkly oppressive, cold atmosphere hanging over most of these songs which is broken up by some differently ‘progressive’ (or, surprising and unconventional) sensibilities warped in through harmonized and/or rocking leads and sludgier moods. Wolvhammer-esque kickers like “Enshrined in Concrete” that are built around choppy grooves and blackened stretches weren’t really my gig but I could still hang with this record for repeated listens for the sake of how much attention they’ve paid to the ride through with plenty of detail even if they’re not aiming for tech overall. The more you pick at this one the greater the overall scab, so, don’t shy away from the care they’ve put into the cosmic horror inspired lyrics and such here.

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