Nestled between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains, the tiny european nation of Andorra is home to one of the brightest lights in the extreme progressive death metal firmament. Persefone are a band that has long deserved to be recognized for their abilities as they have already carved out a strong lineage of outstanding albums. Each one only improving from one to the next in ever-increasing excellence. With Persefone active since 2001, Metanoia is the band's sixth installment to their great catalog and sees them continue to push forward in the evolution of their sound and approach to songwriting.

Persefone started out as something resembling an extreme metal version of progressive titans like Symphony X with their first album, 2004’s, Truth Inside The Shades, which the band actually fully re-recorded for its 15th anniversary last year and was one of my favorite albums of 2020. Continuing on with the evolution through 2007’s Core and 2009’s Shin-ken, however it was 2013’s Spiritual Migration that really made a lot of people sit up and take notice. Especially within the fanbase of more extreme and technical death metal. With Spiritual Migration Persefone started to find a sound that would be refined and perfected further on 2017’s steller album Aathma, which also happens to be one of my all time favorite albums. That ultimately brings us to Metanoia and once again the bar that Persefone have set for themselves has been raised to new heights.

Metanoia begins with the beautiful and transcendent title track which has an outstanding emotion-filled vocal performance leading the way. I can’t verify this but if I was to guess I’d say the singer from the band Leprous, Einar Solberg is the one delivering it, making a guest appearance. During most of the songs on Metanoia there are touches of electronic music laced sparingly throughout. Just enough to add to the tension building, however never so much as to remove the raw human sound of a band at full power. The title track builds masterfully and explodes into “Katabasis” with it’s ferocious riffing and now trademark Persefone complex rhythmic grooves. Persefone are one the best bands in extreme metal at writing these kinds of memorable grooves and hard hitting jagged riffs. The song has all the powerful ingredients that fans of Persefone have come to know and love. The great dynamic feel as I’ve already mentioned, the aggressive death growls from Marc Martins Pia, the soaring and fantastically uplifting clean vocals from keyboardist and singer Miguel Espinosa Ortiz, who also provides the expansive symphonic keyboard textures along with other electronic sounds which serve to lend the whole album an epic grandeur that is unmatched.

Lyrically the album seems to be once again tackling themes of self discovery and the exploration of the soul. This is very much reflected in the flow of the music itself. Like it’s predecessor Metanoia feels very much like a whole experience from start to finish with sublime beauty mixed with fierce aggression. The music perhaps reflects influences from bands like the aforementioned Leprous as well as Soen, Ihsahn and Cynic. However they have very much created their own sound. This sonic journey feels very much like you are traveling through someone's spiritual evolution but from the inside. Experiencing all the twists and turns first hand along the way. “Architecture of I” kills once again then leads into the epic instrumental, “Leap Of Faith” which builds from soft and contemplative into something gigantic in its cinematic scale and emotional reach. “Aware Of Being Watched” is another thrilling ride jam packed with more innovative rhythms, electronica, powerful and captivating vocals and a ripping guitar solo. Actually it’s worth noting that on all their previous albums there have been a lot more guitar solos all over the place yet here they are fewer and more far between. Normally I’d be disappointed by that because Carlos Lozano Quintanilla and Filipe Baldaia are both top tier players, however I didn’t even notice it until I heard the album several times. Here the focus is far more on the overall composition and the emotional impact that it will illicit.

Following on from “Leap of Faith” comes the first single “Merkabah” and again the band hits it right out of the park here. Pure perfection. They then return to the two part song “Consciousness” from the Spiritual Migration album for a third installment. Of course it stays faithful to the first two parts but they manage to make it even more epic and powerful. Finally Metanoia finishes with a 3 part extended suite of songs called “Anabasis” and again we are taken from serene beauty to extreme explosive power and back again. Another grand statement of Persefone’s ever growing powers. The music on Metanoia conjures up imagery of someone meditating on the edge of an ice cliff in Antarctica but with the cinematic scope of Lawrence of Arabia.

As I mentioned already their previous album Aathma is one of my favorite albums so I was very much anticipating this release with excitement and also nerves about how the guys could possibly top that album. I’m overjoyed to say that Metanoia has not only lived up to my expectations but has surpassed them. Metanoia is a perfect album from top to bottom. It does everything they are known for and more and to the highest possible level. The production is pristine and the performances are magnificent all around. Any fans of progressive metal in any form should definitely get this album. I would be surprised if Metanoia isn’t my album of the year for 2022 by year's end. A truly masterful and transcendent album from a band that deserves to breakthrough with this masterpiece. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)

In the world of Technical, Progressive and Melodic Death Metal there are few bands who have made as memorable a mark as Colorado’s Allegaeon. For 15 years and through various line-up changes Allegaeon have forged their complex sound to the point where they now sit firmly at the tip of the spear of these sub genres. Now in 2022, the guys, in partnership, once again, with the highly sought after producer Dave Otero, have dropped their sixth full-length album in Damnum.

The title Damnum is a latin word meaning loss. Consequently the lyrical themes explored within by singer Riley McShane reflects many of his own and other band members' feelings of anger, grief, sadness and loneliness, which they have experienced over the last few years. Channeling the pain felt by the suicides of two close friends and even drawing lyrics from the suicide notes as well as literature that had been enjoyed between the friends gives the whole thing a real potency of feeling and at times can get pretty dark. However Riley has stated that his intention was more about showing the listeners who may also feel these dark emotions that they are not alone and to try to find a positive strength and light in the darkness through the music. I think they have done an excellent job with this synthesis.

While the lyrical content and pain is there to be felt, the music itself throughout is very uplifting and exciting, even with the brutality. Certainly the violence and furocity the band has always had remains and is even perfected further, yet so are the melodic elements. Allegaeon has reached new heights in that department. The guitar playing prowess from Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel is undeniable. Seamlessly mixing gentle complex acoustic passages with bludgeoning death metal riffing as well as beautiful heavy melodic passages and jaw-dropping solos. On Damnum, Allegaeon welcomes new drummer Jeff Saltzman, formerly of Continuum. With his inclusion and in combination with the uber talented Brandon Michael on bass, the rhythm section is equally mesmerizing.

In recent years Allegaeon albums have always been very consistent affairs from top to bottom and Damnum is no different. In my opinion it’s even more so than previously. So picking standout tracks is a hard task because every song is an exciting world of its own to explore. However you can't go wrong with the bludgeoning “Of Beasts and Worms”, the absolutely killer riffing of “To Carry My Grief Through Torpor and Silence”, the melodic splendor of “Into Embers” and the pulverizing power of “Blight”. Also the two part “The Dopamine Void” is once again another album highlight for Allegaeon as well as for Riley’s fantastic vocals, which for those unfamiliar with the band is a mix of killer, top-tier Death growls and goosebump inducing clean singing. I believe he’s announced his departure from the band, which if true, is a huge loss because the guy is a genuinely talented vocalist.

Allegaeon haven’t really done anything vastly different on Damnum and those familiar with their work will find it fits in with their established sound and direction very well. What they have achieved however is to level everything up quite dramatically. The compositions are the best they have ever produced, the playing and singing, which has always been great, is somehow even better, and the production by Dave Otero sounds full and powerful. Damnum is the band's best album to date and that's saying a lot because they have been pumping out great albums for years now. If you love it technical but also loaded with aggression, melodic expression and emotion then don’t sleep on Damnum. It’s Allegaeon’s masterpiece. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)

When Death Metal was beginning to stagnate somewhat at the turn of the century one band stood out from the crowd and reminded us all that the genre wasn’t only not dying but was still brimming with life and vibrancy. That band of course was the Polish powerhouse Decapitated and that album released in 2000 was the drop dead classic debut album Winds Of Creation. The guys were not done there though. Bringing forth an extremely high level of proficiency Decapitated continued to release three more outstanding albums in 2002’s Nihility which is still a fan favorite to many and is pure perfected insanity, 2004’s The Negation which continued the technical perfection blended with true Death Metal power and ferocity, and finally 2006’s Organic Hallucinosis which divided some fans at the time but now is also widely regarded as a classic. Unfortunately while touring Organic Hallucinosis their tour bus collided with an oncoming truck hauling wood. This incident would leave singer Adrian "Covan" Kowanek in a coma and see their amazing drummer Witold "Vitek" Kiełtyka lose his life a few days later due to his injuries. This was obviously a huge blow to the band and especially Vitek’s brother and primary songwriter and guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka.

After a few years recording and touring with fellow Poles Vader for their Necropolis album, Vogg put the word out to recruit new members to restart Decapitated once again. With Covan still enduring a very slow recovery, and unable to rejoin, a whole new line-up was assembled. In mid-2009 Vogg stated: "It has been the hardest thing for me to move on without Vitek by my side, but he would have wanted me to continue with the band. Finally, I have found some great musicians who can continue the work of Vitek and Covan. There's no sense in stopping this amazing thing we built up so many years ago together with Vitek, Sauron, Martin and Covan."

The New line-up returned in 2011 with Carnival is Forever and followed up with Blood Mantra in 2014 and 2017’s Anticult. While the band was still unarguably technical Death Metal, the overall sound and feel of the band had changed somewhat. Incorporating a little more diversity into the compositions while at times not being quite as intricate. During the Anticult tour Decapitated once again faced a terrible ordeal in the form of false accusations of rape while on tour in california. After the band's arrest and more evidence coming to light thankfully the band was cleared and all charges were dropped. This along with surviving another bus crash and a plane crash makes Decapitated one of the most unstoppable bands in all metal. It's simply amazing that with all that they’ve managed to survive it all and prosper creatively.

That brings us up to date with their latest offering, the aptly titled Cancer Culture. Here we see Decapitated at their most diverse yet. Cancer Culture preserves their legacy of technical prowess while also adding large doses of melody, rhythmic diversity and dissonance, all flavored with their trademark groove. They open with Militaristic drumming and ominous sounding guitars on "From the Nothingness with Love" before exploding into the title track and it's glorious. Loaded with groove and aggression but also allowing the softer moments to open up and breath before returning to the onslaught. It’s done with total control and expertise. “Just a Cigarette” follows and mixes dissonance, melody and emotion seamlessly. Another standout.

Another interesting feature of Cancer Culture is the two guest appearances. Firstly on the fantastic song “Hello Death” they have Tatiana Shmailyuk from the band JInjer providing some very nice clean vocals that float above Vogg’s crazy intricate riffing creating a wonderful juxtaposition. This is quite unexpected on a Decapitated album and some might see it as a sell out or some such nonsense but personally I think as always they handle it perfectly. Next they also brought in Machine Head’s very own Robb Flynn to add clean vocals to the equally excellent “Iconoclast”. A straight for the jugular grooving death metal track that also explores some goosebump inducing moodiness with Robb’s clean singing. Every song on Cancer Culture is fantastic but other standouts are the insanity unleashed of “Locked” and the unusual coolness of “Hours As Battlegrounds”.

Everything on Cancer Culture sounds fantastic too. Huge yet well defined production sounds serve to highlight Vogg’s fantastic and unique riffing and creative soloing. The Drumming from James Stewart is fantastic and I think Vitek would be proud. Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski once again does a great job delivering the growls with precision and perfect placement.

As a huge fan of their first run of albums with Vitek I never fully warmed to the newer albums as much, however listening to Cancer Culture has reawakened my love for Decapitated. I think it’s the best of their new era albums and I love every pulversing second of it. There’s enough of their familiar classic technical bludgeoning there while also bringing a freshness to the table and integrating it masterfully by a band at the peak of their compositional powers. Highly recommended. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)

While many of the Thrash Metal originators seemed to stumble through the 90’s and 2000’s, or in many cases disappeared completely during this period of Metal being cast out of the mainstream, and for the most part relegated back to the underground. One German band, however, managed to continue to grow and experiment their way through it all and emerge on the other side a refined yet equally potent version of their previous selves. Of course I’m talking about the biggest of the German big four, the Mighty Kreator. This year sees the band release their 15th studio album entitled Hate Über Alles.

Kreator never really lost their creative fire, even if some of their more experimental albums in the 1990’s are considered somewhat controversial to many fans. In recent years however Kreator have really hit their stride. Their new sound really coalesced on 2012’s Phantom Antichrist and through 2017’s Gods of Violence. The approach is still just as fast, heavy and aggressive as their roots, but with added elements of musicality and melody. One might think these additions would diminish the attack and ferocity, however nothing can be further from the truth. Hate Über Alles very much continues in the same vein. However it’s not a copy-paste situation. Leader Mille Petrozza has said that the album was written and ready to go before Covid struck, however the additional time before being able to release and tour it, allowed the band to put more time and attention into the final creative process.

Hate Über Alles opens with a short ode to Ennio Marricone and Spaghetti Westerns in the track “Sergio Corbucci is Dead”. Generally I’m pretty sick of these kinds of non-metal intro tracks that every band these days feels the need to start their albums with, but in this case it's fairly short and well done and quite enjoyable. Perhaps because I’m a big Spaghetti western fan. Next the title track, which is an album highlight, erupts and it’s the full frontal Thrash aggression that has always been the bread and butter of Kreator. Killer riffing, memorable chorus and fantastic guitar playing from Mille and Sami Yli-Sirniö. “Crush of the Tyrants” has more of a mid-paced groove but is no less heavy and memorable. The production and tones throughout are really first rate with everything sounding rich and full and with clear separation yet retaining the overall power. “ “Strongest Of The Strong” is one of the singles and is a fun, straightforward rocker that somehow manages to sound heavier than it probably should. The lyrics on Hate Über Alles are pretty cringe at times but it doesn’t ruin my enjoyment overall. “Become Immortal” is a self-referential song about the history of Kreator itself and is a bit tongue in cheek and more than a little cheesy, but also a lot of fun. “Conquer and Destroy” is another highlight. Opening with some dreamy harmonized guitars before exploding into full speed pummeling aggression. Whereas in the first run of Kreator it was all Thrash, all the time, now the band will include more traditional Heavy Metal and even Power Metal melodies to make their point. While for the most part we get Mille’s great harsh vocals throughout, another unusual addition is the cleaner vocals seen in some of the tracks. The inclusion of female vocals on “Midnight Sun”, by Berlin based singer, Sofia Portanet for example. This song has a decidedly Goth feel mixed into the Power/ Thrash and is an enjoyable diversion.

The drums as usual are helmed by Ventor and he absolutely slays as always. The guy is a beast. Besides the fairly stable line-up here is the one new addition to the band, former Dragonforce and Sinsaenum bass player Frédéric Leclercq. He actually contributed to the writing process with Mille in the final track “Dying Planet” which is another standout track, with some excellent moodiness built into the high speed attack. The song has an epic and somewhat progressive feel to it and is a powerful way to close out Hate Über Alles.

If you are an old school fan and only love classics like Pleasure to Kill, Extreme Aggression and Coma Of Souls, but never could enjoy anything else going forward then this won’t win you over. However for fans who have loved their more recent albums then there is a lot to love on this album. I wouldn’t say it’s one of their all-time greatest albums but it’s an extremely strong release nonetheless. Power, melody, ferocity and Thrash are the names of the game here and Kreator, as always, has delivered a fantastsic album. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)

Over the last decade or so many of the great metal bands that came out of the 80’s and died off in the 90’s have been handed a new lease on life by a metal fan base that has been eager for the return of the originators. One such band that I personally have been hoping would return, with a new album, is the New York legends, Toxik. Dis Morta is the band's first full length album since 1989’s drop dead classic Think This and though the band have produced some very good EP’s in recent years, since their reformation, the release of Dis Morta is sure to make a lot of fans, myself included, very happy to see their return.

Toxik were a band that employed a very sophisticated level of technicality and even dabbled in progressive tendencies while crafting their electrifying brand of Thrash. The question is have the band, led as always by guitar master Josh Christian, been able to maintain this level of creative prowess or has time diminished their abilities? Some of the legends of the past have been able to come back as strong as ever while others seem to have fallen into the trap of being formulaic, almost parodies of their former selves. So what is Dis Morta all about and how does it stack up?

The title track opens the album with what sounds like the description of some ancient biblical battle before the song comes in hard with a fairly slow and heavy riff. Before long we are treated to the first of many lead guitar barrages from Josh Christian who shows that he still is a true powerhouse of a player. His intricate and explosive solos and lead breaks are one of Dis Morta’s absolute highlights. New singer Ron Iglesias remains encamped in the upper registers for the vast majority of the album and definitely fits in well into the revamped line-up. I still think Mike Sanders was the best Toxik singer but Ron certainly has the chops and contributes well to the songwriting.

One of the things that always set Toxik apart was their ability to take you in unexpected directions yet also have strong and memorable melodies. On Dis Morta they seem to have mostly reclaimed that ability, however perhaps only after multiple listens. The production leaves a little to be desired. With the vocals and guitars getting a bit muddy at times with everything sounding a bit overly compressed as well. Also another issue I have is the lyrical content. I know anti-Christian themes are popular in metal but personally I find it all a bit immature and boring. However I know many fans like it when bands shit on Christianity so I’m sure I’m not representing the masses on that particular gripe. Besides those few issues though Dis Morta is fantastic and a big step up from the EPs they’d released since reconstituting a few years ago. Songs like “The Radical” are pure high speed thrash excitement and are loaded with plenty of muscle, but also a high level of dazzling technicality. The trademark Toxik melodies are there to be found on the first single, “Power”, as they are throughout, and of course the guitars once again are absolutely killer. Josh was always one of my favorite thrash guitarists and he is reasserting himself in that position with this album in my estimation. Fantastic, fiery and expressive stuff. I don’t want to overlook the rhythm section either. Guitarist Eric Van Druten, drummer James DeMaria and bass player Shane Boulos are all equally important to the power, precision and overall insanity. “Hyper Reality” is another example of the band seamlessly melding their trademark insane riffing and rhythms with catchy and memorable melodies on the vocals. There is also a progressive element to the tech thrash which is on display. However anyone familiar with Toxik’s classic albums, especially Think This, and even World Circus, to a lesser degree, will not be surprised by that feature. The band have claimed in their press release that Dis Morta is the natural continuation from Think This and while they are sonically quite different, on an elemental level there are many similarities and I can see what the band was thinking by making that claim. This is probably the heaviest the band has ever sounded as well, but it’s hard to tell if that’s a product of modern production or the music itself being any heavier. I suspect it’s the former. I’d be interested to see how this material will stack up in a live setting in comparison to their classic material.

Another interesting feature is the occasional inclusion of what seem like cultural melodies injected around the place. I’m sure I picked up the odd Russian anthem-like melody and Japanese folk music line here or there. But certainly not in an obvious way, and perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but to my ears it sounds like it’s by design.

It’s worth noting that the band sound as youthful and energetic as ever and Dis Morta relentlessly goes for the throat at all times. I will say that because of the complexity of the material and the muddy production sound, the album did feel a little impenetrable on the first few listens, at least from a melodic point of view. It is clear from the first listen, however, that the band has brought an impressive level of technical ability to the table and so that should bring you back for more, enough times for the melodies, which are strong, to eventually sink in. One of the few slight diversions on Dis Morta comes with the quasi-ballad intro to “Devil In The Mirror”, but it’s only a minute or so before the song erupts back into the high speed thrash attack, again laced with all the wonderful diversity, guitar ornamentations and electricity. Dis Morta closes with one of the most instantly memorable songs, the thrash beast, “Judas”. The intro riff almost sounds Tool-like, but once the band kicks in it’s more Toxik style insanity. The verses and chorus almost remind me of the melodic tendencies of bands like Jane's Addiction or early Muse, but with much more power, insanity and of course technicality. A great song to wrap up the album.

So to answer the question of how does this album stack up with their past classics, I think only time will tell. However musically this album is truly excellent. It is somewhat demanding as it requires the listener to invest in multiple listings, to truly reap the rewards, but the rewards are many and well worth the time. Dis Morta is a force to be reckoned with and only highlights the fact that Toxik have lost nothing with the passage of time. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)