FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Incredibly upbeat and dominant despite the overuse of operatics and keyboards—they still sound stuck somewhere between Diary Of A Madman and The Neverending Story soundtrack—Utopia is an indelibly catchy affair even if it refuses to advance the state of metal.
Rodrigo y Gabriela’s new album 11.11 challenges a lot of preconceptions of metal heads and metal music. While the instrumental, largely acoustic album cannot be traditionally considered as a ‘metal,’ the duo of Rodrigo Sánchez (lead guitar) and Gabriela Quintero, (rhythm) definitely has roots in classic and thrash metal. They started perfoming together after they both left a thrash metal band in Mexico, and while the music they do now is has a foundation of Spanish-influenced traditional folk, their faster and at times, gritter rhythms and rapid time changes serve as an homage to their metal foundation.
Ancestors can’t decide whether to join the noodly prog rock or stoner doom circles, and has left a foot in both camps, coming off like Dream Theater on ditch weed.
Trouble’s guitarist Bruce Franklin’s runs down his current playlist.
Forgive Us Our Trespasses is not only a lumbering, crushing sonic tour of a world without us, it’s also a cutting and unsubtle condemnation of humanity’s indifference to its own habitats.
To put more flesh on that connective tissue, great care seems to have been taken by Cantrell & co. to draw a hard line connecting the AIC of old with that of Black Gives Way To Blue.
While there’s no lack of unbridled aggression and combative, malicious intent, the prevailing aura is one of a band intent on reiterating their adoration for the likes of Deicide, Hate Eternal and a few of the more obvious homeland death metal acts such as Entombed et al.
Gnostic is a great, enjoyable ride of a listen, and dare I say it, an effort for the Atheist members to get a bit more edgier without losing their signature sound.
South of the equator, one band single-handedly put stoner rock on the map: Argentina’s Los Natas. With their latest release, Nuevo Orden de la Libertad signalling a return to their heavy-rockin’ roots after some psychedelic detours, frontman Sergio Chotsourian lets his experimental side show with side-project Ararat.
There is in fact a greater cohesiveness over all to this new record that was not there on early releases. This is a band that is at their peak now as a true unit, a well-oiled machine as it were.