Week two of the Overtone year is a heavy one, with plenty of awesome metal (and one electro) to check out. Let’s dive in!
Lord of the Lost: OPVS NOIR Vol. 2
The follow-up to August’s part 1, this release follows that up pretty perfectly. They very much feel like the same project, having a similar tone and vibe, and once again it’s one hell of a LotR record! The heaviness and epicness continues, especially with the Lena Scissorhands-featuring ‘Would you Walk with Me Through Hell?’. Between Lena, Käärijä, IAMX and League of Distortion, there are a good few features on the album, all as good as the last! However, the other songs are just as good too, with ‘The Last Star’ and ‘Scarlight’ also being massive highlights. The whole album is great though, and doesn’t feel like 45-minutes at all, going by in a flash. I never quite got into the band aside for a few songs here and there, but this release has really won me over to them, and proved that actually, taking some time to write some good music instead of feeling the need to pump out an original studio work yearly has upped the quality of their output. Who’d have thought it, ey? It’s a very easy 8.5/10 from us, and my plan after this weekend is to listen to both volumes one after another, I have a feeling it’ll be a great time!
Zero 9:36: They Were Always Here
This is a really interesting release! Alt-metal in the broadest sense, this covers all manor of bases under that sphere. The closest thing I’ve managed to compare it to is ‘Animals’-era Architects, with some occasional Hyro the Hero or even Eminem thrown in for good measure! It makes for an incredibly interesting listen and, at only 22-minutes, it’s hard-to-stop ride from start to finish. Whether it’s heavy riffing and aggressive vocals or more of a slower, radio-friendly sound, it really has a bit of everything, packed right into a concise release. ‘System’ is a huge early highlight, as are tracks like ‘Here to Bleed’ and the Ekoh-featuring ‘Withdrawals’. It’s not going to be for everyone as it is a very modern sound, but I loved it! Continuing to blend hip-hop and electronic elements into metal and hard rock is making things so interesting and unique, and Zero has that here in spades. He’s already created a big name for himself across his back catalogue, and adds to it perfectly with this addition. It’s another very easy 8.5/10, check this out if you are at all interested!
Zkeletonz: Marmalade
The first album from the disco-style electro artist isn’t normally the sort of stuff we cover, but this was a damn fun listen and has me a little obsessed with them! It’s impossible not to have a good time listening to this, and surprisingly gave me big Basement Jaxx vibes throughout, which certainly isn’t a bad thing! And, at less than half-an-hour, it’s another incredibly easy listen. From the opener to ‘Out!’ to ‘Wild for the Weekend’, there are plenty of highlights here. My only issue is that it does get a touch samey after a while, though with this sort of music I’m not sure how to solve that. And still, I didn’t have a bad time listening to any of it! A damn solid 7/10 from us, and certainly an album I’ll be revisiting in the future.
Volumes: Mirror Touch
The first new album from the metalcore quartet in over four years, and this thing goes hard. The band very much didn’t lose their heaviness or technical prowess in the time between releases, this thing being dialled up to 11 on both! Right from the offset, ‘Sidewinder’ is awesome, and is followed up perfectly by ‘Bottom Dollar’. The crazy low guitar riffs and solid drumming is an awesome combo, especially with the synth in the back too, the great screams just adding to them even more! Then you have tracks like ‘S.O.A.P.’ and ‘em’ that are definite highlights too. Sadly, it does drop off a touch in the middle, going down more of a slower, lighter modern metalcore route, but very much brings itself back on track towards the end! It’s still a damn solid album overall, and one I’d definitely recommend to anyone into a modern metal sound. A very easy 8/10 from me!
Dragon Throne: Tale of the Two: Dawn
The power metallers didn’t hesitate to drop part two of their collection, did they? This dropped barely a month after Dusk, and continues on perfectly from said release! And you’ve already seen how much I enjoyed that album, so to have this continue on that great path is awesome. ‘Dragon Empire’ is one of the best opening tracks of the year, while the rest of the album follows it with a similar level of energy and quality. There truly isn’t a bad track on this album and, combined with the other part, makes for practically the perfect power-infused heavy metal release! Somehow I only gave the last one 7.5/10, but this one and as a whole piece between the two, I can’t give it any less than 9/10! If you are at all a metal fan, check this out ASAP, you’ll surely love it as much as I do!
Black Pig Meat: Symbiotic Dream
This is an absolutely incredible instrumental release! It’s always harder to shoehorn instrumental stuff into a specific genre, but it definitely feels prog/djenty for the most part, the odd bit of shoegaze thrown in for good measure. It’s chaotic but somehow all fits perfectly, ebbing and flowing incredibly well. Much is the case it seems this week, it will be a divisive release, with a lot understandably not getting into instrumental stuff. Heck, I struggle at times, but found this one so packed full of talented playing and composition I couldn’t stop listening! ‘Sizo’ was a big highlight, as was ‘Sóbole’. And while the closer, as great as it is, does go on a fair bit, it’s still a fun listen. It’s a great album to get high and listen to on your own in the dark, or if you’re a musician (interchangeable, clearly). Not something I’d revisit often but a damn good release, and a solid 7/10!