Happy new year!
Is it too late to say that? It’s January 10th after all. I think according to Curb Your Enthusiasm rules it’s a little late, but it is my first new releases column of the year, so perhaps everyone can give me a pass.
Anyway, we’re off to a good start with the five entries below. So get on that!
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Faithxtractor – Loathing and The Noose
This band really should be way bigger. I don’t know what the problem is. Anyone who really likes Akercocke and Anaal Nathrakh but wishes their style was routed through late-90s death metal would really love Faithxtractor. It’s brutality blended with emotion for maximum effect.
Stream: Apple Music
Loathing & the Noose by FAITHXTRACTOR
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The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard
From our interview with Mikael Stanne:
“The first album was us kind of discovering what we could be and what the band should be, and now we knew exactly what we wanted. So there was a lot more confidence and kind of commitment to our sound now. That made it easier, in a way, but also that pressure was on, you know, that maybe we didn’t feel first time around because there were no expectations. We didn’t even have a record deal; we didn’t know anything. We just had fun in the studio. But this was felt more for real, you know, and I appreciated that because you could tell, like everybody, tried a little bit harder to make sure that this had to be a worthy successor to that first album that people seem to like.”
Stream: Apple Music
March Of The Unheard by The Halo Effect
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Haunted Horses – Dweller
Some profoundly weird and off-putting stuff. It’s certainly “industrial” in character but recalls all sorts of other styles, from 80s post-punk, to Converge-hardcore, to Unsane-style angular madness. But more than anything, it’s a band trying to birth something new and interesting from old parts, and I’ll always respect that.
Stream: Apple Music
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Mourn the Light – The Magic is Calling
No, I’m not just putting these guys here because they’re from Connecticut, shut up. They also happen to be really good songwriters and make great music for people who like their metal epic and theatrical — but not without hewing strictly to power metal tropes, but rather relying on Dio-era Black Sabbath and King Diamond for their sonic foundation.
Stream: Apple Music
The Magic Is Calling by Mourn the Light
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Plaguewielder – In Dust & Ash
Another band smashing together existing styles to try and birth something interesting and new. This time, Plaguewielder tries to take melodic goth-rock and infuse it with extreme metal elements. It reminds me a little bit of Tribulation if their sound was channeled through 2000s hard rock. Not all readers will appreciate the style, but I have to admit these Ohio natives can write a damn good chorus.
Stream: Apple Music
IN DUST & ASH by Plaguewielder
The post Five For Friday: January 10, 2024 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.