Reports from the Underground: June 2020 prog reviewed (part 2)

Exocrine – Maelstrom (France)
Style: Tech Death (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Jonah

I reviewed Exocrine’s previous album back in 2018 and found it to be a relatively enjoyable, if somewhat uninspired release. If that were not the case I would absolutely not be reviewing their most recent album, as tech death is very far outside my normal wheelhouse, yet here we are, so let’s dive in to this smorgasbord of machine gun riffs and drumming and cacophonous vocals and see if I like what I find.

In a plot twist I never saw coming I actually…enjoy this quite a bit. The instrumentals feel suitably technical, moving forward at a lightspeed pace but never feeling like they sacrifice song structure. The vocal performance is all over the place, with a mixture of higher cleans, standard tech-death growls, and even some proper pig squeals and other more deathcore and slam death associated techniques. There are also some moments where things soften up and we find some nice pretty synth leads, or the occasional softer guitar section, that really serve to break up the insanity of the rest of the album. The drumming didn’t necessarily blow me away from a creativity standpoint, but the speed and skill are undeniable. The real standout moments on this album though, are when out of nowhere a damn trumpet comes in. Every single time they do it I just fall in love, it’s so damn strange and unexpected, and the drums blasting away, and the guitars pummeling with riffs, behind a trumpet lead is just an absolutely astonishing sonic experience. My biggest complaint about the instrumentation, in complete honesty, is that there wasn’t an absolute shit-load more of these moments, because I can’t get enough of them (as well as the 80s synths).

Unfortunately the area where this album falters heavily is the production. The mix initially appears clear enough, but the more I listened the more I noticed that the riffs can often sound muddy and stuck behind the vocals, but the entire final product just feels muffled and a bit too homogeneous in tone and volume. I think more clarity between the various instruments, and vocal sections, would have done wonders for the final product. Additionally there were certain riffs and vocal sections that felt like they were right on the verge of clipping, and just weren’t enjoyable at all.

This all being said, this is a really solid tech death album (from the perspective of someone who doesn’t really enjoy the genre) and honestly I think it’s worth a listen. It’s not necessarily groundbreaking, but there are moments that successfully caught me off guard, such as the John Carpenter-esque synths in “The Kraken”, or literally any time the trumpet happened, and I absolutely applaud the band for that. This is an interesting one, and I think with a stronger mix and even more of the more creative moments the band’s next album could be a real winner.

Recommended tracks: The Kraken, Wall of Water
Recommended for fans of: The Faceless, Nile, Obscura
Final verdict: 6/10

Tiberius – A Peaceful Annihilation (UK)
Style: Djent/Traditional (Power metal vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | RYM page
Review by: Tyler

It seems that no matter where you turn in the progressive music ecosystem, there is always a band that falls victim to the genre’s biggest cliche; a disconnect between vocals and instrumentals. It really is a tale as old as time (or like, the 1970’s): There’s a band of incredibly talented folks that do everything right, but the most divisive part of the experience is the vocals. And while Tiberius isn’t the biggest offender of this (nowhere near a LaBrie situation), it is, I feel, where the pitfalls of A Peaceful Annihilation originate.

What Tiberius does isn’t anything new. You know Haken and Dream Theater? You know Tiberius. The influences aren’t just on their sleeves, but they went to a tailor to make custom suits out of them. And all of that’s fine! There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The songs themselves are written really well. Lots of technical and complex things are happening, especially in the guitars. I can’t fault anything in the songwriting itself really, it’s sublime and legitimately forward thinking. The issues begin when the vocals really take over the entire record, as the two aforementioned bands have found themselves in the past.

Whenever the vocals are on full display, it almost seems that the rest of the band melts away into being background noise, and frankly, hard to hear at times. And, of course. The vocal line of any song is, arguably, the most important part, no one would disagree. It just seems like in the mixing stage that there was a power struggle and someone had to win. And it wouldn’t be so much of an issue if they weren’t so schmaltzy. They are the quintessential power prog metal vocals, swimming in music that is really far more interesting than most of what the vocals bring to the table. And (this may as well be my catch phrase at this point.) that’s not saying the vocals are performed badly, or out of tune, or anything like that. They aren’t by any sense. But the mix of the timbre itself, very theatrical and vibratious, just doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the band.

Despite the gaping new one I’ve ripped into the vocals so far, it’s not like they never ever worked. The entirety of “Leviathan” is absolutely killer and a real moment where the band was on the same page sonically and they made everything work. The end of “Mechanical Messiah” with the soaring harmonies made me feel something that was missing from the rest of the tracks. And as absolutely stuffed with cheese as it is, something about the way that the vocal line at the end of “Fidelity Lost” just commands the spotlight actually works really well. The text painting just sets a perfect scene of the story they are telling in that song specifically.

It may seem that I hated singing on this thing since I wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it for four paragraphs. But believe me when I say, if it sounded the way I would have preferred, the album would be at least a 9.5, the rest is that good. So it made sense to me to focus on where that hole is, because it certainly wasn’t in the instrumentals. This is absolutely worth at least one listen for folks who are looking for a younger, more talented Dream Theater or maybe just something to take your brain away from the new Haken or whatever. Giver a go.

Recommended tracks: Mechanical Messiah, Fidelity Lost, Leviathan
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Haken, Mandroid Echostar
Final verdict: 7/10

VoidCeremony – Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel (US-CA)
Style: Death (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Josh

Holy shit, these guys are all action all the time. This band’s amps don’t just go to eleven, no, they go past that, then past twelve too, all the way up to thirteen.

I can’t say anything about this band without first mentioning the drummer. He is absolutely the heart of this band, and all this man knows is how to go ham. He shows up on every track with the energy of Thomas Pridgen, just beating his kit into submission. Drum patterns change almost every bar at times, changing up riffs like nobody’s business. Sometimes this is an asset, and sometimes it isn’t. He pulls off some great parts during the verses that make the riffs sound far more dynamic and heavy than they have any right to (shoutout to the intro of “Sacrosanct Delusions”). Other times, though, an all-out aural assault on the kit isn’t needed. This presents itself as an issue primarily during the solos, where it’s difficult to pay attention to the guitar due to the constant, impossibly fast snare runs. It’s like trying to read a book while two UFC champs are beating each other to death right by you. Intense, but unwarranted.

The guitars and the vocals are standard prog death fare, but the bassist is a clear standout. His tone is fairly unique from what I’ve heard in the metalosphere. It’s quite spacey, reminding me of Dan Briggs of BTBAM. Often times the bass parts mirror the riffs, but occasionally they take center stage, and these make for some of the best moments of the album, especially when in context of its overall structure. Songwriting is played fast and loose here, with most tracks just cycling from riff to riff to riff to solo to riff. I’m not always the biggest fan of it, but what it means is that individual performances are highlighted more than anything else. This makes for a very hit or miss experience, as tracks rarely feel all that cohesive. The bassist always kills it, the guitarists generally nail the riffs but not so much with the solos, and the drummer gives 110% all day every day, which mostly works but not always.

The mixing is also of note due to how oddly it’s done. I’ve mentioned the issue with the drumming during solos, but the sudden and intense snare runs are only half of the problem. The other factor here is that the drums tend to be the loudest instrument by a considerable margin in this mix, which leads to the solos getting drowned out by the sheer volume of the drumming. This isn’t the only issue with the mix. I also noticed the bass being too high in the mix at points (spare me the “metal no bass” memes here), being loud to the point where it distracts from everything else that’s going on, mainly during the album’s sparse vocal sections. Overall, why?

Check this release out if you like prog death, but it’s not something you’ll regret missing that much.

Recommended tracks: Sacrosanct Delusions, Binded to Unusual Existence
Recommended for fans of: Atheist, Horrendous, Obscura
Final verdict: 5/10

Zephyria – Celestial Insurrection (US-MT)
Style: Deathcore (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | RYM page
Review by: Chris

This is another band where I don’t have a huge amount to say beyond what it sounds like it is. As an examination of deathcore, Zephyria have pretty much everything you would expect (except for some more fun titles than usual. Ted Cruz is indeed the Zodiac Killer). 

Where are they succeeding the most? I think they incorporate melody a good bit better than most bands trying to stake themselves as a new voice in the scene. “Lemons v. Scurvy”, “Treasure Lane”, and “Abomination” are probably the best examples of that, incorporating some really nicely placed violins and symphonic elements to pad out the spaces between the chugs, or incorporating some acoustic guitars and really pretty chords (below the gain turned to 12). That was probably what I held on to the most after the first listen or two, the moments where it kind of escaped the dredges of deathcore and briefly poked its head into a much more melodic place.

But you know, the vocals are brutal and sound pretty good, the drumming is tight and the guitars sound great whether riffing bleedingly fast or just hitting the chugs. I will say this album has some pretty brutal breakdowns. The one at 3:55 in “Black Sand” may honestly be one of my favorite breakdowns in a song I’ve heard this year in all honesty. I really wish I had a lot more to say about this but it really is just a really solid offering from a new band in the deathcore scene that I see myself returning to in the future.

Recommended tracks: Sin Eater, Treasure Lane, Moon Presence, Black Sand
Recommended for fans of: Humanity’s Last Breath, Fit for an Autopsy, Aversions Crown
Final verdict: 7/10

Varus – A New Dawn (Germany)
Style: Symphonic Melodeath (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Andrew

Taking this album for this week was a very last-minute decision but I’m so glad I did. Hailing from Germany, Varus is a symphonic melodic death metal quintet whose goal is “to forge a bond of orchestral epicness, uncompromising force, progressive song structures and melodious folk influences.” And I have to say, they’ve accomplished this goal exceedingly well. 

At its core, A New Dawn is melodic death metal. The guitarwork and riffage is overwhelming melodeath, as is the drum style. More often than not, blast beats and heavy riffs overwhelm the senses as Varus shows off their metal chops. Symphonics are still ever-present, constantly shifting between taking a backseat to the metal and coming front and center. The orchestration itself takes many different forms throughout A New Dawn, from classical opera-style orchestrals to German folk-influenced orchestration. The symphonics present an excellent layer on top of the metal which gives A New Dawn a unique atmosphere. 

The German folk music influence is quite strong throughout. Incorporating several traditional instruments, Varus seamlessly blends the folk with the metal creating their own blend of folky melodeath. From fun, bouncing rhythms to dueling flute solos, Varus uses their folk influence to a strong advantage, using it not as a crutch but as an enhancement. None of the songs would be necessarily worse off without the folkiness, but it adds an extra level of enjoyment, elevating A New Dawn to greater heights. I’m a huge fan of folk metal in general and Varus do it better than many established bands. 

Primarily harsh vocals with the occasional clean passage or gang vocal chant, the lyrics on A New Dawn are a mix of English and German. With a timbre more reminiscent of high black metal screams than death metal, singer Konstantin Raab emblazens each track with his ferocity. The man can certainly scream but I don’t think the style of harsh vocals quite fits in with the instrumentation. There are sections where it feels disjointed, as if the singing was just pasted on top of the instrumental. Production-wise, it’s great. Every instrument is clearly audible and nothing takes priority over another and they all play together effortlessly and clearly. 

Varus hugely surprised me with their unique take on folk metal, blending genres not typically associated with the style into a cohesive, interesting record. A New Dawn took me on a journey to the Alps and then beat me over the head with lederhosen in the best possible way. 

Recommended tracks: The Awakening, Wandel Der Zeit, The Minstrel’s Chant
Recommended for fans of: Ensiferum, Wintersun, Vinsta
Final verdict: 8.5/10