Album Review: INTRONAUT Fluid Existential Inversions (2/28)

Intronaut is an American progressive metal band from Los Angeles, California, that incorporates complex polyrhythms, progressive rock, and jazz. It's been a five-year since 2015's The Direction Of Last Things which was my first contact with the band. I was really impressed with the album which reached my top tier on that year list. Their sound is influenced by a wide variety of genres (stoner metal, post-metal, and sludge metal). In addition to callbacks to 70's prog rock, Intronaut remind me of bands such as Mastodon (early), Tool (ambient soundscapes / ethereal breaks) and BTBAM (late).

Now it's 2020 and the quartet is finally back with the sixth LP, Fluid Existential Inversions. The only line-up change is the addition of drummer Alex Rudinger (The Faceless, Whitechapel). His addition behind the kit definitely played a key part in the album's sound. While Intronaut have always used polymeters and polyrhythms, Alex's performance is insane. A song like "Cubensis" is practically a 7-min drum solo, listen to the playthrough here. From the get-go this song, which is my favorite on the album, displays a recurrent feature throughout the album: Transitions from heavy distorted portions into ambient jazz-infused soundscapes. I love that the clean vocals in the slow section which remind me of BTBAM's "Mordecai". In fact, vocals often alternate from screams and growls to clean singing. But even the harsh vocals are rarely super aggressive as you would hear in BTBAM for example. All in all, I enjoyed all tracks on this album, each one brings a unique flavor while keeping a consistent album feeling. "The Cull" for example sounds instrumentally influenced by Tool and vocals by Baroness and it works surprisingly well. The fact that often the guitar tone is not super distorted and Sacha Dunable/David Timnick play many arpeggios gives room for a prominent bass guitar (e.g. "Contrapasso") by Joe Lester. Joe's bass often serves as the primary melodic component of certain riffs (e.g. "Speaking of Orbs"). Actually this song is a Pink Floyd homage until a super heavy riffs kick in. This contrast is what makes this album great. For about 3 min"Tripolar" may be the heaviest song on the album (almost Meshuggah like) before entering an ethereal break from their more intense riffs. As we approach the end, the single "Pangloss" is the grooviest track on the record, but also here it ended up diving into a post-rock section.

The only thing that bugs me a bit in Fluid Existential Inversions is the almost mandatory ethereal break in every song. It works well almost always but by the time we get to the last song it feels a bit forced. that's maybe why the last song "Sour Everythings" appeals less to me than the rest. But this is just me being picky. Overall it is a very good album and a worthy follow-up to The Direction Of Last Things.

Intronaut can be too much to digest - but after a few listens, you hear the beauty in it, so it may take time to get to a final verdict. I suspect that many publications may be rushing to review it and are missing the point. It's really a shame because Fluid Existential Inversions is one of the best albums of the year so far.

SCORE: 83/100
Genre: Progressive Metal
Released by Metal Blade Records on February 28th, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

Album Review: DEMONS & WIZARDS III (02/21)

The power metal supergroup Demons & Wizards (a side-project of singer Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian and guitarist/song writer Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth) released their self-titled debut album in February 2000 followed by a short tour. In 2005, the band released their second album entitled Touched by the Crimson King but this time, mo touring. In 2019 the band reunited for a series of shows and festival appearances. Demons & Wizards being a project combining two of my all time favorite bands, it feels weird to say that I never really took the time to appreciate them. Mostly because I am not a fan of supergroups, but as they rejoined forces for touring, I decided to dive into it. I watched the WOA live stream and of course I was quite impressed with what I heard. Following that I spent some time with their first two albums.

After the tour the band announced their third studio album, III. The LP marks the band's first collection of new material in 15 years. Going over the 1 hour mark, the album feels a bit long but manageable. The variability and dynamic certainly help. Each song is independent and delivers a unique story. When it comes to the guitar work, the similarities to Iced Earth are inevitable, John's trademark style is fully present, but the beauty is that when the vocals from Hansi are laid on top of it, then it gets also very Blind Guardian due to his very unique voice and style. Album opener, "Diabolic", is a vivid example of this synergistic dynamic.

Despite those years apart, III feels like a natural progression from the first two albums. The 2000's roots are there, but it has a very intense, modern, new feeling to it. It goes further into adding new directions. For example "Midas Disease" shows this clearly. It's a cool upbeat track in which they go completely old school classic rock as a tribute to AC/DC’s Malcolm Young. But it also sounds a lot like WASP, specially the vocals. The guitar work and solos are simply awesome. Other tracks more traditional heavy metal include: "Universal Truth", "New Dawn" and "Invincible". Interestingly the three were originated in the Iced Earth's Incorruptible writing sessions. But it is "Split" that reminds me of old school Iced Earth (circa Night of the Stormrider). And for the Blind Guardian fans "Dark Side Of Her Majesty" is the closest we get to it, great tune and fantastic vocals. Then for the first time Demons & Wizards go proggy with epic songs around the 10-minute mark. The acoustic dominated leading to a big ending "Timeless Spirit" (a modern folk version of "A Question of Heaven") and the closer "Children Of Cain". Here I feel this song was stretched for the sake of hitting the 10 min mark and not that it really needed.

Overall, III is still a Power Metal album, so you can expect catchy melodies, big choruses, uncountable hooks and overall big and epic feeling. The video single "Wolves In Winter" being a strong example of a short power metal hymn that will be sang along when played live. Unfortunately there are some issues with III. First, it's a bit too long. A song like "Final Warning" felt unnecessary and "Children Of Cain" never gets anywhere. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the production values, it is pristine but maybe too polished. As for the mix, at moments the vocals seem low specially compared to the bass drum and rhythm guitars which are a bit too loud (e.g. "Split").

Like the blend of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian that Demons & Wizards are, their third LP is an epic journey with picks and valleys. While not perfect, it's a worthy follow up from the first albums taking the band's sound into new directions (traditional metal and prog) without loosing their roots (epic anthems, power metal catchiness).

SCORE: 80/100
Genre: Power Metal
Released by Century Media Records on February 21st, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

Album Review: PSYCHOTIC WALTZ The God-Shaped Void (02/14)

California Progressive Metal pioneers and innovators Psychotic Waltz debuted in 1990 with their independently financed A Social Grace. Three more studio albums followed before their breaking up in the late mid-90's.  The original members reunited in 2010, touring Europe in support of Nevermore and Symphony X on The Power Of Metal tour. That was actually the first and only time I saw Psychotic Waltz live and I was quite impressed with their sound. Since then they have been playing together in their core line-up from 1985. However in all this time no new record was produced. Now Psychotic Waltz return with their highly anticipated 5th studio album following up 1996's Bleeding and thus the first new music in 23 years.

The God-Shaped Void is a one-hour prog trip in 11 songs. Psychotic Waltz displays a very unique sound. Overall, the album is more prog rock than metal. I would describe as a modern take of early Pink Floyd meets David Bowie and Jethro Tull (yes, there's a flute, but not overused) with a touch of 80's Queensrÿche. There are no bad songs and the album flows beautifully, soon enough the melodies and catchy choruses start to get stuck in your head. It offers quite some diversity and songs may take different directions. The album opens with the single "Devils and Angels" which is a great opener but I can't stop thinking of David Bowie's "All the Young Dudes" intro riff when I listen to it. "Stranded" and "Back to Black" pick up the heaviness and speed. "All the Bad Men" gets sludgy and flows seamlessly into the epic and emotional "The Fallen". Here the Queensrÿche parallel is inevitable. Singer Devon Graves shows great versatility but never going into irritating territory. In the slower tempo "Demystified" the band goes more 70's with some beautiful acoustic guitars and Devon Graves put his flute to work. Some songs are also simpler like "Season of the Swarm" which is a rocker. All of it is executed brilliantly by the whole band and perfectly captured with a pristine and clear production. 

After 25 years, Psychotic Waltz returns with The God-Shaped Void, a well-written record with top-notch performances. Like many progressive rock albums, it is a grower and it requires some attention to capture all the nuances. I'm not an expert in their discography, but year 2020, Psychotic Waltz sound like a vital modern prog band with clear roots in the old school prog rock and metal. Highly recommended to any prog fan.

SCORE: 83/100
Genre: Progressive Rock
Released by InsideOutMusic on February 14th, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

Album Review: KVELERTAK Splid (02/14)

"Kvelertak (Kuh-vell-er-tack) is a band from Norway that plays rock music." This quote is how the band describe themselves. They were formed in 2007 and released their well received self-titled debut on June 21, 2010. The band's name is the Norwegian for "stranglehold". The band, a sextet with three guitars, has recently welcomed Ivar Nikolaisen as frontman following the departure of Erlend Hjelvik. Ivar is making his studio debut with Kvelertak's 4th album Splid ('discord' in English). Most of their songs have Norwegian lyrics, and their main influences are rock and roll, black metal and punk rock. I remember being quite impressed with their very good debut album, but my enthusiasm diminished with each subsequent release. In 2020 with a new singer, new label, I was curious to hear where they are going. The answer is one hour of catchy riffs, punk rock and heavy metal unusual mix with progressive tendencies.

The first four songs are short and while mostly hardcore/punk influenced, they are quite metallic and engaging. Track 4, "Discord" is the only one in English. Later with "Ved bredden av Nihil" they bring back that black n' roll vibe from the first albums. Those are fun and well executed tracks that will certainly work well live. But the album really shines with the longer tracks. Starting with "Bråtebrann", a 7-min prog adventure with great drumming and metal riffing while still using hardcore vocals mixed with some clean backing vocals. To top it off, a bluesy guitar solo! "Fanden ta dette hull!" is another amazing prog track, it sounds almost like The Beach Boys or maybe even Rush? But it gets also thrashy and becomes a headbanger! The guitar solo section could be out of Kill 'Em All. The last two songs "Delirium tremens"  and "Ved bredden av Nihil" are the other prog highlights. Those four songs are very interesting and it is where Kvelertak excels, this unorthodox mix of genres to create something unique is really cool.

Overall I really like the drum work and the guitar tones throughout the album. Add those to a good production and the result is a clear mix in which even the bass can be heard. The vocal approach is versatile but mostly hardcore/punk screams with occasional black metal growls and moments with clean singing. It all works well.

Prog is one of my favorite music genres, with Splid Kvelertak demonstrated that they can be progressive, epic and unique, so to me it is frustrating to have to skip some punky forgettable songs (e.g. "Uglas Hegemoni") in the middle of the album to get to the prog tracks. Despite those bumps on the road, Splid is their best album since the debut and certainly makes me very curious and excited to see where they are going next.

SCORE: 80/100
Genre: Hardcore / Black N' Roll
Released by RiseRecords on February 14th, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

Album Review: SEPULTURA Quadra (02/07)

For 35 years now, the Brazilian legend Sepultura have been revered worldwide. Albums such as Arise (1991), Chaos A.D. (1993) and Roots (1996) have had indisputable impact to the global metal scene. Right after its release Beneath the Remains (1989) was one of the first LPs I've ever bought, but the enthusiasm faded over the years and I wasn't following the Derrick Green era closely. All of that is changing since the very good 2017's Machine Messiah album was released.

Therefore I had quite high expectations for Quadra, the fifteenth studio album by the band. Spoiler alert, the expectations were met. The band had the wise decision to not only follow the steps set with Machine Messiah but also to pushed it even further. As it was with the predecessor, they went to Sweden to work with producer Jens Bogren. Without loosing their thrash roots, the band led by Andreas Kisser took risks and incorporated a modern metal sound. More importantly they went further and added even more progressiveness. Andreas explained that the concept of the album is based on Quadrivium, which are the four arts (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy). Quadra is the Portuguese word for a sports court, but it also relates to "quatro" which is Portuguese word for "four". Based on this concept the album is construed as a vinyl double album: 12-tracks divided into four sides of three musically similar songs in each.

The A side being thrash metal songs, based on the classic Sepultura sound. These 3 songs sound almost like Pantera, they are thrashy but still very groovy. Throughout the album Green's voice reminds me of a top-form Anselmo. The drummer, Eloy Casagrande delivered some amazing drumming in this record. I mean previously it was already very good, but the band and he himself pushed the boundaries even further. For example the drum fills during the intro and then the instrumental interlude of "Means To An End" are just phenomenal. On this side we are exposed to his speed and voracious beat. The other highlight is Andreas Kisser superb guitar work. Not only the solos and riffs but also the small details like those Roots-like guitar moments in "Means To An End". Despite this side being the most thrash, we also get to hear some subtle choirs.

The B side gets even groovier. The tribal percussion of "Capital Enslavement" makes this clear. These 3 songs are inspired by the groove-percussion oriented sound the band famously explored in Roots and recently in songs like "Phantom Self". But here the band also explored some orchestral arrangements. On this side the band shows their groove and slower tempo songs, specially "Raging Void".

The C side has songs inspired by the instrumental "Iceberg Dances" which is my favorite track from Machine Messiah, but only "The Pentagram" is an instrumental track on this side. However, the other two two songs have lots of instrumental minutes. Do I get a Mastodon/Machine Head vibe on "Guardians Of Earth"?  In any case it's an amazing song. The intro with acoustic guitars, the choir, the melodic guitar solo, it's all fantastic!

Finally the D side, which kicks off with the short acoustic guitar instrumental title track, features slow-paced and melodic tracks, similar to the song "Machine Messiah". The longest track "Agony Of Defeat" features an intro with clean singing, choirs and a Eastern vibe that all cuminate with a slow build up. The album closer "Fear; Pain; Chaos; Suffering" (featuring Emmily Barreto from the Brazilian rock band Far From Alaska) is certainly different but I can only praise the band for taking this kind of risk.

I gotta say I don't have much to complain here, Quadra is Sepultura's best album since Roots. If I push myself to critique the album, I would say I don't hear the bass much, so the mix is sub optimal. With that aside, it's a remarkable disc. An experimental album pushing the band forward at this point in their career is certainly an achievement. I also love the album concept and construction, I'm certainly getting it in vinyl as it was conceptualized!

SCORE: 84/100
Genre: Progressive Thrash Metal
Released by Nuclear Blast Records on February 7th, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad