megarust32 on Cortex

I decided to include EPs in my list this year, seemed silly to break them out this time for some reason. Apologies if the reviews are not very well written, tried to wrap it up near the end of my night!

Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium
1. Genre: Progressive Death Metal
2. Review: A tight 35 of this band sounding more like a band than ever before. The writing here was inspired by fun 80s metal albums and I'm feeling that when I listen to it. It's jammy, weird and explorational sometimes. All of that tied together by some really crisp and clear production, just perfect. This album comes in, metals your face off and leaves you wondering what just happened.
3. Sample: HORRENDOUS - "Ontological Mysterium" (official full album)
Invent Animate - Heavener
1. Genre: Metalcore
2. Review: This band caught my attention with their last EP. This album is front to back really consistent and has been a mainstay on my playlists since it landed. Pretty great writing, great sound, killer vocals. I went back and listened to some of their older stuff and I don't think it works for me quite like where they're at right now.
3. Sample: Invent Animate - Without A Whisper
Haken - Fauna
1. Genre: Progressive Metal
2. Review: I'm a pretty hardcore Haken fan, so this release was hugely anticipated by me. My favorite of theirs is Affinity. The last two prior to this were pretty heavy and were still good, but what I heard in Nightingale when they revealed it was a blend of slightly more spacy Haken that I love with a little bit of a modern Haken edge we hadn't heard yet. The rest of the albums roughly follows that pattern, along with some wacky Haken (Elephants Never Forget) sounds we haven't heard in a long time. What a treat. Oh, and some nice clean keys from the new old keyboardist. Welcome back to him!
3. Sample: Haken - Island in the Clouds
Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
1. Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock
2. Review: For some inexplicable reason not all Katatonia albums stay with me for months. But this one has stayed with me. Somber and melodic as always, I'm glad they are still going.
3. Sample: Katatonia - Impermanence
Night Verses - Every Sound Has a Color In The Valley Of Night: Part 1
1. Genre: Rock/Shoegazey
2. Review: Well it has felt like a while since their last one, which I also loved! I am not really one for instrumental bands, but this band is just so impeccable and unique in their sound. Aric Improta is without a doubt the drummer of the year for me. He is very good. Watch this, or catch the album version below: Night Verses - 8 Gates of Pleasure (playthrough)
3. Sample:Night Verses - 8 Gates Of Pleasure
TesseracT - War of Being
1. Genre: Progressive Metal
2. Review: I'm also a massive TesseracT fan and look forward to every release they put out. This one has been in the cooker for a while, so I'm grateful to finally have it. I do like it quite a bit, some parts more than others. I'd say that when the songs come together on this album they really work. And sometimes there are transitions that I don't feel work as well, and I wish they'd spent more time getting this record to gel a little more. Dan puts out what I think is his best TesseracT performance, certainly the most diverse and varied. What a track Legion is! My favorite track from the album is below, it reminds me of some of the epic tracks on One. Great closer.
3. Sample: TesseracT - Sacrifice
Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden
1. Genre: Rock/Post-rock/something
2. Review: This band has been hit or miss prior to this album for me. This album is the most consistent I think they've been for my tastes to date. There's only one track that doesn't work so well for me, and the rest are all interesting and have some stunning peaks. The vocal performance here is pretty amazing as well. This one will probably stay on the rotation for a while!
3. Sample: Sleep Token - Vore
Shade Empire - Sunholy
1. Genre: Symphonic Black Metal
2. Review: So this one kind of came out of nowhere for me, and hopefully I have given it the proper workout to warrant this ranking. I'm not quite sure I have anything to relate it to, but I think it is pretty epic. Some of the symphonic aspects remind me of Fleshgod Apocalypse, who I would love some more music from right now. Anyway, definitely check it out if you could go for some melodic, symphonic, epic black metal, and let me know if it hits like it did for me!
3. Sample: Shade Empire - All-Consuming Flame
Xoth - Exogalactic
1. Genre: Black/Thrash/Death/Tech Metal
2. Review: Wow, the guitar work on this album. Very fun album, with a lot to chew on. I can't put my finger on who they remind me of, with the constant leads.
3. Sample: Xoth - Manuscripts of Madness
Poh Hock - Gallimaufry
1. Genre: Progressive Rock
2. Review: This is a pretty tight EP but has a lot to love. It's funky, it has a Native Construct track, really great musicianship. I hope this group sticks with Poh and does some more tracks.
3. Sample: Poh Hock - Fragile Space (feat. Robert Edens)
Carnation - Cursed Mortality
1. Genre: Death Metal
2. Review: This album satisfied my taste for older swedish style death metal in a big way.
3. Sample: Carnation - Cursed Mortality
The Ongoing Concept - Again
1. Genre: Metalcore/Post-hardcore
2. Review: It's hooky and an overall fairly well written album that has a great sound. One of the tracks is kind of a slower thing that doesn't work for me, but the rest I enjoy a lot.
3. Sample: The Ongoing Concept - Melody Again
Dwellings - Little Garden
1. Genre: Post-hardcore?
2. Review: Great vocals here, and some interesting and distinctive guitar writing.
3. Sample: DWELLINGS - DEVICES
Spotlights - Alchemy for the Dead
1. Genre: Shoegaze Sludge
2. Review: I heard the track linked below earlier this year and kind of forgot about this band until they popped up on a year end list to remind me. Yeah, I like their sludgy gaze alternative sound, they fills a musical need I didn't realize I had.
3. Sample: Spotlights - Algorithmic
Exploring Birdsong - Dancing in the Face of Danger
1. Genre: Progressive Rock
2. Review: The vocals are absolutely beautiful here. The music is actually fairly proggy, but they don't have a guitarist I think. Just keys, bass, drums, so their sound is pretty different. There are some really catchy tracks on this EP.
3. Sample: Exploring Birdsong - Bear The Weight
Stortregn - Finitude
1. Genre: Tech Death/Black Metal
2. Review: Fast, melodic, great production. I can anticipate getting into this one quite a bit more than I am at the moment, I just need a bit more time with it.
3. Sample: Stortregn - Omega Axiom
Exmortus - Necrophony
1. Genre: Thrash Metal
2. Review: I needed some thrash in my diet. Best thrash album I've heard in a while.
3. Sample: Exmortus - Storm Of Strings
Ions - Counterintuitive
1. Genre: Prog Metal
2. Review: Their sound is a bit like IHLO vocally. I'm still spending time on this one, but I know that I like! The vocal harmony in my linked track there is just awesome.
3. Sample: IONS - True Friendship
Monika Roscher Bigband - Witchy Activities and the Maple Death
1. Genre: Prog Big Band, something
2. Review: This one probably stands out a bit amongst the rest on my list. This one is endlessly interesting.
3. Sample: Monika Roscher Bigband - A Taste Of The Apocalypse
GUNSHIP - Unicorn
1. Genre: Synthwave
2. Review: Keys and cheesy sax, great guests. A lot of fun.
3. Sample: GUNSHIP - DooM Dance
Nospun - Opus
1. Genre: Progressive Metal
2. Review: It goes beyond servicable prog metal and created a memorable journey of an album.
3. Sample: Nospun - Earwyrm
Hypno5e - Sheol
1. Genre: Avant-garde metal
2. Review: This band and this album are something special and different. They have a great sound. There are some slower spots on the album that veer into forgettable territory for me, but the rest catches my attention every time.
3. Sample: HYPNO5E - Sheol Part II
Witch Ripper - The Flight After the Fall
1. Genre: Stoner/Sludge metal
2. Review: This genre doesn't always work for me. This one is pretty exceptional though.
3. Sample: Witch Ripper - Enter the Loop
Krigsgrav - Fires in the Fall
1. Genre: Black/Doom/Death Metal
2. Review: This is my preferred flavor of black metal I think. Doesn't drone on too long, has melodic elements, isn't bleak in an obstructive way.
3. Sample: Krigsgrav - The Black Oak
Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit
1. Genre; Death Metal
2. Review: I am still working on processing this one. The thing that I like most about it right now is it kind of reminds me of Human era Death? Not sure if I'm reaching on that.
3. Sample: Tomb Mold - Will of Whispers
Entheos - Time Will Take Us All
1. Genre; Progressive Metal?
2. Review: Time will take us
3. Sample: Entheos - In Purgatory
The Anchoret - It All Began With Loneliness
1. Genre: Progressive Metal
2. Review: I went back and forth on where this should end up. There is some good writing in there, guitar work especially. There's a lot to love, and it can also be a little dry for me sometimes.
3. Sample: The Anchoret - Forsaken
The Zenith Passage - Datalysium
1. Genre: Tech Death Metal
2. Review: My tech death pick of the year!
3. Sample: The Zenith Passage - Datalysium
Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withtered Hags
1. Genre: Black/Speed Metal
2. Review: Fast and fun.
3. Sample: Hellripper - Goat Vomit Nightmare
Unprocessed - ...And Everything In Between
1. Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock
2. Review: I liked their last one for a bit, but I'm glad they've added an edge to their sound again here. Interesting guitar work as usual.
3. Sample: Unprocessed - Abysm
Night Crowned - Tales
1. Genre: Melodic Black/Death Metal
2. Review: Acoustic and folky licks with some great vox.
3. Sample: Night Crowned - De Namnlösa
The Luminary - Second Sleep
1. Genre: Progressive Metalcore
2. Review: First, I like the album art. This one stuck more than I thought it would.
3. Sample: The Luminary - Sungazer
Vulture Industries - Ghosts from the Past
1. Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock
2. Review: These guys are a lot of fun. New band for me as well.
3. Sample: Vulture Industries - New Lords of Light
Earthside - Let the Truth Speak
1. Genre: Cinematic Rock (their words)
2. Review: I think this might be a sleeper and a grower. There are some obviously cool tracks here, it's the rest that I need to spend some more time with.
3. Sample: Earthside - We Who Lament
Pupil Slicer - Blossom
1. Genre: Mathcore?
2. Review: There's a few tracks here that I immediately enjoyed, and the rest of the album I came around on a bit as well. Great vox.
3. Sample: Pupil Slicer - Blossom

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