Burning Palace – Elegy Review

By Thus Spoke

I’m sure most people reading have experienced that exchange where a friend, colleague, or family member, having caught wind of one’s enjoyment of heavy music asks incredulously, “how do you listen to that?!” It’s an interesting insight into the strange phenomenon of artistic taste,1 how a complex and disharmonic combination of notes and time signatures can be “just noise” to one pair of ears and a thrilling musical experience to another. It therefore amuses me that I can sit here and talk about Burning Palace, who craft progressive, technical, dissonant death metal that’s brutal, loud and restlessly dynamic. But, who pitch it perfectly in that golden zone of melodicism and lethality. Because—as is no surprise to us here, but likely baffles outside observers—there is a great deal of nuance between ineffectual disorganization and potent convolution.

Elegy falls into that specifically American brand of techy, dissonant death metal whose brutality is more corollary than intention. That which is thoughtful, and unexplainably “happy”-sounding despite its surface-level hostility. Jaunty, acerbic, riffs, imagined by an Artificial Brain, clamber to the fore out of formations where the same guitar lines melt into an indistinct yet driving ebb and flow. Sunless, paradoxically major scales spring up out of dissonance and the Afterbirth of inter-assault meandering, to which the occasional lapses into resonant, mournful melodies create gorgeous contrasts. But Burning Palace aren’t copycats, and Elegy actually demonstrates a transition from the grindier brutal death metal of Hollow into this more precise—but absolutely no less heavy—interpretation. As an example of technical sophistication meeting simple enjoyability, the record stands as perfect proof of the aesthetic value of supposedly impenetrable music.

What strikes particularly strongly about Elegy is the expertly deft way Burning Palace poised violence, intricacy, and beauty to craft it. Though occupying a category that in many senses eschews the adjective “catchy,” it has led to some frustration in my time with it, due to the fact that I’m unable to adequately sing, hum, or otherwise externalize its songs that have lodged themselves in my brain, thanks to their emphasis on riffs and time signatures that my unschooled vocal chords cannot copy. Ludicrous and ludicrously fun scale ascents, tempo switches, and rhythmic interplays abound (“Traversing the Black Arc,” “Awakening Extinction (Eternal Eclipse),” and clever dynamism and selective ambience make certain riffs stand out dramatically (“Birthing Uncertainty,” “Sunken Veil”). Burning Palace take the broadly progressive approach to songwriting via tangents and explorations of themes, but always reprise the key elements of those themes through escalation (“Traversing the Black Arc”), or evolution (“Birthing Uncertainty”), or just a snappy, definitive conclusion (“Awakening Extinction…”). Melody is, importantly, never actually absent, and the genuine beauty of the explicit refrains that slink in as a lone guitar takes centre-stage (“Malignant Dogma,” “Suspended in Emptiness,” “Sunken Veil”) are just the pinnacle of the shifting interplay that undergirds them, arising naturally and not as mere contrast to some ugly, dissonant mass.

There is nothing specifically within Elegy that one could single out as lesser in quality; the record is remarkably consistent, and if anything, Burning Palace save some of the best for its latter end (“Sunken Veil” is probably my personal favorite, and it comes second-to-last). There is a vague sensation that tracks share a little too much in common, but I’ve found that the more time spent in their company, the more personality each of them shows. But even if they do tend to melt a little into the realm of indistinguishability, the quality is invariably high, so I, for one, don’t really care—what does it matter, when you’ll be spinning it repeatedly in full anyway? That inkling of indistinctness runs the opposite direction and speaks somewhat to Elegy’s flow, as many songs pick up a similar riff or percussive pattern to that which closed their predecessor (“Malignant Dogma”).

Burning Palace might not be the average person’s idea of a great musical time, but it’s mine, and likely many of yours too. Elegy demonstrates the breadth of dissonance and complexity in extreme metal in its thoughtful yet exuberant form. Not cerebral, but clever, and never neglecting to dazzle with superb musicianship as worthy of the adjective “gnarly” as “technical.” Burning Palace have made subtly complex and repeatedly rewarding compositions, full of energy and ardor, and that you actually want to listen to, not just because you feel smart doing so. Those who can’t appreciate the style truly are missing out.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: wav
Label: Total Dissonance Worship
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Afterbirth #AmericanMetal #ArtificialBrain #BurningPalace #DeathMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Elegy #Mar25 #ProgressiveTechnicalDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Sunless #TechnicalDeathMetal #TotalDissonanceWorship

Misanthropy – The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance Review

By Kenstrosity

Apparently, Chicago progressive tech death quartet Misanthropy used to play thrash metal. Once I learned of this shift, it felt like I could suddenly hear a thrashy thread running through their newest release, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance. Having no prior experience with Misanthropy’s back catalog, I walked into their third record with an open mind, ready and willing to be probed by the wild and the wacky. Sometimes, unexpected changes make for unexpected pleasures.

You’d be forgiven for mistakenly clocking Misanthropy as boilerplate tech death based solely on outward appearances. You’d nonetheless be incorrect. For the longest time, I struggled to nail down exactly what amalgamation of sounds and styles Misanthropy represented. But then I started writing this piece and it hit me. Imagine a dirtier Augury fed through an Atrae Bilis filter and finished with a proggy Atvm glaze, and you have a roughly accurate blueprint of what to expect from current Misanthropy. Twisting, gnarled compositions, motivated by Paul’s multifaceted kitwork, mesh and morph against guitarists Kevin’s and Jose Valles’ unending cavalcade of mind-shredding riffs. Mark’s burbling bass and vicious vox form both the throbbing underbelly and the piercing voice of the record, propelling The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance through its forty-five-minute tale with gusto and gravity. In totality, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance represents a fierce and furious affair. Yet, countless stops and swaps between blistering grooves, manic freakouts, mind-melting churns, and ground-shaking stomps leave me mostly rapt throughout.

Highlighting standout moments on The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance proves a challenge, as Misanthropy penned so many killer passages into these seven songs that it’s hard to pick favorites. Even so, massive pit-opening grooves and slithering riffs elevate thrashier songs like “The All-Devouring” to the top of the pile. An eerie, waltzing dalliance with jazz rhythms allows opener “Of Sulking and the Wrathful” to shine in its back half as well, showcasing Misanthropy’s knack for oddball transitions that work deceivingly well in the context of their chosen style. At first I struggled to appreciate “Condemned to a Nameless Tomb” and “Descent” for their unorthodox combination of Veilburner stream-of-consciousness writing and Artificial Brain shimmer, but with time I grew to appreciate their place in the lineup as the next-door-neighbor monstrosities that they are. Unafraid to get down and dirty, “Sepulcher” offers just the right amount of funky Alkaloid intelligence to offset filthy Incantation tones and harmonized riffing, expertly juggling straightforward and slimy with weird and wretched.

Impressive though it is that Misanthropy managed to cover so much stylistic ground without sullying their unique new character, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance remains a touch disjointed as a whole. Tonally, Misanthropy play fearlessly with rough-hewn textures inside a more clinical environment, but there are moments of mild uncanny valley associated with that experiment, as certain elements of Misanthropy’s flexible sound clash rather than coalesce (“A Cure for the Pestilence”). Misanthropy’s willingness and ability to throw everything but the kitchen sink at their compositions without totally destabilizing everything deserves great respect, but it sometimes comes at the cost of fluidity and cohesion (“Consumed by the Abyss”). This, therefore, makes certain sections of The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance somewhat difficult to listen to casually, as I often lose details or miss quality segments when not listening intently. Additionally, the occasional abrupt switch between unexpected change-ups make already lengthy tracks (most soar past the six minute mark) feel even lengthier.

Thankfully, listening intently is quite literally my job here, and I spend lots of time with my charges. Consequently, I can assure you that The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance represents yet another killer in Transcending Obscurity’s lineup of crazy beasts. It may not be everyone’s favorite creature, but if you aren’t careful, it’s liable to sink its teeth into your flesh and rend it from the bone regardless. Some, if not most, of you would probably love that, I’m sure. If so, Misanthropy’s third unleashment is a fine selection for your sick kicks.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: misanthropychicago.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/MisanthropyChicago
Releases Worldwide: December 13th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Alkaloid #AmericanMetal #ArtificialBrain #AtraeBilis #Atvm #Augury #DeathMetal #Dec24 #Incantation #Misanthropy #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheEverCrushingWeightOfStagnance #TranscendingObscurityRecords #Veilburner

Immortal Bird – Sin Querencia Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Mortality makes us human. Or, at least, it informs what we’ve become and how we’ve structured our societies—the ages at which we learn life, grow life, enter work, exit work, and the challenges of seemingly limited time to achieve each step. Yet, though we know our conscious time on this earth is finite, its flow often resembles less the smooth river and more the creek which swells and surges and ruptures and dries and dies, its turns unpredictable. Though assembled for over a decade at this juncture, Immortal Bird has seen several members blow through in the namesake of their Windy City Chicago home,1 but remains anchored in extremity by the persistence of Rae Amitay (Errant, Thrawsunblat) in finding partners in riff, rhythm, and ruckus. And though held to no defined release schedule, Immortal Bird has flocked again enough to conjure Sin Querencia.2

Always straddling the line between a blackened snarl, a deathly pummel, and a hardcore shuffle, Immortal Bird’s patchwork attack hits as equal parts curious and aloof with Sin Querencia landing no differently. As Amitay has found greater vocal expression over the years, with side ventures Errant and Wretched Blessing being closer to solo endeavors, a fuller range of techniques splatters Sin Querencia to give it fresh life against what came before. The dominant lyrical character that accompanies the dissonant and frosty pick drives (“Consanguinity,” “Contrarian Companions”), which wouldn’t sound out of place in a Gargiulo project like Artificial Brain or Dreamless Veil, remains a distorted high-range screech and lower tunneled howl, but interjections of a ghastly, cutting clean croon add layers of space and intrigue when the music recedes to a creeping crawl (“Bioluminescent Toxins,” “Contrarian Companions”). Immortal Bird remains determined to develop their already dense sound.

Yet, it’s not a labyrinthian instrumental construction that swerves the Bird about a progressive nature, but rather a keen sense of song structure and how to break it. Each piece on Sin Querencia develops its own way of wrapping around its main refrain or melody. Frequently, Immortal Bird lives on the captivating nature of their riff structures, in lieu of traditional hooky choruses or virtuosic leads, and uses contrasting discordant or otherwise exceedingly bright chord interjections to modulate, crescendo, and drive away (“Bioluminescent Toxins,” “Plastered Sainthood,” “Contrarian Companions”). Even when tracks veer toward a standard verse-chorus structure, Immortal Bird find ways to stretch a coda to its breaking point with vicious vocal punctuations (“Propagandized”) or sneak in the lone squealed-out solo (“Sin Querencia”) against an increasingly jagged bass stumble.3

Given the heavily guitar-driven stance that Immortal Bird continues to take with each of their outings thus far, it makes sense that they choose a production style that boosts that amplified presence. Whether darting about the classic Immortal riff chase (“Ocean Endless,” “Sin Querencia”) or driving pits with stenched-out hammerfests (“Plastered Sainthood,” “Propagandized”), a volume and weight of six-stringed tone lands with a practiced and cutting precision that moves every song forward effortlessly. In a similarly brash and distracting manner, Matt Korajczyk’s kit finds both welcome cymbal spread in down moments and unwelcome snare explosions during oft-occurring blast and heavy skank sections. After spending a lot of time with Sin Querencia, I’ve grown accustomed to that kind of pummel—and it’s far from the only offender in this realm in metal history. But moments like the snare roll before the second clean vocal passage in “Bioluminescent Toxins” and the general balance of the tapping close on “Propagandized” show that the kit doesn’t have to live with constant boosting to be impactful.

Immortal Bird has not made any steps in becoming a more accessible band, but that hardly matters when the music they do produce remains interesting enough to dissect repeatedly. And even if you don’t want to do that, this presentation of a modern hybrid of black, death, crust, and whatever other influence the Bird sees fit holds enough of a riff-forward attitude to moisten the earholes of a neck-whipping bystander. These tenants of metal, to riff to rollick to rumble, cannot be destroyed so long as bands continue find eclectic ways to bend and bruise them in a manner befitting of an wanting crowd—immortal in extremity. So while Sin Querencia doesn’t build a new home to house the flayed ideas of Immortal Bird, it doesn’t need to to remain enjoyable as a snappy drive through riff city.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin | Bandcamp
Websites: immortalbird.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/immortalbirdband
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024

#20BuckSpin #2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #ArtificialBrain #BlackMetal #CrustPunk #DeathMetal #DreamlessVeil #Errant #Hardcore #Immortal #ImmortalBird #Review #Reviews #SinQuerencia #WretchedBlessing #Yautja

Dreamless Veil – Every Limb of the Flood Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

The supergroups of today’s widespread niche metal scenes look very different than the power collaborations that came before them. Once a result of prominent groups with big personalities that needed side expressions—like the punk-born MegaDave offshoot of MD.45 or Cavelera industrial conspiracy of Nailbomb—these kinds of acts came about less of intense creative need and more of freedom of available time and ideas. Really, that’s a long way of saying that the primary driving force behind these typically well-enough received by-products is not the same hunger that earned the primary incarnation its pedestal in the first place. So what then when the underground begins spawning permutations of its own outré offerings? Dan Gargiulo, once of a celebrated period for Revocation and a leading force for Artificial Brain, finds himself at the nexus of one such budding—Dreamless Veil. Assembled with now bandmate Mike Paparo (Inter Arma, Artificial Brain) and Psycroptic kitsmasher Dave Haley, can these friends, all top-tier performers, implement the supergroup form honestly?

Born not just of friendship and the urge to unleash artistic energy, both Gargiulo and Paparo suffered isolation together as roommates in the early days of pandemic reculsion, which thrust Dreamless Veil and Every Limb of the Flood into existence. Ever the busybody, Gargiulo stood at the ready with a bevy of riff structures in his trademarked expressive and sullen style. Much of what presents throughout Every Limb wouldn’t have sounded out of place as a companion to the heavily blackened sway of Artificial Brain’s 2017 release Infrared Horizon with “Dim Golden Rave” and “Cyanide Mine” falling right into that specific lane of space-frosted drama. And alongside dramatic and precise tremolo runs that clash about with a classic energy that recalls the progressive tendencies of an act like Diabolical Masquerade, Paparo’s kvlt-reverbed wail and Haley’s kick and blast beatings drill an equally bleeding and machine-like fervor into Every Limb’s most extreme passages (“Saturnism,” “Every Limb of the Flood,” “Dreamless”).

Despite the unquestionable proficiency of Dreamless Veil’s execution, it’s difficult to pin its highlights against the dense and textural choices that fill every second of space. Structurally, each song flows through verses, choruses, wonky modulations of already triumphant themes, and a recapitulation of each that almost always finds resolution in some form of fadeout, which renders the end of each statement a wash. As the lyricist and main mind for the actual story of Every Limb, a concept that follows a central character throughout its personal decay of mind and spirit, Paparo comes closest to filling the highlight reel with tortured wails and pathos-drenched cries (“Saturnism,” “Every Limb…”) that bely his door-smashing power that propels riff-weighted intros and escalations (“The Stirring of Flies,” “Dreamless”). But the backdrop as a continued stream of blistering, histrionic melodies and terraced counterpoints does little to differentiate the platform on which Paparo spills his devouring tale.

Yet that same quality which threatens to blend Dreamless Veil’s ideas into an intangible black mass also provides Every Limb with a compelling, tonally interesting environment. Gargiulo has shown his guitar prowess plenty in past projects, and all the same his subtle shifts in attack through recurring melodies—dreamy reverb excursions (“Dim Golden Rave,” “A Generation of Eyes”), tempo-jostled swinging time signatures (“The Stirring…,” “Cyanide Mine”), and a persistent dissonant lurch. And though packing these smart techniques in layers and layers of guitar, nary a solo nor flamboyant fill exists at any point of Every Limb. A carefully carved tone—a beauty on any listening device I have—and a cinematic drama carries the weight of each composition’s interest. None of this makes specific moments any easier to identify, but each adds up to Every Limb being a sonically pleasing experience worth returning to for ear candy alone.

Whether Dreamless Veil will be a one-off spurt of ideas tested, realized, and fulfilled matters little in the face of its simple success. As a concept album, its narrative isn’t wholly clear, but the forlorn spectacle that accompanies its reeling performances ensures that one at least feels the goal of dissolution for which it aims. Though Every Limb of the Flood fits neatly into a black metal box—almost too clean and curated in total package—its aspirations are more than kvltish khaos and confessional depressive monologue. And while Every Limb may not be the pinnacle of what a band that aims this high could offer in the world of storyboard sonic excess, its snappy and satisfying run remains difficult to disregard.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Relapse Records | Bandcamp
Websites: dreamlessveil.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/dreamlessveil
Releases Worldwide: September 20th, 2024

#2024 #30 #ArtificialBrain #BlackMetal #DiabolicalMasquerade #DreamlessVeil #EveryLimbOfTheFlood #InfraredHorizon #InternationalMetal #MelodicBlackMetal #ProgressiveBlackMetal #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #Sep24

Evilyn – Mondestrunken Review

By Dear Hollow

At first glance, it appears that international death metal act Evilyn only has your demise and destruction in mind. Mondestrunken is uncompromisingly heavy, riffs pushed to their shimmering limits like oil from the collapsing god machine, hellish growls from beyond the stars, and drums funneled through warp speed directly into the collapsing horror of a black hole. It feels like a background of cosmic noise, lifeless, unfriendly, and directionless, but patience yields results: obelisks emerge into the view. Not that they were ever absent, but that our eyes could not behold them. Beneath the fray of entropy, the eyeless stars, and the unending weight of time, patterns emerge. Lifelessness itself resurrects. The dead shall rise again. We were never alone, and that should make us more terrified than ever.

Evilyn was originally founded by Coma Cluster Void’s Jeanne Comateuse, attempting to make cosmic-themed old school death metal with a substantial hit of dissonance. With debut EP Inside Shells, the template was set: devastating death metal with shifting nebulae of tempos and time signatures alongside ruthless discordance. Evilyn’s lineup has shifted,1 its sole remaining member, guitarist/vocalist Anthony Lipari of Thoren, now including bassist Alex Weber of Malignancy and drummer Robin Stone of Norse and Ashen Horde, but the emphasis is as uncompromising as ever. First full-length Mondestrunken (German for “moon-drunk”) is as punishing as it is puzzling, a relentless bombast of death metal insanity fractured and splattered across the face of infinity.

Across thirty-seven minutes, Evilyn creates an OSDM template that is splintered through the fractured light of an alien prism, the result just as chaotic and alienating as you would expect – dissonance is relentless, the tempos and rhythms are constantly shifting, and Lipari’s vocals remain in deep growl mode. Initially overwhelming in terms of utter saturation, repeated listens unearth more and more. Contrary to the dissonance-for-dissonance’s-sake screeching of Mithridatum or Scarcity, or the improvised assaults of Acausal Intrusion or Ar’lyxkq’wr, Evilyn’s palette emerges in the form of motifs. While initially an apparent clusterfuck of discordance and chugs, blastbeats, and aggressing plodding, the motif gradually reveals itself and the song suddenly makes sense – these take several forms. While the off-kilter morphogenetic riffs of “Dread,” “Limits,” “Penance,” and “Slithering” ground their respective sounds like a traditional Morbid Angel blueprint, the pinch harmonics of “Omission” and “Forgotten” are a flaying reminder of pain. “Forgotten” and “Eat the Elite” explore their riffs with careful precision, each rendition more warped and rusted than the last.

The most tantalizing tracks aboard Mondestrunken are the ones with whom only a framework or structure becomes the motif, Evilyn soaring in mood and madness. The album title is most apparent in “Forgotten,” which truly feels like a cosmic drunken dissodeath passage, deepening in intricacy as it continues – its pinch harmonics nearly a misdirect to the approaching doom – while “Interwoven” lives up to its name with a dynamic structure of growing dissonance with each worming riff. “Bloviate” approaches its sound with a “traditional” proto-chorus, a midsection of contemplative open strums that add greater monolithic weight to the obliteration surrounding it. Resounding highlights are centerpieces “Penance” and “Vacuous,” their mercilessly mechanical sound achieving a hypnotic effect. The clockwork guitar plucking in the former collapses to dizzying shredding and animalistic blastbeats that rend planets, while the dissonance achieves a distinctly dying warble. The latter’s constant shifting between 6/8 and 4/4 enacts a cosmic pendulum, swaying between destruction and creation, the clarity of its cohesive conclusion feeling more punishing than the chaos surrounding it. Overall, Mondestrunken’s viciousness is palpable, the breadth organic – continuous and relentless hiss against the breath of life – each instrument organic and audible through the alien shimmering. Evilyn embraces experimentation with just a kernel of a tenet that keeps the mind secured to mortal realms.

Don’t be surprised if you hate Evilyn’s brand of bombastic saturation off the bat. Its dissonance is unending, its vocals one-dimensional, and shifting passages feel like cosmic whiplash again and again. However, it’s a surefire slow burn in spite of its relentless attack, its revelations feeling like the solution of a difficult cosmic puzzle and the kernel of accessibility blooming into monolithic significance. Its audience is limited, but fans of Fractal Generator, Artificial Brain, Aseitas, and Asystole – rejoice! For those willing to ride Evilyn’s warped spiral of the abstract and maddening, Mondestrunken’s secrets are revealed with tantalizing fulfillment.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: evilyndm.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/evilyndeath
Releases Worldwide: August 16th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AcausalIntrusion #ArLyxkqWr #ArtificialBrain #Aseitas #AshenHorde #Asystole #Aug24 #AvantGardeDeathMetal #ComaClusterVoid #DeathMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Evilyn #FractalGenerator #InternationalMetal #Malignancy #Mithridatum #Mondestrunken #MorbidAngel #Norse #OldSchoolDeathMetal #OSDM #Review #Reviews #Scarcity #TechnicalDeathMetal #Thoren #TranscendingObscurityRecords