Weekly Digest February 7 — 13
This week is truly all about good releases: Amorphis, Zeal & Ardor, Cult Of Luna, Voivod, Napalm Death та Author & Punisher. And also some emotional punk and a bit of cold doom, as usual, in our Weekly Digest!
Amorphis — Halo
Amorphis have always been special. Their music is an emotional rollercoaster somewhere in between melodic death metal, gothic elements, and progressive greatness. On the "Halo" album, a listener will find exactly what was expected from Amorphis at this stage of their career, namely: progressive death metal, inspired by folk, not without a nod to the acid rock and prog.
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Author & Punisher — Krüller
Author & Punisher has returned with a mind-blowing new album – "Krüller". Wielding upgraded machines, a new sensory stratagem, and a crafty curation of top-tier collaborators, proprietor Tristan Shone emerged from the time off refined and re-tooled. To celebrate and invite musicians and creators into his visceral and tactile world, Author & Punisher also launch a bespoke audio gear company called Drone Machines to coincide with the release of "Krüller". The gear company launch follows nearly two decades of Author & Punisher honing in on his craft – meticulously inventing, machining, experimenting, and creating custom musical instruments for his incredible live performances and recordings.
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Cult of Luna — The Long Road North
Post-metal band Cult Of Luna continues to delight fans with powerful releases. On the new album "The Long Road North", we get a lot of shifts in dynamics and sound density, the album turned out interesting and not monotonous. "It's a big sounding album. I would almost describe it as cinematic. As always, when we choose songs for an album, we put in a lot of effort to get the dynamic right. In some aspects, it has been one of the easiest albums to write, but in other ways, it's definitely been the hardest, with big changes very close to the master delivery. The ebbs and flows need to be right, and when some songs are on the heavier spectrum, they need to be balanced out with something softer, without making the drop too big", – states Johannes Persson.
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Dan Andriano & The Bygones — Dear Darkness
Dan Andriano is thrilled to present the debut album from his new project Dan Andriano & The Bygones. Andriano first began working on what would become "Dear Darkness" during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, writing demos and raiding his archives of unfinished ideas, doing more out of a deep-seated need to create, than with any true end project in mind. Having spent so much of his life touring and making music, the time off, forced by the pandemic, was foreign to Andriano, who, at moments, struggled with how to use this newfound freedom, but also found it to be fruitful for his creative process. As a result, we have 10 sensual tracks with branded vocals and lyrics from the master of songs for broken hearts.
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Frank Turner — FTHC
"It's exciting to finally get the new music I've been working on out into the world after the last miserable 18 months. It's been a difficult time for a lot of people and their mental health, myself included, and discussing that openly is important to me, so these are the songs about anxiety and the struggles that come with that", – describes his new album British punk singer and songwriter Frank Turner.
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Hangman's Chair — A Loner
Parisians Hangman's Chair call their style ‘cold doom’, adding a bit of gothic (just in moderation) and grunge to the viscous riffs, nodding to their influencers – Sisters Of Mercy, Life Of Agony and Alice In Chains. The album "A Loner" is best suited for February, when it is still hard to believe that this winter will end soon.
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Napalm Death — Resentment Is Always Seismic — A Final Throw Of Throes
Mini album from the veterans of extreme metal. Napalm Death do not disappoint, and the follower to a very cool 2020 LP "Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism" came out no less devastating. And as a bonus we get cover versions of SLAB and Bad Brains!
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Voivod — Synchro Anarchy
The legendary Canadian technical thrash metal band Voivod proves it once again why they are considered one of the best progressive thrash metal bands of all time. "Synchro Anarchy" continues the theme of dystopia that is frighteningly close to reality.
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Zeal & Ardor — s/t
Zeal & Ardor’s frontman Manuel Gagneux declares: "With the self-titled record, we have arrived at where I imagined this project should sound like. It’s the longest we’ve worked on a single record, and I believe it shows. The most important thing for an album of ours to do, is transport you instantly into our mood, our world. Even though this might not be the one you might expect from us, this record certainly delivers on that front. We had time to hone in to what we think makes us interesting and what sounds we would like to explore through this we have found our home. Home is burning. Welcome home."
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