Korpiklaani
Ukon Wacka
Nuclear Blast
Street: 02.15
Korpiklaani = Finntroll + Turisas + Elvenking (old)
Finland’s Korpiklaani have been doing the folk metal thing for almost a decade, and I give them props to sticking to their guns and pretty much doing whatever the hell they want to do. The band is one of those that fits the love-hate relationship with fans and listeners—the gritty vocals, all sung in Finnish, and the quirky methods in which the band utilizes folk instruments (namely the Accordion) can make some people run in fear, never mind the crazy paces of some of the band’s anthems. Like many others, I hold the band’s 2006 album Tales Along this Road in quite a high regard. and the band has never really topped it since. Don’t let the fact that Ukon Wacka isn’t the band’s best material sway you from listening, especially if you feast for something distinctively different in your metal and need plenty of upbeat songs to get your metal jigs a’goin. There are a few songs that you’ll feel like spinning often from this new offering and a few you’ll skip, but it’s a great break from the more angry metal fare. The new record starts out much like previous albums, but enters the folk territory mid-album. Aside from not sounding a lot like anything else, this album is damn catchy and fun if you’re in the right mood. There’s plenty worse you could do than this in the folk-metal realm. –Bryer Wharton
Misery
Evil is Crowned
Super Metal/Megaforce
Street: 02.15
Misery = Skinlab + Life of Agony (old) + Lamb of God + Vision of Disorder + Hatebreed
What initially sounded like a fairly standard groove metal album in Long Island, NY’s Misery quickly grew on me after a few spins. Aesthetically, the record is pleasing in its simple, earnest, heavy-pounding fashions—lots of groove and thrash-it-up riffs. The songs may bleed together a bit, but it really doesn’t hurt the urge to go through the record again as tracks will grow on you. “Social Anxiety,” “Gone Tomorrow” and “Bullet” do a great job at ripping it up and providing a bit extra flavor than the flat out mayhem that Lamb of God tend to dwell on as of late. The album’s production, handled by friend of the band, Joey Z of Life of Agony, fits perfectly. The mixing of style is abundant—Bay Area thrash, southern groove, NYC hardcore & punk, early-to-mid career Vision of Disorder mixed with New American Gospel LOG—and it’s a decent direction of what Misery dish out. Modern metal fans will eat this up, since it has everything a record of its genre needs and then some. The only real drawback is the vocals, which can feel a bit out of place at time and the cover art doesn’t really have the ability to pop out of your local CD shops racks. Oh, and forget the dreadful cover of Nine Inch Nails “Head Like a Hole,” unless you’re up for a laugh. –Bryer Wharton
Neuraxis
Asylon
Prosthetic Records
Street: 02.15
Neuraxis = Psycroptic + Cephalic Carnage + Leng Tch'e
Neuraxis has enough name power to persevere and keep going, despite containing no original members. Asylon is what I pretty much expected to hear from the band: it’s cold, calculated tech/death with some decent melodies in the mix. A couple tracks stood out (“Trauma” and the album closer “Left to Devour”), but the rest sort of bleed in with one another. One thing I’ve noticed about tech/death in any form is that it’s really hard to nail any hard or jarring emotions because the band is so intent and focused on their songwriting almost to a mathematical sense. The music feels like a machine and not humans created it. No discredit to Neuraxis, as the drummer handles himself quite well and there are some great licks and tech guitarwork that doesn’t play out as overly-wankerish, but the vocals are pretty stale death growls and screeches—a huge lifeless feel to them. If you’re a fan of the band or modern tech/death this is worth looking into. –Bryer Wharton
