Blog exclusive CD reviews

Alcest
Les Voyages de L’Ame
Prophecy
Street: 01.06
Alcest = Les Discretes + Ameseours + Junius
The cross-pollination of genres is nothing new in the world of metal (and nothing new for Alcest), yet this French group’s combination of shoegaze and black metal elements is still stunning—mostly because of how goddamn pretty sounding it is. Nary a tremolo riff or blastbeat finds its way onto Les Voyages de L’Ame, as the moody melodies of shoegaze dominate the sound of the album. This isn’t a bad thing though, as when the more aggressive moments do arrive (mostly on the second half of the album) they are even more effective. Alcest has found a way to emphasize the trance-inducing qualities of black metal without becoming bound by the constraints of the genre, building upon the basic framework of BM with other atmospheric elements. Intricate guitar passages are layered over constant, distorted riffs and Neige’s  delicate vocals rarely incorporate any sort of harshness. The synthesis of these disparate elements is best expressed on "Là où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles," where the constant buzzing of a guitar is used to great effect, and Neige even surprises us by letting out some screams over a blastbeat in the middle of the song. Tr00 dudes and kvlt warriors will continue to be unimpressed, but those who would rather pick flowers than burn down churches while listening to black metal likely won’t find a better album this year. –Ricky Vigil

Goatwhore
Blood for the Master
Metal Blade
Street: 02.14
Goatwhore = Belphegor + Soilent Green + Eye for an Eye era Corrosion of Conformity + Exciter
This Valentines day, don't fool around with goofy chocolates, teddies, dinner reservations or sex coupons. You're reading metal reviews on the internet, so I'll assume your sweetie's long since lost hope and at this point is just happy you still possess the werewithal not to spray pee-pee all over the toilet seat, let alone remember the damn date. What I'm saying is, instead of wasting your rightly-earned frogskins on some flippant guilt-lust nonsense, give Cupid and his cronies the ol' middle finger by copping something substantial like Goatwhore's blistering fifth album, Blood for the Master. "Project band," members of Acid Bath, Crowbar, Nachtmystium, groovy NOLA sludge...you know the drill, but where Goatwhore's previous efforts tend to run a tad too "samey," Blood... sees the band freely acknowledging all their sonic influences (bay area thrash, Norwegian black metal, NWOBHM), beefing their assault tenfold, without liquifying it into anything pandering, haphazard or ham-fisted haphazard. Lifers can unbunch their unmentionables though. 'Whore's still a slobbering, black-gummed lummix as "Judgment of the Bleeding Crown" carries on their signature Norway-via-New Orleans death-clatter, but a varied approach allows various other metal influences (the Slayer-riffic dive-bombing on "Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word" or the proto-gallop of "When Steel Meets Bone") to seep through the tumult, freshening the execution and keeping finicky listeners roused. Led by the premier riffin' rhythm work of Sammy Duet and Zack Simmons, and foisted above tinny black-metal mediocrity courtesy of Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal)'s megalithic production, Blood for the Master stands as Goatwhore's most interesting album in years and comes highly recommended. I was just kidding about that pee-pee thing...but to hell with Valentine's Day. –Dylan Chadwick

Orange Goblin
Euology for the Damned
Candlelight
Street: 02.14
Orange Goblin = Karp + Fireball Ministry + mid period Corrosion of Conformity
Summer of 2011 was awesome for me. I didn't have a job and I listened to Mountain's Climbing every damn day. Riffs, swagger, boogie and cuts about witchy women and the center of the Universe. Dated? You betcha, but essential summer listening for jobless cretins nonetheless. I ain't trying to pawn Orange Goblin off as a slipshot 70's rock tribute band (far from it), but I get the same delightfully resonant douche-chill from the leaden one-two howl of Goblin's "Stand for Something" as I do the opening stick count of "Mississippi Queen." Love it. If you've followed Goblin's career at all in the past few years, Eulogy... won't take you anywhere unexpected. Meat and taters riff rock with prescient nods to proto-doom and unsung AOR rock of years past...and that's just gravy baby. It does run a little samey as it chugs on, as Ben Ward's Lemmy-cum-Lee Dorian vocals lack the range to mix it up, but bolstered by Joe Hoare's axe-work it's an unrepentant and satisfying slab of high octane, in-the-pocket rock n' roll. Check "Acid Trial," the unabashed biker-blues anthem "The Filthy and the Few" and the album highlight "Save me from Myself" to get your spring scumbaggery started right. Fans and newcomers will surely latch on to something decent here. –Dylan Chadwick