Weekly Update #2 – January 21, 2024

Alluvial // Death Is But A Door
Released: January 12, 2024

Alluvial is one of my favorite new bands. They put out an instrumental album in 2017 and really started gaining steam after adding a vocalist and releasing ‘Sarcoma’ in 2021.

This EP builds on their grim sound, combining a sludgy atmosphere with tight grooves and interesting rhythmic sections. Best described as progressive metal, Alluvial incorporates death metal, deathcore, and intricate time signatures to create a unique sound.

The vocals are rather straight forward, but surprisingly, I really like the lack of variety. There are a few low screams, but for the most part, powerful mids reign supreme. There’s no attempt to be flashy or impress – Alluvial has identified their calling and they excel at it.

“Bog Dweller” and “Fogbelt” are excellent songs. The title track is even more interesting though because it’s slower, has singing, and feels a bit more human. Tapping into their melodic side was a huge win. They did a great job exploring the tension between soft sorrow and crippling defeat. 

ADDITIONAL REVIEW
Ameonna // Goddess Wept
Released: January 14, 2024

Alex Koehler (the original vocalist of Chelsea Grin) is back! This is a massive return from a larger-than-life frontman that left a huge hole in the scene with his departure in 2018.

He’s also joined by other current and past Chelsea Grin members Pablo Viveros and Jake Harmond. Having these three back together again is magical. This is literally the return of prime Chelsea Grin before they went in a new direction with Tom.

Actually, this might be even better than when Alex was in Chelsea Grin. His highs and lows might not have as much range, but his vocals are a lot tighter and they carry way more power because they aren’t being stretched super thin. It also makes the songs more cohesive since he isn’t preoccupied with vocal gymnastics and jumping all over the place to flex his range.

Instrumentally, this is exactly what I would expect from classic Chelsea Grin. Fast, upbeat, solid grooves, and enough technicality to keep things interesting.

I’m especially happy to hear the Chelsea Grin style that we all loved make a return because I have been dissatisfied with the proliferation of Lorna Shore’s style over the last few years. It’s great in small doses, but so many bands have copied them that it’s already stale. I’ll support any band that embodies the OG deathcore sound and pushes back.

Playlist of New Songs

Quick playlist highlights:

– Invent Animate have already followed up on their 2023 album with a spectacular single. I love the darker feel. They do the ephemeral sound so well, but I like this more aggressive style.

– The Plot In You seems to be releasing a few short EPs. They put three singles into ‘Vol. 1’ and this track might be the start of ‘Vol. 2.’ Landon is beyond reproach at this point, I’m just happy to be along for the ride.

– Being As An Ocean is heavy again? I wrote these guys off in 2017 when they went full blown pop rock, but the EP they just put out has been on repeat this week.

– Landmvrks are about to headline a European tour. These guys have been on fire in recent years and sound incredible live.

– Austrian Death Machine is a side project of Tim Lambesis (vocalist of As I Lay Dying). It’s basically an Arnold Schwarzenegger worship band. Lots of fun with some thrash elements.

– Many Eyes is Keith Buckley’s (ex-vocalist of Every Time I Die) new band. This one isn’t too heavy, but I have high hopes for them.

– Extermination Dismemberment is absolutely insane. The end of this song has the wildest bass drops I’ve ever heard. Ever. They’re a Belarusian brutal slamming death metal band.

Drama – Sleep Token Birth Certificate Leak

I don’t have a lot of details on this, and I’m not going to try to hunt it down, but someone bought a copy of a birth certificate of one of the members of Sleep Token and posted it online. If you aren’t familiar with Sleep Token, it’s kind of a big deal because the members wear masks and are anonymous. That being said, the band has gotten so big that the identities of Sleep Token’s members aren’t really secret – you can easily find out who they are with minimal searching. But tracking down one of their birth certificates is insane behavior.

It’s worth noting that Sleep Token has deleted all their posts on Instagram and changed their bio to “Nothing lasts forever.” It’s probably to build anticipation for their next phase, not because they’re breaking up. But interestingly, a few days after the birth certificate incident, Blacklit Canopy, the band that Vessel (Sleep Token’s vocalist) was originally in, posted on YouTube for the first time in nine years. And it’s a live rendition of a song that has lines like “Nothing is infinite to me” and “Behold they have flooded my sanctuary with hate, chemicals and machines.”

Bands like Sleep Token and Bad Omens aren’t really my style, but I feel bad because their fans’ embarrassing behavior turns people off from their music. Unbelievably toxic. 

Drama – Fit For A King Future Direction

I kind of admire FFAK’s honesty when it comes to their music. Ryan Kirby (their vocalist) has been pretty open about the band’s direction, but his recent tweet makes me think that FFAK has lost themselves. They no longer seem to be writing the music that they personally enjoy. Instead they are testing “how fans receive different styles…before full on committing to a direction.” 

Of course every band wants their fans to like their music, but it feels like FFAK has been going whichever way the wind blows for the last few years. This is big Sirius Octane energy and there’s no way they have a vision for their music, or even an identity to build around, if this is how they’re deciding to proceed with their future music.

Drama – MGK Guitar Update

Somehow, when discussing the MGK guitar (that was covered in last week’s newsletter), edge lord Ronnie Radke (vocalist of Falling In Reverse) started major beef with Sanguisugabogg (a major up and coming death metal band that had a sick album in 2023). Radke offered to guest list Sanguisugabogg to a show and fight them. Sanguisugabogg called Radke a rapist and, in a weird turn of events, then sent Radke an apology and deleted all their tweets about Radke. 

I’m not sure what to make of it. Radke and Falling In Reverse are massive forces in the industry so maybe Sanguisugabogg realized it wasn’t worth making such a big enemy? It pains me to say, but I think Radke walked away the winner of this one.

Drama – Moshing

There continues to be discussions about “acceptable” moshing. I’m not even talking about crowd killing, just general moshing. The discussions seem to be fueled by a general sentiment among this new cohort of post-covid metalcore kids that moshing is basically assault.

Now look, I’m not a big mosher myself. I’ve never practiced crazy windmill punches or spin kicks in my room so I doubt that I could pull them off in the middle of a show. But even though I don’t partake, moshing like a lunatic is part of the culture. 

At the risk of sounding like a “back in my day” guy, people used to go to shows where mosh pits genuinely sparked fear. Obviously that wasn’t the case at Dance Gavin Dance or A Day To Remember, but the current backlash to any amount of violence in the pit is a new phenomena. I feel like these new kids would actually welcome the “No Moshing” signs that we used to make fun of Warped Tour for.