Gaerea 2/17/23

Gaerea 2/17/23

Come and Take It Live

Photos by me.

One Nightmare Unto Another from Profane Order

Absolutely massive, cavernous, howling War Metal. This album is a full sprint towards the finish line without a second to breath. Every track is exciting, and while the album sometimes feels like the ride is over too soon, you can tell there's zero filler. It's straightforward, adrenaline-inducing aggression from beginning to end. The riffs are tight and catchy, the drums never cease thundering, and the vocals roar spectacularly.

It can be purchased via Bandcamp and Nuclear War Now! Productions.

Panoptikum

Die Kreatur

Somehow this release flew under my radar, which I feel is more on Napalm Records than me, probably being buried under an armada of pirate metal. Dero of Oomph! and Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost combine forces for a new Neue Deutsche Härte outing as Die Kreatur.

This project definitely draws from both musicians' respective sonic tendencies. I find several of the tracks particularly remind me of Oomph!'s amazing album Ritual, released last year. I would also guess that is where this project formed, considering Chris Harms' guest spot on "Europa" off that album. However I find the first half of the album tends to be more aggressively abrasive in sound than most material either musician has recently released. Which is not a bad thing, and definitely roots the album more in metal than rock. Harsh vocals abound, particularly from Harms, and many of the songs are rapid and full blast. The latter half seems to mellow just a tad, with a little more symphonic and even medieval metal elements, particularly with tracks like "Schlafes Braut," and "Glück Auf!," Overall though it retains the industrial metal crunch throughout. I have not picked a favorite track yet, but I find " Mensch/Maschine," "Zwei 100%," and "Unzertrennlich" mighty enjoyable.

If you enjoy Industrial metal / Neue Deutsche Härte, I strongly encourage checking out this album.

You can pick up a copy from Napalm Records, digitally on Bandcamp, and on Amazon.

Emperor

US Tour 2023

Thulcandra 3/12/23

Come and Take It Live

Photos by me.

Damned

Crawl

Four tracks showcasing the agonized depths of traumatic perseverance. Eerie ambience intermixed with drudging, pounding despondency and venomous retaliation. The album is loneliness, despair, disgust, and hatred sculpted by tormented screams, steadily crashing drums, macabre samples and haunting bass. Simultaneously desolate and claustrophobic, it's an abyss that glares back at the listener.

It can be purchased via Bandcamp, Profound Lore Records, and the band's website.