On The Inside immediately seizes with impressionistic electronic textures, while Charlie Rolfe’s distinctive scream leaves its mark on the opener. She is certainly one of the most talented vocalists in this genre and the surrounding payers bring the vigour and liveliness to match. Take Me There proves a darker piece, the haunting progressions feeling like exploring a haunted house with a more enrapturing sight behind each door. This piece still keeps the core sound of the act intact yet feels abstract in the many movements and rhythmic changes.
Despite being one of the shortest cuts here, Stay acts as a wild and determined punk-inspired anthem, with the hook and bridge adding that extra layer of complexity – a habit that continues to make this band especially intriguing! Let Me Go opens on a few solitary notes, only separated by fuzz and indiscernible speech in the background – this allows the piece to explode into life with passion and radiance – a feat which persists as the song charts its hopeful if oddly melancholic course. Hiding From Myself brings the zealous rage back to the forefront with force – this might be my favourite moment if only for the way all the elements that this band champion – the complexity, the bombast, the outpouring of feelings interlock into one huge piece that begs for you to listen on repeat if only to savour the experience. One Last Time is almost just as hypnotic, the encircling sound feeling like something you can immerse yourself in as the overall sense of desperation and struggle fills the listener with a fierce resolve, enabling them to feel like they can overcome their own demons!
On that note, Wither closes us out on a dark yet wonderfully liberating note. It feels like less of a closed book and more of a ‘to be continued…’ While the end might seem sudden, on reflection this seems like a start to a journey As Everything Unfolds have only just started to chart. This is a brilliant note to begin on, don’t get me wrong, yet more than anything it makes me desperate to see where the #act takes their experiments next. 8/10
The Beast Of Nod - Multiversal (Self Released) [Charlie Rogers]
California based The Beast Of Nod (TBON) describe themselves as “intergalactic death metal”, and given the surge in space themed extreme metal over the past decade, they’re rubbing shoulders with some outstanding bands. Far from sounding similar, TBON are claiming their own sector of the great unknown with a strong second full length album. The album features expert musicianship, with intricate layered melodies and body gripping grooves. You’re compelled to bop along with sections of the songs, while left in awe at the sparkling fly-overs as epic guitar leads soar past. Combining a fantastical element to the soundscape against some absolutely thunderous drumming certainly gives the impression you’re on a rocket traversing beautiful nebulae.
There’s a lot going on across all band members, and the linear style of writing means that the album feels like you’re travelling aurally - there’s no verse/chorus/verse/chorus going on, you move from section A to B to C and so on, which I think fits the style and themes perfectly. It would be wrong of me not to mention the roster of guests TBON have employed to showcase their impressive talents. Joe Satriani, Michael Angelo Batio, Abiotic guitarist John Matos, Wormhole guitarist Sanjay Kumar, Equipoise guitarist Nick Padovani, and Bleak Flesh guitarist Matias Quiroz, all adding their particular brand of fret melting shred to this already guitar-tastic collection.
Though, in all honesty, they blend so well into the established style of TBON, I’m not entirely sure you’d be able to tell there were guests without the album notes. I’m sure megafans of Satriani and MAB will pick up on their signature playing, but as someone who admittedly doesn’t listen to tons of shred, it flew past me. Take that as you will however, as it could be a testament to how well the soloists can adapt to fit the bands they guest with. The mix is crystal clear. I didn’t ever find myself straining to hear what any one individual part was doing, and it’s always great to hear a snarling, janky bass tone shining through on what is clearly a guitarist focused album. Tonally, some of the keyboard parts reminded me of early Dream Theater, which will always win me over.
Drums are tastefully done, with both breakneck parts and the slower more restrained beats handled with the same level of care. I enjoyed the mixture of vocal styles too, with harsh shrieks and earthy gutturals brought together with precision. If you’re a fan of outright shred, you’ll no doubt have a great time with this album. There’s a lot of melody packed into the 9 songs, and Multiversal is a great example of how you can play fast, but keep the musicality. 7/10
Christian Liljegren – Melodic Passion (Melodic Passion) [Paul Hutchings]
Best known as lead singer of Christian metal band Narnia, Christian Liljegren, he’s also involved in many other bands, runs his own record label and is also lead vocalist of power metal project Golden Resurrection with Tommy Johansson (now in Sabaton) whose debut was released about five months ago. Melodic Passion is an album full of faith inspired songs. It’s well-crafted and Liljegren can certainly sing. But if there was a colour for this album it would be beige. It’s that fucking boring. I listened to it three times, so you don’t have to. Unless you want to waste 49 minutes of your life praising an imaginary entity, then go grab something else to listen to. If you want to uplift your soul of course, then be my guest and immerse yourself in an album that may appeal to those who like melodic metal as limp as a five-day old lettuce. 3/10