Aquilus - Bellum I (Blood Music) [Paul Scoble]
Aquilus clearly like to take their time making music, it seems the bands only member, Waldorf does not like being rushed. Waldorf started making music under the Aquilus moniker in 2004, he released the bands first material in demo form in 2005 and then again in 2006. A year later Waldorf released the bands first EP in 2007’s Arbor, Aquilus’s first album came 4 years later in 2011 with the release of Griseus. The Aquilus camp has been quiet since then, and many had thought that Waldorf had finished releasing music under the Aquilus name, until a few months ago when it was announced that a new album, Bellum I, was to be released a decade after the band's first album.
Aquilus clearly like to take their time making music, it seems the bands only member, Waldorf does not like being rushed. Waldorf started making music under the Aquilus moniker in 2004, he released the bands first material in demo form in 2005 and then again in 2006. A year later Waldorf released the bands first EP in 2007’s Arbor, Aquilus’s first album came 4 years later in 2011 with the release of Griseus. The Aquilus camp has been quiet since then, and many had thought that Waldorf had finished releasing music under the Aquilus name, until a few months ago when it was announced that a new album, Bellum I, was to be released a decade after the band's first album.
Waldorf takes care of the Vocals, guitar, bass drums and keyboards on Bellum I, but Aquitus’s sound mixes Metal and in some places Black Metal with lots of Classical and Folk influences, so Waldorf has some help from some very talented friends. Extra percussion was supplied by Zebadee Scott, Violins by Hayley Anderson and Troy Schafer, Operatic Vocals by Sasha Chaply and the wonderfully titled Fipple Flutes by Sara Orania.
The album is bookended by two instrumentals; The Night Winds Of Avila and Empyreal Nightsky, both of which feature florid, romantic piano. The outro, Empyreal Nightsky is softer and quieter with a lot of atmospheric keyboard swells, The Night Winds Of Avila is a more dramatic affair, which in places is quite reminiscent of silent era film music, it paints pictures in your mind of moustache twirling bad guys tying heroines to train lines. Most of rest of the material on the album is a mix of atmospheric metal, black metal, classical and folk. Into Wooded Hollows is dramatic keyboard heavy mid-paced black metal, with softer piano led interludes. The song mixes black metal riffs and guitar melodies with lush strings giving the song a sweeping, expansive quality that is quite similar to Skyforest, a band who were probably inspired by Aquilus’s older work.
The Silent Passing is, counter intuitively probably the most extreme and aggressive song on Bellum I. It’s driving and purposeful, mixing fast blasting lack metal with slow and very heavy doomy riffs. A couple of track on Bellum I are very reminiscent of the material on Emperor’s 1998 album Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk. Eternal Unrest and in particular Lucille's Gate use keyboards in a very similar way to how Emperor knit the keyboard and guitar riffs together. Lucille’s Gate has a similar feel to The Loss And Curse Of Reverence.
Bellum I is a great album, filled with sweeping romantic piano, huge expansive black metal and so many great tunes and melodies. The album does have a fair number of piano led interludes that break up the flow of the heavier material, but overall this a very enjoyable album filled with dramatic sturm and drang, an interesting mix of different styles that takes the listener on a great journey. 7/10
Dark Sky Burial - Omnis Cum In Tenebris Praesertim Vita Laboret (Extrinsic Recordings) [Richard Oliver]
Dark Sky Burial - Omnis Cum In Tenebris Praesertim Vita Laboret (Extrinsic Recordings) [Richard Oliver]
Omnis Cum In Tenebris Praesertim Vita Laboret is the fourth album by Dark Sky Burial which is one of the many musical outlets for the legendary Shane Embury (Napalm Death, Lock Up, Brujeria, Venomous Concept amongst countless others). It is the fourth and final album in a quadrilogy of releases which started with De Omnibus Dubitandum Est in April 2020. The album title translates to “Life Is One Long Struggle In The Dark” and these four albums have been very much moulded by Shane’s own struggles over the past two years. Musically this is far removed from the main bands that Shane is involved in (you won’t find a trace of extreme metal, hardcore punk or grindcore here) being a mix of dark ambient soundscapes, industrial noise and electronica. I’ll fully admit that this music is way out of my comfort zone and not something I would generally listen to but my opinion was if this has come from the mind of Shane Embury then it has to be worth checking out.
This album very much sounds like it could be a soundtrack to a movie whilst in reality it is the soundtrack to Shane’s own mental state and his stress with dealing with events in his own personal life. You get pieces which are barren, atmospheric and bleak such as Necromanteion and Nekyia as well as more electronica inspired ones such as the glitchy Mind Rat and the pounding industrial of Flesh Altar. The highlight is album closer The Heart Warrior which whilst still retaining its moments of dread feels like a far more positive piece of music in comparison to what has come before it. Whilst this is not the style of music I’m used to or most suited to, I can’t deny that this is an enjoyable album. Being drawn to dark sounds, the atmosphere alone had my rapt attention and this is eight songs of bleak yet cinematic electronic music. Perfectly suited for a dreary winters day and just shows that no matter what style of music he composes and performs, Shane Embury is just another class of musician. 7/10
Smith/Kotzen – Better Days EP (BMG) [Alexander Hay]
Side Projects: Who, at one point or another, has not wanted to spread their wings, reach for the sky and fly to pastures new? Cliches aside, this also overlooks the fact that humans can't fly. But some of them can play guitar, like Iron Maiden ledge Adrian Smith, who's decided to give this side project lark a go with Richie Kotzen, formerly of Poison, Mr Big and so on. Their new EP, Better Days, follows on from their full length from earlier this year, with four tracks and a heavy AOR/blues vibe. Look at them, on the record's cover, leaning with their guitars on a blue vintage muscle car. It just SCREAMS synergy. What results is pleasant, competent and full of hard work. Solos, chords and riffs are dealt with the sort of intricacy you normally get with anally retentive Swiss watch makers. And they work together well, sharing the mic when they're not throttling their guitars like unwanted turkeys.
Quite how two guitarists, a rather temperamental and territorial breed, seem to go so well together is a mystery, but it works. Still, even after a few listens, the overall vibe is inoffensive and mild, the kind of hard rock that gets played on Radio 2 on Saturday nights. Too heavy and old school for the norms, too tuneful and well mannered for the spikies, it feels more like a really skilled jam session we've just barged into. Even the guest appearance by Mike Portnoy (once of Dream Theater) seems a bit casual or ad hoc, like that time Marilyn turned up at the Live Aid recording, and wouldn't go unless they let him sing something. It is, then, what it is, which is OK. 6/10
Cutterred Flesh – Sharing Is Caring (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Zak Skane]
Smith/Kotzen – Better Days EP (BMG) [Alexander Hay]
Side Projects: Who, at one point or another, has not wanted to spread their wings, reach for the sky and fly to pastures new? Cliches aside, this also overlooks the fact that humans can't fly. But some of them can play guitar, like Iron Maiden ledge Adrian Smith, who's decided to give this side project lark a go with Richie Kotzen, formerly of Poison, Mr Big and so on. Their new EP, Better Days, follows on from their full length from earlier this year, with four tracks and a heavy AOR/blues vibe. Look at them, on the record's cover, leaning with their guitars on a blue vintage muscle car. It just SCREAMS synergy. What results is pleasant, competent and full of hard work. Solos, chords and riffs are dealt with the sort of intricacy you normally get with anally retentive Swiss watch makers. And they work together well, sharing the mic when they're not throttling their guitars like unwanted turkeys.
Quite how two guitarists, a rather temperamental and territorial breed, seem to go so well together is a mystery, but it works. Still, even after a few listens, the overall vibe is inoffensive and mild, the kind of hard rock that gets played on Radio 2 on Saturday nights. Too heavy and old school for the norms, too tuneful and well mannered for the spikies, it feels more like a really skilled jam session we've just barged into. Even the guest appearance by Mike Portnoy (once of Dream Theater) seems a bit casual or ad hoc, like that time Marilyn turned up at the Live Aid recording, and wouldn't go unless they let him sing something. It is, then, what it is, which is OK. 6/10
Cutterred Flesh – Sharing Is Caring (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Zak Skane]
Hailing from the Czech Republic utilising mood changes, moving tempo changes and deprive lyrics, Cutterred Flesh have given birth to their album Sharing Is Caring. This album comes straight in with a melodic riff layered with an up tempo beat, at first glaze it sounds like something that a melodic hardcore band like Counterparts would do but with more cynical tones. After a few seconds it builds up into this chaotic drop with the layers of guitar riffs complementing them each other like a two-headed dragon. Jiri’s vocals sound dark and beastly whilst cutting through apocalyptic arrangement. The track swings from chaotic atmospheric waltz to chunky grooves effortlessly with the electronic breaks, it does give this bands sound a unique twist.
Black Aurora brings those dark sounds from the opening track and turning it up to ten with the eerie lullaby intro to the demonic sounding leads. The drums performed with razor sharp precision helps to cut through the mix of chonky guitars. Where the Flash Stinks provides some gothic melancholy vibes with it’s clean ambient guitar intros and their slow burning choruses reminiscing on bands like Insomnium and Paradise Lost. Good Boy and The Mystery Of The Black Hen shows the bands more brutal death metal side with the guitar tone sounding like a chainsaw cutting through a thick steak, especially when those guitars are locked in with the drums it just bludgeons you to death. Amused By The Tenacity Of A Dying Whore and Knife Is Not The Enemy shows the bands more technical death metal side with taking inspiration from bands like Death and Nile mixed in with Slam bands like Ingested and Spite.
Overall this was a great listen, the guitars sound huge, the drums sounded like a machine gunner with anger issues and the vocals sounded beastly. The band have captured all sides of the death metal spectrum really well, the only thing I would say is that they could of incorporated more of the elements from their opening song Vibrio Vulnificus which incorporates to the electronic and melodic elements a bit more of the songs to sculpt a more unique sound. 7/10.