The Otolith - Folium Limina (Blues Funeral Recordings) [Paul Scoble]
The Otolith formed in 2019, however most of the members of The Otolith had been making music together for far longer than three years. The Otolith feature four former members of SubRosa; Kim Cordray on violin and vocals, Levi Hanna on guitar and vocals, Andy Patterson on drums and Percussion, and Sarah Pendleton on violin and lead vocals, the band is completed by Matt Brotherton on bass guitar.
If you are hoping for SubRosa Part 2, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed, The Otolith are not trying to repeat past glories, this is distinctly different project. Of course there are similarities, each member will have their own style of playing and writing, so there are parts that are a little reminiscent of SubRosa, but The Otolith sounds and probably more importantly feels different from Kim, Andy, Sarah and Levi’s former band.
The sound is a mix of very emotive and heavy doom, tempered by the twin violins of Kim Cordray and Sarah Pendleton. The vocals are split between clean and harsh vocals, with some incredibly beautiful layered vocals for good measure. Most of the songs have long build ups; this is an album that will not be rushed, the slow build ups help give the album a slightly meditative sense that is very affecting.
The album opens with Sing No Coda, which has a slow brooding build up before a huge and heavy riff crashes in accompanied by a melancholy violin and gentle chanted vocals. The song mixes very heavy riffs with mournful violin melodies, and has a beautiful sad chorus that I cannot stop singing. After Sing No Coda we get the track Andromeda’s Wing which is probably the fastest song on the album with a mid-paced riff and harsh vocals, a violin melody and ethereal vocals are added. The song then goes into a soft and gentle part made up of plucked violin strings and bass, the huge riffs return this time with clean and harsh vocals before the song drifts to its conclusion for a quiet and ethereal ending.
Next up is a very interesting song in Ekpyrotic. Ekpyrotic opens with a soft and contemplative section with guitar and violin which has a simple but urgent melody. The song then launches a huge riff that is based on the simple tune from the intro. The song vacillates between the two sounds, both based on the same simple tune until the final part of the song where the huge and heavy version of the tune comes back slowed down in a way that will have every doom fan punching the air, the slow riff feels monumentally enormous. This shows how much you can do with a simple little tune, if you are as talented as the members of The Otolith.
Hubris is probably the most folky of all of the tracks on Folium Limina. The song starts in a very mellow and melancholy way, and very slowly builds getting louder and heavier, but keeps the despondent feel. The song has an achingly beautiful chorus, and gets more intense and harsh Vocals are added as it gets closer to its end, which happens in a minimal, small way.
Bone Dust is a really interesting song; it opens with a field recording of a train before a very long and slow build up of violin, guitar and bass, this segues into slow, heavy and sorrowful riff with very powerful clean vocals, this then morphs into a very purposeful riff. The song then adds a long sample of Charlie Chaplin’s final speech at the end of his masterpiece “The Great Dictator”. The speech is very famous, I’ve watched it many times, but with The Otolith providing a backing track makes this amazing piece of oratory feel even more emotive than in the original film (If you haven’t seen the 1940 film “The Great Dictator” Chaplin’s speech is a plea for peace, understanding and sanity at a point where the world was descending into Fascism, Nazism and Genocide. Considering how the world is again descending into fascism, this feels like a very appropriate sample to use).
The album comes to an end with the track Dispirit which opens with soft folky elements before some driving and purposeful drums come in and move the song along. The second half of the song has some very heavy riffs that feel more aggressive than anything else on the album, combined with harsh vocals. After the aggressive section the song goes into a minimal sections with beautiful violins until a piano joins the party, which, with the accompaniment of a violin takes the song and the album to its end.
Folium Limina is a stunning album, it’s affecting, beautiful, heavy, melodic, melancholy and ethereal. Once I had listened to it a couple of times I forgot about the connection with SubRosa, and just got lost in it. Fans of their former band should definitely have a listen as should anyone who like great, heavy music, there is so much here to fall in love with, in particular I love how this album makes me feel, like I’m surrounded by melancholy sadness and ethereal beauty. 9/10
Architects - Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit (Epitaph) [GC]
As the certified grumpiest of all writers here at Musipedia Of Metal even I know I need to tread very carefully here, as over the course of their career Architects have come from the very bottom of the UK metal scene and are now almost right at the top of the pile and its not to be forgotten that they have gone though tragic circumstances to get here also. They have never really been my thing and I have only heard snippets here and there so its now time to give these guys the attention they have earned.
It all kicks off with the big bouncy riffs and driving rhythms of Deep Fake which also has a nice electronic body running through the tracks it is clear to see how they have peaked the interest of so many, its heavy enough without being challenging and wont push them away from a casual listener and clean enough to draw in the Radio 1 crowd, following this it all gets a bit industrial sounding on the VERY Rammstein-ish Tear Gas which is fine and again will no doubt bring them plenty of radio play but its all just a bit to safe but, I am only two songs in so maybe I owe it to them to give it a more time!! So, in that spirit time to plough on but unfortunately it seems Spit The Bone is really just a pop song played on guitars and is definitely the weakest song on offer and probably could have been left on the cutting room floor to be honest!?
Michael Rudolph Cummings - You Know How I Get (Ripple Music) [David Karpel]
Michael Rudolph Cummings has a storied career as a solo artist, as the vocalist/guitarist of the stoner grunge band Backwoods Payback, the drummer of the band Boozewa, and as the synth player/vocalist of All Else Failed. His latest album, You Know How I Get, is the third of Ripple Music’s Blood & Strings – The Acoustic Series, and it’s the kind of album you throw on at the start of a long drive from which you know you’re not coming back the same.
If you are hoping for SubRosa Part 2, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed, The Otolith are not trying to repeat past glories, this is distinctly different project. Of course there are similarities, each member will have their own style of playing and writing, so there are parts that are a little reminiscent of SubRosa, but The Otolith sounds and probably more importantly feels different from Kim, Andy, Sarah and Levi’s former band.
The sound is a mix of very emotive and heavy doom, tempered by the twin violins of Kim Cordray and Sarah Pendleton. The vocals are split between clean and harsh vocals, with some incredibly beautiful layered vocals for good measure. Most of the songs have long build ups; this is an album that will not be rushed, the slow build ups help give the album a slightly meditative sense that is very affecting.
The album opens with Sing No Coda, which has a slow brooding build up before a huge and heavy riff crashes in accompanied by a melancholy violin and gentle chanted vocals. The song mixes very heavy riffs with mournful violin melodies, and has a beautiful sad chorus that I cannot stop singing. After Sing No Coda we get the track Andromeda’s Wing which is probably the fastest song on the album with a mid-paced riff and harsh vocals, a violin melody and ethereal vocals are added. The song then goes into a soft and gentle part made up of plucked violin strings and bass, the huge riffs return this time with clean and harsh vocals before the song drifts to its conclusion for a quiet and ethereal ending.
Next up is a very interesting song in Ekpyrotic. Ekpyrotic opens with a soft and contemplative section with guitar and violin which has a simple but urgent melody. The song then launches a huge riff that is based on the simple tune from the intro. The song vacillates between the two sounds, both based on the same simple tune until the final part of the song where the huge and heavy version of the tune comes back slowed down in a way that will have every doom fan punching the air, the slow riff feels monumentally enormous. This shows how much you can do with a simple little tune, if you are as talented as the members of The Otolith.
Hubris is probably the most folky of all of the tracks on Folium Limina. The song starts in a very mellow and melancholy way, and very slowly builds getting louder and heavier, but keeps the despondent feel. The song has an achingly beautiful chorus, and gets more intense and harsh Vocals are added as it gets closer to its end, which happens in a minimal, small way.
Bone Dust is a really interesting song; it opens with a field recording of a train before a very long and slow build up of violin, guitar and bass, this segues into slow, heavy and sorrowful riff with very powerful clean vocals, this then morphs into a very purposeful riff. The song then adds a long sample of Charlie Chaplin’s final speech at the end of his masterpiece “The Great Dictator”. The speech is very famous, I’ve watched it many times, but with The Otolith providing a backing track makes this amazing piece of oratory feel even more emotive than in the original film (If you haven’t seen the 1940 film “The Great Dictator” Chaplin’s speech is a plea for peace, understanding and sanity at a point where the world was descending into Fascism, Nazism and Genocide. Considering how the world is again descending into fascism, this feels like a very appropriate sample to use).
The album comes to an end with the track Dispirit which opens with soft folky elements before some driving and purposeful drums come in and move the song along. The second half of the song has some very heavy riffs that feel more aggressive than anything else on the album, combined with harsh vocals. After the aggressive section the song goes into a minimal sections with beautiful violins until a piano joins the party, which, with the accompaniment of a violin takes the song and the album to its end.
Folium Limina is a stunning album, it’s affecting, beautiful, heavy, melodic, melancholy and ethereal. Once I had listened to it a couple of times I forgot about the connection with SubRosa, and just got lost in it. Fans of their former band should definitely have a listen as should anyone who like great, heavy music, there is so much here to fall in love with, in particular I love how this album makes me feel, like I’m surrounded by melancholy sadness and ethereal beauty. 9/10
Architects - Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit (Epitaph) [GC]
As the certified grumpiest of all writers here at Musipedia Of Metal even I know I need to tread very carefully here, as over the course of their career Architects have come from the very bottom of the UK metal scene and are now almost right at the top of the pile and its not to be forgotten that they have gone though tragic circumstances to get here also. They have never really been my thing and I have only heard snippets here and there so its now time to give these guys the attention they have earned.
It all kicks off with the big bouncy riffs and driving rhythms of Deep Fake which also has a nice electronic body running through the tracks it is clear to see how they have peaked the interest of so many, its heavy enough without being challenging and wont push them away from a casual listener and clean enough to draw in the Radio 1 crowd, following this it all gets a bit industrial sounding on the VERY Rammstein-ish Tear Gas which is fine and again will no doubt bring them plenty of radio play but its all just a bit to safe but, I am only two songs in so maybe I owe it to them to give it a more time!! So, in that spirit time to plough on but unfortunately it seems Spit The Bone is really just a pop song played on guitars and is definitely the weakest song on offer and probably could have been left on the cutting room floor to be honest!?
Burn Down My House slows down the tempo somewhat and is a sombre and mid-paced number and you can feel that there is some genuine emotion being put forth, but it just seems to slow proceedings down and then Living Is Killing Us tries to pick up the pace again and does its job but again it all just feels so radio friendly and to be blunt it’s just a bit bland and by the numbers and just as I am beginning to lose hope they drop in When We Were Young which again has an almost industrial edge to it but the verse is urgent and pushes forward and the chorus is HUGE and is going to be sang to the rafters at arenas very soon and the ending is just beautifully done and this is easily the album highlight so far Doomscrolling then adds another slice of radio friendly arena rock but this is done with some vigour and swagger that has been so far missing and really shines and lifts this above the beginning few tracks.
Then Born Again Pessimist falls directly into album filler category and we are right back to where we were earlier just feeling flat and underwhelmed but then A New Moral Low explodes forth and is an absolute corker of a song that again shows when they want to Architects can undoubtedly churn out absolute bangers its got the urgency and anger needed and is mixed with up tempo passages and probably the albums best vocal performance so far from Sam Carter definitely and it is thrown into the mix when it was needed most they then carry on the momentum into All The Love In The World which carries us along with some decent crunchy riffs and solid beat patterns and more good vocals melodies, you do feel that more of this sooner really would have helped the cause!!
Album closer Be Very Afraid EXACTLY what I needed it to be, its fast, furious and an absolute raging beast of a song and again just shows what is possible when these guys open up and don’t try to play it safe! I didn’t expect and album full of songs like this, but a couple more, sooner would have been appreciated as this is easily my favourite track on the whole album and unfortunately for me it’s the last song!
Being objective I can say that this is probably just what Architects need to really push through to that Download headliner type size of band and it will undoubtedly do very well for them so what I say will not matter one iota to them in the grand scheme of things but, this album was just ok and never really get out of second gear for me, there was signs of their undoubted talent and song writing capability but it was all just was too safe and polished and the best tracks came too late to save it. I really just needed much much more from this. 6/10
Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant (Peaceville Records) [David G]
The fourth album following the reformation of Autopsy in 2009, this release from the Bay Area death metal legends shows them in fine fettle. From the very start this album displays the hallmarks of a band refined in their approach, having honed their raw and ugly style. Stab The Brain opens the album as a race in progress, the furiously alternating kick drum and snare of Chris Reifert propelling things along in tandem with the choppy, assertive guitar.
Being objective I can say that this is probably just what Architects need to really push through to that Download headliner type size of band and it will undoubtedly do very well for them so what I say will not matter one iota to them in the grand scheme of things but, this album was just ok and never really get out of second gear for me, there was signs of their undoubted talent and song writing capability but it was all just was too safe and polished and the best tracks came too late to save it. I really just needed much much more from this. 6/10
Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant (Peaceville Records) [David G]
The fourth album following the reformation of Autopsy in 2009, this release from the Bay Area death metal legends shows them in fine fettle. From the very start this album displays the hallmarks of a band refined in their approach, having honed their raw and ugly style. Stab The Brain opens the album as a race in progress, the furiously alternating kick drum and snare of Chris Reifert propelling things along in tandem with the choppy, assertive guitar.
Of course this being the punky and doom-infused Autopsy the track eventually settles into a fine groove, and it's here that the band's material is at its most impactful. Take The Voracious One, centered around an righteous death'n'roll riff this is about as catchy as you can get, and if it wasn't for the fact that Autopsy were an influence on Entombed you would suspect that influence was flipped here such is the giant anchor sized hook thrown out. Following this Born In Blood opens lethargically, a doomy drawl which gives way to scuzzy fuzzed up driving riff that pulses along hastily with a vibrancy that's sure to intoxicate.
There's weird little moments that sound a bit kitsch in isolation, but end up being rather memorable. Flesh Strewn Temple opens with a curious atonal guitar harmony that sounds cumbersome and icky, but ends up being a bit of an earworm. Knife Slice, Axe Chop starts as a blustering wall of noise, but also delivers an earnest solo that sounds anything but sinister or aggressive; yet it's still so easy to grin at the unabashed energy. The only real lull in the album comes towards the end at Slaughterer Of Souls. Whilst delivering a brilliant pick'n'mix of death metal screeches and growls, it drags on too slowly at the start with no discernible hook and thrashes later on with no purpose. It just doesn't match the presence of the surrounding tracks.
There's weird little moments that sound a bit kitsch in isolation, but end up being rather memorable. Flesh Strewn Temple opens with a curious atonal guitar harmony that sounds cumbersome and icky, but ends up being a bit of an earworm. Knife Slice, Axe Chop starts as a blustering wall of noise, but also delivers an earnest solo that sounds anything but sinister or aggressive; yet it's still so easy to grin at the unabashed energy. The only real lull in the album comes towards the end at Slaughterer Of Souls. Whilst delivering a brilliant pick'n'mix of death metal screeches and growls, it drags on too slowly at the start with no discernible hook and thrashes later on with no purpose. It just doesn't match the presence of the surrounding tracks.
Refreshingly old-school, with no pretensions or progression, this is instead an ugly but fun album. Morbidity Triumphant is affirming of the old ways, delivered with vigour and sounding so present that it leaves a smile on the face from the perverse joy it brings. 8/10
Michael Rudolph Cummings - You Know How I Get (Ripple Music) [David Karpel]
Michael Rudolph Cummings has a storied career as a solo artist, as the vocalist/guitarist of the stoner grunge band Backwoods Payback, the drummer of the band Boozewa, and as the synth player/vocalist of All Else Failed. His latest album, You Know How I Get, is the third of Ripple Music’s Blood & Strings – The Acoustic Series, and it’s the kind of album you throw on at the start of a long drive from which you know you’re not coming back the same.
Heavy music need not be thunderous nor calamitous. When the heavy is real enough, you know. Michael Rudolph Cummings is the real deal. Wherever he’s been, he’s been all the way there and now he’s back, scars and all, to sing a song about it. What’s captured here feels so deeply personal and resonant with truth baring. Sunburn opens up with that intimacy, like he’s sitting on a stool in your living room. When the drums fold in with a nod “someone has eaten all your charm” and you’ll feel no pain as the sun burns out your eyes. “Then you’ll all feel alright.” Down tempo, dark, melodic, and reminiscent of Neil Young in attitude and of alt-country in tone.
Cellar Times is an acoustic strummer with some organ accompaniment. Here Cummings takes us on a journey through the faltering determination to escape the past, singing “I will not belong to all the loves I’ve had.” Closer Than They Appear is a melancholy strummer with church-organ notes and sweet harmonies. Cummings continues to build on the theme of leaving a past behind and I’m here for it. When he wails that he’s seen brighter days and lets his voice reach that harder register for the rest of the song, it’s a punch in the gut.
Like most of the songs on here, the whiskey-on-the-porch song Charles Don’t Lie comes in under three minutes. At a mere 2 minutes and 10, the single 62 Westbound is the shortest song on the album and plays like a strange and shadowy higher pitched dirge. Fittingly, Got It Made ups the tempo a bit, but Cummings keeps it cool, tempering his voice, giving the song the delicacy of one treading shaky grounds.
Cellar Times is an acoustic strummer with some organ accompaniment. Here Cummings takes us on a journey through the faltering determination to escape the past, singing “I will not belong to all the loves I’ve had.” Closer Than They Appear is a melancholy strummer with church-organ notes and sweet harmonies. Cummings continues to build on the theme of leaving a past behind and I’m here for it. When he wails that he’s seen brighter days and lets his voice reach that harder register for the rest of the song, it’s a punch in the gut.
Like most of the songs on here, the whiskey-on-the-porch song Charles Don’t Lie comes in under three minutes. At a mere 2 minutes and 10, the single 62 Westbound is the shortest song on the album and plays like a strange and shadowy higher pitched dirge. Fittingly, Got It Made ups the tempo a bit, but Cummings keeps it cool, tempering his voice, giving the song the delicacy of one treading shaky grounds.
The title track is a countrified road song that’s got some sinister imagery, while Goblina, the second to last and the longest song, begins with a slow build that crescendos, falls again, and may be the best soundtrack for walking in the rain I’ve heard in a while. There’s blood in hair, depression, sighing guitar notes, and Cummings voice rooting us to the forward movement of the song. We close with a living room alt-country ballad in which Cummings sings lines like: “maybe when I’m heavier than heaven I won’t be alone anymore.”
You Know How I Get is an album full of brokenhearted, soulful songs rooted in pain and survival. Michael Rudolph Cummings gives voice to wilful determination despite life’s b.s. and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is a special album. 8/10
You Know How I Get is an album full of brokenhearted, soulful songs rooted in pain and survival. Michael Rudolph Cummings gives voice to wilful determination despite life’s b.s. and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is a special album. 8/10