August has been the strongest month for metal in 2015 yet; here’s a few of the best.
Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss
by Ailo Ravna and Neil Bird
As the name indicates, singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe’s latest album, Abyss, is a dark and harrowing affair—a plunge into the deepest crevices of melancholy—which is awe-inspiring in its somber beauty. The album’s ethereal and borderline martial industrial sounds are coupled with the occasional gentle piano or acoustic guitar, complete with striking melodies and oppressive atmospherics and helmed by Wolfe’s amazingly haunting and tender voice.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMJyiWJA91U]
Although Chelsea Wolfe’s last record didn’t click with me [Neil] at the time it came out, the praise and hype surrounding Abyss was too much to ignore and, I had to check it out. The heavier aspects of the record, musically speaking, grabbed me instantly and Wolfe’s angelic vocals entranced me. The vibes and beats pounding away in my head phones forced me to close my eyes and just absorb everything I was hearing. There’s no denying the powerful melodies and deep introspective qualities Abyss provides, and it’s truly an album whose high praise is valid and even exceeded.
Stone Healer – He Who Rides Immolated Horses
by Shawn Miller
He Who Rides Immolated Horses is the debut release by Stone Healer—the solo project forrmed by multi-instrumentalist Dave Kaminsky following the demise of his progressive/atmospheric black metal band, Autolatry. The EP waxes and wanes from lofty and sweeping passages to crushing heaviness to rustic strumming, and is a must have for fans of New England’s up and coming atmospheric black metal scene, which brings a near-indescribable blend of progressively tinged atmospheric black metal and spark of folk-laden Americana.
Dead Lord – Heads Held High
by James Cansdale
Just as the retro-rock heavyweights are poised to unleash their new opuses, the criminally-underrated Dead Lord add some much needed fresh-blood with their sophomore release, Heads Held High. The album builds on the Thin Lizzy-heavy framework shown on the band’s first release, delivering stripped-back, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll that exudes emotion, with plenty of infectious licks, catchy choruses and some of the most impassioned vocals the style has to offer—clearly establishing the Swedes as one of the breakthrough acts of the year.
Soilwork – The Ride Majestic
by Joshua Bulleid
I may have given rivers Of Nihil’s Monarchy a 10/10 and The Ride Majestic only a 9.5 when I reviewed them, but the difference is primarily due to the former being a defining release for a young band that pushes the boundaries of their genre, while the latter represents an already established act merely perfecting their formula. Nevertheless, The Ride Majestic is exactly that: Perfect. Soilwork might already be one of the most consistent acts out there, but to release an album as startling and ambitious as The Ride Majestic this late in their career—following a ton of classic records—is utterly ridiculous. Monarchy may have won my respect, but The Ride Majestic has most certainly won my heart.
This time last year:
