THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

(Andy Synn presents part 1 – part 2 coming next week – of his regularly scheduled catch-up column)

Last month was so goddamn busy – both in terms of my own personal/professional/musical life and the sheer amount of albums being released – that I’m actually being forced (well, “forced”) to do not one but two “Things You May Have Missed” articles to catch up on everything that I/we missed during February.

Not that I mind too much – honestly, my biggest concern is falling behind on March’s releases while we’re still looking back at February – since although so far I’ve found 2025 to have gotten off to a pretty slow start (there’s been a lot of releases, sure, but only a handful that have really blown me away) I’m pretty sure that at least some of these records are going to find their way onto a few end of year lists.

So, without further ado, let’s enjoy the first of this month’s two-part round-up,

CALYCES – FLESHY WAVES OF PROBABILITY

If you’ve managed to tear you eyes away from the absolutely gorgeous artwork which adorns Fleshy Waves of Probability (and if you haven’t taken a look yet, what are you waiting for?) allow me to explain why you need to be pushing “play” on this particular album ASAP.

For one thing, the band’s second album is an altogether tauter, tighter listening experience than its more outlandishly excessive predecessor, clocking in at just under forty lean, lithe minutes in total.

And, for another, it’s just a hell of a lot of fun, delivering a great blend of punchy-yet-catchy riffs, proggy-yet-hooky melodies, and a sense of vibrant, effervescent energy that recalls the likes of Baroness, Intronaut, and latter-day Mastodon while also stamping their own name firmly into the annals of Sludge-Rock.

Highlights include the groovesome grandeur of “Boneshatter” and its equally catchy companion “Wastelands” (the latter of which really shows off the band’s collective instrumental abilities) and the almost “radio friendly”, but still intriguingly intricate, strains of “Voices in the Gray”, but pretty much every song here has something – from nimble, progged-out fretwork and bright, gleaming leads to infectious vocal hooks and irresistibly head-bangable rhythms – to recommend it (with only “Lost in Phrase” not quite living up to its full potential in my opinion).

This is especially true of captivating closer “Lethargy”, whose proggy slow-burn style eventually climaxes in a show-stopping bout of flashy instrumental showboating that’s sure to have at least some of you coming back for more!

CROSSED – REALISMO AUSENTE

There are certain people, people of a certain disposition shall we say, who would probably get really mad if I called Italian punks Crossed a “Black Metal” band, seeing as how there’s a hefty amount of chaotic Hardcore/Screamo influence in their sound (just give spiky spasms of “Ojos Cerrados” or the panic-inducing discordance of “Monotonía de la Lluvia en la Ventana” a listen for evidence of that).

But, let’s be serious… if the pure venom and vitriol of “Vaciar Un Corazón” doesn’t absolutely scream “Black Metal” (almost literally) to you, then I really don’t know what else could possibly convince you.

Hell, the spiteful, spit-in-your face swagger of “Distrés” definitely channels the punkier, spikes ‘n’ leather spirit of the genre’s early days, while the crashing, doom-laden chords and wiry, tangled tremolo lines of killer closer “Catedral” are just as grim and grimy as anything that the band’s corpse-paint wearing cousins from the frozen North may have put out.

Sure, the malevolently catchy, Mathcore-ish assault of “Cerrojo” or the strafing, stabbing, stop-start Blackened Hardcore of “Sentirse Solo” might offend the purists still – though that’s not always a bad thing, let’s be honest – but the rule-bending, genre-blending attack of tracks like “Cuerpo Distorsionado” (whose menacingly dark vibe and maddeningly intense delivery make it one of the record’s major highlights) and the twitchy title-track only serve to reinforce the fact that Crossed have no interest in playing things safe!

DOOMSDAY – NEVER KNOWN PEACE

I don’t get around to doing much thrashin’ like a maniac these days… not, that is, unless it’s mixed in with some other genre(s) to make it more enticing.

So it’s a good thing that Thrash-core crossover crew Doomsday seem to love Ringworm and Merauder as much as Exodus and Testament, meaning that their new album – which also, in my opinion, owes a fair debt to early Sepultura (who themselves weren’t exactly shy about showing off their Punk and Hardcore influences) – should be perfect mosh-fodder for anyone on the look out for the next Power Trip or High Command.

And while picking out individual highlights has actually proven to be pretty difficult – there’s not a single weak track here, I can say that with confidence – I must admit to having a special place in my heart for the give no fucks, take no prisoners gallop ‘n’ shred of “The Outlaw” (love that nasty, neck-snapping outro), the uber-aggro attack of “Killing Fields”, and the merciless, machine-gun riffage of the title-track (as well as the sinister stomp of “Holy Justice”, which absolutely smokes anything from the new Spiritworld album, that’s for sure).

That being said, it’s the anthemic, riff-tastic “Pain Dweller” which represents the absolute peak of the album, with its massive metallic guitars, hefty Hardcore gang-vocals (which also make multiple appearances elsewhere on the album, most notably during the excellent “Eternal Tombs”, and moody melodic hooks all combining into what is probably going to go down as one of the best (or, at least, “Most Infectious”) songs of the year so far.

So don’t let Never Known Peace pass you by… it’s not one you can afford to miss!

ROTHADÁS – TÖVISKERT… A KÍSÉRTÉS ÖRÖK ÉRZETE… LIDÉRCHARANG

Ranking right up there alongside the likes of Krypts and Spectral Voice, while also possessing a knack for ugly, bludgeoning groove which recalls Outer Heaven at their brutish best, the second album from Hungarian Death/Doom duo Rothadás is an absolute monster that seems destined to make some waves come List Season (and before, if I have anything to say about it… which I clearly do).

That’s not just because it is brutally, bowel-looseningly heavy – though it definitely is – but also because it is hellishly hooky too… not in a lazy, playing-to-the-cheap-seats kind of way, but more in the “grabs you by the throat (or the balls, or both) and refuses to let go” kind of way.

Take opener “Urnaszellem… Szentek Csontpora”, for example, whose combination of dirge-like, doom-laden guitars and almost War Metal-ish levels of intensity also make room for some stunningly heavy, stomping stupidity – in the best, most Obituary-esque way possible – during the song’s cataclysmically catchy mid-section, while the unrelenting and irresistible chug of “Vértükör” combines primitive rhythmic riffage with a touch of morbid melody to simple yet stunning effect.

Speaking of melody, you might be surprised by just how much of it there is on the album, with the hauntingly hypnotic undercurrent of “Sóhajok Kapuja” and the writhing, ringing notes of “Sikoltó Füst” (which also features some unexpectedly captivating, semi-clean vocals reminiscent of Celtic Frost, which also make a reappearance during colossal closer “Az Örök Isten Lucifer”) adding another layer to the record’s rich tapestry.

Of course, the blistering blast-work and claustrophobically crushing doomery of the album (especially during the titanic title track) remains the main draw, but it’s the unexpected nuances which really make this one stand out to me and practically guarantee it’ll be making a few appearances on some end of year lists come December.