(In the following piece, NCS writer Gonzo reviews five recent albums he caught up to in June.)
It’s been way too fucking long since I’ve been able to crank one of these out.
Without going into too much detail, life has most decisively gotten in the way of me being able to post much. It’s been long enough, and I’ve done a great job of giving myself a pretty serious case of FOMO since the last time I posted a column that wasn’t a gigantic write-up of a festival. I live for that shit, but it’s also an exhausting endeavor.
Besides, there’s simply been too many good releases in the past few months for them not to be mentioned within these pages. Here’s five of them you should check out.
TURIAN, BLOOD QUANTUM BLUES
Seattle’s Turian grabbed my attention – and then some – at this year’s Northwest Terror Fest. Their ferocious blend of noise rock, hardcore, groove metal, and alt-rock was a highlight of that weekend, and since the release of Blood Quantum Blues earlier this month has proven that set was no fluke.
From the all-guns-blazing assault of “Spill” to the relentless bottom-heavy stomp of “Mutiny,” this record has barely a scratch of filler to be found. And that might be a result of the band almost going full scorched-earth during the writing process, as guitarist Ryan Metztli-Moon recently told Decibel that they scrapped the first iteration of what Blood Quantum Blues would ultimately end up being. They almost went so far as to change the band name, too, but opted against that in the end.
Sometimes, the creative process is a maze of shit. The adversity it brings can crush the less dedicated, but Turian has more than enough grit to find the other side of it. Tracks like the Helmet-esque “Leash” and first single “Chemical Bath” practically drip with searing intensity, while “Divine Child” unfurls its complex layers a little more with each listen. All of these tracks are just as memorable as they are well-crafted, and I have high hopes that this band will burst out of the underground with aplomb this year.
https://www.facebook.com/turianband/
GRACELESS, SANCTIFIED SLAUGHTER
In April, I witnessed the understated heavy music hotbed of the Netherlands. The scene throughout that entire country is brimming with talent, and for the death metal side of it, Graceless might be leading the way.
Filled with monstrous riffs through a guitar tone that sounds like a pissed-off minotaur, Icons of Ruin is this criminally underrated band’s fourth full-length. At its core, the band is a stampeding death metal machine, but the generous leans into groove metal and the occasional nod to early ‘90s Machine Head make this record widely appealing.
The formula here is simple enough: Up-tempo Ibanez assault/half-time breakdown/sick lead, but it’s the rock-solid execution and top-tier production that makes it work so well. “Sanctified Slaughter” kicks off like a harkening to the old gods of Gothenburg but then slows down to a headbanging lurch that makes it an album highlight. I get the distinct impression that “A Thousand Lies” from Burn My Eyes inspired the intro to “Ungodliness,” and the juggernaut stomp of “Night of the Slain” is just too much fucking fun.
https://www.facebook.com/Graceless.osdm
FALLUJAH, XENOTAPH
I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point in the past 10 years, edge lords and purists found meaning in giving California-based Fallujah all kinds of shit. I, for one, have always found their ethereal, atmospheric take on tech-death to be pretty awesome. Xenotaph should be enough to silence any hater.
Having seen these guys on stage more than a few times, their playing is impeccable, and that’s always been reflective in their songwriting. But it seems like Xenotaph is where the band have taken the next step in their vaunted evolution. The songs are more developed and memorable than ever before; it’s as if they took the motif from Dreamless and amped it up to 11. “Kaleidoscopic Waves” is a fine example of this growth, and every time I hear it, I notice something new.
The same can be said for much of the rest of this album. New-ish vocalist Kyle Schaefer seems to have really come into his own, showing off an impressive set of pipes in both the growls and clean passages (as much as that might piss off some of the aforementioned purists) and lead guitarist Scott Carstairs shows off fretwork that could induce motion sickness. By the time the title track rounds things off, you’ll be wondering how the hell to catch the license plate of the truck that hit you.
https://www.facebook.com/fallujahofficial
GIANT’S KNIFE, AT THE END OF ALL THINGS
Maybe I’m being overly analytical (and it wouldn’t be the first time), but the term “progressive metal” now seems to be applicable to a hell of a lot more than just Dream Theater and Between the Buried and Me. Enter Minnesota’s Giant’s Knife.
This promising young band’s second album At the End of All Things has exploded into the metal underground. Sounding like a middle ground between Tesseract and Meshuggah, this album is powered by unpredictable time changes and bottom-heavy grooves that could draw more than one rational gaze. “Beyond the Reach of Comets” starts off as pure white-hot Meshuggah worship and evolves into something more gleaming and ethereal. I didn’t expect it at all when I first heard the record, and where some might turn their noses up at it, I was all the more intrigued.
The aptly named “Molten Core” seems hell-bent on plunging the listener into its eponymous place of origin, while “Godfall” uses a touch of electronica before pounding your eardrums with an atonal sonic barrage. This is the kind of song that looks at a time signature, laughs hysterically, and does whatever the fuck they want to do. It’s pure chaos, but the important part is that it works—just like the rest of this glorious record does.
https://www.facebook.com/giantsknifeofficial/
KAL-EL, ASTRAL VOYAGER VOL. 1
I’m not sure how Kal-El have been flying under seemingly everyone’s radar for so long. This psyched-out unit might just change that with Astral Voyager, Vol. 1.
Fans of Eternal Champion, for one, should take note of this band’s sound: Soaring vocals, thick riffs, and an overall vibe that sounds like you’re being taken to a desert in space. Actually, it wouldn’t be unfair to refer to Kal-El’s sound as a middle ground between EC and Psychlona.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that metal is supposed to be fun, but these Norwegians are quick to remind you of that. At just over nine minutes, “Astral Voyager” is a hell of a way to kick off the album. But it’s one of those songs that doesn’t feel like its actual length. In the hands of a less-skilled outfit, the lengths of each of the six songs here would probably feel bloated, but everything on Voyager feels freewheeling and finely crafted. “Void Cleaner” features an infectious head-nodding stomp that evolves into psyched-out majesty. Vocalist Stale Rodvelt delivers a bravura performance here.
If there’s anything to gripe about, it’s that there are only six songs here. But Astral Voyager more than makes up for that with quality over quantity.
http://www.facebook.com/kalelproject
Like what you’ve heard? Follow my best-of-2025 playlist for selections from everything you’ve just read, and a whole helluva lot more.