Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: Roadrunner Records
Format: Double Gatefold 2LP (Personal Collection)

Mikael has done it again. A stunning display of technical prowess (which he seems to always humbly undermine in interviews) and a deft hand at good old fashioned songcraft takes an epic win once again for Opeth. Also showing Opeth and their fans love, Roadrunner has put out a great collection for us all. It’s simple, but still wonderfully done.
A double gatefold with beautiful art from Travis Smith containing two black records is what I got. The records themselves are held in old school styled sleeves, plain white paper with clear plastic over the holes to see the record’s label. A lyric sheet is included, with all the album credits on one side and all the lyrics on the other.
The inside of the gatefold is photos of the band in the studio during the recording of Heritage, while the back is a simplistic tracklist. Visually, the album really stands on the front cover, as you can see above.
Musically, it’s quite different from what we’ve grown accustomed to. Gone are Mikael’s death growls, which most people are going to hear this change first. Also gone is the metallic sounds, relying on hard rock and prog rock to take the listener through a sometimes psychedelic journey. There are still Opethian things, parts that remind me of the Ghost Reveries album and even touches of Watershed and Still Life are present, too.
Hammond B3, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, grand piano, and acoustic guitars, all in use by Opeth in the past, are even bigger in the sound now, sometimes taking the song delivery away from the electric guitars and becoming lead instruments rather than just pretty backing colors. Personally, this is a good thing. Growth has always shown between albums for Opeth, and between Watershed and Heritage there has been the largest growth for the band, and it’s because of their desire to just write a prog rock album rather than flirting with the idea.
Album highlights for me are numerous, but the songs “The Devil’s Orchard”, “Slither” (written as a tribute to Ronnie James Dio and a killer live song) and “Famine” really stand out as favorites. The only problem, and the main problem for all Opeth albums really, is that there just are not enough songs to hear.
10 out of 10.

Heritage 2LP Tracklisting:
Side A
1. Heritage
2. The Devil’s Orchard
3. I Feel The Dark
Side B
4. Slither
5. Nepenthe
6. Häxprocess
Side C
7. Famine
8. The Lines In My Hand
Side D
9. Folklore
10. Marrow Of The Earth

Heritage Personnel:
Fredrik Åkesson – Electric rhythm and lead guitars
Martin Mendez – Electric and upright bass guitars
Martin Axenrot – Drums and percussion
Alex Acuña – Percussion on “Famine”
Per Wiberg – Hammond B3, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, and Grand Piano
Björn J:son Lindh – Flute on “Famine”
Mikael Åkerfeldt – Vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, Mellotron, Grand Piano, FX
Joakim Svalberg – Grand Piano on “Heritage”

Genre: Doom
Label: Napalm Records

Coming out next month, Lacrima Mortis (translates to Tear of Death) is the second offering from the Dutch doom mastermind Ed Warby, who is showing not only songwriting growth, but also a penchant for crushing the life out of the listener in a blissful, cathartic way.
Slow, plodding riffs that are heavier than death itself are, naturally, the main course in this feast for the ears. Piano, however, comes to play quite a bit in The 11th Hour’s sound, as does the occasional sample. Ed’s singing is even more exceptional on Lacrima Mortis, with a greater range than what was found on the debut album Burden of Grief.
The “newcomer” to the band is Pim Blankenstein, who has been the death growler for the live band since the release of Burden of Grief. He is replacing Rogga Johansson, who was only present on the debut. Pim’s work on Lacrima Mortis is great, his style of growls complimenting Ed’s clean singing even more so than Rogga (who did a fucking killer job himself). He sounds like he would be a monster on the live stage.
At the end of it all, after the headbanging and the fist pumping and the beer swilling, Lacrima Mortis stands as an album that can also be listened to with headphones and introspection; it an album that will stand monolithic, for me, for years to come. If you like your doom metal to be heavy, melodic, and just plain beautiful, get your hands on Lacrima Mortis, and if you haven’t yet, Burden of Grief as well. Both discs are the beginnings of what I feel could be a doom band that stands on the same ground as Saint Vitus, Trouble, Cathedral, and the mighty Black Sabbath. All they need is the fans to truly pay attention and support.
10 out of 10.

The 11th Hour on Facebook.

Genre: Doom, Sludge
Label: Independent

FIVEWILLDIE (Five Will Die, FWD, 5WD) have been one of my favorite bands ever since Funeral Rain Zine was a shitty hole on MySpace. These Irish lads were one of the first bands I hooked up with and ever since then I’ve been wanting to hear more from them. And now I have. And wow.

Worth & Soul is a killer doom album, perfect for fans of faster, angrier doom. Elements of death metal and hardcore are all over the place, with slow breakdowns and beatdowns. If you’re expecting a Katatonia or My Dying Bride here, you’re looking in the wrong direction. Instead what you’ll get is a face full of fists. Tracks take an anti-Christian bend as well, in a more atheistic way, and some spots (especially in “Seeds”) are even reminiscent of Tool.

The album itself starts with “Wrecks of Men”, which features Andy’s roar right from the start, going straight for the eyes. The riffage is slow, deep and solid. Perfect for headbanging while pounding your fist on the patch-laden vest of the bloke in front of you in the pit. The general feel really doesn’t change, but “Nothing Against Your Conscience” does slow it down even further for a time to get you ready for the next assault. “Sons of Horus” is just fucking vicious, viscous doom, and “Great Minds and Fools” keeps it up. “Blood and Soil” is one of those songs that I can see getting covered by other bands. It’s slower than your grandmother driving and just as scary. “Blame the Martyr” takes on a more classic doom feel at the start, then brings in that FWD flavor with tons of crunchy broken noses; one of the best tracks on the album. “Seeds” takes the same route, with a clean guitar at the start and some asskicking through the rest, with a slow and clean spot in the middle to breathe for a moment. The pit stays slow again for the final track, the title track “Worth & Soul”, a time to wipe the blood and sweat from your face and finish off another pair of beers before heading into the night.

So needless to say, FIVEWILLDIE have outdone themselves. Worth & Soul is by far their best work, and hopefully indicative of where they will be headed in the future. A fucking masterpiece, I’ll be spinning this shit for years to come.
10 out of 10.

03 Sons Of Horus by Five Will Die

FIVEWILLDIE on Facebook.

Genres: Doom, Grunge, Sludge
Label: SPV Records/Steamhammer Records

Former Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato takes a break from the throne to come to the front for his own project A Pale Horse Named Death, and when I found out I was full of anticipation. And it was worth it!
Sal crafted an album full of solid tunes that seem to take the doomy gothic metal approach of early Type O Negative and meld it to Alice in Chains style grunge/metal, giving the whole a sludge flavor. Fucking awesome stuff people, fucking awesome. With him is Seventh Void’s guitarist Matt Brown, and together they make a brilliant team, and their guests include Keith Caputo, Ulrich Krieger and Bobby Hambel.
The album opens with a running, heavy breathing horse, with echoing whinnies, then goes to drag you through the mud with “As Black as My Heart”, a slow song that really shows where Sal’s been musically. Full of bluesy riffs, nice solos, and a melancholy that’s soul crushing and life affirming, it’s definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album.
My top song from the disc, however, is “Heroin Train”, the fourth track. It’s totally an Alice song without Layne’s voice, it’s just fucking sweet.
There’s something about “Devil in the Closet” that really reminds me of 80′s Ozzy Osbourne, when Zakk was first joining the band. I think it’s the guitar tone, mixed with the slow riff that’s drilling itself into my head and staying for good. I’d say this song is in the top three favorites from the album.
There’s not a single filler song on And Hell Will Follow Me, making it pretty much perfect for all those times when you need some grungy metal to take you through the day and you’d like something different from Alice in Chains. This is getting so many repeat listens from me, I might just piss Mrs. Blaspheme off with it soon.
10 out of 10.

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Candlelight Records

Varg Vikernes needs no introduction. The man returns with his second album since his release from prison, and it’s everything one expects it to be: grim as fuck, while still pushing the boundaries of what black metal is and could be. Still seemingly not concerned with what anyone thinks, and stepping to the forefront of the genre with no fear, Varg delivers what could be his best album ever.
Fallen takes the listener through several moods, most of which is melancholy with a sense of hope, an anxiousness that is not generally one of Varg’s best known moods. It’s amazing to hear such music from the man, who has played some of the most bleak and misanthropic black metal ever.
I love Fallen, and eagerly await the next album.
10 out of 10.