At this point, what can be said by way of introduction to Animals as Leaders and Tosin Abasi that hasn’t already been said at least a hundred times before? If you think about it, though, it is somewhat remarkable that an instrumental outfit that plays such challenging, progressive music enjoys such a relatively high profile in the metal world. I think part of the reason for that high profile is how consistent this band has been from album to album; The Joy of Motion, their recently released third album, is another very solid outing from the group.
Album Reviews
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 Hardcore ... Anal ... Hydrogen? Might as well name your band Djent Diarrhea Flagship or something like that! These musicians are mad as barking cats and they've created, without any doubt, the weirdest metal album I've heard this year. The moment this 22-minute-long album started, I had no choice to cover my face with both hands, shake my head in shame and disbelief, and control myself from falling into the abyss of insanity. What in all the gods' names is this music? The info sheet says experimental ethnic metal, and even though I'm not a fan of creating genres like ethnic metal out of thin air, I must say it's very close to what these guys play. |
 Ear-maggots anyone? Standard issue ear-worms for the fans of experimental music. Light Through A Dead Glass is Epitasis' second EP and in describing it, the term "sheer brilliance" is more or less an understatement. As unsettling and chaotic it may seem, Epitasis managed to reincarnate the essence of primitive black metal with some spectacular riffs and melodic interludes. While the ambient passages offer the listener a break from the madness, you're in for a rude awakening every time they are interrupted by a desolating riff or a haunting shriek. |
 Experimental death metal is nothing new, there always have been a bunch of brilliant bands to bring something new to the table. Recently bands like Diskord, Abyssal, or the better-known Portal have been marching forward with their banners of creativity held high, but Sweden's Morbus Chron manage to stand out even within the experimental/progressive death circle by including some good old thrash metal in their mix. |
 For my first article and review I chose to write about a band called Lund Quartet. This is a four piece instrumental jazz/electronica band from Bristol. |
