Canada, France & Germany kick off November 2022 with a blast!
Releases of the Week 44/2022 with Reigan-Do, Disillusion, Cydemind, Osyron, Devin Townsend & Kauan
The week of November 4 brings us an amazing Canadian triple with Cydemind, Osyron & Devin Townsend, another Album of the Year contender with Disillusion‘s “Ayam”, french Hypno5e-core from Reigan-Do and a live album from Estonia based post-atmo-doomers of Kauan. Plus 38 more release to discover through either our Spotify playlist or the Bandcamp links below. Dive in!
Reigan-Do - Après nous le silence
Coming to us from the Rhône-Alpes region in France by way of small underground label N-Vox Prod (Akphaezya a.o.), French post/sludge metal trio Reigan-Do took me completely off-guard with their second album, “Après nous le silence” (“After us, silence”). The riffs are harsh and abrasive, yet dripping with atmosphere and ambience, while anguished screams are piercing right through to the very core of your soul. That’s a feat only one band has accomplished at that level in my book, and that was France’s very own Hypno5e with their 2016 masterpiece “Shores of the Abstract Line”. And while Hypno5e’s own follow up “A Distant (Dark) Source” was somehow not able to stir up these kind of emotions as deeply and thoroughly as “Shores of the Abstract Line”, “Après nous le silence” somehow magically manages to do just that. Absolutely breathtaking and one of the biggest surprises out of nowhere this year. Dario
Disillusion - Ayam
After the new albums from Wilderun & Persefone in January and February respectively and then An Abstract Illusion in September all delivered big time, one could have thought that everything had been said already as far as progressive death metal is concerned in 2022. Disillusion from Leipzig, Germany, beg to differ though. Of course, having an underground cult classic in their discography like they do with their debut masterpiece “Back To Times Of Splendor” is never easy, as all new releases will be held up against and compared to it. Ever since their glorious return with standalone single “Aleah” in 2016, 10 years after the somewhat misunderstood sophomore experiment that was the industrial/avantgarde metal monster “Gloria”, Disillusion have been going strong and displayed wonderful newfound melodic sensibilities on the comeback album “The Liberation” in 2019, and now continuing that path with their fourth full length effort, “Ayam”. Really going from strength to strength here, the material on “Ayam” is, as was indicated by the three singles ‘Am Abgrund’, ‘Tormento’ and ‘Driftwood’, among the most accomplished and captivating the band has put out so far. Strong influences from the likes of Opeth or Disillusion’s brothers of Dark Suns, with a tiny dash of Dimmu Borgir on occasion, lay the foundation upon which they unfold their very own signature sound with mainman Andy Schmidt’s distinctive vocals covering a wide spectrum from melancholic, pensive cleans over harsh growls all the way to whispered eeriness. This is the stuff that could and should propel Disillusion onto the next level popularity-wise. There’s absolutely no doubt about it: this is a clear contender for the Album of the Year crown! Dario
Cydemind - The Descent
Canada #1: Ready for some proper violin fusion metal? If you haven’t picked up the name Cydemind from our Progtalks Episode with violinist Olivier Allard then it’s high time to listen up now. “The Descent” is their second album after 2017’s “Erosion” and is chock full of highly engaging, exuberant violin metal anthems merging a solid instrumental prog metal foundation with jazz/fusion and classical influences, resulting in something very special. Endorphins inducing and oozing with the pure joy of music, “The Descent is the pinnacle of violin metal and rather uplifting in its joyous impact despite the title. More please! Dario
Osyron - Momentous
Canada #2: Almost 10 years after their debut album “Harbinger” and 2 years after their latest release, the “Foundations” EP, Canadian history metal horde Osyron present their third full length album, “Momentous”. With groovy riffs and powerful (mostly) clean vocals, I can’t shake the impression right from the first verse/chorus round in opener ‘Annunaki’ that this is exactly how Queensrÿche could sound nowadays if they tuned down their guitars a bit, ramped up the heaviness, updated the productions (and started to write memorable songs again). Even though I’ve moved away a bit from this more ‘traditional’ style of melodic prog metal, I can’t deny the staggering quality Osyron have amassed on “Momentous” and feel myself drawn back to it time and time again for its headbang-heavy riffs and great hooks. A milestone in the band’s discography and easily the most mature and diverse album from Osyron to date. Not to be missed by anyone who claims to be a fan of melodic prog metal, “Momentous” should appeal to fans of more mainstream (power) metal just as much and is, at least to my ears, by far the better Queensrÿche album released this year. Dario
Devin Townsend - Lightwork
Canada #3: Anyone who follows the work of Devin Townsend will know that 1.) there’s been an abundance of Devin releases lately, but no real dip in quality despite the massive quantity of music released, 2.) he’s one of the few metal composers to regularly diverge from the obvious dark/heavy/melancholic/depressive metal cliche’s in favor of a more uplifting approach and 3.) he likes to put out albums in a yin/yang style, presenting a light and happy side as well as a dark and heavy one (see “Deconstruction”/”Ghost” for example). Now with “Lightwork”, the real follow up to 2019’s “Empath” despite a few in-between releases, the premise of the ‘main’ album was to focus on positivity, hope and empowerment, a ‘pick-me-up’ mood so to speak. Zen metal. Wonderful and desperately needed in these times. If you need to vent though, fret not, just pick up the deluxe edition that includes a whole second CD called “Night Works” and is pretty much the Yang to the Yin of “Lightwork”. So, nothing new in Devin-land then? Well, just as positively cheesy, whacky and experimental-and-out-there-while-still-remaining-mysteriously-accessible as always. A new Devin album is always a box full of surprises while at the same time you know exactly what you’re getting. Sounds contradictory? I guess that’s part of the magic, the mystery and the mastery of Mr. Devin Townsend. Long may he continue to delight us with his musics. (Also check out Bob’s full review of “Lightwork” here.) Dario
Kauan - Luumikuro - Live
Ambient doom folk? That’s the three first genre tags for Kauan’s new live album “Luumikuro – Live” at least. It pretty much sums up three pillars of Kauan’s sound: the dense atmosphere of ambient, the slow tempo of doom and the folk elements brought in by Anatoly Gavrylov’s mournful viola. I guess you could also call it post black doom or something, as mastermind Anton Belov’s shrieks very much sound like they’re coming from a black metal heritage. Be all that as it may though, one thing is for certain: Kauan is one of those bands that know how to create a stunningly deep atmosphere, and they are displaying it masterfully on this new live record with mostly songs from the first two albums, “Luumikuro” and “Tietäjän Laulu”. A somber atmosphere like no other that is inviting you to lose yourself in it, immersing yourself within the sound of your headphones, wrapped in a blanket while the harsh autumn storms are howling outside. Bleak, yet full of wonder. Dario
More releases for 04 November, 2022
- The Sawtooth Grin - Good. (Oct. 31) Bandcamp
- Robox - Robox (Oct. 31, Overdrive) Bandcamp
- Embrace the Maddness - Hyperbolic Ascension (Oct. 31) Bandcamp
- Authari - Golden Age (Oct. 31) Bandcamp
- Esoctrilihum - Yiahleif’am EP (Oct. 31) Bandcamp
- Edge of Haze - The Convoy of Ruin (Nov. 01) Bandcamp
- Silver Nightmare - Apocalypsis (Nov. 01) Bandcamp
- We Are To Blame - Duality I (Nov. 01) Bandcamp
- Vaegtlos - Kakofoni EP (Nov. 03) Bandcamp
- Gleb Kolyadin - The Outland (Burning Shed)
- Citadel - Decompose
- Vitskär Süden - The Faceless King (Ripple Music) Bandcamp
- The Offering - Seeing the Elephant (Century Media Records)
- Wyrmwoods - No Sun Nor Moon (Inverse Records) Bandcamp
- Tribe of Names - Evolver (Bad Elephant Music) Bandcamp
- ef - We Salute You, You and You! (Pelagic Records) Bandcamp
- Tiwanaku - Earth Base One (Avantgarde Music) Bandcamp
- Mammock - Rust (Venerate Industries) Bandcamp
- Indignu - Adeus (A Thousand Arms/dunk!records) Bandcamp
- Celestial Son feat. Gavin Harrison - Planetaria
- Son Cesano - Emerge (Monobuster Records)
- Aurora Borealis - Prophecy is the Mold in which History is Poured (Hammerheart Records) Bandcamp
- Collapse - ἈNÁΓKH Bandcamp
- Gorycz - Kamienie Bandcamp
- Horse Lords - Comradely Objects (RVNG Intl.) Bandcamp
- Caleb Landry Jones - Gadzooks Vol. 2 (Sacred Bones Records) Bandcamp
- Fliege - One Day They’ll Wonder What Happened Here Bandcamp
- Orbel - Lur Hezea (Medication Time Records) Bandcamp
- Ingested - Ashes Lie Still (Metal Blade Records) Bandcamp
- Mord’A’Stigmata - Like Ants and Snakes (Pagan Records) Bandcamp
- Neil Campbell - Faldum Bandcamp
- InTechnicolour - Midnight Heavyweight Bandcamp
- Sarcator - Alkahest Bandcamp
- Déhà - Eerie Bandcamp
- Voivod - Ultraman EP (Century Media Records)
- Epidermal Veil - Psalms of the Flayed EP Bandcamp
- The Sound That Ends Creation - Unicorn Laser Bubblegum City EP Bandcamp
- Two Steps from Hell - Live - An Epic Music Experience