Album Rating: 3.0

Pretty sure the best music is written when the writer just wants to write good music, adding in a checklist of conditions to fulfill so that it qualifies as any given genre is a recipe for disaster

Album Rating: 3.9

I don't know if I necessarily agree with that.



The new Ethel Cain was born partly out of her love of drone music and she executes that pretty damn well.



Intention vs Inspiration definitely comes down to different philosophies in creativity.



That being said, the guys in this band are what they are at this point and write to a pretty specific style. One that they all helped contribute to forming, but they clearly have a type that they are comfortable in and they do it extremely well.

Album Rating: 3.0

ok this album was kinda eh



I mean, it had catchy moments while you listened to them, but I don't remember any single riff from it 5 mins after being done with the album



maybe it benefits from multiple listens, but all I can give it for now is a 3 for effort. Not being as shitty as modern In Flames and playing "proper" melodic death metal doesn't cut it anymore

Album Rating: 3.0

> I mean, it had catchy moments while you listened to them, but I don't remember any single riff from it 5 mins after being done with the album

this is the other thing, i'm really not hearing any jotun- or embody the invisible-type leads on this (or on their first album)

in flames in the 90s had the magic hand with writing catchy riffs/leads and dark tranquillity of course had the gallery and their second 2000s peak

Album Rating: 4.0

"I mean, it had catchy moments while you listened to them, but I don't remember any single riff from it 5 mins after being done with the album"



I could say that about pretty much any album after one listen. Anyways, I think it's fair enough that if you're not a fan of where the genre is going these days you won't find anything revolutionary here. Personally, I'm all here for it, and aside from Insomnium, I don't think there are many others doing this straightforward catchy style of mdm as well as these guys. All my other faves growing up have fallen off to varying degrees (Amon Amarth, Omnium Gatherum, DT, In Flames etc)

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"If I'm looking for genre-defying, cerebral music... I'm going elsewhere."



My exact thoughts!

part of my point was that for "non-cerebral music" that's supposed to be fun, this sure is boring as fuck. guys are obviously washed and should hang it up

Huge soft spot for that OG Gothenburg sound, will check

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"part of my point was that for "non-cerebral music" that's supposed to be fun, this sure is boring as fuck. guys are obviously washed and should hang it up"



Storm, not trying to be controversial, but just for the sake of the conversation, what melodeath that has come up recently do you define as fun and not boring. Serious question.



Last melodeath record that was super fun to listen to, was Burned In Effigy's debut for me.

I try not to mix stuff that has some melodeath elements in them (Wintersun, Ensiferum, Stortregn, An Abstract Illusion, Persefone) with classic melodeath (DT, IF, ATG)

Album Rating: 3.9

Yeah, might be a personal thing but I find that melo-death has such a narrow definition. Wintersun and Ensiferum to me fall outside of that for me, I even hesitate with someone like Children of Bodom.



At the end of the day, it's kinda splitting hairs though and I don't get too hung up on genre conversations anymore. I think it all rules, this is just how I compartmentalize stuff in my head

Album Rating: 4.0

^Agree totally



Just listened to the debut and this back to back again and they're both so good. I prefer the clean vocal tracks on this new one and the back half. Think the debut has higher highs though

Sounds like 3.5 Melodeath agreed

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"Yeah, might be a personal thing but I find that melo-death has such a narrow definition. Wintersun and Ensiferum to me fall outside of that for me, I even hesitate with someone like Children of Bodom."



Agreed 100% (I wouldn't call CoB melodeth either, or Darkest Hour for that matter). And I follow these same rules for head compartmentalization ahahaha.



"Think the debut has higher highs though"



Oh yeah, 100000% agreed. Mix both albums and you have a 5 LOL

I gave it a 4.5 bc I rate albums on their own genres, I find it very hard to compare genres or even bands. This is a solid 4.5 melodeath record.

Album Rating: 3.0

Yeah, music doesn't need to be cerebral, but then it should be fun. This wasn't all that fun. Gatecreeper's "Dead Star" is a good example of what fun is. That's a fucking modern day melodeath anthem



the title track off this is a highlight though and the interlude and outro were very good. potential bump up to 3,5 on repeated listens, but I've got tons of other shit to check



I gave it a 4.5 bc I rate albums on their own genres



I think one should rate albums on how good the music is and nothing else, though that alone has tons of ramifications

Album Rating: 4.0

The new Gatecreeper was fun tbf but it's more death metal with some melody rather than proper melodeath? The Black Curtain off that same record is a good tune

Love this album! Gets better every time I listen to it. Our Channel to the Darkness, Cruel Perception, Forever Astray, A Death That Becomes Us, and Between Directions are my favorites.

Album Rating: 3.5

"this is the other thing, i'm really not hearing any jotun- or embody the invisible-type leads on this (or on their first album)"



Listen to the first riff in the title track and jotun at the 3:19 mark and tell me those aren't the same riff. Just has a little twin guitar harmony at the very end instead of the sus chord in jotun

Album Rating: 3.0

The new Gatecreeper was fun tbf but it's more death metal with some melody rather than proper melodeath?



melodeath is death metal which is melodic, nothing more nothing less



funny how we return to the starting point of this discussion that the genre has not been "solved" because there are tons of ways to play it



my first impressions of that album in fact were that it was melodeath combined with metallized hardcore or sludge. but dead star is proper mdm alright

"Storm, not trying to be controversial, but just for the sake of the conversation, what melodeath that has come up recently do you define as fun and not boring. Serious question."

Soilwork's Overgivenheten, Iotunn's Kinship, even Majesties' Vast Reaches Unclaimed. Admittedly I'm not nearly as big into the genre as I was before, mostly because I've not found a newer band that genuinely creates engaging stuff other than Be'lakor and those dudes sure take their damn time with releasing music.

Also ain't nothin sus about Jotun eak

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"Soilwork's Overgivenheten, Iotunn's Kinship, even Majesties' Vast Reaches Unclaimed"



I'd have The Ride Majestic as their best, don't know if that equals fun... I don't consider Iotunn to be MDM, and I loved Majesties, but I haven't had the urge to go back to it... but Majesties is classic MDM.