Honorable Mention: Morphesia Mystifies With ‘I Forever End’
I know I know we still can’t believe this morsel slipped our greasy buttered fingers but here we are! Local black metal treasure and First Impressions alumni Morphesia has risen with his second full length album I Forever End which was released on Oct.24 via Sliptrick Records. For those that are fashionably late to this black metal ball, Morphesia’s sophomore release is his first album as a signed musician! So without further ado, let’s dive in shall we?
We had the pleasure of checking out Morphesia’s three track demo earlier this year and discussed the songs “Within,” “Forever,” and “The Moon,” so you can read about that here. “Towards The Sea” is foaming with great riffs that will take you to any depth before submerging you deeper with the soothingly ominous “Underneath,” you just wait till you reach the bottom of this track. Morphesia’s ultimate overlord, Zombie Thirteen, continues to be the master of anticipation by slowly setting up the stage for his growls to take over which can best be heard in “Shadows.”
“End,” on the other hand, greets listeners to a mellow and beautiful instrumental piece composed solely in piano and exemplifies its title. The bonus track “At Last” gives you something to remember and will unleash its dormant fury on you while it drips with black metal goop. Morphesia has brought an album that is far more relaxed and open to new possibilities but still stays trve to his roots. I Forever End will keep you fascinated with its mysterious new aura and will keep you as artistically hungry as Thirteen. Listen to the album on Spotify and get your copy in major platforms here.
5 Out 6, We Forever Like
Witchery’s ‘Legion’ Is Unstoppable
Oh yes you are reading this correctly, only this time around, yours truly will talk about these black metallers and not the smelly Klown. BUT you can see what the Klown thought about their previous stuff here. Witchery is back with a new infernal soundtrack titled I Am Legion which was released via Century Media Records and are here to show their strength in numbers.
You feel the impending doom brewing in the cold, dark wasteland ala GoT in “True North” and “Welcome, Night,” the white walkers will approve and they’ll probably adopt these songs. “Seraphic Terror” and “Dry Bones” picks up the pace and fuels their grimness at the same time and will have you raising dem horns. The uber awesome “A Faustian Deal” will not only become a favorite for Satyricon lovers (like moi ;D ) but they will make you want to strike an unholy deal with this song especially with the intro drum tempos.
This album has more magick in its midst and doesn’t lose the fierce attitude their previous albums have conveyed. I Am Legion lurks in the dark recesses of the forest and will pop up to surround you before you willingly give in. Get your copy here and beware because this album will conjure up many horns.
6 Out Of 6, They are ‘Legion’, they are legend
Blaze the Thunder Light Up The Skies With Their Debut
Blaze The Thunder have their hearts set to ignite your ears and horns with their debut LP Tonight the Revenge Starts which was released independently. The trio from LA start off with “Through the Night” and “Nightmare” which are both ready to get your blood pumping and are great tracks to get this Revenge started. Something worth noting about “Nightmare,” is that it’s packed with the ruthless riffs and an awesome breakdown from Roberto de la Rosa which even caught the attention of the J-Ohster’s non metal head minion/cousin’s ear while she lounged in the Ugh Metal Fortress.
Blaze The Thunder continues their electric streak with the sneaky “A Vulture” which is coming for ya whether you’re ready or not. “Deceiver” has a great little build up with a slightly calmer tempo which is great because you can absorb the trio’s musicianship. “Razor” cuts slowly and beautifully with their acoustic intro which snowballs and transitions to the heavy metal goodness.
When Roberto de la Rosa’s riffs aren’t captivating you it’s his vocals which work so great with their brand of American heavy metal. When De La Rosa isn’t charming you, then its drummer Matt Oloffson and bassist Weedz who will take you higher giving you a fun marygeejuahana trip. That’s what happens when you inject marygeejuahana right? Blaze The Thunder produced a strong debut and I have a feeling they will not dissipate once they strike your ears. Snag your copy of their debut here.
5 Out 6, TONIGHT!
Amberian Dawn Shine In The ‘Darkness’
Amberian Dawn shine their power metal light in Darkness of Eternity via Napalm Records. The Finnish quintet is gathering all sorts of magick to charm the casual metalhead since they are well aware we are entering power metal season! JK! Every season is power metal season! Will it work though? Let’s see…
The track “Sky Is Falling” is contagious with its upbeat rhythm which is quite a 180 from the previous cinematic track “I’m The One.” The hit “Dragonflies” dims the lights and teases your imagination with the dramaticism with its instrumentals whereas the empowering break up song “Maybe” will touch your tummy heart, body, and soul, and remind you that you’re awesome and that person you wasted your time and effort sucks ass! But enough about the story of my nonexistent love life. 😉 “Luna My Darling” will entice you to stay on this magic carpet ride and feel the stars and far, far away from my sad sack stories. I really appreciate the lower notes Capri Virkkunen hits.
If you are missing your dose of a classical song Amberian Dawn do so well don’t fret they throw in “Symphony Nr.1, part 2- Darkness Of Eternity.” Though symphonic metal is not the J-Ohster’s cup of Joe, this was a very nice album where any open minded metalhead can appreciate. Virkkunen continues to shine with her spot on vocals which can make a rock feel and her voice compliments any style this band chooses. You can listen to the whole album in Spotify and can get your copy here.
5 Out 6, Magick
Ugh Metal 