One more week, three more releases that I command you to listen to.
According to their Facebook page: "On Hellbound, Fit For An Autopsy expand upon their commanding approach to an often maligned subgenre by synthesizing the rhythmic experimentalism of Gojira, the aggressive post-Noisecore of Converge, the esoteric and meditative tribalism of Isis, a virulent dose of the New Wave Of Swedish Death Metal (At The Gates, Dark Tranquility, early In Flames), the legendary progenitors of Floridian death metal (Death, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary) and the “deathcore” acts who offer actual proficiency in the genre (Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish, Whitechapel)." Let’s see them back up those claims. “Hellbound” is out today.
Katatonia returns today with a melodic reimagining of last year’s solid offering “Dead End Kings.” This release is titled “Dethrowned and Uncrowned” and takes the music from last years album and re-creates it, sans all harsh elements of the music. This progressive take on Katatonia’s doom metal makes perfect sense and works very well. The focus this time is on ambience and atmosphere, perfect ideas for the melancholic vibe their music creates.
Here’s a very interesting prospect that I wish more bands would consider. Sacramento progressive groove metal band Entities is releasing a completely repackaged version of their EP “Luminosity” featuring entirely new drums, guitar tone, and bass tone. The band, even though they just released an album this year, are completely confident that “Luminosity” can stand up to the work they’re continuing to put out, and they are dedicated to ensuring that poor production doesn’t hold their work back. What a sick idea. New “Luminosity” is out today.
Sacramento Progressive Groove. Its what’s for dinner. And now breakfast and lunch, especially because Entities has decided to re-master “Luminosity” EP! The groundbreaking “Luminosity” was originally released early 2012 and will reappear as fresh as ever on September 10th 2013.
The decision Entities made to do a re-release feels something like a testament to their roots, or confidence that these songs can “hold the test of time” if you will. Yeah, it hasn’t been but two years, but it seems that between “Luminosity” v1.0 and now, there has been truckloads of albums/EPs that fail at their attempt to groove at the same level that Entities can groove.
Initially you may wonder why Entities is re-mastering “Luminosity” a predecessor to the all mighty “Aether.” Impulse thoughts may be, “Aether” is newer and brighter so it has to be better. A re-master is a waste of time.” Well, I sure hope that isn’t the case. If you dig a little deeper and compare “Luminosity” to “Aether” they appear less as separate pieces and more like a singular evolving…. entity.
A perfect example would be Pikachu and Raichu. Certainly Raichu has more HP and a bigger lighting bolt, but it's Pikachu that made Raichu that strong. Pikachu is Raichu. And no matter how awesome Raichu is, nothing can break the bond that is shared between Pikachu and Ash. That shit is eternal.
For further clarification, Entities is Ash, Pikachu is “Luminosity,” Raichu is “Aether” and the bigger lighting bolt and more HP is production quality. Ash has taken some time away from Pikachu and is reuniting in a major way.
Pokemon aside, “Luminosity” re-mastered is said to feature totally new drums, new guitar tone and a new bass tone. I would tell you about how disgusting the bass sounds but you can just hear for yourself. The whole re-mastered EP will be release September 10th on itunes and bandcamp.
Word up to our guitarists out there! If you play guitar and are visiting thecirclepit.com, chances are you are already aware that you are very very cool, but mad props to you anyway! Here is a gift package for you. And even if you have hobbies that aren’t playing guitar but have found yourself wondering how Within The Ruins is even possible…well this is for you too. Enjoy!
Transmitting from California (aka space), Entities are back again with some celestial space groove. After the release of their debut EP, "Luminosity", this band has been getting a good bit of attention around the metal underground. They were largely praised for their acute technical skill and ability to capture a spacey vibe. Almost exactly a year after that original release, Entities have officially dropped their follow-up, sophomore effort "Aether". It was actually released on New Years Eve of all days. But how well did it bring in 2013? You can either read on and find out or check the full EP stream just below and decide for yourself.
Overall, "Aether" is a very good release. It provides 27 minutes worth of head banging, mosh worthy music. Entities have stayed true to their roots while expanding on their sound and growing in some ways. They pack in a ton of heaviness with sharp rhythmic patterns and massive grooves as to be expected. The band also displays a good command of melody and bring plenty of spacey ambiance as they explore the final frontier through metal. Progressive Metal is a wide open sub-genre of heavy music, but Entities
fall under the niche that people have come to label as "djent" almost
perfectly. They fit so well that it's safe to say this is the kind of band most djent influenced groups aspire to be. Anthony Garrison, Cody Jarvis, and Phil Water put forth a solid effort here. Vocally, Ian Robertson also did a great job. He provides a wide range of vocals from low growls to high screams which actually remind me of Dustin Davidson of all people (August Burns Red's bassist / back-up vocalist).
"Primordium" rips open "Aether" with tight, heavy, syncopated chugging and strange backing ambiance. It's intended to be one of those massive "djent" intros and it succeeds for the most part. "Hadean" is a much more diverse track bringing in the element of melody through some interesting guitar segments. The first two tracks are good, but the EP just gets better as it progresses. Things start getting great at track 3. "Lines of Descent" was released as a single not too long ago and stands strong as one of the best parts of "Aether". It makes for an enjoyable ride with some very impressive lead guitar work and intricate composition. It also has some of the best atmospheric elements on the release. "Revival" has a very tasty opening before descending into ear smashing heaviness. It features a couple phenomenal, short guitar solos and possibly the best drum work on the release (even if it's programmed). Definitely another stand out. It transitions into "Ontogenesis" which, similar to the intro, is a huge "djent" instrumental interlude. Although it is more varied this time around with some melody and a very spacey feel. It works well moving into the next track, "Between Polarities", which shares a similar vibe. This is easily one of the best tracks on the EP. This is especially true when you consider how intense things get about halfway through until it fades out with clean, piano driven music. "Streamlined" is another awesome, stand out track from "Aether". It brings out all the greatest elements of this band as Entities closes out the experience in the best way possible. Have a listen and you'll hear why. Just plain incredible.
Entities does fall into many of the "djent" stereotypes. Objectively, this may cause some segments to sound like the same old, same old chug chug, regardless of complexity. They seem to follow a similar formula in much of their writing. So even though the EP is awesome, it doesn't exactly offer anything new or particularly experimental when compared with the plethora of other bands going for a similar sound. Although I would certainly place Entities in the upper ranks of those bands. Also, a good bit of the ambient work on this EP sounds the same, even if it's obviously not with closer examination. Those are my main criticisms here.
To sum things up, "Aether" is a great listening experience, especially if you're into the idea of spacey, technical metal. In some ways, Entities have grown as a musical unit and it's evident while listening to this release. There's a lot of talent here and I'm sure these guys have a bright future ahead of them. As mentioned in the review's intro, you can stream "Aether" in it's entirety right here, right now! And if you enjoy the space djams, go grab the EP on Bandcamp! There's actually both a regular and instrumental version depending on your preference. Hell, if you really want to show Entities some love, grab both!
Transmitting from California, Entities are back with some celestial space groove. To follow up their huge debut EP "Luminosity", the band has dropped the first single off it's upcoming sophomore effort, "Aether". "Lines of Descent" is an awesome track through and through. You can tell the band has grown musically in some ways since their debut, making "Aether" something to really look forward to. Enjoy the new single below along with a few tracks from "Luminosity". And if you like the music, go scope Entities on Bandcamp!
According to their Facebook page: "On Hellbound, Fit For An Autopsy expand upon their commanding approach to an often maligned subgenre by synthesizing the rhythmic experimentalism of Gojira, the aggressive post-Noisecore of Converge, the esoteric and meditative tribalism of Isis, a virulent dose of the New Wave Of Swedish Death Metal (At The Gates, Dark Tranquility, early In Flames), the legendary progenitors of Floridian death metal (Death, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary) and the “deathcore” acts who offer actual proficiency in the genre (Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish, Whitechapel)." Let’s see them back up those claims. “Hellbound” is out today.
Katatonia returns today with a melodic reimagining of last year’s solid offering “Dead End Kings.” This release is titled “Dethrowned and Uncrowned” and takes the music from last years album and re-creates it, sans all harsh elements of the music. This progressive take on Katatonia’s doom metal makes perfect sense and works very well. The focus this time is on ambience and atmosphere, perfect ideas for the melancholic vibe their music creates.
Here’s a very interesting prospect that I wish more bands would consider. Sacramento progressive groove metal band Entities is releasing a completely repackaged version of their EP “Luminosity” featuring entirely new drums, guitar tone, and bass tone. The band, even though they just released an album this year, are completely confident that “Luminosity” can stand up to the work they’re continuing to put out, and they are dedicated to ensuring that poor production doesn’t hold their work back. What a sick idea. New “Luminosity” is out today.
