This Finnish quintet produce solid Judas Priest inspired heavy metal. Though this demo is short, with three songs metering under fourteen minutes, as an interest-garnering device, the tape is very well done. Opener "Firewings" is a strong mid-paced opening track that easily captures the style Coronary is aiming for with memorable riffs and traditional song structures. Vocalist Olli "The True Herman" Karki reminds me of Mark Tornillo from TT Quick / Accept. This becomes even more apparent on second track, "Bullet Train," a more mid paced song with less overall impact for me. The rhythm section of drummer Pate "Batvik" Vuorio and bassist Jarkko "Skip Intro" Aaltonen is given space under the guitar lead section to leave a lasting impression yet settle to simply maintain their steady speed. Third track, "Mestengo" is finishes the demo off. It's an interesting choice as a closer. Subdued verses lead into a chorus which alternates between Olli's emotive performance and backing gang vocals. The song is set in a predictable D-minor progression, carried through the entire song which is not expanded on, but is well executed nevertheless. Guitarists Jukka "Doktor" Holm and Aku "Herr Lederwurst" Kytola present well with the former's noticeably rehearsed and composed solos being one of the best compositional elements of Coronary's demo. I'd like some faster material and see the band, especially the rhythm section, highlighted more individually. A lot of the material here chugs along without much to interest me. Olli's vocals are passionate and present the cliche but well-written lyrics admirably which receives my vote as the best single part of this demo.
Aside from the famous "Whip It," Devo get little attention, but while Freedom of Choice could be considered a break-out album for the art-rock / new-wave, I doubt anyone hazards to show off their deep-cut of the band at dinner parties. The meat and potatoes of the band is their uniquely synthetic sound which is immediately recognizable. Each instrument is stripped down to it's blips and bleeps and singularity, electronically and pseudodigitally processed, and spit out over what is incredibly not a cheap electronic drum kit. With two sets of brothers, The Casales and the Mothersbaughs, at the helm, this is a Lego ship thinking it can get away with masquerading as twenty-first century CGI. It's nevertheless an excellently captained ship with Alan Myers' drumming really having a massive impact simply for being so mechanical and metered. Songs have a 'bop' that is undeniably addictive and almost Western. For me, the title track, "Freedom Of Choice", is my favorite. It retains the rubbery guitars and tight drum bop, while injecting just enough rock-and-roll to elevate it's intensity beyond the otherwise robotic demeanor the album carries. "Gates of Steel" is also a highlight, sounding like assembly-line automatons reproducing Joan Jett, once again drawing on the rock influences. It's subtly anthemic in a sense. In a strange way, I can't tell if Freedom of Choice has not aged well or Devo were still ahead of our time way back in the Carter era. Devo should still be on the watchlist for those interested in the evolution and aesthetics of electronic music, and for that, I appreciate their funkery.
I mentioned Matt Gittings last month, and his involvement with recording New Hampshire locals At Night. Eerie is Gittings' project, at this point in their progression sounding very much in line with what Earth was focusing in on stylistically around this point. The slow crawling songs, drawn out twangy chords, and repetitive and meditative structures flow smoothly from Eerie's tools in hand. This demo material is essentially a snapshot of the band at this point. Recorded live in five hours, the thirty four minute demo must have taken several takes to get the feel just right. Where an album such as Earth's Hex: Or Printing In The Infernal Method contained a dry, midwestern flair, Eerie's Amplifier Theosophy is fuller, humid, and wooden. To me, a song like "Sun Ring Broken" captures the pace of the New England mountain towns in action - or lack of action. My personal favorite however has remained second track, "And Graciously, The Maw Opens Accepting The Eleventh Sacrifice." A cinematic instrumental highlighted by big bombastic chords, it nevertheless persists as the drumming kicks in midway through with a subtle beat to accentuate the track's melancholy underpinnings. Gittins' harmony motif is as memorable as you can find in this instrumental doom genre. Larry Vollor, handling the deeper guitar tones, is keen to allow his chords to ring into subtle nuanced hums and resonances. I've had this demo for a while, and I come back to it quite often and Volumetric Addiction as well. Both are strong examples of the stoner sludge genre being deeper than weed and dope. While not perfect - the demo could have taken one step further to differentiate each song melodically - it's a fine release.
Eerie's final release, Ostensoric Night Dream, is unique within in their discography. It is the only release to contain vocals. It also is less Earth-y, with more elements of stoner doom and sludge peeking through. Most importantly, Matt Gittings retains the atmosphere of lazy New England mountain towns, soggy Appalachia, and terrestrial scents which I felt was of such importance in their previous releases. Though I felt there was still a lot of unique elements and moments in the previous Eerie releases, Ostensoric Night Dream shows a move towards something more identifiable and individual. It's the softness of the guitar tone and swooshing riffs which remind me of winter drives watching forests and rivers pass by driving up through Vermont and New Hampshire. The vocals are a mix of gruff death metal-esque growls and folkish chants and singing - a unique combination of elements - which works well in the Eerie setting. "House of Chains" is my favorite on this release. For me, I imagine myself as a spirit gliding through mountain logging roads passing set-back shanties with overall and flannel clothed bearded men knocking back moonshine and smoking their pipes behind gray unruly beards as they sharpen their axes and move their checkers. Eerie pose a different atmosphere intense in historical depth with songs that are rich in rehearsing and wealthy in perfectly rung out feedback. As Gittings' nears the song's dusk-mark his drumming turns into rolling waves of tom fills, mimicking the endless undulating low hills and valleys which the 1.2 billion year old mountains are known for. Ostensoric Night Dream is a masterful accumulation of subtle insights set among bold melodic riffs. A wonderful expose of originality.
Originally released independently almost two decades ago, Traumasphere's Voidcall is a revitalizing reminder that while the early 2000's are not normally regarded as a bastion of quality extreme metal, there are nevertheless hidden gems to dig up. This French death metal duo is worth seeking out as a study in harsh uncomfortable melodies. Opener "Eradicated" is a good example of how an atonal melodic movement over what could be construed to be 'jovial' rhythms can create a tense and awkward feeling in the listener. It's the imagery of a clown car highway crash. This is continued in "Awaken in Chaosphere" as well. At times, transitions, sections, and phrases can be viewed as collected parts rigged together, and not as components intended to be fit according to plan. So these songs are less engineered machines with purpose and more the functional creations one would find in Junkyard Wars episodes. Traumasphere's usage in this manner is not as effective as, for example, Voivod or Pestilence but bears fruit in the form of momentary glimpses of genius. "Civilization?" is clearly the most well rounded example of Voidcall's elements. Ivan, on string tools and vocals is impressive here, backed by Guillaume on percussion; it is clearly not a stylistic prototype, but a conscious creation. Ivan's vocals are often multitudes of rasps, growls, and screeches. The mixture of vocal effects helps Traumasphere's haphazard songwriting approach by matching the inconsistency in structure with an inconsistency in vocal texture. There are some odd creative and textural moments as well. "Orbital Grave" reminds me of the previously mentioned Pestilence but, in this case, specifically the interludes on Testimony of the Ancients. It shows Guillaume's synth ability and I wonder why there wasn't an effort to incorporate more of it into the songs. This is a worthwhile listen made available again through Visceral Circuitry Records.
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