Alrighty so I guess it’s time for Mixed Bag number 13!! What makes this one special is that pretty much all of these bands are taking me out of my comfort zone. There’s definitely some obscure bands in this review but all of them are great so with that, let’s take a look……..
Heavy Halo: Heavy Halo/Damaged Dream- so I guess the best way to describe this band is if you take alternative rock and mix it with industrial. You definitely get more of the alternative rock on the first album and when you get to the second album, there’s definitely just a touch more of the industrial-ness. Listening to both albums back to back also makes for a really cool experience. Both are great and I highly recommend them especially if you’re looking for something kind of cool and different.
Heavy Halo score: 8/10
Damaged Dream Score: 8.5/10
Standouts: Black Seed, Betrayed, Lies, Failure, New Blood
Guiltless: Teeth To Sky- I don’t know if there’s such thing as happy doom metal but if there is this band, definitely fits the bill. What I really like about this album is yes it does have a very doom metal sound but it’s not boring or draggy in any way, like most doom metal bands tend to be. What I really like about this album is just the gritty kinda chunky guitar tone and I am a big fan of big crushing guitar riffs and this album is definitely full of those. It’s a pretty short album and only clocks in at about 41 minutes so you can actually get through it pretty quickly. When it ended, I actually said to myself “that’s it?” I’m pretty sure this band contains members from Intronaut and Neurosis and you can definitely hear that on this record. Definitely want to check out and I’m gonna go ahead and give it 9/10.
Standouts: Teeth To Sky, One Is Two, Lone Blue Vale
Thoughtcrimes: Altered Pasts- this is the kind of album that if you take a band like Converge and mix it with Dillinger this would be the end result. This is definitely one of those albums that you can feel the chaotic energy and you know that live they would put on one hell of a show. This is just one of those records that’s just so much fun to listen to and like I said if you enjoy bands like Dillinger, you’re definitely going to love this record. What’s also cool about this record is that there’s just a slight hint of industrial thrown in and that adds to the uniqueness. I’m going to go ahead and give this album 9.5/10.
Standouts: Panopticon, Dare I Say, Keyhole Romance
Blood Vulture: Die Close- at first listen you might say that the vocalist sounds a lot like Layne from Alice In Chains and I mean, yes that is sort of true but it’s just so much more than that. I gotta be honest this album kinda exceeded my expectations. By that I mean, I was expecting for something more in the realm of like a death metal album or even a thrash metal album. That’s not the case and I think I felt that way because of the name. There’s many different types of music going on with this album but what I noticed the most was at this is a very Gothic sounding album. To me it’s hard rock meets Gothic. What’s also cool about this album is that you have guest musicians like Jade from AFI and Brian Fair from Shadows Fall (who actually uses clean vocals). Honestly, I can’t say enough great things about this album and I’m absolutely giving it 10/10.
Standouts: Grey Mourning, Burn For It, Die Close: Finale
Moderns: Moderns EP/Moderns/haiiro- OK so this is a synth pop band and I gotta be honest, this is a type of subgenre that I don’t really listen to that often. However, they came across my radar, so I decided to give them a listen. This reminds me of is bands like Chvrches and Phantogram but a bit more delicate in nature. There also seems to be a more emphasis on the vocals, which is great because the vocals are the big stand out for this band. Now this band doesn’t have a full length. They just have three EP’s and they’re all pretty short, but all three of them are great. There is a Moderns EP and another album called Moderns but both are just EPs. Honestly, you could probably listen to both back to back and it would just make for one full length album. As I said, I’m not super familiar with synth pop bands but there is a sort of dark tone on these 3 EPs and I’m not sure if that’s normal for this type of music but it certainly does make for a cool listening experience. Either way check the band out if you’re looking for something a bit different.
Moderns Ep/Moderns Score: 8/10 (yes I’m counting both as one)
Haiiro- 8.5/10
Standouts: Panopticon, Fifty, C K F M, Order, Terrestrial
I would say that this mixed the bag review is definitely on the more eclectic side of things, but it’s also what makes this particular mixed bag more exciting. Definitely give a listen to each of these bands because all of them are great and you definitely won’t be disappointed or go wrong with any of these albums.
Sinister Reviews 