Deftones "Ohms" (2020)

Deftones is a band that I got into very reluctantly, their sound didn't strike me as appealing the first couple listens, only a few months after I originally listened to Koi No Yokan I realised how genius their sound is and became entranced by it, their recent release of Ohms was more of what I already loved by the Nu Metal band. 

This record pulled me in with sludgy guitar and beautifully emotional vocals in the form of screams, this combination creating a gravitational force, like being thrown about in a sea of sound. This push and pull mechanic between the low distorted 8 string guitar and ethereal vocals makes sure this band never tires. This feeling is most beautifully shown in "Urentia" the third song on this record, it begins with a heavy assaulting riff, preparing you for a giant breakdown. Instead this song steers hard in the other direction going for a tender whimsical sound, later the opening riff begins but it holds an entirely different power, with some pop influences on chords. Suddenly the groups' main dynamic isn't contradicting at all, the vocals and sludgy guitar twirling around and perfectly complimenting each other, an odd balance in a stormy ocean of sound.

Something this record does more than any music I've listened is reach beyond, it is no longer just sound, the emotional pull between glimmering vocals and tugging sensation of the albums heavier aspects really do make it feel like you're in a whirlpool, Ohms is a delicate equilibrium. The sound holds their power in tension, like slacklining on a thread that could snap at any second.

9/10

Puppy ''The Goat'' (2019)

 Finding this band through Xisuma's Music Blog a few weeks ago and their general aesthetic of the album cover and titles like Entombed, Bathe In Blood and I Feel An Evil made me prepared for some crazy glamour and heavy metal riffs, I felt slightly relieved when that wasn't exactly the case, I have appreciation for music like that but it doesn't quite satisfy my ears, instead this record came at me with some epic Metal riffage, Alt Rock melodies and pop-tinged infectious hooks.

With their Alt Rock moods and some dabble into Classic Rock licks Puppy makes this Groove Metal track do wonders. Main focus on the guitar work is no exception in many bands but Puppy doesn't feel the need to exaggerate theirs with heavy distortion or cheap thrills. The vocal presence from this 3 man band is nothing to laugh at either, combined with perpetual riffs and tugging tones the constant rockage gives you a sore neck. Beautiful layered harmonics illuminating the whole album and giving off a Deftones like feel.

Continuously intertwining some quirks make sure this record never tires, having had this on repeat almost every other day. The band proudly wears their influences that range from the 70s to the 90s, howling rock solos, glamorous guitar licks and occasional hazy psychedelia are frequently found. Tracks like Handlebars even bring in the heavy churns I've only heard before in KoRn's music. Bathe In Blood is a beautiful combination of metallic riffs, prog-tinged spiraling and the raw emotion often experienced in Deftones' records, making it a surreal listening experience. 

An arsenal of riffs, amazing supportive drumming, crunchy and limitless tunefulness all riding on the currents of sinister undertones make this debut album incredibly accessible, there will be songs for everyone on here, an irresistible spell cast on anyone fortunate enough to come across this band's path. Their easy listening might be the one downside of this record, with so many resources at it's disposal this band would do great with experimenting around with different song lengths or some more daring styles. They're not unfolding their wings and utilising their full potential, this is only their first record though, I am super excited for what they do in the future.

10/10

Three Days Grace ''Human'' (2015)

With it's heavy Post Grunge guitar, drums blasting and gritty screams this record hit me back in 2019, discovering it shortly after falling in love with Starset's Transmissions, It felt a bit bare, missing all the electronic quirks that made Transmissions so special yet the energy and magic Human put on me wasn't anything short of what I'd gotten used to from Starset. 

Human hit me straight on with it's Post Grunge, Hard Rock aesthetics, utilising their heavy electric guitar, driving bass, crisp and carrying drums in amazing ways in the form of big crashes and fast riffs, the vocals are nothing to scoff at either, with gritty and raspy voices they produce some amazing and powerful screams that drive home their aggressive sound even further.

This record also knows how to give breaks, with a song like Car Crash we get to experience some more focus on the edgy lyrics I've grown to love from bands like these, they keep simple pickings on the guitar and give the drums a softer feel, the repeated kick drums almost feeling like heartbeats before jumping back into their heavy sound we've heard in all the songs before Car Crash further pushing the lyrics.

At 40 minutes in length this album manages to convey it's darker lyrics and tones perfectly, in 12 songs we touch on loads of topics like humanity, addiction, death and more, all heavy yet hopeful, this record is strangely motivating with it's powerful and meaningful singing. 

I can always come back to this band and more specifically this record, it's one that has grown with me over time, it's high energy always managing to keep my spirits and mood up.

7/10

Bring Me The Horizon ''Post Human: Survival Horror'' (2020)

Having been a fan of BMTH for a few years and mainly of That's The spirit and Sempiternal hearing this EP for the first time scared me away a little. The massive blast beats, high energy sound wall and mix of Electronic, Metal and Pop influences were a little much in comparison to the other albums. Revisiting this 30 minute EP a month later changed my mind. I was on the edge of my seat listening to it, the Pop influenced hooks and Electronica around every corner combined with Mick Gordon helping on production and mixing this is I was very reminiscent of my dabble in the video game Doom Eternal.

This album length EP is BMTH's first try with their new formatting to releasing music, they were tired of the restrictions of albums and the suggestion of making EPs struck gold for the band. Post Human: Survival Horror is the first of apparently 4 EPs in the Post Human quartet. The first song Survival Horror perfectly embodies many peoples experiences with the global pandemic going around, they managed to capture pure frustration and translate it into music.

With dense synthesizers droning, heavy guitar riffs, blast beats, drums and samples galore this record keeps high energy while not forgetting about hooks and catchy melodies that stay in your head for weeks on end. They also remember to keep tuneful swaying bits in their songs, the perfect amount of time to really take in what you're listening to before the sound starts building up again and you find yourself completely immersed in it and Oli Sykes' screams. 

One certain track really stands out, the feature of BABYMETAL on Kingslayer, a song that could very well fit on the Japanese groups discography. Utilising their quirks and musical aesthetics combined with the rest of this EPs general sound makes this song the favourite of many. Furthermore Teardrops has made a name for itself in my head, it's catchy hooks and melodies won't leave my mind and they got me to listen this record more times than I can count.

All in all this album length EP is incredibly cunning, utilising many features for some unique sounds and voices while keeping it concise and cohesive, seeing this change in the band's direction is an exciting one, I'm curious as to what the other records under the Post Human banner will bring, I am hoping that they get their own identities and quirks instead of them being copies of each other with slightly different meanings, I have high hopes for the future.

9/10