Contemporary metal cornerstone Relapse Records has been operating since 1990, and presently maintain a prolific release schedule. As evidence, here is a rundown of seven recent albums from the label, specifically by John Frum, Arcadea, Dying Fetus, Ex Eye, Expulsion, Integrity, and Tau Cross, all of which are currently available on vinyl, compact disc, and digital.
Fans of metal’s more extreme regions surely know Relapse. Noted for documenting a metallic deluge of the grind, black, and death varieties, the enterprise’s discography has ventured into other areas, especially over the last few years, and with a high ratio of success. Based on the seven albums below, 2017 is shaping up well for the label.
John Frum isn’t a man, it’s a band (the name derives from the history of the South Pacific natives known as the Cargo Cult), and as comprised of vocalist Derek Rydquist (The Faceless), bassist Liam Wilson (The Dillinger Escape Plan), guitarist Matt Hollenberg (John Zorn), and drummer Eli Litwin (Intensus), they can be accurately described as a technical death metal supergroup.
A Stirring in the Noos is their debut, which according to Relapse took nearly six years to complete. In terms of album gestation, that’s a long fucking time, but the results don’t seem to have suffered across the duration. Given the members’ other units, the audible level of smarts here was somewhat expected; it’s mostly manifested through precision and intricacy but also through subject matter.
Having long ago made my peace with guttural vox, I find Rydquist’s contribution to be cool and frankly, apropos (he really gets down there at a few points), but it’s really the instrumental thrust, which reaches beyond the tech-death designation without harming the pummeling labyrinthine grind, that elevates and secures stature. Litwin is the instrumental MVP, and the collective decision (if that’s what it indeed was) to keep this thematic 8-song set under 45 minutes feels beneficial.
The self-titled debut by Arcadea, which is led by Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor, takes us from tech-death to a strain of heavy synth rock immediately registering as ’80s-derived (picture John Carpenter wearing an Iron Maiden muscle shirt), but is in reality something rather new and distinct, largely due to the lack of guitars; Dailor sings (which is where the thoughts on Maiden enter the scenario) and plays drums (a lot of drums, a fact sure to please fans of early Mastodon), while Core Atoms and Raheem Amlani provide the synth texture.
Relapse’s bio describes Arcadea as heavy but not metal. When the trio is going full throttle, this statement can register as balderdash, but then again, the terrific, female-voiced “Neptune Moons” begins far afield of metallic concerns. In short order, heaviness is attained, but a vocoder momentarily makes me think of Giorgio Moroder collaborating with late-’70s Pink Floyd, and the eventual wildness sounds like they dropped some bad acid and decided to craft an impromptu score for a remake of Fritz Lang’s Dr. Mabuse der Spieler.
Arcadea’s main weakness is that the plateau reached by “Neptune Moons” or the excellent six-minute synth abundance of closer “Magnificent Façade” isn’t visited across the board. The quality never dips down very far, however, so this matter is ultimately minor. Maybe the strongest compliment I can give here is that had this record existed in ’82, a few friends of mine would’ve completely flipped over it. And the swell cover art by Essy May.
The latest from Dying Fetus returns us to the realms of death metal, though the purposely low-budget direct-to-DVD extreme horror carnage cover for Wrong One to Fuck With underscores a decrease in ambition when compared to John Frum. Technical proficiency is still in evidence, but as their eighth studio effort it’s dedication to the style that’s most boldly apparent.
Amid numerous personnel changes, this fetus has been expiring since ’91, with guitarist-vocalist John Gallagher the sole constant member (bassist-vocalist Sean Beasley has been in the picture since the early ’00s). Drummer Trey Williams completes the trio. I don’t have the time or inclination to compare all eight records, but this one shapes up as more than just an assemblage of form moves, though bluntly, it’s a little difficult for me to connect with it on an emotional level.
Wrong One to Fuck With features vocals so guttural they effectively become just another component in the blitz (the jacket and song titles communicate the requisite misanthropy), and if the instrumental attack wasn’t so sharply pulverizing the demonic growl-belch could easily risk self-parody. In the end (it takes a while to get there), Dying Fetus’ shtick isn’t too serious nor is their seriousness too shticky. And so, moderate points in their favor (the CD comes with a bonus track).
Ex Eye is the self-titled debut of an avant-metal group assembled by noted Canadian saxophonist Colin Stetson. Joined by guitarist Toby Summerfield (Crush Kill Destroy), drummer Greg Fox (Guardian Alien, Liturgy) ,and keyboardist Shahzad Ismaily (Secret Chiefs 3, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog), this concise set offers a jazz-metal fusion relying less on athletic feats of breath motion than those familiar with Stetson’s solo work might expect.
He does dish out a fair share of chewy lines along the way, but this is still far less of a lung blast than I was hoping. Likewise, this 4-song LP doesn’t hold much in the way of chunky riffing (there is a fifth digital-only bonus that’s considerably more rocked-out), though the results are still quite heavy, at times aptly assessed as massive, so fans of the label’s wares shouldn’t be disappointed.
And in eluding expectations, Ex Eye transcends them. Stetson is integrated into mix rather than strutting/ flexing with backup, so that the disc registers as the organic work of an actual band, atmospheric and occasionally symphonic. At points, Stetson’s baritone sounds like it’s plugged-in, which brings the sax-fueled, sometimes metal-tagged outfit MX-80 Sound to mind, though Ex Eye is markedly different. This should please folks into Wolves in the Throne Room as much as fans of Last Exit.
Like John Frum, and Ex Eye, for that matter, Expulsion is a supergroup. Consisting of vocalist Matt Harvey (Exhumed, Gruesome), guitarist Matt Olivo (Repulsion), drummer Danny Walker (Intronaut, Exhumed, Phobia), and bassist Menno Verbaten (Lightning Swords of Death), their Nightmare Future is as allegiant to formal properties as John Frum, Arcadea, or Ex Eye are not.
The genre is grind, which is a close neighbor of death. Are the vocals gutty? Check, but as track after track barrels forth, Harvey brandishes an appealing flexibility. Is the music mauling? Check, but as said, they focus on speed rather than displays of deftness. Is the outlook bleak? Check, but unlike Dying Fetus, this has less of a revenge axe murder angle; instead, it details an oncoming apocalypse. The titles and covers tell the story.
Nightmare Future is seven songs in 14 minutes, but it’s still being sold as an LP (it’s the kind of record labels once put on both sides of the cassette in its entirety), but that’s okay, for it delivers just the right dose; extending the duration would likely result in a decrease in effectiveness, and frankly, it’s hard to imagine these guys going on for much longer without succumbing to seizures or heart attacks. Be careful, fellas.
Formed in Ohio in 1988, Integrity has been led by Dwid Hellion for the span of their existence, and are currently hailed as essential in large part due to the merging of hardcore and metal. Through the outfit’s chosen moniker those hardcore roots are overt, and on their twelfth album Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume, the HC-metal blend remains manifest via chugging forward motion and Hellion’s gruff but lithe vocals.
From my perspective, this specific stylistic crossover was an iffy situation, mainly because such a high percentage of the practitioners were obnoxious meatheads, but Integrity doesn’t suffer from this malady, mainly because the standard Hellion sets (at least here) is much higher than simply assaulting ears with testosterone.
Per Relapse’s bio, Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume is a conceptual foretelling of the final days of Armageddon. This might seem in the ballpark of Expulsion’s Nightmare Future, but as underscored by the cover art, Integrity’s seriousness of concept is inclined toward biblical prophecy. It’s coupled with dynamic and surprisingly diverse execution that doesn’t falter across the ten tracks, which total over 45 minutes (excluding the three bonus cuts on the deluxe 3LP edition).
We’ll conclude with one more supergroup, this one of an international stripe. Tau Cross features singer Rob Miller (Amebix), drummer Michel Langevin (Voïvod), and guitarists Jon Misery (Misery), and Andy Lefton (War/Plague) with added studio personnel. Recorded in three countries and four studios, Pillar of Fire is their second LP after 2015’s self-titled effort, also for Relapse.
If only two records deep, Tau Cross is the veteran outfit in this survey; progressive-metallers Voïvod self-released To the Death!… in ’84 (Alternative Tentacles later reissued it) while War and Pain came out on Metal Blade the same year, and noted crust-punkers Amebix debuted back in ’85 (via Alternative Tentacles) with Arise! Veteran acts, and particularly supergroups, can radiate as tired or stale, but thankfully that’s not really the case here.
Pillar of Fire sprinkle in aspects of post-punk and industrial, folk and trad instrumentation (e.g. hurdy gurdy and bagpipes), and borrowings from the crust and progressive days of yore, all without diluting the hard rock/ metal potency. The mood is as serious as Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume, but is considerably worldlier, which is appropriate given the UK-Canada-US triangle of Tau Cross’ membership and the punkish roots of both Voïvod and Amebix. But again, longevity; the results are unexpectedly solid, though the album (not even counting the three bonus tracks) needed some editing.
John Frum, A Stirring in the Noos
A-
Arcadea, (S/T)
B+
Dying Fetus, Wrong One to Fuck With
B
Ex Eye, (S/T)
A-
Expulsion, Nightmare Future
B+
Integrity, Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume
A-
Tau Cross, Pillar of Fire
B
