At first I didn’t know what to say about the newest offering from the cloven hoofed ones, but the more I listen the more I have to say. I really like it, I’m not 100% sure why, there’s lots to like but nothing I can nail down ... it’s true Kiwi metal – progressive, intentionally bleeding and raw in places, polished and/or red-hot in others – all of it fitting together really well.

Wicked hooks that you need to listen to the album a few times to appreciate, and there’s a depth to the vox that’s hard to get your head around at first – is it lack of emotion, too much emotion, restrained emotion!? Or is it just that it's been mastered to sound that way? Ahhh my head hurts.

It’s a great album to have in the background, each song blends nicely into the others, before you realise you’ve listened to half of the album! But that’s cool. Because now you have an excuse to start again ...

All Hail to the Netherworld – melodic rapid hook, entrancing somehow yodellie lyrics. Sweet reliable & rapid riff throughout.

Les Innocents – intro is epically slow, dramatic and gothic. Hungover pace and far-off vox ... an epic 10 minute song traversing many a peak and valley. Wicked.

Coffins & Cloven Hooves – steady rockin hook, muted vox – interesting effect. Chorus hooks in nice and beefily. Beasty deep power thrums, a real head-nodding track that got my boot tapping.

Arcane Delve – Tricky gax & rhythm funky intro – like the break intro background gax. Very cool. Rapid riff, the album is hitting a nice pace now. My favourite track so far, just for the variety if nothing else.

Canto IV – eerie slowly building intro, into nice wee acoustic pluckage. Nice intermission.

Veils – softly softly but with velvet hammerness building building building into another epic 10 min song ... choral chanting vox and beasty bassline. I got chills man. Wicked riff 4 mins in – choice.

To Carry the Lantern – nice rhythmic beat to draw you in ... carries on the theme nicely. Heavy outro – very cool.

Illumination in Omega – first thought is ‘radio song?’ There’s a real relatable intro and sound to it ... nice pace, cool droppy riffs that aren’t too heavily laid down, supportive well blended rhythms, chewy non-abrasive emotional vox, I like it a lot. I’d love to hear this song on the radio and see it live – bet it’d go off. My favourite song of the album. Mint chopped off outro – love it.

Horns – delicate picking intro, mental imagery of metal monks chanting a dirge ... slowly slowly for a couple minutes, into slowly simmering metal ... angry glimpses of the darkest bits only hinted at in the shadow of Floyd’s wall ... into silence ... into beasty head-banging goodness. Sweet. Another epic-length 14 min song ... madness. These peeps got to have cyborg arms or something.

In the Devil's Days – what is it about a bell that inspires those chills? Especially when there’s 9 tracks devoted to building this dark night imagery. Vocal fem vox crooning is eerily cool, a real nice touch. More beasty ass power riffs, poor old desk and keyboard are getting a pounding from the desk drums! Is that what you call it? I dunno – it's the tappity tap desk version of air guitar – you know, the one that pisses off your older workmates ...

Hail Ye, Netherworld.
CEOMong

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  Chappell Roan

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