Monthly(ish) Recommendations #2: Wormy Witches and Timing Switches
Oh lord, it's been nearly two full months since the last one. So much for monthly(ish). Oh well, this one's easy because there's a new Tricot album and it is getting a recommendation by default because it's Tricot.
Everything is melodic this time around, sorry.
Wormwitch
Heaven That Dwells Within (2019)
Atmospheric Black Metal/Blackened Melodic Death Metal/Thrash Metal
Wormwitch is a band that I consistently ignored recommendations about for about 6 months, because I got sick of hearing the name after I made the mistake of saying I liked melodic black metal one too many times. Fortunately, nearly a year after this album's release I had forgotten they existed and could discover them anew to listen to on my own terms, and it is definitely a good thing. And go figure, they're Canadian. Canadians make very good extreme metal, apparently, although typically it is of the technical/progressive death metal variety rather than the black variety.
Heaven That Dwells Within (no relation to Rosemary Fairweather's Heavenly) is honestly fairly standard for the genre, taking traditional black metal tremolo picking and atmosphere and infusing it with death metal, crust punk, and thrash metal to make what ends up being a remarkably memorable atmoblack record with actual riffs.
Obviously the tempos are high, the vocals are gargling and pained, and the production is slightly rough (If still very clean for a black metal release). That said, there is no shortage of good old-fashioned chugging riffs, nor of thrash/punk skank beats on the drums, but the melodic aspect is very strong on songs like Dancing in the Ashes and Alone Before the Doors of the Silent House, in particular, which both feature some very nice guitar melodies, with the former having a beautiful 80-second acoustic intro with obvious folk influence, as is common in black metal.
Songs like Vernal Womb, Two Wolves, and Midnight Sun all share that more death metal feeling, with heavy galloping riffs, pinch harmonics, and an emphasis on darker, creepier melodies and solos, and as an enormous death metal fan these are easily some of my favorite tracks on the record.
This is definitely a well-composed collection of songs, and something that is more accessible than most black metal due to the cleaner production and less abrasive vocal work when compared to some of the genres more extreme releases. Also the album art is awesome, as an aside.
YouTube album stream:
Favorite tracks:
Midnight Sun, Two Wolves, Dancing in the Ashes
Tricot
真っ黒 [Makkuro, en. Black] (2020)
Math Rock/J-Rock/Indie Rock
Tricot is a Japanese math rock band that infuses the genre with elements of J-rock, pop, and post-rock to create what is... well, it's Tricot. It sounds like Tricot. There are other sounds in there, but the way they're combined is distinctly Tricot.
Their more punkish side seems to once again have been dialed down slightly for Makkuro, which I shall be calling the album from now on because I cannot be arsed to copy+paste the kanji every time and there are 6,000 other "Black" albums in the world already, but that slight lack of punk edge seems like it's been replaced with even more interesting vocal lines like the ones in なか, which for some reason are perpetually glued to my brain, with their borderline rapped cadence over an oddly groovy bassline.
It's followed up by another favorite of mine, ワンシーズン, which starts with an atmosphere reminiscent of American Football's brand of mathy emo and blends that with more traditional punky math rock and melodic elements
As a final mention, the brief but highly enjoyable 低速道路 is, for one, full of gloriously tremolo-drenched guitars, but also a wonderful bit of music with some of the nicest melodies I've heard in a Tricot song, both in the guitars/bass and the vocals.
Generally, Makkuro seems like a logical progression of the band's sound. It seems like they've consistently gotten slightly less chaotic each major release as time has gone on, which I know is not necessarily every math rock fan's favorite thing, but for me the more memorable melodies and (in my opinion) more coherent songwriting on Makkuro, as well as its predecessor 3, are plenty good enough to make up for it.
...And in a dramatic turn, this album art is significantly less awesome, but I guess that's just how it goes. The music video for 右脳左脳 probably makes up for it, because it is rather swanky.
Also I can't help but comment on the fact that every member of this band is an absolute monster at their instrument and they all have a ridiculously good sense of time. Bassist Hiromi Sagane in particular constantly impresses me with her carefully placed fills and grooves.
Also I can't help but comment on the fact that every member of this band is an absolute monster at their instrument and they all have a ridiculously good sense of time. Bassist Hiromi Sagane in particular constantly impresses me with her carefully placed fills and grooves.
YouTube playlist:
Favorite Tracks:
なか, ワンシーズン, 低速道路, 右脳左脳
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