Out Today & What I Missed- February 23rd, 2024

Hey everybody, and welcome back to another edition of Out Today & What I Missed or OT&WIM, whatever your preference. Can you believe that this is the last full week of February already? I can as I already have album reviews ready to go through April, but that’s beside the point. This week, we have 6 new albums out TODAY, and 3 more I heard along the way. So let’s get into it with the rules and into the list proper.
 
 1.) Out Today & What I Missed is replacing the Top 10 Albums of the Month. The same rules apply, but just weekly instead of monthly.

2.) If you are brand new to all of this. I do short reviews of albums I have checked out for you to find something new. It’s in alphabetical order to show no favoritism. The outline is the Album, Album Title, and the FFO section (For Fans Of) to give a little insight before the review, then a paragraph of my thoughts on it.

3.) All these thoughts are mine and mine alone, no pressure, no sponsors, no obligations. Just me.

4.) No negative reviews, there are enough of those in the world. This is a place for albums I enjoy and I hope you will as well.

5.) The Top 100 Albums of the Year isn’t going anywhere. It’ll be back every year during the holidays until I’m no longer here.

6.) Check out any album here that piques your interest and ENJOY SOME NEW MUSIC!

 
OUT TODAY!
 
Amaranthe- The Catalyst
FFO- Modern Pop Metal
 
Amaranthe is the leading voice in modern pop metal. They combine pop elements mixed in with modern elements with their metal touches and still have hints of power metal along the way. The band has gone through many transitions over the years but never lost the formula. Sometimes they go poppier, sometimes it's more diverse, but it will always sound like Amaranthe. With The Catalyst, the band fine-tuned their sound to know what works for the band and give the people what they want. I know from my experience it’s my favorite album since The Nexus, but that will vary from listener to listener. Of course, this will not be for everyone, but if you dig what the band has done in the past, there is bound to be something you’ll enjoy here on The Catalyst.
 
Borknagar- Fall
FFO- Progressive Black Metal, Folk Metal
 
Borknagar is back after what feels like forever (in reality 2019) with what may be their best album to date. With their 12th album, the band has expanded their sound once more, but it feels so familiar and right at home at the same time. ICS Vortex has one of the greatest voices in metal and he shines throughout this whole album. Musically, the album goes through so many transitions from black metal to folk metal to atmospheric metal, and progressive metal; while for the outsider person not in the know, this may feel like a mishmash of different styles, let me assure you it is not. Every song is well crafted and makes sense by itself and in the album proper. If you like the old-school sound, it’s here. If you like the newer stuff, that is of course here as well. If you want to see them expand, this is the album for you. It’s a bit of everything and it works so...so well. What a magnificent album.
 
Darkest Hour- Perpetual I Terminal
FFO- 2nd Wave Metalcore, Melodeath
 
Having been a fan since Hidden Hands for the Sadist Nation back in 2003; I loved this band through and through. They have gone through so many ups and downs and now having been here almost 25 years since their debut album, Mark of the Judas; the band has put out maybe their most heartfelt album to date. Let’s face it, the pandemic changed all of us, some of us for the better, some of us for the worse. But it did negatively affect all of us in some way, shape or form. Perpetual I Terminal feels like a retrospective of the band’s career all while being fresh, distinctive, and caring of the music and lyrics on display. This album feels like a band that has been put through all the circles of hell and still made it through coming out stronger than ever. What an incredible album after all these years and what an outcry of the past and looking forward to the future.
 
Hand of Kalliach- Corryvreckan
FFO- Folk Metal, Black Metal, Melodeath
 
What a dream to be able to find the partner of your life and have enough chemistry to be able to write beautiful music together. Of course, this is hardly the first time this has happened in the recorded music era. Just look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono for one of the oldest modern examples. Or look at Bloody Hammers is going creating horror ladened, gothic-tinged, rock and metal as a duo. But today, of course, I’m talking about Hand of Kalliach, a Scottish couple who has created one of the most gorgeous-sounding albums I’ve heard in a long time. From the captivating clean vocals to the sorrowful screams, from the exquisite folk instrumentation to the dark evil sounding black metal and melodeath on display, this album hit me from the opening seconds and did not let go till it was done. It’s really hard not to compare this album to something like early-day Eluveitie if you love albums like Slania or Spirit, this will be your new obsession, but this band does something different with their sound. Seriously, if you miss true-to-the-heart folk metal with darker tinges, You need to check this album out immediately and check out their debut album, Samhainn as well. Both albums are more than worth your time.
 
Job for a Cowboy- Moon Healer
FFO- Progressive Death Metal
 
Job for a Cowboy went from being a laughing stock of a band (simply because of their name) to one of the most respected bands in the 21st century, many may never have known there was a backlash to this band to begin with. Starting as a pure deathcore/death metal band and becoming one of the most revered progressive death metal bands of the 21st century is no easy feat, but they did it by simply being themselves. Albums like Demonocracy and Sun Eater told the metal world that they were worthy of your respect and showcased it better than most bands did at the time. But a lot of time has gone by since then, was the band going to come back? Were they going to be making any new music? Was Sun Eater the final farewell? Thankfully not! Moon Healer takes off right where Sun Eater left off and feels like the perfect counterbalance of an album. The two work so perfectly when you listen to them back to back. Moon Healer feels like the most mature album the band has ever done and that happens simply by the passing of time. The band expands upon the progressive death genre by experimenting with more sounds from more kooky moments to the fretless bass display high in the mix (more of this please!) to one of the most jaw-dropping riffs I’ve heard in a very long time. The band is bigger than the sum of its whole. There are so many bands inspired by what the band has accomplished so far and it’s great to have them back to show them how it’s done. There’s a reason why this will be so high on people’s Album of the Year charts this holiday season.
 
Tvinna- Two- Wings of Ember
FFO- Progressive Rock, Doom Rock, Experimental
 
Eluveitie has been quite busy as of late, but not in the way that you think. Last week, I talked about Illumishade, which features members of the band, and this week, I am featuring Tvinna, which features Raphael and Alain doing a very eclectic mix of music. You hear everything from doom metal to electronic music to prog. It feels like a battle of two sides going on in every song but they work together in melody and harmony to create something that feels together and apart. It’s the kind of album where you need to just sit back, relax, and enjoy what your ears are hearing it may take a listen or two to fully grasp everything going on, but it is well worth the journey. Give this one a chance, it’s well worth your time.
 
WHAT I MISSED!
 
Art of Anarchy- Let There Be Anarchy
FFO- Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
 
Art of Anarchy is a band that also truly fills into the ups and downs of a band. I love the band's previous two albums that featured Scott Weiland (his best vocal performance in my opinion) and Scott Stapp (also his best performance to date), but after death, lawsuits, and many other changes happened, the band went back with Jeff Scott Soto taking the helm of Art of Anarchy (it feels like a Scott has to be in the band at all times doesn’t it, haha). This feels like a complete rejuvenation of the band. It hardly even feels like the previous two albums at all and that may be by design. This album is the heaviest album to date, bar none. It adds more layers like symphonies and other genres into the mix. Soto’s voice is as strong as ever, and of course, Bumblefoot and Co. know how to write catchy and wicked songs. If anything, this reminds me more of what Sons of Appollo were doing before the band broke up, which features both Bumblefoot and Jeff Scott Soto. Of course, it is still not as proggy and out there and much more simple and heavy, but; I hear it. If you want a heavy metal album with an intriguing story, soaring vocals, Bumblefoot’s excelled writing and soloing, and something that you won’t hear anywhere else in 2024; this is the album for you.
 
In Autumn- What’s Done is Done
FFO- Doom Metal, Post Metal
 
Italy always seems to have something wonderful in their metal, be it in the power metal genre or this case, the atmospheric doom genre. In Autumn’s 3rd album and first album since 2018 is something that feels as downtrodden as it does magical. While the songs are sad and filled with dread, the riffs involved are filled with a melodic sense that makes the music so intriguing yet captivating. That mix of atmospheric, doom, and post-metal brings every song with peaks and valleys that pull you in, and don’t let go till it’s done. It’s a rough album emotionally, but sometimes that’s exactly what we need. Give this one a chance if you need a proper sad album to get through through the day or night. You’ll be glad you did.
 
Vanir- Epitome
FFO- Melodeath
 
Finally today we are ending things on a ferocious note with the 7th album from this Danish outfit known as Vanir. And while being cheesy in my words, this does feel like the...epitome...of what the band is about in 2024. Having gone from more viking/evil territory with their sound in the beginning, the band has become more and more melodic with every album and Epitome is the perfect blend of that melodeath sound while having a pure epic fondness for the battlefield. The songs are so catchy and heavy with a killer production and fantastic musicianship that wouldn’t work unless everything worked in perfect sync. If you need some of the best melodeath of 2024, there’s no better place to start than with this album. It’ll suit everything you’re looking for.
 
And there you go folk, 9 albums down today, 56 albums since I started this the last week of January and so many more great albums to talk about in the future. Thank you for sticking around and I hope you come back to see what’s in store for the first week of March. Until then, for Heavy Debriefings, this is Josh Rundquist saying, Embrace The Skullet!
 
- Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings)