Wow, they're really experimenting with this album. I loved that - especially the gnarly breakdown. Cory's doing new things with his voice this deep in the game. Impressive.
two songs in a row with absolutely filthy breakdowns/heavy passages. Kind of wild how they can still make my ears perk up with how blistering those sections are after 15+ years.
I will still pass on buying the album on account of Cory's general jackassery but these last two tracks have been their best since Polar at least, and I really dig All Hail still. I think this production is a better fit for them than Putney's
Just realized a few things... This is out tomorrow and doesn't seem to be out there yet, which is a surprise. orphantwin's EP came out in June and I somehow missed it They've put out a couple music videos for All Hail's songs, which seem to have been shot recently.
So this is in line with Polar Similar and All Hail overall, as consistent as both. The first half made me think it was going to be a slight departure as it's much noisier and more dissonant than their usual fare, but it does return to more familiar territory afterwards. The increased amount of dissonant riffs and chords took me by surprise though. It's like they had O' God The Aftermath in their minds during the writing process. Aria Obscura blew my mind by the way, that galloping Every Time I Die-like riff is already stuck in my head and it's the most out there they've gotten influences wise. edit: I'm highlighting W W A V E with its solos, and A Killing Word for the gnarly guitar tone, the stoner-ish feel, and the guitar harmonics as well. There's some stuff on that record that feels different for them guitar wise.
Incredible album. Reminds me of a mix between Redeemer and something like the quieter parts of He Is Legend’s Heavy Fruit. It’s rooted in the foundation of NJ, but still sounds fresh. I can’t believe we’re all here celebrating a new album from NJ after over twenty years. PS: Props to Cory for sounding this maniacal at 45 years old.