BERZERKER LEGION
Hometown: “The Battlefields of Europe� Album: Obliterate the Weak out now via Listenable Records RIYL: Battle Metaphors. The Platonic Ideal. Nostalgia.
EXMAID
Hometown: New Jersey Album: Sorcery out Feb. 20, via Bangs and Burns RIYL: Contrast. Empathy. Release.
Where Berzerker Legion immediately excel are in making the old feel fun and fresh again. This “Generally, I like the idea of noisy heaviness contrasting my somewhat-on-the-lighter-side vocals. is the true, ideal sweet spot between classic, Swedish death metal and very early, melodic death That has been a goal since Exmaid started.â€? That spot-on assessment comes from Exmaid vocalist/ metal. It’s sweeping, grandiose, and feels like the music the Allies would have played before guitarist Miranda Taylor, and Sorcery highlights how damn well the group know how to keep this storming Normandy to defeat the Nazis. Just when you think it’s all knuckle-dragging, extreme formula consistently engaging. It’s a record marked by that key contrast, but it’s brought together metal, a wonderful melody comes out to play—metalheads won’t mistake this with late-ca- in a way that focuses on wonderful songwriting and haunting lyrical themes more than trying to reer In Flames or even Dark Tranquillity. This Legion is perfect if your ideal Valentine’s Day cash in on a unique idea. In that way, Sorcery works as a great, grungy noise rock record, with just a date was in Sweden around 1991. That feeling is intentional, as Berzerker Legion were cre- dash of added heart and soul. This extra flair comes from Taylor’s pained and personal lyrics ated with the goal of metal veterans delivering their idea of how metal sounds in their head. that make it feel like she rips open her ribcage to reveal what’s inside—it’s that brutally sincere. “To bring something new in the scene these days is not even possible anymore after four decades “It really helps to know that someone is listening when you talk, and I felt that during the process of metal, as everything has been done already,â€? says guitarist Alwin Zuur. “The best you can do of writing this record,â€? Taylor says. “I wrote exactly what I felt and hoped that someone would is release a great album with great music. We just wanted to create music with that perfect hear it. The things I was experiencing were overwhelming—and I am a pretty shy person—so it felt like the only way to say what I wanted to say was by writing these songs. I know for certain balance between those harmonies and melodies and brutal, old-school death metal.â€? đ&#x;’Ł that so many people feel this, at some point at least, and I guess it is a testament to the virtue of being honest by whatever means necessary.â€? đ&#x;’Ł
FOOL'S GHOST
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky Album: Dark Woven Light, out March 20 via Prosthetic Records RIYL: Loss. Companionship. The Healing Power of Art. I’ve never been left so uniquely captivated as I have with the stunning musical suspense that Fool’s Ghost create. It’s sparse and haunting, yet there’s a heaviness that weighs on the soul while taking in Dark Woven Light. It’s clear that the duo bared every ounce of their being in creating this release. Musically, it’s difficult to compare Fool’s Ghost to other styles or groups—echoes of post-rock, doom, Americana, and soul exist, but barely scratch the surface here. It’s an experience that’s best left without expectations. The pained-yet-hopeful record is both honest and uplifting. The band reflect on how their bond created such a stirring masterpiece (my words, not theirs).
TWINS
Hometown: Throughout Germany Album: Soon, out now via No Funeral Records RIYL: Freedom. Feedback without Feedback. New Friends.
Imagine Soon were a first-person shooter—stay with me for a second. This German act wield two distinct-yet-powerful weapons in their hands. On the left is emotional melodic post-hardcore of the variety that Epitaph Records (and really everyone) loves. On the right is a more pensive (but not wimpy) math rock of the TTNG style. Rather than firing at different intervals, Twins deploy both sides of their sonic arsenal at will and organically. It’s beautifully done and immensely captivating. This approach was the result of a new band having total creative freedom from the onset, as they collectively share.
“[We came together through] shared personal loss and working through different stages of grief “There was one thing in particular that we all enjoyed and that we often talked about, and that was the together,â€? says singer and keyboardist Amber Thieneman. “There's so much that words don’t get prospect of writing a record completely uninfluenced by opinions, bystanders, and critics. We had no deadline, no one who had given us any kind of feedback, except a few friends that listened to some close to expressing, and that's where art and music come in, to help process and heal.â€? rough snippets. Therefore, we were never afraid to do any experiment that came to our mind, no matter [how it] sounded.â€? đ&#x;’Ł This is heavy music that reinvents and expands what heavy can be. đ&#x;’Ł
6 NEW NOISE
