7 Wall of Sound

While singer and multi-instrumentalist Bonnie Bloomgarden and guitarist Larry Schemel knew their intention for the album before a single note was written, the actual nature and direction of the music was a mystery. The initial inspiration for the record came from the jubilant spirit of Ethiopian funk records the band had been listening to on tour, but once they began to channel the songs it seemed like the music came from somewhere not in the past but in the future. In the weeks leading up to recording, Death Valley Girls relied on their subconscious and effortlessly conjured Under the Spell of Joy’s eleven tracks as if they’d tapped into the Akashic Chronicle and pulled the music from the ether.

Neurosis have toned their bruising metal image down to more of an enjoyable, atmospheric musical journey. Although still containing punishing riffs on occasion, the group is intent on creating slow and melodic pieces of work, especially on the lengthy and melancholic title track. Clocking in at close to 12 minutes, the song opens with a methodical guitar and drum beat before its tempo ebbs and flows in a vein of possible progressive rock-meets-heavy metal à la Anathema. It's sonically scene-setting as lead singer Steve VonTill gives hushed vocals in the middle portion before letting loose near its coda. Another benefit is the throng of tension from start to finish. "Burn" veers from this format as VonTill tends to wail in a nu metal format. "Shelter" contains more a folkish, prog-driven Pink Floyd hue with mixed results…

Dreaming of Sleep is the fourth album by progressive rock band Tetrafusion. The album was first streamed online on April 24th on Bandcamp, and the full album was released independently on April 28th. It features influences of Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Between The Buried And Me, Monuments, Cynic, Opeth, Frank Zappa, Weather Report, King Crimson, TesseracT. This post-metal gem, featuring two ex-members of "Scale The Summit" on bass and drums, shines with various kinds of impressing guitar sounds, usually screeching in thorough distortion, frequently ponding pleasantly djenty. The heavy bass, sometimes slapped with amazing virtuosity, constitutes a solid base, and the excellent vocals and occasional keyboards complete the picture, yielding an overwhelming wall of sound that lasts for almost an hour.

With their latest chart-topping studio album, Wanderers (2019), and the recent release of their first ever live BluRay/DVD, A Symphonic Journey To Remember, symphonic metal visionaries VISIONS OF ATLANTIS have, without a doubt, proven that they are on top of the scene. Now, the band sets sail on another adventurous journey and new exciting chapter, marking a turning point of their discography with the upcoming album, Pirates, out May 13, 2022 via Napalm Records. With their eighth full-length, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS deliver their most confident and honest record so far, proving that they have definitely stopped wandering to finally unleash their rebellious side and a free spirit untamed as the seven seas. The band invites its listener to join on a marvelous ride through intriguing soundscapes and hauntingly beautiful melodies along with smashing symphonic heaviness, that musically and lyrically embodies a form of transition and self-discovery.

Since the surprisingly successful "Presence" in 2015 (which even spawned a minor underground hit with the single "Black") only one album has left the Twice a man assembly line: the ambient "Cocoon" from 2019, which was released as a digital album, a 59 minute long music video and a limited edition CD.