Ach Germany! Bringing so much great bands and projects every day and week and month to our black hearts. Leipa is a one man band/project from Bavaria active since 2021 and this is the second full length opus. This one contains 7 songs with lyrics in German. Music of Leipa is melodic black metal, with lots of emotion and atmosphere reminding me why I love this music so much. Guitar melodies are melancholic, sad, even when aggressive blast beats prevail in song parts of almost every song on this opus. Vocals are screamed but not too extreme so you can understand if you happen to speak German as I do. Now, some would call this depressive black metal. Maybe it is, but only in lyrics which deal with personal thoughts, demons and really, why try different roads when all roads lead to nothing in the end. Besides aggression there are also some calmer more atmospheric parts with some spoken word and listening to this record I can not really help myself but if I must compare Leipa to some band that reminds me of it would be Nocte Obducta. This is melodic atmospheric black metal par excellence, so check this one out.
Fogweaver from Colorado released new opus with 10 beautiful songs. As Fogweaver calls it, this is dungeon synth from the world of Earthsea. I must admit that I didn’t listen to the previous opuses but this one blew me away. It all starts with melancholic and fantasy filled melody of Illuminated by Magelight, with waves crashing beneath the haunting and a bit soothing, yet eerie melody. Opus continues with A Patterning Spell, a bit ominous yet strong synth melody takes us into the world of sorcery, magic and disbalance between light and darkness, not knowing which side can prevail in man as an individual, depending how you fight your personal demons which you must fight every single day. The music of this opus guides us through that battle to another more beautiful dimension where we can be our trueselves and not having to comply to others and darkness between our hearts and other hearts. Other parts of this opus that I must mention as my highlights are Windbringer and also The Isolate Tower, but I must confess that when listening to this opus, every time you find something more for yourself.
The Moans are hailing from California and this is their new second album and first release in six years. As you guessed it maybe from the cover and logo, this is horror punk, but much more influenced with punk n roll and punk, almost garage punk in some songs. There are 14 songs on this beauty. Vocals are nice, melodic and strong at the same time and this is not your Misfits or Blitzkid clone, this is varied and good album with lots of different hits like my favorite They’re Coming To Get You Barbara and doo wop influenced Then She Stabbed Me. Songs are mainly up tempo punk rock, with some Ramones core influences too, like in Hey Jamie Lee which reminded me of The Lillingtons a lot in many ways, vocally and musically. Songs I must also mention as my favorites are The Zodiac and also Nightmare Man. Welcome back, this is an awesome horror punk album.
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