Detroit duo “ADULT.” have been at it since the late 90s. They were a prominent group during the “Electroclash” movement in the early 2000s, made some killer anxiety-ridden “Synth Punk” in the mid to late 2000s and in recent years have been an important group in the world of modern “EBM” and “Industrial.” However, all of those genre tags still don’t do the band justice when describing their sound. ADULT. sounds like ADULT. After all these years the band haven’t skipped a beat, and now they have a new album on the horizon titled Kissing Luck Goodbye. The album will be released on March 27th via “Dais Records,” and following their previous single “No One is Coming,” the band have released another banger titled “R U 4 $ALE.” You can listen to the track below:
Every once in awhile an album comes along that reminds me of why I should be paying more attention to what’s going on in the underground Metal scene. The most recent album that has done this for me is the debut self-titled album from Gothic Doom Metal band “OMINESS.” Hailing from Ohlone & Pomo land, also known as Oakland and Santa Rosa, CA. OMINESS’ music is dark, foreboding, and the soundtrack to impeding doom with immaculately produced sludgy instrumentation combined with Gothic fervor. Fans of Sludge and Doom Metal will find solace in this album with its slow lethargic tempos and heavily distorted guitars while lead singer Destiny Espinoza’s vocals cut like a knife, transitioning from clean to guttural growling. However, even with the gloomy nature of this album, those who are marginalized will reach catharsis when listening to this album with its themes of feminist rage and queer liberation, and it’s all topped with bruja spirituality and aesthetic. If this all sounds like something you’d fancy, then turn off all the lights, light some candles and enjoy this Hellish ride.
Four years after their debut album BLUSH, London trio and Windmill scene affiliates “PVA” have returned with their second full-length album No More Like This, and it’s a more developed version of the Industrial-tinged post-club sound featured on BLUSH with instrumentation more focused on making you feel than making you dance. The Downtempo and Trip Hop elements complimented by lead singer Ella Harris’ deadpan almost spoken word vocals bring to mind a band like Massive Attack. This album is rhythmic, atmospheric and somber in tone with a heavy emphasis on either consistent instrumental repetition or instrumentation that builds and builds but maintains a steady flow instead of bursting out into an all out dance party. However, with how brilliantly produced these tracks are, I feel like much of this album would be complimented more if the vocals didn’t always sound deadpan and carried the same weight and emotion as the instrumentation. The talk singing makes sense during the album’s more anti-melodic moments, but there’s some tracks with dreamy synth lines that just feel a bit underwhelming when contrasted with Harris’ subdued vocals. The track “Anger Song” finds Harris giving us a more passionate and luscious vocal delivery which at times frustrates me that the album doesn’t feature more of that, but even with that critique the album is still an enjoyable listen, and it’s interesting hearing the direction all the Windmill alumni are going in.
Genre: Black Metal/Doom Metal/Gothic Metal/Death Doom
Label: Ván Records
Rating: 7/10
I’m just gonna start this review by admitting that I am a part time metalhead. I love me some Metal but I am picky. If the Metal starts off with kickass demonic I need an exorcism ass guttural growls and then transitions into the cleanest and prettiest vocals you’ve ever heard I’ve lost interest. If the Metal relies too heavily on shredding it just sounds like the Power Rangers theme song to me and I can’t help but think it’s morphin’ time, and some stuff (I’m not gonna name any subgenres) just gets a little monotonous after awhile. Um, if I haven’t pissed you off by now and you’re still reading this… well, if you’re a metalhead you’re probably not reading this anyway…. actually let’s be honest, no one is reading this… wait where was I? Oh yeah, allow me to introduce you to the kind of Metal that hits every note and strikes every fancy for me, THE RUINS OF FUCKING BEVERAST! “Fucking” isn’t actually in their name but you get the point. Lead by sole songwriter Alexander von Meilanwald, “The Ruins of Beverast” is a hard to categorize project with a myriad of genres such as Black Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Death Doom, and Atmospheric Black Metal to their name, and yet none of these genres are a definitive category for the band’s sound. Whether it be the the Gothic-tinged Doom combined with shamanism of their album Exuvia, or the reverb soaked atmospheric and at times psychedelic dark and sinister journey of an album like The Thule Grimoires, it’s clear Alexander von Meilanwald has no intention to pigeonhole himself and every intention to experiment. His new album Tempelschlaf is no exception. Continuing with the epic and grandiose nature of the aforementioned albums, Tempelschlaf is a more refined album dialing back the atmospherics in favor of more precise instrumentation less focused on odd time signatures and more focused on direct heavy riffs and continuous blast beats, which I feel this was done to focus on the live aspect of these songs by stripping back the studio wizardry. This direction unfortunately makes this album the band’s least ambitious release, but it’s still a solid installment in their discography with plenty to enjoy. There’s even some shredding, and thank God it doesn’t sound like the Power Rangers theme.
Today David Bowie’s final album “Blackstar” turns 10. Which also means it’s been 10 years since he sadly left us. This album means a lot to me. Not only is it a superb album, but it was the first album I reviewed back when I started “MELT Reviews,” so you can imagine my surprise and shock when Bowie passed away just a couple of days later. It was insane to me that at this stage in his career he managed to make one of his best albums in his extensive discography, and even in his final days drew influence from contemporary artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips. This is a perfect album. Happy 10th Anniversary to “Blackstar,” and Rest In Peace Starman.
Wow. Has it really been 5 years since I’ve posted on this site? It’s been far too long. A lot has happened in the past 5 years. I am now a Dad to a beautiful baby girl, I’ve been making music under the name BEACHY, and beertending. My interest in new music never died, but at some point in 2021 I just got burnt out from reviewing music. I took a much needed break and well, here we are 5 years later. Just last year I created a Rate Your Music profile and it rekindled my love for music analysis. I’m feeling that feeling I felt when I first started MELT REVIEWS 10 years ago, so I’m writing this to tell you all that MELT REVIEWS is back. Expect reviews of new music and even new movies on this site again. Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings.
We’re just two weeks away from the release of Riki’s upcoming album Gold, and while we wait, Riki has shared a stunning new music video for her track “Florence & Selena” for us to enjoy. The video is directed by Travis Waddell, and is as visually compelling as the song is sonically enticing. Gold will be released on November 26th via “Dais Records.” You can watch the music video for “Florence & Selena” below:
Being quite possibly the most eccentric member of “BROCKHAMPTON,” Merlyn Wood has had many of us aching for solo material, and now that day has finally arrived. Produced by CONNIE, Wood’s new single “S.Y.K.” is explosive, infectious, and rich in personality. Everything you would expect from MERLYN! You can watch the music video for “S.Y.K.” below:
You can always count on a band like “Furrowed Brow” to drop music that knows no bounds, which separates themselves from any of their contemporaries, even the ones that might welcome them with open arms. Why does this work in their favor? Well, they’re uncompromisingly themselves, less worried about building their “brand,” and more focused on exploring their endless wit and inventiveness comprised of sardonicism and commentary on the absurdity of our species. Their new single “The Endless Shouting Tomorrows” delves further into what makes them so enticing without straying into monotony. In fact, this is by far the most concerned the band have sounded viewing modern living through an isolated lens, but in doing this, the band maintain that element of dark humor that’s oh so delicious to feast on. You can listen to “The Endless Shouting Tomorrows” below:
Just in time for Halloween, Backxwash has released a new track titled “ROSEMARY’S REVENGE,” so don’t finish your Halloween playlist just yet, because this track is a Nu-Metal-dominated banger that you must include. The track was inspired by the lore of Rosemary, who is a ghost in Zambian folklore, and acts as a soundtrack to her told from the perspective of the men that came across her. You can listen to “ROSEMARY’S REVENGE” below:
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