The Haunted - Versus

Artist: The Haunted
Album: Versus
Genre: Thrash Metal
Length: 39:03
Track Listing:

1. Moronic Colossus - 03:51
2. Pieces - 03:50
3. Little Cage - 03:15
4. Trenches - 03:42
5. Ceremony - 03:43
6. Skuld - 02:49
7. Crusher - 03:13
8. Rivers Run - 04:32
9. Iron Mask - 03:41
10. Faultline - 03:44
11. Imperial Death March - 02:48

The Haunted are back, and so is their unique sound. On all their albums with Dolving as the vocalist, the Haunted have churned out aggressive, yet disturbing, no haunting, metal. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the albums with Marco, they were good too (especially The Haunted Made Me Do It). But Dolving provides the sound that makes the them The Haunted.
Versus is different, yet the same. Rather than continuing down the path they laid out with The Dead Eye, they took steps closer to the straight-up, no-nonsense metal of their debut. There are still some of the same tricks and sounds that were used on rEVOLVEr and The Dead Eye, such as in Little Cage, Skuld, Rivers Run, and Trenches. Other songs grab you by the neck and jam huge riffs down your throat, such as Crusher, Faultline, and Ceremony. The end product is a combination of the raw thrash authority with flares of the dark melodies and effects that they have become known for.
Dolving delivers another stunning performance, and once again you can feel his anger spilling out from his vocals. He employs a variety of techniques, including clean singing, his signature scream, and a "whisper" of sorts (specifically during Skuld).
The album was recorded "live" with everything but the vocals happening at the same time, in the same room. This helped create the raw power of the album, but it also means multiple songs start with tap-ins (Ceremony, Crusher), which gets a bit old. This same technique was used on their self-titled debut, and it tends to produce solid results. The biggest downside is that the mix levels seem to be about the same for each track (for obvious reasons), which takes away a bit of the diversity.
The drumming provides a solid basis for the album, although it's not a particularly complex. Some double-bass runs provide added thunder, but they aren't on every track (nor do they need to be). The rhythm section provides support on this album, rather than being the focus. The guitar-work is potent and heavy, but not overly intricate. Once again, with the Haunted's style of music, it doesn't really need to be. The solos are delivered in a similar to how this band always has.
The first few times I listened, this album felt like it was missing something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what. I still can't, but like all of their albums have, Versus is growing on me. It gets better every time I listen. It still feels like something just isn't there, but it's not a huge factor anymore.

6.25/10

Gojira - The Way of All Flesh

Artist: Gojira
Album: The Way of All Flesh
Genre: Progressive Metal
Length: 75:07
Track listing:

1. "Oroborus" - 5:22
2. "Toxic Garbage Island" - 4:07
3. "A Sight to Behold" - 5:09
4. "Yama's Messengers" - 4:04
5. "The Silver Cord" - 2:32
6. "Adoration for None" - 3:41
7. "All the Tears" - 6:20
8. "The Art of Dying" - 9:54
9. "Esoteric Surgery" - 5:45
10. "Vacuity" - 4:52
11. "Wolf Down the Earth" - 6:26
12. "The Way of All Flesh" - 17:04

The latest effort of the French metal act, Gojira, has firmly cemented them among the metal elite. The Way of All Flesh is an instant classic that ranks among the best albums of the new century. Bold claims, I know, but this album backs it up with grinding technical brutality somewhere gorgeously linked to cerebral melodies. Gojira matured the style featured on From Mars to Sirius into a wonderful blend of the hypnotic and heavy, a realm previously dominated by Opeth. Even more impressively, they did so without calling on any of the same bag of tricks that Opeth uses.
That's not to say this album is without flaws. There are some, although most a minor and don't take much away from the songs or the album as a whole. The first half of the album doesn't seem to have the same kick and potency of the second half, and some of the riffs drag on a bit longer than they need to at various points in the album. Luckily, despite these factors, the positives of this work massively outweigh the negatives.
Heavy grinding rhythms pound their way deep into your skull, not unlike Meshuggah, through the entire album. These are balanced out with more fluttery and hypnotic sections, such as The Silver Cord and the trills in Oroborus. These are layered on top of double-bass waves from drummer Mario Duplantier. The drumming is somewhat reminiscent of the drumming on Lamb of God's New American Gospel.
Mario's brother, Joe, once again turns out a fantastic vocal performance. His unique style blends true death growls with more hardcore elements to produce a powerful yet decipherable sound. He also incorporates production effects and different techniques to produce different sounds, such as on A Sight to Behold. His vocals layer perfectly over the music. They're entrancing when they need to be, and harsh when that suits the scenario more. Randy Blythe (of Lamb of God) makes a guest appearance on Adoration for None, which has drawn a bit of controversy from fans. His vocal styling fits the mood of that section of the song well though, and adds a touch of the very aggressive to this album.
The lyrics focus on their view of death, but touch the environmental issues focused on FMtS as well (most notably on Toxic Garbage Island). They are occasionally a bit cheesy and direct ("plastic bag in the sea"), but often have some degree of depth and imagery behind them.
The bass adds depth and a very much appreciated layer of sound, although it never leaps out from behind the guitars. It adds dissonance when needed and depth and darkness at other occasions.
Although the band didn't have any massive evolutions, they refined their style further and did attempt some experimentation. One of my favorite tracks, The Art of Dying, begins with a tribal beat which ten transitions into one of the most pummeling sections of the album. As a whole, their style embraces the brutal tones and power of death metal, the rhythms of groove metal, and the structure, complexity, and layering of progressive and psychedelic music.
A fine effort that surpasses their landmark hit From Mars to Sirius. Gojira has elevated themselves to become one of the premier acts of extreme metal, and this album shows they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. A great band in their prime is a truly remarkable thing.

9.5/10