Half guilty pleasure, half awesome record, Dead End Kings is the 9th full-length effort by 90's goth doom legends Katatonia. Representing a (polarising) corner-stone on their career, Dead End Kings marks a change from heavier doom to a more polished, pleasing sound. And, although the music is sometimes pandering, I found myself enjoying it nonetheless.
Dawn FM scratches a specific itch: the pop current landscape is flooded with music that tries to revive the futuristic, analogue vibes of the 80s, but with nowhere nearly has much inventiveness. Dawn FM takes risks, and ends up being a polarizing album for most, but it exactly for that reason that it is great. It is inevitable to compare it to Daft Punk's music: I like both of those for the same reasons. The production is impeccable, the vibes are solid, the performance passionate.
Formed in 1993, New York's Afterbirth is not a newcomer to the brutal death metal scene. Despite its longevity, Afterbirth's discography is surprisingly short; consisting only of a tape and an EP in the 90's, an LP in 2017, and in 2020 the latest release Four Dimensional Flesh. Moving away from its slamming roots and towards a proggier territory, Four Dimensional Flesh is one of my favourite 2020 releases in extreme music. If anything, this album leaves me anxious for further releases of this unexpectedly ambitious project.