Seth Swirsky - Circles & Squares - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

March 2023, Thron unleashed their fourth full-length Dust - a sonic testament to their relentless evolution and creative hunger. Hailed by fans and critics alike, Dust carved it's mark into the underground and beyond, paving the way for. From the hallowed grounds of Hellfest in Clisson to the thunderous stages of Summer Breeze and Baden In Blut, Thron proved themselves a formidable live force. Sharing stages with titans such as Amon Amarth, Necrophobic, Pestilence, Carcass, Endstille, and more, and embarking on a full European tour with The Spirit, the band cemented their reputation as one of the most compelling acts in the modern blackened metal sphere.Now, with Vurias, their forthcoming fifth offering, the German-Swiss coven returns in 2025 more feral, more dynamic, and more visionary than ever before. Where Dust bathed in the grandeur of traditional heavy metal, Vurias submerges itself in darker, more volatile waters. The classic influences remain - a spectral echo rather than a defining presence - as a more savage atmosphere takes hold. Yet amid this storm, Thron unveil new layers of sophistication, drawing deeply from their affinity for classic progressive rock and the arcane sonic landscapes of the 70s.Vurias is no mere follow-up - it is a bold expansion of Thron's artistic scope. Saxophones wail like ghosts, Hammond organs swell with dread, and vintage synthesizers shimmer through the darkness, crafting a rich tapestry that sets this album apart. Songs like InchThe Hunter & The PreyInch and the haunting InchUngemach (Stilles Ende)Inch showcase this alchemy in full force. The latter is further elevated by the unmistakable voice of Zingultus (Endstille, Nagelfar, Morast, Graupel), whose spectral presence adds a chilling gravitas, while none other than Norman Lonhard (ex-Triptykon, ex-Fear My Thoughts, Dead Eyed Creek) lends his percussive mastery - an artist whos

Francis Rodino - Circles & Squares [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/13/2009

Writhing Squares - the Philadelphia duo of Kevin Nickles (sax, flute, synth) & Daniel Provenzano (bass, vocals) - have been refining the nuts & bolts of their sound over their previous two albums. Their latest (and second for Trouble In Mind), InchChart For The SolutionInch is a double album chock full what makes them tick; heady, progressive, psychedelic space-rock-cum-minimal synth slop, punctuated by MacKay/Chance-style blasts of brass & woodwinds that definitely scratch an itch. Over the course of InchChart For The SolutionInchs four sides, Nickles & Provenzano utilize the extended to stretch out & settle into a groove all their own. From the relentless synth pulse of opener InchRogue MoonInch, thru the aggro-throb of InchGeisterwaltzInch & four-on-the-floor scree of InchGanymedeInch, The Squares have no mercy for your weary ears. After a brief, (slightly) mellow respite thru three tunes (InchThe Abyss Is Never BrighterInch/InchA Chorus of ElectronsInch/InchThe LibraryInch), the band ratchets up the intensity with the cacophonous clatter of InchNFUInch (featuring Philly legend InchHarmonicaInch Dan Balcer RIPPING thru runs on his harp) leading right into the album's centerpiece; all of Side Three's InchThe PillarInch, a near-nineteen minute epic suite that launches the listener straight into the maw of a black hole & thru the other side. Side Four closes out InchChart For The SolutionInch starting with the slinky stomp of InchNorth Side of The SkyInch into InchResurrect Dead On Planet WhateverInchs unsettling, cosmic-funeral dirge. Fittingly, InchEpilogueInch closes out the album, with Nickles' sax dive bombing around Provenzano's bass throb like an alien interpretation of InchFunhouseInchs howling anarchy,augmented by live drums by John Schoemaker & organ by Alex Ward. Recorded by the band themselves & utilizing recordings made from 2015 all the way thru earlie