TOTAL MANIAC - Gutter dwellin' Rock n Roll from Baltimore, MD/USA ! New album out on March 27 !
#USMetal
Bygone – Bygone Review
By Creeping Ivy
Being a non-native Bostonian in Beantown allows me to exercise a dispassionate objectivity towards the city’s musical culture. I vicariously experience the pride of housing The Pixies but don’t feel the shame of inhabiting Aerosmith Land.1 And yet, I’m always curious about local artists who can obliterate this objectivity, making me feel proud of Boston. Bygone, a heavy metal/hard rock sextet, may be able to liberate my revolutionary heart from its Tory shackles. Despite being Boston-based, Bygone have just dropped their debut album on Svart Records, an independent label based in Finland. Svart’s solid track record, coupled with that pulpy sci-fi cover, gives me more than a feeling that Bygone will deliver.
As per their name, Bygone is not really interested in revolution. These Bostonians serve a heavier-than-usual hard rock that had its heyday in the 1970s. But as the band itself so enticingly puts it, Bygone ’feels not so much of the historical past as it does the never-quite-was.’2 To this end, guitarists Noah Stormbringer and Chris Corry lay down driving riffs that feel like a chuggier Deep Purple (“Lightspeed Nights,” “City Living”). The powerful mid-range of vocalist James Kirn fronts a Uriah Heep with more heft than David Byron or John Lawton (“Shadow Rising,” “Take Me Home”). All the while, bassist Cecelia Hale and drummer Connor Donegan hover like a steadier UFO (“Fire in You Fire in Me”). With production wetter than the Charles River, Bygone sounds like the 70s proto-metal record that never was, but now is.
Bygone packs a tasty psychedelic flavor, largely stemming from its synths. Keyboardist Renato is a key fixture of Bygone, sonically fulfilling the spacey atmosphere suggested by the album cover. His tones span the cosmos, sounding like the stars, the interstellar spaceships traveling to them, and everything in between. “Lightspeed Nights” perfectly exemplifies Renato’s dual role in Bygone. Sometimes, he provides atmospheric background for the sparkling guitars; other times, he’s front and center, swirling like Saturnian rings around the band. But Bygone’s highlights, far and away, come from Renato’s interplays with guitarists Stormbringer and Corry. The bridge of “Shadow Rising,” for example, amplifies its time signature change with some nifty call-and-response triplets. Similarly, but more expansively, “Take Me Home” builds a progressive guitar/keyboard conversation into its DNA. On account of its psychedelic synths, Bygone becomes an album that pairs well with some Green Monster.
Bygone doesn’t go by without flaws. As mentioned, Kirn is a powerful vocalist, harboring a flexible mid-range that can satisfyingly hit higher notes. His verses and choruses, however, often need stronger hooks to differentiate themselves from the infectious guitar and keyboard melodies (“Lightspeed Nights”). Bygone also has some pacing issues. Despite being a fairly consistent 43 minutes, it lacks show-stopping highs (though “Take Me Home” comes close). Some midpoint lag (“Into the Gleam,” “The Last Horses of Avalon”) makes the album feel longer than it is. “City Living,” however, picks things back up before the closer. “Fire in You Fire in Me” stands as the most unique track on Bygone, with gentler, warmer tones recalling Procol Harum. Bygone would do well to make way for more variety of this kind.
Bygone is a good (though not wicked good) debut from a promising band. These Bostonians demonstrate keen awareness of what makes modern retro rock/metal work. Tone is tantamount but not totalizing; you need riffs, and Bygone holds plenty. Fans of the band’s 70s influences and other such contemporaries dealing in musical antiques will love the galactically vintage tones on display here. With a bit more songwriting variety and vocal hooks, Bygone should make Boston (and its iconoclastic transplants) more than proud.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Svart Records
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: December 12th, 2025
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#FlotsamandJetsam
The Cold
Falling Short
🎸 Live Stream:
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#Skeletonwitch
Serpents Unleashed
Unending, Everliving
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Lyrics:
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#Skeletonwitch #JayeRSchwarzer #JasonWhite #MelodicDeathMetal #ThrashMetal #Metal2010s #AmericanMetal #USMetal #NWOBHM #BirminghamMetal
Weeping Sores – The Convalescence Agonies [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]
By Creeping Ivy
Pleasure—as Judas Priest, sadomasochists, and Flagellants teach us—can be found in pain. Doug Moore and Stephen Schwegler, the guitar/drum duo behind Weeping Sores, also teach this lesson with The Convalescence Agonies. As its title suggests, the sophomore Weeping Sores album chronicles Moore’s recovery from a shoulder injury that, quite unfortunately, prevented him from playing guitar.1 Quite fortunately for us, Moore sublimates his agony into the listener’s ecstasy with The Convalescence Agonies. Debut False Confession received high praise here, making the 2019 lists of Saunders (Honorable Mention), Cherd of Doom (#8), and Ferrous Beuller (#4). On its follow-up, Weeping Sores deliver a leaner, lusher, and eminently listable slab of death-doom.
On The Convalescence Agonies, Weeping Sores level up by scaling back. False Confession established that Moore and Schwegler of Pyrrhon fame could successfully craft a more plodding, brooding death metal, sounding like Morbid Angel making proclamations to My Dying Bride. At 56 minutes with multiple 9- and 10-minute songs, however, the album definitely fatigues. In comparison, The Convalescence Agonies clocks in at 43 minutes, energizing the listener by lurking towards its epic compositions. Moore’s climbing guitar and anguished screams in “Arctic Summer” segue into “Empty Vessel Hymn,” a heater showcasing Schwegler’s jazzy hands. The mid-album climax, “Sprawl in the City of Sorrow,” spreads chunky, blasty, and militaristic riffs across 9 breezy minutes. “Pleading for the Scythe” mixes delicate chords, lumbering beatdowns, and off-kilter shredding, setting the stage for the title track. “The Convalescence Agonies,” a 14-minute monster, boasts the stankiest, dumpiest chuggery on the entire album. Without compromising the scope of its songwriting, Weeping Sores have crafted a tighter, better-paced album than the debut.
False Confession stans might weep when learning that the violin of Gina Hendrika Eygenhuysen does not appear on The Convalescence Agonies. In its place is the cello of Annie Blythe, which directs a broader ensemble of ancillary instrumentation. Like Eygenhuysen’s violin, Blythe’s cello often occupies center stage, dramatizing sparse verses (“Arctic Summer”) and blasty tremolos (“The Convalescence Agonies”). Arguably, the deeper tone of the cello better suits the music, feeling like an extension of the scooped guitar tone. Weeping Sores also incorporate keyboards from Brendon Randall-Myers (Scarcity), which add a refined, almost proggy aura to caveman breakdowns and hyperspeed chugging (“Pleading for the Scythe”). There’s even banjo in “Sprawl…,” commingling with Blythe’s percussive cello to make a demented guitar lead far more unsettling.2 Some listeners will miss the brighter, more melodically commanding presence of the violin. The Convalescence Agonies more than makes up for Eygenhuysen’s absence, however, with its wider array of sonic textures.
As Moore howls on the title track, the body’s pain ‘teaches nothing…no gift / But the passion of transfiguration.’3 Pain may not teach anything to the suffering speaker or Moore himself, but The Convalescence Agonies teaches us that Weepings Sores is one of the most promising contemporary death-doom projects. Moore and Schwegler have transfigured False Confession into something more beautiful without sacrificing their disgustingly awesome death metal core. Sadly, this TYMHM treatment may not arrive in time to register during Listurnalia. Consider, then, The Convalescence Agonies an honorary Honorable Mention for me (and several others around here, I suspect).
Tracks to Check Out: “Arctic Summer,” “Sprawl in the City of Sorrow,” “The Convalescence Agonies”
#2025 #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #IVoidhangerRecords #MorbidAngel #MyDyingBride #Pyrrhon #Scarcity #TheConvalescenceAgonies #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TYMHM #USMetal #WeepingSores
By Grin Reaper
Defigurement’s debut album Endbryo is classified as experimental deathgrind, and though that’s accurate, it doesn’t fully capture what’s on tap. Endbryo is an album in constant flux, never content to lock into one vibe for too long. While experimental, Defigurement still adheres to grindcore’s brutal core tenets: short songs and unfettered aggression. Their sound isn’t limited to just these things, though, as Defigurement adopts crackerjack technicality that contrasts with the blunt drubbing associated with much of the subgenre. Varied paces and some unconventional instrumentation further heighten Endbryo’s unorthodox approach. Dissonant bleats, melodic leads, blast beats, and key-heavy interludes create an engaging atmosphere. Yet it takes more than a wide-ranging assortment of sounds and ideas to fashion an album.
With so many ingredients to unite, you may wonder what Defigurement actually sounds like. Gridlink’s Coronet Juniper, Full of Hell’s Coagulated Bliss, and Beaten to Death’s Sunrise over Rigor Mortis provide apt reference points. These albums imbue deceptively melodic hooks into grindcore’s caustic backdrop, a convention perpetuated on Endbryo. Gridlink’s own Takafumi Matsubara even appears on “Wounded Landscape,” imparting gorgeously malicious riffs. In addition to grindcore influences, Defigurement pays homage to System of a Down via the “Suite Pee”-tinged intro of “Shogun of Sorrow” and the Slayer “Rain in Blood” gallop heard in “Wounded Landscape.” Rather than aping these acts, though, Defigurement forges a stank all their own. Chaos is the name of the game, but not all of it is funneled through uniform, full-tilt abuse. Endbryo’s half-hour pumps blood and rhythm through sixteen tracks, featuring constant shifts in tempos and moods that make the music feel alive and unpredictable. The album is jam-packed with so many morsels that even after dozens of listens, I’m still discovering new details.
Conceiving such a diverse and layered soundscape requires heaps of vitality and musicianship, and Defigurement steps up to answer the challenge. From Mike Heller’s (Changeling, Azure Emote, ex-Fear Factory) atom-blasting drums to Kevin Fetus’s snaking leads and D.M.T.’s gritty bass, Endbryo brims with relentless vigor. Heller’s drum performance in particular elevates Defigurement’s character. Juggling blast beats, disco hi-hat frills (“Open Veins, Visceral Tapestry”), and jazzy phrasing (“We Are the Worst”) shouldn’t be this seamless, yet Heller’s nimble work provides the engine for the album’s mélange of styles. Rounding out the rhythm section, D.M.T.’s meaty bass grumbles and grooves in support, and a couple of intros even throw the spotlight on his throaty purr (“Wounded Landscape,” “Godtopsy”). Guitars attack from every direction, utilizing trem-picked blitzes (“Burnt by the Truth”), plaintive wails (“We Are the Worst”), and glossy shredding (“Godtopsy”). Matthias Joyce’s vocals are capable and versatile, sitting far enough back in the mix that they mesh smoothly with the music rather than overpowering it. Besides Matsubara, several other guests pop in, including Brian Hopp (Cephalic Carnage) and Leon Del Muerte (Impaled, ex-Nails). Endbryo boasts a potpourri of talent, and this bouquet reeks of grind beef.
Endbryo sounds great, even though some moments don’t effortlessly converge. Subgenres like grindcore don’t need much auditory contrast to be effective, but Endbryo boasts a DR7 anyway, benefiting the complex structure of its tracks. The finely-tuned mix allows listeners to appreciate the nuances of the performances within, notably the drumming; a lesser production could have obfuscated Heller’s unhinged sticksmanship. My only complaint is that with such a dense album, Defigurement doesn’t quite achieve the cohesion needed to stitch all of Endbryo’s fragments together. Piano-only interlude “Eternal Dusk” is a beautiful instrumental featured about halfway through. It allows you to take a breath before re-entering the maelstrom, but foreshadowing the melody earlier or including piano elsewhere would have strengthened its inclusion. Similarly, “Left in a Cold Rain” contains slowly swirling synths played under a distorted voice-over. Once again, this skillfully navigates the album’s pacing, but without more tethers to other tracks, it feels isolated from its surroundings. Despite these small shortcomings, Endbryo scores a resounding success.
Defigurement pulls no punches on Endbryo, hewing a slab of great experimental deathgrind. Their ferocity is bruising and their vision unyielding, and it’s rare I encounter music that demands so many repeated spins. This platter is captivating, and each time I think I have Endbryo figured out, the next listen corrects that notion. So many ideas loaded into thirty minutes might seem daunting, but Defigurement expertly balances intrigue and digestibility. Assuming Endbryo is only the beginning, I’ll wait on the edge of my seat to hear how the band’s sound develops.
Rating: Great
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nefarious Industries
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025
#2025 #40 #BeatenToDeath #DeathGrind #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Defigurement #Endbryo #ExperimentalDeathMetal #ExperimentalDeathgrind #FullOfHell #Gridlink #Grind #NefariousIndustries #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #Slayer #SystemOfADown #USMetal
Nuclear Dudes – Truth Paste Review
By Thus Spoke
Nuclear Dudes is one step closer to living up to their moniker as they are now officially more than one person.1 Joined by Brandon Nakamura (Doomsday 1999, ex-Teen Cthulu) on vocals, Sandrider’s Jon Weisnewski bounces back from the synthwave moment of Compression Crimes 1 to resume the usual trajectory of insanity. 2023’s Boss Blades—my personal introduction to this madness—was a disarmingly likeable collection of silly and serious sounds heavy and light. It was also surprisingly good. Though I’d partly forgotten this due to its brevity and my sieve-like brain, the band has such character, in name, in vibe, and artwork theme—that a commenter very sensibly pointed out is likely courtesy of Weisnewski’s small child and not his brother as I hilariously assumed—that I was instantly back in the room with Nuclear Dudes, ready for the next trip.
With a permanent2 vocalist alongside Weisnewski’s own contributions, Truth Paste is closer to powerviolence or grind than previous outings. But a vague resemblance to these genres is as close as it gets. The record is a breezy 23 minutes across 11 tracks (check one: very short runtimes), and there are more passages of outright beatdown, screaming, chaotic metallic insanity (check 2: silly heavy and intense). But it’s what’s going on within that runtime, and both during and between those especially heavy moments that matters. Nuclear Dudes don’t waste a second. Opening on a bizarre tribute to Guns ‘n Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”—which includes using that song’s literal intro as their own—the duo switch in a flash to an electro-grind(core), erratically accented by an array of eclectic sound effects, which is a recurrent style on the album. Approximately four and a half minutes in, it becomes clear that the preceding two tracks (“Napalm Life,” “Holiday Warfare”) functioned as a violent induction to themes that are to follow, as the title track ramps up to a pure hardcore breakdown to a woman crying “ohhhh myy gawwd it’s—”, and the ensuing chuggery forms the first ‘breather’ for the listener. That concludes the most normal segment on the record.
Truth Paste is weird, but it’s not incoherent. Despite the apparently revolving door of blooping, whirring keys and sound effects, and tempo changes that would give an F1 driver whiplash (“Napalm Life,” “Dirty 20,” “Death at Burning Man”), the whole thing flows remarkably well. Pretty much all songs transition seamlessly from the previous with overlapping samples, humming melodies, basslines, or keyboard something-or-other. Nuclear Dudes hit their peak at moments when the electronica-mixed-with-guitar transforms into synthwave by way of grind, making for ridiculously fun grooves (“Concussion Protocol,” “Space Juice,” “Pelvis Presley”) if not some very entertaining melodic excursions. Or perhaps the best parts are during those rapid-fire switches, where goofy meets brutal and jaw-smashing breakdowns are followed or preceded by floaty ethereality (“Truth Paste,” “Juggalos for Congress”).
As a novelty band that takes not taking itself seriously quite seriously, Nuclear Dudes are doing everything right. Track titles are dumb, the movie samples cheesy, and the harsh vox mix is a wry recollection of a bygone bedroom death/grind era. Nuclear Dudes own every last second of it, from the roboticised vocals (“Napalm Life,” “Concussion Protocol,” “Cyrus the Virus”) to the videogame battle sequence vibes of the keyboard gymnastics (“Dirty 20,” “Space Juice”). It’s almost annoying how un-annoying it is. And since you effectively experience it as one extended track, given those instant transitions, it becomes very easy to just vibe with it and not worry about which song you’re actually hearing at any moment, or whether what you just heard was genius or just silly. But in having superior flow to its predecessors, Truth Paste also possesses fewer true standout moments. There are no lows, it’s true, but there are also no epic peaks—no “Many Knifes,” for instance. Then again, this record is committing more strongly to the meth-head electro-grind genre than Boss Blades, and in that respect, kind of smashes it.
If you want to have a very entertaining 23 minutes and six seconds, Truth Paste should be your go-to. Nuclear Dudes has taken recruiting a vocalist, and evolving into their full hybrid mad-subgenre form in their stride, as they continue to half-sprint, half-dance ahead. This record is so tight, fun, and irritatingly self-aware that personal taste is practically irrelevant. I’m no longer going to express surprise that anything Nuclear Dudes creates will be fucking great.
Rating: Great
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: September 5th, 2025
#2025 #40 #DeathMetal #EDM #ElectronicMetal #ExperimentalMetal #Grind #Grindcore #NuclearDudes #Powerviolence #Review #Reviews #Sandrider #SelfReleases #Sep25 #Synthwave #TeenCthulhu #TruthPaste #USMetal
VOID – Forbidden Morals Review
By Iceberg
Pinpointing a band’s style of metal is becoming an increasingly difficult task these days. Amidst the sub-sub genres and metal-adjacent infusions, its refreshing to find a band sporting the trad metal tag. Louisiana’s VOID has been kicking swamp-ass and taking names since 2021, self-releasing their thrashy debut Horrors of Reality in 2023. Forbidden Morals leans further into VOID’s horror atmosphere, with the long shadow of a certain European count presiding over the record. Recently picked up by Shadow Kingdom, and buoyed by aggressive touring of their region of the Deep South, VOID seem primed to pour their potent brew of technical thrash and trad metal into my sublimating earholes.
In a crowded world of metal bands trying to be the next big thing, VOID are unapologetically throwback. Along with leather and hair that won’t quit the 80’s, the sound of the band hearkens back to the halcyon years of metal. VOID’s brand of thrash leans more Bay Area than Germanic, and often is simply high-energy heavy metal, evoking the pre-Load era of Metallica, classic Mercyful Fate, and a whiff of Judas Priest. Catchy, horns-up riffs abound in Forbidden Morals and the guitar solos in particular are worthy of the thrash solo pantheon (“Forbidden Morals,” “Beneath…Lives The Impaler”). Jackson Davenport’s vocals are a standout here, running up and down his larynx with abandon in both clean singing and gruff barks. The rhythm section doesn’t slouch either, with a springy bass tone that is an unexpected highlight in the record’s more spacious moments (“Judas Cradle”). A murky production job compliments the album’s concept, but when the riffs pick up the pace and intricacy, I found myself missing the clarity of the low end.
What Forbidden Morals lacks in studio sheen, it makes up for in sheer enthusiasm. The album’s ten tracks cover a large swathe of ground, and VOID aren’t content to confine themselves to one side of metal. Progressive inclinations pop up in odd time signatures (“Beneath…Lives The Impaler”) horror atmospheres (“Apparition”) and rapid fire tempo changes (“Forbidden Morals”). The voice-over intro of “A Curse” comes off on the cheesy side, but when paired with a recap in “Beneath…Lives The Impaler” and the very obvious Andrew Lloyd Webber reference in “Return Of The Phantom” VOID make a convincing case for Forbidden Morals as a horror-inspired album. The Priest-esque power ballad “By Silver Light” is one of the album’s strongest tracks, featuring a throat-shredding performance by Davenport, and tasteful flamenco guitar that makes for a nice change of pace. After spending a few weeks with Forbidden Morals, it occurred to me the further VOID move from traditional thrash, the better they get.
Forbidden Morals is a raucous good time, and quite ambitious, but I can find a few dents in VOID’s Transylvanian armor. The back of the half album (beginning with gorgeous acoustic guitar instrumental “Valeria”) is much more engaging than the front, and this lopsidedness makes album relistens something of a chore. While the individual tracks here have an impressive array of structures, using repeating guitar motifs as connective tissue, there’s a frustrating lack of memorable, or even perceptible, choruses. When combined with progressive song layouts (not simply verse/chorus/bridge) finding one’s place in the song is difficult, and the songs feel much longer than they are (“Gateways of Stone,” “Judas Cradle”). VOID also abuse the fade-out, with four of the eight proper tracks on here featuring this listless ending. Longform closer “Beneath…Lies The Impaler,” which is otherwise a commendable achievement of progressive thrash, is saddled with not just a fade-out but a fade-in as well, an unforced error in my book of album production choices.
The cartoonish quality of Forbidden Morals’ album cover had me worried this would be an amateur outing into thrashy trad metal, but I’m happy to report VOID have put my worries to rest. If the back half of Forbidden Morals were packaged as an EP I’d be hawking VOID’s wares up and down the n00b cells on my weekly guard rotation. With a bit of work on clarifying their song structure, and the will to end their songs with an exclamation point versus ellipses, I hope to see big things from the Louisiana quintet. As it stands, Forbidden Morals is a solid album for those who like their metal a bit thrashy, a bit classic, and a lot of fun.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Shadow Kingdom
Websites: Bandcamp | Website | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 29th, 2025
#2025 #30 #Aug25 #ForbiddenMorals #HeavyMetal #JudasPriest #MercyfulFate #Metallica #Review #Reviews #ShadowKingdom #ThrashMetal #USMetal #Vøid
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#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
MATT BARLOW Says He’s “Proud” Of His Legacy With ICED EARTH And ASHES OF ARES – “I’m Very, Very Grateful”; Video
#MattBarlow #IcedEarth #AshesOfAres #PodcastOfTheWicked #FreddieVidales #Jack #HorrorShow #HeavyMetal #USMetal #BraveWords
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#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
Blackened Death Thrashers NIGHT ATTACK Join Forces With WormholeDeath
https://bravewords.com/news/blackened-death-thrashers-night-attack-join-forces-with-wormholedeath/
#NightAttack #WormholeDeath #Necromancer #BlackenedDeathMetal #DeathThrash #NorthCarolina #ExtremeMusic #MetalEP #September2025 #USMetal
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KAMELOT – Ascension 1995-1998 Deluxe Box Set Available In September; “Eternity” (Remastered) Lyric Video Streaming
#Kamelot #Ascension #Eternity #Dominion #SiegePerilous #PowerMetal #DeluxeBoxSet #Remastered #30thAnniversary #USMetal
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
ASHES OF ARES Feat. Former ICED EARTH Members Release “Keep On Walkin'” Single And Music Video
#AshesOfAres #MattBarlow #FreddieVidales #IcedEarth #KeepOnWalkin #NewMessiahs #HeavyMetal #USMetal #MetalDuo #BraveWords
#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#MetalChurch
The Human Factor
Date With Poverty
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#FlotsamandJetsam
Doomsday for the Deceiver
Hammerhead
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No Place for Disgrace
No Place For Disgrace
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#IcedEarth
Dystopia
Anthem
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#Manowar
Kings of Metal
Hail and Kill
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#Manowar #JoeyDeMaio #EricSanctuary #KarlLogan #DonnieSteele #PowerMetal #HeavyMetal #TrueMetal #SteelMeetsSteel #MetalWarrior #EpicMetal #USMetal #Metal80s
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#QuietRiot
Metal Health
Metal Health (Bang Your Head)
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Lyrics:
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#QuietRiot #KevinDuBrow #RandyRhoads #MetalHealth #HardRock #GlamMetal #LosAngelesMetal #USMetal #Metal80s #HairMetal
Masseti – Odds and Ends Review
By Iceberg
When prog and symphonic metal meet in just the right way, they click together like puzzle pieces. Prog’s technicality and excess are balanced by the melody and atmosphere of symphonic metal. Symphonic metal’s penchant for straightforward structure and synth-reliance is buoyed by the dynamism and rhythm-bending of guitar wizardry. Tiago Masseti, the man behind his eponymous band, Masseti, is seeking to walk the line between these two styles on his debut album, Odds and Ends. Previously fronting Brazilian prog act Daydream XI, Tiago relocated to Brooklyn and hashed out the eight tracks of his debut album in the creative incubator of the COVID lockdowns. Masseti’s chosen style is dear to my heart, so I was excited to see if Odds and Ends could rekindle one of my oldest and fondest flames.
If you’re familiar with the sounds of early Symphony X and Dream Theater, you’ll have insight into the contents of Odds and Ends. Chunky, rhythmic riffs propel the verses towards catchy choruses and then into acrobatic instrumental passages, and don’t forget the omnipresent unison lines, where keyboard and guitar move through tonality and barlines with abandon. Musical prowess is required here, and the performances on Odds and Ends are tight and commendable across the board. Tiago, whether he means to or not, does a spot-on impression of 90’s Russell Allen, with a clean upper register that can wail in the highs (“A Singer In The Arms Of Winter”) and swoop into low growls (“Against Our Fire”). His guitar work is impressive, with solos in the mold of Romeo and Petrucci (“The Pool of Liquid Dreams,” “A Singer In The Arms Of Winter”). Masseti’s rhythm section is dependable and shines when needed, with a noteworthy bass intro (“The Pool of Liquid Dreams”) and some dazzlingly quick combinations on the drums (“Against Our Fire”).
Odds and Ends is a fitting title for Masseti’s debut, because the album consists of tracks that seem fully cooked and others that don’t quite fit in. When Tiago nails his songwriting and editing, though, some of the material is downright decadent. Opener and somehow-not-single “Serpents and Whores” is the star of the show here, effortlessly fusing modern Haken djent with an absolute banger of a chorus and a smart, underutilized odd-time signature diversion in the coda. The album busies itself with winding paths from there, visiting classic Symphony X-tinged ballads (“Gone,” “Hindrance”) and long-form Dream Theater-style excursions (“Never Be Like You,” “Heir Of The Survivor”). Masseti certainly don’t rest on their laurels, but the cosmopolitan nature of Odds and Ends proves to be something of an Achilles’ heel.
Perhaps more important than convincing songs is album cohesion. The DR 6 production has a modern sheen to it, but it runs louder than it needs to and would benefit from more nuance and depth. Prog is no stranger to long compositions, but they can be momentum killers, and editing is paramount. The opening salvo of tracks is trimmed and lean, full of exciting choruses and varied songwriting approaches, but the album’s center sags. “Singer In The Arms Of Winter” is a hulking tribute to Dio that nails the execution but sticks around just a little too long, and while “Never Be Like You” uses a refreshingly off-kilter unison rhythm as its central motif, it takes 8 minutes to do what it could probably do in 6. The kinetic energy of the album’s outset is never really regained. By the time closer “Heir Of The Survivor”—a Twilight Of Olympus inspired track if I’ve ever heard one—rolls around, it seems Masseti has lost the novel direction they took in the beginning and are sitting in more comfortable, proven territory.
It may seem I’m coming down hard on Masseti, but I do it out of love, because the front end of this album shows just how much raw potential is here. Tiago should be commended for shouldering so much of the performance and production for a debut album that sounds like it’s coming from a mature outfit. I can see myself returning to this album every once in a while, but tracks like “Serpents and Whores” and “Gone” will definitely be making my NOW 2025 list1. Masseti have all the tools in their belt, and with greater editing and album cohesion, I see a great symphonic prog record in their future.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: massetiofficial.com | facebook.com/massetiofficial
Releases Worldwide: June 14th, 2025
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