Review by Felix on July 4, 2019.

Over the span of three full-lengths, Axegressor have been a very reliable supplier of razor-sharp old school thrash and I admit that I had very high expectations with regard to their fourth album. Please keep this in mind when I say that Bannerless is marginally disappointing. Due to whatever reasons, the filthy Finns have slightly reduced the level of speed, aggression and fury. They still play thrash metal of the old way, but the sometimes-crucial iota of insanity and brutality is partly missing. Maybe the guys just have reached an age that does not allow them anymore to bang their heads regardless of the consequences. But a guy who calls himself Johnny Nuclear Winter does not have the permission to get old and lame. Firstly, the pseudonym sounds like a promise to deliver his whole life nothing else but ferocious thrash. Secondly, nobody reaches an old age in a nuclear winter.

Bannerless, the fourth one-word-title-album (two words are probably too expensive) of the Scandinavian ruffians, does not stand in the shadow of their other works as long as we are talking about the very impressive production. The heavyweight guitars prevail, and they glitter with cruel clarity, pressure and sharpness, but they do not pulverize the contributions of the other instruments. The double bass, for example, is able to deliver a decent bombardment. Not to mention the pumping, pretty prominent bass or Johnny's vocals. This dude raises his voice whenever he likes to do so, and his performance still reflects a rebellious attitude. Never hysterical, but always in a very angry and defiant mode, he screams the lyrics and it gets obvious, that the statements of the debut's title track ("we're not perfect / to play like the pro's / not classically educated / we're not one of those") are still valid. Yet this does not mean that Johnny sounds amateurish or monotonous. He spreads some energetic vibes and performs fervently. His mean aura ennobles tracks like the casually titled "Bridges to Cross and Burn".

"Barren Bloodline Worship" possesses some furious parts that catapult the song into the league of the classics of Axegressor's former records. "Truth Prostitute" is lively and fast right from the start. Its shredding and swirling guitars form a malicious thrash assault. This is the way that makes my day. But many mid-tempo parts speak another language. Axegressor often choose a comparatively gentle, nearly easy-going approach on this album. The crucial word is "comparatively". They still have a lot of energy, vigor and neck breaking qualities, but I miss frenetic tracks like "Command" or "SS-18 Satan". So, let's try another tactic and stop comparing this work with the previous results. Then I must acknowledge that Bannerless is an extremely strong produced album with more than a handful of formidable tracks. It remains a mystery to me why they have chosen a relatively uneventful track like the mid-paced "In Safe Space No One Can Hear You Scream" for the first position of the running order, but I admit that there exist more things between heaven and earth that I do not understand. Women, for example. However, I am at risk to digress. Get a copy of Bannerless and you will be able to judge for yourself.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Felix on July 4, 2019.

Over the span of three full-lengths, Axegressor have been a very reliable supplier of razor-sharp old school thrash and I admit that I had very high expectations with regard to their fourth album. Please keep this in mind when I say that Bannerless is marginally disappointing. Due to whatever reasons, the filthy Finns have slightly reduced the level of speed, aggression and fury. They still play thrash metal of the old way, but the sometimes-crucial iota of insanity and brutality is partly missing. Maybe the guys just have reached an age that does not allow them anymore to bang their heads regardless of the consequences. But a guy who calls himself Johnny Nuclear Winter does not have the permission to get old and lame. Firstly, the pseudonym sounds like a promise to deliver his whole life nothing else but ferocious thrash. Secondly, nobody reaches an old age in a nuclear winter.

Bannerless, the fourth one-word-title-album (two words are probably too expensive) of the Scandinavian ruffians, does not stand in the shadow of their other works as long as we are talking about the very impressive production. The heavyweight guitars prevail, and they glitter with cruel clarity, pressure and sharpness, but they do not pulverize the contributions of the other instruments. The double bass, for example, is able to deliver a decent bombardment. Not to mention the pumping, pretty prominent bass or Johnny's vocals. This dude raises his voice whenever he likes to do so, and his performance still reflects a rebellious attitude. Never hysterical, but always in a very angry and defiant mode, he screams the lyrics and it gets obvious, that the statements of the debut's title track ("we're not perfect / to play like the pro's / not classically educated / we're not one of those") are still valid. Yet this does not mean that Johnny sounds amateurish or monotonous. He spreads some energetic vibes and performs fervently. His mean aura ennobles tracks like the casually titled "Bridges to Cross and Burn".

"Barren Bloodline Worship" possesses some furious parts that catapult the song into the league of the classics of Axegressor's former records. "Truth Prostitute" is lively and fast right from the start. Its shredding and swirling guitars form a malicious thrash assault. This is the way that makes my day. But many mid-tempo parts speak another language. Axegressor often choose a comparatively gentle, nearly easy-going approach on this album. The crucial word is "comparatively". They still have a lot of energy, vigor and neck breaking qualities, but I miss frenetic tracks like "Command" or "SS-18 Satan". So, let's try another tactic and stop comparing this work with the previous results. Then I must acknowledge that Bannerless is an extremely strong produced album with more than a handful of formidable tracks. It remains a mystery to me why they have chosen a relatively uneventful track like the mid-paced "In Safe Space No One Can Hear You Scream" for the first position of the running order, but I admit that there exist more things between heaven and earth that I do not understand. Women, for example. However, I am at risk to digress. Get a copy of Bannerless and you will be able to judge for yourself.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Adam M on November 3, 2013.

A Storm Of Light performs a style of metal that is distinctly similar to the bands Neurosis and Mastodon. There is an apocalyptic mood that occupies a large portion of this disc and gives it a distinctive atmosphere. The songs also have a tribal feel that is largely reminiscent of the aforementioned bands.

The use of crushing percussion and riffing techniques mean the album will have a massive sonic impact on the listener. Add in catchiness to the mixture and there are obvious similarities to be drawn to Mastodon. However, there are some subtle and sometimes malevolent moments that are closer to Neurosis in sound. Vocally, the album isn’t as astonishing with a mediocre delivery that gets overshadowed by superior performances instrumentally. There are many standout tracks on the album such as 'Dead Flags' and the stellar closer 'The Year Is One'. This album is actually more enjoyable than recent material from Mastodon, but still not as good as the best of Neurosis. Song-writing is solid throughout with very few drops in quality or power.

There haven’t been many releases of this type this year, "Nations To Flames" was a welcome entry for certain. People looking for Sludge, Post or Atmospheric Metal will find a lot to like with this offering. Atmosphere, catchiness and musical force are delivered in equal force and these elements in particular make this an incredibly enjoyable listen. It’s a little too similar to some metal sub-genres, but the quality on offer makes up for this negative. A Storm Of Light is definitely a band I will be checking out more in the future.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8.5
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Raphaël on April 1, 2023.

I have been following Allegaeon since 2010, when they released their first album: Fragments Of Form And Function, on Metal Blade Records. I was instantly a fan of their highly technical, yet super melodic sound. They had quite a few line up changes throughout the years but Greg Burgess is the only original member still in the band and I feel like no matter the changes, he has been the connective tissue that made Allegaeon who they are. After the release of Damnum, the band announced they were parting ways with vocalist Riley McShane, who provided vocals since Proponent For Sentience. It’s a real shame because he really shines brighter than a hot giant ball of gas collapsing in on itself, maintained by the constant nuclear fusion in its core. I can say with confidence that this is the most ambitious and musically diverse album the band ever did.

Damnum starts with the song 'Bastards Of The Earth', which has a beautiful classical acoustic guitar intro. Nevertheless, it doesn’t stay calm for a long time, after a few seconds, they immediately erect a bombastic wall of sound, with every instrument in full gear, from the blast beats to the chunky guitar riff and the long, deep scream/growl of Riley. Everything hits you in the face perfectly, like any metal fan likes. After the middle mark, there is a beautiful break, with the signature classical guitar of Greg. Furthermore, not only is the music brilliant on this album, but the lyrical content should also be highlighted. Instead of focusing mainly on science and science fiction, like on their previous albums, they get a lot more personal and philosophical. While still having a little bit of those elements in. On 'Bastards Of The Earth', for example, we have these lines: “Thrust into a world akin to darkness, ruptured by the sun.” and “A spinning wheel that spells disaster - the circle growing deeper every day.” The world of darkness ruptured by the sun is obviously the world we live in today and I see the spinning wheel as a metaphor for our current capitalist system that gave us global warming and the disasters that it causes and will continue to cause.

This song, like all the other songs on this album, has a real proggy feel to it. What I mean by that is that almost every song is over five minutes long and they don’t necessarily have a traditional verse chorus verse chorus structure. Nevertheless, in true technical death metal fashion, there is so much solos everywhere. They definitely do not disappoint on that end. Rather than focusing only on the technical abilities, Greg Burgess is as much technical as he is melodic in his playing. I think he writes most of the music, but on Damnum, every member participated in the writing process, which sprinkles a lot of new and different ideas everywhere. A few examples would be the classical guitars, which is not a new idea for them, but is featured a lot more on this album. Greg is an incredible guitarist on both electric and classical guitars. Another example would be the beautiful and epic sounding piano solo on the song 'Blight' or the classical prog rock organs playing in the background in the beginning of 'Of Beasts And Worms', or the classical guitars mixed with a tam tam rhythm on the song 'To Carry My Grief Through Torpor And Silence' etc. You get the idea.

'Of Beasts And Worms' has the most catchy chorus of all of the album. Here, Riley McShane’s clean vocals are on full display. In the last two albums, we had a little taste of his beautiful clean vocals but never to this degree. His voice is so clear and pure, when he goes for higher notes, singing:” This is the place where I rest my bones and the river that cleanses me runs alone. To be there again where my spirit longs and sleep in the soil forevermore”, it gives me chills every time! I think these lyrics could be interpretated as someone who gives up fighting. I feel like these lyrics are more mature and darker, abording real subject matters. Musically, it feels almost as if Mikael Åkerfeldt himself wrote the song: the quieter clean guitars, the rock organs with a soft, spoken words section. (Spoiler alert, it is not the only time Opeth is a clear inspiration on this album.)

Without a doubt, the most Opeth sounding part on the album is on the song 'Called Home'. It starts with a beautiful classical guitar picking and after a while, the drum beat starts slowly. I don’t know who made the recording and the mixing, but it is masterfully done! Everything sounds clean, but completely organic at the same time. We also get a bit of Gojira influences here and there. On the song 'Blight' for example, it starts as a heavy technical death metal riff and drum patterns, but they add the signature “Gojira slide” here and there, which is a cool little musical easter egg. This has also a beautiful and quite long piano solo. It sounds like a grand piano, which makes the whole thing sound even more majestic!

I think I could go on and on talking about this album. After all, it was my favorite album of 2022 for a good reason. There are so much little things you don’t necessarily hear during your first listens. For example, on 'In Mourning', they adjusted the noisegate so that you can hear Greg’s breathing while he plays guitar. That subtle touch is just one example of how meticulously crafted everything is. For a few years, it was evident that Allegaeon was going more and more on the prog side, with their many Rush covers, but on Damnum, they really nailed the mix of progressive, technical and melodic death metal blend. I can’t wait to see what they will offer next!

Rating: 10 out of 10