Cries from the Quiet World

domingo, 31 de mayo de 2026

Extreme Cold Winter "World Exit (Slipcase, Netherlands, Hammerheart Records, HHR 2021 08)"

World Exit is the first full-length by Dutch Death/Doom Metal band Extreme Cold Winter, released October 15th, 2021.

Tracklist:

Animals in Wintertime 07:05
Time Space World 09:16
Permafrost Entombment 05:07
The Sea Taketh 05:58
Pharmakia 08:14
Serpent's Seduction 06:13
Cursed Like Cain 08:46

Time: 50:39

Recording information:

Produced and mixed at The People’s Noise

Mastered at Priory Recording Studio, Birmingham, UK

Extreme Cold Winter "Paradise Ends Here (Netherlands, Vic Records, VIC106CD)"

Extreme Cold Winter is a Dutch Death/Doom Metal band, formed in Kampen, Overijssel in 2009.

Paradise Ends Here is their first EP, released in 2015.

Tracklist:

Warriors of the Wasteland 05:51
The Cosmic Rain 06:37
Siberian Darkness 06:13
Once Liquid Waters 06:10
Paradise Ends Here 01:09

Time: 26:00

Recording information:

Recorded at Excess Studios, Rotterdam.

sábado, 30 de mayo de 2026

Extol "Extol (Digipak, Pitart CD, Russia, Fono Ltd., FO1000CD)"

Extol is the fifth full-length studio album by the Norwegian Christian Progressive Death Metal band Extol, released in 2013. It was described by music critics as a mixture of death and progressive metal, with some melodic elements. Reviews of the album were very positive, and the album managed to chart on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.

In 2007 Extol went on hiatus after releasing its 2005 fourth album, The Blueprint Dives, then reformed as a trio in 2012 and announced that it had begun work on a new studio album. Consisting of prior Extol members David Husvik, Peter Espevoll, and Ole Børud, the band released a teaser video for the album on 29 May 2013. On 22 April 2013 the band released a single, "Open the Gates", for streaming on YouTube, followed by a music video for "A Gift Beyond Human Reach" on 12 June 2013. According to Husvik, "Extol was the album that was planned all the way, but never materialized. Partly due to changes in the line up, but also because of the band’s urge to always reach for something new. The album is the recap of 20 years of Extol-history, both musically and lyrically."[4] Indie Recordings released the album on 21 June 2013 in Norway, Germany, and Austria, then on 24 June worldwide, and Facedown Records released the album for North America on 25 June 2013. The album peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.

The basic style of the album was described by critics as a mixture death and progressive metal, with some melodic elements. Mark Fisher of Metal Forces wrote that "The first is that Extol have gone even further into the progressive aspect of their music than their last two albums did. The band full-on channel aspects of Rush, Yes and King's X without apology." Vocally, the band ranges from death growls to progressive, pop-style clean singing to black metal rasps and wails. Emma Johnston of Metal Hammer said that Extol takes a "distinctly kitchen-sink approach to their art, mashing together frontman Peter Espevoll's death-metal rasp with dreamy prog melodies and a relentless thrash march from the get-go." On the song "Ministers", Johnston states that Extol "turns Slayer inside out and uses their [Slayer's] riffs for their own pious means." Anthony Peronto of Christian Music Zine compared the clean vocals to Queen, and John Magelssen of Indie Vision Music specified that the singing on "Open the Gates" sounds like "Weird Al mixed with The Faceless' vocals." Magelssen described the technical style of the album as "intricate syncopated (off rhythm) beats and ever changing time signatures," and Timothy Estabrooks of Jesus Freak Hideout said that on Extol the "riffs are lightning fast and complex, the drumming is aggressive and constantly changing tempos and rhythms, and even the occasional breakdown is very well executed." In addition to the progressive death metal framework of the album, Extol works other genres into the album. Magelssen stated that the syncopated drumming on "Betrayal" leads into a thrash metal feel, and described "A Gift Beyond Human Reach" as incorporating industrial music into the intro, specifically through hammer-on-iron and similar sounds. "Faltering Moves" Magelssen characterized as a power ballad. Florian Schörg of Metal.de called the album's style as death and thrash mixed with progressive song structures and a modern djent sound. He noted that while he did find comparisons to Meshuggah and the djent music trend, Extol's varied influence keeps it from being forced into any drawers. Jakob Emhke of Powermetal.de described the song arrangements as reminiscent of Devin Townsend, but also noted similarities to Leprous, especially due to Extol's use of clean vocals. Mario of Metal 4 compared the band to Opeth, mentioning in particular the similarity between the song "Betrayal" and Opeth's album Blackwater Park.

Extol generally received high praise from critics, who championed the album as marking the return of a classic band. Petra Schurer of Metal Hammer Germany rated the album six out of seven, lauding the band for combining brilliant solos and forceful vocals with a sense of groove, a style which only a few bands pursue. He praised the band for creating songs which build slowly, not only through instrumentation but through the band's vocals. Rob Houston of HM rated the album four-point five stars out of five, calling it "a long overdue masterpiece" that is "next to flawless, with some of the most amazing song structures you will hear this year."

Jesus Freak Hideout gave the album two reviews, each of which gave the album four-point-five out of five stars. Timothy Estabrooks said that Extol "is a very worthy comeback album. It may not quite reach the heights achieved by Undeceived, but it is a worthy competitor and perhaps tops any of their other releases." Michael Weaver described the band as fashioning "one of their best albums to date..." John Magelssen of Indie Vision Music rated the album four out of five, writing that "Evolving with each CD, this band has really shown how truly impressive they are with this self-titled album." He went on to say that "...this album is far from generic and will keep you pleasantly surprised in each song." Jakob Ehmke of Powermetal.de scored the album at eight-point-five out of ten, stating that the album's complexity draws the listener deeper in with each listen. Florian Schörg of Metal.de gave the album a nine out of ten, praising the technical skill of the band, its varied influence, and its production by Jens Bogren. At Outburn, Dan Slessor rated the album an 8 out of ten, affirming that "This really is the sound of a band reinvigorated and playing as if their lives depended on it." R'Vannith of Metal Storm rated the album eight out of ten.

But a few critics took a more-mixed view of the album. Emma Johnston from the English language version of Metal Hammer rated the album six out of ten, pointing out that "there's little here to have progressive scene-leaders like Opeth looking over their shoulders." She elaborated that apart from the string-drenched interlude on "Dawn of Redemption", "Extol hardly shifts out of a single gear, but it's worth a listen for those who like their genres bobbing around in a big old melting pot." Anthony Peronto of Christian Music Zine rated it at three-point-seventy-five out of five, summarizing that while metal pioneer comebacks are not entirely new, this one did not entirely click with him. He concluded that "The music itself was excellence in and of itself but perhaps it was the odd mix of vocals that let me down. I guarantee after a few listens even a doubter like me will warm up to return of Extol and the album they've always intended to create." Mario of Metal 4 rated the album six out of ten, stating the while the album is decent, it also is fairly predictable.

Track listing

All music is composed by David Husvik and Ole Børud, except where noted.

"Betrayal" L: Peter Espevoll 4:20
"Open the Gates" L: Husvik, Børud, Espevoll 4:28
"Wastelands" L: Espevoll 4:59
"A Gift Beyond Human Reach" L: Espevoll M: Børud 4:06
"Faltering Moves" L: Husvik, Espevoll 5:57
"Behold the Sun" L: Husvik, Espevoll 4:15
"Dawn of Redemption" (Instrumental) Husvik 4:18
"Ministers" L: Husvik, Espevoll 4:19
"Extol" L: Espevoll 4:03
"Unveiling the Obscure" L: Husvik, Espevoll 5:39

Total length: 46:24

Recording information:

Recorded at OBM Studios (Stavern, Norway) and Hawk Studios (Oslo, Norway).

Mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios (Örebro, Sweden).

Martin Ludvig Engen Rosenhoff – cello (track 7, 9)

Travis Smith – art direction, illustration, layout

Jens Bogren – mixing, mastering

Kenneth Jensen – band photography

Øystein Tengesdal – additional recording assistant

Exodus "Persona Non Grata [Russia, Soyuz Music, SZCD 3435-21]"

Persona Non Grata is the twelfth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus, released on November 19, 2021. It was their first studio album since Blood In, Blood Out in 2014, and is the last album to feature vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza before he departed from the band again in 2025. This album also features guest appearances from former Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt and guitarist Lee Altus' bandmate in Heathen, Kragen Lum, who both provide guitar solos on one of the album's tracks, "Lunatic-Liar-Lord". This is the band's final album to be released through Nuclear Blast, with whom the band signed in 2003.

Plans for the follow-up to Blood In, Blood Out were made as early as 2016, and work on the album had been slowed down by relentless tour schedules and guitarist Gary Holt's commitments with Slayer, until the latter disbanded in 2019 following a farewell tour; as such, it is the first Exodus studio album to be released since Slayer's disbandment. The recording sessions of Persona Non Grata took place from September to October 2020, with the album being fully completed in January 2021. The album was initially set for release in the summer of 2021, but it was pushed back to November, due to drummer Tom Hunting's diagnosis with squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach.

After leaving Exodus in 2004 amid a bitter feud between himself and guitarist Gary Holt, frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza returned to the band in June 2014, and appeared on their tenth studio album Blood In, Blood Out, released four months later. The album received positive reviews and the band spent more than two years touring behind it. When asked in a June 2016 interview with The Age of Metal when Exodus were going to release a new album, Souza said, "I hate to speak for everybody, because one of our members [guitarist Gary Holt] plays in Slayer, which is very important to us and to him as well. And, actually, Gary is the main songwriter and has always been in Exodus. And so we'll have to, obviously, look at his schedule, but just having, actually, conversations with him since we've been home [off the road] and conversations with Tom, I mean, we know we need to keep new music going. And 2017 would be… Say it was towards the end of 2017… That would be three years since my return [to the band] and three years since Blood In, Blood Out came out. So I think that's fair to say you should be able to put a record out in that amount of time. And we've always been able to write an album in an… like, come home and concentrate on it, and within five or six months, we have it written and done — even less [time] than that. We know what we're doing. We know Exodus. We've been doing this for so many years. It's just like getting on a bicycle and riding it."

In a May 2017 interview with Metal Wani, Souza stated that Exodus would enter the studio around October or November to begin recording their eleventh studio album for a March 2018 release. Drummer Tom Hunting added, "We're just structuring songs right now. I think we've probably got five or six maybe, and the makings for the rest of 'em — bits and pieces here and there." Souza explained that the material did not sound like a continuation of Blood In, Blood Out but rather "a lot of records put together, I think.", later describing it as "heavy as shit, though — really fucking heavy." Writing for the album had continued by January 2018. Souza later went on to say that fans would have to wait until at least the end of 2019 for the release of new studio album, mainly due to Holt's commitment to Slayer's farewell tour. He then said that the new album would possibly be released in late 2019 or early 2020, promising that the album would be "very violent and very heavy".

In June 2020, Exodus announced that they would begin recording their follow-up to Blood In, Blood Out in September; pre-production of the album had begun a month earlier. In November 2020, it was announced the title of the album would be Persona Non Grata and was planned for release the following summer. In April 2021, very shortly after drummer Tom Hunting revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, Souza announced that the release of the album had been pushed back to November, though as reasons he cited both Hunting's illness and vinyl manufacturing issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On August 20, 2021, Exodus announced that Persona Non Grata would be released on November 19, and its lead single "The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)" was released on the same day through streaming services. On September 17, 2021, Exodus released the second single from Persona Non Grata, titled "Clickbait". On October 15, 2021, Exodus released the third single from Persona Non Grata, titled "The Years of Death and Dying". On November 19, 2021, the official release date of Persona Non Grata, Exodus released the album's fourth and final single, titled "Prescribing Horror".

Persona Non Grata has received highly positive reviews.

It was elected by Loudwire as the 23rd best rock/metal album of 2021. The publication also elected "The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)" as the 11th best metal song of the same year.

Track listing

All lyrics and music written by Gary Holt except where noted.