Lav's Music Corner

Anna Von Hausswolff is a singer/songwriter who has always made waves for their distinctly intense and occasionally brooding style of music that makes prominent use of the pipe organ. Her peak of critical acclaim came on 2018's brooding yet expansive Dead Magic . Her 2020 follow-up was an entirely instrumental record, meaning ICONOCLASTS  had the chance to be a long-awaited return to form. Instead, the record presents a sound both brighter and more intimate than ever before, but finds a similar level of fascination in doing so.  The singles predicted this shift in style, but they were all so good that I never had the chance to even be suspicious about it. "Facing Atlas" is the first of the singles to pop up on the record, and it's a great way to begin the experiment. The song sounds more like something you'd hear on a Susanne Sundfor record than what I expect from Anna. The beauty of its angelic chimes matches really well with a chapel-sized performance from Anna. ...

  Forgotten Days  - Pallbearer The doom metal band is back in action 3 years after a record that divided fans and critics. While I liked it quite a bit the band heard the criticism apparently and returned to a bit of a stricter interpretation of their doom metal mixed with elements of stoner metal sound. With a handful of compositions that run between 4 and 12 minutes I think the band makes an impact the right way but never really brings it home. Nowhere on this record are compositions with as compelling builds as so many of my favorite doom metal records of old. While the band doesn't do much wrong on the record I also don't see it as anything necessary for metal fans to hear this year. 5.5/10 Wake Of A Nation  EP - Zeal & Ardor The bands first release of new material since wowing everyone with 2018's Stranger Fruit  came on the back of three singles and features 6 tracks with a wide range of influence. While many of the socially conscious themes persist across ...