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Pressure Points - The Island

Has it already been a month since I last maundered on metal?  A lot has happened in the interim.  For one thing, I've noticed a new subgenre emerging, and I fully support its existence.  I dub thee "Opeth metal."  The Swedish stalwarts may have abandoned their deathly roots, but several pretenders to the throne have taken up the mantle and claimed jurisdiction where the writer(s) of sterling progressive death metal exemplars once resided.  One of them is Pressure Points, a Finnish band that has actually been on my radar for eight years.  Christ, eight years!?  That would mean False Lights came out in 2015, which would also mean that I haven't quite grasped the concept of time.  In any event, that was a cool record.

The Island marks another step forward for these blokes.  Songs are leaner, but they are also more melodic.  Most of the vocals are clean.  I don't see that being a problem for broad-minded fans of this kind of music.  The chorus of "Leaves on the Road" is killer, and I'm digging the synth flourishes on "Two Moons."  Check out Pressure Points if you jam Vinsta, Stormhaven, and yeah, Opeth.

Emperor - XI Equilibrium

Here lately, I've been going back and tuning into the building blocks of Norwegian black metal.  All of the main players have been fair game, especially Immortal and the subject of this blurb.  Emperor helped hatch the much-lauded second wave, but normally, metalheads only apotheosize their first two albums.  Sure, Nightside and Anthems are both classics, but why does the nostalgia end there?  Hell, back in my formative days (I call it B.C. - Before Corpse), I read more positive reviews of 2001's Prometheus than I did Equilibrium.  And Prometheus is my favorite Emperor dish, but I'm here to make certain that their third long player gets a little love.

From the very start of "'Curse You All Men!," this is a fierce, bellicose affair.  For lack of a more suitable adjective, these tunes are just pissed off.  All of Ihsahn's quirks (the proggy leads, the shrill King Diamond shrieks) make sense in the context of the tracklist and add to Equilibrium's disquieting atmosphere.  Choice cuts?  "An Elegy of Icaros"' and "Sworn," if I had to pick a couple at gunpoint.  Man, that would be a bizarre scenario.  Or is it customary for, say, gang members to ask about your preferred black metal songs before sending a bullet through your brainpan?