Another month of not enough time, and too much music to listen to. Instead of listening to new things, for the most part, I decided to go back in time a little…

Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation⌗

However, firstly, I finally got around to listening to this. I had held off well past the actual release date to find some time to listen to it on vinyl for the first time. Harridan had grabbed my attention some time ago with it’s blend of newish Steven Wilson and newer PT, so was curious to see what the rest of the album would bring. It’s definitely no FoaBP or Deadwing, although it’s pretty good, and I have hopes it will grow on me a bit more as I give it more spins. The fact that it sounds like latter-era SW is interesting given that it sounds like they’d written some stuff quite some time ago, showing how forward thinking SW can be.

Archspire - Relentless Mutation / Bleed the Future⌗

Went on a bit of a tech-death kick, helped by a couple of hours alone in the car, giving me the perfect opportunity to spin these two bad boys. Holy crap, just insanely good. The intensity is almost as phenomenal as the musical talent. If you haven’t seen it, watching their mums watch the Drone Corpse Aviator video for the first time is hilarious :)

Obscura - A Valediction⌗

Another tech-death pick, although arguably a bit more poppy than their previous efforts. When Stars Collide is just epically catchy, and tends to garner repeated listens.

Bloodbath - Breeding Death / Resurrection Through Carnage⌗

Had forgotten about ordering these two on vinyl, and had them turn up on the doorstep unexpectedly. While always a fan of these two, finally listening to them on (coloured!) vinyl has made me an even bigger fan. The clarity and beefiness of the recordings really shine through. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Ghost - In Absentia⌗

Yep, finally stopped listening to Impera. Grumble. Hope you’re happy now.