Literally a trio of songs. Some weeks we’re going to be filled to the brim with a ton of music (see last week), other weeks aren’t going to be as busy. This week has absolutely been the latter.
Though that’s not to say the three songs that ruled this week are anything less than awesome – Mist Of Misery conjures more spectral sadness, Cognizance delivers yet another phenomenal track, and Varials offers a new song to punch everyone you know in the face to.
Mist Of Misery – “Shackles Of Life”
Mist Of Misery just has a way with simplicity, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. The band’s songs generally run between 5 and 7 minutes, include symphonic elements, but never overcomplicate things. Mist Of Misery has a few bits that fit really well together on each song, and they’re not trying to impress you with how much more they can stuff in there.
“Shackles Of Life” exemplifies that sentiment perfectly, just as the band has done on its excellent 2016 full length Absence. “Shackles Of Life” is off an EP of the same name due out August 31, and you can pre-order that here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1QBB5cOy1k
Cognizance – “The Foreboding Impasse”
To put it simply, Cognizance is one of the few technical death metal bands that I 100% believe can absolutely perform its own material. Guitarist and bassist Alex Baillie posts countless videos of himself playing and trying out new techniques, and drummer David Diepold is just a damn good drummer.
The other thing I love about Cognizance is its insistence on only putting out small amounts of material at once. A four song EP here, a single here, a double-sided single there, etc. None of this 75 minutes of wanky bullshit floating around – you just get to hear the hits all time.
So it should come as no surprise at all that Cognizance‘s new song “The Foreboding Impasse” is loaded with destructive riffs, killer vocals, and doesn’t drag on. Head over to the band’s Bandcamp to grab that track, as well as everything else Cognizance has done by now. You’ll thank me later.
Varials – “Pain Again”
Varials has been around for a few years now, and up until its signing with Fearless Records, has put out largely forgettable music. Now all of a sudden the production quality has shot through the roof for the band, the two singles its released have been devastatingly heavy, the vocals have gotten worlds better, and Varials‘ bassist has figured out a golden bass tone.
I was hooked on Varials‘ upcoming debut album Pain Again the second I heard “Anything To Numb,” though the title track  below has just solidified my belief that I’ve made a solid purchase by pre-ordering the album.
You’ve got until August 11 to do so as well.
