Written by:	RaduP, musclassia, X-Ray Rod, AndyMetalFreak
Published:	December 15, 2024

Wait A Minute! This Isn't Metal! - November 2024
Metal Storm's outlet for nonmetal album reviews





We here at Metal Storm pride ourselves on our thousands of metal reviews and interviews and article; metal is our collective soul and passion, which is why we bother with this junk. That being said, we'd be lying if we stuck to our trve-kvlt guns and claimed that metal is the only thing we ever listen to. Whether we want to admit it or not, we do check out some other stuff from time to time; some of us are more poptimistic than others, but there's a whole world out there aside from Satan-worshiping black metal and dragon-slaying power metal. We do already feature some nonmetal artists on our website and have a few reviews to back them up, but we prefer to limit that aspect of the site to those artists who have been a strong influence on the metal scene or who are in some way connected to it. This article series is the place for those artists who don't matter to metal in the slightest but still warrant some conversation - after all, good music, is good music, and we all know metal isn't the only thing on this planet for any of us.

Down below, you might find some obscure Bandcamp bedroom projects or some Billboard-topping superstar; as long as it ain't metal and the album itself isn't a best-of compilation, it fits. Obviously, we're certain that not everything will be for everybody (you guys can be viciously territorial even when metal is the only thing on the menu, and we're all supposed to like the same things), but we do hope you find at least one thing that you can enjoy, instead of just pointing and screaming in horror "Not metal!" as if that would be an insult.

Here are our previous features:

October 2024
September 2024
August 2024

And now to the music...

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Prolific British modern prog band The Pineapple Thief have been reliably pumping out an album every year or two, and 2024 is no different, as album number fifteen It Leads To This arrived in February. According to frontman Bruce Soord, the band had a bunch of ideas floating around during the writing sessions for that album while trying to decide upon a final track. While many of those ideas were left on the cutting floor, some of them have worked their way onto Last To Run, a 20-minute bonus for fans of the group.

Gavin Harrison joining The Pineapple Thief only further cemented the natural comparisons of the group’s music to Porcupine Tree, and catchy opener “All Because Of Me” maintains that similar vibe during the verses, while taking the song in a more direct and catchy direction in the chorus. There’s a strong emotionality lurking beneath the surface of this track, particularly in the lush solo; while it wouldn’t have been a natural album-ender, it makes for a very solid first taste of this EP. The title track opts for a more steady and smooth approach, maintaining an understated feel throughout the stop-start verses and the soothing chorus, which is nicely contrasted by the heavier distortion in “Election Day” and the brash synth blasts popping up during “The World To Me”. While it’s in some ways a ‘B-sides’ effort, I’ve found Last To Run to be as enjoyable as - if not arguably more so than – some of their other recent records.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia







From The Heights Of Our Pastureland is the third full album from Yoo Doo Right, and also the third one covered by myself; that all three were one of my top picks each month is fairly clear evidence of my appreciation towards the Québecois group. Their first two albums could be loosely classified as psychedelic rock, with a major krautrock component, but also elements from post-rock, noise rock and post-punk. Sophomore release Don’t Think You Can Escape Your Purpose was arguably more atmosphere-driven than the debut, and album number three continues that trend, as by this point, Yoo Doo Right are arguably first and foremost a post-rock band.

It’s not a generic form of post-rock, however; the churning, distorted drones and shimmering organ keys of the opening part of “Spirit’s Heavy, But Not Overthrown” sets a tone of longing that the ‘main’ part of the song nicely sustains. Guitars take on more of a textural role, while the synths oscillate melodically to add flair to the increasingly dense distortion. As on previous albums, Justin Cober’s vocals lend an unexpected post-punk touch to the music, but a song as overwhelmingly atmospheric as “Eager Glacier” has no need for vocals, and the band suitably make it an all-instrumental affair. At the other end of the spectrum, “Ponders End” is upbeat and bouncy, and also incorporates Western hints into the equation, which are reprised very effectively on the closing title track. From The Heights Of Our Pastureland is a very solid addition to this band’s consistently excellent discography to date.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Goat is a Swedish seven-piece psychedelic/experimental rock group, that's members choose to remain anonymous by performing in wildly extravagant masks and colourful costumes. The band originates from Korpilombolo, which has a history of voodoo worship, and these themes are used as main inspiration behind this mystical and spiritually bizarre musical project. The music style of this self-titled debut is completely and utterly out there to say the least, and in regard to songwriting, it's arguably their most diverse and complete yet.

To start with, you feel at times like you've taken a trip back to the golden era of psychedelic rock (that's the 60s, by the way) with the trippy keyboard effects being a main contributing factor towards that, whilst the stylish tribal-like bongos, groovy bass lines, and exceptional guitar solo's all give hints of early peak-career Santana. The experimentation is taken a step even further by the introduction of various instruments, these include the likes of saxophone and flute. This provides a twist of Frank Zappa inspired jazz fusion. On top of all that, the sound is incredibly raw, and deliberately so, almost like they want to reach out and touch your very soul so you feel at one spiritually with the music. Then the album throws you completely off guard by introducing an insanely groovy, hypnotic, trance-like disco track "Ouroboros". You really do feel like you're tripping away at this point. Simply put, Goat is a highly unpredictable and intriguing album. The music compositions are wild and wacky but truly magnificent. This is such an exhilarating experience for anyone who appreciates psychedelic rock in its truest art form.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by AndyMetalFreak





Last time we heard from this bombastic noise rock group was in 2022. I had just discovered Buñuel through their third opus, Killers Like Us. It truly impressed me and left me asking for more. Especially since Eugene Robinson’s main band, noise rock powerhouse Oxbow, were going in a calmer, jazzier, more atmospheric direction. Two major events happened between Buñuel’s previous album and this year’s Mansuetude. First, Oxbow released Love's Holiday in 2023. An album that, while good, wasn’t among my top albums from 2023 with its much calmer tone and somewhat simplistic songwriting. And things turned up even more awkward due to the second major event: Accusations made about Oxbow’s guitarist Niko Wenner which led to Eugene leaving Oxbow immediately which in turn resulted in the band’s complete disintegration.

Now, at first glance it may seem a bit unfair to focus on Oxbow for the first paragraph of this review. But Eugene Robinson has such an unique persona that his inimitable vocals are permanently attached to the memory of Oxbow as very specific music can match up his craziness. But the rest of Buñuel are more than willing to try and with Mansuetude they have once again succeeded in creating a disturbing yet captivating urban hellhole where Eugene can unleash his screams, howls, ramblings and dark spoken words. In a way, I’d say Buñuel are well on their way to become the spiritual successor of Oxbow. In some areas, they are even surpassing the disbanded group. Buñuel are carrying a very potent, muscular sound built around imposing, crushing riffs with sludgy bass and hypnotic drumming that nearly verge on metal territory. These heavy riffs are then balanced with squeaky, unpredictable lead guitars that add a maddening improv touch to the music. This is all enhanced by an impeccable production that matches the loud, confrontational nature of the music. Truth be told, this Buñuel album in particular had me * this close* to just create a band profile on Metalstorm and write this as a regular Main Page review. And some of the guests featured in Mansuetude reaffirm this heavy sound. Jacob Bennon from metalcore giants Converge and Megan Osztrosits from noise rock / sludge metal freaks Couch Slut lend their throats to Buñuel for some pretty insane duets. And let’s not forget the crazy sounds made by guest Duane Denison from the legendary noise rockers The Jesus Lizard.

If you want truly bold music and are yearning for your next fix of dark, pensive aggression then look no further. I hope no clashes will happen the day Buñuel performs at Roadburn Festival next April. Because I’m most positive that it will be an adrenaline-filled experience given how powerful Mansuetude is.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by X-Ray Rod







It’s not always easy to find new stoner/psychedelic rock that offers something a bit new, so SoftSun captured my attention early on with debut album Daylight In The Dark. A collaboration between Yawning Man’s Gary Arce, Superlynx’s Pia Isaksen and Dan Joeright from Earth Moon Earth, Daylight In The Dark is sedate, gazey and expansive, crafting dreamy, languid soundscapes accentuated by Isaksen’s soothing voice. “Unholy Waters” is an excellent introduction to the band’s approach, with the guitars creating rich, warm textures propelled by steady drum grooves.

Those guitar textures often offer shimmering, light melody, but there’s also some genuine heaviness to the distortion at key moments, as heard in the title track and the crunching bass tone opening up “Continents”. Still, it is the ethereal and the ornate that defines Daylight In The Dark, which takes cues from shoegaze and post-rock; however, the call of the desert is unmistakable in the slick groove and trippy guitar tones heard in “Dragged Across The Desert Floor”. Yawning Man have released some really lush desert jams in the past couple of years; this song, and other moments on the album, take that lush richness, but build upon it in impressive style with the more contemplative tone brought to the table by Isaksen.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia







In spite of Elder’s increasingly prolific output in the past decade, Nick DiSalvo’s musical ambitions were evidently not being fully met, as he used the pandemic as an opportunity to properly pursue his own solo aspirations with Delving, a project that has to date released two albums I’ve been vocally fond of. Even Delving did not fully sate an appetite for creating serene psychedelic rock, as DiSalvo has subsequently formed Weite with Elder bandmate (and Delving live guitarist) Michael Risberg, Delving live bassist Ingwer Boysen, and also Ben Lubin and Fabien de Menou. Sophomore release Oase arrives quick on the heels of 2023 debut release Assemblage.

While DiSalvo has traded in his guitar for a pair of drumsticks in Weite, the output of this band bears an obvious resemblance to that of Delving (and parts of Elder); how much that can be attributed to the presence of Risberg, DiSalvo’s own writing contributions here, or just a simple shared musical appreciation is hard to judge from the outside, but as a big fan of both of DiSalvo’s other projects, I am very happy to hear more in a similar vein from Weite. The music here is perhaps more oriented towards krautrock than the other two projects, but the influences of retro psychedelic and prog rock bands is evident, among other styles. The likes of “Versteinert” and “Roter Traum” are delightfully warm, peaceful psychedelic jams that glow with their melodicism, but there are slightly more distorted and full-on passages in the multi-phase and complex “Eigengrau”, and there’s an upliftingly triumphant feel to the closing stages of album finale “The Slow Wave”. Anyone who’s enjoyed previous music from the members of this ensemble would do well to give some of their attention to Oase.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





The all-instrumental approach and diversity in dynamics across Five and its comprising songs makes labelling Whale Fall as a post-rock band an easy categorization, but doing so overshadows the scope and diversity of sounds found within the record. It’s not just the presence of non-metallic instruments such as cello, saxophone, trumpet and melodica that factors into this, although the manner in they are used sometimes takes the group in directions as varied as mariachi (“El Jinete”) or reggae (“Apocalypse Wow!”). Whale Fall are a post-rock band, but they’re much more than that as well.

“El Jinete” makes this clear early on; there’s a Western feel to the song that takes my mind to acts such as Trophy Scars even before the mariachi-style trumpet melodies appear. It’s a song that remains relatively understated throughout, but the likes of “Chronophobia” and “Fjord Lightning” have big lumbering heavy moments; the surrounding softer passages do owe a bit more to prog rock, though, particularly due to how keyboards are employed during them. Offering sounds more recognizable to post-rock fans are the twinkling “Football Movie: The Movie” and low-key “Apocalypse Wow!”, the latter at least until the melodica kicks in with the reggae drum beat. Five is the exact kind of album that a modern instrumental rock band with an interest in dynamics should make; it takes many of the strengths of post-rock, but also finds more than enough ways to expand their horizons as to not drown in the sea of crescendocore clones.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia







In our previous non-metal article, I covered the A side of Phuyu Y La Fantasma’s double album. It was an exhilarating mix of seemingly incompatible genres. Noise rock, folk music (Chilean cueca), indie rock and aggressive jazz. It felt like a wild fever dream that easily went from blissful to downright nightmarish. I was super intrigued to listen to more material from this project so I quickly sunk my teeth into the second part of this work when I got the chance.

Damn, Phuyu Y La Fantasma is good at playing with my expectations. Side A had 16 tracks with lengths that were short enough to make you think this was a grindcore album. The genre jumping also gave the album a very intense edge. Side B on the other hand makes a full 180 degree turn. This is just one 30-minute long track which puts emphasis on the more atmospheric, calm textures the project has explored before. The folk aspects are in full blossom and slowly get more complex and heavier in traditional post-rock fashion until the harsh noise rock touches leave a satisfying, ringing feedback in your ears. The concept of Side B revolves around Phuyu, a young girl who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where environmental disasters have caused the oceans to engulf the Earth almost completely. Only a small fraction of the South American population is left alive and they live in the Andes. There are no harsh moments here and the pacing is impeccably soothing. In a way, this enhances the grim and desolate scenario depicted by the lyrical content. Phuyu Y La Fantasma has released a lullaby for the end times. Beautiful yet utterly horrifying at the same time. A thought-provoking composition by a project that is comfortable with pushing boundaries.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by X-Ray Rod





It was a bit funny seeing Father John Misty somehow manage to often have his own album releases so close in date to another artist on this edition, sometimes as close to as a single week, and now finally both Mahashmashana and GNX have been released on the exact same day. Fun coincidences that I hope do lead to the two of them eventually collaborating in some way, Mahashmashana does follow what felt like the least exciting of Father John Misty's releases, 2022's Chloë and the Next 20th Century, an album that did away with most of the folksier sounds of previous leanings in favor of more lounge-like traditional / baroque pop, so I was curious to see if a new album would refine that or lead to another change in direction.

The answer is closer to the former than the latter, as it still remains free of the aforementioned folkier leanings and more towards a traditionally inspired baroque pop sound, often with very lush and grandiose string instrumentations to boot. But Mahashmashana's more ambitious in how in handles that, evident from the nearly ten minute long self-titled opener feeling more imposing than lounge-like, but also due to the deviations in sound, from the more rocking instrumentation of tracks like "She Cleans Up" to the noisier indie of "Screamland" (especially in that chorus) to the disco grooves in "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All".

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





I do miss a lot of music by mostly focusing on acts that I'm familiar with, even in genres that I know I have a fondness for. I briefly considered Seed Of A Seed for last month's edition (since the 1st of November release date was close enough, and I already included a couple with the same release date), and after giving it a listen and being intoxicated by its vibe, it was the first one that I added to my queue for this edition. Having no kind of lineup connection and only a single previous album that I hadn't heard of beforehand, I had to take Seed Of Seed by its own merits as a folk album, and how well it presents Haley's qualities and a singer/songwriter.

Having listened to both side by side, Seed Of A Seed doesn't jump too far from 2018's I Need To Start A Garden, despite the huge gap between the two, both of them being albums focused on vocals and guitars with a pretty intimate and naturalistic ethereal vibe. There's enough instrumentation, although very subtle, that acts as accompaniment. The biggest difference between the two albums is that Seed Of A Seed feels more expansive and band-like than purely singer/songwriter-ish, letting the americana indie folk also take a dash of progressive folk in its guitar melodies. But the biggest upside is how easy and gorgeous Seed Of A Seed is.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





I covered i Häxa’s Part Three in the August edition of these articles; in hindsight, perhaps this was an impatient move, as I already knew a full album compiling all 4 EPs from this year was in the pipeline for i Häxa, the project of Anavae’s Rebecca Need-Menear and multi-instrumentalist Peter Miles. As each EP has its own distinctive identity, it’s likely unsurprising to find that the combined experience of listening to i Häxa is a varied one, one that feels as if it travels through musical movements, from the almost ambient sounds of the first EP through to increasingly rock-influenced tracks later on.

Early songs on the record, such as “Underworld” and “Inferno”, have bleak, understated sonic backdrops, and the sparse electronic beats (with an industrial flavour on the former) only add to the muted darkness of the music. “Sapling” is the first track featuring a drumkit, but “We Three” is the first song that feels shifted away from the dark ambience of the first tracks towards something a bit closer to a soft prog vibe, something furthered by the cinematic synths on “The Well”. Later cuts like “Dryland” and “Blue Angel” see i Häxa explore even brighter and voluminous tones, but curve balls appear in the form of “Destroy Everything” and “Infernum”, both of which go heavy on the electronics and offer a style closer to drum & bass. While i Häxa does incorporate a variety of styles, the generally muted and gloomy atmosphere with which said styles are rendered maintains a consistency in sound that ties all four EPs together into a natural combined release.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





And you don’t seem to understaaaaaaaand…
The cult status behind the English alternative rock/pop band Bôa is largely based around the fact that the opening track “Duvet” from their debut album became the opening for the cult classic sci-fi anime Serial Experiments Lain. It was notorious that an anime had its opening in English with no Japanese version at all. It’s also notorious simply because that song fucking slays. It is a fascinating series of events that led to Bôa reaching a cult status despite being more or less invisible after their 1998 opus. Anime fans can be pretty intense so naturally the love around the song "Duvet" and Bôa in general can be traced to them and that fiery devotion was in no risk of being extinguished.

And then it happened, Bôa resurrected out of the blue. It is truly beautiful because it is as if they never left. The elements that set Bôa apart from other bands are also present here. They have a very special sound which I like to call “doom pop”. This is a term I also use to describe another English artist which I find equally brilliant, namely Dido. And I think there is a lot of common ground between the two: Bôa’s music is instantly catchy and professionally produced with prominent bass, solid drumming, striking string sections and a warm sound on both the electric and acoustic guitars. All the compositions are very detailed with multiple layers of melodies that quickly engulf the listener. There is a melancholy that runs along their music which at first seems almost subliminal but the more you listen to their songs the more it chills the room. And those vocals. Oh, man. I am astonished at how Jasmine Rodgers has been able to preserve her voice after more than 25 years. Her soothing tone is so calm and carries the warmth of a loving hug. When she decides to turn up her volume damn is it electrifying like on the tracks “Worry” and “Strange Few”.

I prefer to describe Bôa as a pop band first and foremost. To me, they are a prime example of what pop music should be about: A complete overhaul of the senses as the listener instantly falls in love over catchy music. When every track is an instant hit. When every melody is made to stick to you like glue. That’s pop to me. I seem to understand now.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by X-Ray Rod







Not every music publication or commentator waits until the actual end of the year to publish their year round favorites (therefore we're the only ones you should take seriously), but the upside of that, for us, is that we get to check some of what they picked and we missed while it's still technically within a covering range. Yes, Moves In The Field is a March release, and I'd normally not make such a large exception, but one of the music channels I love most just published their first video in a long time, ranking their favorite 20 albums of 2024, and out of the albums I didn't get to cover, this one stood out the most.

First off, this is a piano-only record, which makes is that much more difficult to talk about. It's quite amazing to fill 45 minutes with a single instrument, albeit a very versatile one, without sounding neither sappy nor repetitive nor too much like a soundtrack. Most of the compositions feature two layers of pianos, one more repetitive and one more playful on top of it, in a way that sounds so elegant and entrancing, somehow making sense that a cover art as enchanting as this works with a piano-only record. There are intricacies here that betray the programmed nature of one of the pianos, but the duet between the two feels as human as can be.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Fun fact: this very day when I'm writing this write-up is the same day when Michael Kiwanuka got confirmed for a festival I'm likely attending next year, so that's double the push to write about this. Michael Kiwanuka is probably my favorite soul artist, possibly because I didn't have any special connection to the actual greats from the 60s and 70s and some of the songs from 2016's Love & Hate and 2019's Kuwanuka like "Hero", "Cold Little Heart", and "Love & Hate" ended up being my favorite that the genre has to offer. Obviously I'd be very interested in a follow-up, especially given that five entire years have passed since the previous one.

Small Changes is a much more stripped back and easy listening album comparatively, leaning more towards a smoother soul sound and doing away with most of the art rock leanings that its predecessors had. As a result, Small Changes relies a lot more on its lyricism to make a mark, which is a department where Michael is definitely not lacking, making the melancholic sound fit the introspective lyrics like a glove. However that does make the album feel like it lacks obvious highlights and, as a full listening experience, it takes a bit more to let it grow on you. Thankfully I have plenty of time until next summer.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





While it’s been several years since Flying Lotus’s last full album, there’s been various forms of activity from the producer (aka Steven Ellison) since, whether it be his soundtracking of the anime Yasuke (which he also executive produced), branching out into directing with upcoming moving Ash, or collaborating with Devin Tracy on a pair of singles. The latest non-album project is the surprise release EP Spirit Box, which is surprising not just for its unannounced existence prior to its release, but also for the presence of vocals from Ellison himself.

The EP is just shy of 30 minutes, although a third of that is instrumental versions of the three songs featuring vocals. The first of these, “Garmonbozia”, has a touch of vaporwave to its synths and beats, and a fairly smooth vocal performance (albeit very effects-laden) from Ellison. The other two vocal appearances, Dawn Richard on “Let Me Cook” and Sid Sriram on “The Lost Girls”, might be divisive for their own uses of vocal effects, but the latter is intriguing for its extensive use of hand percussion and jazzy ambience. Bookending these songs are the catchy house anthems “Ajhussi” and “Ingo Swann”, resulting in a surprising amount of variety across the EP’s duration.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Being off the map for nearly five years after being the biggest rapper on the planet was quite a noticeable absence for Kendrick Lamar in between 2017 and 2021, and then returning with an album that tipped the scales away from his more accessible fun side towards a more introspective and conceptual album about generational trauma with 2022's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, an album I really appreciate but that made people question Kendrick's place at the top of the hip-hop game due to its inaccessibility and lack of hits. That album also presented a more "healed" version of Kendrick, so seeing him choose violence this year by engaging in a very publicized rap beef with arguably the most commercially successful artist, let alone rap artist, Drake, and then promptly mopping the floor with him, was a sight to behold but also quite a jarring Machiavellian transition. It did however place Kendrick right back in the center of public attention.

Having a surprise album after accaparating so much of the public attention towards him, and then having said album tip the scales back towards something more fun and accessible compared to its predecessor, something that does feel like an extended victory lap after winning the beef, but without having that inform the lyrics too much aside from the opener. GNX does have its own more conscious serious moments, "Reincarnated" being the best example of that, but that's also completed by a bunch of R&B/soul leaning cuts, some of the songs having SZA features, but also bangers like "TV Off" (that absurdly hyped DJ Mustard shout is definitely the album's best moment). Stylistically it feels a lot like 2017's Damn, a more accessible song-focused record after a conceptual one.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP

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