![\"Toothgrinder](\"https:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/9fb606029f654751c1eb1bb7d953c994\/tumblr_o147kp69171r8no6so1_540.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Toothgrinder<\/b>. As you can imagine, this is not your average top 40 artist. Straight away, the name breathes confidence in finding a vicious, hard-hitting album, and they do not disappoint.<\/p>\nToothgrinder<\/b>. As you can imagine, this is not your average top 40 artist. Straight away, the name breathes confidence in finding a vicious, hard-hitting album, and they do not disappoint.<\/p>\n
The four-piece from Asbury Park, New Jersey hold ‘Nocturnal Masquerade’<\/i> in the palm of their hands, marking their debut release through Spinefarm Records<\/b>. Having toured with The Faceless and After The Burial in America in December, they\u2019re in the midst of a formative period behind the amps.<\/p>\n
‘Nocturnal Masquerade’<\/i> delivers influences from the progressive metal world and the straight-to-the-point aggressive side of the alternative realm. Whilst being labelled as prog Toothgrinder<\/b> also throw in some aggressive punk and, dare I say it, some nu-metal as well with some down tuned guitar sounds and frequent whispers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Opener \u2018The House (That Fear Built)\u2019<\/i> wastes no time in informing you the album\u2019s overall tempo, with a Middle Eastern guitar vibe closely followed by vivid rage. Their musicianship is prevalent throughout, as sticksman Wills Meller has done a stellar job delivering fine grooves and a technique made for easy listening. Matt Arsendorf\u2019s aggressive vocal style, particularly amidst \u2018Lace & Anchor\u2019<\/i>, proves an impressive focal element despite showing signs of monotony in places. Keen to showcase everything from blackened, bloody screams to mellow guitar sections that are almost epic, this second track really brings together their many and varied elements.<\/p>\n
This effort also contains some frequent diversions to clean vocals and, as much I\u2019m a fan of the contrast for the sake of diversity, the cleans are perhaps better suited in some places than others \u2013 after all, less is more. \u2018Blue\u2019<\/i>, for example, is a great example of the blend between harsh and clean and also the combination of slow grooves and pacey riffs. Although it\u2019s not always perfect, the transition from aggressive pace to soft crawling flows very well overall and appears well executed.<\/p>\n
\u2018Nocturnal Masquerade\u2019<\/i> is a fine effort, including the song itself which is my personal highlight and delivers a slow, heavy atmospheric avalanche unto the listener. Elements like this could help Toothgrinder<\/b> ambush the metal scene at this rate, and it\u2019ll definitely be interesting to see what they can deliver in a live capacity. Toothgrinder<\/b> finish their journey with a ballad-esque number entitled \u2018Waltz of Madmen\u2019<\/i>, containing frequent dark whispers and haunting melodies, bordering on some expert levels of heavy doom which, for me, is a great ending to a great album.<\/p>\n
3.5\/5<\/p>\n
‘Nocturnal Masquerade\u2019<\/em> by Toothgrinder<\/strong> is released on 29th January on Spinefarm Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Toothgrinder<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n Words by Andrew May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Toothgrinder. As you can imagine, this is not your average top 40 artist. Straight away, the name breathes confidence in finding a vicious, hard-hitting album, and they do not disappoint. The four-piece from Asbury Park, New Jersey hold ‘Nocturnal Masquerade’ in the palm of their hands, marking their debut release through Spinefarm Records. Having toured […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[4097,313,633],"class_list":["post-6463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-nocturnal-masquerade","tag-spinefarm-records","tag-toothgrinder"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n