Album Review
Daxma – “The Head Which Becomes the Skull” [Album Review]
For fans of Pallbearer and Bomb The Music Industry comes a devastating album from Oakland, CA natives Daxman.
The tortured opening strains of The Head Which Becomes the Skull, the latest offering by Oakland, CA outfit Daxma (pronounced Dak-muh) signal an album that grows more and more laboured the further into its embrace the listener finds their self. The metaphor of labour is useful for an opening track entitled “Birth”, a slow and crushing opener to the record. The rest of what follows is as cerebral in its approach as the band’s ambitious manifesto, one which cites thinkers ranging from Hegel to Marx to Kierkegaard as its influence.
There is an adulation of the all-too-important crescendo, and Daxma successfully captures this spirit in what they do. While what the band is about politically and ideologically may be lofty, so too is the post-rock metallic sound here. The diversity of instrumentation and arrangement elevate the release from genre example to mighty greatness, which is telling for a band that walks in the footsteps of other progenitors such as Bomb The Music Industry and Red Sparowes.
Expression is key on this album, as it is an emotional journey that welcomes the listener to enjoy the long ride, all the while questioning the inner motives that lie behind one’s life. Perhaps this is the key to enjoying the album, perhaps not. All we can know is this is a titanic album that deserves to be heard by anyone with even a cursory interest in bands like Pallbearer or Elder. If this includes you, this somber addition to a growing body of work for post-rock and -metal enthusiasts is absolutely for you.
The Head Which Becomes the Skull Track Listing:
01. Birth
02. Wandering Beneath The Eternal Sky
03. Abandoning All Hope
04. Aufheben
05. Our Lives Will Be Erased By The Shifting Sands Of The Desert
06. The Head Which Becomes The Skull
Run Time: 51:03
Release Date: November 17, 2017
Hear Daxma’s entire new album, here. Score!
-
Indie4 days ago
Good Kid: “We’re a very square band. We just like playing video games or board games with each other.”
-
Metal2 weeks ago
While She Sleeps: “We never wanted to be a band that finds our sound and just sits with that. We’ve always wanted to push the boundaries…”
-
Alternative/Rock2 hours ago
The V13 Fix #009 w/ Boundaries, Sum 41, Devon Thompson and more
-
Alternative/Rock1 week ago
The V13 Fix #008 w/ Blanket, Pallbearer, The Dirty Nil and more
-
Metal1 week ago
Cattle Decapitation Unleash Grindcore Hell on Sold-Out Leeds Stylus [Photos]
-
190 Proof1 week ago
190 Proof: Wynona Bleach Reveal Drunken Memories and Trips to Underground Vaping Clubs
-
Music1 week ago
Bali’s MANJA Premiere Heavenly New Single “MNSF”
-
Indie2 days ago
Nicolas Michaux x Adam Green Premieres Cover of Cult Classic “She’s an Easy Rider”