RINGS OF SATURN

RINGS OF SATURN has been on the SF Bay Area scene since 2009 and has been a leader in the fusion of technical death metal, progressive metal and deathcore along with themes of alien worlds and outer space. The band has referred to its style as aliencore, a term that pretty much describes them without all the extended nomenclature. Having emerged in 2010 with its unique style of proggy deathcore with experimental touches, RINGS OF SATURN has been popular throughout the 2010's and has released five albums along with three instrumental versions of three of those.

After 2021's "Embryonic Anomaly Remake" the band began implode after guitarist / bassist / keyboardist Lucas Mann threatened long term record label Nuclear Blast with slanderous assaults on the label's reputation. What initiated this remains a mystery however the label was having none of Mann's explosive vitriol and dropped the band like a hot potato. Soon vocalist Ian Bearer jumped ship followed by guitarist Joel Omans and drummer Marco Pitruzzella which pretty much left Lucas Mann as the only founding member. Having no record label MANN decided to release new material independently and completely reinvent the band.

The eponymously released RINGS OF SATURN album has finally risen from the ashes in the middle of 2022 and shockingly takes the project in a completely new world of experimental metal. While the tech death, deathcore and prog metal are still here to be heard, this album deviates significantly from anything from the past in that for a majority of the album's run it drops the metal completely and dabbles in everything from trap EDM and jazz to trip hop and even symphonic orchestrations. Probably quite a shock for those who follow the band considering this is one band that has always delivered an electrifying energetic delivery of deathcore in full fury with the psychedelic and progressive accouterments serving as contrast as opposed to the majority of the musical style.

Another feature that is completely new is that RINGS OF FIRE is now completely instrumental with no vocals to be heard. The result of all these changes amounts to a very bizarre mishmash effect that isn't as bad as it sounds given the complexity of the instrumentation and virtuosic performances but isn't as good as it should be either. Deathcore fans are not known to be the more open-minded and explorative in nature when it comes to the cross-pollinating of disparate musical genres so it comes as no surprise that this one is getting panned big time. Yeah, pretty much everything the band had developed in its career is mostly gone. No more themes of extraterrestrial civilizations and outer space sagas. No more vocals, no more energetic fury. This sounds like a completely new band because it basically is.

Whatever happened between Mann and Nuclear Blast has resulted in Mann getting the raw end of the deal. Was it a dispute over creative license or something more childish? Whatever the case this new direction from RINGS OF SATURN is an interesting one but not well executed in the least. This really sounds like an artist stumbling over itself to find a new direction to head. The music equivalent of throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what will stick. All in all i can't say this is a totally bad release if taken on its own terms but it's not really a memorable one either. Even the hardcore death metal and core elements have been neutered. This album really sounds like a lost puppy trying to find its home. Something tells me this one is leading it straight to the humane society. Too bad. A Bay Area cult legend is no more. R.I.P.

2.5 rounded down