Kicking at the Boundaries of Metal

As they age, extreme metal merchants often inject various non-metallic styles into their songs in order to hasten their musical growth. Sometimes, as with Alcest and Jesu, they develop to the point where their original vision is at least partially consumed by their new sounds, and their albums feature as many or more elements of post-rock, prog, hardcore, alternative, industrial or jazz as they do metal. Regardless of the genres in which they dabble, acts that create the right synergy between experimentation and extremism can be breathtaking to listen to. Whether they strive to create nightmarish soundscapes, construction site cacophony, or mind-bending puzzles of sound, the bands on “Kicking at the Boundaries of Metal” are about as interested in making conventional music as they are in being categorized in any specific genres. They may never be rock stars, but many have already ascended to a level of artistry that transcends mere celebrity.