ILM METAL POLL 2018 RESULTS THREAD!

Thanks to everyone who voted. We received 33 ballots and big big hails to seandalai for doing the hard work tabulating.

Drugs a money and I are going to post a bonus 25 albums this weekend and the 100 will start Monday.

As always there is a Results playlist

125 Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits 75 Points, 3 Votes

https://i.imgur.com/7ZzgyMd.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/2lUZ9w5P1SCM1yViaQNfuA?si=-mWf1aTSQrWUykGz4NM0-Q

spotify:album:2lUZ9w5P1SCM1yViaQNfuA

http://www.blabbermouth.net/cdreviews/grimmest-hits/

Zakk Wylde has entered a unique phase in his venerated career. Of late, he has been running about with his tribute band, ZAKK SABBATH. After dropping 2016's compelling "Book of Shadows" sequel album, Wylde is set to rejoin his patron papa bear on the road. Ozzy Osbourne, who recently completed a book-closing run with BLACK SABBATH, has announced a two-year-plotted solo career farewell tour with Zakk Wylde on lead guitar. The circle revolves fittingly as Wylde releases his latest BLACK LABEL SOCIETY album, "Grimmest Hits", one unloading a gratuitous dose of SABBATH overtures. If it was anyone else, that might be a trite, overdone prospect. This being Zakk Wylde, however, the results yield gratifying adoration.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY smooshes doom and blues together with full salute tilted toward BLACK SABBATH on "All That Once Shined", "Disbelief", "Bury Your Sorrow", "Seasons Of Falter" and "A Love Unreal". On the latter, Wylde can't vocally emulate his good friend Ozzy enough, in cadence if not pitch. Such as it's always been.

The fugue-whispered intro to "Trampled Down Below" opens up a somber march with John DeServio's plucky bass line dishing a monster groove for Zakk Wylde to wistfully dig his vocals into, and naturally to drop a juicy guitar solo over. DeServio is nearly as much of a force as Wylde himself on this album. The moody tone carries into "Seasons Of Falter", which plods upon the backbone of Jeff Fabb's steady crashing, the solemn guitars yet compelled to create an agreeable counter melody. The up-tempo rhythm, blaring bass and scattered blues bombs on "The Betrayal" give the album a hearty shake at the right spot.

As a master rock balladeer, Zakk Wylde engineers equal winners with "The Only Words" and "The Day That Heaven Had Gone Away". Their infectious glides provide customary shades of grace amidst the pounding antagonism—"Room Of Nightmares" punching the snot out of everything in-between them. The organ behind both songs' sprawling easygoingness hums along like an admiring bystander.

Jeff Fabb leads "Illusions Of Peace" even more than Wylde with a crushing rhythm that ceases only during the breath-catching breakdown. Fabb's sweat is matched by "Illusion's of Peace"'s enormous riffs and Zakk's fiery solo. With Dario Lorina on second guitar, the bulk in this band isn't contained strictly to Wylde's shredded biceps.

"Grimmest Hits" being what it is, a partial excuse for Zakk Wylde to shower his affection for Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH to blaring effect, this open love letter will delight Wylde fans. As a BLACK LABEL SOCIETY album, it has the required elements to qualify it as thus, but the gist of "Grimmest Hits" is most concerned with keeping the Birmingham doom torch blazing eternal.

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/grimmest-hits-zakk-wylde-and-bls-serve-up-a-collection-of-radio-unfriendly-loudness-on-their-new-album

You’ve got to give Zakk Wylde this much—he can never be accused of overhyping himself. When asked if his latest Black Label Society album, Grimmest Hits, is a greatest hits set, he scoffs, “No. That would imply that I had the one essential ingredient for a greatest hits album: hit songs.”

He recounts a phone call he received from one of his record label reps when he was cutting the album. The exec asked, “Are there any hits?” Wylde let out a sad sigh and said, “I don’t think so. It’s looking rather grim.” Just like that, the album’s title was born, and the guitar star thinks it makes perfect sense. “This way, when somebody listens to the record and says, ‘I don’t hear any hits,’ I’ll go, ‘Exactly, jackass. That’s why it’s Grimmest Hits and not Greatest Hits.’

An auspicious start to be sure.

3 votes!

I haven't seen the ballots so I have no idea who voted this year but I hope this makes the day of those 3 voters.

Look forward to imago and tt liveblogging their listening

How come we decided to do it at 125 albums and not the ubiquitous 100?

25 bonus albums for the weekend

75 points for three votes! What is the place for a 25-pint album of which that is the average ballot score?

You would need to ask seandalai that as I have no idea of the weighting

Whoa that was quick.

33 ballots was a good opportunity to make this a Top 66 - almost a very beastly number and deferent to the 77. Quality, not quantity. I shall tune in when you reach #66

Kind of you to volunteer to run the 2019 poll. But DAM & I will finish this one first, thanks.

124 Deep Space Destructors - Visions from the Void 76 Points, 2 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/Rjn8ZIU.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5zg8oj2XErF1cfdk4jsAcR?si=n7Z4M3B7R7-G0Asj6pAOgg

spotify:album:5zg8oj2XErF1cfdk4jsAcR

https://deepspacedestructors.bandcamp.com/album/visions-from-the-void

released December 10, 2018

On "Visions from the Void" pieces of the DSD hivemind are aligned with Dr. Space, contributing analog synthesizers for the whole album, as well as Antti "Yskä" Ylijääskö playing saxophone on "Tyhjyyden Mantra", Joonatan Elokuu Aaltonen devoting synthesizers, mellotron & guest vocals for "Floating", and TYHJÄ PÄÄ (Void Head) providing analog space sounds & drones for "From the Void".

"Visions from the Void" was recorded and mixed at Tonehaven Studios by Tom Brooke, while the guest artist were recorded in different locations. Mastering was done by Mojolab.

Yet again extremely talented Markus Räisänen provided the artwork and the gatefold images conjured by the artist will leave no spacehead cold.

http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2018/12/17/deep-space-destructors-visions-from-the-void-review/

Deep into the album comes the hook that says it all. “Abandon space and time/Freedom lose your mind.” It’s what Deep Space Destructors have been saying all along, but it’s not until the fourth of the five total tracks, on the aptly-titled “Floating,” which leads off side B ahead of closer “From the Void,” that they actually come out and say it. Their advocacy of that position, however, is writ large across Visions from the Void, which follows less than two years from early 2017’s Psychedelogy (review here) and pushes into new cosmic reaches for the band, expanding their sound and reach along an interstellar plane of surspace, dimensions intertwining as the core trio of bassist/vocalist Jani Pitkänen (also percussion), guitarist/backing vocalist Petri Lassila and drummer Markus Pitkänen welcome a host of guest performers. Perhaps chief among them is Scott “Dr. Space” Heller, who also helms Space Rock Productions, which is the label behind this and the last release.

Heller, who also captains the USS Øresund Space Collective, contributes analog synth to all five cuts on the 43-minute LP, but he’s hardly alone here, with Antti “Yskä” Ylijääskö adding sax to side A finale “Tyhjyyden Mantra,” Joonatan Elokuu donating synth, mellotron and vocals to the aforementioned “Floating,” and Tyhjä Pää giving further drone and ambience to “From the Void.” The latter two are return appearances, but even so, their coming back is emblematic of the growth Deep Space Destructors have undertaken since their 2012 debut, I (review here), and indeed, as their evolution has unfolded across 2013’s II (review here), 2014’s III (review here), 2015’s Spring Break from Space EP (review here) and Psychedelogy, they have only proceeded outward, and Visions from the Void is their most resonant work yet, unfurling with motorik beats and drifting atmospherics along a directed swirl that holds an underpinning of consciousness even as it seems to “lose its mind” along the lysergic meditation. From opener “Psyche Remade” onward, the band only affirms their maturity and their mastery of the spaced-out forms, calling to familiar genre tropes while putting their own stamp on them in craft and manifestation.

There’s little by way of fanfare at the outset. A quick introduction of a winding guitar line starts “Psyche Remade” and within the first 10 seconds of the album, Deep Space Destructors set themselves to the work of melting brains. Their style has never been to completely jam for jamming’s sake, and not that there’s anything wrong with that approach, but the trio’s process has only come to work more for them over time, resulting in hooks that act as beacons along their charted course into the titular void. They’ve done this in the past as well, but Visions from the Void finds Jani a more confident vocalist, higher in the mix and more of a presence even as his voice is coated in a range of effects. “Psyche Remade” has standout lines urging sonic enlightenment, and that frames much of the perspective from which the rest of the record draws, a kind of expand-your-mind-blow-your-mind advocacy the second cut “Astral Traveller” soon affirms in its last line, “Free your mind/Only love can remain,” after six minutes or so of primordial space rock groove and molten synth.

Tense, progressive and classic, its genre elements are nonetheless presented with a sonic heft that classic space rock could never have claimed as its own, pushing into a realm of heavy psychedelia in its low end that only seems to emphasize the throb at heart in the rhythm and the faroutification of what might otherwise be a straightforward structure. Heller has a marked effect on the atmosphere, but as “Tyhjyyden Mantra” crashes in its nine-minute grandeur to take hold and introduce not only the end of side A, but really the crux of what will follow in the final two tracks, there’s a darkening of mood that even the surrounding swirl can’t contradict. As the centerpiece, “Tyhjyyden Mantra” swaps out English lyrics for the band’s native Finnish, and along with the arrival of Ylijääskö‘s saxophone, it provides a pivotal turning point in the narrative of the record, marking the place where one is given over to the cosmos itself in that embrace of enlightenment, becoming one with dark matter as a necessary step in that. There’s a quiet moment that starts just before the five-minute mark and is soon topped by chants and leaves on a build that I wish was longer, but it accomplishes the purpose the band has for it as is, and soon departs for an effective sax-laced semi-wash that holds out to a graceful finish.

“Floating” starts with the lyrics noted earlier, and makes itself a standout not only through its lyrical quest for freedom of mind and spirit, but through its near-orchestral progressive arrangement. The additional synth and mellotron give further breadth to that which the band has already established — and among those elements, the midsection a stretch of gotta-hear bass and guitar interplay well worth noting — particularly the mellotron arriving shortly before seven minutes in to lend a dramatic feel to “Floating”‘s apex before the return of the vocals ultimately bring it full circle. As the only inclusion to pass the 10-minute mark, “From the Void” is immediately distinct as well, but it’s more the hypnotic initial rhythm that makes it so, and the sense of arrival is multi-tiered. As listeners, we’ve arrived at that moment of freedom so fervently championed throughout the four songs prior, and as a band, Deep Space Destructors have arrived at a new level of presentation and storytelling in their work, creating a thematic arc to convey their ideas across the album’s entirety. That’s an achievement not to be understated, but their execution of the semi-title-track is in no way bludgeoning listeners with what’s happening.

Rather, it rolls out fluidly atop a steady push of drums as bass, guitar and synth craft a nod that’s both psychedelic and a fitting bed for the lyrics, a kind of watery chant that keeps aligned with space rock traditionalism even as the music behind seems to tap into mantra-ism in a different and exciting way. They cap in motorik but still smooth fashion with a guitar solo leading the way out toward what comes after the void. And one supposes that’s really the question that remains. Deep Space Destructors have found this avenue of expression and made it their own. Over the past six years, a steady growth has led them to this point, where the aspects of genre they’ve absorbed have been remade at their will. So what happens now? It does not seem to me that they’re at any kind of end point in their progression. Nothing on Visions from the Void indicates a feeling of being staid. So what comes after sonic enlightenment? Where in the cosmos do we go next? It’s a story that ends and begs further elaboration, and I for one can’t wait to find out in the next chapter from Deep Space Destructors.
Deep Space Destructors, Visions from the Void (2018)

Neither is really my thing but Deep Space Destructors sound fun.

123 Protoplasma - - 76 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/qj5VbQa.jpg

https://protoplasmaprotoplasma.bandcamp.com/releases

released March 29, 2018

SONGS - PROTOPLASMA

WITH:
VOX ON SCIFI - PROTOPLASMA NŐI KAR
SAX ON TRITON - THESEUS CLAY

REC - PROTOPLASMA
ADD-REC - PATAKI TOMI
MIX & MASTER - PUHA SZABI

ART - DÉMIEN (www.instagram.com/david_pazar)
license
all rights reserved
tags
Tags
pop brutal prog noise rock zeuhl Budapest

https://canthisevenbecalledmusic.com/protoplasma/

What a surprise I had, when sifting through the zeuhl tag on bandcamp, when I stumbled upon this Magyar brutal prog gem. Protoplasma keeps it mysterious: we don’t know who is in the band or how many they are, only that they’re from Budapest! Maybe I should organize a field trip, someday, to make some detective work… They hardly play zeuhl music, their sound is closer to experimental, noise rock, and avant-prog, but I certainly won’t mind the indirect reference.

– (Kötőjel, I guess?) is just over thirty minutes, but it’s filled to the brim with explosive riffs and rhythms, odd, reverberated vocals, and off-kilter compositions. It’s certainly an album that stands out, while showing its roots in psychedelic and progressive music. Kötőjel (-) is inventive and easygoing. You’re sure to have a good time with it!

never heard of but sounds very interesting

It's a name your price album on bandcamp

Protoplasma was my #37, which now that I think about it seems like a very low placement for something I enjoyed a lot. Sounds like children's TV themes from a nightmare future. Sort of this year's Stabscotch.

Hard rock is a genre tag I would usually avoid, but Black Label Society are sounding pleasant and proficient enough. Not sure I'd be able to vibe with a whole album of this in one sitting though.

122 The Oscillation - Wasted Space 77 Points, 2 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/FFo6OIS.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/2J0tq5Kyd647gKyWxPFU1e?si=t4INgZ3iT3WqSBEvM99nJA

spotify:album:2J0tq5Kyd647gKyWxPFU1e

https://theoscillation.bandcamp.com/album/wasted-space

Following a recalibration and consolidation with their recent electronics-inflected album, 2018’s U.E.F., The Oscillation is back with their sixth and most ambitious album to date, Wasted Space. A meditation on the nature of existence in the face of what can be insurmountable odds, Wasted Space finds The Oscillation painting from the darker shades of the kaleidoscopic scale.

“The origins of Wasted Space go back to Monographic in 2016,” muses Demian Castellanos - the mastermind behind The Oscillation. “That was a very bleak and heavy record and I really needed to move out of that mindset. Making U.E.F freed me up to write a coherent collection of narrative songs and compositions. Wasted Space is a partial continuation of a journey started with U.E.F., but one that re-incorporates more song-based ideas again.”

What’s immediately apparent is that Wasted Space sets it stall well away from the prosaic third-eye tropes that have become orthodoxy. Album opener ‘Entity’ establishes the pace with a focus on the dancefloor as much as on the navigation of existence. Fusing muscular grooves with an industrial wall of sound, these are bold steps into wholly new territories.

“There’s an irony at play here,” considers Castellanos... more
credits
released September 21, 2018

https://psychinsightmusic.com/2018/09/28/album-review-wasted-space-by-the-oscillation/

This is The Oscillation’s sixth album, and I don’t remember one that opens quite with the bang of ‘Wasted Space’. The band’s previous outing ‘UEF‘, an LP of two long tracks which really gave Castellanos the space to explore new directions and incorporate new sounds and textures, and has seemingly allowed him to hit re-set to some extent. This has certainly paid off in my opinion as this album feels really tight and focussed and yet also a departure from the album before ‘UEF’, ‘Monographic’.

The opening track, ‘Entity’ blasts out of the speakers as if transported through time from Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters’ album (my favourite of his if you’re interested). That slightly metallic tone together with a deep funky baseline have me casting my mind back to all those years ago when the great man set sonic thrusters away from the ‘Berlin trilogy’ and on to yet another persona. However, while elements of ‘Entity’ joyfully remind me of that album through there is more to this track. It’s darker and more dysfunctional (deliberately so I imagine), but is a massive dance track all the same, and here you can see Castellanos’s direction towards such as techno on the previous album.

In many ways the same could be said of the title track. ‘Wasted Space’ keeps up the funky tone, allied with darker electronic elements which really give this album it’s atmosphere. Here the joyousness of the beat is given a counterpoint with bleaker tones that match the aim of the album, which is “a meditation on the nature of existence in the face of what can be insurmountable odds”. This is further illustrated by the video released in conjunction with the album, directed by Antonio Curcetti, whose work with Castellanos I have previously featured (here). Castellanos takes up the commentary:

The concept behind the video is about the idea of losing yourself in technology and merging with it. It definitely pursues my previous themes of alienation and feeds them through Antonio’s vision and third eye.

Curcetti adds:

‘Wasted Space’ comes from a technological journey, the same each of us goes through since technology has changed our daily lives. As in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, where the main character becomes part of the interface and machinery he is investigating, in ‘Wasted Space’ Demian discovers his multi-self through the monitors.

From there ‘Visions of Emptiness’ begins in a somewhat fragmented manner before settling into a trippy rhythm that is far from passive, the beats and swirls of sound add to the meditative nature of the work, taking it away from the much darker shades of ‘Monographic’. After what is a lull, the dance patterns return with ‘Drop’ which I imagine grooving myself stupid to in the right situation. Again the catharsis of the ‘UEF’ album is plain to see as The Oscillation approaches the music which a new level of clarity.

‘The Human Shell’ is a far more considered piece which comes with Castellanos’s hope that:

People will be able to relate to this song. There’s a lot of love and empathy in there and it reaches out to say that we’re not alone, that we don’t have to exist independently of each other.

It is certainly one of those tracks that you can just sit with and let it wash over you, repeat with the fragility that we often feel in our own lives and personalities.

The album finishes with ‘Luminous Being’, which is a long instrumental piece that, to some extent, harks back to the ‘UEF’ album. But even here the sound feels somehow more crystalline, the thought patterns reflected in it somehow more clear. Indeed, there seems to be a lightness of touch here that I’ve not felt to be the case, at least to an extent, on any of Castellanos’s previous works.

‘Wasted Space’, then is for me something of a step forward for The Oscillation project. It is an album that at some points wants you to get up and dance, where as at others you are encouraged to sit and engage in contemplation. It is an album, then, about movement and the senses… and if it is about the nature of existence, for me it is how this is experienced through these media.

‘Wasted Space’ is available now from The Oscillation bandcamp page and Fuzz Club Records.

Obviously not metal yet cool nonetheless.

121 Wayfarer - World's Blood 77 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/AOmjDxT.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/1XETgWzPEDpuGiDRxAdxLf?si=dFNe8PCgRXKm-KGBJ2VB3A
spotify:album:1XETgWzPEDpuGiDRxAdxLf

https://wayfarercolorado.bandcamp.com/album/worlds-blood-2

“World’s Blood” is black metal of the American West. Wayfarer recorded the album in the winter of early 2018 at The Thousand Caves in New York under the watchful production of Colin Marston.

A reflection of the Rocky Mountains and high plains of their native Colorado, the band tells a story that is uniquely American. Drawing influence as much from the dusty, dark Americana of the “Denver Sound” and the scores of epic westerns as they do the fury and melody of black metal; Wayfarer brings something original to the table with a sound that is at once aggressive and honest. The album paints a hallucinatory picture of the western frontier, and the haunting presence of the blood in the soils from a culture lost to time.

Wayfarer was first brought together in 2012, by a group of Colorado natives. The members of the band aimed to create something original - fierce, beautiful, and honest, in order to contribute back to the pantheon of the great and timeless music that shaped them as people. The founding lineup of Shane McCarthy, Tanner Rezabek, Isaac Faulk and James Hansen released their debut album “Children Of The Iron Age” in 2014, which was later picked up by Prosthetic Records. With the release of the album, the band began what would grow be substantial touring of the material... more
credits
released May 25, 2018

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Colin Marston at The Thousand Caves.

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/wayfarer-worlds-blood/

Black metal has touched nearly every corner of the world, and Colorado outfit Wayfarer’s brand reaches to a version of the American Frontier immortalized on countless films and TV shows. Drawing from the quintessential swagger of Ennio Morricone (ubiquitous in its time and since hammered repeatedly into pop consciousness thanks to Quentin Tarantino and other subsequent luminaries) and melding this influence with the contemplative atmospherics of the Cascadian wilderness, Wayfarer channel the Old West in all its windswept and dust-caked glory.

Travel back to this blood-soaked and bullet-riddled era with our exclusive premiere of Wayfarer’s third full-length album World’s Blood below.

Wayfarer understand the immersive worldbuilding power achievable through patient songwriting across grand timescales. Over the course of three consecutive epics exceeding ten minutes and bookended by five-minute counterparts, the album develops at a consciously deliberate pace. Much of the music wallows in dirgelike tempos, creeping steadily forward as a weary yet committed caravan trundling across barren plains and through narrow mountain passes, with violent cloudbursts of blast beats and concussive tom fills puncturing the stillness.

The Western themes of World’s Blood are implied, rather than overtly stated, through rhythmic, instrumental, and melodic references. The record opens with a creeping snare crescendo suggesting the approaching footfalls of a sprinting horse. As it peaks, Wayfarer erupt into a full-out gallop, the cadence of which subtly sets the tone for the album’s concept. After several minutes of soul-withering black metal, throughout which honest, emotive leads waver mournfully over rampaging drums, the soft snare pattern returns to underpin an ambient interlude. Wayfarer could have bluntly incorporated their chosen motifs as obvious gimmicks, but instead, they’ve breathed these ideas gradually into their cinematic compositions so as to embed them on an intuitive level.

The implacable lead melodies are reminiscent of the meandering progressions spun by experimental black metal masters Krallice, a comparison made all the more readily due to Colin Marston’s role in engineering, mixing, and mastering. Marston’s morose aesthetic — distant vocals, maudlin leads, crisp bass, and thin, punchy drums — is an apt medium for Wayfarer’s lumbering arrangements. He proves an ideal partner for the band, empowering the music by focusing it though a stylistic filter which best enables it to flourish. The interplay between the unflagging dervish guitars and grounding presence of the bass adds intricacy and depth, while drummer Isaac Faulk’s soulful performance reinforces the album’s deeply organic nature.

World’s Blood is fittingly illustrated by its cover art, a vintage 1908 Edward S. Curtis photograph taken in Montana. Any identifying features of the monolithic, backlit subject are lost in shadow, the entire scene blanketed in sepia haze. Calling to mind Frank Frazetta’s iconic work Death Dealer, Curtis’s faceless rider is an ominous harbinger of the dangers that await in the merciless, wild frontier.

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/07/wayfarer-worlds-blood/

World's Blood by Wayfarer
Wayfarer on the web:
Facebook | Bandcamp |
Release date: May 25, 2018
Label: Profound Lore Records
by Gary Davidson | July 13, 2018 | Reviews

I am still trying to come to terms with what just happened after I pressed play on the third album by Denver’s Wayfarer. I was ripped from reality and placed back in the 1880’s, suddenly I could smell the plains of America and taste the sand and dust filling my lungs as my body was pummelled from riding in a rickety horse and carriage. From the go World’s Blood takes you on an adventure, imagine Little House On The Prairie through a black metal filter and you start to get on the right path.

From 1845 Manifest Destiny and various gold rushes spread the populace of North America from the east coast to the west coast and there are many highs and lows of moving such a great distance with horse power being the grandest form of transportation. Wayfarer has managed to create an album that makes you feel like you are there on that voyage. Opening track ‘Animal Crown’ captures the sense of excitement of the new undertaking with its pounding rhythm led by the drums and wrapped in a rustic, metallic riff that breaks with a heavy twang in between thrusting strums. It is very catchy, a perfect opener and one that you will keep on going back to. Yet even in this track you can begin to hear the creaks of discontent setting in and the following tracks traverse the many hurdles such a journey can produce.

The overall label for the release is black metal but it is worked so brilliantly that it is never the overbearing theme and appears in flourishes. No two tracks follow the same structure or pattern yet the atmosphere on the album is very consistent. After ‘Animal Crown’ the music sits back a bit which leaves space for a wonderful atmosphere with rich reverb to build in the gap before the deep ferocious vocals descend. On ‘The Dreaming Plain’ and ‘On Horseback They Carried Thunder’ there are outbreaks of blast beats and tremolo guitar that draw you back to black metal but ‘The Crows Ahead Cry War’ has a far more progressive feel to it and swings around the foot stomping beat of the opening track.

There is just such an ease to this album which creates a meaningful theme rather than a forced concept album. The tonality and little touches always manage to drawback to the feeling of western expansion. Little drum rolls and percussion mix with slightly metallic guitar rings, space and great production to take the listener with the band and its wagon on its mission. This is truly a cracking piece of work and is sure to stand the test of time due to its originality, it is rare to find new leaders but Wayfarer proves it is still possible to be unique.

Everynoise calls this "Christian indie" (??) but that might not be right...

Dunno this but it sounds interesting indeed

Oh I remember liking this one

My #24, and the best American(a) BM I've heard all year. Bonus points for 'A Nation of Immigrants'.

Surprised to see it place so low tbh.

did you campaign for it? that usually helps

I campaigned for a dozen or so but this one wasn't among them.

This is enjoyable!

I like the image for the Spotify playlist btw

TIE
119 Pig Destroyer - Head Cage 78 Points, 2 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/V50ZPI4.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/1GCN7SL1Z4mRyMxqb1YJGQ?si=CvEP1LMRTt-uSlXzUPtcWQ
spotify:album:1GCN7SL1Z4mRyMxqb1YJGQ

https://pigdestroyer.bandcamp.com/album/head-cage

After six long, harsh years of absence, the mighty PIG DESTROYER have reassembled to eradicate eardrums and split skulls with their highly anticipated sixth full-length opus, entitled Head Cage (named after a grisly medieval torture device). A visceral vortex of animalistic rage and extreme sonic brilliance, Head Cage is a true work of extreme metal art, that with the addition of a bass player, is hands down their most dynamic and heaviest recording to date. Across twelve tracks, PIG DESTROYER weave together harrowing tales of philosophical dualities, touching on mortality and depression, fear and violence, and the darkest complexities of the human condition, all told through the distorted lens of delightfully transgressive vocalist/lyricist JR Hayes. Musically, the band continues to push the boundaries of metal, grindcore, noise and punk, ramping up the intensity and leaving you bludgeoned in a state of utter shock, all in less than 33 minutes.

Head Cage was recorded by guitarist Scott Hull at Visceral Sound Studios, mixed and mastered by Will Putney (Exhumed, Every Time I Die, Body Count) and features striking artwork by Mark McCoy (Full of Hell, Nothing) along with guest vocal appearances by Agoraphobic Nosebleed's Richard Johnson and Kat Katz plus Full Of Hell's Dylan Walker. PLAY AT MAXIMUM VOLUME!
credits
released September 7, 2018

2018 Relapse Records
www.relapse.com
www.relapserecords.bandcamp.com

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pig-destroyer-head-cage/
8.1

119 Alrakis - Echoes from η Carinae 78 Points, 2 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/MHzBpmQ.jpg

https://selfmutilation.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-from-eta-carinae

https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Alrakis/Echoes_from_%CE%B7_Carinae/707426/

After a 7-year wait, the legendary German atmospheric black metal band, Alrakis, has returned from the dark void of space and has bestowed upon us a new slice of exquisite cosmic black metal that, in my opinion, could be the beginning stages of a cult classic for fans of this interstellar subgenre. Alrakis’ first release, “Alpha Eri”, was great in its self, but the creator, A1V, and his newest guitarist, (N.), have created something really special here. One song, titled “Echoes from Eta Carinae”, is a massive space-laced beast that measures 52:34 minutes long. Being a big fan of the funeral doom subgenre, I have grown very accustomed to very long songs and I usually cultivate much excitement when I encounter a new song over 40 minutes long. Discovering a new long song like this, for me, usually means that a band might have put forth some kind of effort in creating something fresh and enchanting - at least that’s the hope anyways. The question is, can a band create a long ass song that can captivate one’s attention and imagination and not bore them to sleep? Sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they fail. Did Alrakis deliver in creating such a song? Yes, they did indeed, and much more.

The first thing that makes Alrakis’ “Echoes from Eta Carinae” so captivating for me is understanding what kind of cosmic atmosphere they were trying to convey with this song. Being an amateur astronomer myself, I am very familiar with the spellbinding Eta Carinae. If you’re not familiar, then perhaps I can explain what it is real quick. I personally see this song as a literal musical interpretation of what Eta Carinae is and what the “Echoes” are. Eta Carinae, about 7,500 light-years away, is binary star system in the Carina Constellation. The system comprises of two main stars, the primary, named Eta Car A, and the secondary star, named Eta Car B. Eta Car A is a massive unstable leviathan similar to a luminous blue variable star. These volatile stars are over a hundred times massive than our own sun and Eta Car A is about 200 solar masses. Blue variable stars have a relatively short lifespan and end up exploding in a supernova when all their fuel is spent. The resultant explosion usually leaves behind a Black Hole. When Eta Car A explodes, somewhere between now and a million years from now, the supernova will be so bright, observers here on Earth will be able to see the spectacle during the daytime. The secondary star, Eta Car B, is a big mean bastard as well but it’s only about 50 solar masses. So, Eta Car B rotates around Eta Car A in an eccentric orbit and does so once about every 5.5 years. At their closest approach, these two stars get pretty pissed at each other. The gravity of each star tugs and pulls on each other straining the already unstable and tormented primary Eta Car A star. Sometimes their gravitational interactions strip off massive amounts of material from the primary resulting in flare-up similar to a supernova itself. When this happens, the star system becomes one of the brightest objects in the night sky. This happened in the year of 1837 and the flare-up lasted for 21 years. Known as the “Great Eruption”, the cataclysm became almost as luminescent as the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius. Now days, astronomers can detect further evidence of the 1837 eruption by observing a phenonium called “light echoes”. When this eruption occurred over 180 years ago, light from the outburst has been bouncing off neighboring dust clouds ever since. Without any known lyrics at this time to examine over, I am assuming that this song that Alrakis has created is referring to this “light echo” phenonium created by the Eta Carinae 1837 outburst.

The second and most important thing that makes this song and album so captivating is, of course, the music. The song starts out with what I perceive as the outburst or outbursts of Eta Carinae and the following echoes. This echo is eventually accompanied and slowly replaced by a slow symphony of beautiful cosmic soundscapes that drift an atmosphere of total calm and entrancing ambiance over my ears. One can easily envision following the source of the echoes by slowly approaching the Eta Carinae nebula - a kaleidoscope of cold dust clouds, gasses, stars and vibrant colors. At about the 9:30 mark, the guitars, bass, drums and vocals all kick into the atmosphere as you pass into the “Homunculus” cocoon - and their they are - the two demonic leviathans wreaking havoc on the region. As per Alrakis fashion, you will never hear any volcanic black metal style blast beats but, rather, their usual style of slow/mid-paced drumming accompanied by (N.)’s fast-ass melodic rhythm and lead guitar picking. If you’re not familiar with Alrakis’ sound try to imagine a meeting between black metal and funeral doom. A1V’s vocals are about the same as on their previous album - high-pitched black metal type shrieks and wales and the style fits perfectly with the song. Along with the atmosphere of keyboards, they proceed to create symphonic tunes of cosmic solitude, resplendence and inevitable doom. Then around 16:30, you hover near Eta Car A - the primary titan of annihilation and awe. But she is quite now, beautiful as she sleeps soundly but… Eta Car B slowly approaches. Then, suddenly, a violent burst of bright light and deadly radiation explodes across the cosmos and you are thrown light-years away. The “Echoes” of light slowly returns. Do you follow the echoes back to the source or do you retreat like a pansy-assed little bitch? Continuing on, very good. At about 28:05 the strings, drums and vocals returns. This time the vocals of A1V sounds utterly tormented, almost like he is mourning the death of something. At about 32:03, a pained and sorrowful picking of guitars floods in like the lowering of a coffin, containing someone once loved, forever into the cold ground. This is the part where I envision Alrakis’ interpretation of the future death process of Eta Carinae – a vicious upheaval of destruction and true unbridled power unlike anything any of us could possibly imagine… The supernova - an explosion so massive that even 7,500 light-years away from us would glow brightly in the daytime sky and would be brighter than the full moon at night. At about the 40:00-minute mark, the song uses the remaining time to grieve the death of Eta Carinae and explore the aftermath of the calamity with a soft relaxing symphony of beauty and majesty – a damn perfect way to end a damn fantastic and mesmerizing song.

I enjoyed Alrakis’ first album well enough but this newest release of theirs is something special. It’s everything I love in music, long as hell and chucked full of imagination, darkness and beauty – just waves upon waves of crushing atmosphere. You’ll not wish the song to end, literally. The good news is you can play it again. “Echoes from Eta Carinae” is not a song for the distracted, impatient or a rushed listener. Embark with Alrakis and this song when you have 52+ minutes all by yourself. If you’re a fan of space, cosmic, depressive, ambient and atmospheric black metal, this newest album is a must-have. If you were a fan of Alrakis’ first release and, after 7 years, gave up thinking they were done – go get this now you damn fool! Go get it!

A Pig Destroyer album in the Age of Trump, huh? It feels too easy—a standing invitation to catharsis, complete with a return envelope and postage already paid. The Mid-Atlantic’s grindcore standard bearers have rarely been overtly political, but they’ve often been relentless with their social critiques. A mental health regimen meant to curb eccentricity, a power structure where shutting up advances résumés, a religious system where ideas are presented as directives: Especially during the last decade, Pig Destroyer have attached J.R. Hayes’ subtly poetic and explicitly scathing notions to music so meticulous and belligerent that it could drive you to enlist with whatever side he’s on. Now seems like the time for Hayes to rage, to make his coded frustrations loud and clear.

But Pig Destroyer are not the kind of band to fulfill expectations. During their 20-year career, they have morphed in stepwise, deliberate fashion from grindcore exemplars into subgenre subversives, interrupting tantrums with plunges into doom and coarsening their sound with sheets of noise. They’ve never done it better than they do on Head Cage, the band’s strangest, strongest, and most accessible album ever. The landscape it paints is of a planet more terrifying than a mere president or the politics he represents could ever be. Pig Destroyer sidestep political diatribes to build a world of sheer terror, where broken hearts sink into abjection and satisfaction is a quasi-religious myth. There is a scene of Lovecraft-like horror and another of apocalyptic gloom, all animated by music as uneasy as the tribulations these dozen songs portray.

Head Cage is a vivid compendium of modern crises, where the likes of Trump are symptoms of causes too complicated for a single impeachment to eradicate. Hayes lambasts social ills one at a time, an outsider criticizing the inner workings of systems he abhors. During “Army of Cops,” he rages that we enjoy the complacent glow of contentment too much to overrun the heavy hand of the state. On “Terminal Itch,” he notes that we’ll try anything to stay young and beautiful for now, even if it means an uglier death later. And in “Mt. Skull,” he laments how we exploit the places we love until we’ve choked them into wastelands. Hayes shifts briefly into fantasy for “The Adventures of Jason and J.R.,” where a run-in with deep-state operatives and “Dick Cheney in his Halliburton jet pack” ruins a trip to the hardcore show. Even ordinary nights get crazy now.

Pig Destroyer answer these odd times by ripping apart their grindcore fabric for good, twisting the threads into surprising chimeras. In the distant past, they could fit 38 tracks into less than 40 minutes. While they’ve slowed that pace, in general, they reverted to their more straightforward hustle as recently as 2012’s Book Burner. But these dozen songs are an unabashed detour. “Army of Cops” and “Circle River” are meant for shouting out loud, anthems waiting to be echoed back to the band by heaving, sweat-soaked clubs. Navigating a hangman riff, “The Torture Fields” moves from an invocation of lumbering doom to a sermon of circle-pit madness. Grand finale “House of Snakes” suggests Neurosis writing after epinephrine injections. This is as close to crossover approachability as Pig Destroyer have ever gotten.

As with 2007’s Phantom Limb, Pig Destroyer’s breakthrough with a wider audience and their earliest clean split with genre orthodoxy, the success of Head Cage stems in part from a new addition. A dozen years ago, it was Blake Harrison, whose squeal of squelch and samples added a terrifying depth to Pig Destroyer’s charge. This time, it’s John Jarvis, the band’s first-ever bassist and the cousin of drummer Adam Jarvis. He strengthens the sound, a back brace offering support for the occasional dead-ahead rumble like “Terminal Itch” and the thrash of “Mt. Skull.” And he supplies textural breadth for the high-treble attack, battling against Harrison’s ghastly noise during “Concrete Beast.”

More important, though, is his role as a musical pivot point, allowing the band to change directions in an instant and his cousin to stretch and compress time itself. The bass holds the center of “Dark Train,” for instance, while Adam occasionally leaps over the meter, only to splash back down in a blast beat, creating the continuous sensation of whiplash. It’s like watching Usain Bolt skip through the middle of a 100-meter dash before easily sprinting to the win. And in “The Adventures of Jason and J.R.,” Pig Destroyer slide steadily from a mid-tempo march to a breakneck onslaught around the time Dick Cheney arrives, the band translating the anxious spirit of the story into sound. A quintet now, Pig Destroyer are not only louder and bigger but also more dynamic and versatile, capable of bolder ideas and executions.

One of the year’s best and most urgent metal records, Head Cage is a fitting counterpart to another essential bit of 2018 heaviness, Thou’s Magus. Like Hayes, Thou’s Bryan Funck confronted our confounding times and walked away with complicated questions about what we’ve demanded from ourselves, our leaders, and our world. Both records place blame on responsible parties but also ask that we all try harder—or that we, as Hayes puts it, fight against our urge to be “kept down.” His and Funck’s respective bands respond in kind by using subgenre strictures as starting points, not finish lines. Like Magus, Head Cage attempts to wrestle ageless ideas from the specific stresses of our age without deigning to call them by name.

we dont have many ties this year

Also:. Very surprised that DSD and Oscillation got another vote. imago called ST 37 "this year's Hawkwind" but I suspect Deep Space Destructors deserve that designation every year, even if this year's album is a little weaker than the last. I really love that Oscillation album a lot, though. I think it works as metal but obviously that sort of 'industrial kosmiche' vibe breaks a lot of the molds

I don't get Pig Destroyer at all. Alrakis, on the other hand, helps justify your decision to go for 125 instead of the customary 100.

as i said its just a weekend bonus. I'll give the Alrakis a listen.

I haven't got access to the ballots george so I dunno who else voted for those albums but clearly they have a 'fanbase' on ilm, lol.
They're bound to get more fans though because of the countdown , I gave them both a listen and enjoyed.

It was hard to find out anything about them. That was the only review I could find.

So far I've heard Protoplasma, who I voted for, and Wayfarer, which was Ok I thought but not much more. The psych stuff is probably good for what it is but I have little tolerance for that stuff.

lol at BLS placing though, I haven't thought of that band for years... I had a good friend in high school who was really into that southern rawk stuff so I heard this band while drinking for a time

Comment on bandcamp about listening to Alrakis in a sensory deprivation tank has led me to reading all about the founder of isolation tanks and soundtracked by this, I am having the best time.

118 KŁY - Szczerzenie 79 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/cugddjt.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/3xcoIAL0RgXD7ErVpaLSSv?si=9d9Qbq5oTfyd81pcp-3gzg

spotify:album:3xcoIAL0RgXD7ErVpaLSSv

https://paganrecords.bandcamp.com/album/szczerzenie

Although KŁY (english: fangs) were established in 1997, the band released their first demo, “Taran-Gai”, only last year. Their first full-length release, “Szczerzenie” consists of six tracks that are difficult to categorise under one genre. At the roots of the album lies melancholic Burzum-like black metal richly interwoven with different sounds. The band themselves compared those different sounds to the music of Hypothermia, Lifelover, Austere, Grey Waters or even the early works of Ulver, Unholy, Katatonia or Anathema. Kły have a broad spectrum of musical influences; however, black metal, the mountains, the Forest and shamanism are the driving force.
credits
released April 20, 2018

Recorded at the turn of 2017/18 at Czyściec Studio.
Mixed and mastered by Nihil.
Intros recorded in Kielce in 1998.

http://polishmetalcult.blogspot.com/2018/05/ky-szczerzenie-recenzja.html

I przyszło mi po raz kolejny spojrzeć w kierunku dość starej, bo formalnie z 1997 roku formacji z upośledzonym "ł" w logu zespołu. Kły wydało rok temu demko "Taran-Gai" na łamach papierzaka R'lyeh zine, a dokładniej numeru #13. Spotkało się z różnymi opiniami. Jakie było moje zdanie tajemnicą nie jest, możecie sobie wejść na stronę i zobaczyć leniwe kutasy, nie bronię. Za to pełniak "Szczerzenie" ukazał się 20 kwietnia tego roku i do swojej stajni przygarnął ich nie kto inny jak Pagan Records, więc materiał zdążył już obiec internet, który wręcz oszalał na punkcie tego prawie 50-minutowego materiału. Przydałoby się, żebym teraz ja wcisnął swoje 3 grosze w tej sprawie.

Po raz kolejny czeka nas niebagatelna wędrówka, a już na pewno dłuższa. Materiał w demku wydawał się dojrzały, więc nie wiem, czy można powiedzieć, że ten jest jeszcze "doroślejszy" od swojego poprzednika. Parę motywów i elementów jest tutaj bardzo do siebie zbliżonych, jednak co by nie mówić, to nie jest już muzyka, którą można skategoryzować jako po prostu atmo black metal. Teraz to coś z pogranicza stylu Burzum, avant-gardy Furii, klimatu Lifelovera, riffów z Anathemy i czego oni by tutaj jeszcze kurwa nie dali. Nie brzmi to jak jakaś kalka lub chaotyczny i bezpłciowy twór. Wszystko jest przemyślane i wstawione tam, gdzie chcieli to zrobić. Tylko czy to wyszło zespołowi na dobre? I tak, i nie. Wiele osób poznało Kły dopiero przy spotkaniu z tym krążkiem i zachwytów było dużo. Mają to coś, czego nie można im odmówić, niesamowity klimat trzymany od samego intra, które jak dla mnie jest trochę przydługie, bo zajmuje aż kawałek ponad pieciominutowy i trwa wręcz jeszcze przez początek następnego utworu, aż do samego końca płyty, która jest zakończona dźwiękiem tak dosadnym, że aż ja się poczułem nijako. Z drugiej strony mamy osoby, którym nic ciągle nie pasuje, i akurat mówię tu o sobie. Więc ja się spodziewałem black metalu, tego co było w demku, a poszli w zupełnie innym kierunku. No, jak dla mnie blacku jest tutaj bardzo mało. Lecz trzeba przyznać, że pierwszy faktyczny utwór "Wypełni" może cholera zmylić, bo tutaj tego blacku zdecydowanie najwięcej i naprawdę wchodzi to solidnie, bez zbędnego biadolenia. W "Kłysica" też jest tego trochę, więc da się znaleźc coś na czym idzie zawiesić ucho. Mamy taki blackowy początek, zakończenie i intro, outro w stylu tych całych dziwnych odgłosów czy innych efektów, którymi był przepełniony "Taran-Gai". Ma to swój urok i gdzie w wspominanym demku, mówiło się raczej o tym jak o efekciarskich motywach, tak tutaj wydają się one być integralną częścią całej kompozycji. Za to ten cały środek, jakoś tak przepada w moim mniemaniu mimo kilku na prawdę chwytliwych momentów. Trzeba na prawdę wielokrotnie ten wałek odsłuchać, aby wyłapać to co najważniejsze. Wydaje mi się, że za dużo treści wsadzili w całość, lecz na pewno efekt widać. Muzycznie zaś, perkusja jak była programowana tak jest, gitary słusznie podążają za tym całym przedstawieniem, a wokal, stracił zdecydowanie i niestety, na pazurze. Jest on bardzo wyrazisty, zrozumiały, wręcz nawet doniosły. Jednak jak dla mnie stracił ten wygłos, który nadawał mistyczności, no i robił z Kieł black metal z krwi i kości, rzecz jasna.

Naturalną jak dla mnie rzeczą jest, że zespół, który robi z muzyki coś innego niż spotykaliśmy dotychczas, a będzie to robił dobrze, zyska te salony. Tym bardziej, że światło reflektorów padło ze strony nie kogo innego jak Pagan Records, a byle czego raczej nie wydają, o czym myślę większość powinna wiedzieć. I nie da się ukryć, Kły zaskakują. Jest to ciekawe, spójne, wręcz w pewnych momentach innowacyjne, mimo podobieństw do wieli innych tworów. Po prostu ja się spodziewałem więcej blacku, mniej tych wszystkich szeptów, szumów, nawet sam nie poptrafię znaleźć terminu na to, co się podczas tego odsłuchu działo. Mówili, że mamy tutaj jakąś Furię, czy nawet czasem Mgłę. Może się nie znam, dla mnie jest to coś zupełnie innego. Może umówmy się tak. Ja już nie pierdolę, a Ty, czytelniku, zapoznasz się z płytą, tylko nie nastawiaj się na typowy atmosferyczny black metal. Z pewnością będziesz mieć ciekawą przygodę z Kły "Szczerzenie". Bo płyta zdecydowanie interesująca.

I've been listening to a few things. Wayfarer is right in my atmospheric black metal wheelhouse. It rules.

And they're from Denver!

Alrakis is the glacial, hour-long blackgaze I didn't know I needed this year. I've seen it described as melancholy a lot, but I think it sounds joyful and dolphin-like.

117 Progenie Terrestre Pura - StarCross 80 Points, 3 Votess
https://i.imgur.com/PPfH5Hj.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5kT71O1X4RGk2UZFGDk8tZ?si=K0kcwqriQsWMX-NdIaOmtg
spotify:album:5kT71O1X4RGk2UZFGDk8tZ

https://progenieterrestrepura.bandcamp.com/album/starcross

https://headbangerreviews.wordpress.com/2018/06/05/progenie-terrestre-pura-starcross/

Last year, the spacial entity known as Progenie Terrestre Pura took us on yet another trip across the cosmos. It was beautiful, intense, and an absolute joy to listen to that still permeates the album to this day. The band had been promising new material for this season for a while, and they’ve kept their promise! What Progenie Terrestre Pura has done with this EP is basically the antithesis to the beauty of its predecessor, and created an EP that’s rich in story and raw energy!

There’s a certain charm to concept albums no matter what form they take that always captivate me to the fullest extent. It’s always nice to have a story, even if it’s one that has been done before. Progenie Terrestre Pura channels the spirit of classics like “Alien” with this smashing EP, “starCross”, telling a familiar tale of a ship discovering and investigating an unknown signal from an unknown, unmapped sector and the horrors that ensue. It’s a tale that’s perfect for the void of space despite how cliche it may seem now, and I couldn’t picture a better band to carry say a tale. Sure, cosmic black metal has the likes of Mesarthim and Mare Cognitum to propel it forward, but Progenie Terrestre Pura adds a different layer to the mix. “starCross” isn’t the first album to do such albeit certainly the best showcase in my eyes, but it brings in elements of atmosphere combined with industrial factors that bring a technical feel to it all that Progenie Terrestre Pura pulls off without breaking a single sweat. It allows for “starCross” to become a shining example of what this niche style can become, and Progenie Terrestre Pura holds nothing back with this EP being incredibly intense, something that really gets the blood flowing real fucking quick, and a rollercoaster of a story that doesn’t stop for us to take even a quick breather. Everything is set to an eleven here, and the sheer quality of “starCross” is all but undeniable when looked at from any angle.

There are incredibly few bands in the cosmic black metal genre, and Progenie Terrestre Pura barely makes the cut. I say that because while this act definitely has the qualifications for the style, they don’t settle there as they propel themselves forward with a cinematic experience with each album paired with metal that’s all but the most deliciously immersive stuff a blending of atmospheric black and industrial metal can provide. It all then comes to a head with “starCross”, and it’s a trip I feel everyone should get a taste of at least once.

“starCross” releases on June 11th via Avantgarde Music!

I've been told I have to post here. The Alrakis was lovely and perfect for a nap. I voted for PTP and the middle track sounds a bit like what the last Dodheimsgard album was doing except a bit less good but that's OK as the DHG was one of the best metal albums ever

I very much enjoy PTP but they've hit the point of diminishing returns.

I didn't enjoy the Pig Destroyer as much as I was expecting to

116 Iskandr - Euprosopon 81 Points, 2 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/21ZeaKA.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5c4VDSzTJeqeMjswl5PXuS?si=AriTF-t0RSmb3vXhOnAAvA
spotify:album:5c4VDSzTJeqeMjswl5PXuS

https://iskandr.bandcamp.com/album/euprosopon

Iskandr now returns with it's second full-length album entitled “Euprosopon”. The album's title expresses the impossibility of the ideal man. However, formulating new concepts of heroism is nessecary to preserve ideas of strife and longing in an age of eternal devaluation. The record departs from previous works in it's more pronounced songwriting, confrontational attitude and triumphant regal flourishes. Euprosopon aims to evoke heroic medieval symbolism, while taking musical cues mainly from Norwegian classics such as Enslaved's “Eld”, the “Dark Sorcery EP” by Aeternus and “...Again Shall Be” by Hades, to enrich it's already established style and sound. Supported by the session drums and production assistance of M. Koops of Fluisteraars, Euprosopon surely will be seen as a definite leap in an attempt to chart a path of noble and austere black metal art.

Euprosopon consists of four tracks, clocking a respectable fourty-five minutes. Battle scarred and worn, the tortured vocals tell, in four cuts respectfully; of defiance in the face of mortal odds, impermanence of kingly might, banishment under pain of death and the resurgence of a new age. The informed listener will detect in the music an increased complexity in composition, range and atmospheric elements. Coupled with an increased clarity in sound while retaining a natural and uncompromising outlook familiar for those who are aware of the previous output of the Haeresis Noviomagi circle, this record will certainly demonstrate the heights this project is yearning to reach.

Venerable DigiCD & Vinyl editions via Eisenwald, with a pro-tape edition (featuring lush risograph printed artwork) under the sigil of Haeresis Noviomagi.
credits
released September 28, 2018

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/10/iskandr-euprosopon/

Second of three releases coming out of small Dutch collective label Haeresis Noviomagi on tape, and CD and LP on Eisenwald, German label and distro with a great alertness to local extreme underground scenes that deserve a wider audience. This one is the third release from Iskandr after debut Heilig Land and EP Zon.

We start with a sort of playing at creaking hinges and tentative guitar stabs, and then things begin to jingle and skritter with little bells of nerves and anticipation. An exhaled note of breath imparts something dark into being, and we’re off. The opening track thumps along in a three-four rhythm (an extreme anti-waltz?), the drums shuffling uneasily while emphasising the return to the downbeat, allowing the guitar to gradually build higher tension. The shortest track present, this is still an eight minute jolt to grab you by the face.

Second track ‘Regnum’ leaps out of a stutter at the end of the first, and there are quickly rising plates of riffs with hoarse growls and aggressive drum fills, which evolve into some highly dramatic sweeping passages due to the growling of the foreground vocals and some kind of demonic choir shrieking at the faint edges. One of the screeches sails off into no-mans-land, and a sullen sawing creak croak beckons an acoustic guitar, brilliantly recorded in inky spools, a sort of medieval mediterranean middle earth sound, an elf trapped in a cave for a thousand years, a black metal counterpart to Sabbath’s ‘Orchid’.

And of course, after ‘Orchid’ follows ‘Lord of this World’; so here we have the burst of third track ‘Verban’. It’s got the most dynamic forward motion of the four pieces, with a great drilling piercing high-register riff while those drums continue to load in the compelling fills. Finally, closing track ‘Heriwalt’ appears with more desolate atmospherics. This time the acoustic guitars are more like riffling fluttering moths wings, then an ancient sigil riff is formed out of pushing and pulling buzzing noise, underpinned with a gloomy, ponderous bassline. This precipitates a sliding, crashing section like the fragmentary collapse of an ice shelf, and then in the end the shuffling of the roosting bat moths again signals the gathering dusk.

Like the beautiful monochrome cover image, this is a striking vision of black metal architecture

Way too low. This was one of my favourites by a comfortable mile.

Will probably do one more tonight

pomenitul tell us more about that album please

and to whoever voted for that album by the polish band please tell us something about it as I couldn't find anything in English!

I already campaigned for it and am too lazy to come up with more words to describe it, save perhaps to say that it's the most beautiful metal album of 2018 (laziness prevails).

it's sounding cool tbh!

Kly: driving rhythms, big bass presence, cold and grimy urban atmosphere; sounded a lot like Furia to me. Very good.

I'm a fan of the Iskandr too but it kept slipping down the rankings when I was doing my ballot iirc

It's slipping up the rankings of mine! I mean, if I were to do it again

115 Dispirit - Enantiodromian Birth 82 Points, 2 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/vTD3tXQ.jpg

https://dispirit.bandcamp.com/album/enantiodromian-birth

Recorded at Oboroten on May 18, 2018 by Drassogh/Trahkrubh
Mixed by Drassogh
Mastered at Gross Star

Original self pressed version on Maxell UR 60 released 07/05/18
Pro-pressed cassette available on upcoming tourdates, and available mailorder after that. First pro-press limited to 250, repress will happen if demand warrants it, otherwise wait a year or two for the next release.
credits
released July 5, 2018

John Gossard - guitar/vocals
Todd Meister - Bass
Harley Burkhart - Drums
Greg Brace - Guitar

https://noisenotmusic.com/2018/08/02/review-dispirit-enantiodromian-birth-self-released-jul-5/

Whenever I listen to a new black metal demo or album, I always feel a certain apprehension before the vocals come in. At least for me, this is the element that can make or break a band for me, especially in this type of music because I consider them to be one of the most important parts of building the depressive atmosphere that I look for. Thankfully, when the desperate, throaty screams of guitarist John Gossard enter the fray on Enantiodromian Birth, it’s one of the demo’s most powerful moments. Together with the fluid blasting and doomy amblings of the drums, the muddy distortion on the guitars, and the pestilent, rotting aura that presides over the whole tape, Dispirit succeeds in constructing an overwhelming darkness. Each of the two tracks will take up a full side of the pro-pressed cassette (the version available now is a self-pressed C60), but there’s no dragging indulgence to be found. “Besotted by Feral Whims” progresses purposefully from its sludgy intro to its desolate middle section and finally to a driving, almost melodic climax, while “Golden Scar” focuses more on repetition, expanding on a tense halftime double bass riff throughout; and neither track feels anywhere near their twenty-plus minute durations. Overall, Enantiodromian Birth is a fantastic release, and while it could have used a better mastering job I’m hoping we’ll get that with the pro-pressed version.

https://www.indymetalvault.com/2018/09/19/an-interview-with-john-gossard-of-dispirit/

John Gossard is arguably one of the most important figures in American metal in the last twenty years. In fact, if you’re a fan of either US black metal or doom, then there’s a good chance that many of the bands you listen to were influenced by at least one of Gossard’s projects. USBM fans will know him for his work with Weakling, whose lone 2000 album Dead as Dreams still stands as one of the landmark releases of the genre. Those who are more into doom may know him either from funeral doom/death metal band Asunder (whose lineup also briefly included Jackie Perez Gratz on cello) or the more death rock-influenced doom of The Gault.

If you’ve gotten into Gossard’s music at any point in the last ten years, though, you point of entry was most likely Dispirit, the black/doom band that he’s been the guiding force behind for close to two decades now. The band’s music draws from virtually all facets of Gossard’s musical personality, while adding in a few new ones besides. Fresh off the release of their fourth demo Enantiodromian Birth and a short run of West Coast tour dates – and with an appearance at this year’s Red River Family Festival less than two weeks away (get your tickets here) – I had the chance to ask Gossard a few questions about his lengthy, influential career. Fortunately, I seem to have caught him on a particularly talkative day, because he was incredibly generous with both his time and effort in providing very thorough, thoughtful responses to my questions. Give it a read below, and if you haven’t yet, check out Dispirit’s latest effort Enantiodromian Birth while you do so.

ndy Metal Vault: For starters, thanks for the interview. You have been such an influential musician throughout your career that it’s difficult to talk about your output through the lens of a single band. Dispirit, though, has easily been your most enduring project. You’re creeping up on 20 years as band, which is a bit of a surprise considering that Dispirit isn’t exactly prolific – three-ish demos (depending on whether you consider 11112 and 111112 to be separate demos or two variations of the same demo) with a grand total of nine original songs and one Slayer cover. Granted, it also took a full decade for you to release the first of those demos, 2010’s Rehearsal at Oboroten. I’m curious about that first decade of Dispirit’s existence, though. I know you were active with both Asunder and The Gault at various points during those years – was Dispirit slowly taking shape in between albums with these other projects?

John Gossard: Thanks for inquiring. First off a quick correction, we just released a new cassette last month, so now we are up to four releases and nine songs! Rehearsal at Oboroten (2010), 111112/11112 (2012), Separation (2015), Enantiodromian Birth (2018).

The first decade of Dispirit was definitely a long, slow transfiguration. At the very beginning, I had been playing in The Gault for somewhere between six months and a year when I started playing with Peter, our first drummer and co-founder. At the time he was dating Sarah from The Gault/Weakling and shared our rehearsal space. Weakling had been dead for around a year and I wanted to do something more metal/black metal/funeral doom than what The Gault was doing, but I didn’t really want to try to reform Weakling, or start something that would be “Weakling II.”Peter was completely into the idea of just meeting up and experimenting with ideas, so we began playing a couple times a week from that point on.

So at this time I was also developing a sort of new style of playing for myself in The Gault, using lots of chorus and delay pedals and incorporating a lot of improvisation. I had been playing around with digital delays and doom improvisations on my own since around the late 80s, but never really had any idea how to play it with another musician involved. So early on, inspired by what I was doing in The Gault, I started trying out the delayed-out, doom improvisation stuff with Peter playing really simple beats at first. Now, Peter had some interest in black/death/doom metal, but didn’t listen to near as much of that stuff as I did. Also, he had had past experience playing in some kind of progressive rock bands, and was a big fan of Neil Peart as well as Dale Crover, amongst others, so he brought in some influences outside of what I expected for minimalist black doom. Pretty soon, Peter started learning what to expect with my improvisations and was able to incorporate more heavy off-time fills, or shift into odd time signatures, so the doom stuff started taking on a kind of strange progressive turn. We also explored doing these total improvisations with a blasting black metal type soundscape, and even with a thrash soundscape. We recorded a lot of that stuff, and while we stumbled upon some really amazing sections, we also hit awkward rough spots where everything would fall apart. Meanwhile I was also bringing in some more composed riff ideas we would experiment with, and I was turning him on to more and more obscure bands. We occasionally worked on trying to write songs, but without a full band we would often get bored with the idea and just go back to ‘jamming.”

For myself, I had The Gault going until mid 2002 and had also started playing in Asunder in 2001, which lasted until 2009. So all through that time, I already had to deal with the pain in the ass of rehearsing and writing with a full band. Not that I didn’t enjoy playing in those bands, but there is always a bunch of shit, dealing with peoples schedules, conflicting desires, ideals, tastes, attitudes and aspirations that makes working on serious music a lot more difficult with a full band. So I really had little motivation to turn Dispirit into anything other than this thing we did in obscurity, just for ourselves.

We did make an attempt to turn it into a band around 2005 or so, when we invited our friend Matt Luque to play with us. We actually worked together very well, and put together the skeletons of a few songs, but Matt was frustrated by our lack of interest in playing live, or even completing the songs we were in the process of writing, and so he just sort of quit showing up to rehearsal. After that, it wasn’t until around 2007 or so that I really thinking about finding people to fill out a full band again. That was inspired by two things. One was that I was pretty much sick of working in Asunder at that point, but loved the music so much I didn’t want to quit. I hoped if I got Dispirit to be fully realized as a band, it might give me enough satisfaction that I could continue on with Asunder. So around then I started looking for another guitarist. Then in 2008 a co-worker friend of mine, Jody Hunt, offered to play bass and we gave him a shot for maybe six months or so, but he ended up moving out of the area and had to quit. That was the point when Todd joined the band, as well as the point I told Asunder that I would be taking a hiatus from the band and let them know if they wanted to replace me, that was OK too.

I guess the last thing relating to my other bands that steered the influence of the sound in this first decade was this sort of isolated dedication to each band I have. Even though Dispirit has a lot of doom in it, as do both The Gault and Asunder, I was very conscious of the soundpicture of each band. If I came up with material I felt would be suitable for either The Gault or Asunder, I would always bring it to whichever of those two bands I thought it was best for and offer them the idea first for our songwriting. Likewise, there were just certain types of things that either Asunder or The Gault were doing that I did not want to incorporate into Dispirit’s sound. Likewise, there were a lot of elements of Weakling that I wanted to leave out of our sound, so we wouldn’t be trying to rehash some of my old ideas. Eventually my attitude has slightly changed though, and I ended up using one of my old Asunder compositions for the intro to “Odylic Void,” which also has a few old riffs from the Weakling days.

IMV: In addition to being your longest-running project, Dispirit is also your most singular in many ways. There are certainly elements in Dispirit’s sound that fans of your other bands will find familiar, but it also has the potential to be quite the shock to the system for anyone who discovers those earlier bands first. There’s a loose feel to Dispirit’s music – so much so that it wouldn’t surprise me if you culled riffs for your songs from lengthy improvisations. This may be a difficult question to answer, but do you think Dispirit is a better representation of who you are as a musician compared to your previous bands? Or is it more like each one is like a snapshot of you as a musician at different times of your career?

JG: I guess Dispirit is the most representative of myself as a musician in a lot of ways, though there are still stylistic things you might hear in my older projects I don’t incorporate in Dispirit that I think are still strongly a part of myself as a musician. Also, there are parts of those bands where I’ve been heavily influenced by the other musicians I played with. In Weakling, I wrote most of the riffs and skeletons of the song shape, but the rest of the band would work with me figuring out counterpoint, harmony, and more nuanced composition. Everyone’s input in that band helped shape how I approach all those elements. In The Gault, we all really had our own separate, individual styles that fit really well together, but came together really organically rather than by sitting at home and writing a song and bringing it in for the band to learn. Usually Sarah and Lorraine would write a section of bass and drums first, then I would improvise over the basic idea for a long time and record it and then try to isolate the best ideas to use in a more composed song structure. That improvisational writing style has been a huge part of how I write in Dispirit, and I definitely think about Sarah’s simple militant drum beats or Lorraine’s heavy and catchy as hell bass lines when Dispirit is writing, but those things originated with them, and I just internalized some elements of it.

When I joined Asunder, initially I just wanted to help with the song writing. I would add harmony or counterpoint to their riffs, or suggest ways to pace the songs to make them more powerful. Over time I brought more and more of my own riffs, but stylistically I always tried to make sure the kind of music I was creating was connected to the universe they had already discovered on that first EP before I joined the band. In the process of playing with them I definitely honed in on my own doom vibe, but I also took in a lot of the heavy drumming Dino did, or certain elements of Geoff’s riff writing. That influences how I end up orchestrating some of the doom elements of Dispirit.

The thing with Dispirit is that musically I am doing the majority of the composing. Almost all the riffs, song structures, counterpoints, solos are mine, but at the same time we still jam on the basic riff ideas at rehearsal while working out the compositions. We have gone through a number of members now, so as we experiment with riffs with each lineup I hear different musicians play with different inflections. That influences how I write, so the way we end up writing a song with each lineup is different depending on who the band is made up of at the time. We’ll often try the same basic riff ideas as a doom riff, or blasting black metal, or change the time signature, and I’ll adjust my songwriting ideas to fit what I think sounds best with the specific lineup I have at the time. So even though I am most in control here, and do a lot more work on the total composition, I am still guided in part by the players in the band and the way they channel and emit the music while we are in the writing stage.

I also ought to mention you are correct about using pieces of improvisation as source material, though use of improvisation has changed over the years. There are specific riffs from when Peter and I were doing all improvised jams where we found some random isolated riff we only played a couple of times in an improvisation, but then relearned it and developed it into something with more layers. There is also a part of “Bitumen Amnii” that is a long non-repeating doomy section in the middle that is basically several minutes of one improvisation that we just relearned. Nowadays we don’t do that pure improvisation. The “pure improvisation” meant without any forethought or discussion we would just say “GO!” and start playing brand new, unrehearsed music and just attempt to stay in sync with each other. Nowadays we jam around pre-composed riffs, so the drummer may change the drum beat completely, or guitars start experimenting with counterpoint or solos or harmonies or whatever, but we are all structured around a main riff. The early style of improvisation resulted in creating new riffs or progressions that we stumbled on in the moment. The newer way we work with improvisation is to develop layers on top of a pre-existing composition. In both situations, I try to utilize improvisation to force our writing to use more instinctual ideas than intellectual ideas about composition. I am always inclined to overthink things, so I am always looking for tools to escape the kind of order I know I will eventually impose on the songs.

IMV: You’ve been fairly low-key in terms of recording and releasing music with Dispirit. If I’m not mistaken, everything is recorded live at Oboroten Studios, and then you self-release them digitally and on cassette. What made you decide to take that approach with Dispirit? I can’t help but wonder if your previous experiences dealing with labels somehow soured you on the whole thing?

JG: All your assumptions are correct. Without getting too deeply into it, basically with the massive amount of work I have spent in various bands writing, bands paying rent, bands self-financing recording costs, paying rehearsal rent, gear repair, etc. I have basically lost a fortune doing this stuff. I was very against releasing the Weakling album, and so when I was finally talked into it by a friend’s label, I made pretty good terms for the band, but stupidly only did this on a handshake deal. We agreed that once the label made back the money to press the album, any future income would pay the band back for the recording costs, and after that we would split profits between the band and the label. A few years later the label denied we made such a deal and only ended up paying us what is probably a sort of average deal, but in effect, after the three or four CD pressings it meant we only made back about what it cost us to record the album. We actually only got fifteen copies of the DLP out of a pressing of 500, so that was a huge letdown as well.

When The Gault posthumously released our album, there was a lot of tension between band members due to the way we split up that lead to a bunch of problems with how we handled communicating with the labels and each other, and ultimately a CD was pressed with digital glitches (on the Flood the Earth version), which was another huge letdown. The vinyl with Ván and the Asunder albums didn’t have those problems, but taking the sort of standard contracts we were offered, usually 20% of the pressing, we really only ended covering our recording costs and a few months rehearsal rent. Asunder did a little better for ourselves, but still never made any money beyond our costs, either. Near the end of the band we had the bad experience of doing some business with that shady ass Kreation Records guy and his stupid ass 50 copies of ‘test pressings’ for $50 each, and other scummy shit.

Now doing tapes and Bandcamp ourselves with Dispirit doesn’t really do any better for us than a record deal, but I don’t have to live with the fact that all my efforts are making someone else money while I a still losing a fortune. What it all comes down to is that if I am not going to profit of this stuff, I’d prefer it if someone else isn’t profiting off our work either. Ideally we would be more functional as our own record label, but issues with financing, time, and space to run something more substantial haven’t panned out yet. Also, while I grew up on LPs and cassettes, and still like CDs, the reality is that there is just way too much stuff in the world. If you want to hear our music, it is easy enough to hear it from Bandcamp, or YouTube, or steal it from a torrent or Soulseek or something. I hope to get vinyl versions out at some point because I really do prefer the whole vinyl experience, but in this horrible modern age, it is not really a necessity. The biggest problem as far as releasing more materials in more formats ultimately probably has less to do with my frustration in dealing with labels, and more to do with my constant battles with my own nihilism. I do get motivated to work on LP releases from time to time, but usually the futilitarian in me takes over and stops caring about wanting to make a product. It actually annoys the hell out of me.

IMV: Speaking of recording, how ‘live’ is ‘recorded live’? Do you add vocals and overdubs later, or do you actually do it all in one take and that’s it?

JG: It is all recorded live, including vocals, solos, etc. The only things we have not done live so far are the acoustic intro on Enantiodromian Birth and clean vocals on the song “Golden Scar.” Also, on Separation and Enantiodromian Birth we didn’t play the whole demo live from start to finish. On both of these we did multiple takes of the songs. On Separation, the ‘intro’ for “Funeral Frost” came from a different take of the song than the latter part. The same happened with “Besotted by Feral Whims” on the new one. The first two recordings, Rehearsal at Oboroten and 111112 were actually recorded from start to finish in a single take.

IMV: Since the subject of gear kind of fascinates me, what does your recording setup look like? How close is it to your live rigs?

JG: All our recordings are set up the same way we set up live, I guess with the exception that the drums don’t go through a PA system. We use two amps (one tube and one solid state) on each guitar and run the output in an x pattern so each guitar has one cabinet on both the right and left side of the drummer with the bass in the center. Guitars are run through an assortment of chorus/delay/reverb/distortion. Drums in the middle, and vocals through a delay pedal run into the PA. The recording setup has varied on each recording, however. Rehearsal at Oboroten was all played live from start to finish, at full volume, at Oboroten (our often moving rehearsal space). 111112 was recorded in the same space, again live and playing the material from start to finish, but this time only with a stereo mic setup in the middle of the room. Separation was done in I guess what would be considered Oboroten III, again live, but each song tracked separately. This one was done with a stereo room mic and additional mics on the kick, snare and PA speaker. Finally, the latest sessions for Enantiodromian Birth returned to recording with multitrack close mics, and again recorded each song independently (at Oboroten IV). For each of these recordings, after we have the initial tracking completed I put them in my DAW and play around with mixing for a few weeks to try to get it to sound close to what it sounds like to me while we are playing it live in the rehearsal space, though I may have added extra reverb delay at the end of songs to make better transitions or fade outs. When I mix, it is usually very subject to a trial and error basis, and I am never exactly sure how I end up with the final tones.

IMV: One thing I always appreciate is when a band’s song titles send me down internet rabbit holes, and Dispirit’s definitely fit the bill. However, I can’t seem to find any sort of real pattern in your references: there are environmental references, psychological terms, a bit of esoterica, and an appearance by the Mayan goddess of suicide by hanging. How would you characterize your lyrical themes with Dispirit?

JG: The themes are not strictly bound to any sort of ideology or theology. For me Dispirit is a slowly expanding universe, so the themes grow and stray from whatever central focus I began with. As a very general idea, I kind of stole the concept of the Voivod character and thought of a being, “the Dispirit,” which is a spiritually negative and oppressive entity obsessed with various ways to dispirit the living. Outside of that, I am always interested in obscure, esoteric, absurd, and strange things I find from mythology, religious studies, science/pseudoscience, as well as aberrant behavior and psychosis, so those are all things feeding my ideas of what Dispirit’s songs are about. So there is generally a dual theme of a strong oppressive force that is entirely imaginary, and a struggle to defeat this force, which generally results in insanity.

IMV: The current iteration of Dispirit includes drummer Harland Burkhart and guitarist Greg Brace, both of whom are also in Wild Hunt. How did that pairing come about?

JG: Todd and I have known both Greg and Harley for years through their other bands Wild Hunt and Dimesland. When Peter left the band in 2013 we had actually asked Harley if he was interested in trying out with us, but having two other serious bands going at the time, he didn’t think he could make it work. Last year when I was forced to kick out Trevor, we decided to ask Harley if anything had changed. It turned out both he and Greg had quit Dimesland. He had also been a fan of Dispirit for years and was sort of pissed off that he hadn’t tried to play with us when we first asked him, so he was really motivated to play with us this time. He just really fell into place right off the bat.

While this was going on our old guitarist Ryan was not happy with my decision to kick out Trevor, so he just quit coming to rehearsals. Meanwhile, since we shared the rehearsal space with Wild Hunt, Greg had occasionally been around for rehearsals a few times, and he had heard Todd and I wondering if Ryan had quit or what, so he mentioned he was interested in playing with us if we ended up needing another guitarist. Finally after five months, Ryan finally showed up to rehearsal. This was only a couple weeks before a gig with Profanatica we were preparing for. This would be the first show with Harley on drums, and a show we did not want to be at all half-assed about. Well, the next rehearsal Ryan didn’t show up again, so I told Greg I would show him all the riffs from the songs, give him a recording for him to work with, and if Ryan didn’t come to practice the next time I would give him a call. Next rehearsal Ryan didn’t show up again, so we told Greg to come down and play. The very first practice, he already knew the whole set, and could play it almost as well as Ryan. At that point Todd and I had been so certain Ryan was planning to quit anyway, and we were so impressed with how seriously Greg took the music, we just asked Greg if he wanted to stay in the band. So far it has turned out great. Greg and Harley have a lot of history together and a good dynamic with each other, but they are also really serious and dedicated to understanding the sound of Dispirit, so it has been really easy bringing them both into the band. It is still strange to have half the band changed so abruptly, as well as that change seemingly destroying a few friendships, so that is still pretty saddening and maddening.

IMV: Dispirit will be appearing at this year’s edition of Red River Family Fest in Austin at the end of September (as will Wild Hunt). For a lot of bands on this year’s lineup, the Fest will be their first time playing in Texas. Is that the case for Dispirit as well? What can those who’ve not seen the band before expect from your set?

JG: We played at the absurd Rites of Darkness festival in San Antonio in 2011, but have not played anywhere else in the state. I haven’t ever seen us play, so it is hard to say what to expect from watching us. We usually play with a ton of fog and minimal low red lights so we and the audience all feel more isolated from each other, minimal stage show, simple dark atmosphere. Lots of venues these days seem to get pissed off about the fog, but we’ve requested it from the festival organizers so hopefully we’ll have it with no problems. Musically…well, its some sort of fucked up black metal with influences from psychedelic decay, drunken funeral dirges, suicidal fractal worship, narcissistic meditations on masochistic humility, guitar solos, melancholy hatred. We’ll just do our best to channel whatever darkness we can grasp onto.

IMV: Okay…I saved this for last, but I can’t interview you and not ask a question about Weakling, because Dead as Dreams is probably my favorite USBM album of all time. Does it surprise you at all that people are still talking about and being influenced by that album? It’s now been fifteen years since the last time Dead as Dreams was reissued – is there any chance of it ever being reissued again?

JG: I am not surprised people are still talking about Dead as Dreams exactly, just surprised at how much it is talked about and who is talking about it. I was working on a lot of the ideas for that album for years before the group actually materialized, and when we had the full lineup, we worked tirelessly on writing, performing, and perfecting the material for two years or so before recording it. We knew how strong the album was when we recorded it and fully expected it to be taken note of. I suppose the weird thing for me is the number of bands playing some sort of “post-black metal” or “blackgaze” that cite the band as a big influence, because I don’t really like much of that kind of music, though I do love old 80s shoegaze/post-punk, 80s/90s noise rock and still think Hvis Lyset tar Oss and Vikingligr Veldi are “true blackgaze.”

Anyway, it is strange for me knowing how much I/we put into creating album, but I don’t really enjoy hearing the album now. I mostly hear things on it I want to ‘improve’ to fit my tastes today, but I know I better ought let it be. I have heard from many musicians over the years who have put out some of my favorite albums who now dislike or hate those albums they did when they were younger. Hearing that album brings up so many different thoughts about how fucked up my life was at the time, and then all kinds of ideas of what I would do differently with the material now, it is just impossible to hear it objectively. I don’t hate the album or anything, but it is just not pleasant to listen to for me, so it is strange to see it is still talked about as much as it is. Of course I am thankful that people still appreciate it, I just feel a bit…eh, disconnected maybe.

I am considering doing my own re-release of the vinyl. This December will mark the 20th anniversary of when it was recorded, so maybe that will inspire me to get it done.

MV: Thanks again for being willing to answer a few questions. I like to leave the final word to the artists – anything else you’d like to add?

JG: I’ll use this space to mention a few other projects going on.

First is a Dispirit side project called White Phosphorus, which is some stuff I have been working on for a few years. We’ve done a few shows, but no recordings yet other than a few live sets on YouTube. Some of it uses different versions of Dispirit material in a more experimental setting, some is sort of like baroque black metal doom noise drone, some of it is more influenced by stuff like early Swans and Melvins doom/noise rock, guitar loops, noise/samples n’ stuff. Hoping to record a tape sometime this year.

Second is Consummation, which is not my project. It’s just something I have contributed some guitar solos to. Hard to describe using simple genre terminology, but it is pretty twisted black/death stuff with a lot of doomy passages. Craig, who used to play drums in Impetuous Ritual, is doing most of the writing, but he is on guitar here. I did solos for the first EP, which was a bit more blasting, but the new one is a lot more varied. Musically it doesn’t have a lot in common with Impetuous Ritual, although it does share a love for dissonance and obscure riffing, but it is altogether more layered, melodic, and more varied. Some of it reminds me of Ruins of Beverast or even Dispirit, though still has some of that dense abysmal quality you hear in a lot of the better Aussie stuff. Anyway, the new album is phenomenal. Not sure what label they are releasing it on, or when to expect it, or whether they will even use solo the material I submitted, haha. But remember the name and check it out when it is released. The first EP can be found through Invictus Productions.

[/q]

I didn'y buy the tape this time as the shipping cost way more than the tape so I just got the files.

I do hope he does reissue the Weakling album on vinyl.

That's all for tonight folks

Just checking in, some great records already - Kly, PTP and Alrakis were on my ballot and Iskander just missed it.

surprised at only 2 votes for that Pig Destroyer album. My favorite since Phantom Limb.

I liked the Protoplasma a lot when I listened earlier today; will definitely return to that. I liked tt's description. I'm digging Black Label Society quite a bit so far, actually, based on the first few songs: it's in my hard rock sweet spot for the most part, makes me think of 90s grunge with decent shredding.

as always, the genre with the best album covers

I hope everyone found an album today that they liked.

To recap for the day:

115 Dispirit - Enantiodromian Birth 82.0 2 0
116 Iskandr - Euprosopon 81.0 2 0
117 Progenie Terrestre Pura - StarCross 80.0 3 0
118 KÅ‚y - Szczerzenie 79.0 3 0
119 Alrakis - Echoes from η Carinae 78.0 2 0
119 Pig Destroyer - Head Cage 78.0 2 0
121 Wayfarer - World’s Blood 77.0 3 0
122 The Oscillation - Wasted Space 77.0 2 0
123 Protoplasma - - 76.0 3 0
124 Deep Space Destructors - Visions from the Void 76.0 2 0
125 Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits 75.0 3 0

Listening to KŁY - Szczerzenie now

I had that KLY on my list of things to revisit from last year, but didn't get back to it in time for this poll. This placement will help remind me to give it some of my time.

I liked the Kły, but it was not enough to draw me back.

Glad you’re enjoying Protoplasma, sund4r!

I’m excited for today’s offerings. Me and Louis are currently on the bus to Bournemouth (for his birthday!), but we will certainly catch up later.

Happy birthday, LJ!

Thank you, hails, etc

Happy Birthday Imago!

114 Svartidauði - Revelations of the Red Sword (82 pts., 4 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/4Ovuw7x.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/21r8djHhS74EgLMeHKllr3?si=2kLHJ34kT5aJsE-q12HD6Q

spotify:album:21r8djHhS74EgLMeHKllr3

https://svartidaudi.bandcamp.com/album/revelations-of-the-red-sword

Van Records Ván252
Release date: December 3, 2018
from Kópavogur, Höfuðborgarsvæðið, Iceland
2nd album since 2012
tags: black metal, metal, Reykjavik

On the 3rd of December 2018, six years to the day after the apocalypse, Svartidauði will unleash long awaited sophomore full length Revelations of the Red Sword upon the ashes of civilization.
Once again recorded and produced at Studio Emissary by Stephen Lockhart and featuring artwork by David Glomba, the combined result is equally stunning sonically as it is visually. The 6 track, 47 minute album marks Svartidauði’s second release on legendary German imprint Ván Records.

The Red Sword refers to the rays of a rising- and a setting sun, encompassing its contents in the fire and the fury of our world’s most creative and destructive force, the glowing God up above, the Sun - Celebrating its howling solar winds, all the while waiting with anticipation for the inevitable heat death of the universe.

[Spotify link]

"Revelations of the Red Sword sounds like Blut Aus Nords’ less mechanical manifestations got drunk one night and tried to recreate Gorguts previous full-length Colored Sands. The result is a dissonant, oppressive beast which never puts its claustrophobic atmosphere above the very human element at the core of the music. Þórir Garðarsson, the sole axeman for this outing, deserves heaps of praise for the effortless way he blends and contorts melodies that almost instantly melt into porous, evil overtones, while never letting the claustrophobia become overwhelming."

Angry Metal Guy

"Sturla Viðar once again condemns the whole world into oblivion, and quite expertly at it with his deep, raw and extraordinary sinister sounding shrieks while Þórir Garðarsson drapes layer upon layer of guitar lines, crowning himself the absolute master of dissonance. With opening track Sol Ascending the band returns to the asphyxiating yet vivid sound we got acquainted with on the debut - perfectionist Stephen Lockhart (Rebirth of Nefast) did, as usual, a splendid job on the mixing and mastering at his Studio Emissary. The real power of Svartidauði however resides in the extremely striking drumming patterns of Magnús Skúlason. His performances on Flesh Cathedral already exhibited some real ingenuity, yet he surpassed himself masterfully here. The man's skilled at blasting his way through, but few other drummers succeed in applying such subtle, at times even jazzy, accents throughout the album."

The Metal Archives

"That cover image, some kind of demonic wild dog unleashed from a gold-on-black star design, certainly sets the stage for the opening of the record, where ‘Sol Ascending’ bursts into raw noise immediately… on my car stereo it felt like a horrifying wall of filth, almost like listening to three Dark Funeral songs all at once, though on headphones I can now hear the definition of the different parts, albeit still intricately and densely layered. I can’t really believe it when I check the press release to find just three members listed- it sounds like there’s far more workers than that toiling in the underground extreme metal mine to create this furiously complex racket."

Echoes and Dust

Yeah, I doubt there were 113 better metal albums in 2018, seeing as Yob, Deafheaven, Ghost and their ilk (none of which I flat-out hate, for the record) are bound to make the top 20.

I thought this would be top 20 at the very least.

To reiterate, 125 instead of 100 turned out to be a vital call.

I think this fell victim to just a really late release date

It should be said that the Svartidauði album was #7 in Opium Hum's Top 40 Black Metal Albums of 2018, and #42 in Grizzly Butts' Top 50 Albums of 2018

It was certainly a release all my BM loving pals on facebook raved about

I even mentioned that on the campaign thread

but you cant predict an ilx poll

From what I can tell, this is an album for LJ. somewhere between Misthyrming and Colored Sands? Wow

113 Spiders - Killer Machine (83 pts., 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/RmJYb9s.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/2U8W2aC0QsKVVioMmrRTF1?si=TPO5Rfj3QjWtVZTiVRNbng

spotify:album:2U8W2aC0QsKVVioMmrRTF1

Reaktor Recordings ‎– 060255775720
Release date: April 6, 2018
from Göteborg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden
3rd album since 2012

everynoise genre designations: nwocr

"The band’s third release Killer Machine proves that while you can’t take the 1970s out of Spiders, you could take them out of the 1970s, kicking and screaming no less. Our modern times encroached on the band’s retroactivity in many ways: the record is notably more sinister, but the lyrics especially confirm that they’re not listening to Kansas anymore."

Invisible Oranges

"The title track is unabashed, unashamed to be in the thrall of the greats of the 70s, but on a more technical point it also proves that few bands can match the sheer power of Ann-Sofie Hoyles’ vocals and John Hoyles’ guitar, the couple have the musical closeness here too and the effect is stunning"

Maximum Volume Music

"The riffs are crucial to the album and are never far away, although it's the subtle nuances that enhance the album. The title track has some fat riffs, but the rocket-like guitar effects sound simply massive, and if you crank the sucker up, it's like something is taking off around you. The guitar work from John Hoyles is first rate, and he constantly changes it up, especially on the wah-wah heavy 'Like a Wild Child' (which also features some rather nifty cowbell) , the disco-funk of 'Higher Spirits', or the full throttle 'Swan Song'"

Devils Gate Media

#96 in Fastnbulbous' Best Albums of 2018

haha it does look like a fastnbulbous band

They look like a lot of fun. I'm pretty sure 'nwocr' reads out as 'new wave of cowbell rock'

Imago must be pretty old if TT is taking him to Bournemouth for his birthday. Must be the old "oh look at that lovely house Louis, wouldn't you love to live there? lets go and see who lives there.
Oh imagine that, its a retirement home for writers who love prog rock. Fancy that!"

The central business area is pretty metal, in a 'how many horrific buildings could be in one place' kind of way

We're in a Beatles-themed cafe though. Very quaint. *sips tea*

I would love to meet all the prog-loving retired writers!

She's just waiting for the right moment

112 Mammoth Grinder - Cosmic Crypt (84 pts., 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/MUiCZBT.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/7kbIn677sNpjkOIA3CLupn?si=iMUiUWjxTDekmxiS-yMbMw

spotify:album:7kbIn677sNpjkOIA3CLupn

Relapse Records RR7381
Release date: January 26, 2018
from Austin, Texas, United States
4th album since 2008
tags: death metal, hardcore, metal, punk, D-beat, Austin

Underground extreme metal trio MAMMOTH GRINDER return after five long years with their fourth full-length Cosmic Crypt, a non-stop, meteoric force of aggression and mayhem. Self-recorded by the band at Trax East in South River, NJ, mixed by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Sepultura, Inquisition) and mastered by Toxic Holocaust’s Joel Grind, Cosmic Crypt is an 11 track slab of primitive, punk-inflected death metal. Frontman Chris Ulsh (Power Trip, Impalers) recruited Mark Bronzino (Iron Reagan) and Ryan Parrish (Iron Reagan, ex-Darkest Hour) to take MAMMOTH GRINDER to new heights of misanthropic rage and blazing songcraft! Features stunning cover art from the legendary Joe Petagno (Motorhead, Autopsy, Angelcorpse, Pink Floyd).

everynoise genre designations: chaotic hardcore, post-doom metal, power violence

"Like the slew of new American death metal acts that came out starting at the beginning of this decade, this version of Mammoth Grinder takes from death metal’s faster and more brutish end, but it doesn’t fully fit into that or any stylistic niche. The simplicity heard here draws from Master; the ugliness brings to mind Autopsy; and none of the influences feel like they’re being hastily grafted together. Coincidentally, Crypt arrives not long after Slayer announced its “final” tour. Like those thrash greats’ classic Reign in Blood, this album presents a complete vision in a short running time, stirring metal and hardcore together into one giant, boiling cauldron."

Pitchfork, 7.6

"Once again, Grinder specialize in short, simple songs that rarely cross the three-minute mark. Riffing alternates between chunky chords and churning downtuned tremolos, while drumming consists of bumbly, bouncy beats that rarely exceed mid-paced. Garnished by Ulsh’s cavernous roars, the overall effect is like a punkier version of Gatecreeper or a slower and heftier version of Black Breath. As expected, the Entombed and Dismember inspiration is obvious, though the band’s sheer simplicity and lack of salient melody show they haven’t quite removed all their crust punk patches."

Angry Metal Guy

"The trouble with ‘Cosmic Crypt’ is that it lacks so much of the dynamic talent provided by former (original) drummer Brian Boeckman that it ends up sounding more like a highly polished Autopsy influenced band that can’t really keep up with similar albums by groups like Anatomia, Usurpress and Bombs of Hades.

There are plenty of ripping moments on ‘Cosmic Crypt’, though. “Servant of the Most High” conjures a punk rock High on Fire for some raging throaty riffs, “Superior Firepower” is one of the catchiest death metal songs I’ve heard in years, and “Rotting Robes” has a few surprising riff changes that made it stick out in my mind on the second half of the record."

The Metal Archives

"Mammoth Grinder's fourth LP overall succeeds its two predecessors for Philly metal fortress Relapse with deathcore gusto. Drum source behind thrash regenerators Power Trip, Houston-reared local Chris Ulsh leads Iron Reaganites Mark Bronzino and Ryan Parrish in an all-out graveyard assault, "Blazing Burst" and "Molotov" both exploding at a sprint. As mastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust), multi-speed hacksaws led by "Human Is Obsolete" roar like the undead, literally gut-wrenching

Austin Chronicle

Spotlighted as one of Pitchfork's Best Metal Albums of 2018

We're now at Mary Shelley's grave, to get things back to metal again

Oh fuck yeah I missed Dispirit placing last night. Great band, maybe too unremittingly bleak for most. Svartidaudi sounds pretty good, I think I remember dismissing their first album as one of the many Deathspell clones but this one seems quite decent

colonel poo music

(Bandcamp link is nested in the tags)

dispirit are great but shipping even for tapes is ridiculous now so i went digital only for them. i do have a couple of the early demo tapes though from back when it cost $3 to ship to the UK

the MG is obviously fun but I didn't listen to a ton of "fun records" a whole lot this year

simon hates fun?

like, almost famously

111 Ghastly - Death Velour (85 pts., 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/NTxEM2Q.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/7Gz4WvPMEPOAMWCN0ZoaZ9?si=l3yaLsAlRAyAgQt7twiKTw

spotify:album:7Gz4WvPMEPOAMWCN0ZoaZ9

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/death-velour

20 Buck Spin SPIN096
Release date: April 20, 2018
from Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland
2nd album since 2015
tags: finnish death metal, metal, black metal, death metal, doom metal, heavy metal, Pittsburgh

While Finland’s Ghastly may be a new name to many, those who delve deeply enough into the Death Metal underworld, as we here at 20 Buck Spin often do, will recall the band’s debut album ‘Carrion Of Time’ released a few years back on cult Death Metal tastemaker label Me Saco Un Ojo (Morbus Chron, Undergang, Phrenelith). A few years have passed and the band now resurfaces with their masterfully executed 2nd album ‘Death Velour’.

While there’s no question Ghastly’s ‘Death Velour’ is a pure Death Metal album, it could hardly be confused with most of the current bands making the rounds. The nightmarish hallucinatory sound Ghastly invokes conjures the horror of rotting in incomprehensible obscurity, passing into oblivion guided by a many-colored specter of strange origin across the styx. An air of psych-induced weirdness and shrieking dread permeates the decomposed palette throughout the album’s cryptic duration.

Like discovering a forgotten relic of mysterious brilliance from the early Finnish Death Metal scene, Ghastly’s ‘Death Velour’ is a phantasm of blinding light onto the foreboding darkness of this mortal coil.

"In Death Velour—the sophomore LP from Finnish trio Ghastly—the reaper appears as a cerulean hallucination. Scandinavian death metal’s sound and fury remains, but the band has launched past the promising murk of their Carrion of Time debut. Like Morbus Chron’s Sweven or Horrendous’ Ecdysis, Death Velour is a striking transformation."

Decibel

"Set atop a snarling Morbus Chron empowered bout of psychedelia-festooned Finnish death metal, ‘Death Velour’ is a conceptually ripe blend of peak Autopsy chic guitar work and progressive rock-ambled pacing that builds upon the legacy of Finnish death metal’s early 90’s modus of the outlandish and unexpected...(w)ithout hesitation, ‘Death Velour’ is a perfect vision of death metal that finds appeal easily in it’s stoic appreciation for the Finndeath ancients as the band’s carefully modern ‘progressive’ exposition impresses throughout. There is an ease in it’s righteous outpouring that could only be born from a restlessness created by the limits of Garden of Worm‘s doom."

Grizzly Butts

"It’s pretty easy to make assumptions about the primal and somewhat voiding feeling that emanates off Ghastly’s music. With happy song titles like “Death By Meditation”, “Violence For the Hell Of It” and “The Magic Of Severed Limbs”, Death Velour lives and breathes in the murk. It’s as if Ghastly’s music personified the caverns from whence it came. The somewhat claustrophobic, uncertain production values give life to a contracting atmosphere further adding to the album’s old-school vibes in creating straight forward death metal."

SputnikMusic

#1 in Grizzly Butts' Top 50 Albums of 2018
Spotlighted as one of Pitchfork's Best Metal Albums of 2018

Ghastly play the kind of death metal is usually like catnip to me but this one left me cold

hehehe Grizzly Butts

Svartidauði is p much the kind of thing I'm here for.

110 Windhand/Satan's Satyrs - Split EP (85 pts., 4 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/vtNtnAH.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/3BUliW7uJXMqqev12VlvCR?si=PPfw5gHlSQqtkrBxcHVxEw

spotify:album:3BUliW7uJXMqqev12VlvCR

https://satanssatyrs.bandcamp.com/album/split-with-windhand

Relapse Records RR7392
Release date: February 16, 2018
Windhand, from Richmond, Virginia, United States; 4 albums + 1 split LP since 2012
Satan's Satyrs, from Herndon, Virginia, United States; 4 albums since 2012
tags: punk, doom, fuzz, rock 'n' roll, Herndon

Two of Virginia's finest heavy bands team up for an amp-worshipping, acid trip from hell! Includes two brand new songs of smoldering gloom and grief from WINDHAND paired with three tracks of devilish, fuzz-drenched metal/punk from SATAN'S SATYR'S.

everynoise genre designations: doom metal, psychedelic doom, stoner metal, stoner rock, post-doom metal, sludge metal, drone metal, retro metal, post-metal, space rock

"There is sterling soloing towards the end of ‘Old Evil’ from guitarists Asechiah Bogan and Garrett Morris, which is often a highlight of the bands material, but on next tune ‘Three Sisters’ it is the vocals of Dorthia, seemingly pitched higher in the mix, and icy the keys, which hang above passages of the tune like a freezing fog, that are the central elements of the song. It contains one of Dorthia’s best ever vocal performances, warm, wise, bewitching and with a hint of malice under the melodies"

Echoes and Dust

"After “Don’t Deliver Us,” their last full-length, Satan’s Satyrs return with three new songs that take the sixties punk/beat rock formula into newer, more ear shattering sound. The songs themselves roar out of the speakers with a punk-inspired, brisk and energetic pace. Satan’s Satyrs deliver, once again, some of the most infectiously evil grooves, recommended for fans of The Hellacopters, Butthole Surfers and Blue Cheer."

New Noise Magazine

"Sometimes these split EPs can feel a bit like filler between “proper” releases; songs that didn’t make it on to the main record, or versions of some work in progress that’s not yet quite come together. That is definitely not the case with this Windhand / Satan's Satyrs release however. This is two bands at the top of their game, producing some of their finest work to date."

The Sludgelord

sund4r, I hadn't heard the Svartidauði yet--does it work as Branca-metal?

Yeah, def seems like it would fit.

Doesn't sound microtonal but there's a dense dissonant wash a lot of the time.

And some really nice chromatic, dissonant riffing.

I like the vocals on the Svartidauði

I'm digging Ghastly p well three tracks in. The moment where the solo entered on "Whispers Through the Aether" was p classic \m/. Now on the half-time break with the octatonic-recalling A-G#-D#-D-F#-D# riff - this is fantastic.

109 Burial Invocation - Abiogenesis (86 pts., 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/qXowGIa.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/7zFs0mlSNxa43MVb0eMoEV?si=89HyxPRiROiCFV22t1OS9g

spotify:album:7zFs0mlSNxa43MVb0eMoEV

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/abiogenesis

Dark Descent Records DDR213CD
Release date: July 16, 2018
from Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
1st full-length album
tags: dark descent records, death metal, metal, turkey, Colorado

BURIAL INVOCATION exploded onto the underground scene when their debut EP Rituals of the Grotesque, released in early 2010. Coincidentally, this was the first release under the newly-formed Dark Descent Records banner. The initial pressing of this CD sold out quickly as the band's brand of doomy, crypt-dwelling death metal was infectious as it was blistering.

Mixing elements of Finnish death metal among other influences, BURIAL INVOCATION followed up the debut EP the next year on the well-received split 7" with Japan's Anatomia. This split, also released on Dark Descent Records, quickly sold out. The band eventually followed these releases with some memorable live appearances including the initial version of Copenhagen's legendary Kill Town Death Fest.

In the years since, the band was inactive as members pursued other projects and interests. There were rumblings from the band including small European tour runs and we were largely left to wonder what happened to BURIAL INVOCATION?

In 2017, the fires were lit once more as the band were said to be working on a new album. Once again under the Dark Descent Records banner (vinyl via long-time ally Me Saco Un Ojo), Abiogenesis sees this Turkish crew reign once more. No longer will we be left wondering…Burial Invocation has returned and the wait has been well worth it.

everynoise genre designations: black death

"Abiogenesis is the sound of a band throwing everything at you. Every moment exudes energy. This is a band playing out of their skin. Every thudding palm-muted passage is exploded open by a writhing serpentine shred riff, each snaking scintillation subsequently squashed by the next smashing section. Every track is constantly being propelled forwards, progressing through all kinds of tumultuous terrain, retracing its steps only when necessary. Going for something this ambitious can often result in utter failure; or if you do it well enough, you’ll be given the old “has some amazing moments” treatment. Burial Invocation have gone all-out here, and it fucking paid off big-time."

Toilet Ov Hell

"Burial Invocation‘s debut full-length is an epic, a four song 42 minute record that reigns in the ferocity of Gorguts ‘Erosion of Sanity’, the jagged semi-progressive tilt of Death‘s ‘Human’ and fuses them with a corrupted strain of Bolt Thrower-meets-Dead Congregation riffing into modern, mercilessly extensive death metal structures. The experience reads like a mildly progressive atmospheric death metal record; Yet ‘Abiogenesis’ thrives so heartily within it’s serpentine dips in and out of different classic stylistic influences that it might be easy to overlook it’s inherent ‘classically brutal’ ethos."

Grizzly Butts

"Recently, a member of the repugnant proletariat that comprise our comment section dared to argue OSDM’s diminished worth due to a perceived inability to move beyond its throwback nature. Burial Invocation have created an album that, while not perfect, challenges such a statement by encapsulating everything that made death metal’s original sin so dangerous, whilst simultaneously progressing the genre beyond mere anachronism."

Angry Metal Guy

Hey, well at least it placed. At this point I'm ready to bet that most of my top 10 will fall on this side of the 100.

Turkish eh? Wonder what the country breakdown will be like

More octatonic allusions halfway through "Scarlet Woman". I'm liking these guys (re Ghastly).

Hm, there's def more than that going on here, though.

proper old skool guitar nerdness on rollout thread seems appropriate

Though its not as in fashion as it was when i was growing up.

do the teens even have guitar heroes now?

108 Dautha - Brethren of the Black Soil (86 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/N0ZPXHm.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/1ClgVll9v8M3kdVQcfYFAx?si=AxBPprUqRSSYi_KuoUdxyw

spotify:album:1ClgVll9v8M3kdVQcfYFAx

https://dautha-vanrecords.bandcamp.com/album/brethren-of-the-black-soil

Van Records Ván236
Release date:. February 25, 2018
from Norrköping, Östergötlands län, Sweden
1st full-length album
tags: metal, doom metal, epic doom metal, epic metal, Sweden

"On the most basic terms, Dautha sounds like a cross between Candlemass and My Dying Bride at their doomiest. The former can be seen in the grandiose guitar fanfare and Lars Palmqvist’s excellent Messiah impression, while the latter is felt through the especially sprawling tempos and the contributions of violinist Åsa Eriksson-Wärnberg. The band’s folk tag seems to be a misnomer based on said violin rather than on the actual compositions, but I’m sure not to complain about getting some solid Swedish epic doom."

Indy Metal Vault

"Dautha‘s debut is an undeniable and surprisingly intelligent trip through the annals of Europe’s heritage, both literary and historical. With classic riffs, an epic scope and a frontman more than willing to bleed every sanguine drop of drama into his craft, a little bloat and singular focus can just about be excused. I do hope to see a breaking of the traditional boundaries on a follow-up effort, but the fact is, I can’t stop playing Brethren of the Black Soil, and really that’s the best recommendation a reviewer can give."

Angry Metal Guy

"Overall, this is a great album filled with many Swedish doom influences but they also care their own path of hope, despair and grief. This is a band to keep on your radar, all you SORCERER, CANDLEMASS and SOLITUDE AETURNUS fans."

Metal-Temple

I do love that Dautha record.

― resident hack (Simon H.), Sunday, December 9, 2018 12:38 PM (two months ago)

#9 of Opium Hun's Top 10 Doom Metal Albums of 2018

RIYL doooooooooooom

Toooooo looooooow.

not a great sign for the effectiveness of my campaigning this year lol

107 Kevin Hufnagel - Messages to the Past (87 pts., 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/156Y0xR.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/4EKEHF55JpBySc1xqMRMZK?si=wvF0kA7hQwSNIvP3OJvuqQ

spotify:album:4EKEHF55JpBySc1xqMRMZK

https://kevinhufnagel.bandcamp.com/album/messages-to-the-past

Nightfloat Recordings 010/Translation Loss Records TL131-1
Release date: June 29, 2018
from Brooklyn, New York, United States
9th full-length album since 1997
tags: acoustic, ambient, classical, experimental, metal, progressive, New York

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered Fall 2017 by Colin Marston at Menegroth: The Thousand Caves
Artwork by Bryan Olson
Layout by Joe Beres

"From the first tightly palm-muted repeating layers of the percussive album opener ‘Pulse Controller’, to the immediate contrast offered by ‘Separations” soothing arpeggiated eloquence, it becomes clear that Prof. Huf’s skill on the instrument is only matched by his attention to crafting immersive soundscapes and songs. The exotic end of the tonal spectrum is explored in perhaps the darkest track on the record, and definitely my favourite cut titled ‘The Eyes Of Another’ (embedded below). Constricted palpitations return on ‘Circling The Grave’, eventually ceding to some very soulful lead lines which wouldn’t be far removed from something Joe Satriani would have penned circa 1993. The middle portion of the album displays a dazzling variety of harmonised leads over graceful chord progressions, with the sporadic flurry of shred often utilised as crescendo to cap off some exquisite passage of passionate playing"

Toilet Ov Hell

"The aggressive rush of opener “Pulse Controller” aside, this is not a particularly heavy record in the extreme sense folks might expect if you’re coming from the perspective of Hugnagel’s work with Gorguts or even Dysrhythmia. But the attention to overlapping lines and syncopated arpeggiated attacks are right there, laid bare and exposed with no instrumentation other than Hufnagel’s layered guitars. And truth be told, it’s when Hufnagel moves away from the more “metal” leanings that Messages to the Past really comes into its own."

Nine Circles

"Whether it be through the realms of extreme metal, prog, avant-garde, jazz, or classical, Hufnagel's skill set is always intact and mesmerizing, and this latest solo album sees the guitar wizard utilize all these elements for another stellar collection of instrumental music."

Sea of Tranquility

#9 of PopMatters' Best Progressive Rock/Metal of 2018

Ah, nice.

do the teens even have guitar heroes now?

I come across teens into Dragonforce/Dream Theater/Tosin Abbasi, as well as Youtube fingerpickers. (Anecdotally, ime, they seem more willing to learn classical or jazz than used to be the case.) Mostly, though, even pretty young kids seem to be into the classics (broadly defined: the Hal Leonard Tab Method, which includes riffs from Booker T & the MGs, the Stones, Rush, Jethro Tull, Weezer, the Beatles, Sabbath, Bill Withers, Green Day, and Chicago within the first few pages, is a huge hit with beginners).

Me and my friends at school all wanted to play like Dragonforce or Nuno Bettencourt, and mainly we just played Blink 182.

Really excited to hear Dautha! I felt last year was lacking a bit in great doom, but maybe I just wasn’t finding it.

Svartidauði isn't quite what I'm after these days - impressive but not quite landing the big punches. Am I spoilt rotten on Big Moments and spectacular melodies? I'll probably give it another chance when not on holiday

Not bad, I should explore this guy's stuff more. Definitely more approachable than Mick Barr's solo guitar projects...

Sund4r I reckon you should check out Byla if you haven't heard them, they were a duo of Hufnagel and Colin Marston who did guitar-based ambient/drone

I will. I've been a fan of Hufnagel's solo albums. (This is actually more 'inside' for him.) I got it added to the noms list way late in the voting period so I am surprised it placed.

We'll get around to that as well.

Dautha album almost got taken off after the first track but the second is stunning. So many metal bands needing an editor ffs, this should have opened up the album

106 Møl - Jord (88 points, 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/l74xl1Q.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/1SRL7s4njVHBEytSmM3MsN?si=ixPUQLQ7TWecauo1Yc4MWQ

spotify:album:1SRL7s4njVHBEytSmM3MsN

https://moeldk.bandcamp.com/album/jord-2

Holy Roar Records HRR277
Release date: April 13, 2018
from Aarhus, Midtjylland, Denmark
1st full-length album
tags: black metal, metal, blackgaze, shoegaze, shoegaze black metal, shoegaze metal, Aarhus

"In a weird coincidence, both my pre-review notes and a fan email we received both described this as “Deafheaven done right,” and that’s actually not a bad starting point. Møl possess the same sense of grandeur and triumph, with plenty of uplifting major chords over blastbeats, not to mention a vocalist whose harsh rasps bear more than a passing resemblance to George Clarke. At the same time, Møl leave the hipster interludes at the coffee shop and instead focus on making things more musically active and substantial."

Angry Metal Guy

"Standing at a scrape over 40 minutes, “JORD” is a short album considering how expansive the sum of its parts sound. Herein lies the secret to Møl’s success: the band is able to create an expansive, spacious and free atmosphere which allows their ethereal elements to develop and breathe without sacrificing their brevity and urgent charisma. “Bruma” commences with a slow, forlorn riff dripping in melancholy only to be swept away by a tidal wave of hallowed screams and tumultuous black metal. However, the melancholic riff resurfaces above the torrents of black metal riffing throughout the song. Likewise, the swift drumming during the spacious shoegaze elements in the techy “Vigra” and the pulsating guitars smothering the incensed vocals in “Storm” upholds both the swift pace Møl plays to during the slower reflective intermissions and the vast uplifting impact they can deliver amongst bleak, seemingly impenetrable walls of sound."

SputnikMusic

"While the comparisons to the likes of DEAFHEAVEN and ALCEST are obvious, Jord also incorporates subtle nods to a huge array of other bands and styles, from the SLOWDIVE-esque soaring, evocative instrumentals of Bruma, to the GOJIRA-like opening notes of Virga. This blend of genres never feels forced or out of place, with each influence feeling like an intrinsic, vital piece of the larger puzzle that carries the record forward to greater and greater heights."

Distorted Sound

#17 of Kerrang's 50 Albums That Shook 2018
#20 of The 405's Top 50 Albums of 2018
#19 of Loudwire's The Best Metal Albums of 2018
#28 of Stereogum's The 50 Best Albums of 2018 So Far

Expected this to be top 100 as it was campaigned for. It was new to me though

Dautha seem to be a Jekyll/Hyde proposition. When the song is over 10 minutes, it's amazing. When it's under 10 minutes, it's kind of rote and inessential. This has been proven true for the entire album so far

There's the lesson. Nobody should make tracks under 10 mins.

105 Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos (89 pts., 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/tAgRnvY.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/6eNQ5r6w592ZpQJdSi01WG?si=DSpFt02JS56Amq5SL7PlrA
spotify:album:6eNQ5r6w592ZpQJdSi01WG

https://sulphuraeon-vanrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-scythe-of-cosmic-chaos

Van Records Ván262
Release date: December 21, 2018
from Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
3rd full-length album since 2013
tags: cthulhu, death metal, h. p. lovecraft, metal, death metal, lovecraft, Germany

Ván Records is proud to announce the highly anticipated third full-length-album of SULPHUR AEON!
Sounding overall powerful and sublime, “The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos“ electrifies with courage and creativity. This abysmal adventure, garnished with a mind blowing artwork by Ola Larsson, covers all facets of Death Metal and breaks new ground at the same time.

The band's first two records "Swallowed By The Ocean's Tide" (2013) and "Gateway To The Antisphere" (2015) received massive worldwide praise by both fans and media alike and were placed amongst the most innovative and pioneering genre albums of recent years. SULPHUR AEON were, are and will remain the most ambitious and important Death Metal institution in Germany!

everynoise genre designations: lovecraftian metal, voidgaze

"Sulphur Aeon's music has always been interesting beyond merely the Lovecraftian themes, mostly due to their blend of black and melodic influences within death metal, and while The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos has a bit more of the latter, this does not soften their sound. Instead it feels more focused and fun to listen to. Sulphur Aeon still craft some colossal riffs that are such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order."

Metal Storm

"Though the late-year release of SULPHUR AEON‘s third full-length may find it excluded from many end-of-year lists, make no mistake: The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos is one of the strongest albums to grace our ears this year. As much as the record is dark, unsettling and thought-provoking, it also stays true to the cornerstones of what makes heavy metal great – it’s skull-cleavingly heavy and an incredibly fun listen. Drenched in a haunting atmosphere that keeps the listener on edge for the entirety of the run-time, SULPHUR AEON have perfectly transitioned the unknowable terror of Lovecraftian horror from the written page to the stereo."

Distorted Sound

"The three-record winning streak Sulphur Aeon is now on is nothing short of incredible, and I haven’t been around for anything like it in my time as a metalhead. There’s no way what’s happening here is luck. No, Sulphur Aeon are simply a great band, perhaps the best new band of the 2010s. Listening to The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos, I get the feeling once again that this is the product of a vision coming to fruition, the perfect synthesis of heavy yet melodically accessible metal and Lovecraft’s gift for atmosphere that pervades the Cthulhu mythos. Nothing can convey the horrible majesty of Lovecraft’s most famous literary creation—nothing except Sulphur Aeon’s music."

Angry Metal Guy

"If the band has built one truly signature element on their early records, it is that of scale. There’s such a sense of depth and expanse within their sound that it’s easy to envision the tremolo riffs being played hundreds of feet above the drums, bass, and brutal rhythm parts. Scythe doesn’t just continue this trait, but better takes advantage of the space/size with longer stretches of eerie melody and foreboding."

Your Last Rites

Poor Møl :(

Everyone who likes Deafheaven but wish they'd tighten up their songwriting should check them out

Gave 'em 4 tracks. It sounded like tighter Deafheaven.

I come across teens into Dragonforce/Dream Theater/Tosin Abbasi, as well as Youtube fingerpickers. (Anecdotally, ime, they seem more willing to learn classical or jazz than used to be the case.) Mostly, though, even pretty young kids seem to be into the classics (broadly defined: the Hal Leonard Tab Method, which includes riffs from Booker T & the MGs, the Stones, Rush, Jethro Tull, Weezer, the Beatles, Sabbath, Bill Withers, Green Day, and Chicago within the first few pages, is a huge hit with beginners).

Queen is huge too, probably because of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Imo their melodic sense is a titch more interesting as well xp

104 Xenoblight - Procreation (89 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/DzIWjIr.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/1HtIUOcBMFbwWxiAo43M01?si=ax1Fw05fS7-n3zBnJwCPMQ
spotify:album:1HtIUOcBMFbwWxiAo43M01

https://xenoblight.bandcamp.com/releases

(self-released on Bandcamp)
Release date: February 8, 2018
from Silkeborg, Midtjylland, Denmark
1st full-length album
tags: [Removed Illegal Link]

"Nothing if not a huge adrenaline rush, Procreation proves Xenoblight worthy of some recognition for their attention to weaving in memorable moments into each of the tracks to make them hold up for the long run. While the final product may not seem too far removed from other extreme acts, they’ve built a very solid foundation on which to further vary things along as they continue to up their game."

Dead Rhetoric

"Tracks are fired at you with all the pace of a bullet leaving a machine gun, and make about as much of an impact too. Easily one of the most heavy tracks of the album is “Xenoblight”. A band naming a track after themselves is something of an autobiographical experience, a way for the band to let listeners know exactly who they are with their music alone, something to define the band. From this, the self-titled track tells listeners that Xenoblight are methodical and technical in their approach to music, with the track itself being tight-knit and so wickedly clean in it’s procession that it can be easy to forget that Xenoblight have played for little over a year together. “Xenoblight” is fast and hits hard, introduced by a barrage of sickeningly quick drumbeats before a wave of down-tuned, dueling guitars crushes you under its own weight. The track itself is an instrumental, something that could have been chosen so as to illustrate the skill and sheer ability of the band."

The Moshville Times

Danes are bringing it this year?

Another one that deserved better.

I wonder if it makes Fred proud?

I’m based in Denmark now, I just saw that I’ve got a good opportunity to check out Xenoblight next week (they’re supporting Hatesphere).

I think this one just missed my ballot

103 Behemoth - I Loved You at Your Darkest (90 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/jk82xrl.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/1DaRlWfOrGsZpzSjhEEA8o?si=xhhCj3woSeOEeiID75STWA

spotify:album:1DaRlWfOrGsZpzSjhEEA8o

https://evp-recordings.bandcamp.com/album/i-loved-you-at-your-darkest

Nuclear Blast NB 4265-1
Metal Blade Records 3984-15608-1
Release date: October 5, 2018
from Gdańsk, pomorskie, Poland
12th full-length album since 1994
tags: black metal, blackened death metal, death metal, extreme metal, metal, heavy metal, Melbourne

“It doesn’t get more blasphemous than this.”

That’s Behemoth mastermind Nergal talking about the title of the band’s 11th and latest album, I Loved You At Your Darkest. While it certainly seems an unlikely title for a black metal band—especially one that called their last album The Satanist—its origin might surprise you even more than the words themselves. “It’s a verse from the Bible,” Nergal reveals. “It’s actually a quote from Jesus Christ himself. For Behemoth to use it as the basis of our record, it’s sacrilege to the extreme.”

Of course, Behemoth are no strangers to blasphemy. Over the course of the last 27 years, they’ve pushed the boundaries of black metal and heresy alike. While anti-Christian sentiment might seem like stale bread where most metal bands are concerned, for Behemoth such ideas represent a very real threat to their physical freedom. Time and again, the government of their native Poland has charged them with various “crimes” such as tearing up a bible onstage in 2007 and using the Polish coat of arms on a Behemoth t-shirt in 2017.

“Obviously, stuff like that can piss you off. But I think it’s good to be pissed off,” Nergal says with a laugh. “Anger can be a massive driving force, especially when you make extreme music. But politically and socially, Poland is a very disparate country. You can never feel totally safe here. That makes it easier for me to get inspiration. If I lived in Holland or Australia, I don’t think I’d be doing what I do now. You can do or be anything you want there. I’m a huge fan of that kind of freedom, but I don’t really have it here. Struggling with that on a daily basis makes me who I am, and fuels my passion for this music.”

Nergal and his bandmates—Orion (bass) and Inferno (drums)—have channeled that passion into I Loved You At Your Darkest. A crushing salvo of black metal majesty replete with hellish riffs, thundering drum cannonades and soaring liturgical choirs reminiscent of classic horror cinema, the album is also bejeweled with nimble-fingered rock guitar solos on songs like “God=Dog,” “Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica” and “Sabbath Mater.” “I really wanted to redefine ourselves with this record,” Nergal explains. “I Loved You At Your Darkest is a more dynamic record. It’s extreme and radical on one hand, but it’s also more rock-oriented than any other Behemoth record.”

Nergal doesn’t view the heightened rock influence as a conscious creative decision so much as a renewed interest in the historical origins of the music he makes. “We don’t give consideration to musical direction, we simply create what naturally comes to us” he says. “But 15 years ago, if you had asked me who I thought was the best band on the planet, I probably would have said Mayhem or Morbid Angel. Today if you asked me, I’d say AC/DC. That should give you a clear indication of why this album is more rock-based. It all comes down to the song writing.”

Lyrically, I Loved You At Your Darkest revels in the kind of religious provocation that Behemoth do best. “It’s very religion-driven, maybe more than anything we’ve done before,” Nergal offers. “But it’s not just cheap goading. I believe this is some deeper metal language. It’s art.”

Unlike The Satanist, which was primarily recorded in one studio, I Loved You At Your Darkest saw its production spread across Poland and the United States. It was produced by the band members themselves, with drum co-production by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames), mixing by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Children Of Bodom) and mastering by Tom Baker (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson). Which is to say nothing of the 17-piece Polish orchestra arranged by Jan Stoklosa and engineered by Tomasz Budkiewicz. Or as Nergal sums it up: “Pretty much every instrument was recorded in a different studio, and a lot of amazing people were involved.”

All of whom came together to help realize Behemoth’s most exciting record yet. “Although our origin is black metal, Behemoth is something bigger,” Nergal ventures. “We know our legacy - but, with this record, we look to advance to higher ground!”

everynoise genre designations: polish metal, polish death metal, polish black metal, death metal, metal, black metal, groove metal, melodic death metal, pagan black metal

"Even if it’s hard not to titter at titles such as If Crucifixion Was Not Enough, the album is an entertaining romp that could appeal more widely than to just the band’s regular extreme metal hardcore audience. There are acoustic guitars, Gregorian chants and songs that would be suspiciously close to classic rock, were it not for Nergal’s guttural growl and words designed to bring down the nearest church."

The Guardian

"Amid all the grandeur and the sheer force of the band’s collective incursion throughout, a remarkable tone of restraint has crept in Behemoth’s work. It was present on the band’s highly acclaimed 2014 album, The Satanist, but it has taken root on I Loved You At Your Darkest with music that feels more direct and all the more powerful as a result. The demon invocation “Bartzabel”, for example, plays out like a particularly vicious power ballad, with its mid-tempo groove and Nergal’s arms akimbo pleas (“Come unto me, Bartzabel/ By the moon and stars, I swear!”). Elsewhere tracks like “Rom 5:8” and “Coagvia” pitch and yaw between a blastbeat-heavy overload and more measured passages that feel positively spacious by comparison."

Consequence of Sound

"At its root, I Loved You at Your Darkest (ILYaYD for short) is a blackened death album. Nergal’s scratchy screams, declarative shouts, and trem-picked riffs are girded by Inferno’s torrent of blasts, and Orion’s roiling bass. These performances are the blackened backbone of I Loved You at Your Darkest‘s tone as openers “Wolves ov Siberia” and “God=Dog” demonstrate. These tracks both feature classic black metal wall of sound riffing and the warm, familiar embrace of the genre’s most iconic conventions. Behemoth‘s adherence to convention would be, well, conventional, if not offset by tracks like “Havohej Pantocrator” or “Sabbath Mater” where swells and blasts of intensity bolster the dark sound. ILYaYD is dynamic and intense as a result."

Angry Metal Guy

#8 of Kerrang's 50 Albums That Shook 2018
#8 of Revolver's 30 Best Albums of 2018î
#28 of Consequence of Sound's Top 50 Albums of 2018
#2 of Consequence of Sound's Top 25 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2018
#22 of Loudwire's The 30 Best Metal Albums of 2018

“God=Dog,”

lol

Do you think Nergal felt really proud when he came up with that?

Wait till he finds out that God sounds like the French word 'gode', short for 'godemichet', which means dildo.

This would have scored higher on my ballet if not for the stupid lyrics. I remember listening at the gym once and being into it and realizing that he was singing, “Crucifixion Was Not Enough” and embarrassedly thinking, “I’m 45”.

He's in his 40s too

i’m pretty sure he’s well aware of the obviousness.

102 Closer - All This Will Be (93 pts., 2 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/UtW5lWX.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/7H9Sm7IaMp7MjYHrY57FEG?si=CdtdO8B6R7WwkvHZfL3aTg

spotify:album:7H9Sm7IaMp7MjYHrY57FEG

https://closernyc.bandcamp.com/album/all-this-will-be

Lauren Records LR-67
Middle Man Records MMR-096
Conditions Records CR-18
Release date: January 19, 2018
from Brooklyn, New York, United States
1st full-length album
tags: punk, emo, melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, screamo, skramz, shouty Simoncore, Brad-core, New York

"Their sound is raw and urgent and scratchy and visceral, but it’s also thoughtful and dynamic. There are long stretches of twinkly, atmospheric guitar that remind me of Explosions In The Sky, and those moments feed right into the cathartic climaxes. There’s a stretch of one song where someone reads a slightly muffled poem over an instrumental — something that also happened on Slow Burn, the really great album that Old Gray put out about a year ago. And when Closer lurch into high gear, as on the scorching opener “Gift Shop,” they can sound almost like black metal."

Stereogum, Album of the Week

"CLOSER cover practically every hue of black in the post-hardcore color spectrum here – a pretty post-rock twinkle from nothing in its untitled intro, a roaring atmosphere for feedback to make its playground on “Gift Shop” and “Rec Room”, as well as divvying up the sum of their parts where you can see the lines separating them on “Hardly Art” – but Slauson’s emotionally wrought lyrics are what strike beneath the skin’s surface. They capture hyper-specific moments with the finesse of a detailed wordsmith that make each moment of impact feel like you’re being swept up in them in enough pause to appreciate the beauty in their destructive nature. On “Three Halloweens” for example, they recall a cross-continental breakup. “To the Finland station / With my seat belt on / And your broken arrow / And my endless affection.” When their voice curdles into the feedback, ”I am trying to break your heart / Call it / Call it / Call it what it is,” their anguish becomes ours, too."

+Recommended Listen

#5 in Stereogum's The Best Hardcore Albums of 2018

These blurbs make it seem like some sort of hysterical emo record.

Yeah, I can't say I'm enticed.

isn't that what all emo albums are?

Never been my thing tbh.

I'm guessing it would have been higher if Brad had voted this year

One more album tonight. We usually start have a top 101 and this stuff was just a weekend bonus but it seems to have uncovered a few gems so lets start the 101 tonight and then continue tomorrow around lunchtime.

Yep, last one for the night. I'm not sure I've ever heard of these guys but I def feel like I should've voted for them

101 Anthroprophh - Omegaville (95pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/aguV60r.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/4QSBlXuo0sshzhGkPWIj7p?si=9L4fCy4HTyexT1hLZtlpZQ

spotify:album:4QSBlXuo0sshzhGkPWIj7p

anthroprophh.bandcamp.com/album/omegaville

Rocket Recordings LAUNCH127
Release date: March 30, 2018
from Bristol, United Kingdom
10th full-length (+ 2 split albums) since 2012
tags: rock, freak rock, fuzz punk, krautrock, noise rock, psychedelic, psychedelic rock, Drugs A Money-bait, Bristol

In the near-twenty year period of Rocket Recordings’ existence, its ethos has expanded in untold directions, yet always with the destruction of boundaries and the expansion of consciousness high on the agenda. Nonetheless, the original spirit of the label remains a universe that revolves around the twin planets of Fuzz and Wah - the mind-frying six-string duality that warps sound spectrums and overheats speaker cones in pursuit of reckless sensory overload.

What’s more, few guitarists have been richer exponents of just these two ingredients than Paul Allen, who not only appeared on the very first Rocket 7” of 1998 with The Heads, but who also fronts Anthroprophh, an outfit who take both garage-bound filth and wayward, abstract artistry to zones beyond comprehension. ‘Omegaville’ - the third release on Rocket for his power trio alongside bassist Gareth Turner (who appeared on the other side of said debut Rocket 7” with his then-band Lilydamwhite) and drummer Jesse Webb - lives up to its name in driving just such demented predilections into head-spinning chaos. A feverish tirade of maximalism battling with a no-holds-barred approach to structure, ‘Omegaville’ finds equal space for everything-on-11 riffage of a distinctly Stoogian/stygian stripe, bracing musique concrete, Butthole Surfers-esque bedlam, Chrome-style sci-fi noise-pop, surreal British humour, and what sounds essentially like a ‘60s NASA HQ going up in flames.

Structured by Allen’s admission akin to Can’s ‘Tago Mago’ as a double album which places the more conventional tracks at its start and the more explicitly experimental and outré adventures on the second disc, this is a cliff-edge into sanity-risking overload which has much in common with the glory days of 1971 - the Nurse-With-Wound-list realm of record-collector gold where heavy rock, nascent prog and wilfully art-damaged netherscapes thrived - a harmonious and thrilling marriage between transgressive over-amplification and the avant-garde. “With a double LP you can usually get away with some form of experimentation on the second disc and ‘Tago Mago’ is a prime example” notes Allen “‘Echo’ by AR Vs Machines (Achim Reichel) being another example, with its zonked-out a cappella ending. It was nice to cover all aspects of what the band are all about, It kind of happened by accident really. I’m amazed we had that much material”

At the forefront of much of this, however, is Allen’s guitar playing itself, globally renowned amongst freaks and connoisseurs alike from his contributions to The Heads. Taking Hendrix and Asheton-esque shapes and warping them beyond recognition into new paradigms, he also cites guitarists like Michael Karoli “with this spindly thin fuzz sound and use of the whammy”, early-‘70s Robert Fripp, Giles Buchan of Human Beast, Fred Frith and Geinrich of Guru Guru (“with his love of sonic mulch”) as influences, yet this ear-splitting treble-heavy scree and these heavenly FX-driven cacophonies could be the work of no-one else but this particular six-string iconoclast, who drives his trademark sound beyond anything he’s previously attempted in any incarnation.

Who’s to say exactly where Anthroprophh move on from this guileless aural endtime mission. ‘Omegaville’ - in the tradition of most great out-rock and psych-noise - feels very much like a foot placed firmly on the accelerator in search of dimensions unknown - a liminal zone where fuzz and wah transcend space and time.

"Anthroprophh’s previous records certainly create an incredible amount to take in, with disparate ideas fusing together so effortlessly, (Drone and garage-rock? Sure, why not!). Here on Omegaville, it seems all those ideas, concepts and genres have been fused into something far greater than anything they’ve ever attempted, with constant construction and de-construction fuelling the fire and showing us that such risks are worth taking when it results in something as different as this. The technical expertise of Paul Allen, Gareth Turner and Jesse Webb are completely undeniable and unforgettable, whether they expertly playing a solo, thrashing along power-chords and parodying culture in the first half, or hypnotising us in a long-drawn out segments on the album’s second half, that send us spiralling off into our own headspace of confusion. This feels like the next logical step that Anthroprophh would be taking in their career, and yet it is one that is completely (and delightfully) unpredictable."

Echoes and Dust

"This is a much deeper work than that mad, dizzying first rush might suggest; the very fact it’s structured this way is itself part of an overarching concept. Allen has spoken about the influence of Can’s Tago Mago, particularly the way in which the record was frontloaded with its most conventional tracks before easing its way into more experimental climes in the second half. He also discussed the concept behind Omegaville in a recent tQ interview: "It starts off with general first-world problems - 'Sod', for example, is vaguely about how crap it can be to be in a band - but then it descends into being about the gentrification of my hometown and the possible outcome for the not-so-wealthy. The sounds at the end of the record are supposed to be from an imagined out-of-town hellish reservation where an overwhelming number of us end up homeless and insane. It's not a happy ending, but not an improbable scenario for people in my situation and for many of my friends and their offspring. That's if we continue with our current trajectory, with housing especially."

The Quietus - The Lead Review

"Fans of The Heads might wish to look away now because I think that this might just be the best thing that Paul Allen has ever done. For me this double album is an absolute triumph not only because of the radically different points at either end of the set… but because of the journey it takes you on in between… every track has a different atmosphere to it and is excecuted with a real authenticity. For better or ill it feels like you are being taken through Allen’s mind, a journey that has massive ups and cavernous downs… a trip that you might not want to take lightly… but one that you most definitely want to take. It may be a masterpiece, only time will tell if that is the case. What I will say at this point is that it feels like one of the most significant albums that I have written about in the last five years because of its sheer breadth and vision. What hints at this for me is that there are not many albums that I feel like just sitting in silence after listening to… I do with this… and then I want to hear it again."

Psych Insight Music

#98 of The Quietus Albums of the Year 2018

Omg yes!! Hysterical emo is correct, but how could that not be enticing? This is some powerhouse female-fronted post-hardcore with real melodic sensibility and excellent vocals. ‘Hardly Art’ and ‘Dust’ are highlights and won’t steal much of your life.

xp re: Closer

Anthroprophh album is great! Can’t remember if it made it into my ballot or not. It doesn’t get much better than the opening track imo but it’s some great high-octane psych-rock and enjoyable throughout.

Anthroprophh is Paul Allen of The Heads

Here's the bonus weekend recap:

101 Anthroprophh - Omegaville 95.0 3 0
102 Closer - All This Will Be 93.0 2 0
103 Behemoth - I Loved You at your Darkest 90.0 3 0
104 Xenoblight - Procreation 89.0 3 0
105 Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos 89.0 2 0
106 Møl - Jord 88.0 2 0
107 Kevin Hufnagel - Messages to the Past 87.0 2 0
108 Dautha - Brethren of the Black Soil 86.0 3 0
109 Burial Invocation - Abiogenesis 86.0 2 0
110 Windhand / Satan's Satyrs - Split 85.0 4 0
111 Ghastly - Death Velour 85.0 2 0
112 Mammoth Grinder - Cosmic Crypt 84.0 2 0
113 Spiders - Killer Machine 83.0 2 0
114 Svartidauði - Revelations Of The Red Sword 82.0 4 0
115 Dispirit - Enantiodromian Birth 82.0 2 0
116 Iskandr - Euprosopon 81.0 2 0
117 Progenie Terrestre Pura - StarCross 80.0 3 0
118 Kły - Szczerzenie 79.0 3 0
119 Alrakis - Echoes from η Carinae 78.0 2 0
119 Pig Destroyer - Head Cage 78.0 2 0
121 Wayfarer - World’s Blood 77.0 3 0
122 The Oscillation - Wasted Space 77.0 2 0
123 Protoplasma - - 76.0 3 0
124 Deep Space Destructors - Visions from the Void 76.0 2 0
125 Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits 75.0 3 0

Good I’m happy to see this is not a metal project by the late Paul Allen of Microsoft.

There's a SPOTIFY RESULTS PLAYLIST to subscribe to as well.

Some good albums in that run and some I haven't heard but others think should be higher.

Hope some of you find some new albums you like and we will see you tomorrow for the TOP 100.

and don't forget to wish Imago a happy birthday!

The Anthroprophh album is amazing!

I really liked the Closer album when I listened last year but I never bought it, through no fault of its own, and so didn't listen enough.

So you weren't one of its voters?

some gorgeous album covers as per usual

so far xenoblight just heads out the behemoth art for me

everyone ready for the commencement of the TOP 100?

https://i.imgur.com/Z2IRyb6.png

100 Black Salvation - Uncertainty is Bliss (96 pts., 2 votes, 1 #1 vote)
https://i.imgur.com/MB4SaEk.jpg

https://blacksalvation.bandcamp.com/album/uncertainty-is-bliss

Relapse Records RR7403
Release date: April 6, 2018
from Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
2nd full-length album since 2014
tags: rock, garage rock, psychedelic rock, Leipzig

Uncertainty Is Bliss is the Relapse debut from German psychedelic, hard rock trio Black Salvation. Black Salvation (Featuring Uno Bruniusson formerly of In Solitude and Grave Pleasures and currently of Death Alley), challenge the listener to open wide the doors of perception and slowly drift away amongst their transcendental compositions and deeply hypnotic tales of magic and mysticism. Across eight tracks and 40+ minutes, Black Salvation exquisitely blend hard rock, doom and psychedelia into an intoxicating synthesis of rock n' roll alchemy. Uncertainty Is Bliss is surely one of the most captivating rock debuts in years.

It’s easy to mimic the surface level vibe of what heavy rock music was in the 70s: there’s a couple dozen bands trying to bring back flared jeans and boogie as we speak. It’s another thing to get under the skin of the period, to take the freak and experimentation and truly inhabit it as more than just a fashion to be hung around the neck. Black Salvation inhabit this dark crevice of creativity on sophomore album Uncertainty is Bliss, reveling in a dark and twisted psychedelic rock that’s not afraid to meander and slither even as it engages in deep hooks and a solid song structure that other bands try in vain to capture.

Founded in 2009 by guitarist/vocalist Paul Schlesier, the German outfit (rounded out by bassist Birger Schwidop and new drummer Uno Bruniusson) jammed for years honing their attack before self releasing debut In Deep Circles in 2014. Tracks like “The Devil Sent Us An Angel” build with layers of repetitive sequences, washing over you as it slowly twists in upon itself. Burying its bricks in a foundation of blues and psychedelic doom, each song takes its time traversing the musical landscape. There’s a patience as the riffs in “Silent Magic Spring” find their way back to the main, and part of the joy in that is hearing the excursions Schwidop’s bass takes. If there’s a complaint to be made, it’s that after a few tracks you start to look for a little more intensity in the journey.

Uncertainty is Bliss seems to feel the same way, because from the outset there’s a focus and stripped down feel that brings a sense of urgency to even the more laid back tracks without sacrificing any of the exploratory facets of the band. The seven minutes of opener “In A Casket’s Ride” feels shorter than many of the shortest tracks from In Deep Circles, and gets a huge lift from Bruniusson’s drumming. Schlesier’s voice has a penetrating baritone that can soar to the higher registers to carry wordless melodies, and his guitar tone nails this creamy, haze of distortion that stays just on the verge of breaking. “Floating Torpid” takes that tone and perfectly matches it against Schwidop’s bass in a rocker with a touch of Eastern flair.

It’s this second track where the real trick of Black Salvation comes to light. This is the sound of three people wondrously in sync with each other, playing off of each other’s impulses. It embodies that uncanny feeling of unity which is even more impressive considering the nature of the songwriting: their previous drummer having departed, Schlesier and Schwidop wrote the album without a drummer, necessitating a more stripped down approach to the songs. When Bruniusson entered the picture everything clicked into place.

That click is readily apparent in every song on Uncertainty is Bliss. “Breathing Hands” buries rippling shoe gaze chords behind the wash of feedback, with keys and bass achieving a wide separation in the mix. “The Eye That Breathes” initially comes off as a quick interlude before the second half of the album, but a closer listen reveals all these little details, like the subtle de-tuning of the instruments that induce a slight queasiness. “Leair” has a pomp and stomp that recalls vintage Iggy Pop. “A Direction is Futile” revels in the comparisons press releases have made to Can and their landmark album Tago Mago, again without grandly calling attention to itself. At over nine minutes it’s the epic of Uncertainty is Bliss and the one I’ve been coming back to again and again since first hearing the record.

Black Salvation are here to embody the sense of adventure and analog groove the best bands of the late 60s and early 70s were able to conjure in their prime. Uncertainty is Bliss is a loud and very certain statement that the current glut of stoner and retro bands are really going to have to up their game and their sincerity (not to mention their psychic communication with each other) if they hope to be able to achieve what Black Salvation do on only their second album. Whatever happens, I’ll have this batch of songs to turn on, tune in, and drop out to in the meantime.

Nine Circles

German hard rock trio Black Salvation is here with their debut titled Uncertainty is Bliss and I have to say that it is a masterpiece. These musicians work together in a way that is almost religious. I took a listen while in a straight frame of mind, and many times over in more of an ‘under the weather’ state of mind and I can confidently say that it is a great companion for either occasion. The technical imperfection and habitual rule breaking of this album provides the groundwork for an experience of absolute brain blowing bliss. It really takes a few listens to catch everything that takes place in the eight tracks, but it is a completely different trip each time.

The end is the beginning in the case of In A Casket’s Ride because Black Salvation introduces themselves with an art piece as confusing as it is intense; that is until you learn the secret. The swell of guitar noise that sucks itself away was so numbing to me that I had to take the time to play it backwards to see if it had been flipped, and I’m happy I did. This fucking song plays backwards exactly as it does frontwards! I’m talking the whole seven minutes of music played in reverse from end until beginning features the same progressions, vocals, jazz style beats, and everything as it does played forwards. There seems to be madness in the genius that is Black Salvation and the rest of this record is only further testimony to that.

Understand that by the time I got to Breathing Hands I was swimming in this record. The sound and overall vibe of this concept had me hypnotized. Breathing Hands may be the most radio friendly track and Black Salvation presumably agrees as this is the debut single featuring the band in an official music video. The bass guitar grooves heavy with a uniquely pop sounding guitar riff and enough vocal whoa-whoa-whoa’s to have you singing along before the song is halfway through. This tune my have an indie pop framework but it sticks to the core of psychedelic music by hiding jam sections in each refrain and an incredible baritone voice from the lyricist as his chant is used as an instrument to howl whatever his message may mean to you.

A Direction Is Futile is Black Salvation’s Moby Dick. This track starts as typical as any other on this record but takes a turn down the darkest road when the bass line begins its loop into madness while wild jungle-beat drum rhythms create an atmosphere of psychedelic evil. The guitarist locks the asylum door behind him while he shreds chaos in every direction. Germany is on fire and Black Salvation lit the torch with this song droning enough to please the ears of that hipster guy you know down the street yet funky and nonsensical enough to remind your grandmother of the week she spent in the desert eating acid and licking orange peels.

If uncertainty truly is bliss then let Grey River take you in the direction of heavy and steady push that moves you away from psychedelic somersaults because this bitch is the most rockin’ song in the set list thus far but Getting Slowly Lost closes out the record and it is unfair to me. After what was an incredible experience listening to Uncertainty is Bliss, I just have to say I guess there is always the one song. Getting Slowly Lost is probably my least favorite but could have saved itself if it was placed second or third on the track list and not so much as a finale. I can’t say it ruined the experience, so do not let Getting Slowly Lost prevent you from adding Black Salvation to your collection. I do thank Black Salvation for writing what at very most is a basic enough song to leave my seat at the show to refill my beer or drain the tank.

After saying that, this is an incredible record. It was hard to find many negative things to comment on so I will be adding Black Salvation to my list of bands to watch out for and I absolutely will be adding a vinyl disc format of it to my collection as soon as it is available. I urge you to do the same.

Rating: 9/10

Metal Utopia

[Q]Psychedelic hard rock is a tricky genre. Too much spacey exploration and you could bore the people that are mostly there for the heavy riffs. Too many heavy songs without extended atmospherics and some will be wondering why you were ever dubbed "psychedelic" in the first place. Leipzig, Germany's Black Salvation find a good balance on the trio's second album Uncertainty Is Bliss, mixing a handful of longer jams in with a group of compact, hard-hitting songs.

Roughly half of the album is comprised of these heavy rockers. "Floating Torpid" rolls along on a quasi-Arabian riff, powered by Birger Schwidop's steady bass and singer-guitarist Paul Schlesier's punchy guitars. Drummer Uno Bruniusson keeps the beat while throwing in fills and accents all over the place. The song has a looseness to it exemplified by a brief jam and build section that climaxes in an abrupt silence that lasts a full five seconds before the band comes back in for another solid minute to finish out the song. "Breathing Hands" follows, slowing down the tempo and adding an organ for atmosphere. Schlesier's, reverbed vocals float over a gnarly guitar riff in the intro before the riff fades away to let the vocals take center stage. In the final minute of the three-minute song the vocals drop out, and the band speeds up to rock out.

"Leair" rumbles along with the feel of a dirge, sitting on a simple groove for most of the song as Schlesier moans dramatically. It's broken up by some mid-song whistling and a minute where the beat drops out, but at just over five minutes long, Black Salvation stretch that groove for about as long as they can without making the song utterly boring. "Gray River", on the other hand, is probably Uncertainty Is Bliss' most conventional hard rocker. It has a decent guitar riff, largely echoed in the bass and buttressed by the drums. After a record full of grooves and jams, it's nice to hear the band just open up and let go. Too bad the song itself isn't better.

Then there are the extended songs. The album opens with "In a Casket's Ride", which finds the rhythm section locked into a hard-hitting riff, sometimes joined by Schlesier's guitar. At other times, the guitar goes off into its own explorations. But the song never wavers from its central riff, opting instead for a long denouement that gradually slows down over the last two minutes of the seven-minute track. Album closer "Getting Slowly Lost" has the best singing on the album, and maybe the best song construction. It opens with a quiet guitar and bass figure that transitions into a more upbeat, rolling style two minutes in. As the song builds to a climax, it changes again into a pounding 4/4 rocker before switching one more time into a just as pounding 6/8 feel. That adds a progressive rock flavor to the psychedelic hard rock and does it very effectively.

The album's longest song, the nine-minute "A Direction Is Futile", might be its best. It combines straight ahead hard rock with loose exploration. The song opens with a pulsing, echoing guitar riff buttressed by a simple but steady bassline and drums featuring a disco-style hi-hat beat. That only lasts for about 90 seconds before the band veers off into a Led Zeppelin, "Whole Lotta Love"-style jam. At first, just Schlesier wanders away, using a new riff as the basis for a lot of spacey sound effects while Bruniusson and Schwidop's bass keep the song rolling. But eventually, Bruniusson starts getting much more improvisational with his drums and loses the beat entirely. This leaves Schwidop as the song's secret MVP, as he keeps his bass locked into a simple, four-measure pattern regardless of what the other two are doing. And the other two get increasingly psychedelic as the song continues to wander, building in intensity and backing off. Eventually, though, thanks to Schwidop and his bassline, the song has that anchor to return the band to its original hard rock for a pounding, intense finish.

Uncertainty Is Bliss delivers on its promise and even finds time for a successful outlier. The 75-second long "The Eye That Breathes" is a fascinating experiment. It's an acoustic guitar-based instrumental song with quiet cymbal work and a pair of melodicas providing a melody and countermelody. And just as it gets going, it's over. But it opens another avenue for the band that they could exploit in the future. For now, though, this is a band that works the psychedelia into the hard rock with skill, and it makes for a very listenable album.

PopMatters

#48 in Fastnbulbous' Best Albums of 2018

https://open.spotify.com/album/4YUixBcXUuGsVwLppwpfzx?si=5t8Ooae9Q2igOh91MuHniw

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We're in a forest, sorry

99 Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog (96 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/5opCVeI.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/4AAPRl8BKlsIVC5aeedlBv?si=ytwvBq5FRoqRQ8c5PmPL_g
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BMG 538417082
Release date: August 24, 2018
from Seattle, Washington, United States
6th full-length album since 1990

everynoise genre designations: grunge, post-grunge, alternative metal, rock, nu metal, alternative rock, hard rock

"Like AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and in a sense, New Order, Alice In Chains belong to a select group of acts who have the unwanted distinction of being a band whereupon every note of music made after a certain point in time can be deemed something of a triumph. Now 16 years away from the tragic death of singer and founding member Layne Staley, ‘Rainier Fog’ much like the band’s 2009 comeback ‘Black Gives Way To Blue’ and 2013’s excellent ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’, is a record that really shouldn’t exist. Just by being here, by restoring life into the space where death once reigned, ‘Rainier Fog’ is a triumph.

That said, Alice In Chains, on their sixth album, have now made as many records with singer William DuVall as they did with his departed predecessor. This, and the art contained within, might be the point and the reason where the 50-year-old Washingtonian is no longer viewed as a newcomer. While the record ploughs similarly grungy furrows to that of the band’s classic Staley era work, there’s a lightness of touch to this collection of songs – an optimism, so to speak – that in many ways feels fresh and new. They were always one of the most metal band of the alt.rock boom that emerged from their Seattle scene in the early 1990’s, but on ‘Rainier Fog; there’s a beauty and an expanse – as well as a major chord or two – that sees the band evolving.

Named after Mount Rainier, the volcano 59 miles south-east of the band’s home city, and recorded at Seattle’s Studio X (where the band recorded their last album with Staley in 1995), it’s possible that the record’s grace stems from the introspection. Kurt has gone. Cornell too. Though not actually from the Emerald City, spiritual disciple of the Seattle sound and Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland has passed on also. With respect to the eternally gargantuan Pearl Jam, in many ways, Alice In Chains remain the last of the grunge generation standing. With that comes a hushed subtlety – an assurance of self that is more maudlin than morose.

‘Maybe’ is pretty where, perhaps, an earlier incarnation of the band would have fattened it up and run it through a fuzzier fuzz pedal. ‘Fly’ still features the psychedelic drone so crucial to the band’s sound, as well as featuring a guitar solo that’s so out there NASA might as well have stuck their logo upon it and used it to search distant galaxies. Yet within said song, DuVall’s croon aligns with band fulcrum Jerry Cantrell’s voice to create a sound that goes to a new – dare we say? – happier place, one that transcends the ache and hurt of the band’s previous work. Not that scars aren’t on display elsewhere: closer ‘All’ I Am still sounds like it comes from a place dark, dank and painful to get into and even more so to climb out of.

Like the two preceding records to feature DuVall, it’s impossible not to respect Alice In Chain’s continued presence and consistent output. They’re a reminder that life must go on. More crucially however, ‘Rainier Fog’ is a timely reminder that life must be cherished and enjoyed too."

NME

"A few months ago, Alice In Chains played New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. After opening with "Love, Hate, Love" from their classic debut, 1990's Facelift, they launched into "Check My Brain," from 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue, their first album with singer/guitarist William DuVall. It was welcomed with enthusiastic roars from the packed house, just as the prior song had; it got as much love as the next few songs: "Again," "Them Bones" and "Dam That River." Through the rest of the night, songs from the DuVall era -- let's call it "Alice In Chains Mk. II" -- including "Hollow," "Voices" and "Your Decision," got as much love as the songs from the "Mk. I" lineup.

Black Gives Way to Blue and 2013's The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here set a gold standard for legendary bands replacing a lead singer. As with Black Sabbath, when they replaced Ozzy Osbourne with Ronnie James Dio, and Van Halen when Sammy Hagar succeeded David Lee Roth, DuVall's albums should be seen as a completely different phase of the band, even though he sounds more like his predecessor than Dio and Hagar did.

Rainer Fog, the band's latest album, and their third with DuVall, might be Alice In Chains Mk. II's finest album yet.

The album kicks off with "The One You Know," which the band released in May; it's somewhat reminiscent of "Grind," but better. The chugging guitars and the thudding beat, courtesy of powerhouse drummer Sean Kinney, is classic Alice, as are the harmonizing vocals of Jerry Cantrell and DuVall, as they sing, "I'm not the one you know!"

The title track picks up the pace and could rank among the band's best songs. Cantrell and DuVall have become such a good vocal team, it's sometimes difficult to determine where one voice ends and the other begins (this has always been the case with AIC and is why Cantrell is somewhat under-appreciated as a lead vocalist).

"Fly" is another highlight (there are many on the album), and sees the band turning down the distortion; the DuVall/Cantrell vocal team really shines here. It would be interesting to hear this lineup do a full album in this style, a la Mark I's Sap and Jar of Flies. "Drone," meanwhile, sees them at their most Sabbath-y, and it's one of Mike Inez's coolest bass lines on the album.

The anthemic "Never Fade" was partially inspired by the passing of Chris Cornell. The lyrics are vague, but when Cantrell and DuVall sing "Never far away I always see you / When it all goes dark you light my way through" it is a reminder that fallen artists' songs have a huge impact after they're gone (it also recalls Cornell's Scream-era "Never Far Away" lyrics, which are much more haunting in retrospect: "Whenever I come, whenever I go
/ you're never far away.")

"Living the past you find out it's hard to stay sober." Those lyrics come from the title track. With an album this strong, Alice In Chains prove that they can look back to the past, but they don't have to live there. The present suits them just fine. They came from a time that was much friendlier to rock bands; AIC and many of their Lollapalloza-era peers regularly were in high rotation on MTV (when it mattered) and topped the Billboard charts; it's obviously a completely different landscape today. But even if lighter-hearted pop-friendly songs are at the center of pop culture today, Cantrell and the band still look, unflinchingly, at the darkest parts of their souls. Their music, as always, matches that mood. They might question it in their own lyrics, but they're still the ones we know.

On the aforementioned "The One You Know," Cantrell asks, "Does it matter if I'm still here, or I'm gone?" Regardless of his music, of course, the answer is "yes." It's cool that he and his band are still making music that holds up to their legacy."

Loudwire

"Nothing Alice In Chains has released or will release after their reunion will come close to being as good as their pre-breakup stuff. Nobody expects a new Alice In Chains album to hold a candle to Dirt. Now that we got that out of the way, let's try to look at Rainier Fog through its own merits.

We're getting roughly to the point where there's as much post-reunion material as there is pre-reunion. At least as far as studio albums are concerned, we're at that point already. Now they've come back to grunge Mecca of Seattle to record this new album. And with a stable lineup and sound, it's quite clear that Alice In Chains are still on the border between creating their own identity as different from being a legacy band and just that. And with The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here being slightly less critically successful than Black Gives Way To Blue, where does Rainier Fog stand?

I hope you like vocal harmonies, because, as with the previous records, there's plenty of those. And they work really well, but they're used so much that it becomes stagnant to a point and I wish we'd have more moments to hear either just DuVall or Cantrell shine. With this approach, the voices of both blend in well with each other, but this makes them quite indistinguishable and lacking a vital feel of personality. This was an issue as well on the previous two albums, and the band isn't breaking any new ground here; joining the harmonies are the droning guitars and Cantrell's signature guitar solos.

What makes this album somewhat different from its predecessors is that it sheds a bit of the lightness that they had. Remnants of it are of course still at large, like on "Fly" or "Maybe", but the doom metal undertones that they always had creep more and more to the surface, giving us songs like the opener, "The One You Know", "So Far Under" and the heaviest of all, "Drone". Rainier Fog is bleak and numb over its 50 minutes, even in its most dynamic moments. While I certainly appreciate bringing these undertones to the surface, Rainier Fog still suffers from a lack of memorability and a feeling of everything blending with itself.

For what it's worth, Rainier Fog is a good album, it sounds good and all, it makes a little effort to be different from its predecessor while also giving nods to the band's past, but Alice In Chains are just that: in chains. For a new Alice In Chains album to be great they have to choose whether to emulate their glory days or to find their own personality. A little more than a little effort."

Metal Storm

#8 in MusicRadar's 16 Best Guitar Albums of 2018
#9 in Classic Rock Magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2018
#18 in Kerrang's 50 Albums That Shook 2018
#8 in Loudwire's The 30 Best Hard Rock Albums of 2018

34 active users. does UK ilx even exist anymore?

98 Basalte - Vertige (97 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/YMVc6jn.jpg

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https://basalte.bandcamp.com/album/vertige

GBS Records
Black Arts Worship Records BAW 001
Release date: February 17, 2018
from Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2nd album since 2014
tags: black metal, metal, atmospheric, atmospheric black metal, contemporary, death metal, doom metal, experimental, post-hardcore, Montreal

everynoise genre designations: metal noir quebecois

"Basalte’s debut album was a thoroughly impressive piece of Quebec black metal and it impressed the hell out of me when it was released in 2014. Four years after “Vestige”, they’re back with “Vertige”, an album with an intricate and exhaustive sonic approach. The work on the production was meticulous, almost to the point of being monastic and it paid off.

Between the two records, the trio became a quartet when they got a full time bassist and he now contributes to the songwriting while improving the live performances of the band. They also played a special, secretive gig in the forest back in 2016 in front of about fifty people (including yours truly) and it added an aura of mystery and DIY attitude to the project. After that, their drummer was flown to Indonesia for a year to study music and while it made the recording process more complicated, it will certainly add something extraneous to the band’s future compositions. After L.’s return in August 2017, they finished the album, played one of their first gigs in a while when they opened for Falls of Rauros and now, they just released their sophomore effort. An album I had to chance to digest a bit before the actual release. It’s not an easy piece of art to assimilate but it’s a rewarding one.

Let’s not waste any time here, “Vertige” is an excellent album and it will certainly end up to be one of the most memorable and essential black metal albums of 2018. The four extended tracks are vast and filled to the brim with riffs, interesting time signatures, emotional tremolos and intense but yet natural drumming. The bass acts as the icing on the cake while the subtle, electronic bits can be seen as an added layer to their solid foundations. The vocal approach (three different vocalists but all four members sing live nowadays) is full of raw strength and unwieldy passion. From high pitched screeches to deep and buried aggression, their palette has a wide variety of colours, mostly shades of black and grey though but you don’t need anything else.

The guitars are loud, heavy, distorted but clean at the same time. The interplay between the two guitarists is always joyous but what they play is downright dark and brooding. Furthermore, the production did wonders to highlight all the instruments in a clear but troubling raw way and I’m glad they took their time to truly craft their songs like they wanted to.

Interestingly enough, they’ve always had an urban approach. While I thought “Vestige” explored the figurative and literal decay found in urbanity, “Vertige” acts as the opposite. It seems to look for the suffering in newer, modern and seemingly intact structures (as seen on the artwork) and that’s a fresh way to grow as a sonic storyteller. This research, reflected through their music, puts them at odds with the rest of atmospheric black metal, often busy contemplating waterfalls and picturesque landscapes. What Basalte declares with their poetic but somber lyrics speaks of neurosis, claustrophobia or apathy. Concepts I personally consider to be related to the city life.

The best bands are often hard to categorize and it’s true here as well. Basalte doesn’t play safe and adds a wide array of other styles to their formula and not just as afterthoughts or sprinkles of “hey listen to our prog metal section!”, it’s integrated within their songs and effectively changed their identity. The main aspect is surely the hardcore presence (“Acouphène” is the best example) but there’s loads of post-whatever (or whatever the hell is “atmospheric sludge”), shoegaze and ambient elements. Regardless of what Basalte play as a genre (it’s ultimately unimportant), there’s nothing faulty, boring or unpleasant on “Vertige”. What’s also worth mentioning is that the Montréal quartet never forgets to unleash the heaviness and riffs, “La sclérose coule dans ses veines” even goes into funeral doom territory with great results.

“Vertige” is a modern masterpiece transcending the outlines of what black metal should be in 2018. I mean, Deafheaven should be opening for ‘em. They’re a revamped, hungry and evolving band that’s pushing the envelope into foreign but exciting directions. Full support."

Metal Archives

"You think you are sick of post-black metal — but that is only because bands who are not Basalte keep fucking it up.

Genre bloat. Subgenre bloat. Microgenre bloat. Nanogenre bloat. The world may be the same size it always was but the market just keeps gaining volume. Unfortunately for us — discerning consumers one and all — the inflation of said volume and the quotient of quality therein are not governed by a 1:1 ratio. While the number of quality, forward-thinking bands in any scene increases ever so slightly every year, the percentage of same seems to shrink. Example: Not long ago I received a promo for a one-man atmospheric/depressive black metal band from Greenland who shall remain nameless, and I jumped into it with excitement because GREENLAND!?!?! Yes, the world is already overrun with one-man black metal projects of every stripe — but GREENLAND?!?!? Surely someone from one of the most desolate, isolated and frosty places on the face of Earth would put a fresh spin on a stagnating microgenre, right?

Nope.

Twelve-minute songs, two chords each, Casio brand cheese spread and “wind sounds” for atmosphere. My patience for this shit, assuming I ever even had any, must have run thin five years ago. Same goes for the wide berth of sounds qualified to huddle under the umbrella of post-black metal. Even the titans of this formidable subgenre all seem to have run out of gas or altogether lost the plot, while better bands of lesser praise languish in relative obscurity. Bosse-de-Nage and the remote dreams of another Black Monolith album notwithstanding, I thought I was done with this trend. And then one Tuesday back in…geez, February, our boy Hans penned a little blurb about an unsigned band from Quebec called Basalte. I gave the preview track from their new album, Vertige, the same kind of noncommittal half-listen I reserve for any This Toilet Tuesday Treasure™ that looks even marginally interesting on paper — and came face to face with my first truly great new listening experience of 2018.

The dulcet opening amp drones and string taps and cymbal tics of “Ce que le corps doit au sol” gratified me instantly while whetting my palate for the controlled burn to come. And yet instant gratification is never the name of the game on Vertige; in fact, the band takes great pains to delay gratification, building lesser moments of pleasure, teasing us with tension and release, until we can no longer contain ourselves. The name of this game is pleasure delay, and all that is really required to play is patience. If you don’t have patience, go buy some. No one will sell it to you? Well shucks, shuffle off then. Go on, git. Learn to meditate — or come back when a patience-upgrade to the human mind is as readily available as more RAM for your computer.

It takes a while for all of Basalte’s tricks and talents to unfurl; they’ve got a lot of them, and they’re courteous enough not to go jamming every single one into every movement of every track in a desperate bid to shock and dazzle us. They are at once masters of subtlety and adepts of boiling rage, careful never to let the one step on the toes of the other. Vertige invites an uncommonly deep listen, and the primary lesson to be learned here is that sometimes, in order to go deep, one must go through.

“Through-composition” is a phrase I first heard in an interview with Toby Driver of Kayo Dot. The basic concept is that instead of writing separate parts and then arranging them in some impactful order afterward, you start composing at the beginning and work through in linear fashion to the end, generally avoiding repetition or the crutch of market-tested structures. To me — most certainly no great student of music composition — it sounds like Basalte has crafted Vertige with through-composition in mind. I’m not going to sit here and lie to your face by telling you that the band sticks to this ethos 100% of the time. They do engage in a bit of repetition here and there, with the understanding that repetition in moderation is a great way to hook a listener or to call them back. On the flip-side, when they avoid repetition (most of the time), they rarely do so at the expense of an organic flow or quasi-narrative thread from one shift to the next. Segments of songs do not merely follow each other, they literally transform into each other, sometimes very gradually, over the course of deceptively simple yet painstakingly executed alterations, and sometimes quite brutally.

The above dichotomy is best exemplified by “La sclérose coule dans ses veines” and “Acouphène”. These two songs form the center of this four-song odyssey, and they play upon each other like night and day. “La sclérose” being the night, I suppose. A long, restless night full of menacing phantoms and perilous thoughts. The song begins in funeral doom territory, with lachrymose chords strummed intermittently over a bare and stoic beat. Though this opening movement goes on for quite some time before any greater speed is achieved, the funeral doom tag quickly ceases to ring true as, with each new iteration of the chord cycle, embellishments appear: a clean guitar melody; ever busier percussive embellishments; new chords and melodic detours. As the cycle reaches rock bottom, the vocalist abandons the blackened howling of the previous track, reaching deep down into his chest, where dwells the growl of a beaten dog. The cycle restarts but never quite repeats, as higher-pitched tremolos and a quickening pace drag us toward some cruel semblance of light. At times the guitars resemble horns bleating out a call to action. A process of seemingly endless mutation finds us climbing up through the muck of a fresh burial; bursts of speed and blasting drums send us gasping for air, craving true light, which is eventually supplied in the form of some recognizably post-black chord work — only to be wrenched away in a sputter of deathly dissonance. The sputter dies, everything goes quiet, and light breaks victorious at last. A bittersweet clean arpeggio introduces the prevailing motif of the song’s final movement over subdued percussion. Straightforward, driving riffs arise, propelled by blasts in double- and half-meter. We welcome the return of high-throated screams. A heartrendingly hopeful tremolo erupts, ressurrects the motif, harmonizes itself, sublimates into a tapering drone. We’re above ground now, better off than when we started, but where do we go from here?

“Acouphène” knows the answer. It is time for d-beats, kiddo. It is time to rage. For one minute and forty-five seconds, Basalte whip themselves up into a debris-filled tornado of riffs. Chaos, bludgeoning, the cracking of bones. Then, as is their wont, the band allows the wind to die suddenly; the debris clatters to the ground and, amidst some discordantly minimal doom, we’re left wondering what we were so mad about. Maybe nothing? In creeps a classic post-rock style interlude full of pensive clean guitar and wide-open drumming, which threatens to get boring as fuck (the way most post-rock songs do) until it morphs without warning into a stretch of rabid blasts. When the band gets too tired to keep it up, they stop playing, and a modest piano line signals the end.

All of which is a long-winded and self-indulgent way of hammering the point that no one in Basalte is asleep at the wheel. The writing is done in fine needlepoint, and the performances don’t slouch either (I swear at one point in the climax of “La sclérose” you can hear the drummer gingerly tapping the bell of a small splash cymbal…). Basalte didn’t invent this wheel, but they sure have shaved off the square edges. Sure, front-running acts in the style have garnered a reputation for penning long songs full of twists and turns, but I’d argue that very few of them have mastered the art of writing long songs that are long for a reason. Take Deafheaven, for instance (I know, ugh, right?), who to my ears are still trapped in the early Opeth songwriting method: stringing a bunch of different parts together in any old order over a very large space, with no discernible impetus other than to avoid the cursed verse-chorus-verse loop. Despite its faults, this method can be exciting to adventurous listeners. And while it may even merit repeat listens, it rarely creates a lasting sense of awe.

If the cover art wasn’t enough of a clue, Vertige is ultimately an urban thing. There are no forests here; they’ve all been cut down to make way for concrete cell blocks, consumer temples and corporate shrines. In place of trees, architecture; in place of moss, grime. Vertige drags the horizontal proclivities of atmo-black out of the misty forests and into our cities, our streets, our lonely apartments, where the walls are so thin that our neighbors’ noisy grievances become our own (at one point in final track “Éclat de verre” the vocalist barks against a silent backdrop like a stir-crazy bachelor yelling at rats in the wall…). Vertige labors palpably for greatness, or maybe just for relief, like a young single mother giving birth in the squalor of a tenement hallway at three a.m. under the jaundiced light of a blinking, failing bulb…"

Toilet Ov Hell

"There is nothing typically Black Metal in themes of this album (or so I believe, my French is not perfect). Basalte, the Canadian macabre Lo-Fi extravaganza, decided against delving into the common for the genre hate-praise of mundanity and life’s brutality, generic forest yelps or canticles for Satan. Basalte went and created a record that’d reflect our world the way Michel Gondry addresses reality, by grandly ***ing with it. Indeed, while not being a precedent of a typically thematic Blackened Death Metal, Vertige is darker and more mind-twisting than most others.

Four songs and over fifty minutes of material, but it swings by seemingly in a snap of fingers. That is not something you see every day, but this album is so concise and cohesive that it accomplishes jamming 50 minutes into one, fun and constantly intrigued listen. The way with which the band manipulates the sound layers is also noteworthy. Sometimes a guitar would pop out or the drums will get increasingly louder and everything around more distorted. It keeps everything fresh and still pumps you up for further listening.

And each song is also sure to delve into different genre directions. The opener “Ce que le corps doit au sol” is your classic black metal invigoration with monstrous instrumental performance and a gorgeous post-metal-like melody. Meanwhile, the follower “La sclérose coule dans ses veines” is more of a gloomy doom-death cut that just strikes with utter dystopian magnitude. The track also presents a lot of emphasis on percussion. “Acouphène” is a doom track in a more classic sense, its instrumentation often delves into that twanging old-school sound, but many a time rapidly turns into a complete beat-down chaos, which we grew accustom to in the track before. Then “Éclat de verre” comes into play, where we are suddenly confronted by the most dismal atmosphere on the album (somehow, that is possible). That song just feels like the most solitary night walk through a crime-ridden town.

If anything can be held against the album, it’s the sometimes overlong, drone-like, lo-fi, obscure intros and outros. Then again, Basalte jump from one genre to another, from style to style, from one instrumental performance type to a whole new one in each track and sometimes even within one track alone. A strange interlude, which is an obvious trick to make the following explosive part of the album have even bigger punch, is forgivable. Vertige is not a dystopia per se. It is a reflection of current reality and if that seems nightmarish to you, then there is no hope for you. The rest of us, we’ll just go ahead and have ourselves a session with this mirror of the world. Peace be."

SputnikMusic

Good modernist (post-) black metal, as sleek and angular as that rather striking cover, which should be enough to tip you off that we aren't in the land of howling winds and frostbitten forests and what have you. Like a lot of post-bm it struggles to completely capture the attention all the time, but I think each of the four lengthy tracks build and improve on the previous one, using post-rock structuring, some dissonance (nothing too extreme) and hints of Krallice-like progginess for great effect.

Rating: 3.5

ultros ultros-ghali

I'm just gonna keep spamming 'TOO LOW' throughout.

Ah hell, forgot to include this in my ballot. V good album

Voted for 99 and 98.

There's something intangible that's stopping me from loving Basalte rather than liking them (maybe the urban rather than more natural setting); good album nonetheless.

Alice In Chains ranked above Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos, Burial Invocation - Abiogenesis, Svartidauði - Revelations of the Red Sword, Ghastly - Death Velour? ILM is truly living in the Upside Down.

blame sund4r

Seeing them at a dive bar while downing pitchers of cheap beer has had the opposite effect on me.

2xp

AiC were a very very important band for me and the 3 albums ans 2 eps always will but this album just has something missing over and above Layne

The urban setting of the Basalte is a feature, not a bug. More urban BM, please.

97 Pale Divine - Pale Divine (99 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/0c0x3wJ.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/6LwyeHM7y9PkhIT1DgDDji?si=Ow5HSr8oQJqu_FdkJDypVg
spotify:album:6LwyeHM7y9PkhIT1DgDDji

https://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pale-divine

Shadow Kingdom Records SKR159CD
Release date: November 23, 2018
from Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, United States
5th full-length album since 2001
tags: black metal, death metal, doom metal, heavy metal, metal, nwobhm, Valley City

SHADOW KINGDOM RECORDS is proud to present PALE DIVINE's highly anticipated fifth album, Pale Divine, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

For nearly 25 years now, PALE DIVINE have been perfecting the proto-doom sound - rooted in the '70s, particularly Pentagram and Ozzy-era Black Sabbath but also Sir Lord Baltimore, Leafhound, and even very early Judas Priest - but predating so many cloying pretenders ever since. Not for them is this just another trendy bandwagon to jump on; PALE DIVINE truly LIVE this music. The public's tastes may be fickle, but diehards know and love the name PALE DIVINE. And for very good reason: albums like 2001's Thunder Perfect Mind and 2004's Eternity Revealed are considered classics of the genre, carrying the torch of '80s forebears like Saint Vitus and Trouble, and keeping that flame burning whatever the cost.

And though it's been six long years since PALE DIVINE's last album, 2012's SHADOW KINGDOM-released Painted Windows Black, the power-trio sound more energized than ever on Pale Divine. A veritable tour de force of everything that's been brewing in the band's cauldron lo these many years, Pale Divine explodes with thunder and swagger at every turn: from epic metal excursions to bluesy rockers, groove behemoths to graveyard laments, psychedelic swirl to straight-up crush, this album literally has it ALL! Naturally, actual honest-to-goodness songwriting takes center stage here, and PALE DIVINE possess the panache to pull it all of with style and grace, effortlessly and unselfconsciously so. At the forefront, as ever, are the always soulful vocals of guitarist Greg Diener, who brings pathos and poignancy to such heartrending topics as "Chemical Decline," "Bleeding Soul," "So Low," and "Curse the Shadows." Which is to say nothing of the production on Pale Divine, which has that rich warmth and as-true-as-it-gets analog sound that further underline the timelessness PALE DIVINE have made their stock-in-trade since the beginning.

The more things change, the more they stay the same sometimes, and there stands PALE DIVINE, tall and proud. In 2018, you're not gonna find a better, more rockin' and more pure DOOM album than Pale Divine!

everynoise genre designations: neo-trad doom metal, psychedelic doom

"I’m a fan of most things slow and heavy, but gritty, bluesy biker doom is especially my jam. Perhaps that’s the byproduct of a misspent youth hanging out with an older brother who was an outlaw biker and frequently on the wrong side of law. Maybe it comes from too much time in sketchy bars where you were as likely to get punched as catch a good buzz. Wherever the affection comes from, it’s part of my DNA. Pennsylvania’s three-piece doom crew Pale Divine share my appreciation for this roughneck sub-genre, crafting burly doom rock in the image of peak Corrosion of Conformity, The Obsessed and Wino-era Saint Vitus. Their eponymous fifth album is another testament to the gospel of brass knuckles, with a blue-collar attitude and one foot in the gutter. It’s music designed for a night of drinking cheap beer and well-grade whiskey among sketchy company, with one eye on the door and the other on your wallet. Don’t start none, won’t be none.

The album puts a steel-toed boot forward with opener “Spinning Wheel” and its heavy The Obsessed vibe, especially referencing their The Church Within album. It serves up a heaping helping of fat, bluesy riffs and rough-edged vocals that sit between those of Wino and Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity). This is the kind of macho doom that bristles with attitude and swagger but generally remains laid back. It’s also quite accessible with a big, meaty chorus and first-rate guitar-work by Greg Diener which balance free form jams with hard-driving riffs. This is the blueprint Pale Divine follows throughout the album. Their sound references Black Sabbath quite plainly at times but they cleave closer to American doom acts like Pentagram and Saint Vitus. “So Low” mines all those precursors equally, mixing Iommi/Butler-esque guitar/bass interplay with a pugnacious, free swinging attitude that almost approaches Clutch at times.

Pale Divine is a pretty consistent spin, and it gets better as it motors along, with the best cuts packed on the back-end. “Shades of Blue” is the album’s longest track and it smokes from start to finish, pulsating with a heavy V-era Saint Vitus vibe and a funky throwback charm. The bass-forward sound is accentuated perfectly by fuzzy, groove-tastic guitar lines and the whole thing feels soaked in gin, feedback and axle grease. Diener’s fret-work is hard to resist, full of 70s rock flair but restrained enough to keep the listener hanging on every boozy, bluesy note. In this his playing has a lot in common with Victor Griffin (Pentagram, Place of Skulls), and much of the material here could fit with his Place of Skulls and In-Graved projects. Both penultimate track “Silver Tongues” and closer “Ship of Fools” are tasty doom tunes, the former a straight ahead bulldozer Wino himself would be proud to pen, the latter a languid, soothing rocker with a slight southern twang that feels just right. While a highly listenable spin, Pale Divine has a few cuts that sound slightly less inspired. “Chemical Decline” is good but a wee step down from the songs its bracketed by, and “Curse the Shadows” is a bit dull. Neither requires skipping though, and the 46 minute runtime doesn’t feel bloated.

This is a tight, talented trio, and the way Diener’s riffs interlock with Ron McGinnis’ bass is outstanding, playing off one another with each getting plenty of time to shine. While their style of doom is hardly new or innovative, the band is talented enough to make it feel fresh and vibrant. Diener’s guitar-work in particular shines brightly without ever being flashy or excessive. His laid back grooving and jamming does more to embellish the songs than any 1000-note Yngwie-esque noodle attack ever could. Vocally he’s quite solid as well, sounding rough enough for the material, but not one dimensional. His voice sounds lived in and just weathered enough to convey stoic wisdom.

Pale Divine is a good, and almost a very good slab of biker doom rock, and it grows on me with every spin. It got me searching for their previous releases, and now that Pale Divine is firmly on my radar, I look forward to toasting their health in some unsavory environs over the coming years. Here’s rotgut in your eye, you sons of bitches."

Angry Metal Guy

"The level of coincidence is somewhat astounding. Pennsylvania’s Pale Divine are well past the 20-year mark since forming in 1995. By now the stuff of Chesapeake regional legend, their first demo arrived in 1997 (was also reissued in 2008). Their fourth and otherwise most recent album, Painted Windows Black (review here), was released early in 2012, and a short time after it came out, founding drummer Darin McCloskey and guitarist/vocalist Greg Diener recruited Ron “Fezz” McGinnis to play bass. McGinnis, who’s known for his work in the mostly-instrumental Admiral Browning, as well as Bailjack, the more extreme Thonian Horde and a host of others, was not a minor pickup. In stage presence, tone and complement to Diener‘s vocals, McGinnis was a personality shift for the band that was far more significant than the phrase, “he’s their eighth bassist,” would lead one to believe.

Now, as Pale Divine make a definitive statement by issuing their fifth LP, an eight-track/46-minute self-titled, through Shadow Kingdom Records, the situation is oddly similar. Always a trio save for one stint around the time of their third album, 2007’s Cemetery Earth, Pale Divine‘s Pale Divine lands, gorgeous in tone and as downtrodden in spirit as it is righteous in its traditionalism, as heard on cuts like opener “Spinning Wheel” and the extended blues-informed pieces “So Low” and “Shades of Blue,” just as the trio welcomes Dana Ortt of Beelzefuzz — in which Diener and McCloskey both play, the latter as a founding member, the former as a pickup for their second record — on guitar. A self-titled has a tendency to be a clear signal on the part of a band saying “this is who we are.” And tracks like the rocking “Bleeding Soul” and the penultimate “Silver Tongues,” which has a bounce worthy of the band’s one-time contemporaries in Spirit Caravan, live up to that. But the timing. Pale Divine put out their fourth album and made a considerable change in their dynamic, and now with their fifth album they’ve done the same thing.

Does that make Pale Divine moot? In a word: no. The songs are the key. In the fullness of the record’s emotional heft and across-the-board sonic execution, the way it slides into classic doom because it is that very same classic doom, nodding at Trouble on “Chemical Decline” before just nodding, period, in the early going of the subsequent “So Low” — which in its second half also features a very long guitar solo, making it easy to remember on a linguistic level too — it’s still a process of Pale Divine defining who they are in a specific point in time. From the early signal of a changed mindset with McGinnis joining Diener on vocals for the Pentagram-informed apex of “Spinning Wheel” to the Sabbathian chug, compressed lead tone and sleek groove of “Curse the Shadows” of the also-dual-voiced “Curse the Shadows,” which dates back at least five years to a demo from 2013, Pale Divine emphasize the outside-of-time nature of trad doom even as they put their own stamp on the classic style with the force of Diener‘s vocals, the understated but always locked-in drumming of McCloskey and the flash in McGinnis‘ basslines — as heard in the later gallop on that same “Curse the Shadows” — as well as the fluidity of their songwriting.

Pieces like “So Low,” which sources its lyrical depression from within and without, or “Bleeding Soul,” with its uptempo hook in the line, “A bleeding soul will find no rest,” or the initial showoff rumble of low end in “Shades of Blue” and the instantly familiar chorus there that follows as the eight-minute track unfolds, are resonant in their downer spirit and stately in their delivery. But one of the accusations often leveled at traditional doom is that it’s staid and dry in its delivery and that applies even less to Pale Divine than it ever has to Pale Divine‘s work before. With the flourish of Southern-style and progressive acoustic/electric guitar layers on closer “Ship of Fools” and the smoothness of their rhythmic and tempo shifts as shown in “Chemical Decline” and “So Low,” as well as Diener‘s vocal delivery across the release and what McGinnis brings in periodic complement to that, there’s nothing but a genuine soulfulness to Pale Divine‘s Pale Divine, and it’s not just boozy self-defeat, though there’s a bit of that also. “Silver Tongues,” “Shades of Blue,” “Spinning Wheel” have, to go with the subtle changes in approach between them, a sense of looking beyond oneself. Not like there isn’t plenty of doom to behold if you have the eyes to see it. Clearly Pale Divine do.

Okay, but then what? What’s the resolution? Well, one could argue there’s hope along with a resigned sensibility in the interwoven soloing on “Ship of Fools,” and positioned as that is at the end of the album — doesn’t seem unreasonable to think that a band who seem well set to hit the quarter-century mark would make a purposeful choice on a closer — with a long fadeout that caps the LP as a whole, it carries a kind of “keep marching” message. You trod on, because what else is there? Fair enough, but it seems on the whole that Pale Divine is less directly about examination and critique than it is the simple act of conveying the experience of living it. Consider the lyrics of “So Low,” with Diener seeming to recount on the page his own lack of inspiration and pervasive depression, the distancing of the self from one’s own existence. Maybe there’s an element of catharsis in the expression, but the songs don’t go so far as to portray that, nor could they, since if it’s there, it’s an after-effect. The point is that what Pale Divine are doing is, to an extent, what they’ve always done in bringing to life the tenets of classic American doom metal while retaining the central identity of who they are as individual players and as a group.

For that, Pale Divine could hardly be more relevant, regardless of the fact that the lineup has changed since it was recorded. Their dynamic may indeed shift with Ortt as a member alongside Diener, McCloskey and McGinnis, but that’s a question for live shows and however many years down the road when and if there’s another album, because who the hell knows what might happen now and then. Pale Divine‘s self-titled earns the name by being a sincere representation of who the band is in its moment, and while moments are inherently fleeting, the poise and maturity of their craft and the passion so rife in their delivery are essential components of what makes them who they are, who they’ve become over their years together. That’s always been in flux and it still will be, but in context, Pale Divine reminds of that too, and so all the more stands as the epitome of their persona."

The Obelisk

"Pale Divine isn’t the sort of band that goes back to basics, but their self-titled fifth full-length is easily the most condensed in their two-decade career. In addition to it being the Pennsylvania group’s shortest album to date at only forty-six minutes, it is also their first to not feature a single song over the ten-minute mark since 2004’s Eternity Revealed. Such a decision would suggest uneasiness on the band’s part, especially considering the six-year gap since 2012’s Painted Windows Black, but Pale Divine’s tried and true adherence to high quality doom makes this self-titled opus a glorious homecoming.

While Pale Divine’s songs have gotten shorter, their presentation remains rooted in the traditional doom metal style of albums past. “Spinning Wheel” fittingly sets the stage as soulful vocals are matter-of-factly delivered alongside steady four to the floor beats, watery leads, and riffs straight out of Victor Griffin’s playbook. The production is clean while still retaining an organic feel and songs like “Curse the Shadows” keep their grooves going no matter how often the tempos change.

Fortunately, the band knows how to keep such a grounded formula exciting. Slower songs like “So Low” and “Shades of Blue” have more in common with old school blues than straight doom, each offering catchy downtrodden swing rhythms and distraught vocals between wailing solos. On the flip side, the climax of “Spinning Wheel” throws in some harsh backing vocals. It’s a little odd since they’re not used on any other song, but they’re applied tastefully enough to not be a serious concern either way.

Overall, Pale Divine’s fifth full-length album is a rather safe album. The shorter length and familiar style make it seem workmanlike, but the strong writing and solid musicianship keep it from feeling phoned in or creatively limited. It’s straight doom that doesn’t give two shits about all the subgenres running around these days yet well-crafted enough to be relevant on its own terms. It’s great to have them back and one hopes that they keep the momentum going."

Indy Metal Review

#26 in Grizzly Butts' Top 50 Albums of 2018
#30 in Fastnbulbous' Best Albums of 2018

A question from poll runners.
Does anyone click links to reviews or do they only read what is pasted here?

Alice In Chains ranked above Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos, Burial Invocation - Abiogenesis, Svartidauði - Revelations of the Red Sword, Ghastly - Death Velour? ILM is truly living in the Upside Down.

I like the Svartidauði and Ghastly albums a lot now that I've heard them but it can't seriously be that surprising that the band far more people have heard of did (slightly) better in a poll.

I never know what to make of this unabashed trad stuff, maybe because I've spent too little time exploring metal's beginnings (aside from Sabbath, Zep and DP) so whenever I hear bands like Pale Divine, all I can think is 'I should check out Witchfinder General or Saint Vitus or Pentagram', etc.

the pollrunners wish to apologise for the next placing. It was beyond our control. They actually found a 3rd voter.

96 Machine Girl - The Ugly Art (100 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/jv1vuSu.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/6yRb6KVPZWwY6oLmNDXmO6?si=29D5QCI8SeSOOWqdkzn3Fw
spotify:album:6yRb6KVPZWwY6oLmNDXmO6

https://kittyonfirerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-ugly-art

Kitty On Fire Records KOF324
Release date: October 12, 2018
from New York, New York, United States
4th full-length album (+ 1 split LP & 2 remix albums) since 2014
tags: Ugly Fart, drum & bass, LJ-Core, electronic, breakcore, cybergrind, juke, Doublevoter-core, jungle, neo-noise, nintendocore, wtf, ban l0u1s jagg3r, post-cybergrind, really imago?

Machine Girl have made it their job to consistently produce truly impressive digital chaos. The Ugly Art is their first release with live drums that make their performances an experience and not just a show. No gimmicks. Real genuine Cyber Punk. Vastly experimental, their sound is becoming increasingly difficult to compare to other artists as it stands alone taking very real risks. Body horror meets heart warming nostalgia.

everynoise genre designations: vaporwave, escape room, fartcore, drill and bass, noise rock, underground hip hop

"Machine Girl, the NYC cybergrind/cyberpunk/jungle/DnB/breakcore/nintendocore/extremist electronic duo are back again with their fifth full-length album since 2014’s iconic WLFGRL. This newest album is released under the Vancouver-based, anime-worshipping, digital hardcore label Kitty on Fire Records, an online collective boasting a myriad great artist names on their roster such as Senpai Suicide Club and Capybara Fucking Pirate Destroyer. Previously releasing on labels such as Orange Milk and Dred Collective, Machine Girl’s sound seems to fit in wherever electronic dance music is at its fastest and harshest.

This album is their first to feature actual, recorded live drums as part of the record, which are featured from the very beginning, with a dry snare countoff inviting distant screams that dive straight into the deepest end of cybergrind. The setting is that of the goriest parts of the 1997 film Event Horizon mixed with the Playstation-esque texture of visible polygons, all glitched out. Machine Girl’s faster parts are a face-punching horror show of cacophonous screams and electronics that pack the excitement of a VR roller coaster ride on MDMA, with the softer side homogenous to the dancier aspects of late ’90s to early 2000s electronica and video game menu music as seen on tracks like “Loop Version” and “NWOFKA Skullboy.”

The Ugly Fart is, ostensibly, the grotesque collage of wolves making up the snarling face on the cover as well as the purposely exclusive nature of the music. While this record is filled to the brim with potent hostility and destructive tendencies, the lyrics contain a subtle sense of vulnerability. Tracks like “Fuck Puppet” expose the more tender demons intertwined within the lead singer, with lyrics such as “I WISH I WAS A REAL BOY / I WISH I COULD FUCK YOU LIKE A REAL BOY” into the sneering ending sample of “Uh-oh, you came again?!?”

Machine Girl’s influences are easy to pinpoint but the music itself is hard to grasp. This 16-track album is made up of a chaotic whirlwind of affected cymbals and phrenetic electronic production grabbing influence from the past 30 years of electronic music. The sound is comparable to the unabashed violence of a Converge record mixed with the wistful nostalgia of Duke Nukem, all scraped off the back end of a catpiss-yellow Windows 2000 computer. The record is not without its sense of humor, however dark and cynical it may be. A chuckling, deepened voice stating “I swear, I will get a gun, and I will shoot myself in the head” starts off the track “Roach on Dope” and the multitude of anime and video game clips serve to flesh out the record with appropriate breath breaks.

Machine Girl’s constant genre-hopping and no-holds-barred approach to making records is aptly reflected in the physical realm. Following this act throughout their five-year career has been a whirlwind of helter-skelter live shows with singer/producer Matt Stephenson joined by drummer Sean Kelly, whose skills have exponentially increased with each live performance. Screaming, affected vocals paired with the rapid-fire drumming played over the harsh electronics is the perfect combination for anyone in the venue looking to release aggression."

Nest HQ

"Traversing the history of punk, the opening 30 seconds explode from the distant beating of drums to the synthesized onslaught of sequenced drums. The tensions between punk and dance music that haunted post-punk — with its gentrified visions of funk, “world music,” and pop, and its eventual copout in New Wave — are eviscerated. Machine Girl, now expanding to a duo and incorporating live drumming, does not give a shit about this history. Instead, on their new album The Ugly Art, the dividing line between hardcore and underground dance music dissolves, replaced by the amorphous blur between mosh pit and gabber dance.

It’s the body-horrifics of colliding subcultures, club kids’ intestines choking punks as bruises from the mosh cave in, letting roaches and used needles plummet to the bloodstained ground. The drums, like Alan Vega’s fists pounding yuppy skulls, texture the mix. In those moments where they creep around the edges of the blown-out beats, like the decelerating instances in “Psycho Signal Jammer,” flesh and metal, analog and digital, are entangled in the Tetsuo-grotesque.

Sonically, Machine Girl represent the crisis of urban postmodernity: The false promise of organic creativity after gentrification, as artistic output is infused with anti-black violence; the horrific realization undergirding DIY culture that we are not only the victims of gentrification, but also complicit within it. “Necro Culture Vulture,” one of the album’s catchiest yet simultaneously most throttling cuts, centers on this antagonism, containing the heinous screeched vocal passages, “They built a condo on your tomb/ The earth is rotted to the root/ A marble corpse like sister moon/ They gentrified the hellscape, dude!”

This is the collapse, the moment when cities fold in on themselves as artists are unknowingly enlisted by real estate developers to aesthetically remake neighborhoods. Abandoned by the state and callously used by commercial interests focused on profit, the artist becomes a tool in gentrification. The hellscape, the spiral downward, open cysts, blackened eyes, The Velvet Underground exhibit in the East Village, stomping on the person who falls in the pit, spitting in the yuppy’s face, the frustrated stares of those now living in gentrified neighborhoods, Sonic Youth’s gear on Reverb — underground culture’s coffin.

The Necro Culture Vulture perches above the rotting corpse, wires protruding from the biomech installation that made things so much easier. Machine Girl make music for the decline, for the moment of realization that we’re all fucked, that those of us who are part of the problem can only thrash back and forth, building the bruises. The closing cut “Descent Man” embodies this problematic, moving from mangled electronics and drumming topped with wretched vocals, to a distanced interlude driven by a hypnotic beep, then back to a pummeling peak interweaving all the previous elements. The climax rings with the frenetic lines, “I was a decent man I’m on a descent man.”

My cut precedes me; the question is not how to mend the wound — it’s much too late — but how to live with it, through it. When Machine Girl offer momentary reprieves, such as on “Nwofka Skullboy” or “First Five Years of Life,” reflection emerges on how to approach the urban landscape’s mix of mechanized capitalism, anti-blackness, and aesthetic production. Machine Girl’s entangled influences from all corners of underground punk and electronic reply with David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and Naked Lunch, Brian Yuzna’s Society, and Takashi Miike’s Gozu: embrace the horrific transformations of our bodies. Against the post-punk revivalism that gentrified Williamsburg in the early 2000s, Machine Girl say fuck punk, fuck electronic, fuck experimental, fuck noise, fuck DIY — fuck it all. Everyone is a pharmaceutico-technical monstrosity. We might as well accept that and revel momentarily in the intoxicating catharsis of saying “fuck you.”

This, however, is just a new starting point. The cut remains. The questions of how to be a decent human, of how to sustain scenes, and how to stop these scenes from contributing to gentrification and anti-blackness still permeate the air. Now the task is to determine what is to be done."

Tiny Mix Tapes

[Q]"With little to no warning, Pittsburgh-based cyber-punk duo Machine Girl have released their latest project, fittingly entitled The Ugly FArt. Leaving Orange Milk and debuting on Kitty On Fire, the band continue to deliver a variety of unique styles, mashing together breakbeat, jungle, house and punk into an assaulting, high-energy aural experience. The project consists of 16 tracks ranging from their most invasive punk yet, to sweet melodies that could easily be found on an artsy, eight-bit platformer. Marking a critical period in the band’s career, touring drummer Sean Kelly enters the studio to live record Machine Girl’s previously-digital drums. The Ugly Art sounds like cyber warfare created by Machine Girl if they were an extremely intelligent AI programmed for punk. Their mission: break the ears of fans without a single complaint, totally brainwashed by each infectiously-harsh dance track.

The fourth track on the project, “Status”, bursts into your ears with no hesitation; like a club banger if it was infused with a deep-web, anarchic agenda. Steady house kicks and digital woodblock melodies serve as the platform for a slightly more coherent version of Machine Girl’s typically distorted vocals. His flow fits tightly over the pumping dance beat causing for an abrasively charged, make-you-want-to-do-aerobics-to-it experience. The track switches up toward the end, descending almost helicopter like, into hints of full-blown heavy metal. Machine Girl let loose and screams his most screamo-esque verse yet. This deviation only sticks around for a few seconds, smoothly transitioning back into a classic Machine Girl beat with the repeated sample: “A message from the freaks, you are what you eat.”

Easing off of the nightmare throttle, “NWOFKA Skullboy” bumps along with a video-game-esque melody not unlike many from Machine Girl’s earlier works. A marching band bass drum beats steadily under some of the softest drums on the project, with the track transitioning into a sample of a man proclaiming “this is daytime shows for children” into the bridge’s gurgling bass and high-pitched vocal chops. The repetitiveness leans more on their footwork influences, as the track slides back into its main progression. Without vocals, the track harkens back to an earlier Machine Girl.

“Full Metal Disphit” stands out for its jerking rhythm. Shaking violently in your seat until the person next to you calls your mom for help is an appropriate initial experience. Mostly drums and vocals highlight the beginning, separated by digitally-simulated cries of a small animal until the track is panicked with a full sonic release. After a short, clicking build, the track fills the empty space with Windows ME Millennium Edition startup pads. Machine Girl’s vocals become soaked in reverb, and after each cryptic chant, his screams ring out in dark ambience.

The Ugly FArt lives up to the experimentally-brutal cyber-punk legacy paved by their past releases. Surpassing expectations, Sean Kelly performs drums with precision matching that of software used in the past, while bringing a new form of raw volatility. The band have taken elements of juke, breakbeat and electronic found on past releases such as Gemini, and fused them with the electronic punk sounds of …BECAUSE I’M YOUNG ARROGANT AND HATE EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR, creating yet another fresh and unapologetically-grating sound for the duo. This innovation and skillful execution demand The Ugly Art be remembered as a defining record within the group’s discography."

ACRN

#86 in Noisey's The 100 Best Albums of 2018

Haaaaaated this or the roughly 5 minutes I could stand of it anyway

Is this supposed to be the new-ish Atari Teenage Riot?

tbh ive not even listened to any of it but rowlf did

95 Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed (104 pts., 4 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/eSrQdbs.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/4OTkpEgI6aW5pa9Ld8SkhX?si=nMAuqcwiRc2eRQh2NBohfg
spotify:album:4OTkpEgI6aW5pa9Ld8SkhX

https://hoodedmenace.bandcamp.com/album/ossuarium-silhouettes-unhallowed

Season of Mist Records SOM433D
Release date: January 26, 2018
from Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala, Finland
5th full-length album since 2008
tags: death metal, doom death metal, doom metal, metal, funeral doom, sludge metal, Finland

Finland's HOODED MENACE make their long-awaited return with their new full-length 'Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed'. Their most ominous, dark, and mature album to date, "Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed" showcases the Finns at the height of their collective powers. Tracks such as "Sempiternal Grotesqueries" and "Cathedral of the Labyrinthine Darkness" explode out of the depths, where cavernous death metal collides with gut-wrenching doom. HOODED MENACE expertly weave dreary funereal atmospheres with melodically driven songwriting, which only adds to the crushing album's emotional gravitas. 'Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed' is one of the heaviest albums of 2018, and proves HOODED MENACE to be at the forefront of the genre. Doom awaits!

everynoise genre designations: doom metal, funeral doom, voidgaze

"INT. CATHEDRAL OF THE LABYRINTHINE DARKNESS – NIGHT

A subterranean lair, lit by dying sunlight shimmering on a pool of black water. Hooded Menace guitarist Lasse Pyykkö admires a mosaic of saffron bones lining the cavern walls. He spots a black cord stretched from the muck, and plugs in his guitar. A supernatural riff shakes tarantulas from the sockets of ornamental skulls as three shrouded specters emerge from the depths.

From their Eyeless Horde demo’s first thunder crash of distortion, Hooded Menace paired death/doom with cinematic gloom. Now on their fifth LP, Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed lives somewhere in the candelabra-lit corridor between Paradise Lost’s Lost Paradise and landmark Gothic.

Monolithic opener “Sempiternal Grotesqueries” introduces a band more interested in cobwebbed atmosphere than decaying Templar knights. While Hooded Menace’s lyrics are no stranger to bloodthirst barons and Tomb of the Blind Dead worship, there’s a despondent dread carried by Pyykkö’s crestfallen riffs and Harri Kuokkanen’s tomb-shattering growls. In “Cascade of Ashes,” anger and melancholia feed off the same remains. Funeral doom is still the foundation of Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed, and the album’s dominant tempo is an agonized crawl. But from the rumbling passages of “Charnel Reflection” down to the clean guitar in the record’s last breath, it’s a record in which each song feels painstakingly conceived. Patience has never been an issue for Hooded Menace; the average song duration of 2015’s Darkness Drips Forth was over 10 minutes. But Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed isn’t content with riding a riff to the grave.

After the riffs fade into the cavern’s ancient silence, the shrouded specters turn and watch Pyykkö, a hoodie casting shadows over his eyes. In unison, they nod in approval. Fade to black."

Decibel

"Finland’s Hooded Menace return with a brand new collection of doom/death metal in the form of Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed (Season of Mist). While there’s that consistent element of drone to be found in their work, there are plenty of times where the band shift gears to deliver hefty moments of intensity, dropping rounds of brutality. The combination of instrumentation allows the music to emit emotion, playing to a core foundation of somber and melancholy tones. Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed comes with six tracks, which works in favor for the record. Even though the band incorporate variety into their work, more than six songs would end up taking away from the moments that shine on the album.

Starting things off with the record’s longest song, “Sempiternal Grotesqueries” roars in with a blend of dark density and radiance. Ominous droning emits from both the bass and guitar, while additional guitar work strikes through with streaks of melody. The tension slowly builds to incorporate a twilight aura to the material, as the density of the rhythm holds onto the core of the track. Eventually the song jolts into a faster tempo, producing a metallic rhythm that clashes away. Mind you that all of these elements have appeared before the song’s halfway mark, giving fan's an idea of the band’s range in song structure. “In Eerie Deliverance” continues the use of melancholy feelings through bright guitar twangs, while introducing a heavy choppy rhythm. The drumming picks up, beating away to a higher tempo as the guitar rhythm brings in a gothic/doom melody.

The technicality in play helps to make each track standout from one another. The only factor that becomes monotonous is the bright guitar twang, which pops up numerous times in each song, as well as throughout the entire record. Luckily, the rest of variations found in the songs help to keep the progression interesting. “Cathedral of Labyrinthine Darkness” draws out the guitar’s twang to produce a more epic brightness in the sound. There’s a distortion that lingers around this, and rather than contrast one another, they blend together, offering this mystic vibe to the atmosphere. “Cascade of Ashes” also plays around with rhythm, at times tossing in a chugging metallic section into the song. “Charnel Reflections” brings in a nice kick of additional heaviness (coming in right before the ending outro track "Black Moss"). The instrumentals expand into this hectic nature, thrashing around for a bit to break up the droning component of the track.

Rather than just release six songs that pack overwhelming droning, Hooded Menace introduce bits of variety into Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed, helping to provide a sense of freshness to their music. While the album has some monotonous elements to it, the range in technicality keeps the music from ever becoming stale. Overall, the music includes a nice mixture of songs to kick back and vibe to, as well as head bang. In the end, Hooded Menace offer a satisfying record, displaying their various skills in the doom/death genre.

Score: 8/10"

Metal Injection

"Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed is at once quite familiar as a Hooded Menace recording, yet altogether alien. The Finnish death/doom we’ve come to know and love is perfectly intact on the band’s fifth full length outing, but there’s enough floating around the boundaries of their tried and true sound to warrant inspection. Hooded Menace continue to peddle an old fashioned blend of old school death metal, only slowed to a doom laden crawl and funneled through dense tones that call to mind adjectives like “cavernous” (which is applicable, but only in a relatively accessible sense). Perhaps the difference is that the emphasis has fallen on the instruments and the atmosphere more so than the vocals this time around. That’s not to say that Hooded Menace were a vocal-driven band before, but new frontman Harri Kuokannen lends a much less intimidating presence compared to guitarist and founding member Lasse Pyykkö’s growls on Darkness Drips Forth. Pyykkö’s more ferocious and prominent tone demands more room in the mix than Kuokannen’s vocals, which sink distinctly into the mix just enough that the instruments need to fill that empty space. By all appearances, Hooded Menace were aware of this and adjusted accordingly.

There’s a grandiosity to Ossuarium that belies the inherent simplicity of Hooded Menace’s career. A creeping sense of melody has been present for a while, but it’s only now that it has become such a fixture in their music to the point that it elevates the straightforward death/doom-ness of it. One of the refrains in “Sempiternal Grotesqueries” calls to mind old school Dethklok (I know, right") bizarrely enough and less bizarre are occasional callbacks to gothic melodies a la My Dying Bride. This heightened melodic presence is welcome and finally serves to set a Hooded Menace album apart from the rest (let’s be real, the rest of their albums were more or less the same thing no matter how good they were), but the band knows to swiftly silence concerns that their sound might be softening or shifting too quickly. Death and doom metal is alive and well on Ossuarium and only an extreme melodic approach would obscure the fact that this is still some damn heavy stuff. For example, “Charnal Reflections” is a somber dirge in the first half, opening with a surprisingly pretty guitar melody before violently dipping into pure death metal later on just to remind us where the band came from. Most surprising is closer “Black Moss”, which is mostly a glorified jam session at heart. A few heavy riffs underlie some loose guitar soloing before transitioning into isolated acoustic passages that really lead to nowhere but an ending. While the song makes little sense on its own, reading it as a hint at things to come gives it some weight. Are Hooded Menace going in a more dynamic and grandiose direction" One listen of Ossuarium tells us that they’re learning a few new tricks, as only old dogs can’t, but there’s no indication that these Finns are giving up on death or doom metal any time soon."
6
SputnikMusicg

#24 in Sputnikmusic's Top 50 Albums of 2018
#33 in Grizzly Butts' Top 50 Albums of 2018

Good album, albeit less of a bonecrusher than I would have liked.

94 Rebel Wizard - Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response (107 pts., 3 votes)
https://i.imgur.com/PBvmRCs.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/4sFrLqulGfHDh0A924LRfE?si=lZic2SDzQNmOTve-2ZTWUg
spotify:album:4sFrLqulGfHDh0A924LRfE

https://rebelwizard.bandcamp.com/album/voluptuous-worship-of-rapture-and-response

Prosthetic Records PROS103371
Release Date: August 17, 2018
from Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2nd full-length album since 2016
tags: black metal, metal, thrash metal, heavy metal, heavy negative wizard metal, nwobhm, Ferny Creek

"The Australian musician Bob Nekrasov’s work as Nekrasov exists on black metal’s fringes, noisy and frayed. His other project, Rebel Wizard, gives that black metal a heavily NWOBHM bent. The combination of influences seems simple—make black metal more palatable by adding traditional (discernible, even) riffs and melodies—yet through this project, he’s unlocked a deeper wisdom. He connects the deliberate solitude of one-man black metal with metal’s own status as mass music for alienated loners. Rebel Wizard invokes both complementary spirits—the antisocial isolationist and the eternal teenage loner who finds solace in a crowd of like-minded outcasts—on his second full length, Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response.

Nekrasov has said he “would rather shove a watermelon into the eye of my penis” than increase the fidelity of his records. Though he is a devotee of second-wave buzz, his songcraft, informed by metal’s formative texts, aspires beyond the subterranean sound. Such high treble lends well to Nekrasov’s lead work, which veers from piercing shredding to candlelit tenderness and thrashy gallops with a mutant, shapeshifting ease. “High Mastery of the Woeful Arts” blazes through all those modes, like if Frank Frazetta had control over 2001: A Space Odyssey’s solitary cosmic voyage. Though rooted in tradition, he’s versatile, dizzying without flash.

The intro to “Exhaustive Glory” sounds like Iron Maiden from the nosebleeds, tinny and distant without extinguishing triumph. Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” a grim tale of awaiting execution that’s become one of their most popular songs, proves to be a template for Nekrasov here, as many of his songs feel plucked from any number of “Hallowed”’s passages. “The Poor and Ridiculous Alchemy of Christ and Lucifer and Us All” would be a straight-up heavy-metal song were it not for Nekrasov howling in static. It begins like Thin Lizzy kicking a couple out and ends like Viking-era Bathory, a spiritual influence on the way that Rebel Wizard’s might transcends its raw sound. Nekrasov’s appreciation for metal’s timeless foundational qualities is how he’s able to wring such liveliness out of a cold, unforgiving tone; in lesser hands, his fusion would be novelty. He’s got riffs that, even with a black-metal aesthetic, a mainstream metal audience would obsess over—Tobias Forge should be sliding in his DMs begging for a collab.

Back in February, Rebel Wizard put out the EP Great Addictions to a Blindingly Dark, Worldly Life, which pushed the blistering black-metal aspects and melancholic extremes of his sound. While it was a huge leap in his songwriting, considering how prolific he’s been since Rebel Wizard’s first demo, in 2013, it didn’t have the same jubilance as his other records. Some of Addictions’ Gary Moore necromancy still finds a place here: “Glory” and “Mother Nature, Oh My Sweet Mistress, Showed Me the Other Worlds and It Was Just Fallacy” are centered on mid-paced stomps and drawn out, sorrowful leads. Solo black metal is often in the depressive vein—take Xasthur, Leviathan, and pre-prison Burzum, for example—yet even though he terms his music “negative wizard metal,” Rebel Wizard is downright exhilarating. Voluptuous is the discipline of Addictions with the crooked smirk that’s always been present, the smile of damning humanity to another night in with Angel Witch’s self-titled.

Rebel Wizard finds seduction in NWOBHM’s more romantic ends, and that is no more evident than in “Drunk on the Wizdom of Unicorn Semen.” Hang on—it’s really a beautiful song, a black metal take on a brooding, Melissa-esque ballad. Should you take a song called “Drunk on the Wizdom of Unicorn Semen” seriously? Absolutely: Metal is serious music rife with the ridiculous, the two don’t cancel each other out. You have to embrace, or at least respect, Manowar’s loincloths, King Diamond’s falsetto, Venom making a 20-minute track about battling Satan—anything that is deliberately over the top and unintentionally comical (yet totally ruling)—to really appreciate metal. Rebel Wizard made a song with the words “Unicorn Semen” and still ended up with one of the year’s best metal records, because in reveling in the absurdity at metal’s core, he embraces what’s great about it. His work as Nekrasov has gone on for longer, but it's clear that Rebel Wizard is how he will carve his identity."

Pitchfork

"Voluptuous isn’t a word one associates with black metal, or rather this hybrid of ’80s classicism and Scandinavian shriek, but if Rebel Wizard’s guitar orgy were measured at the bust, waist and hips, you’d have Jessica Rabbit.

Despite half-a-dozen ripped and ripping EPs in addition to sophomore platter Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response, sole necromancer Bob Nekrasov quadrupled that output in digital hardcore over the last decade under the banner of his surname. First Wizard full-length Triumph of Gloom bridges the two paradigms with a Maiden melodiousness that devolves into segments of sheer freakout like a grindcore Butthole Surfers.

Nekrasov proves unfailing at g-spot location, ungodly fast and unbelievably committed to the narrative fulfillment of any given six-string spotlight. In the parlance of The Thing, every solo is its own organism and every single one a perfect imitation. Only, they’re not imitation, even when their steely perfection evokes the Cyberdyne System—ShredBot!

“The Prophecy Came and It was Soaked in Common Fools Foreboding” builds empires like DeGarmo and Rockenfield, then “The Poor and Ridiculous Alchemy of Christ and Lucifer and Us All” rides the lightning of first wave thrash. Nekrasov buffs his vocals to a white noise mid-level, which cedes “Drunk on the Wisdom of Unicorn Semen” to multiple guitar-gasms. Two bullet train minutes of “Majestic Mystical Burdens” revisits Mustaine and Friedman, circa 1990, while the title track whiffs “Jesus Built My Hotrod.”

Everything blurs together in sheer, thrilling, retro dopamine, some tracks relying on little else than a longass title (“Mother Nature, Oh My Sweet Mistress, Showed Me the Other Worlds and It Was Just Fallacy”), but rapture, thy name is Bob Nekrasov."

Decibel

"I first stumbled across prolific one-man Australian riff machine Bob Nekrasov and his solo outfit Rebel Wizard on the band’s impressive 2016 opus, Triumph of Gloom. What impressed me most about the album was its cohesively disparate combo of scorching dual guitar harmonies and triumphant heavy metal gallop, ugly lo-fi aesthetic, and black metal core. Due to Rebel Wizard‘s ripping song-writing, impressive riff-craft, and ear for splendidly catchy melodies, Triumph of Gloom earned solid rotation, so naturally I was pleased to hear Rebel Wizard had landed under the Prosthetic Records roster and were ready for wider spread metal domination. That domination is set to come to fruition on the back of their sophomore LP, entitled Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response.

Largely picking up from where Rebel Wizard left off previously, Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response rips and snarls with reckless abandon and a penchant for slashing guitar heroics, icy riffs, venomous hooks, and hilarious song titles. “The Prophecy Came and It Was Soaked with the Common Fools Foreboding” boasts a ridiculous title, rippling leads, and extreme, blackened thrash edge, setting the album in forward motion. Whether keeping it short, sweet, and suitably nasty with utterly vicious cuts like “Healing the Chakras with Heavy Negative Wizard Metal,” or fusing tasteful shred with horns-raising melodic glee on the headbanging feast of “The Poor and Ridiculous Alchemy of Christ and Lucifer and Us All,” Rebel Wizard knows how to have fun and deliver an abundance of killer tunes.

Nekrasov handles all instruments and vocals with impressive expertise and versatility, but it’s his harsh, spiteful vocals and slick guitar work that leaves the biggest impression when all is said and done. The guitar work is never dull, exuding style while nailing the tricky balance between harshness and accessibility, melody and extremity. There’s a delicacy to Nekrasov’s work, such as the scene-setting acoustic strums of introductory track “Persisting as It Does” and the stretched soulful notes and extended intro of the outrageously titled “Drunk on the Wizdom of Unicorn Semen.” Aside from making the Angry Metal Guy pro-unicorn folk uncomfortable, the song is a glorious headbanger, especially when it kicks into high gear. When Rebel Wizard crafts songs of this quality, the album sounds unstoppable and flirts with greatness. But a handful of great songs doesn’t translate to a great album. A couple of songs drag marginally past their welcome and the songwriting can’t quite maintain the high standards of the stronger songs here. However, nor are there any notable weak links and it is never less than entertaining. The wickedly devious riffs and cracking hooks, coupled with Nekrasov’s endearing passion for traditional and underground metal values, makes for a rollicking and enjoyable ride.

Stronger label backing appeared to have an immediate impact regarding Rebel Wizard‘s sonic make-up, with Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response possessing noticeably sharper production values and a cleaner sound overall. But this proved a deceptive change when considering I was comparing this to Triumph of Gloom‘s particularly nasty and borderline chaotic lo-fi production. In reality, the improved production adds a bit more clarity, depth and heft to proceedings, while retaining a rough and unvarnished vibe, exemplified by Nekrasov’s raw, potent, and heavily distorted rasp.

Rebel Wizard is a truly fun and captivating band with one foot planted in heavy metal’s glorious ’80s heyday and the other rooted in the debauchery-laden depths of the black metal underground, creating a weird and wonderful harmony and unique voice in the modern metal scene. Although the material has a gloomy, hateful tone, its caffeinated energy and vibrant bounce is too damn fun to get bogged down in negativity.

Rating: 3.5/5.0"

Angry Metal Guy

Spotlighted as one of Pitchfork's Best Metal Albums of 2018

'Drunk on the Wizdom of Unicorn Semen' ftw.

Great album, good use of a very uh focused sonic palette

Thus far two albums from my ballot have placed and you used something I wrote about Spiders, so this is a good start for mypoic me.

93 Azusa - Heavy Yoke 108 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/JYdrXjJ.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/4oy1IPIk5qNE23CXJa6RLO?si=mjYlUdW9Qom_IO3yEFIeEg

spotify:album:4oy1IPIk5qNE23CXJa6RLO

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2018/11/14/azusa-heavy-yoke/

(This is Andy Synn‘s review of the debut album by Azusa, which will be released on November 16 via Solid State Records and Indie Recordings.)

Like many of you I was pretty giddy with excitement when the official Extol Facebook page began teasing some sort of new release earlier this year, only to feel a rather sharp sting of disappointment when it was revealed to be for a brand-new project named Azusa, rather than the hoped-for follow-up to the band’s excellent self-titled comeback album.

As it turns out, however, I shouldn’t have been counting my chickens quite so soon because, for all intents and purposes, Heavy Yoke pretty much IS a new Extol album.

This probably shouldn’t be too surprising to hear, of course, considering that two of the band’s primary architects are guitarist Christer Espevoll and drummer David Husvik, both of whom were original members of Extol and formed part of the core writing team for three of their classic albums – Burial, Undeceived, and Synergy – and who both bring that same utterly unique and instantly recognisable brand of riff/drum work to the table on Heavy Yoke.

It also doesn’t hurt that Azusa vocalist Eleni Zafiriadou (of Indie-Pop duo Sea + Air) delivers her cryptic, elliptically-emotive lyrics in a manner that’s often frighteningly similar to that of Extol vocalist Peter Espevoll, although this is perhaps more about her responding to the music as it’s been written and arranged than due to any conscious attempt to imitate her pseudo-predecessor.

After all, when the majority of the album so clearly hearkens back to the proggy Thrash-fusion sound of Synergy (with a smidgen of ethereal melody reminiscent of The Blueprint Dives), it’s not that much of a shock to realise that the vocals – a potent mix of raw, riveting howls and soulful, siren-like cleans, plus the occasional bit of dramatic spoken-word – will have been composed and delivered in a way that’s designed to fit in perfectly with the music, and that this is most likely the source of these sonic similarities between the two.

It is, of course, a little amusing to have seen quite a few things written (including in the band’s own slightly hyperbolic press release) about how Azusa are supposedly “bringing something fresh” to the Metal scene, considering that anyone even vaguely familiar with Extol’s post-millennial output will be able to quickly recognise how smoothly this album could slot into their discography. However, it remains eminently possible to argue that the quartet (rounded out by ex-Dillinger Escape Plan bassist Liam Wilson) are still bringing something distinctive to the table, even if it’s not, strictly speaking, as “fresh” as some people might want you to believe.

The opening combo of “Interstellar Islands”, “Heart of Stone”, and “Heavy Yoke”, for example, finds the band putting their best foot forwards, with Espevoll’s signature slinky riffage and keen ear for melody/dissonance underpinned by Husvik’s intense, bait-and-switch, percussive patterns and Wilson’s understated, but appreciated, low-end presence, while Zafiriadou mixes up and switches up her vocals from a wounded howl to a delicate, dreamlike croon as the situation dictates, such that the group’s collective efforts come together as something far greater than the mere sum of their individual parts.

As a matter of fact, all the very best tracks on the album, including the choppy riffery and left-field hooks of “Lost In The Ether” and “Spellbinder”, as well as punchy late-album-standout “Eternal Echo” and its more atmospheric, yet oddly angular, sibling, “Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis”, feel like the product of a band in possession of an excess of both ideas and talent, as well as the wisdom to know exactly how to apply and position them for maximum effect, so that the end result is a solid brace of songs which will undoubtedly have an instant impact, yet which will also take some time to fully unpack and appreciate.

I’ll grant you that, even as an unabashed fan of Espevoll and Husvik’s previous work, there are moments on this album which don’t land as effectively as they probably should… both “Fine Lines” and “Succumb to Sorrow” feel tragically unfinished (especially the former, which has heaps of unfulfilled promise), while “Progammed to Distress” doesn’t really find its footing until its second half, and closer “Distant Call”, although solid enough, ultimately fails to provide the album with the resounding climax which it richly deserves.

That being said, however, these flies in the ointment don’t come anywhere near ruining the experience of the album which, when taken as a whole, not only serves as a fine continuation of the Extol legacy, but also subtly expands upon it in the process, to the point where, assuming this isn’t just a one-off affair, I’d be very intrigued to see where Azusa are willing (and able) to take their sound in the future.

Heard this just before voting. It went to about tenth on my ballot after the first two tracks. Then about sixth. NY the end of the album it was my #4. Utterly sick discordant indie-metal jamz

Uh, BY the end of the album

Anyway, this reminded me a little of Virus

tt: "You forgot to mention the word prog. It's prog."

It's also prog. (But the songs are really short!)

so not prog then

going to have to speed up a bit otherwise i'll be here all night. the big G cant post today as hes working. hope you all will stick around as im taking it down to 81 tonight

Also we're very sorry for Machine Girl - we almost didn't vote for it but tt pointed out it was sort of grindcore (well, digital hardcore) and we bore in mind the live drummer. Of course once we decided it was OK to vote for then it was of course my #2, so I am sorry. Maybe some of you liked it though!

i lasted 23 seconds

92 Hamferð - Támsins Likam 108 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/kAN9hcH.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/4I4y5ROqCjkbzn5ap7lS49?si=agkr5eYTSlGiLNgIZCGLhQ

spotify:album:4I4y5ROqCjkbzn5ap7lS49

https://hamferd.bandcamp.com/album/t-msins-likam

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hamferd-tamsins-likam-review/

Hamferð first came to my attention following the publication of my review of the most recent Barren Earth record. The two bands share a vocalist—Jón Aldará—and his voice was the absolute highlight of On Lonely Towers. However, at the time, Evst was already two years old, and so I never reviewed it. But already then, it was obvious to me that this Faroese funeral doom band was something special. Hamferð plays a style of doom that is thankfully impervious to serious trendiness. Truly excellent doom is pretty rare,1 and I have developed a bit of an aversion to the doom genre because my promo inbox is populated by a glut of stoned, raw-water-drinking hipsters trying to play Black Sabbath riffs as though they were interesting and/or novel nearly 50 years after they were first written. But when done well, doom metal can be an intense, beautiful, and crushing genre. And Hamferð does it well.

Támsins likam (The Body of Mist) is a concept album whose story precedes the band’s 2013 album Evst. The main character is the same, but Támsins likam introduces the perspective of his wife as the pair grieves the loss of a child to illness. On the opening track, “Fylgisflog” (Flight for Procession), the woman imagines herself escaping her responsibility for maintaining family stability, while the man sinks into a depression, losing sight of the needs of his wife and remaining son. The parents’ different ways of grieving leads to a conflict that grows throughout the story, which ultimately leads to tragedy (“Hon syndrast” [She Disintegrates]), but not resolution (“Vápn i anda” [Armed in Spirit]). While the lyrics are in Faroese, guitarist and composer Theodor Kapnas manages to communicate the story deftly through the album’s feel.

Támsins likam feels like a slow build, but reveals itself to be circular in its final strains. The album is deliberate and crushing; doom to the core, with leaden guitars, and thick, ponderous bass and drums. Or it’s supple and mournful; padded with ethereal resonances—cellos, double bass, grand piano or Esmar Joensen’s soft keys. Over top of this, Aldará’s voice is perfectly suited for the whole range of emotions conveyed throughout. This is perfectly demonstrated on “Fylgisflog,” where his mournful song—which at times reminded me of Eowyn’s song of mourning in The Two Towers—gives way to a scream of pain and rasping growls that evoke Still Life-era Opeth.

Each track on Támsins likam reveals different wrinkles of the band’s sound. “Stygd” (Cowardice) starts with vocal choirs and meditative feel. “Tvístevndur meldur” (The Two-headed Whirlwind) starts with grand piano and ends on a note that doesn’t resolve, while “Frosthvarv” (Fleeting Frost) wanders deep into Katatonia territory at its outset, before giving way to a wicked fury. The fury of “Frosthvarv” is followed by the album’s undeniable emotional peak on “Hon syndrast.” Hamferð picks up the tempo a bit here with crunchy guitars in a quarter-note feel that are easy to nod along with. Aldará’s vocals peak and the track breaks into the most intense material on the album, cresting into a blast beat at one point. This gives way to the album’s closer, “Vápn i anda,” and when the final track circles back around to the album’s opening strains, it’s as effective a recapitulation as I’ve ever heard.

Hamferð demonstrates excellent musicianship and compositional intelligence on Támsins likam. Of particular note is the work of their inventive, clever drummer Remi Kofoed Johannesen. Hamferd 2018Hamferð plays some of its slowest material without the drums keeping time. Instead, Johannesen riffs languidly along on his toms, letting the rhythm go tacit (like on “Stygd”). This is difficult at any speed, but it may be harder at the speed of dirge. But the drums, like the whole band, work in unison with the whole band; the guitars and bass are arranged so perfectly that they function orchestrally. Ísak Petersen’s bass anchors Hamferð‘s fat, meaty riffs, and the guitarists—John Áki Egholm and the aforementioned Kapnas—drop subtle solos and demonstrate fantastic feel for their instruments. And, as the best vocalists do, Jón ties the album together. He demonstrates the ability to work with everything asked of him, and to shine. Whether he strikes a mournful tone, a beastly growl, angelic cleans, or a tortured cry, Aldará’s performance is striking and beautiful.

Támsins likam is an artful album from an extremely promising band. All of the writing and excellent performances are mixed to perfection, and Daniel Bergstrand and Kapnas’ production is meticulous. The result is a record that is immense, enrapturing and moving. Some records are just so good that as a reviewer, I encourage you to just take 45 minutes, a pair of headphones, and find a dark place to sit or lay, and let the Támsins likam wash over you. The album exudes depth, intensity, loss and sadness. I can wax poetic about Aldará’s brass-like voice or Johanessen’s clever drumming, or Kapnas’ excellent composition, but Támsins likam is an album that should simply be allowed to speak for itself.

By the time we hit the top 40 there will be nothing left of my ballot, I can sense it.

We're in Lymington's most haunted pub now btw. Oh shit one of the old ladies next to us is called Tamsin! METAL SYNERGY

Anyway, this was my weepy faux-opera of the year.

Támsins likam apparently means 'Body of the Mist'.

91 CANTIQUE LÉPREUX - Paysages polaires 112 Points, 3 votes
https://i.imgur.com/yN7Fkq3.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/3XOT04cmWCoTF5N3JsKAE6?si=FTMgpRqDSyCf6-n2JB5lcQ

spotify:album:3XOT04cmWCoTF5N3JsKAE6

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/11/cantique-lepreux-paysages-polaires/

Quebecois group Cantique Lépreux bring a new delivery of locally-trademarked version of fast and atmospheric black metal, galloping hooves drum kick and epic trance-riffs, which tend to be complex attacks on simple memorable structures, with touches of more trad metal guitar flourishes and licks here and there; there’s even a guitar solo on ‘Hélas’ that approaches a kind of stadium-black-metal wailing, widdling and tapping. Largely the vocals are firmly in the Mgła style (no bad thing at all, though I might have mentioned that in a previous review since it’s such a likeness that it can’t really go unnoticed for me), though there’s a bit more variety than last time in the yelps and grunts that occasionally punctuate.

After the briefest eldritch moan the band burst into the drill-to-the-head piercing exhilaration style while that burbling groaning sustains the sense of spirits haunting the depths-of-the-forest performance. There’s a slightly more virtuoso lead guitar style than is often present in underground black metal, with sections where technically proficient swooping and gliding notes glint through. There’s a brief respite, a sort of halt to admire the surrounding icicles in falling snow, then the final few minutes of the long opening track is a redoubled reprise of the start: not faster, but just with great drum fills like the last burst of energy to drive the final distance.

Central to the record is a three-part suite ‘Paysages Polaires’, the polar journey theme entirely apt… Reliance on black-metal-reviewer cliches I know, but the guitar sound and style just is really pleasingly evocative of snow: falling swirling flurries in the faster bits, cold ethereal drifting in the more distanced ambient bits, and that wonderfully crisp-but-soft soundscape you get when you’re out early and the world is newly blanketed. Anyway, the trilogy begins with a raging hymn, again an apparently straightforwardly structured riff melody, but one that offers so much complexity and intrigue in how it’s delivered. The second part begins with another glacial riff with a brilliant hi-hat ticking over like the snow god’s warning finger, an icier centre, before the third movement returns us to the wild hunt.

The slower riff in ‘Les étoiles endeuillées’ is perfectly atmospheric, the simple descending notes allowing both coldness and nostalgia, and making room for some crunching variations in the middle of the track. As noted, shortish track ‘Hélas’ seems primarily an experiment in how far guitar solo explosions can be grafted to a black metal aesthetic, which is interesting and entertaining enough if not orthodoxly grim, and finally the track ‘Le fléau’ closes this collection of leprous canticles with a foreboding epic journey through grey-out storms and shadowed crevasses.

http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2018/12/03/cantique-lepreux-paysages-polaires/

Paysages polaires, at heart, is unabashedly Romantic — its choice of artistic references (early 20th-century Québécois poetry, a late 19th-century French painting) and untempered spirit are earnest tributes to the land that Québec-based Cantique Lépreux hail from. Stylistically, the band are closer to “traditional” Québécois black metal, wherein one can find a sense of national pride as well as a more straightforward sound. While Paysages polaires draws on familiar conventions from black metal, both thematically and musically, it has a refreshing efficiency; Cantique Lépreux also succeed in conveying a sense of awe toward the frosty landscapes that they portray.

A simple majesty characterizes the album, conjured by incredibly catchy riffs that each sustain significant amounts of time; the rhythm section feels unrelenting, varying from stormy blast-beat gallops to heroic-sounding marches, and even the slower tempo of “Les étoiles endeuillées” evokes the sense of trekking through powerful gusts. Within Paysages polaires, there’s also a decisive removal from urban, modern settings — its choice of “classical”, relatively harmonious chord progressions feels intentionally archaic, has the effect of pulling you back in time. The production here is sharp, and lets each component shine through: the brittle fuzz of the guitars, harrowing shrieks, glistening cymbals. “Le feu secret” even features choral chants, which immediately lend a sense of grandeur. The title track suite, in particular, is full of surprising shifts: one moment, soaring riffs evoking ascent up a mountain, then the next, a glacial cavern being represented by menacingly low chords.

And all this, to say that every element of Paysages polaires paints an epic wintery narrative. I’m tempted to say that Paysages polaires actually focuses on the diurnal aspects of winter, which are no less harsh than darkness: the overwhelming glare of the snow, the dangerous allure of shimmering icy peaks. But as a narrative, Paysages polaires would need characters; and it does feel as though there is a very human element to the album, which is to say that it doesn’t simply evoke empty landscapes. For instance, the lengthy, sweep-featuring guitar solo on “Hélas…” is wonderfully indulgent, and lacks the absolute coldness that is attributed to the environmental phenomena. It’s also a matter of noting the album’s inherent Romanticism: there’s an emphasis on intense emotional responses to the authenticity of nature, whose might is unable to be contaminated by human constructions.

That Cantique Lépreux can make so much out of tried-and-true themes is a testament to their craft. Crucially, this is black metal with a heart: it lets itself be moved by the world around it, and doesn’t simply seek to intimidate or demand your awe. What you feel isn’t provoked — rather, you emphasize with the sentiments already present. This aspect is what makes Paysages polaires such a convincing work: though its tales may be familiar, it tells them with such conviction that you’re willing to let yourself be swept off your feet anyway.

best album cover yet

Hamferð too low!

Cantique lépreux missed my ballot but it's a good 'un.

90 envy - Alnair In August 112 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/Gn5YATe.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/7MAQPWuYnux9GBLQRnQEpC?si=stDhqGWlSiyvm0HyqYfb4A
spotify:album:7MAQPWuYnux9GBLQRnQEpC

https://envy.bandcamp.com/album/alnair-in-august

The new single from Envy – Japan’s most iconic and influential post-hardcore band – almost never happened. Following the most successful North American tour of their career – with Deafheaven in 2015, in support of their acclaimed album, Atheist’s Cornea – Envy returned home a deeply fractured group. The following two years were filled with both personal and creative struggles that often seemed insurmountable. After reuniting with briefly estranged singer Tetsuya Fukagawa, Envy severely shook up their lineup for the first time in their three- decade career, and now return with Alnair in August, the new two-song single that adds yet another ring to the band’s rich history of dynamic and melodic exploration. Hinting at what will come on their next full-length album, due later in 2019, the two songs here are vintage Envy, evolved: “Dawn and gaze” is a 7-minute triumph of ebb and flow that rivals the band’s strongest work, while “Marginalized thread” is a concise slice of cinematic thrash that recalls their landmark album, A Dead Sinking Story, with the increased focus on melodic resonance that has marked their later output.
credits
released November 2, 2018

https://www.stereogum.com/2021344/envy-dawn-and-gazemarginalized-thread/music/

If you listen to heavy music circa now, you know Envy. Even if you’ve never actually listened to Envy, you’ve heard them. The Japanese post-hardcore band is almost singlehandedly responsible for the sound called blackgaze. Envy’s progeny include countrymen Heaven In Her Arms, Denmark’s Møl, Austria’s Harakiri For The Sky, Ottawa’s Unreqvited, Toronto’s Respire, Australia’s Woods Of Desolation, and California’s Deafheaven, along with countless other bands across additional continents.

Envy’s last album, 2015’s Atheist’s Cornea, came out a few months before Deafheaven’s New Bermuda, which gave the younger band a chance to tour with their forefathers. And those shows were fucking magic. If you caught any of them, consider yourself pretty goddamn fortunate. You won’t see anything like them anytime soon.

After that album cycle, Envy hit the rocks. Vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa exited the band, with the remaining four members planning to proceed without him. Then … this happened:

On February 6, 2018, Envy announced a new lineup consisting of yOshi, Yoshimitsu Taki, and Hiroki Watanabe. A Japanese press release added that two members had left the band, and founding guitarist and drummer Masahiro Tobita and Dairoku Seki were no longer listed as members on the band’s Facebook page or website.

On April 1, 2018, Tetsuya Fukagawa surprise-rejoined Envy on stage for the first time in two and a half years, cementing his return to the band.

Today, we get our first taste of the new Envy: two songs released as a digital single titled Alnair In August. According to the press materials, these tracks “[hint] at what will come on [Envy’s] next full-length album, due later in 2019.”

The songs are called “Dawn And Gaze” and “Marginalized Thread,” respectively, and they’re both incredible. It’s rare for the seminal influence to sound vastly more evolved than its offspring, but that’s what I’m hearing here. Envy do more in 10 minutes than any of the aforementioned bands do in an hour. (And I love all the aforementioned bands, so this is not intended to disparage them. They’re all great. Buy their shit.)

Envy’s work gives the superficial appearance of sprawl, but the songs don’t waste a goddamn second. They also don’t sound disorganized or overstuffed. For example: It’s rare to hear a band like this even attempt three different vocal styles in one song; Envy make it sound so organic you don’t even notice. Listen close to these two tracks and you’ll hear so much happening. They have the complexity of prog or peak thrash, but those tools and techniques are used in the service of music that builds, flows, surges, and falls like an element of nature. It’s magnificent, is it not? Listen.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/envy-return-with-first-release-in-three-years-alnair-in-august-listen/

Back in 2015, influential Japanese screamo greats Envy released their very good new album Atheist’s Cornea and toured with Deafheaven (one of their biggest tours to date). Since then, they’ve undergone a few lineup changes, as founding members Masahiro Tobita (guitar) and Dairoku Seki (drums) have left the group and original vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa returned to the band after a two-year hiatus. With new guitarist Yoshimitsu Taki and new drummer Hiroki Watanabe in the fold, Envy debuted their new lineup with the new two-song single, Alnair in August, which features the songs “Dawn and gaze” and “Marginalized thread,” their first new songs in three years. They may have undergone some changes, but their music sounds as towering as ever.

Not sure how a single sneaked through nominations

i love envy though and was unaware they had a new release as I thought they had split up for good

89 The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir 115 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/EPmmXLb.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/6fBjq2159kMbb40K8R52xp?si=eVvMsoFBS_avFG-8rA8o5Q
spotify:album:6fBjq2159kMbb40K8R52xp

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2018/02/05/album-review-atlas-moth-coma-noir/

“With ruby-scaled wings that stretch almost a foot and a luxurious fur coat, she is simply stunning. Now she must put her beauty to the test. Her time is short and each moment is precious.” —National Geographic’s Wild Thailand, “A Marvelous Moth.”

The atlas moth is all epic grandeur and creeping death. Emerging from its brawny cocoon—Mental Floss once noted its human neighbors in Southeast Asia will sew zippers into abandoned husks for use as readymade purses—the fantastical saturniid survives only a few days, never eating or meandering or stopping to smell whatever it is busy gargantuan moths should be stopping to smell. Rather, it focuses on forward motion. On procreation. On surrendering the majestic splendor of its already meager life to the annihilation which it somehow intuits will begat majestic splendor which will begat annihilation which will begat majestic splendor.

Few are the bands that could adopt this namesake and do its wondrous, singular existence justice. Yet over the past decade—from the sludge-y Neur-Isis caterpillar-in-transition cocoon shredding of A Glorified Piece of Blue-Sky (2009) to the increasingly expansive and ornate wing-spreading of An Ache for the Distance (2011) and The Old Believer (2014)—an ever-audacious Chicago quintet writing and performing under the moniker has refracted its iconoclastic, psychedelic take on a diverse array of metal subgenres through an Attacus atlas prism with strange, beguiling success.

Still, the Atlas Moth’s claim on the appellation has never felt more legitimate than on its stellar fourth full-length, Coma Noir, a triumphant distillation and refinement of the band’s already superior attack. Whether hewing to the celestial (“Galactic Brain”; “The Last Transmission From the Late, Great Planet Earth”), terrestrial (“Actual Human Blood”; “Smiling Knife”) or, impressively, both (“The Streets of Bombay”) the Atlas Moth never appears as if it is hedging: Every riff is dragged upward to apotheosis, every song an act of self-immolation, every improbable stylistic melding which a lesser band might milk for an entire album or career instead given over to annihilation which begets majestic splendor which begets…

This isn’t to say the Atlas Moth lacks a signature sound—the synergistic, kaleidoscopic channeling of its members’ considerable talents and visions is, indeed, instantly recognizable, whether a given track resembles, say, Neurosis uniting with Protestant era Rorschach to jam Jefferson Airplane, Flock of Seagulls covering post-Clandestine Entombed, Seasons-era Slayer by way of Watain, Jesus Lizard hitting the stage with Gojira, Ufomammut getting its Judas Priest on with Nick Cave on the mic—no, seriously, check out album closer “Chloroform”—or a Halloween performance in which the Failure dudes can’t decide whether they want to dress up as Life of Agony or Paradise Lost.

Of course, all of the above is merely an imperfect attempt to employ well-known touchstones to illuminate an enigmatic release, the intricacy and potency of which suggests that in creation the band truly took to heart the truth of its kindred moth: Now she must put her beauty to the test. Time is short and each moment is precious.

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/atlas-moth-coma-noir-review/

Shape-shifting Chicago act The Atlas Moth exorcised some particularly nasty personal demons on 2014’s bleak, The Old Believer album. Although failing to hit the glorious highs of predecessor An Ache for the Distance, it proved a mature, emotionally raw and harrowing chapter in the band’s career. Not content to repeat themselves, The Atlas Moth return in a decidedly more chipper mood, by their despondent standards, serving up an energetic and refreshingly upbeat collection of tunes that widens the scope considerably beyond the psychedelic sludge tag they are frequently saddled with. The genre tag isn’t entirely inaccurate, nor does it do justice to the versatility and genre blurring featured in the band’s evolving song-writing.

Coma Noir finds The Atlas Moth spreading their wings creatively to incorporate a myriad of influences while embracing a hook-laden rock approach and maintaining the core attributes of their unique sound. The atmospheric psych-sludge tropes the band has long established remains prevalent, but Coma Noir, the band’s fourth LP, also stands as their most accessible and adventurous to date. Intricate webs of triple guitar and heavy use of synths sit cohesively aside gritty basslines and thunderous drums, as the signature dual vocal approach screeches and croons in urgent and exotic harmony. The different genre influences mutate in unexpected ways, with elements of doom, stoner, hardcore, trippy psychedelia, noise rock, and hell, even hints of New Wave contorting from the belly of the sludge beast. Yet cohesion isn’t sacrificed, and the versatility of the song-writing stands out, as does the ever inventive guitar work and mostly tasteful and atmospheric synth action. Meanwhile The Atlas Moth trade the gut-wrenching lyrical despair from the last album for a cult-themed and still emotionally resonant narrative.

The raw and divisive strained screech of Stavros Giannopoulos anchors the band in extreme metal waters, but there’s a notable shift into more palatable rock-oriented territory. This may scare away purists, though shouldn’t alienate fans considering the quality of the song-writing, or the fact that The Atlas Moth haven’t severed or sabotaged the roots of their long established sound. After a solid pair of opening tunes, the colossal stoner-sludge riffs, gripping leads, and sledgehammer grooves of “Galactic Brain” proves an irresistible anthem and one of the band’s most ear-friendly tunes. Hot on its heels comes the experimental “The Streets of Bombay,” merging retro sounding keys with psychedelic pastures and a caustic streetwise grit and groove, the disparate elements skillfully forged into a taut and catchy composition. Coma Noir’s experimental shifts continue on the anthemic and jagged hardcore glint of “Smiling Knife,” evoking Swedish legends Refused, and forming part of the album’s excellent mid-section, where thick slabs of meaty, exotic goodness sit between the substantially satisfying content residing on either side. Coma Noir’s deft mix of melody, heft, seething extremity and inventive genre mashing makes for a colorful listening experience.

Only a simple and repetitious lyric (“The Frozen Crown”) and brief, goofy vocal hiccup (“Chloroform”) dampen the closing two songs, yet fail to severely hamper the quality of either, or derail the album’s consistent high quality. The addition of Broken Hope drummer Mike Miczek has tightened things up and he delivers a powerful performance and complex rhythmic foundation to bolster the band’s heavily textured sound. However, the rest of the band fire on all cylinders as well. The Atlas Moth’s dual vocal attack again relies heavily on the tortured screams of Giannopoulos over the rough-edged melodic croons of David Kush, an aspect that could potentially turn off casual listeners or anyone less enamored with the screamier vocal style. Personally it’s not a big deal but hearing more of Kush’s solid clean vocals certainly couldn’t hurt. Sanford Parker’s production is crisp, clear and beefy, with a breathable mix despite the compressed mastering.

The Atlas Moth hit pay-dirt early in their career with the phenomenal An Ache for the Distance representing the gold standard on which their career will more than likely always be gauged against. Refreshingly The Atlas Moth continue expanding and challenging the boundaries of their musical formula without using past glories as a crutch of repetition. Coma Noir is an inventive, addictive and fun extreme metal album with a burly, beer swilling rock soul, loaded with a bounty of killer riffs, memorable songs, and daring experimentation.
4/5.

http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/the-atlas-moth-coma-noir

9/10

If you’ve been to a show in the last eight to ten years, chances are The Atlas Moth has probably been in one of the opening slots. The Chicago-based psychedelic stoner/sludge band—or whatever your favorite equivalent of slow, atmospheric, and heavy is—may hail from one particular side of the train tracks; they are fortunate enough to tour with a wide variety of artists. A short list includes Between the Buried and Me, Devin Townsend, and Boris. However, the list goes on and it doesn’t even speak to their headlining gigs.

Maybe it’s a culmination of sounds that emanate from those headliners they toured with that makes Coma Noir such a stunning example of musical growth. Maybe it was their subsequent break following the relentless support of The Old Believer. One could also posit the addition of Broken Hope drummer Mike Miczek or Stavros Giannopoulos’ (guitars/vocals) obsession with Metallica are the reasons. Most likely, it is a combination of all of these factors that made The Atlas Moth mature like fine wine.

Coma Noir, the band's fourth full-length album, is a stunning recording front-to-back. Holistically speaking, the elemental foundations of The Atlas Moth have greatly improved. Having Miczek in the role of a rhythmic backstop contributes a generous uptick in drumming quality. He’s a titanium rod—giving songs a pliable yet sturdy backbone. Miczek employs tempo variance, metronomic time-keeping, and an arsenal of drum patterns that move and shift a track's overall feel. Additionally, the contrast of Giannopoulos’ scathing harshness and David Kush’s (guitars/vocals) smokier, almost crooning delivery make for an intriguing contrariety. Producer Sanford Parker harnesses the multiple strata of instrumentation—three guitars, bass, keyboards—making sure each strain has its moments. No one sound dominates or overpowers. It’s almost like everyone plays in a velvet-and-blood soaked pocket until it’s time for a melodic, harmonic or solo spotlight.

Coma Noir sounds rich, lush, and clean while maintaining a cantankerous and irascible air. Imagine an armada of Woodstock hippies—led by sergeant-in-arms Leonard Cohen—on an orderly bender fueled by barbiturates, filter-less cigarillos, and bathtub gin. The album conceptually and thematically follows a partially autobiographical story Giannopoulos wrote about a film noir-era cult. The combined sensibility at work on the band’s fourth album is well-worn and time-honored. One of light versus dark, good versus evil, or Ulrich versus Mustaine contrasts. It's this puzzle piece The Atlas Moth work to an exalted end.

The title track introduces chugging slices of alternate picking mastery that dance on a tightrope between the commercial greats of American thrash and death metal. They butt heads before combining in a surprisingly catchy and almost sing-a-long chorus. Miczek’s kick drums paint within the defined lines drawn by the pedaling guitars with textbook precision. All while affirming that none of the song's supple feel suffers. The title track's machine gun bridge stages a spidery, flowing guitar/key conglomerate melody to kick off the song’s second half. It is on an anthemic level comparable to Metallica’s “One.” This is all before the chanting refrain kicks in. No fucking shit here, people.

“Last Transmission From the Late, Great Planet Earth” (one of the best song titles of recent memory) mixes brief dalliances with an open stance, alt/Brit-rock chord structures. A drill press riff plays with slight tempo adjustments in a way most bands of this ilk avoid. The mid-point reminds of a controlled, slowed take on '90s metallic hardcore before a seamless twist into the song’s final 75 seconds. Its stacked guitars and industrialized keyboard wash that velvet gloves’ Fear Factory’s Demanufacture into Metallica’s classic instrumentals. It is a sublimely soaring sequence that exists as an engaging counterpoint to the rest of the song. One could argue it as the most gorgeous pieces of music you’ve heard for a while.
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“Galactic Brain” is a sultry spin around a maypole with a swampy, Kirk Windstein-inspired crawl. It also highlights the effective contrast between Kush and Giannopoulos’ vocal styles and how they work together. It too makes one wonder how Giannopoulos can continue to pull off that tensile, high-pitched screech and not have his vocal chords covered in weeping lesions. The manner in which they swing “Actual Human Blood” between an atonal/chromatic ground ‘n’ pound to a riff/melody combination that has the feel of progressive punk rock is fluid and masterful. “Furious Gold” spills a gloomier mood. One with a more despondent sensibility via spacious riffs, fewer layers, and more charged vocal performances. “The Frozen Crown” teems with a confident, mid-paced strut. A new-wave keyboard riff highlights a section that sounds like royal blood coursing through the veins of the band.

All in all, Coma Noir is easily the crowning jewel of The Atlas Moth discography. The album teems with strengths and examples of how different, antithetical elements weave into a crushing totality without sounding disjointed and directionally frazzled. The only hope is that in today’s crowded musical landscape—where attention is fleeting even towards the most involved creative efforts—Coma Noir gets lavished with the attention it deserves.

I also had no idea Envy were still a thing.

their last LP was great but fuck voting for a single

88 Yhdarl - Loss 117 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/9y0FWD1.jpg

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/loss

A duo from Belgium and France fronted by Déhà (Clouds, Maladie and Imber Luminis, among the others) and Larvalis (session for Todesstoss), YHDARL are known for crushing all music boundaries between suicidal, depressive, doom, noise and drone black metal. Larvalis, insane female black metal singer, holds the keyboards and vocal duties; Déhà plays all the instruments, sings and takes care of the professional recordings, mixing and mastering.
Five years (and five losses) in the making and comprised of 3 long songs topping more than 40 minutes, "Loss" is not another underground release by YHDARL, but a true milestone in their already impressive discography, an extremely violent and aggressive piece of suicidal black metal art showing the duo's talent and benefitting from the contributions of numerous guests: Old (Drohtnung) on ritual noises, choirs and voices; Daniel Neagoe (Eye Of Solitude, Clouds), Todor Krasimirov and Yavor Dimov (Dimholt) on screaming vocals. The fascinating album cover has been drawn by the illustrious Maxime Taccardi.
credits
released January 19, 2018

YHDARL is:
Déhà – All instruments and voices
Larvalis – Voices & keyboards

Cover art by Maxime Taccardi

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/yhdarl-loss-review/

Yhdarl - Loss 01Pulling off a long song — be it a ten-minute black metal piece or an hour-plus funeral doom opus — takes very deliberate pacing. Great drone and doom bands know this and know how to pull the listener rather than push them. If the song moves too fast, it can seem to lose structure, but if it moves too slowly, it can stagnate and sour the listener to its next idea. One has to have the pacing and space to keep themselves involved. Sunn O))) will keep you guessing at when they’ll place the next chord, and they use the naturally nuanced texture of high-amplification to fill the space between. Bell Witch can stretch a two-note riff out for the length of a grindcore album just by pinching each note out of the bass with gravitas.

Yhdarl have spent a decade writing monstrous songs; the formerly one-man, currently one-man-one-woman, depressive black/drone/doom project claims dozens of EPs, demos, and LPs since 2007, and this year’s Loss LP seems to be a big investment for them. Such a large investment, in fact, that frontman and multi-instrumentalist Déhà (of Clouds and about seventy other bands) released a two-part album last year to help cover the cost of Loss‘s physical release. An album which, I don’t mind telling you, clocks in at five hours long. Yhdarl make big, big music.

Loss‘s most immediate strength reveals itself within the album’s first seconds. “Ignite-Ashes” opens with a string scrape and a shriek so raw and impassioned that the first riff nearly drowns beneath it. Between Déhà, his blackened buddy Larvalis and a bevy of guest spots, this album covers nearly every corner of the black metal vocal range and the first few moments of “Ignite – Ashes” provide a tantalizing taste of even broader vocal variety to come.

That variety largely carries the album through its roughest spots, where the three enormous songs occasionally drag. “Ignite – Ashes” subsists on blast beats and simple trem-picked patterns for ten minutes before Yhdarl deign to pull back and add quiet contrast, and after eight minutes of great vocals and lackluster guitar work, I was ready to write off this album as a casualty of excess. Yet, better late than never, the song recovers in its last third. Much to my surprise, the twenty minute “Despise – Pity” fares quite well, and shifts through a plethora of compelling passages, balancing repetition and novelty remarkably well. The cleanly sung lines that enter around eleven minutes in come as a pleasant surprise, recalling the fragility of Oathbreaker just before huge power chords fracture the atmosphere.

Yhdarl - Loss 02

Like any songs of this length, it’s possible to pick apart the composition and suggest trimming repetitions or excising a weaker idea to move the song along faster, but Yhdarl‘s talent at arranging largely obviates the need for big changes. I’ll check my watch if I’m not in the mood for depressive blackened doom, but when the music fits my mood, Loss proves itself more than worthy of my attention. It takes a lot of patience to uncover the album’s best moments, but when caught in its current, I find myself pulled along just as I should be.

I don’t love Loss, but it has proven far better than I could have expected; an expansive and depressive journey that I expect to still enjoy when I’m in the mood, and at under fifty minutes long, it’s a much smaller commitment than Cloak of Ash, Sisterre, and Mirror Reaper, a few of my other go-to albums for long and encapsulating soundscapes. For those often moved by depressive black metal and long-form doom, Yhdarl‘s efforts here will be welcome.

http://www.metalinjection.net/av/funeral-doom-friday/yhdarl-delivers-the-great-loss

click to read interview

fuck voting for a single

cosign

I like both Yhdarl and purgatorial meandering but I can't say this one gripped me all the way.

Ah, some proper depression fuel, excellent album

87 Lychgate - The Contagion in Nine Steps 117 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/30Ej2wv.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/0cxhA9V9IO70aiysTKH6LO?si=n_jxu4RMSbeZdF6-IyrDwA
spotify:album:0cxhA9V9IO70aiysTKH6LO

https://blood-music.bandcamp.com/album/the-contagion-in-nine-steps

http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/lychgate-contagion-nine-steps-review

Lurking behind the wall of trends and polished tides of sound are bands whose output dwells within stranger realms—unattached to the expectations of the masses. The English alchemists, Lychgate, (whose name you should have heard by now), return with their third album, and second for Blood Music, entitled The Contagion in Nine Steps. What the brainchild of keyboardist/vocalist/composer James Young (aka Vortigern) and drummer T.J.F. Vallely have wrought so far is a synthesized hybrid of classically influenced organ music and avant-garde black metal. The prior album, 2015's An Antidote For The Glass Pill, was truly a monumental collision between Lizst-inspired classical strains, basalt-heavy church organ, and frenetic black metal movements. The question, of course, is whether Lychgate is able to recapture the feeling on this their latest work.

Clearly artists who are not prepared to sit still, Lychgate appear to be taking their time on the compositions of their latest work. The opener "Republic" begins familiarly enough, the echoing keyboard and cinematic strains which overlap with excellent guitar work and the subterranean growl of Vortigern. The more subtle songwriting approach incorporates clean vocals that would make Solefald proud. The high-concept feeling is there and a bit toned down in mania than on prior works. Best appreciated in headphones, Vortigern provides some amazing keyboard work here. The menace returns though and ensures the song never gets lost up its own ass.

Where The Contagion In Nine Steps differs from its predecessor is in the way it hits the listener. Take the de facto title track, which spools up amid swells of keys and some quite adept clean vocals. Vortigern's matured songwriting has this one revealing its depths over time. Listen closely and one hears the classical influences but in a bit more accessible a presentation. It demands your attention, like a good novel. Multiple atmospheres exist inside the composition; the uncomfortable, horror-themed feeling from their prior album has settled down a bit. Instead, this atmosphere wraps the listener up in folds of sound that, though velvety, conceal a good deal of horror in their depths.

This is not to say that Lychgate can't bring straightforward heaviness. Album highlight "Hither Comes The Swarm" creeps into being, setting the mood as much of the album seems wont to do. It's not long before some exceptional double-bass drumming, masterful guitar leads, and the cavernous vocals of Greg Chandler amp up the experience for even the shortest of musical attention spans to savor.

One of this album's strengths is its ability to soothe the listener into a false sense of security. "Atavistic Hypnosis" begins with atmospheric prog, swathed in a horror aesthetic perfect for any moonlit walk. The comfort this engenders soon spirals into madness, with great clean vocals on top, as those signature organ keys take the song home into familiar Lychgate territory.

"Unity of Opposites" does this just as well. Guitar leads run aplenty and the aggressive bark of vocals offset the progressive trippiness. In this song, the adroit playing of bassist A.K. Webb is especially evident. This track even gets into some juicy shoe-gaze territory around 4 minutes in when pleasing guitar leads intersperse with a staccato percussive rhythm. The clean dual vocal truly fits in well here also. This is where Lychgate—who boasts members from bands like Esoteric and Ancient Ascendant—sound truly in sync here.
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Wrapping up the album is the elongated outro "Remembrance." Hypnotic and soothing, it lacks the challenging bite of the rest of the album. Still effective nonetheless, it seems like a song that might have gone elsewhere had the band members pushed it. The ethereal vocals in the beginning half are haunting, even triumphant, around the 1:30 mark. They are a tactic the band should certainly employ more on future albums.

All told, Lychgate's third album serves to expand their sonic palette. If it is not as bombastic as its predecessor, The Contagion In Nine Steps shows a band paying a bit more heed to atmospherics; reigning in their feral classical-meets-black metal repertoire; peppering it with some subtleties. Superior musicianship, an excellent sense of dynamics, and a stellar array of vocal tools show that Lychgate is quite the formidable musical collective. It's about time they get their due from us fans.
Score: 8.5 / 10

http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2018/06/20/lychgate-contagion-nine-steps/

Metal has this thing where it’s so sure that it’s at the cutting edge of music. In certain places, this is true; there’s music being made within the general denominator of metal that’s unusually weird and which pushes the envelope as far as technique and approach go. But these instances, who are rare and far in between in a genre that is, as a whole, a conservative genre like all genres, don’t exist in a vacuum. They feed from the practices of other genres and movements within them, drawing inspiration, aesthetics and themes from diverse places to create their own unique take on metal. These creations after often loosely grouped together as “avant-garde”. In metal, the term has come to mean music that has drawn from the theatrics of other styles.

Metal, usually black metal, that’s made under the avant-garde auspices tends to have this grandiose flair to it which seems to come from opera and from the theater, in vocals and instruments both. In that sense, Lychgate are perhaps not the best example of the genre. While enough touches of the avant-garde style exist on The Contagion in Nine Steps to merit the moniker (like the synths on “Republic”, which open the album or the vocals on the selfsame track), those touches are enveloped in so much sounds from atmospheric black metal and doom that they often lose definition. But this might not be a bad thing; it makes The Contagion in Nine Steps a more approachable album than, let’s say, Dødheimsgard‘s A Umbra Omega and less overbearing than album like Aenaon‘s Hypnosophy.

The end result of this “obfuscation of the avant-garde” is an album that hits hard and abrasive but which also knows how to tap a more off-kilter vibe. “Atavistic Hypnosis”, smack in the middle of the album, is perhaps the best example. On one hand, it features more traditional atmoblack/doom influences. The abrasive vocals on its opening segments, it slow riffs; all of these are approachable to fans of the genre and recognizable. But it also has a weird piano melody which runs through its first half (and returns in new modulations near the end), an odd tinge to the clean vocals on the second part and an overall sensation of slight wrongness that’s wholly avant-garde. It’s as if the track is avant-garde adjacent. A lot of the sounds have clearly bled through from somewhere else but the core of the music is here, rooted in black metal.

This means that if you’re looking for an album that will absolutely bend your ears and force you to pay attention for every second of its runtime, you should look elsewhere. The Contagion in Nine Steps isn’t as demanding as the aforementioned bands. A lot of it is “just” really well executed ideas even if their genesis isn’t in some fevered mind rotting in a collapsing opera house somewhere on the edge of an urban society. But if you’re looking for a black metal with just enough weird stuff in it, if you’d like your abrasive growls to be counterpointed with big synths and interrupted every now and again by powerful cleans with an operatic tinge, this is the album for you.

the vocals on the Yhdarl are a lot

I thought this would be the metallic second coming of Wolfgang Mitterer's prepared organ improvisations to Murnau's Nosferatu. No such luck.

the vocals on the Yhdarl are a lot

Still more listenable than A Forest of Stars (imago has a knack for hyping admittedly awesome bands that would fare better with less unhinged thespianesque vocals).

that's because of his schooling

AFoS' vocals are one of the best things about them, but let's save this argument for when they place

86 Uniform - The Long Walk 118 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/g2Ysc9e.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5CeozuplDjehgtSlPzmpDS?si=eQMWkikhTMST7uVyw4hXtw
spotify:album:5CeozuplDjehgtSlPzmpDS

https://unifuckingform.bandcamp.com/album/the-long-walk

Following the release of critically acclaimed LP Wake in Fright, which had two songs featured in the new season of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, it was time for Uniform vocalist Michael Berdan and instrumentalist Ben Greenberg to return to the studio. The duo decided to up the ante and add a third member to help perfect their vicious post-industrial dystopian cyber-punk. After some deliberation, Greenberg called upon drummer Greg Fox (Liturgy, Zs) to help round out the sound they were looking for. Using a mix of triggered samples and real drums along with layered synths and good old electric guitar, the trio arrived at what would become The Long Walk after only a few short days in the studio.

From the opening whirr of the title track, it’s clear that the band is onto something special. Recorded in Strange Weather studios in the first part of 2018, The Long Walk is eight new tracks by the duo of Greenberg and Berdan, incorporating Fox’s skills behind the drum kit to add an entirely new dimension to the signature Uniform sound. Ditching sequenced tracks, Greenberg opted for single takes to highlight the Frankenstein-like guitar-bass-synth hybrid that oozes throughout the recording. Meanwhile, crushing... more
credits
released August 17, 2018

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/uniform-the-long-walk/

7.6
For a band that hasn’t been around for terribly long, Brooklyn industrial duo Uniform has undergone many mutations. Vocalist Michael Berdan and guitarist/programmer Ben Greenberg began as a dystopian industrial-noise outfit that only occasionally showed glimpses of both members’ punk pasts—but by their second record, Wake in Fright, they were injecting thrash fusion with Big Black-level freakouts. In that sense, Uniform were moving in the opposite direction from their recent collaborators the Body, transitioning from relatively loose textures to something resembling conventional (albeit heavily damaged) metal. On their third album, The Long Walk, Uniform expand into a trio. And the addition of drummer Greg Fox, of Guardian Alien and Liturgy, yields a sound that is both more unified and more deranged than ever.

Greenberg’s tone used to be harsh and dry, a style that complemented the bleakness of Uniform’s first record and Fright’s more focused thrash. Here, he turns up the bass and the noise, never shifting out of overdrive. This intensity makes Uniform feel more unhinged, even if their mode of assault hasn’t changed greatly; Greenberg is splattering all over Walk, not deploying tight, disciplined attacks. He dispenses with most of Fright’s crossover influence, in favor of mangled, mid-paced riffing, like Celtic Frost recorded through a series of budget amps and distortion pedals, then played at deafening volume.

There isn’t much clarity to be found here. Each riff is a block of noise, and that approach lends the album an unusually chunky feel on the whole. “Headless Eyes” and “Found” have blocky ’90s noise-rock grooves, but unlike most acts that fall into that genre, Uniform place the most emphasis on the noise half of that equation. Walk’s track sounds like a doom band led by a power-electronic musician: heavy on the Sabbath stomp, yet gloriously muddy.

Even with the addition of a formidable presence like Fox, the prospect of Uniform without their signature drum machine seemed worrisome. Much like industrial-metal pioneers Godflesh, Uniform relied on that robotic percussion to bring their music to (mechanical, coldhearted) life. Fox, who entered the studio on super-short notice, brings his own approach to drum-machine rhythms, accentuating the snare’s thudding beats, and introduces a slight imbalance into the band’s sound. This record doesn’t have any gothy, quasi-dance songs like Fright’s “The Lost”; instead, Fox incorporates that rhythmic repetition into Uniform’s blown-out chug. You don’t call in a drummer like this one for icy precision; Walk is the messiest record they’ve ever made. Fox doesn’t fully flex his muscles until the end of closer “Peaceable Kingdom,” but his presence adds a touch of wildness to each track.

Yet for all its controlled chaos, The Long Walk is Uniform’s most stylistically consistent record. One key point of divergence is “Alone in the Dark,” which revisits the band’s industrial origins, bringing new overtones of desperation. The track feels like it’s running from something, rather than simply destroying everything in its path. It’s the only song on the album that embodies the same fear it inspires, with Greenberg’s escalating riffs matching Berdan’s preternatural nervousness. “Alone” is the most uncomfortable moment on a record that feels more terrifying than anything Uniform have done before, precisely because it locates a fragile human spirit within the band’s visions of robotic terror.

The Lychgate album was another one that I listened to and liked last year but just didn't buy and listen to enough to vote for.

I did listen at least a few times, though.

unifuckingform.bandcamp

kinda lol but mostly rmde

85 Fluisteraars / Turia - De Oord 122 points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/XC79tmV.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/1nrpQtovGlTwnUbvar7mRl?si=5kzadNybT7ipz8-L8BjXNA
spotify:album:1nrpQtovGlTwnUbvar7mRl

https://fluisteraars.bandcamp.com/album/de-oord

Two of the Netherlands' most innovative black metal bands, Fluisteraars and Turia, have aligned to release a conceptual split album on Eisenwald.

Ever since releasing their debut “Dromers”, Fluisteraars have captured the attention of a wide audience of fans looking for depth and compositional grandeur in black metal. Newcomers Turia, who have quickly released two acclaimed albums and a split with fellow-traveller Vilkacis, make this a highly interesting pairing for those who have been following the burgeoning Dutch black metal movement.

Both hailing from Gelderland, a more densely forested area of the Netherlands, the bands take inspiration from the regions’ history and their natural surroundings. Conceptually, the album deals with the two primary rivers, the Waal and the Rhine, that mark the area around Arnhem and Nijmegen, their respective hometowns. Highlighting the bonds forged between both bands, the record is called De Oord, an old Dutch word designating the area where two rivers meet.

In keeping with the theme of the two rivers symbolically meeting, the bands recorded and produced their respective sides together simultaneously at Klaverland Studio: a recording studio in a nature reserve, where the Rhine enters the Netherlands, and splits into the Nederrijn and the Waal.

Both bands display a development of the experimental, psychedelic side of their music. This element has always been present; however, this release provided the opportunity to let it shine brighter than ever. Where Fluisteraars' side, entitled “Oeverloos”, offers a majestic dirgelike epos ending in a monumental crescendo, Turia's track “Aan den Golven der Aarde Geofferd” takes the listener on a harrowing voyage into the depths beneath.

Lyrically, the thematic unity of the project is clearly articulated. Writing in Dutch, both bands develop a narrative that metaphorically traces the rivers and waterways from wellspring to the depths of the sea; from the tranquillity and natural order of the landscape to the turmoil below the surface. The everlasting flow washes away all traces of what once stood tall and proud.
credits
released September 28, 2018

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/10/fluisteraars-turia-de-oord/

First of three releases coming out of small Dutch collective label Haeresis Noviomagi on tape, and CD and LP on Eisenwald, German label and distro with a great alertness to local extreme underground scenes that deserve a wider audience. De Oord is a great split by two Dutch masters of serious, experimental and intense black metal.

Fluisteraars have been around on Eisenwald for several releases already, but for me their contribution to this split impresses significantly beyond their previous work. ‘Oeverloos’ has a gripping confidence to it, self-assured and unafraid of some melodic backgrounds because the pure fire and energy in the riffs burns away any possibility of power being diminished by some epic atmospherics. Coming in after a very brief gurgling rainwater intro, we get a face-smashing riff with a fierce metal cage of a drumbeat, then punctured by an extreme yell, the distinctively Dutch syllables backed with yet more surging noise power… it’s quite an exhilarating start. After a false reprieve, it then continues at this level of intensity for fully nine more minutes, with shifts and harmonic gear changes handled expertly with no letup in power. The band are brimming with ideas, and the detail of the transitions is so well done it really adds up to a finely finished piece, a brilliant mastery of raw atmospherics, a full exploration of the form. And then you realise the track is only half over… the band are confident to repeat the unravelling section at the ten minute mark, before a wild, crushing second act steps onto another plane entirely, hammering away in gripping harmony and then spinning into some strange dreamworld of ethereal vocals. The astonishing part is how they can move through changes to keep things intriguing, while transmitting consistent power that never wavers in the long journey through developing dimensions.

The dark watery swirlings return to bring in Turia‘s piece which is a nice way to tie the halves together. This for me was the most anticipated track on the release slate, with this band providing the most powerful black metal in existence from the last few years. In addition to the brutal atmospheric classics Dede Kondre and Dor, their festival set in a cave of a bar in Tilburg in 2017 was by a distance my live music highlight of the year. Anyway, here their track, ‘Aan den Golven der Aarde Geofferd’ is a icy blast, less melodically bright than Fluisteraars’ offering, presenting instead a menacing churn, a tightly wound riff joined by thunderous drums and a snarling shout. Vaguely shaped like words but communicating something more animal or demonic than human, this is underground black metal vocals nailed, both in delivery and production, submerged a bit so as to become instrumental harsh texture rather than anything so transparent as language. Then the riff sort of turns inside out while the clatter keeps up, bringing in a fearsome pressure. This finally breaks, falling into chalky grey organ tones that drift and lean, pierced again by sharp slow riffs that gradually resummon the furious power. The final section is great, a frothing buzzing guitar cauldron that threatens to spark again but is kept at a restless simmer by clinking piano droplets until once more at last the rains come again. Two savage, weird and complex monsters encountered.

:(

Too low. My prophecy is bound to come true.

tch tch voting for a 2 track single

A 33 min long split, rather. It counts.

84 Turnstile - Time & Space 124 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/zo4MVTD.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/7bZveW9UQfYbkPH9pkpaQx?si=3JCo5YPWQN-pJgI1bG84nQ

spotify:album:7bZveW9UQfYbkPH9pkpaQx

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/feb/23/turnstile-time-space-review-roadrunner

Eight years after singer Brendan Yates and guitarist Brady Ebert started rehearsing in a neighbour’s garage, the Baltimore quintet’s riotous live shows have made them one of the most discussed bands in hardcore. Their second album follows a major label bidding war, after which they opted to go with metal label Roadrunner. This isn’t as strange a decision as it seems, as Turnstile push at the boundaries of their own genre. Their teeth-rattling riffola certainly has its generic moments, but they incorporate everything from post-punk (the angular, grinding Can’t Get Away) to jazzy lounge music (on the misleadingly titled, 47-second-long Disco). Diplo, of all people, contributes production to Right to Be, while the furiously thrashing Big Smile surprisingly morphs into a vintage, chugging Status Quo riff.

With Yates raging away so intensely that you fear for his blood pressure, and elements of dub and echo, tracks such as Generator most resemble a hardcore Killing Joke. Turnstile haven’t always fully learned to control that intensity, though – there’s nothing as focused or melodic as the Joke’s Eighties or Love Like Blood. For all the experimentation, the Marylanders are never happier than when blasting out blistering, slam-dance-friendly Come Back for More, or hardcore/hard rocker Moon, with bassist Franz Lyons and Sheer Mag’s Tina Halladay sharing vocals. Former Lauryn Hill backing singer Tanikka Charraé turns up on Bomb’s funky hip-hop interlude, but again it’s over in seconds, and one wonders what they could have achieved by being even bolder.

Kerrang Album of the Year 2018

Uniform were super fun opening for Deafheaven last year. I liked the album a lot, too.

'Heavy music poll' would've been less of a misnomer, no?

Chapel of Disease - And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye 125 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/l5d8UIQ.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/7cye2BphSsKue2ug5FymzI?si=YbbrVZY7S42ZKX2OAevsHw
spotify:album:7cye2BphSsKue2ug5FymzI

https://chapelofdisease.bandcamp.com/album/and-as-we-have-seen-the-storm-we-have-embraced-the-eye

After some silent months that have went over to silent years, German Metallers CHAPEL OF DISEASE now present their highly anticipated new album “...And As We Have Seen The Storm, We Have Embraced The Eye”!

Starting in 2008 as a band dwelling in the raw death metal sounds from the late 80s, CHAPEL OF DISEASE released their debut “Summoning Black Gods” in 2012. Three years later it would soon become obvious that strictly following a certain genre would eventually lose its attraction to the band. With their 2015 full-length “The Mysterious Ways Of Repetitive Art” the band would find their way of mixing up sounds to create something unique.

With “...And As We Have Seen The Storm, We Have Embraced The Eye” CHAPEL OF DISEASE follow that path, yet disregarding any genre specific expectations even more and putting all the effort in simply making diversified, enthralling heavy music. The outcome is a record somewhere between the atmosphere of black and death metal, including riffing from the golden days of the 70s and soundscapes of the synthie 80s.

Tracklist:

1. Void Of Words
2. Oblivious - Obnoxious - Defiant
3. Song Of The Gods
4. Null
5. 1.000 Different Paths
6. The Sound Of Shallow Grey

Line-up:

Laurent T. - Vocals, Guitar
Cedric T. - Guitar
Christian K. - Bass
David D. - Drums
credits
released November 23, 2018

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/chapel-of-disease-and-as-we-have-seen-the-storm-we-have-embraced-the-eye-review/

There’s a constant glut of death metal on the market coming in all shapes and sizes. Chapel of Disease‘s particular brand of death metal has been well and truly re-branded. Once paying homage to the old school tones of the late 80s and early 90s, Chapel of Disease have now re-painted the death metal machine with tones straight from the 70s. Once a rigid, sharp and vicious vehicle – no frills, no forgiveness – Chapel now float at a listener with a lucid, fluid and wavering touch, decorating their tank with psychedelic patterns and peace symbols. And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye attempts to merge traditional death metal with the free-form musical approaches of the 70s: hard rock and progressive rock. This is a record that certainly stands out from the crowd.

Does it stand out for the right reasons? And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye has had a peculiar affect on me. As if in a feverish mutable state sometimes it filters through my headphones with a smooth and seductive touch; at others it smothers my brain like an archaic rotten fart, lingering but not welcome. Straight away it’s clear that Chapel of Disease are more than happy to dwell in the realm of high pitched melody. Noodling, loose, wishy-washy: the guitar-led approach of And as We Have Seen diverges from the well-trodden routes of death metal. Songs can seem formless, improvisational even. Of course this is not the case, but the long song lengths and strings of riffs that build and cascade river-like have the effect of an impromptu jam in a smoky studio. Opener “Void of Words” is indicative of the album as a whole. Luscious and tender licks with a sickeningly melodic sheen open the record. Then, like a psychedelic war horse, a mixture of galloping death metal with adornments in the form of rapid blues licks and soloing carries the song forward. Escapades into pure 70s (with no death metal in sight) are also common, especially during the closing minutes of “Void of Worlds” where the galloping war horse transforms into a creature more suited for dressage or a summer fayre.

Death metal is less prominent but it hasn’t disappeared completely. Gruff, unpolished growls à la Karl Willets and Martin van Drunen crash violently into the soft pulse at the record’s core. The occasional sharp, down-tuned passage of riffs breaks through the softness too, but for the most part there’s a lack of downright aggression, a lack of bite and ferocity. Chapel of Disease find other ways to present their madness. When holding closer to death metal, And as We Have Seen is – in my mind – more successful. Second track “Oblivious – Obnoxious – Defiant” is more conventional and self-contained. An alternating verse-chorus with more of a focus on crustier, lower-pitched riffing gives the song a direction and focus which the record as a whole desperately needs.

“Song of the Gods” is similar too, but it has a catchier and much more playful tone which supplements the frenzied riffing at the song’s core. The blithe, jam-like interludes and passages spin-off from these heavier moments much more naturally. They are grounded and given weight. This is most successfully implemented in “Null” which, riff-wise, leans closer to black metal at times. The atmosphere is thick and heavy and the riffs spin off from one another and cloud the mix. When the lightness of the soloing breaks through it’s satisfyingly merged with the darkness of the track.

For the most part And as We Have Seen melts into one. It meanders, twists, turns, before, sometimes, reaching a satisfying conclusion. Now I understand that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination but for me the journey lacks truly exciting sights to keep the energy flowing, especially towards the back-end of the record. “1000 Different Paths” and “The Sound of Shallow Grey” are sloppy and unfocused, failing to unite their many electronic, extreme and progressive elements. I don’t dislike And as We Have Seen but I feel conflicted. It’s confused. Chapel of Disease seem to be in a transition period, not quite fully free of their death metal skin. There are real standout moments here that emerge when listening to the record as a 70s hard rock/prog fan, but from an extreme metal perspective there isn’t enough meaty substance here to keep me nourished.

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/chapel-of-disease-premiere/

We sometimes forget metal’s roots — death metal has grown into such an extreme brutality (an offshoot of thrash metal, itself) that it is impossible to even discern the rock which gave birth to it. Everything is linear, there is no punctuated equilibrium or sudden evolutionary change in music. Art grows upon itself and manifests in a logical procession, which explains a thousands-of-years path from early music all the way to the postmodernity of hyper-brutal death metal.

However, what if this lineage was discernible? What if we could hear metal’s early roots buried within a death metal record (outside the occasional blues solo)? It honestly seemed more like a novelty or pipe dream than anything else, and yet Germany’s Chapel of Disease demonstrates this simultaneity with fluidity and perfectionism. Listen to an exclusive full stream of their new album …And As We Have Seen The Storm, We Have Embraced The Eye below.

…

…

First and foremost, this is a death metal record. At least, it is in spirit, but it is also a rock record, and also a heavy metal records. There is a playfulness to …And As We Have Seen The Storm, We Have Embraced The Eye which belies its intensity — a bluesy facade for a greater and more ferocious being. The six tracks which comprise the album’s 47 minutes straddle this dualism in a way which is, dare I say, fun. Something which truly rocks, and in a different way than one might associate with Corpsegrinder-style windmilling.

This is an album of heroics: guitar heroism, songwriting heroism, and energetic heroism. It is over the top and self-indulgent, a classicism which could be ascribed to both classic rock and death metal. Each member does more than their share to make the music memorable, strutting in what could only be imagined as leather-clad metal champions, lording themselves over their musical kingdom.

…

…And As We Have Seen The Storm, We Have Embraced The Eye is out November 23rd on Ván Records. Read a track-by-track walkthrough from the band below.

…

“Void Of Words”

I remember this being the first song that was consciously written for the album. I didn‘t write anything after The Mysterious Ways of Repetitive Art for quite some time and this was more or less the breakthrough for me personally considering the guitarwork again.
We had the idea of connecting the first two songs of the album for quite some time (that is, before any songs were even written) and from that idea on, it was really sort of a puzzle that needed to be put together. What we then had was the first part of the song, meaning everything up around the first three minutes of it, and Ced had that strummed clean part lying around for a longer period of time. I remember us jamming to that part at his place where I would improvise that solo and a lot of that first improvisation actually stayed. So what we needed was another, laid back, slower clean part in between to glue everything together. After we had that, everything became one and it all seemed to make sense. It was an interesting and especially demanding way of writing, which was exactly what we needed to raise the bar for us personally.
Generally, this is one of my favourite songs we have written so far and it really sums up the album in a perfect way. It’s a nice balance of catchyness and proggyness, without it seeming unnatural. It’s almost as if we put our cards on the table right away for the listener to know what to expect from the album.

“Oblivious — Obnoxious — Defiant”

Doing this track by track walkthrough actually reminded me of the fact that the second song connecting to “Void Of Words” was a completely different one for many months. I absolutely forgot about the fact that there was a song that we completely ditched from the tracklist again (just one riff of it would later be used in “The Sound Of Shallow Grey” again). It just didn‘t work out and didn‘t feel right to us. When we finally had “Oblivious — Obnoxious — Defiant,” we knew we had it right. This song has a lot of energy. It‘s also my personal favourite one considering the interaction between the music and the lyrics, which work great together. Both, music and words, follow along each other and really seem to tell an actual story with an introduction, a climax, and an ending. I really do love this number. It catches so many different atmospheres and has a very coherent structure to it, although being so multifaceted.

“Song Of The Gods”

Probably the easiest song to write for us so far. It was just a very, very natural thing. I had the riffs set and we would have the song done in a couple of hours. Of course, you always work on parts later on, but this was just very fluently done. And I would say that this makes sense with it being our most hook-based number so far. It obviously has this classic rock vibe to it, which then sort of breaks with the verses and which does break with the lyrical theme for sure, which is quite nebulous. I remember showing it to a friend as a demo recording and he summed it up quite well with it having two very different voices that somehow work out together as one.

“Null”

Quite a dark one with a very heavy touch it. It’s the last song we wrote for this record and it did take some time. I really enjoy Ced’s lyrics here with their search for everything and nothing, which is a general feeling to the album. What’s the role of the individual in a so supersaturated place, is there any role at all with life and death being such an obvious and vague concept at the same time? Its a search without any concrete goal and I think the song translates all these ideas very well. It’s a big, playful middle section in that track that literally seeks its way back to where one started after all…

“1.000 Different Paths”

When I wrote that “Void Of Words” was the first song that was consciously written for this album, I had in mind that the riffs for “1.000 Different Paths” were there quite some time before but I didn‘t know for what to use them… It turned out to be a Chapel of Disease song.

We wanted to have a guest vocalist for this one for quite some time and I have to say that the fact that I had my go with clean vocals has a lot to do with Sven from Ván Records, since he kept on telling me I should simply try it out… I will never be a good singer, but the vocals simply function well here. Very proud of this one and quite a personal number for me and Ced.

“The Sound Of Shallow Grey”

We did not want to write another number that would slowly build up and have this big epic feeling to it this time as a closure of the album. You get that on most metal records by now, and we have done it on The Mysterious Ways of Repetitive Art already.

The outcome was a song that would go straight in and would have this impulsive feeling to it, taking the listener right in. I like the fact that there are so many faces to this song. You get a lot of classic rock, some 1980s synth stuff but also some very heavy riffing here. While “Void Of Words” introduces the album in a fitting manner, this song definitely closes it and leaves nothing more to say.

https://grizzlybutts.com/2018/12/05/chapel-of-disease-and-as-we-have-seen-the-storm-we-have-embraced-the-eye-2018-review/

One could talk of the fifty years of dreary minor key development in the classical music that followed the Sturm und Drang movement of the late 1700’s the same way they might look upon the highly competitive meshing of copycats and innovators within ‘modern’ death metal’s cumulative darkening. The graveyards are full, the dead lie rotting in the street. Those corpses that infuse progressive hard rock and classic heavy metal into death metal music are among the most celebrated today, despite a couple decades of fandom still sneering at the death n’ roll of the 90’s. The main difference is that Xysma and Entombed looked to groups like King Crimson and Black Sabbath before they began to cherry-pick their favorite elements form other bands within their scene; In 2018 it seems that many groups base their future movements off of the inspiration of their friend’s work in other bands. Whatever band lasts the longest will still ultimately represent old school death metal all the same while a few, such as Obliteration, have grown cumulative-yet-distinct in their rise. Chapel of Disease arrived as a death/thrash band from Cologne, Germany that was simultaneously developed (between 2008-2011) alongside their early Sodom obsessed blackened thrash metal band Infernäl Death. As one project crumpled, so rose its death metal counterpart.

Despite what your catalog savvy mind and memory suggests there are very few records like ‘Summoning Black Gods’ (2012) as a document of late 80’s and very early 90’s death and death/thrash metal. Chapel of Disease were compelling not only for their marriage of Asphyx and Death influenced death metal but for their integration of speed metal that brought in the 80’s Morbid Angel influence that is often characteristic of German ‘old school’ minded death metal. To a fan such as myself this is accomplishment enough, the riffs are stunning, the sound is necrotic and the thrash energy makes ‘Summoning Black Gods’ a joy to return to regardless of mood or shifting tastes. The band then took three years to figure out what they’d do next, I always just assumed their style changed a fair amount because that first record was exemplary and not in need of variation or redundancy. The resulting album ‘The Mysterious Ways of Repetitive Art’ (2015) was arresting as a midway point between the 70’s rhythmic jolts of Tribulation‘s ‘The Formulas of Death’ and the varietal flow of The Chasm‘s ‘The Spell of Retribution’ with those melodic black metal influences tempered with atmospheric death metal a la the second Tiamat album. It was one of my personal favorites of the year but there were some odd moments that I saw fellow fans praising, in particular the rock guitar finale of “Lord of all Death”. It was death n’ roll then, it is death n’ roll now in 2018.

The major difference is that the thrash riffs that helped pick up the sagging butt end of the first two Chapel of Disease records are now exempted from ‘…And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye’ which seems to doubly expand upon the concept of “Lord of All Death” with an ‘epic heavy metal’ feeling where atmospheric black metal guitar work, and a twangy 70’s rock lead guitars become a major focus. They’ve actually gone deeper into the realms of ‘The Formulas of Death’ and amplified the southern rock twang up to Kvelertak (and to a lesser degree, Glorior Belli) levels of bounce. What strikes me as odd isn’t so much that mixture of death metal and retro rock guitar work but, that modern death metal listeners recognize 70’s and bluesy 80’s guitar god rock soloing as traditional heavy metal. It isn’t. While you will find similarly epic works in certain Fleetwood Mac or Dire Straits albums you won’t find post-black metal guitar work adorning it anywhere else. Atmospheric post-southern rock death metal? Well, not exactly, but you might think so when digging into the opener “Void of Worlds” and the later half of the album.

The following seven minutes of “Oblivious / Obnoxious / Defiant” does ring out as a sort of blackened thrash anthem (see: recent Deströyer 666) but through a sort of refinement of what Horrendous were doing on ‘Ecdysis’. The progressions are beautiful and the atmospheric guitar work is stirring, if not compositionally plain, yet it reaches into a different bag of tricks that feels plastic compared to say, Morbus Chron‘s ‘Sweven’. With six tracks each wandering well above the six minute mark Chapel of Disease have made an odd choice in front-loading their album with energy, this comes as a surprise because the previous records each picked up steam as they ended. ‘…And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye’ doesn’t dissolve willingly in it’s second half but the rock soloing from the Teubel brothers takes over entirely and leaves the death metal interest in the dust. What is left is a mixture of atmospheric black metal builds and hard rock guitar textures (see: “Null”) comprising more than half of the record. I take no real issue with these tracks, I think as an atmospheric heavy rock song “1,000 Different Paths” is a pretty solid jam with Quorthon-esque clean vocals even; Yet, when I get to the 9+ minute closer “The Sound of Shallow Grey” I begin to flounder on the record a bit. A great song in it’s own right that’ll provide some inspiration for blackened heavy metal fandom, this stylistic shift away from death metal still feels like an usurpation of the things I initially enjoyed about Chapel of Death.

How then does this adventurous and clearly inspired album fare as a full listen? Roughly a half hour of catchy prog-rocking death/black bliss and then twenty minutes of redundant but epic black n’ roll. I felt such marked enthusiasm for this record for the first several listens but I held out on reviewing it too soon because the second half had already begun to irk me. Ultimately I could not reconcile about a fourth of the music on this nearly fifty minute record despite giving myself time to move beyond expectations and fandom. My recommendation of it is about that strong; Still an essential listen from a band I enjoy but, the second half of the album will either make or break the experience for the death metal fan depending on how far you’d see the boundaries expand. To really get a good sense of the duality I perceived within the records two halves I’d start with the Rotting Christ-esque riffs of “Null” and then juxtapose that with the heavy and catchy hit of “Oblivious / Obnoxious / Defiant”.

that's #83 of course

'Heavy music poll' would've been less of a misnomer, no?

― pomenitul, Monday, 18 February 2019 19:54 (nine minutes ago)

that is how the poll has always been

82 Bongripper - Terminal 126 Points, 3 Voters, One #1
https://i.imgur.com/aiUnhE6.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/4SqHeDwjSNE6pa9CCsS8Hl?si=qUa7SiaET6-1A-hK0-15aw
spotify:album:4SqHeDwjSNE6pa9CCsS8Hl

https://bongripper.bandcamp.com/album/terminal

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/07/bongripper-terminal/

Bongripper are often spoken of as the doom band’s doom band, an outfit so pure of purpose and mammoth of riff that hordes of red-eyed touring bands speak of them in hushed tones in toilet venues the world over. Whatever your opinion on doom as a genre props must be given to them for the way they go about their business – they record and mix everything in their own Comatose Studios, release them on their own Great Barrier Records and tour the world with no label backing and no compromise. They’re about as close to being the stoner rock Fugazi as you’re ever likely to see, albeit one considerably less fussed about gig ticket prices as they are constructing monolithic riffscapes.

Their music is as pure as their DIY ethos. Terminal, Bongripper’s 7th album, comes 4 years after 2014’s Miserable and picks up pretty much where it left off. There’s not much in the way of progression on display – if anything they seem to have gotten less adventurous over the years, with the more experimental, genre hopping nature of Hippie Killer and Hate Ashbury having been largely left in the past. There’s not much that will surprise listeners here: there isn’t a build that doesn’t lead to a cathartic section of monstrous guitar heroics, and it’s not like they’re about to be throwing in any acid jazz or wild electronic elements at this stage of the game. No, Terminal is simply a further distillation of what makes Bongripper Bongripper, a small refinement of the mould, 2 tracks of military grade slow handed riffery embellished only by some ambient moments and some fiercely moody second guitar.

And that’s all they need. Some say the trick is not to give your audience what they want. Bongripper say instead: let them eat riffs.

And what riffs. In the arms race between doom/sludges lairiest bastards to develop the nastiest, filthiest sound out there Bongripper have been stockpiling dirty bombs since 2006. There are guitar tones deployed on Terminal that sound like by-products of a secret military plan to destroy the sun. But despite the miserable song titles Terminal actually sounds almost triumphant for a large chunk of it’s run time. Once the shimmering synth drones that open the record are dispensed with ‘Slow’ sounds more like celebratory riff worship than misery doom, like choir practice at the Church of the One Riff. It comes down on you like an ice storm with hailstones the size of well fed Alsations, picks up momentum for a time before dropping out altogether into a clean guitar section. The melancholy sets in and things start to gradually build. And then the riff comes in. And it is massive.

And so it goes throughout the records 40 minute run time. Despite being split into 2 tracks – ‘Slow’ and ‘Death’ – it could easily be one piece. You get the feeling they only put an ambient interlude in so that they could find a fitting moment for listeners to flip the vinyl over. 40 minutes is as close as Bongripper get to brevity however and further listens reveal just how impressively lean a pair of 20 minute instrumental doom tracks can get in their hands. The little refinements to the formula start to shine through – the understated synth drone that backs the clean guitar build on ‘Slow’, the almost post-rock guitar towards the tracks end which sounds like it could have been cut from a Russian Circles jam – it all adds up to Bongripper’s most focused and immediately satisfying record yet.

The basics are as on point as you’d expect after 12 years of practice – drummer Daniel O’Connor’s tub thumping is as hard and metronomic as a pile driver, a single minded, slow motion beatdown, though in ‘Death’ he gets a chance to pick up the pace for a muscular, kinetic section at the tracks midpoint that feels like being driven through a storm of swirling guitar. But for majority of Terminal it’s all about the bang of the head on the beat of the drum. The righteous bass-heavy distortion that shakes you down to your boots. Bongripper are veterans now and they haven’t so much carved out a niche down in those low, demonically fuzzed out tones as they have built a humble empire. And now there aren’t many who come close to playing them as well.

http://thesludgelord.blogspot.com/2018/07/album-review-bongripper-terminal.html

The shorter form sees Bongripper keep things lean with ‘Terminal’, losing none of their signature heft, brutal tone or hypnotic, meditative sway, gaining an unconstrained momentum and razor edged focus that cannot be denied.

“Terminal” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Slow
2). Death

The Review:

Chicago’s Bongripper are the doom bands’ doom band. For nearly fifteen years they’ve waged a campaign of sonic terror and aural battery that has won respect and admiration from fans and other artists alike. Their long-form, instrumental tirades are at once crushingly heavy and achingly melancholic, often wandering off into ethereal lightness. Seventh full length ‘Terminal’ is no exception.

First things first, yes, by their own lofty standards, ‘Terminal’ is relatively breezy. Weighing in at around 40 minutes, it’s removed from the epic crawls of the hour plus ‘Satan Worshipping Doom’, ‘Miserable’ and ‘Hippie Killer’. But this comparable brevity serves the band incredibly well; split into the roughly equal halves of ‘Slow’ and ‘Death’, the record is a distillation of everything at which Bongripper excel, namely heaving atmospherics and incalculable numbers of riff.

‘Slow’ broods with synth before building feedback like a swelling thunderhead, Daniel O'Connor’s massive kick strikes a focal point amid the growing intensity. They tease the drop, keeping you waiting, before it falls in like a basement ceiling. Droning, grinding chords shift like plate tectonics, riffs changing organically and inexorably before things fade out into a wistful, drifting clean guitar chime. Layer by layer, the band construct this wearied groove, rising further and further, spurred by the guiding force of Ronald Petzke’s driving bassline. When the ‘heavy’ comes back in, it’s suffocatingly dense, inhabiting all possible aural space, the single locked in chords raining down like hammer blows as a guitar overlay drenched in reverb spirals off into the void. It’s towering, climactic stuff. But the ‘ripper ain’t finished with you yet.

As the first track bleeds into ‘Death’ with creeping static and roiling synths, before the second song asserts dominance with a swaggering riff that steadily dredges deeper and deeper, slowing, bloating and staggering amidst pounding toms. The band show canny use of negative space, before earth shattering kicks ushering a rolling mid-tempo groove and needling guitar overlay that comes right out of left field. Back into their original dredging groove, any sense of comfort or familiarity is whipped away once more by a strident, sludgy guitar gallop, tight triplets descending into throbbing feedback. Uniting once more into hammerblow chords, Nick Dellacroce and Dennis Pleckham conjure a steadily maddening atonal guitar duel that rides the waves of unstoppable drums.

The shorter form sees Bongripper keep things lean with ‘Terminal’, losing none of their signature heft, brutal tone or hypnotic, meditative sway, gaining an unconstrained momentum and razor edged focus that cannot be denied. Perfectly crafted, and well worth the four year wait.

I thought the noms/voting threads WERE titled "metal and heavy rock poll"? xp

Yes:
ILX Metal n' Heavy Rock Poll 2018: NOMINATIONS thread - open till Jan. 19th, 2019!
The 2018 ILX Metal n' Heavy Rock Poll VOTING + CAMPAIGNING thread! NEW EXTENDED DEADLINE! Ballots due by Friday, February 15th 11.59pm PST

Yhdarl is soooo amazing!

Simon, did you vote for Closer too?

It's really hard to keep up with this poll for me but Pale Divine is pretty enjoyable so far. Nice guitar tone, solidly dirty riffs and solos.

sick i voted bongripper number one i think (unless i didn't, i think i forgot to save my ballot)

anyway it's top 2, i don't listen to a lot of metal but occasionally i'll find something doomy as fuck and it'll end up on heavy rotation for a while as "focusing music"

last one tonight is a tie

TIE
80 Paara - Riitti 126 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/pfxvtKE.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/2M4gawfYsXJOavls6PyPHu?si=Kz3cvC2QSjWi5b44hH2NYQ
spotify:album:2M4gawfYsXJOavls6PyPHu

https://vicisolumrecords.com/album/riitti

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/paara-riitti-things-you-might-have-missed-2018/

I want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you to the Angry Metal Guy community for encouraging me to give writing reviews ye olde college try. Thank you to AMG himself for taking me under his lavishly appointed wing. And last but not least, thank you to metal, for being the only genre of music that matters to me. But I have a bone to pick with one of you fvckers (you know exactly who you are). One dastardly individual introduced Paara’s Riitti to me this summer, and ever since it has wreaked havoc upon my once untroubled year end list. It also broke me, finally winning me over to the black metal camp to sing its praises until the day I ascend to the higher plane.

Riitti is one of those albums with problems you quickly learn weren’t problems after all. It’s four chapters of long-form Finnish black metal with a ritualistic flair totaling forty-two minutes. I am listening to it right now for the fiftieth time, and despite best efforts I can’t think of anything worth critiquing anymore. At first listen, I found the songs too long, the momentum lacking, and some of the triple-threat vocals—yes, there are three vocalists (one of whom you should recognize if you listened to Collapse of Light)—not always agreeing with me. But every listen after that revealed intricacies about Riitti to which I was blind before, systematically eliminating my criticisms one after another.

Paara accomplish greatness by virtue of their collective gift for songwriting. Opener “Viimeinen Virta,” at 15:32, is one of the strongest black metal tracks of the year, featuring a somber prelude to an explosion of metallic ferocity roughly eight minutes in. Paara write great songs of such length by letting them unfurl naturally until they reach monstrous proportions. Then, and only then, Paara unleashes chaos lasting as long as there is fuel for the fire. Once that fuel burns away, songs fall into ashen acoustic passages. Progressions of this nature create living, breathing entities like the aforementioned “Viimeinen Virta” and “Suon Sydän.” Using this lively technique, Riitti enraptures me until epic closer “Kuiskaus Pimeästä” dies, at which point I find myself begging Paara for one more song. Please?

Paara - Riitti 02From the twisting melodies of “Hurmeen Hauta” to the haunting chants of “Suon sydän” to the final call-me-back-to-Hell ritual held at the end of “Kuiskaus Pimeästä,” Riitti establishes Paara as a force to be reckoned with, regardless of genre. I cannot think of higher praise for Riitti than to say that every moment of this record is worth two of yours. With that in mind, please trust me. If you do nothing else music-wise this year, just give Paara 126 minutes of your time—three spins, yeah? They will not disappoint.

80 Cosmic Church - Täyttymys 126 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/aLgwKgF.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/2fmw1RGrnfA7382PowNdhz?si=gTqGaxAdRJOlix0Fg4Axaw
spotify:album:2fmw1RGrnfA7382PowNdhz

https://cosmicchurch.bandcamp.com/album/t-yttymys

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2018/05/18/cosmic-church-grant-me-your-voice-so-i-may-sing/

Sometimes, when you know you’re ready to walk away from a project, it centers your creative faculties in a way that propels the project to its artistic zenith. This is exactly what Finland’s Cosmic Church has accomplished on its final album, Täyttymys.

I’d run into the project before in my frequent journeys through the internet for new black metal bands to check out. The one-man project of Luxixul Sumerin popped up on Spotify’s “Related Artist” section for another Finnish band (I think it was Baptism). I was first struck by the artwork for 2013′ Ylistys, which featured a figure in red seated in prayer on a snowy landscape. The album was interesting, its style exhibiting a push-and-pull between modern atmospheric black metal and the standard raw/melodic style associated with Luxixul’s Finnish bretheren. But the songs were very long, two of them clocking in at over 14 minutes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I need to be in the right mood and setting to get into something that ambitious.

The complete opposite is true of Täyttymys. The song lengths are kept under control, and the album exhibits more ferocious intensity than its predecessor. This adds an energy to the devotional hymns that brings a whole panoply of moods and colors for the listener to imagine and explore. I could listen to this album all day. It’s a triumph that reminds me of Obsequiae’s brilliant 2015 album, Aria of Vernal Tombs, in that it takes a host of familiar sounds and combines them into a meaningfully unique statement.

Additionally, its odes to natural forces and the cosmos don’t just amount to album covers with planets and song titles ripped from a Carl Sagan book. On the contrary, the lyrics represent a oneness with nature that leans toward pantheism, going just far enough without anthropomorphizing the subject. Here’s an excerpt from “Armolahja”:

You are the forests, mountains, the earth and the air
And as I bown down on my altar of moss
I find your perfect essence in this soil, cleansed by rain
And as I lift my gaze towards the sunset
I see your eyes blazing at me

So brightly, so perfectly
My goddess, my savior

In one sense, it’s too bad that Cosmic Church won’t give us more music at this caliber (though the Vigilia EP comes close). But in another, this simply increases the album’s value. Besides, Luxixul is also active in Aura Saturnal, Frozen Graves and Asymmetry, so we haven’t heard the last of him.

https://yourlastrites.com/2018/07/16/cosmic-church-tayttymys-review/

Ryan: Black metal. Scandinavia. The first thoughts that pop into mind are dark, frostbitten atmospheres full of wind-burned tremolo picking and cold, unrelenting blast beats. Icey riffs and frigid, inhuman vocals washing over in a wall of sound like a sonic blizzard blasting over the forest terrains of northern Europe. Atmospheric black metal, however, can be an elusive genre to truly master. The bands are a dime a dozen, and very few greats really stand out amongst the pack. Sure, there’s plenty of serviceable bands out there who have done fantastic work, but the ones that rise above the rest with a full and consistent body of work are rare to come by. That’s part of why the release of atmospheric black metal entity Cosmic Church’s latest album, Täyttymys, comes as bittersweet: It is the final entry in the saga of the one-man band from Finland. Not that project mastermind Luxixul Sumering Auter is out of ideas, in fact Täyttymys proves to be an excellent bookend to the 12-year history of Cosmic Church.

As the album opens, frantic riffing sets a mood of energy, not quite in the tradition of frozen black metal, but almost in a warmer, glistening manner. Airy synths shine like morning sunlight through barren, frozen trees, painting a picture of light reflecting off the glassy frozen surface of the tundra. Throughout the album, this theme of luminescence remains a mainstay. Gone are the darkened, frozen wastes portrayed by black metal pioneers like Emperor and Immortal; this isn’t Blashyrkh. The sonic landscape of Cosmic Church feels more like the radiating afterglow of victory over the icy forces that came before, the spring in a land that is constantly cold and harsh.

Melodies play back and forth, created largely through the interplay between the guitars and the synths. The bass never feels content, unafraid of exploring the realms created by the songs, particularly on the second track, “Armolahja.” The following piece, “Sinetti,” brings a mood of conflict in its use of bits of dissonance. The synths play a strong role here, sounding like an astral choir calling from plains unknown.

It takes the true mind of an artist to know when a creative project has run its course, so the decision to dissolve a cosmic entity commands respect, especially when ending on such a terrific crescendo. Täyttymys ends with Cosmic Church staying at the top of their realm of cosmic black magic, and it could not be a better exit for such a fine act.

Manny-O-War: When Ryan first asked me to tag-team this review with him I was all, “Bro, we do Death Metal Dossier. We do not fuck with this cosmic black metal shit.” But then I wised up and listened and was like, “Bro, we better hit this shit together or else.” Cosmic Church excels at many aspects of black metal but the one in which he excels the most is atmosphere. The entire album, front-to-back, is layers of foggy, misty, dark, sun-laden, swampy, tropical, dense, thick, dark, virgin, deciduous, primeval, mixed, deep, boreal, whole, open, dry, vast, secondary, green, growth, northern, temperate, ancient, wild, nearby, original, mature, mangrove, beautiful, unbroken, native, moist, swamp, wet, coniferous, heavy, pine, montane, impenetrable, equatorial, coastal, enchanted, extensive, tall, lush, gloomy, humid, royal, closed, magnificent, silent, southern, eastern, tangled, petrified, distant, continuous, primitive, adjacent, neighboring, immense, undisturbed, subtropical, trackless, riparian, rich, neighboring, lonely, sub-alpine, mighty, largest, huge, sacred, fir, cool, luxuriant, etc. This dude just straight KILLS it with the forest adjectives. He also kills it with the instrumentation. Seemingly removed a step or two from clean production, the album has a sheen over it creating a woozy, sedate feeling in the listener.

The vocals are barked impetuously over the more beautiful, melodic backdrop created by criss-crossing guitars and drums smothered in a production sans resonance. The vast majority of the chorus, reverb and resonance is provided by softly laid keys careening over discordant guitars as the implied snow beats against his lonely hovel in the woods. It’s Finnish black metal through and through, providing a canvas upon which to blow your weed smoke and through which to envision an existence that is not only of another time but of another world. Unrelentingly imaginative, Täyttymys forces the listener into a trance — perhaps not a demonic trance but a beautiful, landscape-heavy trance riddled with icy crevasses, snowy white wolves and plenty of unexpected travelers.

A Finnish tie, heh. Both too low, of course.

my lovely assistant will post the recap

*makes Vanna White gesture*

80 Cosmic Church - Täyttymys 126.0 4 0
80 Paara - Riitti 126.0 4 0
82 Bongripper - Terminal 126.0 3 1
83 Chapel of Disease - And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye 125.0 3 0
84 Turnstile - Time & Space 124.0 3 0
85 Fluisteraars / Turia - De Oord 122.0 3 0
86 Uniform - The Long Walk 118.0 3 0
87 Lychgate - The Contagion in Nine Steps 117.0 4 0
88 Yhdarl - Loss 117.0 3 0
89 The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir 115.0 4 0
90 envy - Alnair In August 112.0 4 0
91 CANTIQUE LÉPREUX - Paysages polaires 112.0 3 0
92 Hamferð - Támsins Likam 108.0 4 0
93 Azusa - Heavy Yoke 108.0 3 0
94 Rebel Wizard - Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response 107.0 3 0
95 Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed 104.0 4 0
96 Machine Girl - The Ugly Art 100.0 3 0
97 Pale Divine - Pale Divine 99.0 3 0
98 Basalte - Vertige 97.0 3 0
99 Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog 96.0 3 0
100 Black Salvation - Uncertainty Is Bliss 96.0 2 1
101 Anthroprophh - Omegaville 95.0 3 0
102 Closer - All This Will Be 93.0 2 0
103 Behemoth - I Loved You at your Darkest 90.0 3 0
104 Xenoblight - Procreation 89.0 3 0
105 Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos 89.0 2 0
106 Møl - Jord 88.0 2 0
107 Kevin Hufnagel - Messages to the Past 87.0 2 0
108 Dautha - Brethren of the Black Soil 86.0 3 0
109 Burial Invocation - Abiogenesis 86.0 2 0
110 Windhand / Satan's Satyrs - Split 85.0 4 0
111 Ghastly - Death Velour 85.0 2 0
112 Mammoth Grinder - Cosmic Crypt 84.0 2 0
113 Spiders - Killer Machine 83.0 2 0
114 Svartidauði - Revelations Of The Red Sword 82.0 4 0
115 Dispirit - Enantiodromian Birth 82.0 2 0
116 Iskandr - Euprosopon 81.0 2 0
117 Progenie Terrestre Pura - StarCross 80.0 3 0
118 Kły - Szczerzenie 79.0 3 0
119 Alrakis - Echoes from η Carinae 78.0 2 0
119 Pig Destroyer - Head Cage 78.0 2 0
121 Wayfarer - World’s Blood 77.0 3 0
122 The Oscillation - Wasted Space 77.0 2 0
123 Protoplasma - - 76.0 3 0
124 Deep Space Destructors - Visions from the Void 76.0 2 0
125 Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits 75.0 3 0

Should give Paara another shot I suppose

There is also a Spotify playlist to subscribe to
https://open.spotify.com/user/pfunkboy/playlist/3Cm5jEJuD1TlGtVB0sTZ8I?si=Rf-iJpblQtSNTXpOzaKjbw

Anybody discover good new albums today?

we shall finally listen now after a day of forest

tt: "Paara is perfect for forest" (she voted for it)

you can liveblog your listening thru the night!

Black Salvation win, inarguably (ok, Wayfarer have an argument) the best cover so far. Music is pretty good too!

Paara way too low!!!

Insofar as there has to be a 'Comet Control of 2019', Black Salvation are the closest I've heard

im going to listen to an album or 2 before bed.

Starting with
Cantique Lépreux - Paysages Polaires

I think Turnstile was the only album I voted for that made it today. Unless I voted Bongripper (i forget)

Skimmed the albums that have placed so far and feeling pretty comfortable I voted for the best ones (save for Basalte who are great; I'm kicking myself that I neglected them)

how many albums did you vote for?

I'm belatedly catching up with the roll-out. A few I voted for are starting to show up: Black Salvation, Hooded Menace and Lychgate, to be precise. They were all at the lower reaches of my ballot, but still things I enjoyed listening to. Lychgate is my favorite of the three, some interesting complex arrangements, with creative use of keys broadening the sonic palette in unexpected directions. It would probably appeal to fans of the DHG album from a couple years ago, though with less histrionic vocals. Hooded Menace is solid death-doom, but mostly sticks to the usual bag of tricks, similar to the Temple of Void album from last year.

Hadn't heard Yhdarl - this shit is pretty real I gotta say

@Oor I did the full 50.

I think I was the #1 vote for Black Salvation which still feels a little weird in this poll 'cause it's more like an evil version of early Verve than anything metal

79 Cultes des Ghoules - Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths 127 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/RtcrsTc.jpg

https://cultesdesghoules.bandcamp.com/album/sinister-or-treading-the-darker-paths

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/10/cultes-des-ghoules-sinister-or-treading-the-darker-paths/

It’s easy to get lost in the overcrowded marketplace of black metal traders. While many offer wares of genuine occult power, ancient treasures laden with gems, or sacred reliquaries protecting the blackened bones of tyrants, other products are quickly identified as cheap, plastic trinkets, destined to lie spurned in the gutter. But Cultes Des Ghoules stand out like the (Un)Holy Grail.

It’s unlikely that Indiana Jones listens to black metal, but, nevertheless, you know the real deal when you hear it. Formed in Poland some fourteen years ago, Ghoules have become best known for Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love, their last and much-lauded opus from 2016. This magnificent, epic, which sprawls three records and almost 100 minutes, is an obscure kind of concept album, with the voices of various bizarre characters appearing across five huge tracks. Using black and roll, traditional metal, and lavish, sour orchestration to convey atmospheres of Gothic romance, vaudeville theatre and the Victorian stage, Coven is a majestic metropolis of phantasmusic, which is hard not to see as Ghoules’ masterwork.

So: how to follow a masterpiece?

If in doubt, go back to your roots. Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths, the band’s fourth full-length release, reclaims something of the raw nastiness from the band’s demos and early EPs, but maintains some of the grandeur they developed on Coven. Definitely a wise move. And those demos are raw. So raw you can practically hear blood and cancer in the spools of the tape. Sinister is still very much a theatrical, avant garde album – it’s what Ghoules do – but the instrumentation is slightly more stripped back. With Sinister, we’re still talking just five tracks, all lasting over ten minutes, and – as with Coven – the long-form song really works in their favour.

To me, Sinister is characterized by three distinctive elements. Firstly, buzzing, uncluttered riffs that are allowed to build and build in hypnotic, droning patterns (most notably on first track, ‘Children of the Moon’, subtly embellished with eerie synth). Secondly, bass playing that is lithe, intricate and often leads the way, melody-first, through the song. Lastly, Ghoules’ deeply idiosyncratic vocals, moving from Urfaust-esque operatic wailing, through intimate gurgling throat sounds, darkly theatrical intonation, and proud, arrogant growling.

‘The Woods of Power’ builds slowly with two-chord punky riffs and demented babbling over sustained synth—then kicks in with some mid-tempo black ‘n’ roll groove and vocals of reminiscent of Atllia Csihar on ‘Funeral Fog’. On ‘Power’, there’s a rising, droning noise from the synth, like the whine of electric saw or drill, fading into feedback. The guitar tone on ‘Day of Joy’ is noteworthy, sounding like the trebly tones of a single coil; given that Strats or Telecasters aren’t fashionable in extreme metal, this tone cuts through the mix nicely, and somehow compliments the overall sense of strangeness.

Probably my favourite part of the album occurs about eight-and-a-half minutes into ‘The Serenity of Nothingness’ when a bass line/solo appears from out of nowhere, catching you off-guard. With almost the feel of a walking jazz line, it’s the jaunty off-kilter rhythm combined with a “pots and pans” drum sound that you’d expect to find on a Tom Waits song but not an extreme metal record. On closer ‘Where the Rainbow Ends’, murky samples of devilish incantation mix with slowly descending powerchords, that whining synth returns, tremulosuly rising across your soundspace and gradually falling into nothing.

Sinister was mixed and mastered by Polish black metaller Mgła, their vocalist M. having performed on Coven. Ghoules don’t sound much like their mysterious countrymen, but have maintained that much-coveted sense of anonymity and mystique about them. Following the tradition of Darkthrone, Bathory, Burzum, and many other bedroom black metal projects, Ghoules don’t play live. As mainman ‘Mark of the Devil’ affirms in interview elsewhere, “We have never played live nor we have any plans to do so whatsoever.” While it’s frustrating to think that we’ll never hear Coven performed in all its glory (at Roadburn, say, with live strings and guest vocalists to play the different characters…), Cultes Des Ghoules make for a fine studio-only band, always providing works that you’ll listen to over and over again, always hearing something new and disturbing deep in the mix.

Cultes Des Ghoules take their name from a book of black magic in the ‘Cthulhu’ mythos of H.P. Lovecraft, one of hundreds of bands around the globe to draw inspiration from the Weird Fiction maestro. The bleak atmosphere, hybrid alien-gods and bizarre madness of Lovecraft’s fiction is well-suited to extreme metal, which has provided a melting pot for all sorts of marginal sonic experimentations over the years. And Ghoules is just one fictional grimoire that Lovecraft describes in the series, alongside the Unaussprechlichen Kulten, a name taken by one of Chile’s finest and grottiest death metal bands, while Metal Archives lists ten bands who take their name from Lovecraft’s most famous, the Necronomicon. Yet Ghoules are truly strange enough to do the reference justice.

So, when perusing that marketplace, you’ll find few trinkets as idiosyncratically interesting or authentically weird as Cultes Des Ghoules. Sinister may not be the band’s Holy Grail, but, nevertheless, to taste forthwith is truly to sup with the devil himself.

78 Aura Noir - Aura Noire 128 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/iknzQ2I.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/6ZKWMyh3qc4EItV3u8wywa?si=p_iXQIIWR_mhpxQMa76IGA

spotify:album:6ZKWMyh3qc4EItV3u8wywa

https://auranoir.bandcamp.com/album/aura-noire

Bands like Aura Noir serve an important purpose in the world of extreme metal. You see, before the late-80s, the categorization system hadn't quite evolved yet to parse metal sounds into "death metal," "black metal" and so on. You just had the mainstream stuff, thrash and stuff that sounded like really violent thrash. Several bands, from Sepultura and Sarcófago in Brazil, to Celtic Frost and Bathory on the European continent, had this extra something going on. Yes, there were fast riffs and killer drums, but the attitude wasn't quite like that of Overkill or Exodus. To put it metaphorically: ditch the high top sneakers and blue jeans for bullet belts and upside-down crosses. Aura Noir keeps this spirit alive by fitting within the thrash universe while still keeping it weird.

And man do they keep it weird on this album. It actually took me several listens to get into this album. I really didn't like it at first. My previous experience with Aura Noir was limited to the classic Black Thrash Attack and the more straightforward black metal fury of Deep Tracts of Hell. Those expecting an album full of easily remembered breakneck speed riffs and out-of-control screaming: do some mental palette cleansing before diving into this one (with the exception of "The Obscuration").

Why didn't I like it right away? A lot of the riffs seemed awkward and off-putting, and their combinations with the vocals sounded unnatural. Apollyon's lyrics were weird too: the refrain of "flanked by the ash of distant apocalypse" on "Grave Dweller" isn't exactly the easiest thing to shout over and over again at the front of the crowd.

But not all of our favorites are immediate wins. After all, Celtic Frost's Morbid Tales is now one of my favorite albums of all time, but I used to think it was boring, weird and awkward-sounding (especially "Visions of Mortality"). Once I grew to an addiction-level love of the album, I realized that its strength was that it was weird and didn't quite sound like anything else. And thus I feel the same way about Aura Noire. And yes, it does sound A LOT like Celtic Frost, especially To Mega Therion and Into the Pandemonium.

The real virtue of this album is its ability to evoke an anxious sense of being on the edge of chaos until it finally rewards your senses by tossing into the maelstrom in the brilliant second half. "Demoniac Flow" kicks off the drama with the Overkill-style double bass as "the great canyon roars!" The descending notes on "Shades Ablaze" perfectly capture the fiery ferocity black thrash demands, and the band wisely repeats this section, thus making it the album's best and most memorable song.

Of the album's longer songs, "Mordant Wind" is a more rewarding listen than "Hell's Lost Chambers," if only because of these lines: "The tangible fabric / of pure magnificence / truly fictitious / like your tender glare" (I think I got that right). And before the jangly "Outro" closes the album, the band gifts us one last time with the teeth-baring glory of "Cold Bone Grasp."

So for those of you that like your black thrash weird, you'll love this album right away. If, however, your mind seeks out ear-candy riffs and immediately memorable verses and choruses, have some patience. Fear not, these sons of Hades may have carved out a winding path here, but it's still the beautiful, darkest path.
Score: 8/10

Favorite Songs: "Shades Ablaze," "Grave Dweller," "Mordant Wind," "Cold Bone Grasp," and "Demoniac Flow"

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aura-noir-aura-noire-review/

I once jumped from the roof of my parents’ double-wide trailer with a cape/kite attached to my back and a four-foot plastic snow sled duct taped to my chest. No, I wasn’t drunk—I was ten. And, man, it hurt. Fast forward twenty-one years and you’ll find Father-of-the-Year Grier scaling a tree, scooting out along a solid cottonwood branch, and falling twenty feet atop a fence—my feet hitting the top strand as my face hit the ground. All because yours truly refused to hop the fence. And, guess what? It didn’t hurt at all. Because, yes, I was drunk. Those truths aside, I’ve never (fallen?) or thrown my soon-to-be corpse from a four-story building. But, I guess that separates Grier from Aura Noir’s Aggressor, a pansy from a warrior, peanut butter from jelly. That’s the extent of the badassery of Aura Noir‘s Aggressor. So, be like Aggressor, man-up and jump headlong off the sixth outing from Norway’s black/thrash masters.

Aggressor no longer plays the drums (ever since his heroic plunge), but his (mostly) instrument-alternating, (mostly) three-piece group set the bar back in 1993 for what we know to be great black/thrash. The band’s Black Thrash Attack debut is still one of my absolute favorites of the genre. From there—with many-a guest appearances from the black-metal elite—the band continued to release album-after-consistent-album. Some are better than others, like Black Thrash Attack and Deep Tracts of Hell, but each still pump me up and prepare me for fucking people up. But this new record begs the question: how long can a one keep this up? Here’s hoping Aura Noire‘s extra “e” doesn’t fuck things up.

Approximately five seconds into opener “Dark Lung of the Storm,” you’ll know this is Aura Noir. In a deep pond of blackened thrash bands, Aura Noir still maintains a distinct sound—combining Aggressor’s gnarly, Aldrahn-like rasps and shrieks; Blasphemer’s nasty, thrashy, loud-as-hell riffs; and Apollyon’s machine-gun blast beats and cymbal-cracking smashes. Once this three-and-a-half minute pity comes to an end, the band drags your stinking corpse into another three-and-a-half-minutes of washboard roads. No joke, the combined drum and guitar sounds just like my skull passing over cattle guards at eighty miles per hour. It’s a sick riff that pushes the song hard to the end.

While “Grave Dweller” has a rad riff, “Demoniac Flow” has a kickass one. Pulling straight from the likes of Goatwhore, but with a classic heavy-metal chug, this high-energy piece rocks the record’s center. But this is short-lived and Aura Noir soon turns to what they do best: unloading back-to-back bone-snappers filled with the crusty riffs. The first is the short “Shades Ablaze,” the second is the five-minute “Mordant Wind.” The former comes at you like a knife-wielding psychopath, slashing and screaming as it charges head-on with its victim. The latter alternates between a grooving, mid-paced stomp and flailing, fretboard frenzy. When it’s coming unglued on the back-half of the song, the guitars spin about like a descending tornado. And when “Mordant Wind” settles into its main riff, I get goosebumps. The combination of the slick, groovy riff and Aggressor’s vocal delivery summons my swollen cranium into a bob.

Unfortunately, not every song is a winner. “Hell’s Lost Chamber” opens like a sequel to its predecessor, “Grave Dweller,” but its drawn-out rise-and-fall approach makes it the least memorable of the lot. And, while “Cold Bone Grasp” has plenty of energy, it’s a little too Darkthroney. To the point that I can hear Nocturno Culto behind the mic. It’s not a bad song but it feels out of place near the end of the album. Then, in old-school black metal fashion, the album concludes with the always appropriate “Outro.” This closing instrumental mixes Voivod with Annihilator for two thrashing minutes. But, it doesn’t matter if it’s the first listen or my last, I’m still trying to figure out why it’s here.

When compared to the band’s older output, this record doesn’t quite reach the bar. The band’s earlier records are low on filler and so chock-full of black ooze, that it pours out into the street. Aura Noire lacks that same gushiness. Still, most of the songs shred, as only Aura Noir knows how, and Aura Noire‘s thirty-minute length makes it easy to return to on a regular basis. It’s not their best, but it’s another solid record from Norway’s most-famous grave robbers.

https://grizzlybutts.com/2018/04/16/aura-noir-aura-noire-2018-review/

The grand differentiation between Aura Noir and the legion of black/thrash bands that cropped up before, and after, has always boiled down to the riffs and thier relationship with second wave black metal. There was already a lineage of groups like Törr, Sabbat, and Sarcófago born from Venom, Bathory and Motörhead influence that had extended into a ‘second generation’ of more extreme black/speed metal. It wasn’t until ’94-’95 that a veritable arms race saw releases from a new third generation of black/thrash metal crossovers that’d been gestating as second wave black metal exploded across Europe. This was a heavier, darker thrash additionally influenced by Sodom, Kreator, and Slayer and resulted in incredible releases from Nifelheim, Absu, and Deströyer 666 in 1995. The need for variation beyond increasingly nerdy keyboard-tickling black metal had quickly made black metallers self-conscious enough to re-source their inspirations. Aura Noir was an early standout within a sparse world-spanning trend of those continuing along the ‘true’ path of black metal in it’s lineage from satanic 80’s heavy/punk metal in the mid-90’s. To this day their music is satisfying in it’s structural refinement, inspired riffs, and through small tweaks remains tonally relevant to the modernity of black metal.

Formed by the drummer from early Ulver and Ved Buens Ende releases and the guitarist/vocalist of (forever on hold) Norwegian doom metal group Lamented Souls, Aura Noir‘s 1994 demo was essentially Ved Buens Ende-ish but perhaps drunk and lyrically upset about sluts. The thrashing riffs of the band wouldn’t really kick into gear until the very noisy and wild ‘Dreams Like Deserts’ EP in 1995. The EP has been torn apart by writers since, with cries afoul of ‘stolen riffs’ and all that but in all honesty that all rings as petulance from transitional listeners who’re moonlighting in metal until they realize they prefer prog-rock to riffs. 1996 was a tough ball-pit to stand out in as a mountain of black/thrash exploded with Desaster, Occult, Bewitched, Abigail, and Deathwitch all bringing some measure of Teutonic and bestial thrash with a black metal aesthetic or vocalization. The black metal scene cried ‘poser’ hard at most of these bands but Aura Noir‘s ‘Black Thrash Attack’ holds up well to this day within the pile of ’96 black/thrash releases. Cleverly naming their album as such, Aura Noir smartly directed metalheads to instantly think of their name when culling interest for black/thrash metal permutations to come.

‘Black Thrash Attack’ featured the addition of Rune Erickson on guitars and the project had largely formed into something worthwhile and coherent at that point. They’d more or less resembled Darkthrone covering Kreator and old Megadeth tracks and outside of Desaster‘s Destruction-influenced riffs they were the least disappointing release coming off the ’96 black/thrash ‘splosion. The project didn’t seem like serious business until ‘Deep Tracts of Hell’ was released in 1998 with an even more meaningful mixture of Norwegian black metal aesthetics and sound with thrash riffing that landed somewhere between Mayhem, Merciless, and Celtic Frost. Sure, black/thrash was still a bit cheap across the board in 1998 but Aura Noir weren’t a joke-ass metal parody as was the case withsome of their compatriots at the time. I personally didn’t really warm up to the band’s sound until ‘The Merciless’ in 2004 as it’s use of Celtic Frost-isms had finally perked up and the production was better balanced.

In the meantime their efforts and friendships had spun out into member’s side-gigs in Cadaver, Dødheimsgard, Mayhem, and Aggressor‘s Voivod-esque avant-metal/rock project Virus had kicked off with a first album. From this point it seemed like the purpose of Aura Noir had largely been served or at least mutated into something strangely trend-happy. ‘Hades Rise’ capitalized on their Celtic Frost-ed black metal sound with what I’d consider a slow and generic black n’ roll record that coincided with Darkthrone‘s similar new shift in sound. It was a snooze fest and you could hear them yanking their shit back into thrash on ‘Out to Die’ in 2012. It was tough to see trendsetters having to rediscover their place within the generations iterated sound of their own trend but ‘Out to Die’ was smartly curated with a fast thrashing pace, tons of Aura Noir appropriate riffs, and I personally heard a lot more Destruction in the guitar work alongside a distinctly early 80’s US speed metal bent in tone and approach. It was something different and I was thankful that the band hadn’t settled into the blandness of ‘Hades Rise’.

With Aura Noir resembling an old-fashioned side-project before their six year break between releases I wasn’t sure what to expect from ‘Aura Noire’. In fact I was less than excited to fire it up because I felt like Hell’s Headbangers’ release line-up for the last several months has slaughtered black/thrash to it’s highest point with variants from Midnight, Whipstriker, and Communion. ‘Aura Noire’ is a bit different though as their aggro-Tom G. Warrior vocals aim for something that reminds me of early Voivod as much as the guitar work recalls Hallow’s Eve and even Slayer‘s ‘Show No Mercy’. In many ways it represents a refinement of ‘Out to Die’ but with Apollyon‘s guitar work steering towards the early 80’s and the small pool of Venom influenced speed metal of the era with plenty of wailing guitar solos.

Placing this project back in 1994 and hearing their old demos it seems like ‘Aura Noire’ finds the band looking back at their various influences and rekindling thier most worthy strengths as their Voivod and Venom noise-rocked clangor spins into moments of Celtic Frost throughout. Though it isn’t a retro release or even all that typical for Aura Noir outside of the ‘Frost-ed sound instilled since ‘The Merciless’, as the guitar work feels like it is lifted away from ‘At War With Satan’/’To Mega Therion’ and sets itself a few steps towards the jank of ‘Rrröööaaarrr’. This style makes tracks like “Dark Lung of the Storm” and “Demoniac Flow” pretty exciting in terms of the guitar work and though I’m left without a ton of really shredding thrash riffs to write home about, the guitar work here is as effective and spontaneous as the playing I’d hailed on Whipstriker‘s ‘Merciless Artillery’ earlier this year. That spirit of early 80’s Venom and their Motörhead adjacency largely escapes a pure thrash description on ‘Aura Noire’ and that will either be a great unexpected draw, or some small detractor, for longtime fans. The closest it comes to ye olde intensity is probably “Shades Ablaze” which feels like it could be pulled from the B-side of Sarcófago‘s ‘Rotting’ were it recorded in ’83.

If Aura Noir‘s movement away from their Darkthrone-isms towards something more purely 80’s post-NWOBHM black metal is something you’ve followed closely then this is the best version of the project as they refocus the thrashing intensity of ‘Out to Die’ towards intense early 80’s speed/heavy metal. If you want the wailing, garbled vocals and Teutonic thrash riffs of their early work this might sound like the flapping of clipped wings. I have been largely indifferent towards Aura Noir‘s music for quite some time yet I find ‘Aura Noire’ play off the previous album well and I love the guitar tone and sort of rawked-out but intense 80’s vibe of the soloing and riffs. This one is definitely for the first-wave black metal fan who also loves the specific weirdness it inspired within speed metal worldwide. I enjoyed frantic sound in general and the guitar work is exceptionally good. Worth trying even if you’re not a diehard fan.

Found it striking the first time around, less convincing with every subsequent spin.

Oops, that was meant for Cultes des Ghoules. Aura Noir did nothing for me.

Not much into black thrash (or any thrash) but Aura Noir was pretty decent.

77 Tropical Fuck Storm - A Laughing Death in Meatspace 130 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/hJzJeK9.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/1Q351pwqlWprsmF8fIudo6?si=XAT1qLi4TBCOPBjAtRGaVw
spotify:album:1Q351pwqlWprsmF8fIudo6

https://tropicalfstorm.bandcamp.com/album/a-laughing-death-in-meatspace

https://thequietus.com/articles/24550-tropical-fuck-storm-laughing-death-in-meatspace

You could call Tropical Fuck Storm an Australian indie supergroup - and many in the Australian music press have. Singer and songwriter Gareth Liddiard and bassist Fiona Kitschin are key members of the Drones, guitarist Erica Dunn plays in Harmony and Palm Springs, and drummer Lauren Hammel works with High Tension; but ‘supergroup’ implies a level of rock pomp that this group don’t possess. You could view them as a successor project to the Drones – Liddiard writes all of TFS’s songs, as he did in the Drones – but that would also misrepresent the creative input that the rest of the band has in arranging and realising the songs. Descriptions flounder, but the name acts as the best barometer of the band’s intentions: Tropical Fuck Storm is a torrid, messy, thoroughly irreverent and acidly funny project.

A Laughing Death In Meatspace, their debut album, was recorded quickly and it sounds like it, in the best possible way. The band only performed their first gigs in September of last year, and Liddiard scrambled to write songs before their shows. There’s an unhinged and feral energy that pulses through these nine songs and goes beyond the considerable demented racket that the Drones are able to conjure at their finest: it’s less full-frontal sonic assault and more auditory guerrilla warfare, full of surprising textures and scrappy tones. Lead single ‘Chameleon Paint’ sets the tone: Dunn’s seasick, off-key riffs jostle with Kitschin’s overdriven bassline and Hammel’s brutal pounding, while Liddiard yowls over the top in his distinctive nasal ’Strayan. Liddiard’s not the only singer here, either: Kitschin and Dunn form a chorus that speaks back to him, call-and-response style.

Starting a new project unencumbered by the Drones’ name or weighty reputation seems to have given Liddiard the freedom to jettison the last remaining trappings of rock traditionalism in his songwriting and let loose, with impressive results. ‘Antimatter Animals’ fizzes with venom as Liddiard, Dunn and Hammel chant, “Your politics ain’t nothing but a fond fuck-you”; ‘Soft Power’ slowly builds to a near-apocalyptic crescendo, which suddenly gives way to make room for a powerfully melancholic coda; and ‘Shellfish Toxin’, a rare instrumental from Liddiard, is a queasily beautiful pastiche of surf-rock, Joe Meek and Frank Churchill-esque Hollywood schmaltz.

If the album has a thematic centrepiece, it’s ‘The Future of History’, which sees Liddiard narrate the 1997 chess match between Gary Kasparov and IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer over a mutant breakbeat. Nearly every line is an acerbic zinger: Deep Blue is “shock and awe with an Intel core / and a thing for the extinction of the dinosaurs”; Kasparov “staked his prowess on his claim to life / and he wasn’t about to lose it to a traffic light”. In Kasparov’s defeat, Liddiard sees a terrifying omen of the future of automation: “If silicone is prone to make your dreams come true / you could probably say the same thing about nightmares, too.” The album’s title track, a moody slow-burner, picks up this thread and takes it to its logical conclusion: the post-apocalyptic wasteland that’s left after Silicon Valley’s tech lords’ accelerationist philosophy has burned the planet to a crisp.

A Laughing Death In Meatspace is by no means easy listening: the playing is off-kilter, strange bursts of noise erupt from instruments, songs dissolve into a maelstrom of noises; the production, mixing and mastering bear traces of the album’s speedy composition and release; and the lyrics invite us to contemplate, without histrionics or self-deception, precisely how fucked we all are. It’s hot with anger and full of ugly truths about the ways we live our lives; and the effect is compelling.

https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/77129/Tropical-Fuck-Storm-A-Laughing-Death-in-Meatspace/

4.5/5
Review Summary: A near-perfect experimental post-punk experience.

The Drones are one of Australia’s best post-punk acts, continuing the political themes and zany vocal stylings Midnight Oil left behind with an added dash of experimentation. For whatever reason, lead vocalist Gareth Liddiard saw fit to start a side project under the wonderful name Tropical F*ck Storm, coupling their debut album possibly the most horrifying cover art I’ve seen to date. TFS have crafted an album that at points sounds pretty close to how the artwork looks, and it’s one of the most off-kilter and well-crafted album’s I’ve heard this year.

Central to the album’s success is Gareth’s distinctive vocals; his Australian-accented baritone is equal parts unusual and menacing, his delivery deliberated yet somewhat amateurish. This is nothing surprising to anyone familiar with The Drones; however, he does bring to his trademark croon an added edge which fantastically complements the off-the-wall instrumentals. He spits out most of his winding and absurd lyrics with unique ferocity, and it works in a way that’s hard to describe. His wild delivery on 'You Let My Tyres Down' complements the song’s bizarre lyrics about violence at an infamous local shopping centre and overt drug use. Meanwhile in their most brooding moments, Gareth’s eerie whispered delivery reaches a point of almost inaudibility, sounding at points as if he were sitting alone in a dark room while raving to himself. Equally manic are the vocals Erica Dunn brings to the table, which vary from harmonisation to shrill chanting. On 'Soft Power', the crow-like mantra she delivers in the song’s chorus is nothing short of chilling. The few occasions she takes the lead, her vocals aren’t quite as exciting as Gareth’s delivery, but the manic character they add definitely benefits Meatspace.

As with his work in The Drones, Gareth’s lyrics are decidedly political, and on Meatspace he injects then with even more character. For example 'Chameleon Paint' contains these gems:

“FYI a POV don’t make an NGO,
This scorn porn’s just the showboat spawn of lying in an exit poll”

And, alluding to the controversial Scott Morrison:

“All this scot-free moralising’s got me quite demoralised”

On 'Soft Power', verses begin manically, “Ahh no no no no, this ain’t the way it has to go”, before Gareth manically rants about celebrity, war and other failings of humanity. He verbally tears at the “umpa lumpa with the nukes”, and sardonically questions humanity’s future (“I can't remember anymore - The plan's we're either going to Mars or war”). He also explores the future of humanity on Meatspace through the increasing conflict between humanity and technology. On 'The Future of History', he theorises our relationship with technology will be humanity’s downfall the same way the meteor was to the dinosaurs, with fantastic lines such as:

“If IBM is here to make your dreams come true,
You can probably say the same thing about nightmares too”

To rattle off all the fantastic lyricism on show in this song alone would take the entire review, but essentially what’s present on Meatspace is a mix of witty wordplay and apocalyptic speculation, presented in a sometimes bizarre but always compelling way.

The instrumentation TFS present here is equally fantastic, with plenty of zany, off-kilter and memorable moments. The first thing a fan of The Drones' recent work will notice is that compared to their most recent work, the instrumentation is nearly entirely organic, and noticeably rougher. This is apparent from the first bends of 'You Let My Tyres Down', where loosely played bends, lurching drums, and unsettling harmonics all set the tone carried through the album. On 'Antimatter Animals' (incidentally what I think are featured on the cover art), strangely syncopated guitars give way in the verses to synth bass and eerie ornamentation. Album closer 'Rubber Bullies' sounds like an Art Punk band taking on a King Gizzard track, with similarly off-key guitar leads over a mid-tempo backdrop. The one complaint I have about the instrumentation here is that it somewhat lacks the lush, intricate construction that made The Drones' last couple of albums so fantastic. However, its loose nature does give the record a sense that each track could fall apart at any second. It feels as though the band are playing unrehearsed in a cobwebbed garage, which actually creates a wilder, more visceral listening experience.

The only moment of Meatspace that really disappoints is Shellfish Toxin. According to a Noisey interview, this purely instrumental track was “a bit of a Frankenstein project” constructed from “lots of spare parts”, and it unfortunately sounds exactly like that. While cool in concept, the track doesn’t do anything across its five and a half minutes to justify its existence on the album, and sounds as disjointed as its construction.

All said, Meatspace is a uniquely fantastic post-punk experience. With apocalypse-anticipating lyrical themes, other-worldly instrumentation and passionate performances, TFS’s debut is a thought-provoking and engaging record that more people need to hear.

I need to take my dad out to the podiatrist as he cant go out on his own but i'll try post another before leaving and if george is around he will take over.

My feelings on this one are public record but I did not vote for it in this pill

Likewise.

Likewise

Likewise.

no comment

I didn’t vote for Basalte but liked how their sound built up and that they were interpreting an environment less common for bm.

I love the TFS record, but it's a punk blues record and I did not vote for it in the METAL poll.

yeah, even as a heavy-rock/hard-rock inclusive poll it felt wrong

I am back you bunch of whingers

you will be pleased to know some real metal is up next

It's the incontrovertible truth tho.

xp

76 Portal - ION 131 Points, 4 votes
https://i.imgur.com/SoL85yq.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/3Ah46ts0j8wOr4lG73e346?si=Sy7uyDxUSGea-H3-AFdfSg
spotify:album:3Ah46ts0j8wOr4lG73e346

https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/ion

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/portal-ion/

7.8
The Australian band delivers a jarring, dissonant record of non-linear death metal filtered through a necro black-metal screen, with a crisp high end that brings out every jagged turn.

“Then I bid you farewell, and I fucking wish the best for you,” said ex-Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo as he concluded his introduction of the Australian death-metal band Portal at the 2014 edition of his Housecore Horror Festival in Austin. It’s not exactly the kind of stage banter likely to get a crowd pumped up for experimental death metal, yet there isn’t much else he could have said to prepare the audience for them. Portal, a nightmarish embodiment of figures that seem barely humanoid, have always been the abstract extension of Australia’s norm-obliterating, sometimes accidentally avant death-metal scene, which includes Sadistik Exekution, Bestial Warlust, and Impetuous Ritual (led by two Portal members, drummer Ignis Fatuus and bassist Omenous Fugue). Their fifth record, ION, dispenses with murk and brings their sound into the sunlight, letting it burn in agony. It is their clearest, and as a result, most terrifying effort.

ION is non-linear death metal filtered through a necro black-metal screen, heavy on a high end that brings out every jagged turn of guitarists Horror Illogium and Aphotic Mote, whose playing resembles Morbid Angel’s Trey Azagthoth if he took guitar lessons from DNA’s Arto Lindsay. Turbulence has long been their forte, though now the choppier edges are much more prominent. They swarm and peck with a chaotic logic only they truly understand, not far off from Luc Lemay’s slashing cross-riffing method on Gorguts’ 1998 album Obscura. Since Portal aren’t submerged in bass as much as before (not that it was a detriment to them in the first place), the Curator’s vocals glide through, his whispers even more ominous. Though he’s the star of Portal’s live show, with his outrageous costumes—most recently his “Bride of Cthulu” getup—he serves a more supporting role on their records, a balm for the rest of the band’s spasmodic outbursts.

ION also reveals what Portal take from modern classical, particularly repetition and atonality. Horror Illogium creates spirals of squalls. “Crone” takes a trance-inducing black-metal passage and strips any ambient pleasantries from it. “Phreqs” is a master class in tension; in the song’s second half, Horror Illogium’s lead floats behind Aphotic Mote’s escalating rhythm, a vocal-less howling driving it off a steep cliff. There aren’t many death-metal bands with that command of dynamics, and fewer who take them to such bizarre ends as Portal do.

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/03/portal-ion/

If Portal are incomprehensible extraterrestrial or extradimensional entities, as they have presented themselves since their inception in 1994, then their music is created by instruments plugged directly into the skein of a hole that leaks strange sonics into the mundane world. A sensation of ‘abstract horror’ is key to this sound, conveyed most distinctively by the idiosyncratically muffled, claustrophobic production values, which Portal have maintained strict personal control over during the course of their five-album-in-twenty-four-year career. They are known as one of the most strange and singular bands around – a reputation that ION will no doubt support.

Portal’s strategy is a little different this time around, however, combining their cleanest production yet with song structures that are even more unpredictable and unhinged. Previous compositional arrangements were only discernable as intense clusters of riffs like massed tentacles, constantly evolving and mutating with bewildering speed. On ION the riffs instead coalesce into electrons, forming stabbing shards of chromatic powerchord as jagged as the lightning bolt that strikes the album’s tightly-lined, monochrome cover. So ION moves away from Portal’s trademark muffled soundworld, with this cleaner production serving two main functions. Firstly, it showcases the band’s virtuosity, which was often lost in all the gloom. Like recent albums by Akercocke and Nile, or the Emperor live albums, a cleaner production means you can hear all the technical skill and songwriting work that’s gone into this condensed, hyperactive recording. Secondly, it helps articulate a rather different sonic world for Portal and produces different sonic effects. The world of ION may be cleaner, but not too clean; we’re not talking Mark Ronson here. Instead ION sounds just as extreme as Portal of old but in a different way: like an industrial sanding machine, sparks flaying flesh in an abstract electrosonic charge – and there is barely a chord of ION that is not as dissonant and atonal as it can possibly be. Revealed here, shorn of all the gloom, are an array of metal styles and subgenres through which Portal fluidly pass without fully committing to any of them. There’s black, death, doom, grind and a suggestion of The Locust at their most powerviolent. Yet somehow Portal’s songs still manage to retain a sense of actual development and logical, if not entirely rational, composition.

Portal may be from the future. And ION, in other words, feels like a work of science fiction in both sonic and visual aesthetics. The bolt on ION‘s cover appears to be powered by futuristic, clamp-drones firing electricity into geometric patterns suggestive of the ancient cyclopean cities described in the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. The album seems to push further forward into the band’s fictional chronology than the cosmic, plasmic, tentacled-terror of Vexovoid (2013), as that album did in relation to the apocalyptic sacred geometry of Swarth (2009), as with the Seventeenth Century horror-horology of Outré (2007), on and on ad infinitum reverse spiraling into some kind of ancestral deep time of Portal-lore.

Opener ‘Nth’ fades in with industrial-tinged ambience, the emergence into an inhospitable, dystopian realm – a calm if brooding introduction that is quickly cut apart by ‘ESP ION AGE’, demonstrating the full violence of Portal’s frantic razorwire bundles of sharply-angular guitar. ‘Husk’ mirrors this sharpness through the vocals, featuring an exaggerated sibilance to the titular word, which is uncharacteristic discernable; it’s a punchy track that would go down well live, with memorable chromatically-descending death metal riffs feeling a little less technical than many others, leaving enough breathing space to be memorable if not exactly catchy. ‘Phreqs’, too, is something of a head-turner, the first two minutes the closest Portal get to epic grandeur, vaguely reminiscent of latter day Behemoth, which then unwraps into a powerful buildup, gradually developing an intricately interlocking mesh of lick-splinters laid over gnarled dischords, increasing in intensity before decreasing in speed, finally trailing off down a gurgling metallic tunnel into nothingness.

‘Spores’ is one of the most corrosive tracks Portal have released to date. With guitar-work indistinguishable as riffs or chords and heard more like abstract sound textures, it’s essentially a short (2:27) piece of harsh noise: the scraping of rough sheets of metal on metal extremely quickly or the firing of some kind of plasma cannon. With no obvious vocals throughout, the raw momentum of ‘Spores’ briefly merges into what sounds like a giant maw opening at the climax, before launching unceremoniously into ‘Phanthom’ with scrabbly guitar dissonance that is much more quintessential to Portal.

ION concludes with ‘Olde Garde’, which, clocking in at almost ten-minutes, is the longest on the album – itself only lasting approximately thirty-six minutes in total. The first five minutes of ‘Olde Garde’ provide especially frantic and hyperactive chords, punctuated by sparse, dramatic drums, before trailing off into an anti-climactic section of echoing ambience, warped-sounding eerie moans and wails low in the mix, and the old-fashioned vinyl crackle of needle in groove, and possibly the swelling strings of an orchestra fading to close. This crackling – not dissimilar to some of the underlying ambient sounds on ‘Nth’ – almost leads the album back to its start, forming a closed loop. As its title suggests, ‘Olde Garde’ works as a kind of nod to their earlier material, the brief interweaving of the gramophone era into this Portal time continuum, before returning to the future/present at the album’s beginning.

While Portal’s soundworld on ION draws heavily from science fiction, its literary parallels are ultimately more complex to outline. ION is not a future that is strange to comprehend but ultimately cognitively able to grasp, as is at the heart of much science fiction. If you know Portal, you’ll know you can’t talk about the band for very long without using adjectives like weird, strange, bizarre, outré, eldritch, esoteric… and these signs help us to locate Portal in literary terms. Rather obviously, it seems to me, the aesthetics of Portal are closer to that of weird fiction like Clarke Ashton Smith, Jeff Vandermeer and Steph Swainston, which weaves together literary (sub)genres, such as horror, science fiction and fantasy, just as bands like Portal, Howls of Ebb, Impetuous Ritual, and Rites of Thy Deringolade do black, death, doom, grind, epic, core, etc. Weird fiction often describes occurrences that threaten to overwhelm human understanding altogether – cults dedicated to maddeningly-bizarre alien gods, for example, and their egress into our familiar dimension, or inhospitable zones infiltrated by sentient alien fungi. Portal’s early material, such as ‘The Crawling Chaos’, references the work of cosmic horror maestro H.P, Lovecraft, and their name itself is a quintessentially weird device. Is there, in fact, anything about Portal that is not weird?

I could go on at length, but I’ll keep brief – like Portal’s bewildering and dazzlingly-odd fifth album. Rather than marking a trend towards accessibility or conformity, ION is Portal at their weirdest, their most excoriating and their most essential.

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/portal-ion-review/

Since their inception, Portal‘s outre take on death metal has been something of a curiosity; a malformed fetus suspended in sepia alcohol behind so many dusty artifacts. Few other artists have encroached on their sound, and even fewer can pretend to challenge their simultaneously dour and frenzied Victorian aesthetic. Theirs is horror music, to be sure, but the horror stems from a sort of noir psychedelia, an all-encompassing fractal unrest where the creak of the floorboards and the crack of colliding planets are indistinguishable in scope. Four albums in and still not a crack in their grimy whitewashed facade; Ion is as impenetrable as ever. Noisy, atonal, and downright unsettling, this latest broadcast groans and shudders in the way only Portal can.

Ion sees the band attempting some of their most ambitious and unsettling experiments ever – and succeeding in them. Blotted and stinking parchments of sound slide across each other, catching, tearing open only to reveal further motion beneath. It’s an effect best demonstrated by “Phreqs” which pulls a chapter out of the collected works of Jute Gyte, opening at its midpoint to begin a polytempic canon which gradually pulls itself into a pair of meters shambling side-by-side on their mismatched legs. A stunning set-piece indeed, and one which receives ample reverence.

The band take a few labored breaths before plunging into “Crone,” a song built around a maddening mantra delivered with terrifying conviction. The endlessly repeated groans of “Pray… for sickness” are delivered not with malice, but with a sense of terrible fear. It’s an unsettling sentiment – making a threat, a promise of suffering, that the perpetrator fears even more than the victim. It’s this internecine dread that truly sets Portal apart, and as Ion progresses it seems to only slip further even as it desperately grasps at some specter of sense, well-hidden in the unseen past.

The defaced “Spores” returns for a few moments to the obfuscated and ruined landscape of Vexovoid, now in a screaming sandstorm. It highlights, by contrast, the relative cleanliness of Ion‘s sound, a feature which sets it far above Portal‘s last endeavor. The tightly bound Vexovoid seemed to pummel from behind so much thick, charred skin, but its overwhelming commitment to claustrophobic compression replaced fear with fatigue. As such, it could not truly capitalize on the fear it instilled – after all, one can only tire so much before they stop running. Somewhere before the last third of Vexovoid, it became easier to accept the madness than combat it, and without that tension, the album lost its power. Nothing of the sort happens in Ion; there is always a corner to stop and catch one’s breath in, safe for a moment but never more.

Ion falls apart in the end, collapsing alone into endless black. The indecipherable tasks now completed, it surrenders without relief to something basic and awful. “Olde Guarde” suggests a new beginning, but the rubble from which it rises ensures that the next story will be only worse. Melody, order, sense; these are those horrors glimpsed behind the curtain that writhes and twists in impossible directions. Like any good monster movie, Portal will never reveal the entirety of their conjuration, and it’s precisely for this reason that they remain so successful. Comprehensible or not, this crazed mass of sound is as meticulously constructed as they come, pain-stakingly obtuse when approached from any direction. Ion is a terrible success and crowning achievement for a band who seem to exist in contradiction of music and sense.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

I remember when this band was really popular around here and top 10 certs

Fell short of my 50 but they're as dependable as it gets.

toooo low, this is their best to date imho and it's rare that I'm all that interested in this style

I don't think this made my ballot. You can't really blame Portal for this, but that kind of murky death metal is a bit stale now

I don't think this made my ballot. You can't really blame Portal for this, but that kind of murky death metal is a bit stale now

75 Koenjihyakkei - Dhorimviskha 134 Points, 3 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/w34sNdy.jpg

https://koenjihyakkei.bandcamp.com/album/dhorimviskha

http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/2018/10/graded-on-a-curve-koenjihyakkei-dhorimviskha/

KoenjiHyakkei (sometimes Koenji Hyakkei) is one of many bands helmed by Japanese drummer-singer-composer Tatsuya Yoshida, and after a break of 13 years the outfit has returned with Dhorimviskha. The recording’s been out on CD and digital since August (a little earlier in Japan, even) but after a successful Kickstarter the 2LP arrives in a gatefold jacket November 2 through Skin Graft. If the prospect of progressive/ symphonic/ math-rocky complexity, avant-jazzy horns, and operatic vocals delivered with the density and intensity of good hardcore, and all meticulously assembled, gives you a sweet shiver of a thrill, well then step right up to this one.

Here are a few recurring bits of faulty wisdom regarding ‘70s popular music: disco was a fad (that by extension, sucked), jazz fusion was stylistic dead-end that all but killed America’s greatest artform, soft-rock was craven milquetoast commercialism, and a double whammy, that punk rock was essentially a dead-end instigated by a bunch of young cretins who couldn’t play their instruments, and yet was a cul-de-sac that was wholly necessary in order to save the world from all of the above, but most crucially, the pompous and intellectually fraudulent ambitions spewed forth by the prog rock brigade.

Sure, crummy prog can be considerably harder to handle than the lousiness of your standard rudimentary garage band, particularly if you subscribe to the belief that the former is a betrayal of rock’s ethos and the latter just well-intentioned error, but progressive rock is ultimately only worse than the dregs of any other genre if you choose to focus your attention exclusively on the form’s rottenest practitioners (this logic pertains to any genre, actually). I admittedly held a somewhat different viewpoint 30 years ago, but with time and experience comes enlightenment.

Prog rock doth endure however, and a cool twist is how a fair amount of the form’s underground units (old and new) can be appealingly weird. Unsurprisingly, some of the weirdest come from Japan, and that a list of them would include the numerous activities of Tatsuya Yoshida is assured; the only question is how to rank them.

If the method is size of profile, at the top would be Ruins, a project dating from the mid-’80s with Yoshida the only constant member either in duo with a bassist (there have been four), saxophonist Ono Ryoko (Sax Ruins) or by himself (Ruins Alone), and it suffices to say that the combination of discipline, angularity, sheer power, and the unorthodox was just the sort of thing to excite both Mark Kramer (musician and owner-operator of Shimmy Disc, the label that “broke” Ruins in the US) and John Zorn (one of the duo’s multiple collaborators and also a sponsor via his fertile Tzadik imprint).

Amongst other bands and projects, Yoshida has been a part of Zeni Geva (with guitarist KK Null), Acid Mothers Temple, YBO², Korekyojinn, the Swedish band Samla Mammas Manna, The Gerogerigegege, Painkiller, and Knead (with guitarist Keiji Haino), but due to his leadership role, the other group that sticks out in his biography is KoenjiHyakkei, with their first record Hundred Sights Of Koenji (a translation of the band’s name, taken from a 1939 novel by Osamu Dazai) arriving in 1994, followed by Viva Koenji! in ’97, Nivraymin in ’01, and Angherr Shisspa in ’05.

Yoshida’s prog roots are easy to discern, mainly because he has no particular interest in disguising them. For one big example, both Ruins and KoenjiHyakkei utilize an invented tongue that’s clearly linked to the French unit Magma and its leader Christian Vander’s construction of the language Kobaïan. With this said, much of the singing on Dhorimviskha by female vocalist Ah registers as effectively wordless in a way that can alternately remind me of an opera belter’s hearty throated heave, the exuberant flow of scat-jazz, and when the other members of the band join in, even a slight touch of the Swingle Singers.

The other current members of KoenjiHyakkei are bassist Sakamoto Kengo, guitarist Koganemaru Ke, saxophonist-clarinetist Komori Keiko, and keyboardist Yabuki Taku. Yoshida and Kango are indispensable to the heaviness of the sound of course, while being adept enough barrel forth and rapidly change direction when called for, and it’s called for quite often across the set’s seven tracks (there is an eighth vinyl-only version of album standout “Levhorm” that I haven’t heard).

Naturally, Yoshida wouldn’t compose a set of music for drums he himself couldn’t play, but there’s still a palpable feeling of the artist pushing himself (and his bandmates), which isn’t the same thing as showing off or noodling tiresomely on themes swiped from European longhair music, with the punk/ metal/ math-rock punch (as you might guess, the guitar plays a big role here) blending well with recognizable elements of Soft Machine, King Crimson, early Mahavishnu Orchestra, Zappa, and the general non-pomposity of the Rock in Opposition bands.

There are also spots that are just fun, like the brief out-of-nowhere funky guitar in opener “Vleztemtraiv,” some downright soulful singing in “Levhorn,” assorted spots where Taku’s keyboard recalls ’70s prog-rock’s commercial heyday (particularly in “Vleztemtraiv” and the closing title-track), and oodles of distinctive horn blowing, this last aspect likely elevating this recording to top-tier for me.

I mentioned weirdness above, but what’s important is KoenjiHyakkei never sound as if they’re forcing the issue. They can occasionally come off a bit like some of the more out-there but rock-tangible entries in the Ipecac Records discography (via Ruins, there is a connection), but the levels of prog ingenuity are high enough that they could draw in some old-school lovers of the style through what might initially seem like orchestrated mayhem. Overall, Dhorimviskha is an utter delight from the place where seemingly inexhaustible imagination and unfaltering technique intersect.

GRADED ON A CURVE:
A

I think I can guess who the three voters were

TOO LOW

This stuff was seemingly designed to prevent boredom at all costs and I like it more often than not yet I always come out unmoved.

Jeez - a jazz fusion/zeuhl record in the METAL poll - will the wonders ever cease /s

Haha

Don't worry, there's more where that came from.

Look if it wasn't nommed I never would have done so myself, but it was right there and one of my AOTYs so

I liked the sound of this a lot but only really got to listen to it once or twice in 2018 itself. (Also, I didn't notice it on the noms list.)

THE 10TH ANNUAL ILM METAL POLL:2017 RESULTS THREAD

oops - ignore

Yay for the Aura Noir placing, though too low of course. That was one of my favorite discoveries from last year. I like metal albums that sound like they come from an alternate dimension, where micro-genre divisions fell out differently and unusual combinations flourished. This was one of those.

At this rate, Mamaleek will score the #1 spot.

74 Un - Sentiment 135 Points, 3 votes
https://unbandtl.bandcamp.com/album/sentiment

https://open.spotify.com/album/0v8ztjx0cNNdZXq8ZsSS7T?si=t-KW_QTtQviUIcHqzzsXRw

spotify:album:0v8ztjx0cNNdZXq8ZsSS7T

https://unbandtl.bandcamp.com/album/sentiment

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2018/10/19/un-sentiment/

(These are Grant Skelton‘s thoughts about the remarkable new album by the Seattle-based funeral doom band Un, which is out now via Translation Loss Records, along with thoughts by vocalist/guitarist Monte Mccleery.)

In Thus Spake Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote:

“What have we in common with the rose-bud, which trembleth because a drop of dew hath formed upon it?”

A rose is a floral archetype. For centuries it’s been associated with romance, youth, and sensuality. Furthermore, it represents a paradox — a juxtaposition of beauty and pain. A rose is beautiful to behold with the eye, but painful to hold with the hand. In Nietzsche’s metaphor, the rose trembles. It trembles because it has been acted upon by precipitation. By the vicissitudes of nature. By the weight of something it needs to survive. While precipitation is a source of nourishment, an excess of it can be fatal to the rose.

“There was a certain sense of urgency to finish the writing process of The Tomb of All Things because I was just freshly recovering from a life-threatening illness,” explains vocalist Monte Mccleery. “My mortality was always at the forefront of my mind at the time and I felt like we had to finish the album as soon as possible.We didn’t have that with Sentiment, and so I think it’s a more focused and polished record.”

In my view, mortality is an appropriate theme for Sentiment. Our beloved metal genre is replete with death and all of its analogous symbols and motifs. Skulls, coffins, cemeteries, burial… we even have a sub-genre called “death” metal.

But that’s not the kind of relationship with death that Un’s new album has. Sentiment doesn’t view death with the theatricality that much other metal appears to. “It was really important for us to find a title that was an honest reflection of ourselves and the music we are writing,” says Mccleery. “It was also important to us to stand out from the total grim desperation that you find in a lot of doom and death metal records these days.”

Is being alive a good thing? Let us cast aside our Western empiricism and cultish optimism for a few moments and ponder that. If any NCS readers are familiar with the nonfiction work of horror author Thomas Ligotti or biologist David Benatar, then you know their answer: being alive is not “good.” Lyrically, much of the funeral doom metal and depressive black metal we enjoy here would unequivocally agree.

Note the contrasts of color in the powerful cover art for Sentiment. Again, here we see the meeting of beauty and pain. They are not separate, and they are not opposite. They are woven together into a tapestry where each enhances the other. Rather than having ethical qualities, they are artistic dimensions and color palates. They are parts of a whole, as Mccleery elaborates:

“The core emotional aesthetic of the album was inspired by the Nietzsche quote, ‘What have we in common with the rosebud, which trembles because a drop of dew is lying upon it?’ To me, this paints a very specific picture about the fragility of the human experience. It’s beautiful, yet delicate and finite. The rosebush itself is obvious, but we also wanted to incorporate crumbling architecture and elements from our home in the Northwest (water, trees, and mountains). The painting depicts a landscape obviously shaped by hardship, while still holding on to beauty and hope.”

I realize that I haven’t told you a single thing about the music of Sentiment. That wasn’t something I intended, the review just happened that way. I’m attached to this album, in a way that I don’t know that I’ve genuinely experienced in many years. It’s just not enough for me to tell you that it’s “great,” “awesome,” or “incredible.” Because those words don’t fully convey the deep recesses of blood, tears, and fire that this release has to offer.

As Mccleery put it, “If people find hope in what we do, I think that’s really great, but sometimes hope can be a distraction from reality. For me, what I want people find in our music is gratitude and humility and the kind of honesty you only get from being stripped down to absolutely nothing so that you can learn from your mistakes and grow again. But alas… maybe that can be called hope.”

Sentiment has the power to back a person away from a ledge. To take a razor away from a wrist and discard it. It’s the kind of album that will make you feel like a conqueror because today you mustered up the energy to put both of your feet on the floor and get out of bed. To bathe yourself even if you feel like you don’t deserve to be clean. If this is you, please take heart. Treat yourself like you would an ailing, infirm person. Be gentle and kind to yourself. You’re fragile. And you won’t be around forever. So harness your grief, your anger, your despair – and find power in it.

http://thesludgelord.blogspot.com/2018/11/album-review-un-sentiment.html

“Sentiment” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1). In Its Absence
2). Pools of Reflection
3). Sentiment
4). A Garden Where Nothing Grows

The Review

Well, there are four tracks here, nothing much under twelve minutes in length and there has been a sizeable buzz surrounding this record for many weeks prior to me sitting down to review. So what is going on with Un's “Sentiment” album- their sophomore release?!

For starters, melancholic clean work opens up and then gives way to a truly huge and crushing passage of music. Obviously, from the song lengths alone, it is reasonable to assume that this is an album that is in the arena of the doom genre- and it is, loosely. This is nothing really like Sabbath, Vitus, Trouble, Candlemass et al- it is not trad doom by any stretch. It does fit into the more modern interpretation of the genre label- think Conan, Yob and so on.

The vocals are of the growled variety (not on every track though, so keep an ear out!), the sound is absolutely enormous and the mix is excellent. This is very, very weighty stuff indeed and by the time opener “In Its Absence” has finished, the tone has been set. There is nothing uplifting here: only the darkest and murkiest riffs and sounds are to be found here. It's a downbeat listen, as song titles such as “Pools of Reflection” suggest. The title track is just as sprawling and epic in approach and utilises the same clean opening (yielding a promise of something sweeter than the bitterest of fruit which is actually then served up).

There are echoes of Paradise Lost at their gloomiest, echoes of Yob at their trippiest and there are hints of death metal, psychedelia and even shoe-gaze here and there. The closing statement of “A Garden Where Nothing Grows” is a dark and bleak vision and it really sums up the whole record very well. Any track here would sum up the release as a whole as it is a very strong whole and is nothing if not consistent.

Yep, “Sentiment” fits into the doom bracket, but there is a great deal going on here. For listeners prepared to take this grim journey, there are impressive rewards to be had. Not for the faint hearted, but certainly this album is one of the best releases this year in doom or any other genre. The whole album is a grim steed, plodding inexorably towards its own fate. Fantastic.

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/10/un-sentiment/

As a personal friend having known the band from its very conception, I will neither hide my personal affinity with Un’s creative output nor hide the immense pride with which I observed the Seattle-based outfit rise to critical success following the release of their debut in 2015. The Tomb of All Things marked the fruition of a dear friends’ creative ambitions, concretized and immortalized into an epic handful of tracks born out of pure passion. Through an eloquent crafting of Lovecraftian soundscapes of gripping melancholia and fierce brutality, Un proved their relevance within the doom metal scene with a brilliant full-length debut, paving the way for this anticipated sophomore record we are now faced with.

As one may easily guess from the title as well as the artwork adorning the record, Sentiment is a moody album, one that subtly veers away from the Lovecraftian darkness of its predecessor to indulge in a kind of sensibility more closely associated with Goethe’s ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ and other works from the Romantic era. That is not to say that the band has lost a single part of their brutal sound. Quite on the contrary; slow, epic lead guitars soar mournfully atop even heavier, earth-shattering rhythm guitar sections, trudging forth to the rhythm of each crashing drum beat and the bestial growls of frontman Monte McCleery. The sheer magnitude of the album’s low, fuzzy rhythm section is truly something to be reckoned with.

Compositions are more stripped down and sections even more drawn out to further accentuate the sense of visual magnitude and emotional depth. Epic though it may be, the pushing such boundaries also makes the album more demanding. Parts of the record reach near excruciating cadences, leaving us momentarily groundless in the space separating each guitar note, flirting with the limits of tension beyond which our senses disengage from the experience. Given its reliance on immersion, Sentiment is a record the needs to be played at a reasonably loud volume to fully appreciate the reverberated, gritty sound textures of each track.

With its fifty-minute runtime spanning over no more than four tracks, Sentiment remains consistent yet engaging all throughout and finishes off as majestically as it starts with a magnificent, bluesy guitar solo and a crushing finale of riffs. Every idea is given its fair share of time to settle and seep into the album’s atmosphere, occasionally lingering but never overstaying its welcome. As air-tight as a four-song tracklist needs to be, the album does, however, stumble on its otherwise exemplary pacing. Whereas all other tracks progress in a near-linear fashion, ‘Pools of Reflection’ evolves and builds up only to cyclically return to its intro riff, breaking momentum before the song’s outro. Furthermore, one can also mention an unfortunate similarity between the first and second half of the album. Nevertheless, though one could have hoped for a more diverse range of sounds to further expand the band’s creative endeavours, Sentiment’s tonal consistency mostly serves as a strength rather than a weakness.

Flawed though it may be, Sentiment is a sonically dense, crushing record set to further establish Un as one of doom metal’s most relevant bands today. Escaping common tropes, the band has delivered a deeply introspective and emotionally poignant follow up to a stellar debut release.

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/un-sentiment-review/

The tail-end of 2015 yielded a fantastic doom metal record which may have reached more year-end lists had it not been unveiled in December. It was called The Tomb of All Things and was the product of a Seattle four-piece with the unGoogleable name of Un. It spun a menacing tale with the tools of funeral doom and death metal and proudly bore some of the best artwork of that year, too. Their sophomore full-length, entitled Sentiment, is now poised for release, with appropriately amazing artwork to match. It can be considered a counterpart to my recent Fórn review: how to execute doom metal and how to not.

So we know that Un fall somewhere close to funeral doom but with more than a hint of death metal. The killer vocals aren’t drawn from Monte Mccleery’s throat so much as scraped from the Fifth Circle of Hell, while the thunderous drums and massive guitar tones round out a package which boasts one of the heaviest sounds I have heard this year. Softening this blow is the Pallbearer-style harmonization which is more melodic and sparingly used to heighten emotional impact at key moments. As a more general comment too, although the record comprises just four tracks over its fifty-four minutes, they are excellently paced. The title track demonstrates this as it consistently feels that it is developing to its finale which subtly layers melodies over a looped riff; the consequence is a track which feels epic in a way which is quite uncommon for this style of doom. Un is truly grand despite their brootal tendencies.

Developing this point, you’ll nary hear a more crushing release from 2018, yet the melodies and engaging song-writing are not left behind. There is a great duality of death-influenced doom, slower, sludgy and towering, paired with melodic sensibilities facilitated through the harmonizing guitar and the lighter passages, which have an almost hopeful edge. This dynamic contrasting is the life-force of Sentiment, habitually revitalizing the music such that boredom with one passage cannot arise. Such coupling accentuates the differences in the two styles; each is stronger for the presence of the other.

Un - Sentiment 02

Doom can be lethargic and repetitive. To counteract this, I have written previously how I love doom metal with pretty, often acoustic, interludes. Not only do I enjoy the somber tone evoked by acoustic music in a minor key but it confers dynamism on an album as a whole. Sentiment has this dynamism in spades despite its lack of these interludes and is consistently able to surprise. The introduction to the record on “In its Absence” is the closest thing to a pretty passage; a chiller opening is not inherently surprising but it is indeed so when restarting from the end. “Pools of Reflection” has a particularly dense, cacophonous conclusion which feels vaguely like being punched while drowning1 while “A Garden where Nothing Grows” comes to a crushing halt around its middle for the harrowing, the heaviest passage here. I am engaged throughout, which is more that can be said for most doom-bordering funeral doom.

The sum total is that Sentiment is an improvement from The Tomb of All Things, great though that record was. It is also one of the best records that I have reviewed in 2018. While not perfect—“Pools of Reflection” is the definite weak-point—my emotional response is the warm, fuzzy one reserved for the best releases in any particular year. It is a work of dark majesty, enveloping its listener in a great, black cloak; each listen reveals another wrinkle to examine. Un are maneuvering themselves into an essential position for fans of doom.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

74 Un - Sentiment 135 Points, 3 votes
https://i.imgur.com/MAfiTA0.jpg
https://unbandtl.bandcamp.com/album/sentiment

https://open.spotify.com/album/0v8ztjx0cNNdZXq8ZsSS7T?si=t-KW_QTtQviUIcHqzzsXRw

spotify:album:0v8ztjx0cNNdZXq8ZsSS7T

https://unbandtl.bandcamp.com/album/sentiment

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2018/10/19/un-sentiment/

(These are Grant Skelton‘s thoughts about the remarkable new album by the Seattle-based funeral doom band Un, which is out now via Translation Loss Records, along with thoughts by vocalist/guitarist Monte Mccleery.)

In Thus Spake Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote:

“What have we in common with the rose-bud, which trembleth because a drop of dew hath formed upon it?”

A rose is a floral archetype. For centuries it’s been associated with romance, youth, and sensuality. Furthermore, it represents a paradox — a juxtaposition of beauty and pain. A rose is beautiful to behold with the eye, but painful to hold with the hand. In Nietzsche’s metaphor, the rose trembles. It trembles because it has been acted upon by precipitation. By the vicissitudes of nature. By the weight of something it needs to survive. While precipitation is a source of nourishment, an excess of it can be fatal to the rose.

“There was a certain sense of urgency to finish the writing process of The Tomb of All Things because I was just freshly recovering from a life-threatening illness,” explains vocalist Monte Mccleery. “My mortality was always at the forefront of my mind at the time and I felt like we had to finish the album as soon as possible.We didn’t have that with Sentiment, and so I think it’s a more focused and polished record.”

In my view, mortality is an appropriate theme for Sentiment. Our beloved metal genre is replete with death and all of its analogous symbols and motifs. Skulls, coffins, cemeteries, burial… we even have a sub-genre called “death” metal.

But that’s not the kind of relationship with death that Un’s new album has. Sentiment doesn’t view death with the theatricality that much other metal appears to. “It was really important for us to find a title that was an honest reflection of ourselves and the music we are writing,” says Mccleery. “It was also important to us to stand out from the total grim desperation that you find in a lot of doom and death metal records these days.”

Is being alive a good thing? Let us cast aside our Western empiricism and cultish optimism for a few moments and ponder that. If any NCS readers are familiar with the nonfiction work of horror author Thomas Ligotti or biologist David Benatar, then you know their answer: being alive is not “good.” Lyrically, much of the funeral doom metal and depressive black metal we enjoy here would unequivocally agree.

Note the contrasts of color in the powerful cover art for Sentiment. Again, here we see the meeting of beauty and pain. They are not separate, and they are not opposite. They are woven together into a tapestry where each enhances the other. Rather than having ethical qualities, they are artistic dimensions and color palates. They are parts of a whole, as Mccleery elaborates:

“The core emotional aesthetic of the album was inspired by the Nietzsche quote, ‘What have we in common with the rosebud, which trembles because a drop of dew is lying upon it?’ To me, this paints a very specific picture about the fragility of the human experience. It’s beautiful, yet delicate and finite. The rosebush itself is obvious, but we also wanted to incorporate crumbling architecture and elements from our home in the Northwest (water, trees, and mountains). The painting depicts a landscape obviously shaped by hardship, while still holding on to beauty and hope.”

I realize that I haven’t told you a single thing about the music of Sentiment. That wasn’t something I intended, the review just happened that way. I’m attached to this album, in a way that I don’t know that I’ve genuinely experienced in many years. It’s just not enough for me to tell you that it’s “great,” “awesome,” or “incredible.” Because those words don’t fully convey the deep recesses of blood, tears, and fire that this release has to offer.

As Mccleery put it, “If people find hope in what we do, I think that’s really great, but sometimes hope can be a distraction from reality. For me, what I want people find in our music is gratitude and humility and the kind of honesty you only get from being stripped down to absolutely nothing so that you can learn from your mistakes and grow again. But alas… maybe that can be called hope.”

Sentiment has the power to back a person away from a ledge. To take a razor away from a wrist and discard it. It’s the kind of album that will make you feel like a conqueror because today you mustered up the energy to put both of your feet on the floor and get out of bed. To bathe yourself even if you feel like you don’t deserve to be clean. If this is you, please take heart. Treat yourself like you would an ailing, infirm person. Be gentle and kind to yourself. You’re fragile. And you won’t be around forever. So harness your grief, your anger, your despair – and find power in it.

http://thesludgelord.blogspot.com/2018/11/album-review-un-sentiment.html

“Sentiment” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1). In Its Absence
2). Pools of Reflection
3). Sentiment
4). A Garden Where Nothing Grows

The Review

Well, there are four tracks here, nothing much under twelve minutes in length and there has been a sizeable buzz surrounding this record for many weeks prior to me sitting down to review. So what is going on with Un's “Sentiment” album- their sophomore release?!

For starters, melancholic clean work opens up and then gives way to a truly huge and crushing passage of music. Obviously, from the song lengths alone, it is reasonable to assume that this is an album that is in the arena of the doom genre- and it is, loosely. This is nothing really like Sabbath, Vitus, Trouble, Candlemass et al- it is not trad doom by any stretch. It does fit into the more modern interpretation of the genre label- think Conan, Yob and so on.

The vocals are of the growled variety (not on every track though, so keep an ear out!), the sound is absolutely enormous and the mix is excellent. This is very, very weighty stuff indeed and by the time opener “In Its Absence” has finished, the tone has been set. There is nothing uplifting here: only the darkest and murkiest riffs and sounds are to be found here. It's a downbeat listen, as song titles such as “Pools of Reflection” suggest. The title track is just as sprawling and epic in approach and utilises the same clean opening (yielding a promise of something sweeter than the bitterest of fruit which is actually then served up).

There are echoes of Paradise Lost at their gloomiest, echoes of Yob at their trippiest and there are hints of death metal, psychedelia and even shoe-gaze here and there. The closing statement of “A Garden Where Nothing Grows” is a dark and bleak vision and it really sums up the whole record very well. Any track here would sum up the release as a whole as it is a very strong whole and is nothing if not consistent.

Yep, “Sentiment” fits into the doom bracket, but there is a great deal going on here. For listeners prepared to take this grim journey, there are impressive rewards to be had. Not for the faint hearted, but certainly this album is one of the best releases this year in doom or any other genre. The whole album is a grim steed, plodding inexorably towards its own fate. Fantastic.

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/10/un-sentiment/

As a personal friend having known the band from its very conception, I will neither hide my personal affinity with Un’s creative output nor hide the immense pride with which I observed the Seattle-based outfit rise to critical success following the release of their debut in 2015. The Tomb of All Things marked the fruition of a dear friends’ creative ambitions, concretized and immortalized into an epic handful of tracks born out of pure passion. Through an eloquent crafting of Lovecraftian soundscapes of gripping melancholia and fierce brutality, Un proved their relevance within the doom metal scene with a brilliant full-length debut, paving the way for this anticipated sophomore record we are now faced with.

As one may easily guess from the title as well as the artwork adorning the record, Sentiment is a moody album, one that subtly veers away from the Lovecraftian darkness of its predecessor to indulge in a kind of sensibility more closely associated with Goethe’s ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ and other works from the Romantic era. That is not to say that the band has lost a single part of their brutal sound. Quite on the contrary; slow, epic lead guitars soar mournfully atop even heavier, earth-shattering rhythm guitar sections, trudging forth to the rhythm of each crashing drum beat and the bestial growls of frontman Monte McCleery. The sheer magnitude of the album’s low, fuzzy rhythm section is truly something to be reckoned with.

Compositions are more stripped down and sections even more drawn out to further accentuate the sense of visual magnitude and emotional depth. Epic though it may be, the pushing such boundaries also makes the album more demanding. Parts of the record reach near excruciating cadences, leaving us momentarily groundless in the space separating each guitar note, flirting with the limits of tension beyond which our senses disengage from the experience. Given its reliance on immersion, Sentiment is a record the needs to be played at a reasonably loud volume to fully appreciate the reverberated, gritty sound textures of each track.

With its fifty-minute runtime spanning over no more than four tracks, Sentiment remains consistent yet engaging all throughout and finishes off as majestically as it starts with a magnificent, bluesy guitar solo and a crushing finale of riffs. Every idea is given its fair share of time to settle and seep into the album’s atmosphere, occasionally lingering but never overstaying its welcome. As air-tight as a four-song tracklist needs to be, the album does, however, stumble on its otherwise exemplary pacing. Whereas all other tracks progress in a near-linear fashion, ‘Pools of Reflection’ evolves and builds up only to cyclically return to its intro riff, breaking momentum before the song’s outro. Furthermore, one can also mention an unfortunate similarity between the first and second half of the album. Nevertheless, though one could have hoped for a more diverse range of sounds to further expand the band’s creative endeavours, Sentiment’s tonal consistency mostly serves as a strength rather than a weakness.

Flawed though it may be, Sentiment is a sonically dense, crushing record set to further establish Un as one of doom metal’s most relevant bands today. Escaping common tropes, the band has delivered a deeply introspective and emotionally poignant follow up to a stellar debut release.

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/un-sentiment-review/

The tail-end of 2015 yielded a fantastic doom metal record which may have reached more year-end lists had it not been unveiled in December. It was called The Tomb of All Things and was the product of a Seattle four-piece with the unGoogleable name of Un. It spun a menacing tale with the tools of funeral doom and death metal and proudly bore some of the best artwork of that year, too. Their sophomore full-length, entitled Sentiment, is now poised for release, with appropriately amazing artwork to match. It can be considered a counterpart to my recent Fórn review: how to execute doom metal and how to not.

So we know that Un fall somewhere close to funeral doom but with more than a hint of death metal. The killer vocals aren’t drawn from Monte Mccleery’s throat so much as scraped from the Fifth Circle of Hell, while the thunderous drums and massive guitar tones round out a package which boasts one of the heaviest sounds I have heard this year. Softening this blow is the Pallbearer-style harmonization which is more melodic and sparingly used to heighten emotional impact at key moments. As a more general comment too, although the record comprises just four tracks over its fifty-four minutes, they are excellently paced. The title track demonstrates this as it consistently feels that it is developing to its finale which subtly layers melodies over a looped riff; the consequence is a track which feels epic in a way which is quite uncommon for this style of doom. Un is truly grand despite their brootal tendencies.

Developing this point, you’ll nary hear a more crushing release from 2018, yet the melodies and engaging song-writing are not left behind. There is a great duality of death-influenced doom, slower, sludgy and towering, paired with melodic sensibilities facilitated through the harmonizing guitar and the lighter passages, which have an almost hopeful edge. This dynamic contrasting is the life-force of Sentiment, habitually revitalizing the music such that boredom with one passage cannot arise. Such coupling accentuates the differences in the two styles; each is stronger for the presence of the other.

Un - Sentiment 02

Doom can be lethargic and repetitive. To counteract this, I have written previously how I love doom metal with pretty, often acoustic, interludes. Not only do I enjoy the somber tone evoked by acoustic music in a minor key but it confers dynamism on an album as a whole. Sentiment has this dynamism in spades despite its lack of these interludes and is consistently able to surprise. The introduction to the record on “In its Absence” is the closest thing to a pretty passage; a chiller opening is not inherently surprising but it is indeed so when restarting from the end. “Pools of Reflection” has a particularly dense, cacophonous conclusion which feels vaguely like being punched while drowning1 while “A Garden where Nothing Grows” comes to a crushing halt around its middle for the harrowing, the heaviest passage here. I am engaged throughout, which is more that can be said for most doom-bordering funeral doom.

The sum total is that Sentiment is an improvement from The Tomb of All Things, great though that record was. It is also one of the best records that I have reviewed in 2018. While not perfect—“Pools of Reflection” is the definite weak-point—my emotional response is the warm, fuzzy one reserved for the best releases in any particular year. It is a work of dark majesty, enveloping its listener in a great, black cloak; each listen reveals another wrinkle to examine. Un are maneuvering themselves into an essential position for fans of doom.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

I recall a mostly pleasant listen, and nothing else.

Same tbh. I really like the cover though

A late cut from my ballot. I concur that it's pleasant but not particularly striking

I like the TFS record so I'm glad to see it place

I tried with the Koenjihyakkei but I could not get into it at all. I didn't even try with the Portal because I pretty much hated Vexovoid

Re: Koenjihyakkei--is that what most Magma sounds like? I always imagined them much heavier...maybe something like this:

https://youtu.be/aIB8OcEf_mw

But with even more operatic vocals on top...

I was a Koenjihyakkei voter. Can't remember a thing about the album except that it was very impressive

of course you were. you, tt and sund4r were without doubt the voters

73 KEN Mode - Loved 135 points, 5 votes
https://i.imgur.com/xZceuqI.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/4yed4RH0EXD3eEuqmZwY3U?si=pc9WlPN0ROWBtP8ABxvdNQ

spotify:album:4yed4RH0EXD3eEuqmZwY3U

https://kenmode.bandcamp.com/album/loved

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ken-mode-loved-review/

What the fuck is that? A demented shadow person? A medieval executioner? The nightmarish specter of your father asking you why you haven’t eaten your Brussels sprouts? These are the questions you’ll ask yourself as you try in vain to fall asleep tonight, knowing full well that leering figure is definitely not standing right at the foot of your bed. In a way it’s fitting, because KEN mode’s music is equally likely to leave an impression. Formed in 1999, this Canadian trio combine hardcore, sludge metal, and noise rock into a explosive cocktail that could just as easily please fans of both Melvins and Trap Them. They’re intricate, noisy, and definitely angrier than you’d expect from a band formed by a pair of fraternal accountants.

Sadly, after garnering widespread acclaim in the early 2010s with the one-two-fuck-you of 2011’s Venerable and 2013’s Entrench, the band made something of a stylistic misstep with 2015’s Success.1 Dialing up the rock influences, Success lacked the group’s riotous energy and showed vocalist/guitarist Jesse Matthewson adopting an almost spoken word approach. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great either, and it certainly didn’t do justice to the Kill Everyone Now moniker the band lifted from Henry Rollins’s memoir Get in the Van.

Viewed through this lens, Loved is a course correction. This is a reaction album in the same way as Morbid Angel’s last record, an attempt by the band to reclaim their heaviness after releasing something that garnered less-than-stellar reception. Opener “Doesn’t Feel Pain Like He Should” makes this apparent from the start, kicking in with the same acidic shouts and charging drums we last heard on Entrench. Combined with a verse riff that sounds like a charging laser, it’s a great first track that feels like an old friend showing up and punching you in the balls. Follow-up “The Illusion of Dignity” is equally hefty, sounding like a mean-ass Helmet with its stomping pace, leaden chords, and shrill notes that recall a noise rock version of Gojira’s “Explosia.”

The rest of Loved isn’t always as enjoyable, but there’s still fun to be had. Amidst the jarring riffs and tumbling drums that comprise most of these 36 minutes, it soon becomes clear that KEN mode’s real strengths here are the same ones they’ve always had—that is, their raucous attitude and eclectic style. “OH FUCK YEAH!” screams Matthewson during a sludgy breakdown on late highlight “Fractures in Adults,” and suddenly I’m inclined to rip off my work uniform and put my fist through my shitty office computer. Tracks like “Illusion of Dignity” and “This Is a Love Test” even pull a trick from the Idylls playbook by incorporating a goddamn saxophone, with “Love Test” punctuating its lounge music verses with bouts of spastic aggression.

Furthering the variety, “Very Small Men” is a bristling bout of punky energy and snaky licks, while closer “No Gentle Art” spends its eight minutes building from deep thrumming bass to smashing guitars to a loopy saxophone melody. Sadly, not everything is so notable. Beginning with “Feathers & Lips,” there’s an early sequence of three tracks that all feel like filler. Though everything else fares better, the other songs often lack the same propulsive tempos and wacky, spindly riffs that Entrench and Venerable had. In all, there’s a bit too much reliance on abrasive chords that sound too similar to one another. Fortunately, the clear production is a good fit, with the sharp drums, piercing guitars, and acerbic vocals all balanced well and striking like a glass bottle smashed against a brick wall.

Altogether, while Loved doesn’t eclipse KEN mode’s earlier records, it’s a step in the right direction and an enjoyable album in its own right. Old fans are likely to appreciate the return to a more aggressive style, while new listeners who follow bands like Unsane and Today Is the Day are sure to find something to like. There’s plenty of spunk and memorability, but will it make your year-end list? Probably not, unless that list is titled “Creepiest Album Art of the Year (And Possibly Ever).”

Rating: 3.0/5.0

https://newnoisemagazine.com/review-ken-mode-loved/

KEN Mode’s new album, Loved, feels like the soundtrack to real-life horror. The last track on the record literally includes a brief foray into lyric-less maniacal growling and screaming while pummeling music bleeds out of the background. If that’s your thing, this record is for you.

There’s a dark order that at times emerges over the screaming and thrashing instruments, as if the listener is walking on a thin bridge over a gorge where death waits at the bottom. Our lives out here are horrifying at times, so there’s always going to be a bit of catharsis in using art to explore going over the edge. However, catharsis is hardly the only end in sight when listening to KEN Mode’s Loved.

The figure at the center of the record sounds hellbent on living in the horror, which could be both darkly empowering and just dark. On “No Gentle Art,” vocalist Jesse Matthewson seethes over and over: “Stop giving me hope!”

Anger is, by itself, a solitary emotion that can only carry a record so far. Here, it’s more like a massive tank got busted open and everything came out, not just one item. Loved is a live wire hanging in a pool that will burn anything that comes in contact.

The record builds up to a crescendo with the final track, which might be the darkest. The band could have organized the record differently, interspersing more of the style of the last track through the rest of the album. What they have done, though, is create a record that leaves you gradually more and more uneasy, working towards the massive end flourish that lets the other songs have an extra brooding nature to them.

If the songs were all similarly furious, that layer of creeping darkness would be lost. Everything would be revealed all at once, so to speak, and that doesn’t always work. People dislike spoilers for movies they’re going to see for a reason.

In the end, Loved is somewhat like a movie, in that it is not just audio being sold by a record company. The record is a mental experience that drags the listener out into the darkness. Some certainly won’t be fans, but that’s irrelevant. The record sounds right for the right people, it’s perfect.

http://www.noripcord.com/features/quick-takes-augustseptember-2018

While its abrasive nature is undeniably tied to the late 80s/early 90s onslaught of sound pollutant rock cultivated by indie labels like Sub Pop, Amphetamine Reptile and Touch and Go, KEN mode’s Loved spews enough corrosive vitriol and sturdy arrangements to sound peer-worthy as opposed to plagiarist. Following the more hook-laden, high energy pummeling of the Steve Albini-produced Blessed, Loved owes more to Unsane’s cathartic racket and the absurdist rock of Cows, hitting the near-metallic grind and collapse with He Doesn’t Feel Pain Like He Should along with the melting bass riff and the out-of-nowhere brass in The Illusion Of Dignity. With producer Andrew Schneider tweaking the knobs, his experience producing Unsane certainly applying here, KEN mode elevates their sonic outcry, hitting levels of discomfort with the subtly seasick Learning To Be Too Cold, thrash-bred Not Soulmates, and the manic combination of sounds in Fractures In Adults. [8/10]

(ultros was a big Koenjihyakkei--is voter iirc)

I had somehow missed the fact there was a ken mode album last year until noms

I'd say Koenji are heavier than Magma, or at least more frenetic. Personally, I find Magma more listenable. There's more space and grandeur in their music.

The order is all wrong thus far. Plz fix thx.

I think this might be the best KEN mode album

The order is all wrong thus far. Plz fix thx.

― pomenitul,

you are new to the ilm metal poll?

Nah, I voted last year too. I'm just bringing the subpar bantz to fill space.

I'm waiting for this year's Lingua Ignota to show up. That was a nice surprise from last year's poll.

i havent seen the ballots but the few rolling metal thread voters that were left said they didnt vote this year so i think peoples enthusiasm has gone for current metal but they were the ones that voted for the trad, thrash, death metal .
this year is the lowest turnout since the very first poll.

72 Satan - Cruel Magic 137 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/6Jn4JmW.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/7KdiGTiJKqcgaV9BboPdtq?si=eeEwSO35RROe0w2k4U6djA

spotify:album:7KdiGTiJKqcgaV9BboPdtq

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/satan-cruel-magic-review/

Once again, the scavenger feasts. This year I seem to be lucking into reviews where other writers should be calling dibs but can’t for a variety of reasons. In this case, the honorable Dr. Fisting has been on an extended leave,1 and the review of the new Satan record falls to me. Which is bad news for Satan: their previous two albums, reviewed here by two different writers, each garnered a 4.5, a score the Huckster has never deigned to hand out. Already the deck is stacked against these venerable Brits. Add to that Angry Metal Guy’s Law of Diminishing Recordings™, and the chances of Satan maintaining their torrid pace of quality releases is remote. But there’s always a chance, right?

Within seconds, and even without reading the promotional copy, it’s obvious that Cruel Magic is going to differ vastly from both Atom by Atom and Life Sentence. These will be words of joy for diehard fans of their early masterpiece, 1983’s Court in the Act, but for listeners used to, oh I don’t know, refinement, or production values, Cruel Magic will be a cruel joke. You see, Satan do not care about any of the latest styles or fads. They don’t care about spit and polish, overdubs, or flexing their biceps. They keep the music trve on Cruel Magic, recording these songs in one take with minimal processing of the sound. This is the rawest of the NWOBHM sound: if the production on Atom by Atom could be described as a medium-rare steak, Cruel Magic is like eating a slice of sirloin right off the cow while it’s still grazing. This can be disconcerting at first, but admittedly these raw, sloppy recordings have a certain and undeniable charm.

This is because, despite the rawness, Satan still write excellent songs. The pace of these songs is slower than on previous efforts, but the magic is still there, and although the tempo is slower, guitarists Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey didn’t get the memo: they cram as many notes into each bar as possible. “Into the Mouth of Eternity” exemplifies this, with a slow, majestic buildup leading into a frantic, frenetic lead-up to a more restrained — and catchy as hell — verse. Songs like “The Doomsday Clock,” “Legions Hellbound,” and “My Prophetic Soul” all fit into the frantic charging template of previous albums, with the trademark excellent guitarwork and Brian Ross’s stellar vocals. His voice reminds me of a cross between Scott Walker and Hammers of Misfortune’s Joe Hutton (and in fact, the music at times isn’t too far off. Check out Dead Revolution’s title track). But those high-speed tracks are the exception rather than the rule.

Satan - Cruel Magic 02

Cruel Magic closes out with “Mortality,” a slow but loaded-with-notes song, with a complex guitar arrangement and a catchier-than-it-should-be chorus. In another homage to the olde days, the song’s tempo gradually increases at the end; Bands don’t do this enough anymore. While it’s no “The Fall of Persephone,” it’s a great song that fully encapsulates the different feel of Cruel Magic: slow and raw, a little rough around the edges, but still compelling. “Mortality,” along with “Death Knell for a King,” with its rollicking bass line, and the title track, are standout songs here.

Three albums into their resurrection, one thing is clear: Satan can’t write bad songs. Despite Cruel Magic being a step down in quality compared to Atom by Atom, it’s still a stellar effort that puts many other bands that are riding the retro metal wave to shame. Going for it in one take, with minimal touch-ups on the production side, is a gamble that pays off here in charming fashion — only because they’ve got the songwriting chops to pull it off. As far as overall enjoyment and replayability, Cruel Magic sits nicely beside Life Sentence, just below Atom by Atom. Satan’s fans, and fans of the NWOBHM, are once again going to love this.

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/satan-cruel-magic/

There used to be majesty in metal; the cornerstones that built the genre were loaded with it. Queen was majestic. Black Sabbath certainly was, especially the Dio years, and so was that other Ronnie James project Rainbow. Sad Wings of Destiny not so coincidentally copped the best parts of all of the aforementioned, and it is recognized as one of the genre’s crowning achievements. Moreover, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets prove this quality made it as far as thrash, and there are undoubtedly some atmospheric black metallers to whom the “majestic” adjective fits.

All it took for majesty to return to metal: a band named Satan, whose 1983 debut Court In Act ranks among the greatest of its year (which also saw Kill ‘Em All, Piece of Mind, and Holy Diver), to come back after several decades seeking success under less controversial monikers Blind Fury or Pariah. Satan then would reunite 30 years later with each and every member from that debut and make one of the greatest albums of 2013: Life Sentence.

If you count 2015’s follow-up to their comeback album, the upcoming release of the band’s newest work Cruel Magic means that Satan has had more studio albums since getting the band back together than it did during the glory days. They’ve also toured America enough in the new millennium to record Trail of Fire: Live in North America entirely stateside. Listen carefully to the tracks recorded in Philly: their second wind has been thrilling to witness, and it hasn’t stoped with Cruel Magic.

…

…

Everything starts with the guitar duo of Steve Ramsey and Russ Tippins. When Court in Act was released, it was steeped in the classic tradition of Glenn Tipton and KK Downing, and that dynamic hasn’t changed. The duo trades off exquisite leads and headbang-inducing riffs as easy as mortals breathe. “Into the Mouth of Eternity” has about half a dozen separate parts: introduction, double-time riff, chugging when the vocals kick in, neo-psychedelic bridge, searing dual leads, return to the chug, thrashy conclusion – and by the time it’s over, the album is only five-and-a-half minutes in.

The title track boogies like Rocka Rolla came out on Roadrunner in the 1980s, “Legions Hellbound” sounds like Bruce Dickinson replaced Paul Dianno in time to make Killers, and “Ghosts of Monongah” is probably what Dave Mustaine would have liked early Megadeth to sound like if he wasn’t such a fuck-up. Metal music used to be all about soaring, histrionic guitars, and Satan doesn’t act like that should come back as much as nobody told them it ever went away.

Their talents as players are augmented by a solid rhythm section (bassist Graeme English and drummer Sean Taylor) that makes every song seem like a hair-raising, full-throttle motorcycle ride. The one time they don’t is album closer “Mortality,” a contemplative and comparatively jazzy number that seems an odd choice to end the record. Not out of place as much as in an unexpected place.

Brian Ross, who also sings in Blitzkrieg is the most important ingredient for the radiating splendor that is Cruel Magic. He has a powerful voice that hasn’t changed much even as he enters his mid-60s. “The Doomsday Clock” especially showcases his distinctive baritone. Classic metal needs a classic vocalist, and Ross more than fits the bill. The only thing more surprising than Satan’s reemergence has been how solid the band has been since coming back; Cruel Magic says we shouldn’t be surprised anymore.

http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/satan-cruel-magic

If you are a fan of heavy metal music, it’s certainly a great time to be alive. We are in the midst of an era where amazing new music is right at our digital fingertips, yet a lot of the genre’s progenitors are still young enough to at least get up there and perform. While many of these veteran acts rely heavily on their back catalogs to fortify their relevance, there are some for whom the flame of creativity simply keeps on burning. For Satan, whose history goes back to the very roots of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, improving with age is simply a matter of course.

They released their fifth full-length album under the name Satan (they released albums under the name Blind Fury as well as Pariah) on September 7. Entitled Cruel Magic, the album is their first for Metal Blade Records, and features the familiar lineup of legendary vocalist Brian Ross (Blitzkrieg), amazing guitarists Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsay (Skyclad), along with the dynamic Graeme English (Skyclad) on bass, and the smooth, fierce Sean Taylor behind the drum kit.

The album cover, in keeping with the theme of their last two studio albums since their 2011 reformation, once more evokes in themes of fantasy the very real degradation of civilization going on around us. As icons from the past, the perspective Satan presents is one at odds with the plastic, fake, and unsustainable direction mankind is heading in; it erupts out of their instruments in much the same way.

The material on Cruel Magic follows on from 2015’s glorious Atom By Atom and 2013’s Life Sentence before it, but with just a bit more abandon and sense of spontaneity. On the speedy "Death Knell For A King" refreshing harmonies and riffs for days evoke Killers-era Iron Maiden, and all that was happening around that time and place. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the men who comprise this band were largely front and center for that movement.

Clearly helping their own cause by cutting any filler out of their writing sessions, “Who Among Us,” being a deeper track on the album, is an absolutely master-class example of how a band writing music since the late 70’s can stun and amaze all these years later. Fans of the style will be swept away by the balladry of the intro, then flattened by the gusto of the guitars, English’s wicked bass runs, and the vigorous tempo that soon takes over. Ross’ voice sounds fantastic, with some sharp backup accompaniment for good measure. In the middle, some more Maiden-esque rhythm sections take over, until the song morphs into some simply brilliant twin-guitar harmonies and fantastic soloing. "Who wants the truth?" implores Ross at the 4:05 mark. Fans of the old-school demand it, and Satan delivers.

While “Who Among Us” might be my personal highlight, Cruel Magic is chock full of excellent moments across its 10 songs. “The Doomsday Clock” is a how-to lesson in NWOBHM 101. It never sounds tired, or like a re-tread. Something about the way Ross delivers some of the lines has a devil-may-care punk effect, combined with the pure energy of the soloing and the fast-picking going on with Ramsay and Tippins. Satan is enjoying themselves and really just playing the music written in their hearts since day one.

Its hard to find fault with Cruel Magic. If one tries, one could possibly make an argument that the first minute and a half of “Ophidian” almost gets a little dull. But don’t worry, the back half of the song is there to pick up and take some excellent lyrics, inject some great vocal harmonies, and a mid-paced chug to pull it together. Again, completely addictive soloing infects the song and the album in most pleasing fashion.
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Its evident in the opener, right away. “Into The Mouth Of Eternity” rolls into the listener and drops a mighty gauntlet of pure heavy metal, driving a hard pace that nearly takes it into speed metal territory. The title track is a bit off-kilter, but again, quite heavy. And it has some cowbell! Somewhere Christopher Walken is smiling. Thematically about the ills of power upon the shoulders of humanity, the drawn-out chorus takes just a little bit of growing to settle in.

With Cruel Magic, 2018 just received an album that should be at or near the top of everyone’s list for album of the year. Satan, some 40 years on from their inception, has made an album that contains all your favorite elements in the traditional heavy metal style and offers them up in a way that will feel completely familiar to you, and yet take you down paths within this framework that you have not yet tread. And that, my friends, is its own (un)cruel magic.
Score: 9.5/10

fell off my ballot cause it didn't hit me as hard as the two previous, but still obviously a fantastic band

71 Yawning Man - The Revolt Against Tired Noises 142 points, 4 voters, 1 #1 vote
https://i.imgur.com/kRxab6A.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/71b2Yqz7DCWPuS6YXoMLFa?si=iTJN_TAjQmuDpJftBXFaPw

spotify:album:71b2Yqz7DCWPuS6YXoMLFa

https://yawningman.bandcamp.com/album/the-revolt-against-tired-noises

https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/77375/Yawning-Man-The-Revolt-Against-Tired-Noises/

One of the most influential bands for the ‘90s stoner rock sphere (and at the same time the most obscure of all) got seriously back in business in the last couple of years. In between tours, Yawning Man released the half hour jam, Historical Graffiti, showcasing some lovely music harkening back to Rock Formations or Nomadic Pursuits. Now, The Revolt Against Tired Noises moves a few steps forward on their sonic path, merging the old with new directions. The laid back tunes are still at a crossroads between blissfully melodic and thrilling build-ups, but they are complemented by punchier segments. Even so, having Gary Arce and Mario Lalli at the helm, any changes come wrapped in that gorgeous, familiar sound of theirs.

Musically, Yawning Man are often thrown into the category they influenced, still the guys are not coming that close to it. There are few distorted moments, relying mostly on spaced out jams instead. Gary Arce’s guitar sounds closer to post rock and its psychedelic leanings make the title track and ‘Black Kite’ wonderful, relaxed listens. ‘The Revolt Against Tired Noises’ boasts a waltzing rhythm that reminds a bit of ‘Perpetual Oyster’, however, the wandering notes travel miles away from it. Meanwhile, ‘Ghost Beach’ feels like a soundtrack to an early morning walk by the sea. The chilly guitar leads float above the pounding drums, beautifully contrasting one another. As the bass kicks in, the song gets this welcomed, powerful boost. Unlike Historical Graffiti, which was recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this LP saw the guys returning to Joshua Tree, California and you can hear this slight return to roots. Sometimes the ambiance changes the overall vibe more than we’d think.

The iconic trio offered us a few surprises as well, incorporating vocals on the wavy ‘Grant’s Heart’ & ‘Catamaran’, a song which officially saw the light of day in 1995 as a cover done by Kyuss on …And the Circus Leaves Town. The former’s smooth progressions are nicely backed by chunky bass lines, whereas the latter features some really lush dynamics. Although considerably airier than Kyuss’ version, ‘Catamaran’ received a crystalline production, yet managed to retain the dramatic choruses. The vocals sound interesting, as the layering, alongside the reverb and echo, brought a slightly alien-like tone, which works well with the music. On the other hand, the fragmented drum patterns mixed with straightforward ones on ‘Violent Lights’ or ‘Skyline Pressure’ make these cuts some of the most alluring on the record. The effects-soaked leads are driven by Lalli’s versatile playing style, especially during the meandering parts of ‘Skyline Pressure’. There’s an entire spectrum of emotions that Yawning Man’s music evokes and I’m happy they still manage to “move” the listener. These seasoned musicians have played in several bands, nevertheless, the magic is at its most beautiful when they get back together. From The Birth of Sol demos to The Revolt Against Tired Noises, we received a handful of sincere albums where you can hear their musical prowess and tight chemistry. I hope these won't cease, so we can get more quality music in the near future.

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/07/yawning-man-revolt-against-tired-noises/

A new album of blissfully desert-scorched jams from Gary Arce, Mario Lalli and Bill Stinson. If you’re familiar with the band’s early work (Pot Head, Rock Formations, Vista Point…) that belatedly found its way out of the Palm Desert, you’ll know roughly what’s going on here, smoothly intertwining, laid back but far-reaching riff untanglings though with more layers and a cleaner sound than some of the demo-feel on the aforementioned. I put this album on when driving home after a concert of Indian ragas on veena, and it made perfect sense, a sort of Far West themes-and-variations harmonic extemporisation.

As an unreconstructed Kyuss troglodyte, the blissfully jangling, gliding-into-roaring-heaviness track ‘Catamaran’ stomped heavy on my teenage years, and for a long time Yawning Man was a mythical object for which the only earthly evidence was the note in the sleeve of And the Circus Leaves Town that marked ‘Catamaran’ as a cover version. So I’ll admit that I headed straight for that track when I got a hold of this promo, eager to hear the sort of cover of a cover, seemingly the first proper recording of this track by its originators (though a hissy demo has been around on YouTube for a while). While the Kyuss version by now to me sounds definitive, it’s great to hear a decent Yawning Man version, with that scudding bass and sunrise-peeping guitar interplay totally affirmed as definitively authored by this band.

There’s even an almost formalistic quality to some pieces, like opener ‘Black Kite’ going around the permutations and combinations- a satisfying inevitability matched with liberating virtuosity. Those guitars… eternally chiming like a prism in a sun-swelling sky. The drums can just occasionally feel a little heavy-handed, especially in relation to the freeflowing guitar lines, glistening with a shimmer of distortion. The percussion on ‘Skyline Pressure’ can be a little lumpy, though this could be an attempt to anchor the music in a slightly heavier idiom than might be implied by the bluesy jams otherwise, or, as on ‘Ghost Beach’ where bass and drums pair in a revolving du-dum du-dum du-dum pattern, an underscoring of the terrestrial so as to point to the guitar comets streaking across the sky. That bass is supremely confident and audacious as well as being solid with a hint of funk, especially on ‘Misfortune Cookies’ under a more delicate twinkling of guitar, and with only the two shortest tracks with vocals on, the rest of the record really leaves it to the guitar and bass to work together, but its work as the outcome of a decades-honed telepathy that comes over as an effortless joy to hear

http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2018/07/02/yawning-man-the-revolt-against-tired-noises-review-stream/

The California desert is fortunate to have Yawning Man as its soundtrack. For over 30 years in varying forms and degrees of activity, the instrumentalist outfit have been an entity unto themselves. Their sound today seems like the foundation for the laid back groove that is essential to desert rock as a style even in its most aggressive forms, and the tone of founding guitarist Gary Arce is a monument to open spaces. Together with bassist Mario Lalli — also guitarist/vocalist for Fatso Jetson, who are no slouches themselves when it comes to being desert rock legends — Arce resides at the foundation of the style, bringing elements of indie, punk, goth rock and more together into a brew that’s still potent these decades later. They’ve spent the better part of the 2010s touring periodically through Europe, and offered a surprise release in 2015’s Historical Graffiti (review here), which was something of an anomaly studio session in South America with an expanded lineup, but also the band’s first full-length since 2010’s Nomadic Pursuits (review here), so certainly more than a one-off or stopgap in reality.

Their new album, The Revolt Against Tired Noises, is their first release through Heavy Psych Sounds, which also issued Fatso Jetson‘s 2016 LP, Idle Hands (review here), and while its title is confrontational, the revolt Yawning Man — Arce, Lalli and drummer Bill Stinson — are ultimately leading is peaceful, rife with serene melodies in the guitar and unmitigated fluidity rife with purpose but carrying nonetheless an air of spontaneity, the in-deep-jam feeling that a track like side B opener “Violent Lights” can and will go anywhere its chemistry will allow, which is just about anywhere, period. The Revolt Against Tired Noises also includes vocals for the first time on a Yawning Man album from Lalli on the side A closer “Grant’s Heart” and the later “Catamaran” — the latter which was never recorded by Yawning Man but covered by Kyuss on 1995’s …And the Circus Leaves Town, thus codifying Yawning Man‘s influence on that seminal act. The singing turns out to be something of a footnote in the sphere of the entire eight-song/39-minute release, but it’s one more nuance to their work and provides listeners an anchor to each half of the album, so as not to simply drift into the ether, carried away by otherworldly tones and engaging, hypnotic rhythm.

Much of what’s included is nothing less than gorgeous. With Mathias Schneeberger (Fatso Jetson, Goatsnake, earthlings?, Earth, Yawning Man, The Obsessed, so many others) helming the recording, opener “Black Kite” provides a genuine shimmer leading into the record, and even has a bit of an instrumental hook in its later going, its long fadeout giving way to the title-track, which seems to work in subtle layers but brings Lalli‘s bass and Stinson‘s drums forward along with the guitar, so that all three players stand toe-to-toe in the mix. That has an effect of making “Revolt Against Tired Noises” (which seems to have dropped the “the” from the name of the album) a heavier overall sound, but it’s still consistent with the rest of its surroundings in tone and overall approach, including a midsection that’s as trance-inducing as I’ve ever heard Yawning Man get and an evocative finish that emerges, bringing one back to semi-consciousness for the start of “Skyline Pressure,” which is an extended redux of the title-track to Yawning Man side-project Ten East‘s 2016 album (review here), though also has its origins in Yawning Man proper. At 7:40, it’s the longest inclusion on the record and builds to a head just before four-minutes in — I’d swear I hear keys in there too; anything’s possible — and then drops out to cycle through again, the second journey different and even more pleasing than the first as the song meanders to its ending.

yawning man
As noted, there are two songs with Lalli singing on them, and they just happen to be the two shortest tracks on The Revolt Against Tired Noises: “Grant’s Heart” (3:18) and “Catamaran” (3:03). On linear formats — CD/DL — they appear with the six-minute “Violent Lights” between them, but they were clearly divided up to be included one on each vinyl side as well. Whether the origins of “Grant’s Heart” go back as far as those of “Catamaran,” I don’t know, but neither piece is out of place, and Lalli‘s voice is hardly jarring when it shows up, either for those who know the context of who these players are and what they do or for those who don’t. As riotous as Fatso Jetson can sometimes be, Yawning Man‘s vocals are more subdued, holding a melodic kinship to the guitar beneath them, and in “Grant’s Heart,” giving way to that guitar at about two minutes in, only to return in the fadeout a minute later. And while “Catamaran” will be familiar to desert rock heads from the John Garcia-fronted version, in Lalli‘s hands, it still has its chorus kick, but is more about flow than crunch, and very much Yawning Man‘s own, which is odd to say because it was their own in the first place. Especially coming out of the engrossing “Violent Lights,” which has some sense of foreboding in the low end around its halfway point but is otherwise much more about its howling wisps of floating guitar, “Catamaran” is something of a grounding force, but still coherent atmospherically with its surroundings.

“Misfortune Cookies,” which follows, isn’t much longer at 3:31, but reignites the album’s wandering-but-not-lost spirit and brings the guitar back as the center of the melody. An improvised-sounding jam, its run is linear and stretches outward, a long fade leading one to wonder just how much longer it might’ve gone before actually petering out. It leaves like a dream giving way to consciousness as it is, and as Stinson‘s drums start closer “Ghost Beach,” there’s all the more a sense of interaction between the real and the unreal. The Revolt Against Tired Noises may be fostering some kind of rebellion, but it’s doing so with the approach that Yawning Man trademarked a long time ago, and even if it takes them to new places, the paths they use to get there will be familiar and welcoming to longtime listeners and newcomers alike, the bouncing bassline of “Ghost Beach” and Arce‘s wailing, echoing leads both punctuated by the snare as the finale works its way toward dropping out the drums and letting Lalli‘s bass and Arce‘s guitar close out the last minute on their own, which is fair enough. Yawning Man have been perpetually underrated for 30 years. Any acclaim that The Revolt Against Tired Noises can bring them, they’ve long since deserved, but the album is more than just a showcase of legacy. It proves not only that Yawning Man‘s sound is timeless, but that it’s still growing, and that turns out to be its most righteous aspect.

This albums contains the first official studio release of "Catamaran" a song that dates back their earliest demos, and one that Kyuss covered for their final studio album ...and the Circus Leaves Town, released in 1995!

Very good band. Was on my ballot

I voted for this album; it sets such a cool, ethereal tone...imo it's just as good as the Sleep album

oooh what is THIS

I don't much care for Sleep but this is chill af so far.

70 Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light 142 points 5 votes
https://i.imgur.com/s6G7Hsz.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/03T9bKKlfydmgyarZCKlDo?si=uiFRhDYXQO601smQ5i5Fxg

spotify:album:03T9bKKlfydmgyarZCKlDo

https://skeletonwitch.bandcamp.com/album/devouring-radiant-light

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skeletonwitch-devouring-radiant-light/

The past five years have seen major changes for the Ohio metal band Skeletonwitch. During the New England leg of their October 2014 tour, firebrand frontman Chance Garnette suddenly left the band. Several days later, Massachusetts authorities charged him with assault and battery of a family/household member. Reflecting on the situation months later, Garnette cited his drinking problem as the primary reason for his exit—a framing one of the band’s guitarists, Scott Hedrick, refuted in an interview, telling Vancouver Weekly, “A bunch of beers didn’t make this change happen.”

In time, “this change” would entail not only a new frontman, but a sobering reorientation of Skeletonwitch’s entire sound. 2016’s inaugural release with vocalist Adam Clemans (also of the blackened-sludge outfit Wolvhammer, and a former member of the metalcore group Veil of Maya), an EP titled The Apothic Gloom, found the band members exercising extreme self-discipline, scaling back the turnt-up thrash of their past in favor of nuanced black metal. It was a smart pivot, for several reasons: It mitigated any tonal discrepancy between Clemans’ militant vocals and the giddy thrash of his predecessor; it provided Hedrick and his axeman-in-arms Nate Garnette with a platform for showing off top-notch fretwork that had long been overshadowed by their ex-vocalist’s Tasmanian-Devil charisma; and—most vitally—it allowed Skeletonwitch to venture outside their comfort zone while retaining the feral energy that propelled them to infamy.

The band’s latest album, Devouring Radiant Light, doubles down on this stark approach, effectively recasting the Midwestern party animals as cold-hearted Vikings who deploy their instruments of war strategically as well as sadistically. Here, they strive for dynamic evolution and stylistic growth, as opposed to sinister, Dionysian excess. That the first minute of opening track “Fen of Shadows” comprises a unaccompanied, chiming guitar lead, rather than the chug-athons that kick-started past albums, is telling of the record as a whole. For the first time in their decade-plus career, nuance is just as important as nastiness, and it pays off in spades.

Devouring Radiant Light doesn’t abandon Skeletonwitch’s uncouth thrash antics altogether, of course. The skittering riffs and cascading hooks that populate rippers like “When Paradise Fades” and “Carnarium Eternal” evoke the genre’s ’80s heyday, as do the haggard, Megadeth-esque verses driving “The Luminous Sky.” The distinguishing factor here is a matter of overarching construction. Whereas the band’s past full-lengths accented Big Four worship with black-metal flourishes (weeping riffs, tempestuous backbeats), Devouring Radiant Light inverts that ratio with an extended blast of subzero Nordic fury informed by, but by no means indebted to, thrash metal.

Sure, fans who swear by Skeletonwitch’s early work might take a while to warm up to anthems like “Temple of the Sun,” a tightly constructed barnstormer in which the band dares to toss clean-sung vocal harmonies into the mix, or “The Vault,” a Pallbearer-esque doom experiment that grows more blackened with each wailing note until its entire soundscape is torched to a crisp. And yet, even when their creative lodestar shifts its orbit, the Ohioans’ cornerstones remain intact: their virtuosic riffs, their robust production (once again courtesy of Converge guitarist and board wizard Kurt Ballou), their endearingly adversarial presence on-record—and, most of all, their diabolical joie de vivre.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2018/07/10/album-review-skeletonwitchs-devouring-radiant-light/

Everything about the album and its packaging reads, looks and sounds like some kind of gothic Conan comic book serial: She is legend, feared and worshiped by those who know her, scoffed at by those whose privilege has protected them from ever having to know. Now she stirs from her centennial slumber and a hero must rise to turn back the flood of her evil. With only his wits and a crateful of consecrated earth lashed to his back, the hero traverses her fen of shadows, in which only constant vigilance shields his mind from encroaching insanity. He enters a glowing green glade, and for the barest moment he wonders if his quest is merely self-aggrandizing folly. But the glade begins to wither, and when paradise fades, the hero knows he must reach the cruelly named Temple of the Sun before the world is swallowed by darkness. She has been devouring radiant light, and the luminous sky diminishes, threatening to plunge his senses and his soul into unending night. He arrives at her resting place to find the vaultcracked, its gaping maw spewing forth all her minion horrors. He ignores them, shoulders through that peripheral malevolence to cross the mortal boundary into her carnarium eternal, where dripping monstrosities – impaled in place, skinned and writhing – are forever dying but never dead. There he meets her, the Skeletonwitch, deep in her stronghold, and with muscle and moral purity he breaks her wicked will. Despite the supernatural potency coursing through her barbed and grave-slick bones, he pins her to the earth, stands on her straining serpentine spine, and with his last strength, cracks the crate and spills the sacred soil over her blasphemous form. The vault snaps shut; the hero has sacrificed himself but safeguarded all human civilization from the demonic clutches of the Skeletonwitch… for another hundred years…

Overwrought? Sure, but only extraordinary metal records inspire such flights of phantasmagoria, and Devouring Radiant Light is without doubt an extraordinary metal record. Is it Skeletonwitch’s best yet? Who’s to say? If you agree that the band has been on a fifteen-year, six-album upward trajectory, and that this record falls neatly in line with that trend of ascension, then it only stands to reason. Devouring Radiant Light is a gargantuan statement that somehow tucks itself into three quarters of an hour. From songwriting to production value, from performance mastery to the control and channeling of influences, everything about Devouring Radiant Light is exciting, commanding and compelling.

From the band’s very earliest stages, Skeletonwitch were about getting shit done. Tours were frequent and new albums emerged every couple years without fail. Then, not too long before their sixth album would have appeared on the Prosthetic release calendar, things got weird. In the middle of a tour, certain issues with founding vocalist Chance Garnette came to a head, and the band moved on without him. It’s irresponsible to say definitively whether that caused the five-year divide between Serpents Unleashed and this year’s Devouring Radiant Light – Skeletonwitch is no stranger to personnel changes, and drummer Dustin Boltjes recently left the band after laying down his skins-flaying parts for this new record – but it’s a convenient and highly public road marker in the band’s inexorable decade-plus rise to glory. In 2016, a new EP and a Decibel Magazine Tour “introduced” Wolvhammer/Veil of Maya veteran Adam Clemans as the new madman on the mic. Side note: Dude’s been busy this year, as Wolvhammer’s The Monuments of Ash & Bone just saw release a couple months ago. No complaints here, of course. The more we can get of guys like Clemans, the better.

But we were discussing Skeletonwitch. Glad to.

The guys are very clearly back to getting shit done. Boltjes and Clemans inject Skeletonwitch’s signature aggression into each of the album’s eight tracks, and while guitarists Nate Garnette and Scott Hedrick are no slouches in the destruction department, they often employ a more stately melodic approach that elevates the entire endeavor to heady new heights. It really does feel like the music has set out to explore daunting territories, from mist-choked subterranean palaces to sprawling rocky plains to pristine forested vistas. The majestic opening strains of “Fen of Shadows” assist with this impression, as do the cautious, creeping intros to the title track and “The Vault,” whose ascending run inexplicably echoes “The Hymn of Acxiom” by Vienna Teng. (I realize I’m possibly the only person making such a reference; feel free to continue on like you never read it.)

But these are hardly the only grandiose moments on the album. The clean guitar lead that twines through “When Paradise Fades” lends heroic vision to that song’s hillside gallop; there’s a whole rhythmic narrative suggested behind Clemans rasped proclamations in “Carnarium Eternal”; ditto “Sacred Soil” as it spins the album to a close. The constantly clever interplay between the rhythmic and tonal sections of the band weaves a drama with both immediacy and depth, turning Devouring Radiant Light into an all-around powerhouse, the kind of album that grabs ears and gives them something worth returning to even after the shine of newness has dulled.

Skeletonwitch have laid down several strong records, but to these ears, Devouring Radiant Light feels like their energy has been harnessed by their experience and discharged into a stunning leap forward. Here, Skeletonwitch make good on all the promise of their previous work. The music is satisfying in itself, but also seems to hint at untold stories resonating deep below the surface. If your dedication to heavy music ever begins to waver, clear 45 minutes from your schedule to let this album restore your conviction.

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2018/07/16/album-review-skeletonwitch-devouring-radiant-light/

To be fair, it’s not as if Joseph Campbell didn’t try to warn them.

After all, if one applies the classic monomyth architecture to the epic of Skeletonwitch, it is, in retrospect, fairly clear that the band’s stellar 2013 full-length Serpents Unleashed saw the Athens, Ohio, blackened thrash-death quintet teetering on the edge of what Campbell dubbed in his landmark 1949 comparative mythology treatise, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the “entrance to the zone of magnified power.” (Excellent!) But wait: “Beyond,” the American mythologist adds, “is darkness, the unknown and danger.” (Bogus!)

Alas, right on schedule, them black clouds blew in toward the end of 2014 when founding vocalist and formidable frontman Chance Garnette was dismissed mid-tour amid reports he’d been arrested and charged with “assault and battery on a family/household member” in Worcester, Massachusetts—his brother Nate is the band’s founding guitarist—thereby plunging Skeletonwitch into the metaphorical “belly of the whale,” wherein the hero—or, in this case, collective antihero—neither conquers nor conciliates, but, rather, learns the hard way that “passage of the threshold is a form of self-annihilation” and is deposited “into the land of trials” in which “dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passed—again, again and again.”

And—to its credit—slay and surprise Skeletonwitch did, finishing the ill-fated tour as an instrumental four-piece, hitting the road with ex-Cannabis Corpse/Battlemaster vocalist Andy Horn, recruiting Wolvhammer vocalist Adam Clemans as a permanent replacement, delivering scorching sets on the 2016 Decibel tour, and releasing the perfectly respectable The Apothic Gloom EP that same year.

None of these, however, are remotely as impressive or fearsome as the coup Skeletonwitch pulls off on its first full-length in five years, Devouring Radiant Light, an album comprising eight hydra-eviscerating tracks that are not merely the best, most fully actualized compositions of the band’s 15-year existence by far—no small feat, that—but some of the greatest boundary-smashing, subgenre-transcending, high-octane heavy fucking metal of the past decade, period. The electric creativity crackling within the maelstrom of cunning riffs and rhythms; the seamless melding of atmosphere and primal aggression; the crisp intricacy and nuance-excavating Kurt Ballou production; the unbridled ferocity of the vocals… Skeletonwitch is having its Master of Puppets and At the Heart of Winter moments simultaneously, and it is, if the band will forgive the superlative, absolutely motherfucking divine—the extreme music equivalent of heroic apotheosis; of, as Campbell put it, those “who know, not only that the Everlasting lies in them, but that what they, and all things, really are is the Everlasting, dwell in the groves of the wish fulfilling trees, drink the brew of immortality, and listen everywhere to the unheard music of eternal concord.”

its bad form that another poll started while this was rolling out. Previous years they took care so not to overlap.

i remember when skeletonwitch were popular around here thanks to jjj.

jjj if you're reading please say hi!

Meh (to the Skeletonwitch, that is).

not a nu-thrash fan then?

I was pretty impressed with this, also a pretty unusual (and, I think, convincing) stylistic break from a pretty popular band

a reminder for people that there is a SPOTIFY RESULTS PLAYLIST TO SUBSCRIBE to

69 Gnaw Their Tongues - Genocidal Majesty 144 Points, 5 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/6ds0KOa.jpg

https://gnawtheirtongues.bandcamp.com/album/genocidal-majesty

https://thequietus.com/articles/24026-gnaw-their-tongues-genocidal-majesty-album-review

Gnaw Their Tongues is an interesting case among the many and varied musical identities adopted by Mories de Jong. Where Cloak Of Altering, Aderlating or De Magia Veterum, for instance, opt for a slightly straighter symphonic or even ambient(ish) take on the black metal form, and Seirom lifts off into something closer to cosmic shoegaze, Gnaw their Tongues plunges wrist-deep into the guts of human misery. Unflinchingly violent and macabre, the sometimes overly visceral crime scene artwork puts de Jong's music at the viscerally misanthropic end of the musical spectrum.

Should Genocidal Majesty and the rest of the Gnaw their Tongues back catalogue be approached as a form of catharsis or as an immersion into the nasty side of human existence, taking a holiday in hellishness with a side trip into the abyss? When Merzbow renders and crushes all before him in a wall of noise, it's often with the express intention of raising awareness of animal cruelty. And while de Jong might have produced an album that comes closest to the full-spectrum aural beating that Masami Akita is renowned for delivering, he does so with a palpable sense of anger laced with disgust for all that humans can be and do to each other when at their worst.

The music's relationship to various sub-genres of extreme metal is perhaps more ancestral than immediate. There are all the signifiers – blast beats, dense slabs of distortion, instruments that may be cymbals thrashed to within a microscopic measure of life, but if there are guitars and basses responsible for anything on Genocidal Majesty, then it ultimately doesn't matter. Mind-bending layers of samples and electronic devices, filters tearing and grumbling, are overdriven into the permanent red on the level meters. 'To Bear Witness To The Truth' surges in on a raft of unhealthy-sounding bass regurgitations, the shuddering reverberations crumbling through the sound spectrum and rolling in on martial drumbeats that have become Mories' stock-in-trade, a tearing synthesizer rise surging up the horripilatory scale to plateau among the metallic clangs and barely discernible vocal samples.

The low end can be phenomenal, a gut punch followed by bone-breaking beats that ascend non-stop into a calamitous frenzy that just keeps on going with no escape, no redress, no possible response but surrender. With throaty caterwauling provided on two tracks by a fellow guide to the lower circles of hell, Chip King from equally ferocious noisemakers The Body, the levels of disgust for pretty much everything attain peak misanthropy, expressed via unwholesome screaming that channels powerful demons over and among the unstoppable violence of the music.

The hellish vocal panoply can lift Genocidal Majesty into the realms of opera as performed by a sickening pageant of monsters from the id parading their way from one bleak pit to another, marching all the while on a neverending field of crushed and broken bodies. It's a wonder that Gnaw Their Tongues live don't provoke riots and worse, because that's what this sometimes resembles, a red-mist reduction to the basest level of brutality in the form of unleashed, vituperative horror. On record at least there is a break at the end of 'The Doctrine Of Paranoid Seraphims' to allow for changing sides (on the vinyl edition at least), but beyond that there is virtually no pause, no respite allowed for, save for when the sounds of what might be gnawing and slavering slurp alongside a moment of relative calm in the middle of 'Cold Oven'.

There is a gentler come down allowed here than on previous records, the album folding out almost miraculously into the elegiac symphonic swell that concludes 'Void Sickness'. De Jong pulls his listeners back into the light, turning all the auditory torment that led to the final moments into a surprising, even pleasant-sounding, ending. Perhaps by allowing some relative gentleness into the Gnaw Their Tongues canon, Mories is practising emotional manipulation of a different sort, and maybe by tugging at the heart strings he's performed an about-face that signals better days ahead. But don't count on it.

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/genocidal-majesty-is-gnaw-their-tongues-defining-work/

In John Carpenter’s 1995 film In the Mouth of Madness, the world is on the brink of collapse at the hands of unseen interdimensional horrors. No one knows it, of course — everyone is too preoccupied with the writings of Sutter Cane, the horror fiction author and global phenomenon. But as the film quickly reveals, Cane is no mere Stephen King stand-in: he is the arbiter of the apocalypse whose writings shape the events that will ultimately culminate in the end of the world.

But while Cane is in control of our doings, he is powerless compared to the abominations controlling him. The eldritch author channels destruction at every turn; his power lies in what remains unseen. He is the vessel through which Earth’s destruction flows.

Cane, if he existed, might have found a contemporary in Maurice de Jong. The composer, known to his fans as “Mories,” has released roughly 70 albums and EPs under at least five different aliases, each testing the listener’s emotional resolve. His work is regularly described as “hellish,” and for good reason: de Jong’s extensive catalogue of blackened noise and drone is, at its best, dread-inducing on a biblical scale.

Mories’ latest work as Gnaw Their Tongues (his chief alias) might be a new listener’s best introduction to his abyssal world. GENOCIDAL MAJESTY, released February 8th, is one of his most compact and succinct works yet. Just a half-hour long, GENOCIDAL MAJESTY carries none of the drawn-out, drone-y wankery that often comes with the intersection of black metal and noise. It distills all of the project’s strengths into a concise onslaught of horror.

…

…

The album opens abruptly with “DEATH LEAVES THE WORLD,” a track that simply begins: no introduction, no buildup, only an immediate cavalcade of blistering noise. The drums, a mixture of electronic and acoustic percussion, clip violently to the top of the mix, acting as an anchor for the cacophonous swells of feedback and atonal instrumentation beneath the surface. Then, the vocals: Mories’ shrieks and guttural snarls have always been ferocious, but here they are downright harrowing. He is not exploring physical and mental pain as on previous releases; here, he’s inflicting it.

He’s not alone, either. The piercing howls of The Body’s Chip King are a welcome presence in two tracks on GENOCIDAL MAJESTY: “SPIRITS BROKEN BY SWORDS” and “THE DOCTRINE OF PARANOID SERAPHIMS.” While King’s vocals have not always proven to be effective on some of The Body’s less-inspired collaborations, here they are a perfect match. King moans like de Jong’s abused servant, and when their vocals overlap it creates a truly nauseating atmosphere.

Despite the chaotic and free-flowing nature of the instrumentation, these songs move with clarity despite the genre’s steep learning curve. De Jong offers listeners a road map, and while there are not traditional bridges, verses, and choruses, the songs all move with clear intent. “COLD OVEN,” the album’s sixth and strongest track, exemplifies this. The industrial percussion is matched by initially sparse instrumentation. But, as the track builds, it grows more frightful, picking up momentum until the listener is eventually assaulted by a punishing wall of feedback.

While on the surface GENOCIDAL MAJESTY might read like an unending wave of noise, de Jong levels the chaos with a composer’s touch. Sudden, brief moments of silence appear across the album, acting not as a respite from the chaos but as effective tension-builders. Other subtleties dot these compositions, e.g. a swell of strings which lasts only a second on “COLD OVEN” and the dialogue samples on the first and final tracks. There is a tremendous amount of care here. For all of Mories’ well-documented misanthropy, his music is not indifferent toward its listener in the slightest.

It’s possible to view Gnaw Their Tongues as bordering on melodrama. The song titles, album names, and general themes of the project might feel, at casual glance, like exercises in well-worn metal tropes. But GENOCIDAL MAJESTY puts those notions to rest once and for all. It wholly backs up the apocalyptic, antinatalist fervor de Jong projects, every bit as horrifying as titles like “TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTH” and “TEN BODIES HANGING” might suggest. This is the spirit of metal in its purest form, and a phenomenal testament to the staying power of Gnaw Their Tongues. He is a fitting bard for the inevitable end of time.

— Michael Siebert

george is going to do the next couple

68 ST 37 - ST 37 146 points, 4 votes
https://i.imgur.com/jlMX72C.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/4lPk4jxjJylsuPAqvrV6MU?si=4RZtEk2hSQ2ynZzLszbRfA

spotify:album:4lPk4jxjJylsuPAqvrV6MU

https://m.soundcloud.com/supersecretrecords/sets/st-37-st-37

https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2018-08-10/st-37/

Austin space/psych institution ST 37 celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and follows it up with a double-length state of the union address. Longtime leaders Joel Crutcher (guitar), Lisa Cameron (drums), and Scott Telles (bass/vox), joined by axe wielders Bobby Baker and Matt Turner and electronics gremlin Bob Bechtol, reach a new peak. "KBDP" and a remake of "Grey Area" from Telles' pre-ST band Elegant Doormats dive into a psychedelic sea, riding waves of pedal-damaged guitars and oscillator atmosphere into the deepest trench. The snarling "Boss" and blasting "Hollywood Cemetery," plucked from the obscure catalog of Telles' old Houston hardcore band Vast Majority, hit an opposite note, rocking hard enough to dispel Mary Jane's thickest clouds. "Shadesty" and redos of old standards "Snootle y Choobs," featuring harmonicat Walter Daniel, and "Rooster Feather Paycheck" find the median, balancing black-light tripping with brute force. From wide-eyed chemical pilgrimages to balls-out punk pound, the album sums up ST 37's strengths.

www.echoesanddust.com/2018/08/st-37-st

In what is now their 18th album (depending on how you count them), ST 37 still maintain true to that singular vision of worshipping at the church of Hawk and Wind. There’s no point in fixing anything that’s broken though, and here, whilst they may have self-titled their album, there is no sign of a new beginning. Instead it’s business as usual.

That business, will once again be full on riffs, leading into spaced out moments, as the music gets progressively deeper. ST 37 take no prisoners with their sound, and for most of the time remain resolutely “in your face”. The punkier aspect of their upbringing roars out at you, held in check only be the mind-melting moments of tripped out glee that fling you from rage to fucked in the space of a minute. ST 37 take no prisoners, and for all its uninviting pedigree, it mostly works.

On this album you get what amounts to the best and worst of ST 37, as they take in sublime tripped out moments against unnecessary juvenile nonsense. The less said about ‘Boss’, the better, but apart from this jarring moment which serves as the low point of the album, you get the absolutely divine pay-off of ‘KBDP’, or any of the closing tracks on this album. Indeed, the second half serves as a timely reminder of the potent mix of riffs, dub and samples as they drift ever further into outer space.

Less about the songs, about the album is more about moments such as the BBC sound effects of ‘Grey Area’, which offers some analogue displacement after being left in the ambient space of ‘Shaper Of Worlds pt.2’. Of course, there is only a short step before you get bludgeoned by the admittedly good ‘Hollywood Cemetery’. There’s no need to stay alert as ST 37 will do that for you.

On the whole, ST 37 is a good listen and ticks the requisite boxes for providing a tripped out experience. Certain moments do let the album down though, and for all its various nuances, it remains an album of blustering noise. If you are happy to let the loudness take you then go right ahead, but if you want something more subtle then you’re in for a wait. This far down the line, quality control may not be the number one priority for the band, and if they are content to just play around with the listener, then they have succeeded. After a couple of listens you will most likely find yourself not wanting to return. In parts it is excellent, but ultimately it pays few dividends.

Hooray for Gnaw of Tongues! Terrifying and brutal as ever.

I did not vote for Koenjihiyaki. Similar to what others have mentioned...I can appreciate it, but it just doesn’t connect enough emotionally.

(ftr Echoes & Dust is 100% wrong about "Boss"; that song sounds massive and chaotic and never fails to remind me of this--

[Gamers explaining that the final and most brutal enemy that you must defeat in a video game is called a ‘Boss’]

Marx: go on

— Jules (@Julian_Epp) November 14, 2017

*their...

I'm amazed ST 37 placed so high

Yeah tbph me too. That album had barely any traction though so this is great

Gnaw Their Tongues is sounding good so far. They're remarkably prolific, though, so I think I'll start by listening to their latest LP (from 2019).

This next one is one of the few albums to place that is not available on Spotify

67 Earthling Society - MO--The Demon 148 points, 3 votes, 1 #1 vote
https://earthlingsociety.bandcamp.com

http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/tag/earthling-society-mo-the-demon/

Look, if you can’t get down with a bunch of freaks like Earthling Society tapping into the lysergic fabric of the cosmos to come up with an unsolicited soundtrack to a Hong Kong martial arts movie, I just don’t know what to tell you. Issued by Riot Season, the seven-track MO – The Demon is reportedly the end of the band’s technicolor daydream, and as they crash their plane into the side of “Mountains of Bliss” and hone space rock obliteration throughout “Super Holy Monk Defeats the Black Magic Mothafucker,” their particular experimentalist charm and go-anywhere-anytime sensibility demonstrates plainly exactly why it will be missed. There’s a sharp high-pitched tone at the start of opener “Theme from MO – The Demon” that’s actually pretty abrasive, but by the time they’re through the kosmiche laser assault in “Spring Snow” and the let’s-be-flower-children-until-it’s-time-to-freak-the-fuck-out throb of closer “Jetina Grove,” that is but a distant memory. So is consciousness. Fare thee well, Earthling Society. You were a band who only sought to make sense to yourselves, and for that, were all the more commendable.

https://thequietus.com/articles/25416-columnfortably-numb-psych-column-september-october-2018-pigs-pigs-pigs-pigs-pigs-pigs-pigs-wolf-eyes-upper-wilds

When I resided there briefly in about 2005, Leeds didn't strike me as the most psychedelic location on the planet. Back then it was all indie disco nights at The Cockpit and Kaiser Chiefs album launches in the carpeted foyer of HMV. There's a chance I didn’t move in the right circles. Only later came Hookworms T-shirts, day trips to Hebden Bridge, and Wooden Shjips gigs at the Brudenell Social Club. There’s a chance I still don’t move in the right circles. Earthling Society were formed in Fleetwood but MO - The Demon was recorded at Leeds College Of Music where the band managed to wangle themselves some free studio time. If they’ve soaked up some of West Yorkshire’s neo-hippy vibes, Earthling Society also draw inspiration from further afield.

Side A is a tribute to the vintage Hong Kong horror flick The Boxer’s Omen. (Haven’t seen it myself but I've just watched the trailer on YouTube and read a short online plot synopsis and am happy to report it looks proper batshit.) MO - The Demon’s musical influences include Miles Davis’s electric funk period. His albums from that era are not the most highly regarded among diehard Miles-ites but according to Arch Drood Julian Cope they are actually the highpoint of the jazz superstar’s entire career because they share the same heavily shamanistic spirit as krautrock, Japanese improv-rock, and proto-metal. Earthling Society are also fans of Santana. Don’t know what Dr Cope has to say about that. Trippily mingling the two works rather well, it turns out. Besides, can anybody truly resist any track called ‘Super Holy Monk Defeats The Black Magic Muthafucker’?

Side B is different. Bomi Seo of Tirikilatops provides the spoken Korean vocal part for ‘Spring Snow’ which starts off as a synthy ambient piece before mutating into a seriously heavy psych-doom jam and then folding back in on itself. Final track ‘Jetavina Grove’, on the other hand, begins as a pseudo-raga piece like what George ‘The Quiet One’ Harrison would do. Then that number all goes a bit Hawkwind too, thank Brock.

https://psychinsightmusic.com/2018/10/02/album-review-mo-the-demon-by-earthling-society/

I first came across Earthling Society in 2014 when I bought the ‘England Have My Bones’ album on the recommendation of a friend. I remember not really knowing what to think when I first heard it, which was also the first of many bought from the marvellous Riot Season label (who are also releasing this one). At the time I was a relative newcomer to a great deal of psychedelic music, and so many of the influences on that album may have been lost on me. That was then and this is now and I have learned a great deal over the ensuing four years, and one of my principal teachers over this time has been Fred Laird through his band Earthling Society. About a year back I did a playlist of the bands that inspire me to write and Earthling Society was definitely on that list.

The main reason for this, I think, is that every Earthling Society album is different. It has it’s own atmosphere, but it also has a real depth to it. There is clearly a great deal of thought goes on behind each release, but also played with great care and attention to detail. As a result if you know where to look you can hear the musical influences on each track, and you can also hear the philosophical influences too. And it is that latter point that has also drawn me to Earthling Society over the years.

Something I try not to talk about too much, but seems valid here, is that I used to teach Eastern religions and philosophies at the University of Leeds in what now feels like a previous life. However, much of the Earthling Society output brings me back to that and Laird’s obvious interest in this has provided me with a clear link. This goes back to the idea of depth and atmosphere that each album has… it takes you with it into somewhere entirely different, and every album is a distinct trip into the unknown.

So having said all that, it was with mixed feelings that I learned this week that the album featured here will be the last by Earthling Society. Mixed feelings because I would have happily continued to listen to and absorb another twenty of these, yet I also think that it is great when musicians know their own mind and bring a project to an end at a time that is right for them.

For me this final album is yet another significant contribution to the band’s oeuvre, and to psychedelic music. As the Press Release explains there is, of course there is, a concept behind the album:

Mo – The Demon was recorded at Leeds College of Music between November 2017 and February 2018. The basis of the album was to record an imaginary soundtrack to the Shaw Brothers batshit psychedicrazy Kung Fu horror ‘The Boxer’s Omen’ aka MO or demon.

Normally, at this point I would launch into a detailed description of the album and what listening to it means to me, but I am very pleased to say that Fred has written a ‘track by track’ explanation of the album and how it came about… so on this occasion I’m going to put my feet up and just listen while he explains it all.

Theme From MO-The Demon

The song originally sounded like an Early Neil Young kind of desert rock song. It was all hanging minor chords like something from ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’. At the time there was no movie concept just a bunch of songs to record as part of my son Harry’s degree at Leeds College Of Music. I was listening to a lot of jazz funk fusion such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. I started rewriting the chords into a more suspended jazz thing and then the chorus riff came together which sounded quite Bowie-esque. The verse riff came together in the studio. It’s like a spy theme, very noir. The guitars that come crashing in halfway are more towards the earlier idea of the song as a Crazy Horse desert rock thing.

King Boxer

The Miles Davis funkathon to the fore. This was the song when we realised we had written a 70’s or 80’s movie score. My son and I was playing the mix back at his house in Hyde Park when it dawned on us. I’d been actually toying with doing an imaginary soundtrack to ‘Boxer’s Omen’ and without realising we had actually conceived it!! So this is the scene of the Thai Boxing match. Once we started naming the songs they seemed to fit into key parts of the film. So…

Inauguration of the Buddha Dome

Is the transformation of the hero into a kind of super magical Buddhist monk. It’s got lots of delayed guitars feeding back and repeating themselves over a hypnotic drum pattern. One guitar sounds like the groaning of some alien thing. There’s Tibetan bells being whacked too. Quite intense. A bit Amon Duul maybe?

Mountains of Bliss

Mountains of Bliss is the scene where he ventures into Nepal. Again a kind of Miles Davis ‘In a silent way’ feel to the track. The guitar solo was completely improvised and we used the second take. I played through a Valve Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. It’s a beautiful sound. The sustain is amazing. Very Santana in it’s feel.

Super Holy Monk Defeats The Black Magic Muthafucker

This is the climax of the movie where the transformed monk defeats the evil magician. Pretty much what the title suggests really so no need to elaborate on that one. Again the guitar solo was improvised. I wanted to create a sound similar to Hideki Ishima but also have that Eddie Hazel thing he has going on Maggot Brain where the guitar gets that overloaded it starts to crumble the notes. The end became this intense delayed feedback that just got louder and louder until the noise travelled out of the sound booth, crept down the corridor and immersed the receptionists. You could hear it in the lobby!!

So that was side 1 done in November and we had another side to do in February. Again we went back to Leeds College of Music and recorded the following tracks.

Spring Snow

The track was meant to be a kind of cool Velvets meets Doctors Of Madness Ballad that morphed into a full on space rock monster. It just didn’t work. I hated the vocals I did and I thought the overall take was pretty naff including my own playing. The space rock bit in the middle was the only thing salvageable. When I returned home I recorded the intro again with just two arpeggio-ed guitars and mellotron. I ran it through a Harmonizer (as used by Tony Visconti on Low and Heroes) and this whole wonderful soundscape was created, turning the guitars into some kind of liquefied synth.

I had seen Tirikilatops the previous August opening for Makoto and Pickaychu In Preston and was quite captivated by them. I thought an ethereal female vocal would by quite fitting and that Bomi would be perfect to sing on it in Korean. They are based in Blackpool just down the road from us and all came together. It’s a magickal recording.

Jetavina Grove.

Well its actually Jetavana Grove but my edition of Siddartha by Herman Hesse has an incorrect spelling of it. Must be a cheap copy! Anyway it just stuck as Jetavina. I was listening to a lot of John Fahey and was using one of his tunings. Again this was recorded in full at Leeds but the first part again just didn’t work for me. So I re-recorded the beginning at home. I like the way you have this kind of Lo-Fi field recording that crashes into this psych raga monster; it has great impact. The intro reminds me of Satanic Majesties and the second half a bit Screaming Trees circa ‘Dust’. I love this song and thought it was the perfect goodbye from the band. It has all the elements of the band distilled into 9 minutes.

[Back to me again]

I found this last sentence was very interesting because I thought the whole album was somehow a fitting swan song for the band because it does take the listener through may different stages and experiences during the course of the set. In this sense I imagine that setting the record out as a soundtrack enabled the band to hang the music on an external narrative that meant that they had more of a freedom to take the sound into different places.

I do get to exercise my ‘reviewing muscles’ a bit though, because some editions of this album also came with a CD-R, ‘Transient Head EP’ by Morphic Resident (aka Fred Laird). A title which suggests to me this may be where Laird may be headed next.

If this is the case it is into some very interesting territory indeed with something that is something that is still intensely psychedelic, yet also represents something of a departure from the Earthling Society. “Clocks Strike Thirteen’ in a sense eases us into this, with dub elements that are reminiscent of some of there ‘Zen Bastard’ album in particular. I found this to be a really intense piece that somehow puts the dub before the guitar in a way that I don’t think I’ve heard before from Laird.

After that ‘U-Know-Y’ is perhaps more reggae than dub in its approach, although that is only one element in what feels like quite a complex experimental piece. This, I would say, is definitely the work of a ‘transient head’, mainly because I know what that head is and where it is at. That is to say that this does not feel like a throwaway track but, like the others here, one that I will listen to every bit as much a the album itself, this is not ‘MO – The Demo’.

As the title suggests ‘Free Fall – No Deal Dub’ is in a similar vein but, again, is no straight dub track with lots of invention in there, the variations around the fat bass being never short of interesting and accomplished. But it is the final track ‘Bomi Runs The Demon Down – Cherry Blossom Saturday’ which particularly piqued my interest. By the title I took this to be in someway part of the ‘MO – The Demon’ soundtrack, and after a crazy freaked out start this settles into a beautiful lilting track that has me imagining that I’m riding on one of Hokusai’s waves. There’s a gentleness there but also a sense of the storm threatening to engulf us, it’s only around five minutes long but I could listen to that melody all day.

This then is the end of Earthling Society… a fitting end in many ways of a journey which also seems to contain many of the elements of that Hokusai painting. There is a sense of otherness, the calm of part of the sea, and yet other elements bring storms and have a turbulent feel to them. But what I have always found about this picture is that you can never look at it and see the same thing twice… particularly if you stare deeply into it; and this is what listening to an Earthling Society album has always been for me; and ‘MO – The Demon’ is no different.

I could go on but I will stop there and leave the last words to Fred himself:

Well its been 14 years and some of it has been extremely frustrating. I’m surprised we lasted this long!! I just thought it was time to move on. We have gone through numerous changes over the years and finally by 2012 settled on the definitive line-up. However, it’s become a tiresome beast and when I finished ‘MO – The Demon’ I knew there was nowhere else to go with the band. We have tried to keep it unique and original and I think we have somewhat succeeded; although that has been quite detrimental to us as some people just didn’t get it. A curates egg perhaps? We were a true psychedelic band when others were the 1910 Fruitgum Company!!!!

Zodiak, England Have My Bones, Zen Bastard, Ascent To Godhead and Mo-The Demon. I think we have left behind some pretty cool albums. I’m proud of them….

(my #1 btw)

Also: I forgot the album cover

https://i.imgur.com/oEgjW4U.jpg

Krusty looking rough there

66 Sepulcher - Panoptic Horror 148 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/Y90nC3b.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/1vm1ar4GHjOEpo39ffmZof?si=87c1xt-TRMG-1uNHUXlK-Q
spotify:album:1vm1ar4GHjOEpo39ffmZof

https://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/album/panoptic-horror

https://yourlastrites.com/2018/10/02/sepulcher-panoptic-horror-review/

Typically, when I’m writing a review, I read up on the band — bios, interviews, press releases, anything that will help me understand where the music is coming from: its inception, its influence, its intent.

Sepulcher does not make that easy.

Just as it was in 2015 when I reviewed their first album, Mausoleum Tapestry, there’s virtually no information available about these Norwegians, no interviews, no member names, only a Facebook page that offers updates on this album (and is also in need of more likes)…

On the plus side, that forces me to focus on the only information I have, which is Mausoleum Tapestry and now Panoptic Horror itself. Ultimately, I suppose, that’s how it should be.

That first album was a raw and ripping platter of classic-styled death / thrash, harking back to the glory days when thrash first broke loose and pushed into the uglier, darker, heavier world of death, that feral ferocity that helped lay the groundwork for all the extreme metal that followed. Wrapped in a tinny, vintage-sounding production, Mausoleum Tapestry was a short burst of frantic fury, on the verge of coming unhinged at chaotic speed and yet holding together in that perfectly ramshackle manner.

Panoptic Horror is similar, and yet more refined, its rawness polished off a bit. In terms of production, Panoptic Horror is simply more professional, more modern-leaning, although it’s still very much harking to a bygone day. And truthfully, those improved sonics are a double-edged sword — balanced more closely at the forefront, Sepulcher’s vocals are now more noticeably the weakest point of the band’s performance, a full-throated hardcore hollering that lends either album a punk-toned thrashiness that borders upon crossover territory. Tucked back into the maelstrom of Mausoleum Tapestry, those vocals were less prominent and thus more easily overlooked, whereas here, they’re front and center and yet lack a certain distinctive vileness or viciousness to match the relentless riffing beneath.

Still, these vocals are far from a dealbreaker, merely the weakest link in an otherwise strong approach, and Panoptic Horror thankfully compensates with a collection of equally pummeling and slicing tracks to match its elder brother. From the opening rage of “Corporeal Vessels” through the strangely dance-y intro to “Towards An Earthly Rapture” and the intertwining trad-tinted guitars of “Abyssal Horror” and beyond, Panoptic is a fun slab of retro-death / thrash homage, performed with appropriate skill and reverence. It’s not a new approach in the slightest, but it’s one that’s been proven effective, time and again, and it’s no less vital in the hands of these nameless Norwegians.

If you’re going to let your music do the talking, then your music better have something to say. Panoptic Horror says “Come with me, back to the good ol’ days, and let’s tear some shit up.” And that sounds pretty good to me.

https://grizzlybutts.com/2018/09/05/sepulcher-panoptic-horror-2018-review/

Across the last decade a quietly brilliant handful of Norwegian musicians have grown louder with an inspired sort of art-house renaissance building steam behind their typified Scandinavian exploration of psychedelic occult death metal. With the hardworking exploits of Execration, Obliteration and Sulphur amassing global interest alongside Swedish contemporaries so rises a hungrier, even more viably thrashing generation of Norse insanity. Who are the next in line worthy of your krone? Cleaver and Reptilian are both on the cusp of bigger things but the second full-length from Fusa based thrashers Sepulcher heralds their earned and mighty place as noteworthy underground phenomena. ‘Panoptic Horror’ might offer little more than an ‘expected’ amount of growth in the space of three years upon first listen but, with rumination came a revelatory and addictive death/thrash experience.

‘Mausoleum Tapestry’ (2015) was such a flood of ideas that it carried some inevitable conflict due to rough shod transitions between ‘Hell Awaits’ influenced thrash, tangential modern atmospheric death metal, and cacophonous raw production values a la the first Reveal album. All of the young band’s ideas were more than promising and the album is no less valuable today yet, ‘Panoptic Horror’ makes its predecessor sound like a demo compilation. How so? In hosting the spirit of 80’s death metal and wearing that confrontational thrash metal geist like a bullet-belt, Sepulcher aggress upon the wandering retro-futurist death metal of groups like Morbus Chron, Ghastly and Execration; They aren’t so much adding to that cluster of style but instead outdoing those influences in creating a directional and aggressive form of it.

At face value this shouted, post-modernist death/thrash record is almost kin to Zombiefication‘s ‘Below the Grief’ with its harsh railing vocals and guitar work that explores complex, genre-bending performances; The major difference comes with core song structures on ‘Panoptic Horror’ appearing largely rooted in classic heavy/speed metal. The overall sound is a bit like Deceased‘s ‘Fearless Undead Machines’ but rethought through Morbus Chron‘s later output. Or alternately as if Reveal‘s ‘The Nocturne of Eyes and Teeth’ were recorded by Cadaver circa ’91 and printed in 2018. Complex death metal tirades melt together with speed metal’s focused classic rhythms amidst hardcore/crust punk influenced intensity and it all makes for an album of confoundingly brutal occult havoc. Sepulcher deliver exactly the sort of record I live for; The sort of project that serves influence from extreme metal’s history but also takes note of current influences. This type of conception is not possible without a passion for extreme metal’s curious outliers and exists in good taste.

This was not as easy of a sell for me as it might seem, at least when considering my ‘Albums of the Year’ for the previous two were from Temisto and Execration. The abrasive shout that drives Sepulcher‘s attack isn’t varied and offers little to no tact to the record; I’d eventually made a sort of concession that I couldn’t fault Slaughter or classic Slayer for this approach and came to enjoy the uncompromising barker’s urgency as an expression of honest outrage. Accommodations made in spite of it’s hysteria weren’t what tipped ‘Panoptic Horror’ towards being one of the best albums of the year for me, it all boils down to the thrash metal core of Sepulcher‘s style sparking continual interest across the months I’ve sat with it. Whenever possible, fire up “Towards an Earthly Rupture” and when that intro is done melting you to a gooey puddle of band t-shirt and boxer shorts you’ll start to understand where I’m coming from. Those sort of moments don’t ever get old and showcase a songwriter who understands that every track on a full-length must count; Without these sorts of instrumental ‘hooks’ there is no hope to otherwise cut through the noise of myriad stylistic clones and vapid extreme metal bands that rely on style points above musical statement.

I’ve given ‘Panoptic Horror’ my highest rating because (for my taste) it is simply one of the most vital releases of the year. Sepulcher transcend a retro-futurist death metal model by honing in on the most primal death and speed metal structures and extrapolating their lasting appeal through a modern and well-balanced take on death metal. I would suggest that they appear effortless in achieving what so many of their peers have been fumbling with since the release of ‘Sweven’ in providing a musically valuable shaping of progressive intent with classic influence. For preview “Corporeal Vessels” offers a window into the hard-thrashing spirit of the album and the ‘Soulside Journey’-esque atmospheric complexity of the performances should be immediately gratifying. Apart from the already mentioned “Towards an Earthly Rapture”, I wanted to also suggest the pairing of “Ethereal Doom” / “Abyssal Horror” for their Agrimonia-meets-Morbus Chron sort of style that helped solidify the album’s value across repeat listening. The rest will prove its worth just as easily. Highest recommendation.

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2018/09/12/an-ncs-album-premiere-and-a-review-sepulcher-panoptic-horror/

Welcome to Bedlam!

I can think of no better greeting to give you for the lawlessness, the pandemonium, the sheer uproarious (and often macabre) extravagance that awaits you within Sepulcher’s new album, Panoptic Horror. The faint of heart will shy away, but those who hunger for the taste of barely contained yet sharply executed mayhem will find a true home here.

Apart from their talent for discharging explosive energy, this group of Norwegian marauders have a lot of other qualities to recommend them, all of which are triumphantly displayed on these seven ravaging tracks. Their sound, for example, is quite distinctive. Among the numerous stylistic ingredients in their music, you’ll find death metal, d-beat punk, thrash, and occult psychedelia — all of which are expertly twisted together in unexpected ways and delivered with demented fervor.

Moreover, the songs are crafted to create persistently dynamic tempos and energies that keep you on the edge of your seat. None of the songs stay in the same gear throughout, nor are they wedded to the same kind of moods. They’re alternately freakish and frenetic, dismal and demented, venomous and vicious. The music is part wolfpack, part lurching ghoul, part barroom brawl. It scampers, gallops, pounds, slithers, crawls, and rocks out so hard you might think you’re head will come off and bounce off the walls.

Dismal, moaning chords and twisted, queasy leads trade places with high-boil tremolo riffs and fan-fare like bursts of braying melody. Murderously grim one moment, it’s boisterously chaotic the next. It sounds dangerous all the time.

Sitting still isn’t a viable option. Getting knocked off-balance is a much greater risk than boredom (which really is no risk at all). Yet to add one more accolade to all these others, the songwriting is so well-done that as delirious as the experience is, the changes within the songs don’t feel forced. It just sounds instead like this crew have found their style, which is as comfortable to them as their own skin, even if it makes the listener feel like they’re riding an electric chair.

The music is also produced in a way that suits these songs to a T. It delivers a sound that’s electrifyingly immediate, and it astutely bridges the gap between razor-sharpness and filthy grit. All the component pieces are clearly discernible, but they combine in a way that nevertheless sounds rough and poisonous. There’s just enough distortion and reverb, but not too much. It’s a fine balancing act.

And because all the component pieces stand out in the mix, let’s tick them off: The ever-changing drumwork is remarkably vibrant and powerful. The rock-crushing bass presence is massive. The riffs and leads change in tone just like much else about the music, ranging from heavy and harrowing to gleefully lunatic, and there are some truly berserker solos waiting for you (especially the one that erupts near the end of the closing track).

And the vocals, which are the least death-metal thing about the music, are the kind of raw, red-eyed, utterly wild punk yells that authentically sound full of fight and fury. There’s still a kind of dynamism in all this vocal vehemence, too — in the sense that they range from furiously pissed-off to frighteningly unhinged in the violence of their delivery.

Last but not least, while pandemonium lives within this album, it’s also paradoxically a well-oiled machine. As mentioned earlier, there’s sharp execution in all the twists and turns, even if the overall impact seems like… a trip to Bedlam.

Panoptic Horror will be released by Edged Circle Productions on September 14th on CD and vinyl LP formats. A limited cassette version is being released in cooperation with Morbid Skull Records. It includes cover art by the great Mariusz Lewandowski.

https://toiletovhell.com/review-sepulcher-panoptic-horror/

If you could rail up the intensity of mid-80’s thrash, cop some second-hand haze via a crust-punk’s PCP, and wash it down with a gullet-full of unknown piss from whatever the fuck Autopsy et al. were drinking back in the day, you’d be on your way to where the current crop of Norwegian death metal bands reside. While each band in the nascent scene there exhibit strikingly similar sonic traits, for someone who finds the rejuvination of the primordial death metal sound an invigorating experience, scoring a handful of active bands whose sound is so inextricably linked is nothing short of rapturous. In short, I tried, I really did…but I’m back on my bullshit.

So you’ve probably ascertained by now that Sepulcher‘s follow-up to 2015’s unrelenting thrasher Mausoleum Tapestry fits right in with the offerings proffered by their Norsk cohort, and for the most part, it does. However on Panoptic Horror, Sepulcher appear to have attempted to incorporate some extra dynamics into their sound; mostly by way of more prolonged dwellings in the slower tempo sections, which were previously restricted to slight periods of respite between all-out fury. There are times when the band seem more comfortable exploiting a particularly stompy rhythm for all it’s worth (see ‘Towards An Earthly Rapture’ and ‘Haunting The Spheres’), often with a jam-like structure bordering on punk-simplicity. Whereas Mausoleum Tapestry was comfortably ensconced in the echoes of Obliteration‘s explosive Black Death Horizon, Panoptic Horror fuses the more experimental excursions of Execration (‘Corrupting The Cosmos’) with the unadulterated mania of Reptilian (‘Scourge Of Emptiness’). The result? How about you decide for once? Go on.

Yes, that was a bit of a cop-out on my part. But in all honesty, I’m a good few years beyond the “recognising I have a problem” stage of this Norwegian death addiction. So there’s no way to even entertain the idea of being an independent arbiter at this point. And truthfully, I am on the fence about whether or not the simpler parts of Panoptic Horror are to its (slight) benefit or (slight) detriment. Nevertheless, over the past month or two this album has proved its worth in replay value, and one look at that compelling cover art should be suffice for this record to crack open wallets, and consequently, skulls.
3.5 out of 5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell

And now for another album not on Spotify...

is it totally metal?

65 Alameda 4 - Czarna Woda 150 points, 4 votes
https://i.imgur.com/KBYRvH0.jpg
https://alamedacountydeathcult.bandcamp.com/album/czarna-woda-instant-classic-milieu-lacephale-2018

https://thequietus.com/articles/24016-alameda-4-instant-classic-listen

Regular readers of these pages will know that we here at tQ are big fans of Polish label Instant Classic. Their next release comes in the form of a debut album by Alameda 4, entitled Czarna woda, and you can stream the title track exclusively above ahead of the album's release next month.

Alameda 4 is the latest incarnation of Alameda Organisation who've been responsible for a number of past releases on Instant Classic. The group, which consists of Krzysztof Kaliski, Tomasz Popowski, Mikołaj Zieliński and Jakub Ziołek, have been working away together since 2014.

"This band's history is longer that you might have expected," says Ziołek. "It all started around 2014 with Raphael Rogiński who unfortunately had to resign due to his other projects. Then we decided to replace him with Krzysztof Kaliski and began work on rearranging each and every track. This, as well as the fact that we're divided between Bydgoszcz and Warsaw, took a lot of effort and resulted in a release that's coming out this year."

Ziołek also explains that as a quartet, the group refrain from using guitar pedals such as delay or reverb, and also keep distortion effects to a bare minimum. "Thanks to this our sound is more direct," says Ziołek. "That's not necessarily the case with our melodic approach that seems to be deeply rooted in Far and Middle Eastern musical traditions.

"We're living in dark times and this fact took its toll on the lyrics. But I need to stress that there's a positive message at the end: you can always start from scratch, fix your mistakes and look hopefully to what future brings."

Czarna woda will be released via Instant Classic this spring.

https://www.gigwise.com/news/3237369/alameda-4-preview-forthcoming-album-with-new-track--czarna-woda-

Alameda 4 have given a preview of their forthcoming debut album, Czarna Woda, by sharing the album’s title track.

The release presents the latest configuration of Poland’s progressive outfit the Alemada Organisation who have released a series of incredible albums on the cheekily named Instant Classic label. Led by Kuba Ziołek (guitar, vocals, bouzouki) of Stara Rzeka, Innercity Ensemble and Kapital fame, the band is made up of Krzysztof Kaliski (guitar), Tomasz Popowski (drums) and Mikołaj Zieliński (baritone guitar).

Speaking of the new release, Ziołek explained: "This band's history is longer that you might have expected. It all started around 2014 with Raphael Rogiński who unfortunately had to resign due to his other projects. Then we decided to replace him with Krzysztof Kaliski and began work on rearranging each and every track. This, as well as the fact that we're divided between Bydgoszcz and Warsaw, took a lot of effort and resulted in a release that's coming out this year."

The track itself is an excellent example of how Poland is leading the way in terms of progressive and experimental music. Fusing elements of folk and rock into a seamless whole, ‘Czarna Woda’ – that’s ‘Black Water’ for you non-Polish speakers out there – builds up to a gloriously whirling dervish of a track that beguiles and hypnotises in equal measure. Occupying a hinterland that sits somewhere between the progressive and psychedelic scenes, this is music that’s wholly its own.

As a record label, Kraków-based Instant Classic boast an incredibly high strike rate on their roster. Most of their releases are on strictly limited edition vinyl though their back catalogue is digitally available via Bandcamp. You could stick a pin on their list of artists and come up with something great. For the novice, we recommend Wacław Zimpel’s Lines, ARRM by ARRM and Stara Rzeka’s Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem.

Most recently, multi-instrumentalist Wacław Zimpel joined forces with electronics producer Forest Swords and poet Belinda Zhawi for an improvised session at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios for Radio 3’s Late Junction with some stunning results.

You’re advised to turn your eyes and ears in an eastern direction…

Maybe not totally...xp

This poll is going way too fast for me to keep up with, but let me just say: Too low for KEN Mode. It's their best since Venerable - possibly better? Skeletonwitch should have been higher, too. At least they both scored higher than Tropical Fuck Storm.

Ah! That reminds me to go buy this Alameda 4 album right now. Did not vote for it, though.

63 The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic 151 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/WNSHRKI.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5wXk12dqhJZAxJSsMBUd6e?si=2nZmmisPQzqQCV1X26PBmQ
spotify:album:5wXk12dqhJZAxJSsMBUd6e

https://theocean.bandcamp.com/album/phanerozoic-i-palaeozoic-2

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-ocean-phanerozoic-i-palaeozoic-review/

When I listen to The Ocean, I can’t help but think of Angry Metal Guy. Though I was a fan before (especially of fluXion and the Precambrian double album), Noctus and Angry Metal Guy convinced me to take Pelagial seriously. That album soared through 2013, taking home the coveted AMG RotM award and AMG‘s end o’ the year spot. All year long, it never let up its hold on me. And it still hasn’t. It’s been five years and, now, I stand here holding Pelagial‘s follow-up, Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic. The ocean images and sounds are gone as we return to a concept the band created over a decade ago. As the Earth evolved from the Hadean eon to the Archean and Proterozoic periods, The Ocean also evolved. Now they/we/all have arrived at one of Earth’s and The Ocean‘s most important periods: Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic. But, how big will this Cambrian Explosion be?

Being a chemist, I never had to study geologic eons and periods,1 yet I’ve always found them fascinating. And when I heard 2007’s Precambrian, the theme and musical concept took hold of me. Though Pelagial is better, it wouldn’t have happened without Precambrian. In a single release, we hear the band evolve from the heavy first disc of the Hadean eon to uncharted territories of the Proterozoic-themed second disc. And the band changed forever. But, now, having achieved Pelagial, the stakes are higher than ever.

This time, there’re no oceanic sounds or water whooshing past your ears as the opening track submerses you. Instead, the slow-moving effects and piano of “The Cambrian Explosion” guide you down into the depths of the Earth. Your fingertips scrape across the rock as you dive deeper, adding texture to the brooding mood that things aren’t as calm as they seem. The opener finally climaxes, exploding into “Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence”—a song as epic and layered as any on Pelagial. The distortion is like thunder, the drums are crust cracking, and the vocals are red-hot. Through its eight-minute length, it paints harsh with clean and explores a bass-building midsection that erupts into the most-passionate rendition of the song’s chorus. Epic is the name of the game here and with only seven tracks to this forty-eight-minute record, you can expect a lot of it.

But, the more-epic of the bunch would have to be the back-to-back “Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions” and “Devonian: Nascent.” “Silurian” introduces effects-riddled bass/guitar chugs that fall away to clean guitars and gentle cymbal raps. Then, the climb begins—taking two iterations to get it right for the grand finale. The piano, strings, and clean guitars hold the Earth still before the planet’s gyration overcomes the calm and a sick, staccato-ed guitar pulls at the horns and strings that blare and scream in the shifting clouds. The result coats the planet in fire. Then “Devonian: Nascent” arrives, extinguishing the flames with thick retardant—a special chemical synthesized with beautiful atmospheres and the clean smoothness of Jonas Renske (Katatonia). As the smoke settles into the troposphere, rotating with the Earth, Rossetti’s harsh vocals return and the ground turns red once more. As the bass guitar builds and the Earth begins to crack, the crushing riffs hammer harder than anything else on Palaeozoic—sending a ripple along the ground and straight up my spine.

Added to the tail-end of the instrumentals and epic soundtracks is closer “Permian: The Great Dying.” Not surprising, the album is on a mission to the final track. A finale that stands out for its long builds, thick atmospheres, and loads of clean vocals. While songs like “Devonian,” “Silurian,” and “Camburian II” chase storms from the lowest of valleys to the highest of mountains, “Permian” is content on chasing its storm on level ground. There are times of ascension and descension but the wise closer refuses to break pace. This cruising speed allows it’s gruff, full-lunged cleans to push down on the song like gravity and when the song reaches its max nine minutes later, it pops and burns out like an old, trusty speaker whose served its time.

While Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic isn’t as cohesive as Pelagial, it’s still fucking good. Track-wise, “The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse” is the only one that feels like filler. But it’s short and doesn’t hurt the end-product. Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic is a sleek continuation of Precambrian2 and, to some extent, Pelagial. Even if it doesn’t top the latter. That said, Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic is epic, gorgeous, and powerful—taking what it was given in 2007 and pushing its limits even further.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/ocean-collective-phanerozoic-i-palaeozoic

Centered around “an ever-changing lineup of . . . musicians and visual artists” who support founding guitarist/songwriter Robin Staps, The Ocean Collective have been serving up a special blend of atmospheric progressive metal for nearly twenty years. While certainly channeling peers like BTBAM, Periphery, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and TesseracT, Staps and company still manage to sound quite idiosyncratic, and thankfully, that remains true on Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic. The first of a two-part project (with Phanerozoic II scheduled for 2020), it tastefully and ceaselessly juxtaposes guttural and transcendental treatments with masterful cohesion, yielding a simultaneously breathtaking and brutal journey every fan of the genre should take.

Staps classifies the LP as “the missing link between . . . Precambrian and Heliocentric / Anthropocentric.” Thematically, he says, it relates to “eternal recurrence,” a term coined by Nietzsche to express how “everything happens over and over again, an infinite amount of times throughout infinite time and space.” This pattern can’t be changed, so Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic explores “finding ways of dealing with that.” Helping Staps bring this concept to life are David Ramis Åhlfeldt (guitars) and Loïc Rossetti (vocals), as well as recording newcomers Peter Voigtmann (synths), Paul Seidel (drums), and Mattias Hägerstrand (bass). In addition, appearances from pianist Vincent Membrez, cellist Dalai Theofilopoulou, and even singer Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) flesh out the crushing splendor of Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic even more.

The album reveals its nuanced and emotional ethers from the get-go, with prologue “The Cambrian Explosion” cascading natural sounds in-between a moody piano motif and surrounding synth dissonance. It’s ominously pre-apocalyptic as it sets the stage for the more robust continuation of “Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence” (which features arguably the most simple yet seductive chorus of the whole sequence). Its dual guitar arpeggios are especially mesmerizing, as is its integration of the “Explosion” theme. Together, they make for a stunning one-two punch.

The Ocean Collective pepper Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic with many other wonderfully melodic and ambient slices. For instance, “Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions” actually conjures the mellower side of System of a Down and Opeth, respectively, in its weighty, urgent verses and multilayered instrumental reprieves (complete with some classical touches and a generally dense sense of loss and purpose). As you’d expect, Renkse excels at covering “Devonian: Nascent” with his trademark silky desolation when singing alone—he complements Rossetti well, too, of course—and the arrangement appropriately provides bittersweet catastrophe on which to lay his dirges. In fact, it’s probably the superlative track of the collection, which is saying something. Closer “Permian: The Great Dying” (which references “an event when 95% of all life on Earth was wiped out”) mirrors “Cambrian II” in that it places an entrancing clean section (with piercing strings and harmonies) at its core, insinuating that the cycle will continue endlessly.
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These serenely haunting paths wouldn’t be nearly as impactful if not juxtaposed by some truly vicious movements. In particular, “Ordovicium: The Glaciation of Gondwana” launches with a venomous combo of screaming, rhythms, and chords that—save for a brief breather halfway through—never really lets up; likewise, “The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse” is essentially a wordless fury of ever-changing riffs, percussion, and subtly ethereal addendums that cast an engrossing cloud of devastation.

The soft and heavy personas of Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic work very well on their own, but it’s the ways in which they’re almost ceaseless combined throughout the LP that marks The Ocean Collective as masters of creative duality. Its mixtures of soaring outcries, guttural commotions, irate intensity, and atmospheric ascensions are always gripping and fluid, resulting in a singular trip whose impact does justice to its subject matter.
Score: 8/10

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/the-ocean-palaeozoic-review/

…

It’s been five long years since Germany’s revolving ensemble of post/prog virtuosos The Ocean released their seventh full-length Pelagial and embarked on its extensive worldwide touring cycle, bringing their impressive live show to every corner of the globe. While each of the group’s records to date has been crafted around a central unifying concept, Pelagial pushed their modus operandi one step further with a dual thematic approach: while its musical content portrays an atmospheric odyssey from the surface of Earth’s oceans to their deepest and most claustrophobic depths, its lyrics create an allegory with this inward aquatic progression serving as an extended metaphor for a journey into the human psyche.

Now, The Ocean has returned once again to present another offering of profoundly interwoven conceptual material with Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, their latest cerebral communion of environmental science and deeply personal, humanistic ideas.

Palaeozoic is the first installment of a sprawling double album announced earlier this year – the second half of which will not be released until 2020 – as well as the chronological successor to the band’s third full-length, 2007’s Precambrian. Where the latter tells the story of the Hadean, Archaean, and Proterozoic eras, Phanerozoic as a whole will chronicle Earth’s eons stretching from the Cambrian explosion to the beginning of human history in the Quaternary period. Both feature album covers created by Norwegian artist Martin Kvamme that contrast accordingly: Precambrian’s artwork consists of boiling, volcanic bubbles of magma on a jet-black canvas, while Palaeozoic exhibits aqueous, amorphous green shapes upon a grey background.

Main composer and guitarist Robin Staps wrote the music of Palaeozoic in the same setting as he did its predecessors, in seclusion in a house by the sea. However, the remainder of the record’s creation differed vastly from the progress of previous efforts. Firstly, the group took a newfound approach to manifesting Staps’s material by testing each song in the rehearsal room, working out the details and nuances of every song with the entire collective present before ever entering the studio, which is apparent in the sleek, consummate nature of Palaeozoic‘s songs. Secondly, the record features the introduction of Peter Voigtmann’s wide array of analog synthesizers, which serve to further enrich the record’s already expansive sonic landscapes.

Staps has stated that Palaeozoic‘s lyrical narrative centers largely around the idea of “eternal recurrence, Nietzsche’s concept that everything happens over and over again, an infinite amount of times throughout infinite time and space.” He continues: “This album is essentially about time, perception of time, and repetition. It is about coming to terms with the fact that there are things in life which will recur and which we cannot change and finding ways of dealing with that.”

This philosophical theme certainly runs deep within the album’s seven tracks: largely abandoning the nimble melodies and lithe transitions of Pelagial for hefty and plodding mid-tempo compositions, Palaeozoic exhibits bleak, emotionally heavy pieces boiled down to their essential core musical ideas. By stripping away excess ornaments and shaving off grizzled edges, The Ocean’s sound has evolved to offer elegiac songs with powerful yet somber walls of tone, with each focusing in on a singular motif that is developed progressively over the course of the entire track.

With minimalist, postmodernist stylizations, the album’s overall aesthetic leans much more toward post-metal than it does sludge, presenting a brand of groovier, more pensive prog that rarely displays the band’s familiar moments of scorching brutality. With vocalist Loïc Rossetti’s rasping melodic timbre and uniquely ferocious roar emoting waves of pain and strife over towering columns of instrumental harmony, Palaeozoic instead achieves a sort of existential violence that draws parallels between the macrocosmic turmoil of planet Earth and microcosmic human angst.

The result of this tonal shift is a record containing lengthy songs that do not lend themselves readily to independent listening; without catchy hooks and vibrant solos, Palaeozoic‘s tracks are much less accessible as standalone singles. But what the album lacks in agility and structural variety it makes up for with its vast range of atmospheric diversity. Thanks to Jens Bogren’s masterful production abilities, the record expertly combines orchestral arrangements with crunchy electric fuzz, soaring vocals, and electronic elements. Paul Seidel’s percussion, tracked at Sigur Ros’s cavernous, echoing studio in Iceland, provides an ethereal dripping reverberation that places the record’s sound within a vibrational space suggestive of an immense stone chasm. Voigtmann’s analog synths are a welcome addition to The Ocean’s broad and contemplative quality, blending superbly with the album’s strings and acoustic piano tones and providing passages of sinister rippling effervescence.

“The Cambrian Explosion” sees the album nearly venturing into synthwave territory, but melancholic bass piano tones keep the track anchored in the realm of the organic before it transitions into the explosive “Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence.” Despite the seemingly contradictory nature of synthesizers playing together with violins, cellos, and grand piano, tracks such as “Devonian: Nascent” combine the ensemble’s various tones into a monolithic unified assault that transitions from moments of acoustic tenderness to savage, crushing walls of distortion. Thus, Palaeozoic is an achievement of lush and fascinating soundscapes moreso than a demonstration of virtuosic exhibitionism — while its compositional strategy may at first seem straightforward, upon multiple listens it can yield remarkable artistic depth.

True to The Ocean’s signature multi-faceted thematic approach, Palaeozoic‘s atmospherics achieve an uncanny similitude with its scientific subject matter. Presenting songs that consistently proceed, for the most part, at the same tempo, the record’s gradual pace can be interpreted as a metaphor for the steady and evenly meted rotation of the Earth itself — in a way, it is chronologically built to scale. “Ordovician: The Glaciation of Gondwana” drags frigid, colossal tones across its five-minute length with the weight and force of megalithic ice floes, diving straight into a bleak heaviness from the tumultuous magma of “Cambrian II.” “Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions” alternates between major and minor chords with an arthropod-esque crawl, its final movement piercing the listener with a venomous sting of increased intensity.

The album’s major transitional point occurs on “Devonian: Nascent,” Palaeozoic‘s most musically diverse track. Named for the era that saw the world’s first amphibious species, the late Devonian period also suffered a massive extinction of invertebrate aquatic species. The track parallels this progression, opening with an acoustic passage steeped in stoic beauty, featuring a haunting melody provided by guest vocalist Jonas Renske of Sweden’s Katatonia. The song then crests into more foreboding terrain as Rossetti lends an anguished wail to the mixture, and by its final movement the piece has shifted into an undeniably sludgy assault that cascades down upon the listener like cosmic radiation.

Although Palaeozoic represents a considerable maturation of The Ocean’s aesthetic, its songs often feel too reserved and simplistic for their lengthy run times. Concerning his technique in balancing these compositions, Staps claimed that his goal was “to always avoid going the obvious route,” but in his efforts to be unconventional, he perhaps failed to recreate the dynamic and memorable qualities that made Pelagial so fantastic. Palaeozoic occasionally showcases moments of quick freneticism, but the majority of its material relies heavily on repetition and tediously slow development; even though one of the album’s intentional themes is eternal recurrence, it often overemphasizes this concept. Furthermore, Earth’s history was rarely a smooth, uniform process, but rather an imperfect, chaotic experience. One might expect an honest interpretation of this epic journey across time to seem more rough and uneven than the streamlined album The Ocean has delivered.

Ultimately, Palaeozoic is a highly artistic work that reveals increasing layers of depth with each successive listen; those not attracted to this brand of heady, pensive prog metal will likely find no immediate interest here, but dedicated, longtime fans of the project will discover that careful attention to its details and nuances will pay countless dividends. There is great potential for Phanerozoic’s second installment to offer an entirely different atmosphere and provide a marked shift away from Palaeozoic‘s bleak attitude, but with a cliffhanger ending, the album stops abruptly on a note of mysterious uncertainty. Perhaps this will be a double album that must be experienced in its entirety to truly understand and absorb, but it seems we will have to wait until 2020 to know for sure.

— Thomas Hinds

http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2018/10/19/the-ocean-collective-phanerozoic-i-palaeozoic/

Nature is not only an archetype; it is the mother of all archetypes, a kind of overarching category for ideas that run the gamut from frightening, soothing, parental, scathing, looming, and infinitesimal. Among these can be counted such mainstays as homeostasis, the kind of effortless and delicate balance a lot of us seem to strive for and be denied of again and again, the fate of humanity in the face of the massiveness of the natural world and, perhaps more so then anything, the eternal return. At the root of most of the ideas we have about nature, and the ways in which we use them to tell stories, there is this para-temporal concept of the recurring, endless, eternal, and timeless stoicism of nature, whether it be cliffs looking down on crashing waves, forests breathing in eons in a valley or the earth’s very rotation, apathetic to our plights on top of its thin skin.

What band better wields these ideas than The Ocean (Collective)? Through song titles, album names, and lyrics, The Ocean have been weaving the magic of the constantly rotating, forever return nature of, well, nature itself into their metal, creating some of the most emotional, accomplished, and innovative post metal out there. More than that, the band have infused their very discography with the idea of circles within circles, dividing their music into cycles which go and then come back again, defying the narrative of chronological, linear progression. This is important to understand when approaching Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (hence referred to as Phanerozoic in this review) in order to avoid a pitfall that comes before we’ve either written one word or listened to one note. This pitfall comes to us in the form of a question: is this album a continuation of Pelagial?

This question is a pitfall because it has no right answers; the question itself is a mistake since it posits a “yes” or “no” reply. The reality is that Phanerozoic, much like a lot of the rest of The Ocean’s discography, defies such a simple chart of progression. In many ways, it is very much an album which succeeds Pelagial; you’ll find the kind of monolithic chord/piano combinations that you did on that album, setting off that atmosphere of oceanic depth and brutally cold waters. You’ll also recognize much in the way of drum tone and composition, deep, resounding hits and feather-light cymbal touches creating the kind of dynamic, agile fills and lines that made Pelagial so good. Likewise the harsh vocals, which have the same depth and strength of delivery that have always characterized The Ocean’s approach to them.

But in other ways, Phanerozoic (which is, remember, a part of a double album, with the second installment to be released in 2020) draws its inspirations and thematics from Precambrian and especially from the moody, second part of that album, Proterozoic (note the similarity in the names and the album covers). Back are the myriad electronic sounds and symphonic elements, baked right into the composition, like on the spectacular “Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions”, one of the best tracks on the album. The atmosphere they create is often a less aggressive one than Pelagial (and certainly less aggressive than Aeolian for example) but also one that is much more emotionally devastating for all of that since it hits on multiple emotional fronts. Make no mistake; the huge chords are still here but they are backed up by more sleek, dark, and electronic influences that do much to set the contrast between the two elements alight, setting the stage impeccably for the vocal delivery.

Let’s talk about this vocal delivery; much more than on Pelagial and again paying tribute to Proterozoic, the clean vocals play a major role in this release. Working mostly in tandem with the more somber, melancholic passages, they sing a kind of desperate, emotional vibe into the music which facilitates much of what The Ocean has always been about, namely moving their lyrics and themes from the natural world and into the personal. They are perhaps the single largest appeal which Phanerozoic brings to the table; they’re not necessarily better in and of themselves than in the past, but their role in the composition is way deeper than relief from heavier passages or large, out of this world choruses. When brought together with the strings, synths, and more umbral passages, they create their own, magically enticing role which siren-songs you into the emotional abysses of the album. This kind of vibe is the sense in which this album is the “missing link”, the gap between Phanerozoic and Heliocentric / Anthropocentric, the albums which started them on their “modern” phase. The link is in the mood, in the vocal delivery, in the possibility of what lies between light and heavy.

Speaking of clean vocals, we would be incredibly remiss if we didn’t mention the brilliant Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) and his guest spot on “Devonian: Nascent” (a guest spot which, famously, was always meant for Precambrian alongside the other many illustrious guest spots on that album). His work on the opening and middle passages is simply brilliant, his unique timbre perfectly melding with the other clean vocals on the album. Which is, perhaps, the best indicator of what Phanerozoic is going for, the type of mood it tries to cast; it’s The Ocean by way of Katatonia, aggressive and progressive post-metal blending with the eerie vibes of those masters of darkness, of the bleak lyric and emotional catharsis. The result might not be what a lot of us expected The Ocean to do next after Pelagial but it reminds us that thinking that we know what this band is up to next is probably a mistake; their rhythm is deep and natural but, like nature itself, contains an element of mystery, of the unexpected. Whatever it goes next, it’s sure to be excellent; Phanerozoic further proves that The Ocean are pretty much unparalleled in what they do, however they do it.

i have a couple f their early LPs. I think I might even have seen them live supporting Mastodon or High On Fire

Wish I'd known about the Alameda 4 before the year was through. As for The Ocean, I don't think I granted them the attention they deserve. Two more to add to the list.

Alameda 4 is gorgeous but, iirc, among the least heavy records to ever place? Unless I listened to a different Alameda record

The Ocean's super conceptual approach is a turnoff to me for some reason

the alameda 4 album is a noise rock album

I only got into metal proper a couple of years ago so I’ve little wiggle room to be a purist anyway.

I just realised that the ocean album is a tie with another

TIE
63 Ancestors - Suspended in Reflections 151 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/vBMVpFN.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5gWycJLVfdSFcDYGU5IvP2?si=vvC3HmqzT820a9U_kj7FKQ
spotify:album:5gWycJLVfdSFcDYGU5IvP2

https://ancestorsla.bandcamp.com/album/suspended-in-reflections

Ancestors - Suspended in Reflections 01Sometimes when bands have lengthy breaks between albums, it’s easy to forget them. Case in point: Ancestors, whom I had forgotten all about until Suspended in Reflections showed up in our August list. A quick dig through my music library showed me why the name was familiar: their 2012 album, In Dreams and Time, was one of my favorites of the year, a truly stellar piece of art that, had I been reviewing back in those days, would have been a front-runner for Record o’ the Month. In Dreams and Time was a captivating and progressive mix of doom, psychedelia, and post-metal, a gargantuan release that played out both delicately and intensely. Now, six years later and following much upheaval within the band, Suspended in Reflections lands on our doorstep. What will it bring us?

The upheaval mentioned comes in the form of three of the former five members having departed, leaving us with guitarist Justin Maranga and keyboard player Jason Watkins. They are joined by Daniel Pouliot behind the drum kit, and this new lineup has approached the writing process for Suspended in Reflections with, as they say, a complete lack of ego. This pure collaboration ultimately comes through in the song structures, with no individual the focus of the album. But this is something that wasn’t immediately obvious: my first casual listen was underwhelming, to say the least, and I was already mentally penning my Disappointment o’ the Year blurb. Turns out, Suspended is an album that requires multiple focused listening sessions if you want to get the feel for it. A half-dozen listens in and I was on board with what Ancestors were trying to accomplish.

Much like a cross between Pink Floyd and Pallbearer, with hints of King Crimson and YOB thrown in, Ancestors make music for the very patient. This is not an album to play in the background if you want to appreciate it. On the surface, “Gone” is a by-the-numbers doom/post-metal number, but finer details emerge upon close listening. Harmonies in both vocals and guitars ebb and flow, and the layers of keys and guitars give the song a thickness (and towards the end, a delicacy) that is more textured than is immediately apparent. “Into the Fall” opens with a crescendo before settling into a brilliantly executed apocalyptic dirge that, with its violins, is reminiscent of King Crimson’s Larks’ Tongues in Aspic. “Release” begins with two minutes of ambiance—washes of square waves, soothing yet eerie string patches, hints of a massive pipe organ moaning just beneath the surface—before transitioning to a jazzy stand-up bass solo at the midpoint, then back into ambiance.

Ancestors - Suspended in Reflections 02

Suspended in Reflections is a study in contrasts, especially when compared with In Dreams and Time. While both albums contain six songs, the 66-minute runtime of the older one has been cut down to 36 minutes here. True, less is more, but the long songs were so well done that the length was just fine. Some of the ideas on Suspended could have used a bit more marination, more time to develop within the song structure; it’s what this style of music lends itself to. Suspended also seems less ambitious than In Dreams, at least superficially: shorter songs, no guest musicians (Carah Faye’s vocal on “The Last Return” was wonderful), and sparser instrumentation. Digging into the songs reveals meticulous arrangements, however, and a level of nuance that didn’t exist on In Dreams, so there’s a trade-off at play here.

With song titles like “Lying in the Grass” and “The Warm Glow,” we might expect some pretty mellow music that would be the perfect accompaniment to, well, lying in the grass, and that’s what it seems Ancestors had accomplished at first. But a deeper dive into Suspended in Reflections revealed an album full of wonderful subtleties waiting to be discovered—and still, a dozen listens in, more come to light. While In Dreams and Time remains the band’s zenith, Suspended is an album for the band to be proud of, and well worth the investment in time it takes to get under its skin. Let it get under yours.

62 Thou - Magus 152 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/RGwPrIG.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/2KQjqzq9VUEjIXaSZq2Xoi?si=SXQrHU3xTiOjmnrPthHsaA
spotify:album:2KQjqzq9VUEjIXaSZq2Xoi

https://thou.bandcamp.com/album/magus-2

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/thou-magus/

7.8
The Baton Rouge sludge-metal quintet's fifth proper full-length marks the latest tsunami in the endless storm of defeaning sound, political fury, and overwhelming prolificness that is Thou.

In more than a decade as a band, Baton Rouge sludge-metal quintet Thou have released music at a stunning rate. Collaborations with other outré metal acts, like the Body; splits with and covers of extreme brethren of all stripes; LPs and EPs and singles—they just never stop. Their immense catalog could be summed up as, say, post-metal stoner-doom with post-rock and ambient flourishes, but the sheer volume of their output seems more essential to their identity. And throughout all that material, even well before the “Great Awokening” made it trendy, they were pushing, and practicing, progressive politics. Magus, the band’s fifth proper full-length, heralds the latest tsunami in the endless storm of defeaning sound, political fury, and overwhelming prolificness that is Thou. The album surges and undulates with the dread that it’s only a matter of time before the waves—another outrage, another onslaught, another record—crash in again.

Despite the pace at which they work, Thou have always been a precision crew. Across Magus’ 11 tracks, they fold odd meters and splashy drum fills into their thick neon sludge. But they also leave room for plenty of surprises. From the sneak-attack intro of opener “Inward” to vocalist Emily McWilliams’ entrance on “Divine Will,” there’s something around every corner—but you can’t really say that something is lurking. Lurking may, in fact, be the posture Thou assume least often. Their stance is far more conspicuous. There are countless explosive moments and precise edges here, all wrapped in squalls of fuzz.

Less volatile tracks, like closer “Supremacy,” with its portentous crash and drone, recall the early noise-rock output of the band’s new Sacred Bones labelmates the Men. The riffs on “Transcending Dualities” sizzle like the fuse on a cartoon bomb, a toothsome wah-wah effect scratching its way down the frequency spectrum. Some of the compositions are so dynamic, encompassing so many beautiful, epic, emotional moments, I had to check the tracklist to believe Thou had packed them all into the same lengthy song. The end of “Sovereign Self” harnesses the energy of a groove without feeling outright groovy and unleashes a ferocity free of any alienating, acerbic edge. Guitarists Andy Gibbs and Matthew Thudium do much of the heavy lifting on the album, riding catchy rhythms while avoiding the blues clichés to which sludge-metal bands so often default.

The lyrics (if not the recordings themselves, whose roaring vocals are mostly incomprehensible) reveal a sprawling metaphysical parable: Vocalist Bryan Funck journeys to the battered core of the human condition, examining the nature of hate by looking within himself. While the material is not exactly new for Thou, it’s certainly more refined here than it has ever been before. Thou don’t need to recalibrate their point of view with each release, because each release is still bringing them closer to the white-hot core of their Thou-ness. Their moves are geological in timescale; the slightest shift in attitude rings through the eons that follow. By that measure alone, Magus is an essential record in the vast Thou canon.

The earth-shaking revelation here is Funck’s ferocious pronouncement, on “Elimination Rhetoric,” that, “Yes, we have hatred: A searing hatred for prevailing design, a searing hatred for limiting belief, a callous disregard for ignorance.” It’s an exhilarating conclusion, if also one that short-circuits logic: When directed against the structural institutions that allow worse kinds of hate to foster, hate can be not only good, but also productive.

Pair these radical epiphanies with the serpentine imagery of pestilence, offal, and rot common to the interior landscapes Funck conjures, and you’re listening to a fire sermon that is equal parts Bashō, Virgil, and Antifa. What’s transcendent about both the music and the lyrics of Magus is the way it lives in the build-up to a war that is only just beginning. Miles away from the battlefield, Thou have already got the enemy in the crosshairs of their righteous hatred. Funck and his band are perceptive enough to know what is at stake here—what the future could be: a boot stamping on a human face forever. That’s the real fight, and Thou are ready for it.

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/20421/reviews/4151992

8/10
Magus, the fifth solo full-length proper by Thou, is already the fourth release of the year by the Louisiana sludge titans. A trio of mini-albums have already surfaced: The House Primordial (a deafeningly brilliant drone metal odyssey), Inconsolable (a surprising – but convincing – venture into dark folk), and Rhea Sylvia (a reorientation of the band’s typical sound, with more emphasis than usual on alternative rock elements). These three records, which would be more than enough to be going on with together or even in isolation, deserve to be regarded as more than mere appetisers. They may, however, be forgotten far sooner than they deserve, such is the majestic brilliance of Magus.

It’s worth emphasising, before continuing, that the typical question of whether this new LP is Thou’s best album to date is irrelevant. The group has set such a high standard for itself over the duration of its 13-year career that this is better seen as simply the latest chapter in a consistently excellent discography rather than a standout release in its own right. Magus is also (narrowly) the band’s longest effort to date, however, and thus could be fairly considered to provide the most comprehensive overview of everything the group does so well.

Anyone familiar with previous efforts will know exactly what that is: huge blackened doom riffs, gut-wrenchingly raw vocals, a genuine sense of apocalyptic doom. Magus has all these things in spades, consistently proving reminiscent of giants of the heavy music underground whilst retaining a distinctive character. Opener ‘Inward’ starts things off like a small avalanche, and the rocks keep tumbling from that point onwards. ‘My Brother Caliban’ provides a brief diversion into vicious lo-fi black metal: think Nattens Madrigal-era Ulver finding themselves opening for Fudge Tunnel. ‘Transcending Dualities’ is what Down might sound like if Phil Anselmo embraced black metal’s vocal stylings rather than the neo-Nazi flirtations of some of its pioneers. ‘The Changeling Prince’ is the sound of a meeting between Alice in Chains and Cult of Luna, ‘Elimination Rhetoric’ a fair approximation of what early Neurosis records might have been like with Pink Floyd-esque guitar flourishes. Closer ‘Supremacy’ wraps the album up as if condemning all that’s gone before it, appropriately leading the record to collapse into droning feedback.

Like Eyehategod at their most savage, or great post-rock bands at their least self-indulgent, Thou are fully aware of the power of timing. This is as a record that ekes out every last moment of punishing heaviness. Repetition can be a bad thing. In fact on most contemporary sludge records it is the main problem. Thou are able to balance their repetition however. ‘Sovereign Self’, one of the album’s three tracks to breach the ten-minute mark, is a case in point. The subtle tempo alterations on offer in this one mid-album highlight alone highlight the band’s gifts as songwriters. There are no clunky section transitions on offer. Thou are able to make everything cohesive, and thus all the more powerful.

If there’s a criticism to be made here it’s that, as ever, Thou’s consistency makes their records somewhat overwhelming. Magus’ arrival via Sacred Bones makes it likely to become many listeners’ first Thou album. Whether it is suitable for such a position, given the more concise appeal of the band’s first three full-lengths, is questionable. Nonetheless, much like the question of whether this is the band’s finest work to date, such doubts should not distract from the fact that Magus is a successful affirmation of Thou’s place as being amongst the greatest heavy bands on the planet.

61 Wiegedood - De Doden Hebben het Goed III 154 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/STeZJnw.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5Vf18Zq7oyiGIcE9UWlxaJ?si=6cVGQzELQbSfrzYG0xQBQg
spotify:album:5Vf18Zq7oyiGIcE9UWlxaJ

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/04/wiegedood-de-doden-hebben-het-goed-iii/

Grief can be angry. It can be sad and it can be irritating. But once there is a modicum of closure then it can also be life-affirming. This album, a stark, bleak, squall of atmospheric black metal is the final one in a trilogy from Wiegedood, all dedicated to their friend Florent Pevée of the noise rock group Kabul Golf Club. And you imagine that this record, which is as good as if not better than the second instalment, provides some closure for those mourning Pevée’s passing, as well as four more songs of high-quality rage for us, the listeners.

Yes, it is harsh. Yes, it is angry. Angry and icy. But as enraged as some of the music from this band of two guitars and drums (no bass, as with the first two records) may be, it also carries just enough melody – not to mention the occasional hook – to provide an uplifting atmosphere.

It begins exactly how De Doden Hebben Het Goed II ended, with a blood-curdling, rasping scream. That introduces the opening song, ‘Prowl’, which is an aggressive, martial stomp with some heavier-than-heavy palm-muted guitar. There is some throat singing within the song – again, following a similar theme from the second part of the trilogy – as well as some satisfying squalls of unadulterated blackened blast beats.

‘Doodskalm’ follows with a thrashy aggression, which evaporates midway through the song to leave a lonely near-clean guitar which then expands into a widescreen post-metal landscape, which evokes some of the work from Oathbreaker and Amenra, with whome Wiegedood share some members.

True to the pattern of Wigedood’s two previous albums, the centrepiece is the title track. And this time it is a monster. It begins with a brooding clean riff, which is joined by a thudding double-kick bombast and a swirling assault of guitars. It is hypnotising. The racket pauses for a period mid-song, giving us time to take stock and reflect on what we have heard so far. It then goes into a far more orthodox black-metal phase, bashing our eardrums for three minutes before a long, long fade-out.

We’re back to aggressive palm-muted riffery for the closing track, ‘Parool’, which is so furious that it sounds as if there are at least two drumkits being pummelled to within an inch of their lives, as well as a wall of guitars. It is as if the band know that this is the final song of the trilogy – and ‘Parool’ represents the last song they will play, so they are putting every sinew into making it as fast, loud and intense as possible. Then with a single crash cymbal, it stops. And we are left knowing that it could be the last memory of Wiegedood.

But luckily we can play it again. And then go back to their previous two albums. In fact we can play all in sequence. I have done – it is gruelling and draining, but it is well worth it. And by the end of it, things seem to make sense. Hopefully things have begun to for the band as well.

https://www.cvltnation.com/wiegedood-iii-album-review/

Wiegedood return with their third album, De Doden Hebben Het Goed III. This album serves as part 3 to their album series dedicated to the loss of their good friend, Florent Pevée (from the band, Kabul Golf Club).

Wiegedood are a black metal trio from Belgium, consisting of members from both Oathbreaker and Amenra. Interestingly, no bass is present, therefore just the two guitars making up the sonic palette for this band. The clever interplay between the guitars ensures that a full range is covered, negating a need for the bass. I think this aspect adds to the band’s uniqueness in sound, despite the quintessential black metal moments that litter the album.

De Doden Hebben Het Goed III (translated as ‘The Dead Have it Good‘) comes just a year after their second album, serving up another acerbic collection of Black metal ferocity. Wiegedood have set the scene with their first two releases, De Doden Hebben Het Good (parts 1 & 2). The third chapter to this collection takes the extreme ends of the spectrum from past releases to evolve Wiegedood’s sound further.

Relentless Assault

Like their previous releases, Wiegedood offer sheer, raging black metal that burns like a raging fire. The inferno claims all, leaving no oxygen to breathe. Like the archaic instincts from our cave dwelling ancestors, we stare into the flames as if hypnotised.

The band’s style is a witches cauldron of black metal influence. There is certainly a kinship with the Norwegian ‘second wave’ here. Similarities at certain points bare resemblance to, often a combination of Emperor, Thorns, Burzum and Immortal. Many more influences shine through on this record, portraying both light and dark, clean and dirty and a contemporary take on classic song structures.

Stefaan Temmerman

4-Song Odyssey

Like Wiegedood’s previous albums, the third part also has 4 tracks which on the surface, may seem short on numbers. This however, is not the case at all. Each of the individual songs are a sonic adventure in their own right. There are certainly no filler tracks to ever grace a Wiegedood album, put simply.

“Prowl”, the opening track is similar in feel to the closer of their last album, titled “Smeekbede”. Aggression seeps through via the military grade attack of rhythm. Tight, crunchy and muted guitars scrape out a menacing, sinister riff. Drums almost bring a military, marching band-like rhythm to the main groove of the verse. The whole track gallops along while the tortured, scratchy vocals bark out the sheer essence of anger and frustration.

The song also boasts a fairly typical structured riff approach, yet fresh and inventive. This is one of many moments on this album that sometimes feels conventional and innovative, simultaneously. After the initial onslaught comes a desolate breakdown, leaving a guitar at first to hold the song alone. As the band re-enters the frame, an otherworldly vocal takes over. This is something fans of the band may be familiar with. It is operatic in nature, with the vocals hitting tonal depths that are inhuman, maintaining a clear power behind the delivery. It evokes the same unique sounding style from Mayhem‘s vocalist, Atilla Csihar. The whole ending section of this song feels victorious, full of fist pumping glory.

Catharsis Personified

Next up is “Doodskalm”, entirely different in feel with its intricate, jagged lead guitar melody that ascends and descends in a sophisticated, classical style. As the vocals enter, the drums launch into a blast beat that instantly introduces the hynoptic and relentless barrage that black metal fans know all too well. The following section displays a highly emotive, solemn tonal shift. Guitars search and move through melancholic harmony but never find rest as the riffs roll round and round.

After a few rounds of alternating these infectious movements we embark on the mid section of the song. Again, a deserted guitar remains as the band decays into feedback. This time the guitars are clean, shimmering and glistening with galactic sparkle, and the melody they provide is beautifully tortured. The section slowly builds before an enormous, EPIC re-entry of the band follows. Drums are open, basic and driving. The tempo is slow, in comparison to the blistering verses, and it takes the song to new heights. The song ends as abruptly and suddenly as the first track.

As with the previous two albums, track 3 was reserved for the title track, only this time part 3 of course. This song also being the longest, clocking in at just over 12 minutes. “De Doden Hebben Het Goed III” begins with a creepy, arpeggiating guitar part. It has a vulnerable sounding melody for the most part but always, intentionally, resolves in dissonance. Once the cycle has been established, the same riff continues in heavier fashion, a more driven tempo that is reinforced by the full band takes over. This round is repeated to provide the bulk of the song as the rusted vocals scream with dismay.

Transform the familiar

It’s another example of Wiegedood’s ability to transform the familiar. As the sections reveal, repeat and evolve, the structure is brought to light. My initial notes that I take during the crucial “first listen” mention more than once that the song lengths ‘feel’ shorter than the reality. They’re interesting and engaging throughout and often feel too short. Wiegedood warp time.

The no-nonsense approach to black metal utilized by Wiegedood is my preferred style to listen to. Like the simple Bathory/Hellhammer inspired approach championed by Darkthrone, as opposed to the more ornate, symphonic and multi-layered version, perfected by Emperor, ruined by others.

Black Metal mastery

Closing the album is “Parool”. Instantly, a meandering melody is picked out from the guitars to give yet more examples of the band’s deep sense of musicality and invention. Like the other songs that precede this one, it boasts flammable fury with heart felt melody, which is no mean feat.

The guitars and drums are frantic and ferocious as they blaze through another venomous, teeth-gritting collection of riffs making up the core skeleton of the track. “Parool” is the shortest track from this offering at around 6 minutes long. There is more of an urgency and tension laid out across the final song. A shorter length leaves less time to develop or build on the themes, so a more immediate approach makes up for this.

The closing section has an odd time signature that never leaves the listener with much confidence on where it is going and when. Both rhythmically and melodically interesting as the notes spiral up, down and across. The theme is built on, but never strays from the main idea. Rhythms from the accompanying drums and heaviness build to evolve tension and a sense of urgency. All of this points to an end destination. As with the opening two tracks from this album, the song ends in abrupt fashion to reveal the decaying reverb effect on the vocals only. Usually my next instinct is to hit play again.
All good things come to an end

Every scream feels like genuine cathartic release. They take you with them as they explore vast territories of tempo, melody, harmony and aggression. Standard song lengths for Wiegedood are longer than average but this is never a problem. Repeat listens continue to reveal more depth in a way that is similar to the recordings from British band, Dragged Into Sunlight. No second is wasted on this album and nothing is dispensable. Everything here is essential.

I must have been thinking of Alameda Trio.

Voted for Magus, which I think might be the best Thou album? Their torrent of releases last year was overwhelming in a good way.

I am so hivemind in this poll - about ten of mine placed today! Thou generally release way too much but I still loved this and voted for it. I’m happy Alameda 4 crept up this high. I’ll definitely be checking out more based on DAM’s recommendations.

Sepulcher sounding very cool and punk so far.

RECAP
125 Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits
124 Deep Space Destructors - Visions from the Void
123 Protoplasma - -
122 The Oscillation - Wasted Space
121 Wayfarer - World’s Blood
119 Alrakis - Echoes from η Carinae
119 Pig Destroyer - Head Cage
118 KÅ‚y - Szczerzenie
117 Progenie Terrestre Pura - StarCross
116 Iskandr - Euprosopon
115 Dispirit - Enantiodromian Birth
114 Svartidauði - Revelations Of The Red Sword
113 Spiders - Killer Machine
112 Mammoth Grinder - Cosmic Crypt
111 Ghastly - Death Velour
110 Windhand / Satan's Satyrs - Split
109 Burial Invocation - Abiogenesis
108 Dautha - Brethren of the Black Soil
107 Kevin Hufnagel - Messages to the Past
106 Møl - Jord
105 Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos
104 Xenoblight - Procreation
103 Behemoth - I Loved You at your Darkest
102 Closer - All This Will Be
101 Anthroprophh - Omegaville
100 Black Salvation - Uncertainty Is Bliss
99 Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog
98 Basalte - Vertige
97 Pale Divine - Pale Divine
96 Machine Girl - The Ugly Art
95 Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed
94 Rebel Wizard - Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response
93 Azusa - Heavy Yoke
92 Hamferð - Támsins likam
91 Cantique lépreux - Paysages polaires
90 envy - Alnair In August
89 The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir
88 Yhdarl - Loss
87 Lychgate - The Contagion in Nine Steps
86 Uniform - The Long Walk
85 Fluisteraars / Turia - De Oord
84 Turnstile - Time & Space
83 Chapel of Disease - And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye
82 Bongripper - Terminal
80 Cosmic Church - Täyttymys
80 Paara - Riitti
79 Cultes des Ghoules - Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths
78 Aura Noir - Aura Noire
77 Tropical Fuck Storm - A Laughing Death in Meatspace
76 Portal - ION
75 Koenjihyakkei - Dhorimviskha
74 Un - Sentiment
73 KEN Mode - Loved
72 Satan - Cruel Magic
71 Yawningman - The Revolt Against Tired Noises
70 Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light
69 Gnaw Their Tongues - Genocidal Majesty
68 ST 37 - ST 37
67 Earthling Society - MO-The Demon
66 Sepulcher - Panoptic Horror
65 Alameda 4 - Czarna Woda
63 Ancestors - Suspended in Reflections
63 The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
62 Thou - Magus
61 Wiegedood - De Doden Hebben het Goed III

Spotify results playlist to subscribe to.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Cm5jEJuD1TlGtVB0sTZ8I

The Alameda 4 record *sounds* amazing tbh

And yeah, Sepulcher was sounding great too. Love the bass-heavy punk approach to DM

Alameda 4 hitting my Richard Dawson pleasure-centres much more than Richard Dawson's actual 2018 band tbh

Just catching up, not much of interest for me today, hopefully that means a lot of my picks are still to come lol

Expecting my #1 tomorrow

You that sure Saxon placed?

Anyway i'll be back around to post about midday or so

The Sepulcher is really good and the only reason I didn't vote for it is because I'm biased against thrash. I liked the Thou but it did not live up to the hype. As for Wiegedood, it almost made my ballot.

60 Sylvaine - Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone 154 Points, 5 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/6iFUynj.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/42Yfz65ed9yIpAgQFB3Pbb?si=vmMrn090SBW86GDTEmKIrQ
spotify:album:42Yfz65ed9yIpAgQFB3Pbb

https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/album/atoms-aligned-coming-undone

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sylvaine-atoms-aligned-coming-undone-review/

Back in 2016, Katherine Shepard, aka Norwegian/French multi-instrumentalist Sylvaine, dropped an impressive album of beautiful soundscapes in Wistful, taking the groundwork laid down by the likes of Alcest and branching out into greener, more ambient paths. In doing so, Sylvaine provided a soundtrack to some amazing memories,1 and when word dropped that she was working on a follow-up, to say that some of us were frothing at the bit to give it a listen would be a mild understatement. Now on her third album, Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone looks to lock in Shepard’s position upon the top of the ambient metal pantheon.

And right off the bat, instead of going with a shimmery vocal melody or a wispy guitar line, we are instead given a simple-yet-driving bassline to open up things on the title track. Don’t be fooled into thinking that neither make an appearance, though, as Sylvaine would rather let things build and simmer instead of just bathing you in ambient washes over and over. The end result is a stronger feel for contrasting sounds and builds, allowing the song to breathe when the moment arises or when to let the waves crash around you. At exactly eight minutes, it doesn’t feel so much like a song as it does a scenic journey through a forest teeming with life and energy. The pummeling drumming by Neige (Alcest) does aid the heaviness, but even then it’s more like a window dressing compared to the flowing tapestries painted by Sylvaine‘s musicianship and voice.

Speaking of, somehow Sylvaine‘s voice sounds stronger than she’s ever been, which is impressive considering that she possesses one of the most angelic voices I’ve heard in metal. That said, her growls and rasps needed work in the past. Thankfully, she’s utilized them less, but with better effect, as evidenced on “Mørklagt” and album highlight “Abeyance,” where her screams come out of left field, but still keep cohesion within the general aura of the song. So, while the effect might come across as a bit startling, it fits and flows like a dream. The lush production by Shepard and Benoît Roux, and mastering by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven), aid in making you feel like you are dropped into this vibrant, dream-like world with watery guitars and ethereal vocal melodies while the heft of the bass and the expert drumming of Neige and Stephen Shepard add enough earthiness to keep Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone rooted in earthier tones.

But that’s not to say that things are flawless. While the songwriting package is overall stronger than what was found on Wistful, none of the songs, save for closer “L’Appel du Vide,” punch as hard as “Delusions” or “Wistful” did on the last album. Another sticking point comes from the point that some of the repetition in songs do pull things down a bit as they progress. The opening of “Worlds Collide” and the middle of “Mørklagt” suffer the most from too much of standing in one place without enough of a build, seemingly holding on to an idea or motif a bit too long without moving anywhere until boredom starts to creep in. Thankfully, those moments are few and far between, as Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone paints quite the trajectory that Sylvaine is crafting for herself.

And that trajectory, given the quality of her songwriting, is near limitless. While Wistful contained two of her best songs, Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone is the stronger album overall, and with a bit more tightening, I can see Shepard surpassing Alcest as the go-to in ambient metal soundscapes. As it stands right now, I’m enjoying the journey that Sylvaine is taking us all on, and I can’t wait to see where the next chapter goes.

https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78308/Sylvaine-Atoms-Aligned-Coming-Undone/

Review Summary: An album that is as intimately personal as it is universally relatable.

Not so long ago it felt like every new discovery in metal came in the form of an atmospheric post-metal band. Groups such as Skuggsja, Sumac and Oathbreaker stemmed from already established artists while a fresh onslaught of bands- Dynfari, Svalbard, Harakiri for the Sky and Departe, to name a few- either entered the fray or started to gain increased attention. Now that particular subgenre is less bottlenecked than it was, the ones who managed to squeeze through can no longer blend in with the rest of the crowd. Consequently, they are more visible and more susceptible to scrutiny than they once were. Due to the sheer number of bands who were producing similar icy soundscapes, another artist by the name of Sylvaine never received the initial level of acclaim that she deserved.

Sylvaine is a Norwegian solo-instrumentalist who released her fantastic sophomore album in 2016. Appropriately titled, “Wistful” illustrated a serene environment in which reflective melodies entwined with ethereal vocals danced around airily. Looking back, with those kinds of attributes, Sylvaine was destined to be one of the artists who would soon stand above the rest of the crowd. Thus, her third album “Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone” faces the bold task of refining her previous efforts as well as setting the standard for the current quieter state of atmospheric post metal.

Immediately, the title track introduces a peculiar bass line unlike her previous efforts yet exuding an oddly familiar feeling. Dejected, this dark riff slinks around throughout the duration of the song. However, despite its forlorn mood, it acts as an unexpected backbone to support the emotional burden Sylvaine’s beautiful wails and swelling guitars during the song’s gradual climax. Further examples of maturity and diversity are unearthed during “Abeyance” where her characteristic smoky slivery shade takes on an iridescent hue. No less emotionally piercing, the guitars and her misty voice appear to emit an array of sentiments both spiritual and physical. Like feeling peacefully numb or warm but anxious at the same time.

Considering the template of the album is drawn from feeling trapped inside the human body, longing to reach something greater which resides outside our weaker selves, opposition is the chief expression throughout “Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone”, whether it describes the duality between physical and spiritual, as the album’s influence describes, or simply combining opposing sonic forces in an attempt to create something one can truly immerse themselves in. “L’Appel du Vide” is a highly emotional track that is tangible both spiritually and physically. Standing at the edge of a cliff, Sylvaine’s tender, peaceful voice is a warm breath against your skin as the cold breeze of guitars rushes through your hair. It sounds contemplative as if, looking out at the landscape, you ask yourself “what if I took one more, one final step forward…” A brief pause, then falling. Falling into the enveloping darkness but blissfully free. Sylvaine does not sing or wail during this climax which intensifies the song’s pensive, private and personal demeanour. A rather depressing, but exquisite way to conclude an album.

Every aspect of “Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone” appears amplified in comparison to Sylvaine’s previous two albums. Sylvaine’s ethereal and ambient elements havenever faltered before, and nor do they on this album. In keeping with the sense of duality this album resonates, her clean vocals are more than blindingly radiant but also heart-breaking and bitterly nostalgic. On the other, darker end of the scale, rough guitars that snarled at the sight of adversity now bite and tear at its opponent while her improved harsh vocals mimic a similar attitude. “Morklagt” unleashes the wild side or Sylvaine best where her patient gliding vocals are punished by pure, Nordic black metal tremolo that would make the forerunners of the genre crack a wry smile in approval. Guitars make a stormy rumble rather than an icy blast, glassy, glacial cries are shattered by fierce screeches. The explosion of sudden intensity is both wondrous and terrifying, like watching a lightning storm draw near.

At face value, “Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone” is an outstanding piece of work considering how one person has created something so expansive; an album that is as intimately personal as it is universally relatable. Beneath that, however, lies music that is plagued with doubt, anxiety, regret, longing and desperation but all it takes is to conjure the faintest spark of hope to dispel these forces and Sylvaine launches her audience into blissful catharsis. If the album’s inspiration was drawn from feeling trapped in herself yet yearning for some higher power, then this is the sound of Sylvaine within touching distance of that greatness.

Never heard of this

59 Shylmagoghnar - Transience 155 Points, 5 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/mJuhxsO.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/2wjL4AP3mnAifo7InViJBf?si=QSBr86JxQp6-JtDegGY1bQ
spotify:album:2wjL4AP3mnAifo7InViJBf

https://distortedsoundmag.com/album-review-transience-shylmagoghnar/

June 27, 2018 Dan McHugh Napalm Records, Shylmagoghnar, Transcience

The dutch duo known only as Nimblkorg and Skirge have been inseparable since they were school kids. After numerous years crafting their musicianship they grew up and developed into what became the atmospheric whirlwind known to the metal world as SHYLMAGOGHNAR. Their debut full length Emergence took the world by storm in 2015 and the 29th of June will see the release of the hotly anticipated follow-up entitled Transience via Napalm Records. Will they be able to maintain their skyward-bound momentum?

Opening and title track Transience basically leaves off where The Sun No Longer left off with a theatrical yet calming vibe to ease you into the album. This is soon negated by abrasive, harsh vocals and atmospheric guitar work. The imperfection in the snare hits is a nice touch as it feels less sterile in comparison as opposed to programmed drum patches which are frequently used in the technological age. The track continues to ebb and flow through a variety of layers with relative ease getting Transcience off to an inviting start.

Proceeding track The Dawn Of Motion commences with a rather devilish sounding riff reminiscent of old school OPETH as the rigid bass lines provide the ideal accompaniment. As the song progresses the riffs get considerably burlier adding that extra level of bite to the arrangement as the kick drums go into overdrive. As All Must Come To Pass unassumingly meanders into focus with a steady bass line and some overlaying synth work before bursting into all out black metal fury. Rapid blast beats and seething screams saturate the track as the invigorating pace runs riot.

This Shadow Of The Heart proceeds with a lively folk orientated mentality as the intricate lead work ensures you are fixated on every minute detail of the composition. Whilst being considerably shorter than its counterparts it is still packed with exhilarating musicianship. The Chosen Path tones the vigorous black metal tones down a couple of notches and focuses more on huge emotive riffing which possesses a relaxing but emphatic quality. Absolutely a track which can be appreciated by sinking deep into your chair with a good set of headphones and basking in the serene harmonies.

After a few tracks which focus mainly on the instrumentation at SHYLMAGOGHNAR‘s disposal, the vocals make a return on No Child Of Man Could Follow as the track takes a less chaotic and more methodical pace. The brief, calming segments which break up the energetic guitar work are a welcoming addition, giving you time to fully digest the abundance of elaborate offerings on show as another mammoth track morphs through various forms. Some of the solo work later on in the track is really quite spellbinding. Journey Through The Fog allows you a further moment of peace as the track slowly builds like a spider majestically weaving a web. The upbeat, lively guitars supplemented by thunderous drumming surround you in a world of graceful yet complex orchestration.

Closing track Life is the longest track on the album clocking in at 13 minutes long but it passes in a matter of moments as you become so engrossed in the passages unfolding as it marches onward. The duo show no sign of fatigue as they sprint towards the finish line in a burst of exuberant glory. Some spine tingling acoustic work towards the latter stages provide a fitting end to a stellar piece of artistry.

To even consider that the entirety of this elaborate creation was devised by only two musicians is astonishing. Transience consists of so many intricate layers that it feels like being engulfed in seismic waves of thought-provoking emotion. Black metal is notorious for being melancholy and woeful but the compositions within are rammed full of positive vibrancy and boundless energy. Amazingly the tracks are all of extensive lengths but SHYLMAGOGHNAR never run out of gas, keeping your attention with swift transitional experimentation. Anyone who enjoys being immersed in fascinating soundscapes would be daft to overlook this masterfully constructed creation.

Rating: 9/10

PROGGE

my like #6 or 7. The opening track is so boss

Is it just me or has there been an uptick in unpronouncable names this year

Sylvaine sounds pleasant, not sure how much it'll stand up when I have a chance to listen without distraction though

I quite liked the Sylvaine, although I suppose not enough to include it in my 50. Glad to see Shylmagoghnar made it – highly entertaining stuff.

58 Witch Mountain - Witch Mountain 156 Points, 5 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/xUEydSx.jpg

https://witchmountain.bandcamp.com/releases

http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/witch-mountain-witch-mountain

When former Witch Mountain vocalist, Uta Plotkin announced her departure from the band back in 2014, the common belief amongst fans and the band itself was that the Portland veterans were in for a long hiatus. Plotkin’s bluesy bellow and smoky style raised the bar to difficult, if not, unimaginable heights. With the global population inching towards 8 billion people, there would certainly be plenty of stratosphere-scraping warblers out there to choose from, but how many of them would be jones-ing to join forces with a comparatively obscure doom metal band?

Also, for candidates able to cut the talent and performance mustard, would they understand what they’d be getting into? Would they be able to hang on a personal level? Fairytale stories abound of dudes from the Philippines joining Journey, former TV show contestants joining Queen and various American Idols going on to solo career success, but trying to convince someone with equal amounts of vocal skill as delusions of riding in hot tub limos and snorting rails off fake tits that headlining sweaty dive bars and/or 30 minute opening slots is a cool thing was going to be a tough sell.

As original members Rob Wrong (guitars) and Nathan Carson (drums)—Justin Brown (bass) rounds out the lineup—settled in for a stretch of inactivity, they apparently forgot about the horseshoes wedged in their collective arse cracks. A mere four months after Plotkin served her notice, Kayla Dixon materialised out of thin air. The Washington, D.C. resident was still in her teens at the time but had experience with musical theater, acting, dance, and metal, as an ex-member of Demons Within and Helion Prime. After a four year period of getting-to-know-you, which included Dixon relocating across the country, the band contributing to a Black Sabbath tribute, and tours with Yob, Enslaved, Danzig, St. Vitus and The Skull, here we are on the eve of album number five.

Of course, the differences between Plotkin and Dixon’s voices are going to be put into crosshairs. Especially considering the latter is picking up somewhere along a rapidly rising trajectory line that is greatly attributed to the former. Track and field enthusiasts think of it like this: Jamaica’s 4×100 men’s relay team moves a prime Usain Bolt to the third leg where he’s handing the baton off to some dude you’ve never heard of running the anchor leg. Thankfully, and frankly, expectedly, the new anchor doesn’t trip over untied shoelaces and fall flat on her face.

Where Plotkin’s pipes recalled the bluesy bluster of a barrel-bodied demoness belting it out in 1900s juke joints, Dixon’s voice soars at greater heights with studied dramatics and poise. “Midnight” kicks off the album with a meaty, stompin’ an’ strutin’ riff with Dixon leaping straight into the deep end as she accents her throaty cabaret style with black metal banshee scraping and soulful ululations. “Mechanical World” uses layered double tracking to inject a mixture of old-school R&B vocalisations into the redesigned house of Moulin Rouge. For some reason, my mind’s ear keeps coming back to the image of an estrogen-powered Evil Elvis trading haymakers with German chanteuse Ute Lemper. The acoustic-based “Hellfire,” an almost solo showcase for the new frontwoman, is more wild-eyed and gospel-infused tension and release.

While the vocal differences, similarities, and comparisons will dominate, the rest of the album shouldn’t be glossed over. The songs themselves present with an economical maturity. Wrong’s traditional doom riffing is peppered with both a sludgy punch and NWOBHM sense of melody. In “Burn You Down” the shift between palm-muted plunder and proto-thrash gallop is so seamless that you hardly notice the tempo changes between verse and chorus and throughout its epic second half. In the past, there was the tendency to overextend riffs; to drag them out to the point of overuse. Repetition has been eased up on throughout Witch Mountain. The result simplifies matters as the standard approach prizes the use of space and texture, especially in the way Carson can provide a turnabout transition with a solitary cymbal ping or pattern. This pushes Witch Mountain into the realm of songwriters, not just riff writers.

As far as weaknesses go, the absence of Wrong’s lengthy, unfettered spells of heart-wrenching lead work is noticeable. As well, the 14-minute trawler, “Nighthawk,” while home to a killer Sabbathian riff teeming with high street swagger, didn’t need to be anywhere near 14 minutes long. In it, Dixon sounds like she’s straining to fill spaces and rests and struggling during the extended outro which a wailing solo likely would have been more effective.

Despite these minor blips, having one of the unheralded heroes of American doom metal back in action can only be a good thing. Being rejuvenated by the luck that brought Dixon into the fold—not to mention the nascent energy contributed by being half the age of her bandmates—paired with the perpetual motion machine that is the progression of Witch Mountain’s song writing acumen, should mean a bright future ahead. This may sound like a strange thing to say about a band that formed in 1997, but with the prospect of a lengthy layoff being positively kiboshed, momentum is strictly in the band’s favour.
Score: 7.5/10

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/witch-mountain-witch-mountain-review/

Who remembers Scion AV? Scion was a Toyota offshoot that clearly had headbanging executives in charge: for a few years they sponsored the release of tracks by metal acts ranging from Meshuggah to The Melvins. And there’s the tie-in: the first time I heard Witch Mountain was from a Scion AV download back in 2010. Those two songs became bonus tracks on a European vinyl rerelease of Cauldron of the Wild, so still relatively unknown, but they showed us what Witch Mountain were: heavy traditional doom influenced by Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, with chillingly mesmerizing vocals courtesy of Uta Plonktin. Times change and Witch Mountain has changed as well since their last release four years ago: Plonktin has been replaced by Kayla Dixon. Will this affect this self-titled release?

Yes and no. Sabbath-y doom is still Witch Mountain’s forte, and they still do it quite well. Dixon is not a direct replacement for Plonktin: while Plonktin had the occult songstress routine down pat, Dixon is more of a blues diva with a twist. She has a fantastic voice when sticking to the blues aspects of Witch Mountain’s songs, but when they veer off a couple of times into black metal territory Dixon comes up woefully short. Thankfully, those moments can be counted on a three-fingered hand, so they don’t detract from Witch Mountain all that much. And that’s a good thing, since we’ve only got five songs to sink our teeth into — and one of them is a cover. On a short record like this, I would normally dock a point immediately for including a cover 1, but in this case, we’ve got a cover of one of my favorite bands from 50 years ago, Spirit. It’s completely bizarre to hear a female-sung doom take on the eclectic “Mechanical World,” but it’s really well done.

The four original songs here are fine tunes as well, fairly simple and trve to their influences, and very heavily based in the blues, like Sabbath themselves were. Opening track “Midnight” was released as a single last year, and the blues-at-half-speed approach combined with Dixon’s soulful, spellbinding vocals is very effective (the harsh vocals, not so much). “Burn You Down” was a single a couple of years ago, a standard traditional doom number that sounds like it would go over great live — Dixon’s rip at the three-minute mark is excellent. “Hellfire” is only a couple minutes long, but it’s a mesmerizing bluesy acoustic number with fantastic layered vocals. “Nighthawk” is the epic cut here, 14 minutes long and with plenty of crooning and some hazy guitar solos — only a couple brief spells of blackened vocals mars this slow burner.

Production is a conundrum here for me. The band sounds very earthy, as if they were recorded just with two room mics in 1972. The lo-fi approach does fit with the music, but borders on gimmicky2. The mix is loud and aggressive, with the exception of Dixon’s harsh vocals. Luckily, when she rasps out her harsh verses she becomes buried in the mix: a wise production decision. But I can’t help wondering what the songs would sound like with just a slightly more modern sheen — maybe worse, I dunno.

Witch Mountain the band shows us they’ve got the traditional doom genre down pat, and Kayla Dixon is a helluva singer as long as she doesn’t try to do too much. Witch Mountain the album is short and to the point, and with one song on a 36-minute album being a cover (albeit a very enjoyable cover for this Spirit fanboy), the amount of content is lacking, but what’s present is enjoyable and genuine, performed with vigor and earnestness. I hope this version of the band sticks together and enjoys a period of prolific writing in the near future.

Awesome cover art but I always find these guys a bit...staid, maybe?

is it the drumming? ;)

57 The Body - I Have Fought Against It, but I Can't Any Longer. 159 Points, 7 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/ewel3Ls.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/2yR0l9a77mQRD125LqHNG6?si=NCKxsVjaR8mQzk9Kqk5GDQ
spotify:album:2yR0l9a77mQRD125LqHNG6

https://thebody.bandcamp.com/album/i-have-fought-against-it-but-i-can-t-any-longer

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-body-i-have-fought-against-it-but-i-cant-any-longer/

7.8
he Body have never thought of themselves as a metal band. Their last full-length, 2016’s No One Deserves Happiness, was the Portland duo’s version of a pop album, influenced by Taylor Swift, the Weeknd, Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, and various suicide novels, as well as their collaborators on the project, Thou and the Haxan Cloak. “We always saw ourselves as more of a noise band than anything else,” drummer Lee Buford told Thump in 2016.

Constructed largely out of cut-up and processed samples of their previous recordings, the Body’s new album, I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer, combines noise with electronic music. The result falls somewhere between the harsh-noise body horror of Pharmakon’s Bestial Burden and the way Shlohmo turns his emotive synths and beatwork toward grief and loss on Dark Red. True to form, the record hides moments of grace within an impenetrably violent landscape, capturing a rupture at the boundary of what is bearable.

The songs gain intensity as the album progresses, leading the listener deep into a hell of the Body’s careful making. Opening track “The Last Form of Loving” builds from a slow, melancholy prologue—violins to drums to heavy breathing—into a sort of hymn. Chrissy Wolpert, from the Body’s frequent collaborators Assembly of Light Choir, sings of “the light that survives us,” pausing on a moment of peace before “Can Carry No Weight” drops in with a thick drum beat, high-pitched chirp, and singer/guitarist Chip King’s disintegrated screams. The strings that accompany Wolpert’s gothic vocals feel ceremonial and portentous, evoking a ritual before sacrifice or the approach of a monster ready to devour the whole village. On “Partly Alive,” as rolling drums, horns, and layers of King’s blood-curdling shrieks coalesce into a cinematic wave, the thing arrives. Attacks. Spares no one.

https://thequietus.com/articles/24523-the-body-i-have-fought-against-it-but-i-can-t-any-longer-lead-album-review

When is a metal band not a metal band? As far as rhetorical questions go, it’s fairly innocuous (several rungs above ‘Does a bear shit in the woods?’, sure, but some way below ‘What is the sound of one hand clapping?’), but it’s one that Portland duo The Body have had us asking for almost two decades. The band’s transition from cult sludge metal oddballs to fearless genre-splicing auteurs has happened so steadily and organically that it’s easy to forget that, this time ten years ago, the pair had just one relatively straightforward album to their name. The past few years have seen a slo-mo explosion of creativity from The Body camp, with their minimal doom sound evolving into something altogether more extreme, drawing from industrial, hip-hop, techno, harsh noise, contemporary classical and anything else that found its way into the band’s collective imagination.

While most of their peers obsess over capturing a good representation of their live sound when they make a record, The Body have been using the studio as an instrument more and more with each release, culminating in their last album, 2016’s No One Deserves Happiness (described by the band as the “grossest pop album of all time”. I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer goes one step further: if No One… felt like The Body’s trademark sound placed within a new context, then I Have Fought Against It… burns that sound to the ground and builds something completely new out of the charred remains. It is constructed mostly of samples of their own work; guitarist Chip King and drummer Lee Buford don’t play their instruments at all, instead reconstituting previous recordings into one of their most startlingly confrontational records yet. But don’t call this a remix album: it feels very much like a fresh, fully fledged addition to their oeuvre, and the next logical chapter in the band’s story.

On a purely sonic level, this is the furthest The Body have strayed from metal’s confines so far. Riffs are stretched out into fizzing waves of spluttering noise or voraciously gutted until they’re just lingering husks of vast ominous low-end. There are only a couple of songs that put a distorted electric guitar up front in the mix, most of them towards the album’s latter half. Even then, songs like ‘An Urn’ smother the riffs in stuttering, militaristic boom-baps, placing them closer to martial industrial or even the last Death Grips record more than anything on the metal end of the spectrum. ‘Blessed Alone’ uses a doomy riff to incredible effect, building slowly out of sombre, acutely sad strings into one of the most powerful, destructive crescendos in the band’s discography, and there’s some jangly Shellac-esque chords and tinny-swarm-of-bees tremolo picking on ‘Sickly Heart Of Sand’, but for the most part the guitars are manipulated to the point that they’re unrecognisable.

It’s remarkable how heavy the whole thing still sounds, though. ‘The West Has Failed’, for example, pairs jilted trap rhythms with some of Chip’s harshest and most painful-sounding screams, bounding along with a gleefully obnoxious stomp until an unexpected dub break crashes in out of nowhere, complete with undulating bass frequencies, twinkling space echo and even an artfully deployed Eek-A-Mouse sample. ‘Partly Alive’ blares colossal detuned horns over rumbling cut-up percussion, almost like the missing link between Laibach and Keith Fullerton Whitman. ‘Nothing Stirs’, meanwhile, creates an unbelievably oppressive atmosphere using little more than stark electronic thuds and sumptuous swelling pads, whilst Lingua Ignota’s Kristin Hayter sends a chill down the spine as her regal falsetto cracks into an uninhibitedly violent roar. In fact, this album is easily their most vocally diverse so far. On previous records, Chips’ distinctively piercing shriek has contrasted with the ethereal croon of Assembly Of Light Choir’s Chrissy Wolpert to powerful effect; but on I Have Fought Against It…, with Hater’s wide-eyed howl, croaky rasps from Sandworm’s Ben Eberle and Uniform frontman Michael Berdan’s drunken bellow, The Body paint with a much broader palette and sacrifice none of their own identity.

The Body have always had more emotional depth than a cursory glance at their T-shirt designs would have you believe, but this album is arguably the most articulate and nuanced representation of the human condition that they’ve offered up yet. Whilst some sludge metal bands are content to portray a cartoonishly exaggerated vision of negativity and depression for their whole careers, The Body have always seemed to dig deeper into these feelings and the small galaxies of conflicting emotions that usually orbit them.

Take that title, for instance. I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer, an arresting phrase that’s barked mantra-like by Hayter on the album’s unflinching apex, ‘Sickly Heart Of Sand’. On the first impression, it appears to be an admission of defeat, a callous suicide note for a bleak, uncaring world. But it doesn’t have to be. For someone fighting to keep themselves in an uncomfortable situation, be it a job, relationship or mind frame, the admission that they are no longer acting with their best interests in mind can be an extremely positive revelation and something of a breakthrough. In many ways, that’s what this record seems to represent: that moment of visceral, unshakeable clarity that grips you in your lowest hour, that desperate but empowering sense of determination when you finally admit to yourself that your life is not where you want it to be, but you now know what you need to do to change it.

It’s a difficult feeling to put in to words, but one that The Body have captured with uncanny precision as the sombre, hopeless strains of ‘The Last Form Of Loving’ suddenly transition into ‘Can Carry No Weight’, its distant four-on-the-floor thump, haunting chanted vocals and swathes of cold feedback stopping you dead in your tracks like that flood of endorphins that accompanies your first big cry after months of stoic, steely-faced struggle. The Body’s portrayal of sadness on this record is simply one of the most mature and well-realised in metal today, examining the conflicting shades of heartbreak, listlessness and even fleeting joy that can become embroiled in depressive episodes, making a lot of their contemporaries sound merely angsty and one-dimensional.

So, just when is a metal band not a metal band? Despite shedding metal’s generic trappings almost completely, The Body have created some of the heaviest and most intense music we’ve heard this year, a devastating multi-faceted gut-punch of a record that asks you to come face to face your most primordial, deep-seated fears, acknowledge and accept your failings and emerge from the experience a stronger person. And if that’s not metal, then frankly, we don’t know what is

Oh shit haha. Well done Nate! REPRESENTATION

xps

Nothing Stirs has the best beat-drop of the year. The rest of the song/album doesn't quite live up to that, but what a moment

If past form is any clue this is a load of noisy but low-content edgelord bollocks, just like that utterly pathetic GTT album

Like I know it's meant to elicit strong reactions but piteous contempt probably isn't what they have in mind

Lol I voted for this. I am pro-The Body. I am part of the problem.

I was enticed by the presence of Lingua Ignota but I agree that it mostly reeks of edgelording. Then again, this is the METÅL poll, so it's hardly a flaw by default.

It's not a results rollout without some bile, even when we're collectively pretty chill with each other's tastes on the metal poll

As I say, each Body album will reliably have at least twenty seconds of music that really impresses me

56 Sumac & Keiji Haino - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On 160 Points, 4 Votes
https://i.imgur.com/Cked3oY.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/6yqZZpDNeqNTPsk0fH2Pi7?si=SzB0XFkCReWu2dpUxDOQWQ
spotify:album:6yqZZpDNeqNTPsk0fH2Pi7

https://sumac.bandcamp.com/album/american-dollar-bill-keep-facing-sideways-youre-too-hideous-to-look-at-face-on

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/keiji-haino-sumac-american-dollar-bill-keep-facing-sideways-youre-too-hideous-to-look-at-face-on/

7.3
On their second album, 2016's What One Becomes, Sumac—the trio led by Hydra Head Records founder and former Isis frontman Aaron Turner—were heading towards a minimalist style that tested doom metal’s spatial limits. By teaming up with Japanese avant-garde pioneer Keiji Haino for American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You’re Too Hideous To Look at Face on, their first collaboration and Sumac’s third record, they’ve taken on a different kind of challenge. Haino is an outsize presence; with his visceral overdrive on guitar, vocals, or any instrument he picks up, he naturally takes over any project he’s on. On this five-track set, that means Sumac primarily functions as a rhythm section, a role in which they excel.

Sumac were already playing slow and loose with structures before, and Haino obliterates any sense of form. His orthodoxy is that there are no orthodoxies, and so Sumac’s lumbering doom becomes an endless outburst of wahs and scrapes. “What Have I Done?...”—a track whose full title runs to 43 words, and which gets split into two parts on opposite ends of this album—has some of the band’s most volatile clusters, rife with overlapping guitar freak-outs and escalating drums. The sound falls in line with Fushitsusha, Haino’s long-running free-rock band, at their most chaotic, and it also recalls the noisy, disassembled grindcore of Sissy Spacek and Burmese.

If Haino is Hendrix caterwauling through the multiverse, Sumac are the Experience bringing him back into our atmosphere, burning without disintegrating. And while Haino and Turner are the marquee names, it’s drummer Nick Yacyshyn who holds it all down. Sumac lets him break free from the steady d-beat hand needed for his other band, Vancouver hardcore group Baptists, loosening up without compromising intensity. That’s even more true on American Dollar Bill, where Yacyshyn has mastered the art of making what could be a complete mess come off as composed and intentional. He doesn’t fall apart, even when you wonder if he’s about to collapse from constant explosion.
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For all his influence, Haino hasn’t completely remade Sumac in his image. Both parts of “I’m Over 137% a Love Junkie and Still It’s Not Enough” resemble Sumac’s more tranquil breaks, where Turner punctures lucid drones with squeaks and squalls. Over Haino’s spaced-out twang, they finally simmer. Of course, Haino doesn’t allow for too much peace, letting forth some of his most piercing shrieks when the rest of the band gets quiet. “A Love Junkie” is this collaboration at its most dreamy, yet even the heavier tone of most of the album has its own hazy, disorienting quality. Sumac’s other works have had definite ends and beginnings; American Dollar Bill’s all-enveloping calamity can drift in and out if you’re not listening intently. You don’t go to Haino—or Sumac, for that matter—for easy listening, anyhow.

Haino isn’t new to playing with metal bands: He’s recorded with Boris and plays with metal’s avant emissary, Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley, in Nazoranai. His career has taken a parallel path to many metal groups, exploring new directions in loud, wailing guitars without adhering to rock structures, standards, or attitudes. Even as metal has come closer to the experimental world, he still feels quite far from them. American Dollar Bill bridges that gap, travelling through several extreme languages and still coming out with Haino’s iconoclastic touch.

https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/02/keiji-haino-sumac-american-dollar-bill-keep-facing-sideways-youre-too-hideous-to-look-at-face-on/

Supergroup SUMAC, who are already comprised of members of such hallowed groups as Botch and Russian Circles (Brian Cook), Mamiffer, Isis, and Old Man Gloom (Aaron Turner), Baptists (Nick Yacyshyn), and, occasionally live, Earth, Melvins, and Thrones (Joe Preston), have opted to join forces with shades-sporting, psychedelic and improvisational noise virtuoso, Keiji Haino for their third full length recording. If you’re unfamiliar, Haino is an enigmatic and formidable multi-instrumentalist whose varying approach has resulted in some of the most thought-provoking and electrifying experimental music of the past five decades. Stephen O’Malley (whom Haino collaborated with in Nazoranai) once tried to sneak into one of his sound checks but was barred from entry as Keiji was “spending an hour breathing in all of the oxygen in the room and processing it through his body and exhaling it into the room”. As O’Malley says “Occupying the space with your own organism? How poetic is that?!”

So does it sound like a man respiring for 60 minutes? No, not quite. The title track unfurls with percussive flutters and a playful flute. Guitars are dabbed as if by a cat hurriedly pawing after the frisky red dot of a laser pen. Drums explode like a firework display’s crescendo and vocals shift from gentle crooning to throat rasping cries. The tip tap of a hi-hat tells us this is improvised water testing yet the Baptists stick-man somehow manages to conjure and form rhythms that we can really lock into whilst guitars wail and surge off piste. Haino’s vocals, however, act like a rallying cry, spurring this on all together, all on board with the neck busting beat.

Often music paints pictures. It evokes feelings and images outside of itself. Sometimes bleak forest landscapes, or dingy cellars. This album sincerely delivers us to a darkened stage on which musicians wrestle with instruments and time signatures. Eyeing each other for signals, tempo changes, emerging crescendos. And leading the pack is Keiji Haino, breathily whispering sour nothings into a swaying microphone. At other times squealing solely for a canine audience. Guitars are reduced to little more than ambience and occasionally strummed discordance as KH exorcises like a priest with a satanic gym membership and a new year’s resolution that will NOT be broken this year. Everything calms down. A moment of contemplation and then “USA Dollar” is bellowed by the Japanese noisenik as inter-dimensional solos are wrangled from writhing guitar necks and fearless pickups. It all draws to a squall.

After this gentle introduction comes the first* of two pairs of tracks… split into two. Cleaved, scythed, bisected. With its wild and noisy tendrils this feels like dividing an unholy chimera forged from chaos and eager to devour its twin. In 1962 Francis Bacon seemingly foresaw these compositions as he painted a triptych which accurately represents the violent contortions that this union of Haino, Turner, Cook, and Yacyshyn muster. From out of this mess of rotting notes and flailing beats, some sense of structure surfaces. Colliding, clashing, and then, finally, complementing one another before rushing to a freak out finale in a, comparatively nifty, nine minutes. It’s practically restrained.

‘I’m Over 137% A Love Junkie And Still It’s Not Enough Pt.I’ is like waking in a desert. Parched and sand-swept. Seeking hydration in the early squinting light, trudging desperation starts to set in as the internal voice of panic gains confidence. This feeling is translated into accusatory sonics with a nervous atmosphere reaching out in all directions. Slogging drum fills and tickled crashes are occasionally warmed by the glow of receding guitar chords that sharply turn into fury and rage. This could be the score for Wake In Fright. The sounds soon die out in a scattering of toms and dive-bombing guitars.

The second half is convulsive and manic. All participants pummelling and shredding for their lives. Seeking understanding, trying to make sense of it all. The flurries wind down and this initial madness is gently coaxed into a softer, thoughtful mesh of plucked guitars and textural drums. A spattered mosaic backing Keiji’s pondering before pitching back into more volatile territory towards the end, linking right round to its earlier beginnings.

Part 2 of ‘What Have I Done…’ brings things to a close with guitars that soar like a shuttle called Icarus. The drummer appears to sprout four additional stick-wielding limbs that are everywhere at once. Only the bassist seems keen on maintaining a semblance of continuity, pinning down bursts of earthquake fodder. This carnage cannot be maintained forever though and so it slows down and quells. Only to be ruptured by machine gun drum rolls which act as a dying hurrah. Sonic winds haunt the background as feedback clatters into abrupt rhythms. It is deranged enough to derange. A lesson in endurance, in perseverance, in resistance. In these ways it is a lesson for our modern times.
* The succinctly titled ‘What Have I Done? (I Was Reeling In Something White and I Became Able To Do Anything I Made a Hole Imprisoned Time Within It Created Friction Stopped Listening To Warnings Ceased Fixing My Errors Made the Impossible Possible? Turned Sadness Into Joy) Pt. I’.

Side note – the tracks on this record have probably already won some award for “2018’s Song Titles of the Year”, but it is the name of the album (and also the opening track) that provokes the greatest intrigue. Is this a reference to the shameful slave ownership of George Washington? To the gross crimes of piggish capitalism? Or to the apparent refusal of the 45th president to be photographed head on, claiming that his best side is the only one that should be captured? Or is it none of these? Maybe it’s just that this quartet think that George Washington was a total munter. It’s a head-scratcher. It really is.

https://www.popmatters.com/keiji-haino-american-dollar-bill-2537795004.html

Tenured rock 'n' roll demolition expert Keiji Haino and über-heavy trio SUMAC -- which features former ISIS frontman Aaron Turner and Russian Circles bassist Brian Cook, also formerly of Botch -- got together at the Gok Sound studio in Tokyo and recorded American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous to Look at Face On, which effectively reimagines Jackson Pollock's "Summertime: Number 9A" in sonic barbed wire and concrete.

Across the violent bursts and languid breaks of the lengthy opening title track of this collaborative album, "American Dollar Bill…" manages, among other things, to starkly remind how artificially performative most rock music is. There isn't much about a steady 4/4 beat that is innate to the normal actions of a human body, and to keep one up for an extended period will begin to take its toll. Rock music, like all manual labor, gradually alters the shape and mechanics of its enactor through the process of repetition.

"American Dollar Bill…", and American Dollar Bill… as a whole, on the other hand, is the sound of the body reshaping rock music with its own impulsive, unpredictable desires and rhythms. There are surges of noise like blood rushing to the head, internal pressures released by Haino's unrestrained shouts and wails. Then there are listless passages of post-release and in-between stages of unsurety. The three extended compositions with fragile poems for titles that make up the album's five tracks -- the latter two are divided into two parts each -- capture not just the sprint, but also the runner stretching beforehand, and drained yet still on their feet afterward.

Haino has at one point in the past 20-or-so years joined forces with practically any and every other notable noise and art rock collaborator one could think of: Merzbow, John Zorn, Yamantaka Eye, Jim O'Rourke, Stephen O'Malley, Boris, Charles Hayward of This Heat, and on and on. Still, the 65-year-old's pairing with this particular post-post-metal behemoth comes across as remarkably natural. SUMAC have had to do surprisingly little to adjust the unstable sense of space established on their 2016 album What One Becomes to make room for Haino's forceful yet malleable presence. The trio here is even looser than usual, to be sure, but the most immediate difference is the swapping of Turner's sea-floor-scraping growl for Haino's wavering distress calls.

This improvisational collision is not a jam session made of freely flowing psychedelic guitars or endless steady Motorik beats. American Dollar Bill… continually anticipates shifts in speed and direction. The first tranquil four minutes of "I'm Over 137% a Love Junkie, and it's Still Not Enough, Part 1" is the album's regenerative center until Haino breaks the spell with antagonistic cries, goading SUMAC's beast from its slumber. Retribution comes in the opening onslaught of "...Part 2", but the duel winds down in much the same way as it winds up, breaking apart and drifting off. Surely as it must have been for its creators, American Dollar Bill… can be taxing, but it gives as much as it takes.

I too am part of the problem. I just love their gross, disused railway vibe. I had no idea they were edgelord-y though because it’s not like you can understand a word he says.

I remember when Sumac and Keiji Haino were popular in metal poll

Sumac album had incredible production but I didn’t have the energy to get into something this dense when it came out.

I've only heard Love in Shadow, which was cooler for what it set out to achieve than for the execution proper, but I should probably check this one out.

Yeah Love In Shadow was my vote