post metal / avant garde

Perihelion is one of the bands mentioned in our Hungary special (read), and a few weeks ago they released their new record called “Agg”, which is Hungarian meaning ‘very, very old’ - this and the song titles already shows that the band uses their mother tongue for their songs (and vocals). 

​This might be an obstacle for easy global success – if you really strive for that – but it can also give your songs a very unique character if you sing in a language most people won’t understand. For Perihelion, it’s definitely the second, as the mind wanders and you take the voice in as some kind of shamanic background, not that the music makes you drowsy, definitely not. 

The four-piece from Budapest officially formed back in 2012 and has since been very productive, this is their third album and fifth release all in all. Their music has some notions of post-metal, some of their patterns are very repetitive and there are definitely some arty tinges to it. They can be compared to fellow Hungarian Thy Catafalque, although there are much less extreme, or to Denmark’s Møl, even though there are no blastbeats on this record, or to Red Sparowes, albeit only when it comes down to visuals as “Agg” seems like a twin to “Every Red Heart Shines towards the Red Sun”.  The album even contains a hit: “Erdo” with its sparkling guitar intro by Gyula and Balász backed by Barna’s drumming skills and empowered by Gyula’s vocals is one of the songs that will be in your head for a few days. 

Perihelion are really good at evoking emotions with their music, sometimes it can be very “calm” and motionless like a desert due to the unbearable heat with lots of false pictures in your head just like the guys here suddenly turn the song from a post-rock melody into some kind of psyched-up post-punk. The riffs are more than solid, the drummer does an amazing job of slowing down the songs of speeding them up without dominating the whole sound – generally, it should be noted that the songwriting is really good and the vocals are on-point. If I just knew what they are trying to tell me! 


Thorsten

post rock / sludge

Anonymous band collective from England releases a concept album about a dead African elephant that an old Nazi tried to bring back to life but that was then rescued by a female shaman who has her own plans for the creature. Whaaat?! Yeah, it sounds like the story of a crossover between Hellboy and Raiders of the Lost Ark – one never knows how seriously the collective takes its music. But one must admit that it is catching and one has heard worse stories to base a record on.

Bull Elephant from London do an interesting mix of post-rock and sludge with some death metal-tinges to portray the savage nature of the creature. It is a mix that sometimes really surprises with a lot of coherence, however there are some moments – especially the high-pitched clean vocals – that makes the author of this review wonder, if they really wanted to sound like an 80s hair metal band. It’s not as if the singer is incapable of doing that, it just sounds too cheesy and takes away from the band’s seriousness. But wait – maybe that is exactly what this shall be?!

The concept is hilarious, the music is really good, sometimes doomy, sometimes fast, quite often pretty and posty with clean licks and the drums are really driving and energetic. The vocals alternate between 70s proto metal, the glam vocals mentioned before and some death grunts. They have a knack for making those seven songs spanning 38 minutes really worthwhile and entertaining.

One definite flaw is the typo used for the otherwise really excellent artbook – it’s barely readable, but maybe that’s due to the electronic press kit. An album that will amuse you with its savages attacks, its own take on the stories of old that we loved on the big screen, its hilarious portrayal of the Nazis trying to embrace anything remotely occult. If you want your music serious and thoughtful, then do not follow this record, if you like it with an ironic twist – then this will put a smile upon your face. 


​Thorsten

doom metal

Caronte (or Charon) is the ferryman transporting the souls across the rivers separating the realm of the living and the dead. It is also the name of a record by Italian progressive rock band The Trip from 1971. Furthermore, Furthermore, Caronte is the name of another Italian band playing an appealing form of NWOBHM-influenced doom metal which just recently released a new album called “Wolves of Thelema” through Ván Records.

When researching the ideas behind the record you very quickly descend into the world of mysticism (not paganism!), into the works of Aleister Crowley, into the idea of an inner will to control human life which is called ‘thelema’ in some ancient texts including the Bible and also in the works of Crowley, who even called his Italian commune in Cefalù the Abbey of Thelema. The word is originally nothing less than a synonym for the will of God guiding and controlling human life – in Crowley’s work it is transported into the center of his idea of a man-controlled form of our own future, a humanization of the original God-centered idea. 

Why am I writing all this? Well, one will not understand Caronte’s record without having a small knowledge of this background: the band has a very occult understanding of the world around us and this record, their fourth since 2014, also deals with Aleister Crowley’s work (like the ones before, but they were much more centered on his works and not on one part alone). But behold, we are not talking about some weirdos spraying pentagrams on other people’s houses or on public buildings, they are talking about it seriously (also noticeable in some of the titles, for example “Quantum Ecclesia”) - as the title of their record “Wolves of Thelema” indicates, they are actively trying to impose the idea of Thelema onto their lives and their music.

Musically, the album is influenced by Judas Priest and you can hear that the new members and participants gave the band some fresh ideas, the songs are heavy but also play with a darkness enlightened by lots of candles in the form of 60s-style synths giving them some ecclesiastical-like notions. The bands has progressed and improved in their songwriting, sometimes even being able to give us a pop-like chorus but never sounding cheesy (listen to “Queen of the Sabbath” or “Hypnopyre”). If there is one thing that might be criticized, then it’s the vocal performance, sometimes the leads could be a bit more original and less 80s-like while at the same times, the backgrounds might be a bit more noticeable. 

Nevertheless, it should be remarked that the album is definitely a grower and a very good start of the new year for those of us who have an open ear for occult metal which a strong, sometimes proggy 70s feel!


Thorsten

ambient / experimental / avantgarde

Unexplained Sounds Group

There are people on this planet, with a devotion for music, who are willing to dig as deeply as possible into the underground scene. The result of  Rafaelle Pezzalla (also active as Sonologyst)digging is almost unlikely. The sympathetic Italian is the driving force and seeker of the Unexplained Sounds Group label, which focuses entirely on the contemporary experimental and alternative electronic music of our overpopulated planet.

With the new Unexplained Sounds Group release 'Anthology of Contemporary Music from Middle East' he presents a new chapter of the Sound Mapping project with special attention to non-Western countries, following the selection of contemporary electronic music from the African continent.

This compilation focuses on experimental and alternative music from the Middle East and includes artists from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Afghanistan and Cyprus. This anthology shows a very interesting look at the productions sounds of artists rooted in their traditions with a progressive look at the new limits of their music.

These (as yet unknown) sound paths explore both experimental and radical improvisation, disturbed electronic tribal sonic structures, and psychedelic noise-drone escapades that sublimate the grains of sand in steaming ground breaking soundscapes. Anthology of Contemporary Music from Middle East reveals here an incredible sound puzzle in which the listener will find his favorite way to new places of architectural music constructions.

Speaking of a musical mind fuck, this compilation is a must for fans of experimental and cross-border electronic music. We have been stunned by this collection in a supernatural way. Top!

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Patsker

ambient / experimental / avantgarde

Unexplained Sounds Group

And yes, the sound mapping series of the Unexplained Sounds Group continues. After more than three years, the CD version of the previously only digital Persian experimental underground survey, focusing on experimental and alternative music from Iran, is finally out since November 30th 2019. 

Rafaelle Pezzalla had a lot of help from inside the Tehran scene to discover and compile this unique compilation. The artists delivered shining musical diamonds that have an eclectic content and various emotions. We were immersed in experimental electronic sounds, avant-garde, drones and ambient. The roots of the artists are woven in their sound sculptures and breathing rare buoyant atmospheres.

More known names in the genre, like Alphaxone and Xerxes the Dark have already released work on the American dark ambient label Cryo Chamber. The digital version of Anthology of Persian Experimental Music contains four bonus tracks. Reza Solatipour delivers to our opinion, without question, the most intriguing bonus track. The dark drones, mystical electronic pulses and a wide range of unique voices display an amazing world of deep sound ambiance.

For more than two thousand years the Persians had already developed and imprinted the core of the theoretical framework in the music of Middle Eastern origin still valid to this day. The local underground scene explores the ancient sound vibrations with a new vision and modern approach without losing their identity. The abstruse and complex quality tracks provide a soul-searching survey in the avant-garde music of Iran. We could only think of one word to end this review: brilliant!

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Patsker

ambient

When creating a minimalist album everything has to surrender the approach you take for such an album cannot simply “be made” - it needs a framework in order to make sense of itself. It is nothing you can simply do, right? Hell, no! Sometimes minimalist recordings can be created out of nothing, but only if the people involved know what they do and how they need to do it. Simpletons cannot create minimalist music for improvising such an abstract version of music needs a lot of skill, knowledge, craftsmanship and experience. 

Fabio Anile and Michael Peters, two very experienced musicians with more than 50 years of making music shared between them, are such connoisseurs and aptly skilled instrumentalists stemming from very different backgrounds. While Fabio was trained in composing and performing classical music, Michael comes from the rather avant-garde corner of punk and direct interaction. Both artists share a sense of closeness when performing together, which they did over a longer period of time. The recording of “Presence” took eight years, probably because they did not follow a pattern but improvised everything together which, of course, is pretty difficult considering you must really get a feel for where your partner “is heading” with this one sound and this one idea. 

When you combine that with an immense feeling for beauty, for just the right amount of using the elements of Peters’ guitar (looped through some effects and such, sometimes even certain software) or the right pressure on Anile’s keys (also incorporating field recordings of natural sounds) in order to make it sound like a perfect soundtrack to a day off in the dark, newly erect skyscraper before it’s being furnished or amidst the rain in a dense, moss-covered wood with the first rays of sunlight just stretching through the clouds and touching you while simultaneously the last drops splash heavily onto your shoulders and neck.

This is a really, really beautiful ambient album made by two musicians who know themselves, their instrument and each other so well that the product inevitably had to be either a forerunner for next year’s album of the year among post-rock and ambient fans or a late dark horse for this year’s lists full of such sounds and spaces.


Thorsten

black metal

Coincidence does not exist. At the moment, when we were going to dive deeper into the third issue of Becoming The Forest, treading the arboreal pathway through the black woods of black metal, the promo CD of Totengeflüster’s was not completely ready to be dissected for this review. The writings about the paradigm and ideology of the German forests triggered us into a deep listening session.

Totengeflüster  is back with their third full length album, The Faceless Divine. The symphonic black metal band from Germany is active since 2007. While the previous two albums had a German title, they have chosen probably for promotional reasons, an English heading. A dark ambient intro provides immediately the misanthropic atmospheres this album contains. Totengeflüster plays raging symphonic black metal covered in haunting keyboard chords and insanely wood chopping  by drummer Frostbitten. The death metal past from the technical rattling Frostbitten boosts the ferocious black metal melodies.

The band’s symphonic sound can be compared with Limbonic Art and Dimmu Borgir and flirts with black ‘n roll. Totengeflüster’s evil sounding softens in slower parts but with the growls and screams of Nahrengrund Nihilis and the thrashy dynamic guitar riffs, they stay intriguing. The quintet creates an overwhelming dark ambiance filled with mystery and variation. Besides two tracks with secretive lyrics in their native language the whole album was groaned and shrieked in English.

The Faceless Divine is a surprisingly very good and blasting symphonic work in the blackest regions of the musical spectra. Also, worth to mention is the album artwork by Simon Bossert. If you are in for a heavy and inspiring keyboard driven listening trip, Totengeflüster will wake the dead and let them whisper… 

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Patsker

noise rock

Coilguns is Jona Nido (guitar), Luc Hess (drums),  Louis Jucker  (vocals and bass),  who also play in the German progressive metal band The Ocean, and Donatien Thiévent (synths and backing vocals). In the middle of their Millennials tour, the Swiss band could gather enough time and inspiration to craft their newest record. They camped in the studio for a month starting from scratch.

The band members could vaporize all their frustrations in Watchfinders, a tank filled with exploding noise rock. Coilguns tempo of grinding guitar waves and screaming are kept in the exact rhythm by the drumming beast Luc Hess.

​Talking about a Swiss clock, no matter how the speed of the tracks changes from slow to overdrive, Luc Hess keeps everything in the right and precise balance. Louis Jucker, known as the almighty hugger during their live gigs, growls, screams, speaks in all directions. The music is heavy, psychedelic and infested by rabies. Some tracks have calmer pieces, which are only the remnants of the steaming outbursts of anger. 

Their only goal was getting darker, and they did it with brilliance. Watchwinders is like a Siberian ice tsunami crushing everything on its way. Coilguns has built a glacier with twelve levels filled with dangerous traps and pumped themselves into a higher level of noise rock. This outstanding release is available on CD and vinyl on the bands Bandcamp page. We took this bulldozer forever in our heart.

Patsker

darkwave / post punk / goth rock

The Arch are without a doubt more popular outside their home country Belgium, some call them the best kept Belgian secret. VIII / XII is the third release since their comeback in 2011, containing a compilation of songs which were dropped monthly one by one during the year 2018. The four headed band  wrote, recorded and mixed  each song before starting on the next one. A diversity of music styles was folded together into twelve touching pieces of music.

We can’t deny that the sound of The Arch is recycled from the legendary new wave bands of the eighties and a lot of listeners will call this a copycat. Well, the music is far from original but the passion and ambition shows itself after a few attentive listening parts of this album. Fresh and merrily sounding guitar riffs with sensual synths convey a romantic pop sound without losing the gloomy atmosphere. The lyrics have a darker tenor than the music, which is very admissible.

The band is thirty years active, they started as friends, they disappeared, they came back and sound mature and better than ever. They flirt with gothic and indie rock that tinge their balanced (post) new wave style. On the folk inspired Cadaver synod, the band got the vocal cooperation of Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon). 

Hopefully this hard working band gets more attention from the Belgian music lovers. Their deep weaved reflections of this world deserves to be heard. We needed to put some more energy in this album to get deeper but it was worth. Good music doesn’t always trigger the mind immediately.  Depending on which medium you choose, the VIII stands for the number of tracks on the vinyl edition, the XII for the CD version.

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Patsker

darkwave / post punk

The man behind Such Beautiful Flowers is Donny Woestenborghs, front-man of the European hardcore punk outfit Midnight Souls. While the rest of the Midnight Souls members formed the shoegaze, dreampop band Newmoon, Donny Woestenborghs chose the path of synthesizer orientated dark wave.

Neon Gloom (available on tape and CD) is a debut EP with four strong tracks reminding us of the Belgian EBM giants Front 242 and The Neon Judgement. The pumping beats and brimming industrial synths  create a sensation of a frigid postmodern world. Donny Woestenborghs wraps himself in sombre voiced lyrics. His fierce vocals and screams faded away in the past with this new aspiration now coming to the surface. Track four (Smile) is a slower piece of dark romanticism drenched in sad vibes. 

Neon Gloom can be the starting point for an exciting and promising future. A new generation of interesting Belgian dark wave artists is bubbling up.  Such Beautiful Flowers is definitely one of them. The dreary and machine-like atmosphere on this four track EP triggered us to dig further in the Belgian cold and dark wave garden. We would like to hear more of this in the near future.

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Patsker