doom / experimental

Any doom fan knows that Italy is one of the places to be for dark, obscure and occult doom metal. There must something in the water over there because that country keeps on barking brilliant doom albums. So I guess it's no surprise that a band like Messa roams in the same deep waters and comes out with something unique and epic.
The band has been making a name for themselves since their inception in 2014. Their classical and occult doom metal puts them on the same cards as bands like Jex Thoth, Pentagram and Windhand but Messa likes to take things a bit further, right into the regions of jazz, shoegaze and noise. Is that good? Dûh.

The album opens with the usual intro, a two minutes lasting track that drones and noises before 'Snakeskin Drape' breaks loose, first gentle yet impending, then fully embracing the vintage doom metal feel. Personally, I'm already convinced but we're not done yet. Messa still has a lot of goodness to show. 'Leah' for example, which shows you how an antique jazz club would sound if it had today's distortion pedals. I love the jazz escapades on this track and I love how Sara's versatile and soulful voice fits in perfectly. Somehow she belongs on jazz stages, in shoegaze bands and hanging out with dark doomers. I'm happy she picked this band to showcase her talent.

Now, when I mentioned "vintage doom", I obviously also included the psychedelic aspect of that genre. Many of the passages and solos on this album feel like immense and immersive jam sessions, thriving on ancient riff worshiping and the freedom of improvisation. 'The Seer' is a beautiful example of that. But then again, so are pretty much all the other tracks. I'm not going into a track-by-track description here, especially not since you should already get the hint: this is a fantastic album and a perfectly succeeded experiment. There is not a dull moment to be found. This will be a constant in my day-to-day playlist from now on and if you're a fan of high quality and unique music, you might want to get your hands on this.


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drone / dark jazz

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In the last ten years or so, dark minded people have been infiltrating the jazz scene, much like they have been running wild through the dance, rock and metal scenes in the decades before. Since I'm one of those dark minded people, I can only applaud that evolution. In fact, it's acts like Bohren, Dale Cooper and Radare that got me into jazz in the first place.

These days, dark jazz or ambient jazz acts seem to pop-up everywhere, reserving another heap of space in my already overloaded CD-racks. But these things are too good to be ignored, and here is another beauty to add to your drone jazz collection.

I don't know much about Inabile Caos, and I'm not planning to do any more research on the project. I mean, music like this can best maintain a touch of mystery. I suspect it is an Italian one-man act and I know that James Plotkin mastered the album, but the rest remains an enigma. This album, which I assume is a debut since the title is '1.0' is loaded with calm but grungy music, balancing on the edges between dark ambient, guitar drones, doom and jazz.

I think I can best compare this album to Sunn O))) side project Ensemble Pearl, or with Earth performing in an underground jazz club. It's slow, constantly fading in and out, loaded with delay, reverb and feedback, and otherworldly and gloomy set of instrumentals. My favorite track is '3' but again, that's not an easy choice to make, mostly since I love listening to this work for hours on end. I mean, '4' even brings Black Sabbath to mind, something that doesn't often happen in the jazz regions.

I guess there is little else to say about this album, which leaves me with the task of finding a target audience for it. That's an easy one. Doomers, droners and dark jazzists of all ages should check this one out. As I wrote in the beginning of this review: this is another beauty to add to your collection, a massively recommended one too.


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doom / dark jazz / sludge metal

Goddammit, I hate it when people steal my ideas. First there was Alice Cooper who stole some of my vocal lines for 'Poison', then Tina Turner did something similar and now Soldat Hans is stealing my ideas for a new live project. I got to find a lawyer or something, and sue the hell out of these people.

I'm kidding, I'm not going to sue anybody but the rest of the previous paragraph is true. As a young boy I wrote songs, only to hear other people perform then a year later or so. I also want to form a doom jazz band in the near future. I'd like to perform again.

In a way, Soldat Hans beat me to that. This Swiss band does something interesting with dark jazz, doom metal, sludge metal, ambient and post rock. The music is slow, obviously, but immersive, like a mix of A Silver Mount Zion, Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Amenra and Sigur Ros. That results in two long tracks, with 'Schoner Zerbirst' divided into two parts. Opener 'Story Of The Flood' is a twenty six minutes lasting doom jazz sloth combining all of the aforementioned elements. Of course, that brings a lot of variation to the whole thing, something I can only applaud, especially in dark, slow and atmospheric music.

Once, Soldat Hans was an experimental noise acts, improvising their way through gigs. You can still hear that in the music on this album. Instruments alternate often, from the usual post rock equipment to violins, sax and trumpets. The only sound I'm not so fond of is the sludge metal vocals, but that's just me. Everything else on this album is nothing less than inspiring. I am damn sure that I will listen to these tracks quite a lot from now on. I suggest you do the same. If you are a fan of slow and atmospheric you definitely not want to miss out on this one.


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dark jazz / downtempo 

Ever since I founded this website, I've always been fascinated with the most unique, out-of-the-ordinary albums. In the past three years, several of those have been reviewed and still often appear in my day-to-day playlist. I think that looking for rare gems has become some sort of obsession, not only in the past three years but throughout my entire lifetime. It doesn't limit itself to music either but that is a whole different story. Today, while browsing my mailbox, I stumbled on this album by The Thing With Five eyes. It was originally coined as a dark jazz album and, even though I disagree with that tag, it's one of those unique gems my brain and ears crave.

The Thing With Five Eyes is a brand new project by Jason Köhnen, known for a multitude of bands and project, including Bong-Ra, Celestial Season, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation. Recently, he also released some other exciting albums on Svartlava from Rotterdam. These will be featured on the next edition of Brieviews. Now, let's focus on this fascinating musical experience that 'Noirabesque' has become.

On this record Köhnen is accompanied by Algerian / French singer Leila Bounous. She adds Arabic timbres to the music, which somehow brings a select number of Dead Can Dance songs to mind. Besides these element, you can find a wide array of musical influences, from ambient over (dark) jazz to krautrock and downtempo electronics. But even with those influences, there is a beautiful conceptual feel throughout the entire thing.

Another helpful hand (or set of lungs in this case) is proved by Izzy Op De Beeck (Detour Doom Project) who plays the trumpet. His efforts are rewarded in the brilliant track 'Taurus', which is probably my absolute favorite on the album. Yet, rest assured, there is not a dull moment to be found on 'Noirabesque'. It's an album with nine highlights, as each song is another awe-inspiring piece of work with 'Salem' being a perfect and genre defining opener.

In the end, I think the "dark jazz" tag is definitely earned here, especially in the way that The Thing With Five Eyes can stand next to Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones, Radare, Macelleria Mobile Di Mezzanotte and Somnambulist Quintet. Yet, just as easy this album delves into that scene, it redefines it with heaps of new influences. I have been following this scene since day one and I'm extremely happy that acts like these pop-up. 

Recommended? Almost as much as breathing...


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ambient / drone / avant garde

Eilean Records

The quality label Eilean records starts 2018 on a high note. Ljerke is a multidisciplinary live project which took form in the Frisian landscape as as source of inspiration. The project includes some music artists from Netherlands (Romke Kleefstra, Jan Kleefstra, Sytze Pruiksma) and Norway (Alexander Rishaug, Hilde Marie Holsen, Michael Duch) completed with the video artists Marco Douma (NL) and Haraldur Karlsson from Iceland. Furthermore, this debut album is mixed and edited by Rutger Zuydervelt (Machinefabriek) and mastered by Lasse Marhaug. So there are quite a lot of experienced names behind this, which explains the immaculately beauty of it all.

Because yes, this is an absolute gem, exploring the regions of drone, ambient, classical music, (dark) jazz and experimental music. The result is an adventurous album with calm, soothing music interlaced with poetry. Throughout the entire album, Ljerke seems to blend Zoviet France with The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, something I personally can only applaud. Opener 'Muurv' gradually lures you in with its minimal approach and follower 'Tsjilland' goes on a mild Godspeed! You Black Emperor journey.

The music seamlessly combines modern day electronics with contrabass, trumpets and guitars. I like that, but that's not really a surprise. As a fan of all things dark, slow and atmospheric I can only recommend this thing. That, plus I recommend playing it on a rather high volume, close your eyes and let mind altering soundscapes like 'Waarbekkasin' or 'Hettekobbe' do their thing. I don't want to talk about end-year lists yet but I am damn sure that these tunes will often appear in my day-to-day playlist from now on. Do yourself a favor and add them to yours too.


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drone / doom

Today's "slow music" scene might be one of the best things that has happened to music since Sister Rosetta Tharpe invented rock 'n roll. It's remarkable how varied the world of music has become since the beginning of the previous century and it does not look like that is going to end soon.

In recent years, slow music has been making a serious comeback. Ambient, doom metal, post rock and dark jazz are now widely accepted and appreciated, which obviously is a good thing. Coincidentally, all four genres seem to appear on this three track album by Bolt.

Perhaps it's safe to say that Bolt sounds like a lovechild between Sunn O))) and Bohren und der Club of Gore. Their slowly pulsating drones seem to balance on the edge between jazz and doom, which obviously results into stunning dark music. It's repetitive, immersive and hypnotic, maybe a bit like Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones on steroids. The album contains three tracks and clocks off at about forty minutes. In that time, the band takes you on a ride across a pitch black meandering river of drones, doomed out riffs and haunting soundscapes.

The mastering was done by Tobias Stieler (Kokomo), which might explain the overall heaviness of the whole thing. Since Dunk! Records released this on a beautiful colored vinyl, I expect this trio to play at next year's Dunk! festival, preferable in the forest. I am absolutely sure that Bolt will become a highlight on the festival. So if you want your music to haunt your dreams, this album surely deserves a spot in your collection. This is a brilliant album, no doubt about it, and now let's hope that Bolt will soon crush Europe with this mesmerizing sound.


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dark jazz

A few years ago, someone on a dark jazz forum posted a question: "does Dictaphone have anything to do with Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones?" The answer was a resounding "no", despite the name similarity. For starters, Dictaphone is German while their colleagues hail from France. Yet, people understood the confusion. Both acts roam in the world of dark jazz, a genre with few active bands. To make the confusion even more apparent, both bands now have releases on the same label too. After five years of silence, Dictaphone returns on Denovali with a brand new - and tremendously enjoyable - new album.

Although the music on 'APR 70' is slow and gloomy jazz, Dictaphone differs from their colleagues. The music is not as dark and doomed-out as Bohren, not as experimental and drone inspired as Dale Cooper, not as easy digestible as Radare and not as long winded as The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble. Instead, this seems to nudge more towards the darker works of Miles Davis, combined with a decent sense of electronic experimentation.

The three Dictaphone core members (Oliver Doerell (electronics, bass, guitar), Roger Döring (saxophone, clarinet) and Alex Stolze (violins)) have been working on this album for three years, which compared with their two decades of existence is not that long. It consists of nine tracks, nine slowly meandering rivers of jazz, electronica and ambient. In fact, the song 'Stanko' can somehow be compared to 'Die Moldau' by Smetana, being an equally narrative and flowing piece of music.

Of course, there is only a tiny gap between jazz and classical music, so it's rather easy to make this comparison. Yet, it also says a lot about the overall quality of this album. From the moment 'Opening Night' started, the mood was set for a hazy yet adventurous listening experience. Somehow, this music demands your attention and when it has it, it never lets you down. 'Lofi Opium' is a second highlight, and 'Sceance' is simply breathtaking.

In all, this is a beautiful jazz album, one that definitely earns a spot in your collection. There is more good news too, as Denovali are about to re release Dictaphone's previous albums. Some of them have been limited until now, so soon the world be able to enjoy the murky jazz splendour of Dictaphone, and that is a good thing.

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dark jazz / ambient

Ukrainian dark jazz and ambient combo Gamardah Fungus returns with a brand new album, which for me is always a reason to celebrate. In the past, I have been pleasantly surprised by this act. Their constant musical exploration has always been interesting so I was very curious about this one.

Once again, Gamardah Fungus treats us to long explorations and jam sessions and once again they seem to balance on the edge between dark jazz and ambient music. Besides, there seems to be a decent flair for folk music as well, especially in 'Arcanum', the second track.

Yet, it was opener 'Old Manor Spirits' that immediately got me hooked and quite possibly that one will remain my favorite throughout the album. It's a long, droning track with a gloomy free jazz attitude. 'Signs And Signal' repeats the atmosphere of the opener and by now, I'm starting to use the term "forest folk" for this album. Apparently, most of the album is recorded during improvisation sessions in the forest and somehow, you can definitely hear that on this album.

'Landscape Painted By Fear' even contains owl sounds. I'm not sure if these are recorded or programmed but they certainly add a lot to the organic, natural feel of the whole thing. The last track, 'Final Lullaby' seems to nudge more towards the post rock scene and further away from the forest as its predecessors. Quite frankly, this is also one of my favorites here. So I guess it's clear that this is another excellent album by this Ukrainian duo. Obviously it comes highly recommended.


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dark ambient / drone

I've seen the dark ambient scene evolve a lot in the past few years. I have seen and heard most of the groundbreaking acts on labels like Cold Meat Industry and Cyclic Law from the very beginning. Ever since I discovered the genre, I've been fascinated by it and it has been a constant throughout all my musical endeavors. So I'm extremely glad to see that this style is still alive and kicking. Ever more so, in recent years, it has gotten even more interesting with acts like CHVE, Barst, Empusae and this Swiss act, Sum Of R. The ritualist approach takes the upper hand again, which is a good thing. 

Sum Of R was formed by Reto Mäder in 2008. Fabio Costa joined the project shortly after. During live performances, they use guitars, effects, drums, synths, samples and drones to create a dark yet hypnotic atmosphere. On this album, their third full-length they do exactly the same, influenced by everything between dark ambient, noise, post rock/metal, electronic and psychedelic music. The result is a fascinating listening experience, an event for body and mind.

The majority of the tracks on this album are slowly pulsating soundscapes and drones while others seem to borrow elements from modern classical music and soundtracks. Personally, I'm most fond of the ones with percussion, like 'Like & Dust'. My favorite track is 'Overgrown', which after the intro, immediately drags the listener down into a whirlpool of impending drones and soundscapes. 

The level of variation on this album is perfect. Every track seems to have its own identity, its own set of different elements. Yet, the whole thing is coherent and unmistakably Sum Of R. 'Cobalt Power' for instance, reminds me a lot of the current wave of dark jazz bands, like Dale Cooper Quartet or Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore. On other occasions, Sunn O))) isn't far off. But in all, this is simply a brilliant piece of dark music, one I will recommend to every dark soul out there.


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dark jazz / ambient / experimental

In my previous review (read), I wrote that Finnish one-man project J. Kill and Mr. Mule had evolved into a full band. The whole thing has become more serious instead of an experimental playground so the band decided to change their name to Käki, which means cuckoo. The music however is still exciting and immersive as ever. So I guess it's only natural that I throw their first four albums into one big review.

"Katoa" means "disappear". This is the first album, a solo effort. Jere recorded this after four days in isolation in a basement studio. It took him twelve hours to complete the album but the result is quite interesting. It combines dark jazz with something I can only describe as gritty Americana music. The songs are slow, lingering blends of jazz, drones and ambient but in a way they also come close to some cosmic, psychedelic jams. I think this stuff is perfectly suited for fans of Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones or Bohren Und Der Club of Gore and I think I will have to mention these names again real soon.