Category: Doom

Ihä - Estructuras De Aire, Colonias De Soplo

ambient / drone

bandcamp

Chilean drone/ambient band Ihä return with a beautiful new four track album. Much like their previous release, 'Esperanza', this one focuses on minimal but atmospheric soundscapes. The result is a soothing yet immersive piece of work, something fans of everything between Brian Eno and Barn Owl can certainly appreciate. Furthermore, people with a hectic life, people who just want to ease down and relax for a moment, should also give this stuff a chance. Play it loud enough, not too loud, close your eyes and let this talented act guide you through the wonderful world of Ihä.

Spankraght - Spankraght EP

industrial / metal / drum & bass

Antwerp is a crowded city. One day a metalhead and a drum & bass producer slammed into each other in one of our many record stores. Their respective Channel Zero and Netsky vinyl albums smashed into pieces and fell to the floor. Instead of fighting each other, they bought some gear and locked themselves in a rehearsal studio. Now they released a nice piece of crossover with a pounding five track EP. Heavy guitars meet electronic beats and synths in a whirlpool of musical energy. It's Pendulum meets Combichrist meets ... let's say Rammstein, or Metallica. Most of all, it's bloody awesome, although I have no idea how to both dance and bang my head at the same time...

August Rosenbaum - Rasa

classical

Tambourhinoceros

Back in November 2017 August Rosenbaum released 'Vista'. Now, as a little extra, he offers a six track EP, containing the stripped down foundations of that album, plus one brand new track, 'Milo'. What can I say about this EP? It's a man playing a piano, nothing more, nothing less. That alone makes this one of the most beautiful things to listening to, especially if that man is a talented and experienced composer. So, if you're into calm, soothing and blissful smile evoking piano music, this EP is an absolutely must have, nothing more, nothing less.

Show Aniki - The Deep Blue Sessions

metal

website

The EP by French hard rockers Show Aniki compiles four singles. Throughout the years, the band has suffered several line-up changes but that didn't seem to harm the energy. Influenced by everything between Metallica, Anthrax, Disturbed and Alice In Chains these guys deliver four solid and groovy rock tracks. This is perfect stuff for a hot summer afternoon on some big ass rock festival where the older generation of headbangers will often point at the stage and tell the youngsters how metal should be done. So yeah, this is edgy metal with a heavy yet melodic approach. Great stuff.

The Human Race Is Filth - Liberate

grindcore / crust

Right, that was nice metal and all but for true mental torment you'd have to turn toward this cute and friendly American duo. Thrif delivers their second set of chaotic grindcore pummeling, once again with the intensity of an atomic blast. Fans of bands like Dismember and Napalm Death will undoubtedly get a hardon from this stuff (I don't need photographic proof of that!!!). In eight tracks, mostly short blast of ferocious crust/grind, Thrif effortlessly destroys everything in their path, including your sanity, but who needs sanity when you can have grindcore, right?

Misantronics vs Mint Narcosis - EPI

ambient / techno

Misantronics

Mint Narcosis

Ambient and dance beats mix quite well together. Just look at acts like early Biosphere or Psychic Warriors Of Gaia. In that aspect, it's almost weird that ambient act Misantronics and his EDM alter ego Mint Narcosis only now release a cooperative EP. On 'EPI' you can find four tracks, three of them delving deep into the world of ambient techno and one coming up with some breaks. 'Dragon' and 'Kepler' showcase the calm but danceable side of this EP while 'Kuba' is an hypnotic, trance inducing dance track. 'Unwasted Years' is the odd one here, a gloomy IDM track with haunting soundscapes. Certainly to be continued.

The Room in the Wood - Magical Thinking

new wave / alternative rock

Somewhere between the gloomy sound of new wave and the uplifting energy of alternative rock, we find Liverpool residents The Room In The Wood. Think acoustic music with a strong, distinct voice. In the title track the band shows an infectious blend between Leonard Cohen, Wall Of Voodoo and The Lemonheads. Yeps, that's possible. Johnny Cash fans will undoubtedly appreciate 'Baba Yaga' while The Doors lovers will pick out 'Dragonfly' as their favorite. My personal favorite is the opener. It's a track that makes me curious about their other work. I'll check that soon, but for now, this is good enough.

Twilight - Trident Death Rattle

black metal

To be released on May 1st, this three track EP by legendary American black metal band Twilight, is perhaps one of the most epic blackened releases from that continent. These tracks, which feature Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, are harsh, intense and chaotic songs. They showcase a massive sense of derangement and isolation. In fact, Opener 'This Road South' is currently one of my favorite black metal tracks. 'Weathered Flames' is a suffocating spiral of blackened nihilism and closer 'No Consequence' will haunt your dreams for decades to come. These are nightmares translated to music and I like that.

Corpsehammer - Perversión

black metal

Morbid Skull

Speaking about musical nightmares, allow me to plug this ugly little filth monger from Swedish extremists Corpsehammer. This EP is the third part in their EP trilogy, released by Morbid Skull. If you are a fan of old school black metal, and I mean old school in the form of ancient 'World Domination' compilations, this undoubtedly is your thing. In three tracks, plus an outro, Corpsehammer delivers a rancid, hardcore punk influenced approach to extreme metal, often at ferocious speeds. There's nothing pretty about this EP, on the exact contrary. This is the musical equivalent of crawling to mud and faeces, mixed with needles. Awesomeness...

Grim - Requiem

classical / post rock / jazz

Equally awesome but in a completely different way comes this new EP by Belgian trio Grim. This band from Leuven turns classical music into post rock anthems with a gloomy jazz feel. This release is based on Frédéric Chopin, more specifically his Préludes and Marche Funèbre. the result is a cinematic and somewhat intimate sounding blend of post rock and dark jazz, something I'm pleasantly surprised by. I can imagine enjoying this in a small and intimate live setting, like a living room or a salon. However, it would also fit perfectly on a festival like Dunk!. Anyhow, this is pretty cool and certainly recommended.

Mhönos - LXXXVII

drone doom

This album by French ritual drone doom act Mhönos is a massive and epic undertaking. In a way, this is pure catharsis, driving on monolithic riffs, deranged vocals and a crushing atmosphere. What I like most about this, is that the band allow the music to take all the time it needs to grow and evolve. Although slow, I can certainly sense a punk attitude here, mostly in the vocal performance. That reminds me of acts like Winter and coincidentally also Phantom Winter. Yet, the music also reminds me of noise acts like MZ412 and Brighter Death Now. So yeah, this is a brilliant piece of work and it comes highly recommended.

Zero Theorem - Ataraxis

hard rock / metal

website

Some people are waiting for the new Tool album, others hope Disturbed will release their new record soon and still others are still going heavy on the latest Five Finger Death Punch or Papa Roach. All those people should turn their ears towards Los Angeles based metal band Zero Theorem. This six track EP easily draws comparisons with the aforementioned bands. All these songs are infectious modern day metal songs, with exactly the right doses of aggression, melody, riffing and electronics. It's been a while since I have been excited about anything nu-metal related but this EP definitely does the trick.

Vampillia - Happiness Brought By Endless Sorrow

black metal / noise

Temple Of Torturous

Legendary Japanese "brutal orchestra" Vampilia returns with a four track ep that will undoubtedly blast you into mental oblivion. With a furiously raging blend of black metal, grindcore, drone, post rock and noise, this ten piece smashes all competition. Obviously, that shouldn't be a surprise since this act has been on every extreme experimentalists favorites list for years. Although short, these tracks represent massive anthems and come laced with guitars, drums, violins, piano, screams, grunts and whatnot. This is absolute madness, in the best sense of the word.

The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections - Narrow Escape

dark jazz

And to conclude, let me introduce you to one of my favorite dark jazz bands and their latest single. I have been following this orchestra for quite some time now and I'm always pleasantly surprised by their output. This time they deliver a long track that might as well become one of my favorites in the while genre. It's an eight minutes lasting and lingering piece of dark jazz with delayed bass, lazy drums and a free floating saxophone solo. In other words, this is perfect for a Sunday evening with wine and cigarettes, courtesy of The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections.

Serge

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Messa - Feast For Water

2/4/2018

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.

Serge

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Inabile Caos - 1.0

2/4/2018

drone / dark jazz

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.

Serge

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Brieviews 39

28/3/2018

These Brieviews have been written by Serge. If you like what you read here, be sure to check out his book, 'Cecilia's World'. It's about music, life and love.

Owl - Orion Fenix

doom / post metal

Zeitgeister

Owl, the solo project of Valborg frontman Christian Kolf, delivers an overwhelming piece of music. Post metal, ambient and doom meet and alternate in one massive track, clocking off at 22 minutes. The track was written and recorded in eighteen hours over three days, which definitely explains the organic flow of the whole thing. In a way, this track feels like a concept album, revolving around dark and haunting emotions. Calm ambient and modern classical passages make way for intense pieces of doom inspired metal and vice versa. For fans of decent narrative music, this is certainly a must-have, and that includes sludge metal aficionados.

Stonemule - Dystopian State

metal / hardcore

Polder Records

Speaking of sludge metal fans, they might as well throw their ears at these noise makers from Koksijde (Belgium). What Stonemule delivers is a massive blast of hardcore infused stoner metal, laced with grunge and doom and flirting with the extreme. How they do that? Well, first of all by a solid background of drums and bass, then by face melting riffing and finally by having three vocalists showing of their respective talents in singing, growling and screaming. The result is quite impressive, a blast of sheer energy. Eventually, they top it off with excellent musical skills by flashing some delicious solos. Nice work.

Ritual King - Earthrise

psychedelic rock / doom

When Planets Collide

Speaking of delicious guitar work, here is the new EP by English stoner rockers Ritual King. On 'Earthrise' they come up with three energetic songs. 'Ideology', 'Tides' and my personal favorite 'But Anyway' are uptempo psychedelic blues rock tunes that seem to come right from the early seventies. The jam-calibre is very high on these, making them all perfect candidates for live performances on sun lit (and probably smoke filled) music festivals. I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys appear on Desertfest, Up In Smokes and everything else stoner rock related in the near future.

Wykan - Solace

psychedelic / doom

A strange and bewildering piece of psychedelic doom metal, inspired by both old school doom and black metal, this debut by Canadian act Wykan is certainly something special. On one hand you get the classic riff worship, supported by methodical drums and clean vocals. Yet, on the other hand, there is that cold, eerie and vile atmosphere of extreme metal, enhanced by screams, growls and occult imagery. Needless to say perhaps but this EP is so varied that it almost sounds like a split-release. This is intriguing, to say the least and I am already extremely curious for what this act comes up with in the future.

Soft Science - Undone / I Don't Know Why I Love You

shoegaze / dream pop

Test Pattern Records

Hah, I doubted this single for exactly four seconds. I didn't know what to think about the jangling guitars at first, but then, when the rolling bass and the propelling drums came in, I became interested. Then the vocals of Katie Haley and I was sold. Now, Soft Science has a place in my shoegaze folder where it appears alongside acts like Belly, The Cranes and Slowdive. 'Undone' is my favorite here but 'I Don't Know Why I Love You' is in no way inferior. Both are energetic dreampop tunes, there is very little else to say about that. So get them, on April 6, if you're a shoegazer. Of not, check it out as well.

Maff - Melañiña

shoegaze

Then, where you're in a good shoegazing mood, you certainly have to give Chilean collective Maff a listen. I remember being rather impressed with their 2015 album. Now they return with a five track EP, blending shoegaze, dreampop, post rock and noise rock into another heap of delicious atmospheric rock tunes. In fact, opener 'Act 2' might soon prove to be one of my favorites in that genre. I love those howling, lingering guitars and that almost industrial beat. And then there are still four more awesome tunes to go. So yeps, shoegazers of all ages, you definitely need this one.

Nostalgist - Disaffection

post punk / new wave

Some more eighties inspired music comes from Seattle residents Nostalgist. Their music reflects the dark corners of that era, the one where The Cure, Killing Joke and Joy Division ruled. However, Nostalgist has also been listening to bands like Deftones and Alcest and they're not afraid to throw some distorted guitars into the mix. The result is a brilliant EP, containing six gloomy tracks which perfectly combine these two styles, or eras. Actually, I'm quite impressed by this effort. I didn't know this kind of awesomeness was still being made today. I'm sure that the old school goths will easily appreciate songs like 'Pendulums' and 'Present Tense'. Highly recommended !!!

Amusement Parks On Fire - All The New Ends

alternative rock / shoegaze

Saint Marie Records

English art rockers Amusement Parks On Fire return with a three-track EP which is as simple as it is brilliant. Opener 'All The New Ends' blends post rock with britpop as only the British can. 'Temporal Rinse' is a drone ambient creeper Godspeed! You Black Emperor wished they had recorded. Finally, 'Infernal Flame' picks you up and drags you to the dreampopping dancefloor where you will gaze at your shoes for what feels like hours and hours. To be honest, apart from the name I didn't really know these guys. Now I'm a fan. They only needed three songs to convince me, isn't that neat?

Grift - Vilsna Andars Boning

neofolk

Nordvis

Hailing from the lonesome woods of Scandinavia, Grift delivers two enigmatic neofolk songs. This Swedish poet/songwriter has been around since 2011 with several albums and a split-record with legendary act Drudkh.

On this two track, he comes up with two acoustic songs. I think fans of acts like Sol Invictus, Wardruna and Darkwood can easily appreciate these stripped down folk sounds. 'Bortom Berget' is my favorite on this two track, a solid neofolk track about nature and culture.

Giovanni Verga - Sylphic

experimental / ambient / noise

Unexplained Sounds

A more haunting and otherworldly musical view on solitude and loneliness comes from composer/experimentalist Giovanni Verga. With field recordings, no-input mixers and other kinds of sound manipulation, Verga created an alienating ambient adventure, on that delves deep into the avant garde. The line between music and incomprehensible noise is very thin. There are howling wolves, industrial soundscapes, vocal samples and mysterious drones but there are also tiny hints of melody. And obviously, there is this allover gloomy atmosphere which makes you imagine alien worlds and underground tales. Awesome

TRI:.OBYTE - STAR ⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓ KIC 8462852

ambient / noise / experimental

Speaking about sounds from alien worlds, this album certainly is an interesting one. With a mix of dark ambient, cosmic noise and tales about UFO sightings, this album takes you to new dimensions. I can easily see this music as the soundtrack for new episodes of the X-Files, or any other sci-fi series for that matter. Opener 'Some Kind Of Reflective' is haunting ambient gold and the rest of this record graciously follows it example, except maybe 'Visitation'. This one doesn't just take you to outer space, it places you right on the operation table in one of those abduction stories. This is a great release, certainly recommended.

Bloodkry - Dark Paradise

dark ambient / drone

Even more darkness comes from Finland, where Bloodkry reveals a new EP. 'Dark Paradise' contains four tracks, beginning with the hypnotic title track. I love the percussive elements in this one, it feels likes descending into an underground industrial complex. 'My Shelter' is a bit more friendly, melodic but also glitchy and unusual, like a post rock track that's falling asleep. 'Nowhere' is my favorite track here, a genuine dark ambient piece that brings many of the great names to mind. Closer 'Don't Forget Me' eventually comes up with repetitive industrial beats, along with hypnotic drones. Awesomeness.

Kloob - Remarkable Events

ambient / electronic

Dani Kloob has been making music for twenty years, from underground dance tunes to atmospheric ambient. With this album, he seems to investigate where ambient turns into dark ambient, balancing on the edge between the two. The result is an immersive ambient album, minimal but rich in both sound and atmosphere. 'Remarkable Events' is a perfect album to play late at night, warmly tucked in bed, reminiscing about your life. It will guide you into pleasant and adventurous dreams. I can't pick out a favorite track, because that's a hard thing to do with this kind of minimal music but rest assured, this is definitely worth your time.

Widow's Peak - Graceless

death metal

Right, time to blast some relentless death metal through my speakers. Here is Canadian horde Widow's Peak and their suffocating debut EP 'Graceless'. That title fits the load quite well. This thing is raunchy, filthy and gore, a blend of death metal, hard & grindcore, complete with deep growls, harsh screams and pig squeals. Fans of Aborted or Cattle Decapitation will undoubtedly get a hard-on from this stuff. I don't but I'm old, don't mind me. I know for sure that contemporary death metal, deathcore and metalcore fans will absolutely adore this. So, if you are one them, you'll have to check this out. Period!

Cult of Extinction - Black Nuclear Magick Attack

black metal

Sentient Ruin

We end this edition of Brieviews with one of the most menacing, unpredictable and chaotic releases I have heard in a while. German extremists Cult Of Extinction release a thunderous tape, loaded with a filthy and vulgar mix of death, black, grindcore and whatnot. Quite often driving on inhumanly fierce tempos, this four track aims for nothing less than your rotten soul itself. The result is a massive cesspool of noise, hammering and screams that will drain the last bit of hope for humanity out of your miserable life. I think I made myself clear. This comes highly recommended only to the most seasoned extreme metal heads out there.

Serge

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Doomster Reich - Drug Magick

17/3/2018

psychedelic kraut doom

Aesthetic Death

Ok, ok, one more doom metal album before I engage in other activities, like preparing dinner for example. Yet, this isn't just another doom metal album. In fact, none of today's reviewed albums were. One was so vintage Black Sabbath would be jealous about it, the other was laced with classical instruments and Gregorian chants and this one is one long and heavy LSD trip. Then again, you might expect something like that with a title like 'Drug Magick'. So, grab your mushrooms, your weed, your LSD and your whatnot and join me on a psychedelic kraut doom hallucination with Polish occultists Doomster Reich.

Opener 'Gimme Skelter' pretty much immediately comes up with this awesome blend of heavy doom metal and groovy krautrock. It also already showcases these psychedelic jam solos. So I guess it's no wonder that a band like Jefferson Airplane comes to mind when I listen to these tunes. They are with good company too because gradually acts like Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, Captain Beefheart, Ash Ra Tempel, Cathedral and Jimi Hendrix also seem to join the jam. At one point I was even thinking about Ozric Tentacles and that doesn't often happen when I'm listening to a doom metal record.

Now, I must admit that I had one minor doubt at first. For me, many albums win or fail because of the vocals. Here, at first these seemed to be a little let-down. Yet, gradually I got used to them as they started adding that awesome occult element to the whole thing, a bit like Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats do. Halfway through 'Rites of Drug Magick' I'm beginning to realize that this album might become one of my recent favorites. My favorite track here is the jazz 'Meet The Dead' for some reason.

So yep, another doom metal album and another quite unique one. One that certainly comes highly recommended if you ask me. I mean, it is doom, it is psychedelic and it is kraut as hell. So what are you waiting for? Get your hands on this acid trip...

Serge

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Djinn and Miskatonic - Even Gods Must Die

17/3/2018

doom

Transcending Obscurity

Amazon

Sometimes my mind wants to think too far ahead. I guess everybody faces that problem once in a while. The first time I saw the band name Djinn and Miskatonic I had no idea what to think. I certainly wasn't expecting doom metal, maybe something psychedelic and electronic, like psytrance or perhaps even dubstep but not this. Then, after I learned that this was actually a doom metal band from India, I was expecting something more Indian sounding. I don't mean that as a bad thing. I love it when people add elements from their own native music to their metal sounds and I expected something similar this time. I was wrong again.

Djinn and Miskatonic is no less than a vintage doom metal band, one that sounds as if the come rushing in from the late seventies. Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Electric Wizard, Acid Witch... That kind of stuff. No sarangi, no veena, no electronics, nothing, just good old fashioned doom metal, here and there laced with some death grunts and riffs. Just listen to the massive opener 'I, Zombie'. It's one of those awesome tracks that Black Sabbath forgot to write, and it's far from the only one of its kind here.

So I was wrong but I'm extremely happy that I checked this one out anyway. I have always been a classic doom metal fan and I know that I'm not the only one. For these people, the worshipers of the glorious and mighty riff, this album is an absolute must-have. I can't even pick out favorite songs to highlight here, each one is a gem in its own turn. So I guess I'll just pick the long ones, like the massive 'Harvest Of Kings', which is simply a doom masterpiece. So, doomers, there is absolutely no reason why you should not buy this album.

Serge

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Et Moriemur - Epigrammata

17/3/2018

doom

Transcending Obscurity

When you are a doom metal fan but you still enjoy going to church, this album might soon become your favorite one. If you are one of those people who quite often find themselves banging their head to the 'Carmina Burana', you definitely want to check this one out. Metal and classical music often go hand in hand but it rarely sounds this epic and convincing.

Et Moriemur is a band from the Czech Republic, formed in 2008. Among their instrumentation are violins, cellos, trombones and piano and their vocal performances are just as varied. Not only that, so are the languages they use.

With lyrics in ancient Greek and Latin, plus Gregorian choirs, you might see this band as the Therion of doom metal. However, personally, I like this a lot more than I like Therion, probably because of the sluggish tempo and the immersive riffing. Another band that comes to mind, mostly in the melodic approach, is Amorphis and that makes an old school melodic doom fan like me very happy. Yet, Et Moriemur does a lot more than that. As I mentioned earlier, their vocal performances vary from Gregorian chants to funeral doom growls (often combined) and blackened sludge metal vocals.

With all those elements, including the traditional doom metal set-up, the classical instrumentation and the choir, you might expect an overwhelming and chaotic album but that's not really true here. It is overwhelming if you play it loud enough, that's true, but Et Moriemur seem to be experienced songwriters, capable of creating coherent and exciting music. That exciting music highlights multiple times on this album. 'Requiem Aeternam' is one of those highlights and so is 'Dies Irae', the latter probably being my favorite track here.

In all this is a unique and captivating piece of doom metal, a form that reminds me mostly of the gothic and folk inspired scene of the nineties with acts like Moonspell, Tiamat and the aforementioned bands. Yet, fans of funeral doom acts like Shape Of Despair and Evoken or even depressive black metal will also easily appreciate this. I just jokingly said to my wife: "this is Era for metal fans". It was a little joke, but not that far from the truth, to be honest. So check it out because this will certainly be a one-of-a-kind album in your ever expanding doom collection.

Serge

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Soldat Hans - Es Taut

16/3/2018

doom / dark jazz / sludge metal

Wolves and Vibrancy

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.

Serge

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Brieviews 38

14/3/2018

Mixtaped Monk - Northern Eye

post rock

Indian multi-instrumentalist Mixtaped Monk returns with a beautiful, melancholic and immersive EP, dedicated to a dear friend of his who is battling cancer. On this EP you will find four tracks, each one balancing on the edges between downtempo electronics, experimental ambient and post rock. As usual, with this talented young man, that results in nice, friendly but somewhat stubborn music that has the power to both get stuck in your head and serve as background music for a nice get together with friends. Obviously, I can only applaud these efforts, especially when they sound this professional and unique. Definitely recommended.

Onhou - Onhou

doom / sludge / psychedelic

We stay in the downtempo regions but move towards the extremes with Dutch horde Onhou and their self titled two-track EP. On this one, you will find two ten minutes lasting tracks, both being outstanding pieces of psychedelic drone doom. The whole thing sounds a bit like Conan or Yob on LSD, and I quite like that. The music is harsh, dark, aggressive and as immersive as quicksand. It's also slow, very, very slow, yet hints of melody and tonnes of atmosphere keep the the tracks interesting, not only for a good listen by for several listens in a row. This is a dark entity with a bright future.

My Secret Safe - Storytelling

metalcore

Hailing from France, My Secret Safe delivers solid metalcore, compleet with the djenting riffes and the brutal vocals. On the other hand, you might also see this as nu-metal on steroids. Either how, this EP features an awesome intro and five harsh and brutal metalcore tracks. Now, I'm not really a metalcore fan but I can definitely appreciate the melodic passages in songs like 'Disruptive' and 'The Cure'. For fans of the genre, this is a high quality must have, one that also proves that the use of electronics in metal is no longer frowned upon. So, extreme youngsters, this is a must-have.

Alaska Gold Rush - And The Sky Dives Again

folk / alternative rock

Formed around a guitar, a voice and a set of drums, Belgian duo Alaska Gold Rush are about to release an intriguing EP. They seem to be influenced by American folk music but also deliver a great dose of alternative rock. That results in acoustic rock songs that bring acts like Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom and The Posies to mind. The EP contains six tracks, each one a gem in its own term. Although the songs can be surprisingly heavy, they are also warm and emotional. So yeah, this might something interesting to discover.

Things That Aren't There - Slow Down

post rock / shoegaze

Spotify

Surfing on the waves of post rock, shoegaze and downtempo electronics, we find English duo Things That Aren't There. They could have chosen a better name because I couldn't find a bandcamp, soundcloud or facebook link to add to this brieview. However, I did find three amazing pieces of music in which slow, atmospheric music comes to life in a breathtaking way. Opener 'Slow Down' mostly takes on the electronic approach but 'Neon Cross' is a brilliant piece of post rock, one Mogwai wished they had written. This stuff really is great, perfect enough to send you over to Spotify and check it out...

Circus worlD - The Deceiver

alternative rock

For five good old fashioned alternative rock songs, we turn our attention to Circus WorlD and their brand new EP. Opening with the infectious song 'High', this EP brings us right back to the nineties and its raw but melodic garage rock sounds. What I like most about these songs is the dark rock edge that they seem to showcase. In one aspect, because of the guitars and drums, this brings me back to the alternative rock scene of the nineties but the vocals bring those awesome dark rock and new wave bands to mind. The opener is my favorite track, closely followed by the awesome 'Kill Their Sons'. Nice stuff, surely recommended.

The Divided Line - Paramnesia

progressive rock

This EP by Canadian progressive rock album The Divided Line suddenly went from "not bad" to "wow", halfway through opener 'Breathe'. I was a bit sceptical at first but then the mix of Tool, Deftones, Incubus and Russian Circles fully opened. Now I can't seem to get enough of this sound which somehow brings the progressive underground to the level of arena rock. In six songs, these Canadians clearly show their skills and talents as a modern day melodic rock band. They also never seem to lose their cool, never take things to the extreme and never tone down on quality. So if you're into progrock, you need this.

Adonai Atrophia - Metahistory

dark ambient

An immersive piece of dark, mystic ambient, courtesy of Bulgarian one man act Adonai Atrophia. While opener 'The Infinite She' gently lures you in, 'Al Awwal' brings out the haunting darkness and uneasy atmosphere that make dark ambient such a mesmerizing genre. From there the album easily maintains its grasp on the listener while guiding them along eerie soundscapes and fearsome percussion. The album contains eight tracks, with the harsh and intense 'Malah Ga-Mavet' being my favorite. Dark ambient aficionados can easily trust this release to deliver the angsty goods, I'm absolutely sure about that.

Barrel Blood - Midwinter live improvisation

experimental / avant garde / classical

Armed with violin, cello, their voices and an array of electronics, American quartet Barrel Blood brings strange but soothing experimental music. This EP contains three tracks, all improvised and recorded live. In all, you'll have over half an hour of musical experimentation that sounds both unusual and intriguing. There are hints of classical music, ambient, folk and avant garde but the whole still maintains a coherent and certainly narrative atmosphere. Fans of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Dark Ensemble or Kuro will definitely appreciate this music and I think even jazz fans will like it. Neat stuff!

Black Strike - 132

stoner rock / alternative / metal

Belgian alternative metalheads Black Strike have been listening to a wide array of heavy duty bands. Throughout this short but explosive three-track EP, all kinds of acts come to mind, including Alice In Chains, Channel Zero, Soundgarden, Kylesa , Monster Magnet and even Rage Against The Machine. Opener 'Rat' clearly draws the stoner rock card while 'Tiger' delivers some awesome rap metal. Closer 'Hunt' goes full grunge rock on our asses. So yeah, this is a surprisingly varied EP from a band I'd certainly like to hear more from in the near future.

Funeris - Baleful Astral Elements

funeral doom

Argentinian one man project Funeris delivers solid and sluggish funeral doom, seemingly inspired by the neverending vastness of the cosmos. On this album, he brings five lengthy tracks, plus one intro, with a deep, dark and massive sound, complete with deep growls. Fans of acts like Evoken, Until Death Overtakes Me and Shape Of Despair can easily trust Funeris to come up with the torpid and tormenting music they love so much. Personally, I love how the drums take this music to almost industrial levels, especially in my favorite track 'Through The Vast Cosmic Plains'. Funeral doom must-have!!!

Without Dreams - Funeral In The Infinity Of Cosmos

funeral doom / ambient

Don't go away yet because I found another funeral doom gem on that exact same bandcamp page. Without Dreams is a project that goes heavy on the ambient sounds but also comes up with the beloved distorted and droning guitars and the deep, guttural grunts. Here the tracks are even longer, all over twenty minutes, but they never seem to go stale. On the contrary, Without Dreams adds heaps of melody, piano and keyboard to the typical doom sound and I can only applaud that. So you'll have all of that and the usual depressive atmosphere. This really is funeral doom delight.

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Lethvm - This Fall Shall Cease

13/3/2018

doom / sludge metal

Dunk! Records

Deadlight Entertainment