Cryptae - Cryptae
death metal
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Two guys from The Netherlands, one being the drummer for Dead Neanderthals, wanted to try their hand at death metal. So they got into a recording studio, made heaps of noise and barfed the result on bandcamp. That result is a think, chaotic and brain scattering array of riffs, drums and growls, with the sole intention of decapitating its listener. This is probably what the Dutch call "teringherrie". It's relentless, confusing, intense and harsh. Does that make it recommended? Well, only if you're a seasoned extreme metal fan. If you're not, you might want to stay away from this. It's just not safe...
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Clckws - Counter Clockwise
punk / hardcore
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Speaking of things not being safe, here is the debut EP by Zoersel residents Clckws. With fierce, rabid and foaming female fronted hardcore punk, this quartet might want to shake hands with acts like Oathbreaker soon. I mean, the music is as energetic as a Tesla coil and frontwoman Eva barks out her soul with sheer intensity. On this EP they throw eight songs in your face, each one being a severe attack on your sanity. The 17 seconds long 'Blow Up The Boiler Room' almost feels like a Napalm Death song and, like everything else here, this is another brilliant example of "Brutal Belgium". You've been warned.
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Lump Hammer - Lump Hammer
sludge metal / noise rock
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On the other side of the Channel, more specifically in Newcastle upon Tyne, we find another noise-dragging combi, named Lump Hammer. Think Godflesh on meth, think Napalm Death on LSD, think Conan in a basement instead of a recording studio. These tracks are slow, massive and brutally intense, like a steamroller with spikes driving over your private parts. Something like that, I don't know. All I know is that each second of this EP is a gigantic hammer-blow, driving on swampy guitars, harsh screaming and tormenting drums. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go murder something...
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Pile of Priests - Tenebrous Labyrinth
death metal
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Nope, we're not slowing down on the intensity on this edition of Brieviews, not yet. First, I'd like to crush your cheeks and eardrums with this magnificent set of progressive death metal songs by Pile Of Priest. Somehow it seems that this trio gets better with every release, and this time their evolution results in a highly interesting EP. With the speed of Krisiun, the progressive nature of Death and the melodic approach of Edge Of Sanity Pile Of Priests should be on their way to the top of the death metal industry. Besides, the EP contains three thrash metal covers, which are all delightful assaults on your neck muscles.
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Horror God / Techne - Split
death metal
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Some more death metal, less progressive and more destructive than the previous one. For this compilation, Horror God and the retiring Techne delivered four blasting tracks each, mosty fast, accompagnied with deep, evil growls and a decent dose of technicality. Fans of bands like Immolation, Suffocation, Gorguts and Autopsy should definitely consider getting their hands on a copy of this split. The tracks by Horror God are simply murderous while Techne adds a dark, mysterious and downright haunting atmosphere to the whole thing. Nope, death metal adepts, there is no reason not to check out this album.
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Diary Of My Misanthropy - Leviathan
post rock / post metal
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After all that brutality, I need something to calm my nerves and strangely enough I found that with Czech trio Diary Of My Misanthropy. On this EP, the band comes up with a fantastic approach to post rock and post metal. Fantastic because it contains elements from doom and the icy cold atmosphere of depressive black metal. That, and the complex, almost jazz like drums, really make this EP a standout in today's post-whatever scene. Yep, I think this is one for the future but we can only know for sure when we see these guys perform. I sure I hope I'll be able to experience this live one day.
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Noydem - A Time Will Come
alternative rock
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Another great example of excellent modern day rock music comes from French band Noydem and their impressive EP 'A Time Will Come'. With immersive, catchy alternative rock songs, this guys once again proves how good that country can rock. A decent bunch of rock history comes to mind when I listen to songs like 'Welcome Home', 'Stay' or 'A Place To Live', including Velvet Revolver, Incubus, Foo Fighters and Audioslave. My favorite track is 'Bring Me Down', a potential smash hit but then again, all these songs have a certain hit potential, especially in the alternative music scene. So check it out, this definitely rocks!
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Clint Maedgen - cmradio.tv #1
electronic / alternative / experimental / trip hop
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Time for something completely different. Clint Maedgen is an American electronic music composer, singer songwriter and visual artist who comes up with weird but infectious pop tunes. One this album you can find eleven experimental and lo-fi trip hop songs. Sometimes Prince comes to mind, sometimes it's Archive-ish and again sometimes I'm reminded Tricky's weirdest moments. Oh, and Ween. Yet, it all comes in a whole different, somewhat silly setting, not necessarily suited for the biggest of festivals. Recommended? Sure, if you like the unusual and absurd regions of the musical universe, you need this
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Ric Gordon - Standing Here
indie / alternative rock
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Hailing from Kansas City, Ric Gordon delivers another EP is vintage acoustic rock songs with this new EP. It's a welcome deviation from all the heavily distorted guitars I have been through in the past few days. The songs on 'Standing Here' remind me a bit of acts like Lemonheads, R.E.M. and perhaps the Pixies. Indie rock, folk and Americana are the main influences but you can also find a touch of post punk and alternative rock. My favorite track here is 'Rise Above' but I'm sure every fan of good old fashioned acoustic pop rock can easily enjoy this whole EP.
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Misto - Helios
post rock
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In April I discovered the talented Italian one man post rock band. Now he returns with a beautiful full-length. In six tracks Misto easily manages to keep the listener interested. Opener 'Buried Under Remote Lands' is a brilliant post rock tune, reminding me of God Is An Astronaut while 'Polemic Guy Wants To Fight' seems to combine space rock with punk rock. This is just awesome, daring and inventive. Title track 'Helios' is an instant post rock classic and everything else is just breathtaking. Nah, for real, 'Helios' is simply a perfect and well varied post rock album, one I will be listening to a lot this winter.
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Necrodancer - Void
black metal / "funeral grunge"
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French/Belgian horde Necrodancer comes up with a filthy, rough and raunchy approach to evil music. The band claims they play "funeral grunge" and yeah, why not. There is indeed something grungy about this whole thing, like in Nirvana being buttfucked by Satan himself. But for the majority, this album is a punkish version of old school black metal, resulting is heabanging blasters like 'The Necrodancer' and 'The Turning'. So if you want your music pretty and clean, this album will do very nasty things to your sanity. However, if you are one of those filthy, rotten souls who like ass sounds nasty and vile, you need this.
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Malefic Levitation - The Ancient Plague
black metal
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More putrid insanity comes from Fresno, California evildoers Malefic Levitation and their obliterating debut EP. After a short intro, the duo rages on with chaotic black metal with the melodic sense of a dead rat. For real, this is brutal stuff, often alternated with skull crushing doom metal passages. Yet, most of it drives on pounding blastbeats, insane guitars and haunting screams. As a black metal fan, what else could you possible want? Forget about atmospheric passages or inventive folk stuff, this music represent a set of axes thrown to your head at hitting the spot each and every time. Awesome.
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Wren/Slabdragger - Mothers Of The Beef And The Magic Of Invention
sludge metal / doom / krautrock
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This is so cool, Slabdragger and Wren releasing a split where the first turns Frank Zappa's 'Muffin Man' into a psychedelic sludge metal experience while the other krautrocks and post-metals the hell out of Captain Beefheart's 'Electricity'. Not only that, but they make it look like fun too, like they had a hell of a time recording these two tracks. So, obviously, you need to check this out. I think it is already my favorite split release this year.
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Stefano De Ponti | Eleonora Pellegrini - Physis
ambient / experimental / noise
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Sound sculptor Stefano De Ponti and vocalist/body performer Eleonora Pellegrini deliver a strange, ritualistic album, divided into two parts. With minimal drones, noises and soundscapes, plus Pellegrini's strong vocal performances, the duo delivers an alienating sound, inspired by the sounds of nature. The result is something that quickly grabs your attention. It's not very comparable to most ambient music but it fits right into the world of the avant-garde where people like Diamanda Galas and Nurse With Wound like to dwell. So yes, if you want your music a bit strange and unsettling, this is the one you want.
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Serge
