black metal / death metal

Very often, “supergroups” suck because there is vast amount of namedropping heightening the expectations and then you get a record, listen to it and … throw it onto the shelf. Nevertheless, if a journalist doesn’t play the naming-game he or she’s going to be cut off because of bad research. So here we go: Blood Incantation. Spectral Voice. Wayfarer. Khemnis. Primitive Man. Need more? Then check their metal-archives page. And now on to the thing that matters, the music.

The debut-release by Denver-based extreme metal outfit Black Curse is mind-changing: 

First of, because of its ability to simply terrorize your mind. Those harsh speedy, double blast-attacks can totally slit every ligament you might possess in your neck. If listening to it on earphones, be advised to start with a low volume and then slowly turn it up. The songs often start their harakiri-attacks on the very first tone, using that moment of surprise to its fullest advantage. 
Second, because they lure into a false sense of “Oh, I understand, this is pure rage and no sense for melody!” True, on the surface that’s exactly it. However, if your ears got used to all of the noise screaming in (be it via the instruments or the vocals by Eli Wendler) one might notice the small razorblades underneath all of the blunt axes. Razorblades because they cut wounds and yet glisten and radiate if you hold it into the sunlight. Many songs use a fine layer of mid-level echos on some minuscule guitar parts so that there is that notion of noise rock underneath it the black and death metal surfaces. 
Third, as they create a whole cosmos of dissonances it is sometimes hard to figure out where these come from, so that in the end it’s unclear which genre this might be shelved on. Yes, this is black metal. Yes, there is a lot of death metal. Yes, it’s noisy as hell. In some way this one might be a perfect example of how genres make no sense, let’s just call it extreme metal as it incorporates parts from each. 
Fourth, because there is melody in all of this. Take the final track “Finality I Behold” (with 8:51 also the longest track in these roughly 40 minutes): The opening 25 seconds before the start of the black metal vocals are good post-metal with dominating drums taking over your heartbeat. The harsh blast-beats then disguise the moments of clear riffing that are carefully woven into the fabric of all of this. After 150 seconds there is a change for a kind of more noise-driven blastbeat before the song slows down a bit in its middle with the bass leading the way through some slower passages. 

Well, after forty minutes your ears might be bleeding, your neural connections might be dead and because of that you hit the repeat button. Why. Not. Give. it. Another. Try? This is an “Endless Wound” after all. (And sometimes supergroups do make sense.)


Thorsten

progressive / alternative / metal

ometimes records can surprise you with every twist and turn they take. The third full-length by London-based quartet Elephant Tree is one of these. Just when you thought, you had them figured out they come up with yet another direction. The one constant on the album is probably the soundscape that is being dominated by a distorted, slightly fuzzy guitar. A kind of noise-rock production that seemingly is the red thread throughout the songs and that shares some relation to the Melvins.

Nevertheless this record is more than a sound-a-like. It jumps a bit between the genres which makes it more interesting. A hike through selected songs will probably clarify the eclectic nature of the album:
After the pumping, vibrating intro “Wake. Repeat” the first full song “Sails” is one of these songs that can stick to the back of your mind for week because the band is able to weave Pink Floyd’ish vocal lines into a song that is dancing on the razor between noise and post-metal with a strong nod to orchestral grunge when the synth spaces kick in at half-time. 
The fourth track “Exit the Soul” is only straightforward at first glance with its spiraling guitar lines in the background and the warm bass and drums at the center. But then the song slows down more and more until one might think that it is fading out, before taking a turn to become a stoner beast with some heavy-sparkling pearls and dots painting it a different shade of crimson. 
“The Fall Chorus” then surprisingly acts as an acoustic miniature with vocals placed right between chants in old Oxfordian halls and some Simon & Garfunkel pop-appeal – by the way, that is a strong bond between many of these songs: They can all keep your mind and “oral memory” blocked for days. It is the necessary pause for breath in the middle of the record. 
“Bird” then uses the chant-structure just to lead over into a grunge song for the 21st century. This song might be best described with a modern-day version of Stone Temple Pilots or Candlebox with an underlying melancholy and the vocals joyfully changing pace and style in between.

One could do this song by song analysis for all songs but by now it should be clear that “Habits” doesn’t hide its roots and influences. Nevertheless, the tracks never bow too low in front of the predecessors, so that they would become stagnant emulations; no they are very self-reliant and independent, very self-aware and proud. Something very valuable for a band that loves to play with the audience’s expectations and to surprise them more than once.


Thorsten

progressive metal

Progressive Metal is a genre that is either loved or hated because sometimes the musicality and genius-level abilities of the musicians involved are shown just that one bit too often. If the founding members of the band met up at Berklee College of Music with all its high-class, top of the line graduates and high profile teachers, it’s esasy to think that this is just another one of those bands where the display of talent supersedes the talent of songwriting. However, that is not true for Myth of I even though of course they show that their fingers are quick, their kicks are talented and their knack ability to incorporate several styles into different songs is only second to their idea of letting the song speak for itself.

Interesting about Myth of I is the fact that they are an instrumental band only, nobody is offering multi-octave-singing or screaming, there are no James LaBries involved in the making of “Myth of I”, their first full-length after an EP in 2017. The band shows a lot of speedy technical aspects and switch between classical prog rock and death metal, between acoustic elements and ambient passages effortlessly. But none of these parts are ever driven over the top, so that one might put them into one genre – it seems as if they are very comfortable being “non-pinpointable”. 

Each song has numerous changes and turns, using microscopic scales and huge epic turns, so one might hear some Between the Buried and Me while others hear some Cloudkicker in these songs and both are correct in hearing that because these bands definitely helped define the sound of Myth of I. Usually one argues that songs must take you on a journey, but in this case it is more like being thrown across the globe all the time – not with a harsh kick, but with soft touches so that, in the end, you want to know which spot will follow next.

If you can imagine listening to instrumental versions of Between the Buried and Me or Tesseract, then this album and especially songs like “Glass Castles”, “Needlepoint” or “The Maze” should be next on your playlist as they combine a lot of elements to give this highly musical genre a nice new twist.


Thorsten

progressive / alternative / metal

There are bands who like singing about literature – Maximo Park; there are bands who like storytelling – Mastodon; and there are bands who create complete worlds and setting for their stories which then again is the basis for their music – Coheed and Cambria; or Huntsmen from Chicago. The difference between the latter two categories is simple: Storytelling often goes for one record only – you may also compare Bowie’s different records each based on one individual plotline – be it Ziggy or be it Nathan. Creating whole settings, characters, plot lines and everything that transcend one record and encompass all that the band tries to release is a very difficult task (especially if you are developing the story yourself and not using a story out there). Nevertheless, Huntsmen seem to stand the test of musical relevance and literary conciseness and inner-plot-logic. 

The story they set out to bring to the world is about a post-apocalyptic, post-war wasteland (whose precise location is yet not given) where the audience follows the former soldier who must find her way through barren landscape after a failed mission and who is joined on that odyssey by a man who first (among others) rescued her from a bunch of “pirates”. On that journey they find not only some obstacles and solutions but also….. 

Oh this already got you? Then go on and listen to the album which musically is as diverse as one could imagine a progressive alternative metal to be. Progressive because the now-quintet (after former help Aimee Bueno is now a full-time member providing the voice for the soldier. Alternative because the band definitely has a knack for writing very well-tuned melodies, but never frightening with proggish scales and interludes, licks or solos. They deliver 13 songs in 78 minutes (spread out across two records) and very often the basis of that is a good balance between 90s-style, grunge-influenced alternative metal (a bit similar to Intronaut but without the jazz elements) and well-interwoven metal riffs that give the sound enough depth with their small details (a short drum blast, a swirling synth in the background, an upscaling guitar element). The most remarkable thing are the vocals, shared by Bueno and Chris Kang, which turn these duets into real conversations that can leave you spellbound. 


Thorsten

jazz / metal

Jazz – Metal. Most of us will automatically think of either Primus or, more recently, White Ward. Both might be quite good cornerstones to describe Kilter’s debut album “Axiom” out on February 28th.  However, these two comparisons do not hold enough substance to really be used for the music this trio is set to release upon us via Alter-Nativ, the label run by Kilter’s own bass player, Laurent David; nevertheless that doesn’t mean the label is just there to release Kilter’s music, it’s rather the other way round with David using his own well-off label to release his new music. 

Kilter’s lineup consists on David, Saxophone player Ed Rosenberg III and drummer Kenny Grohowski; each band member has a very impressive musical past so that we can mention quite a list of awesome artists they played with: David played with Guillaume Perret, Grohowski has worked with John Zorn, Trey Spruance, Felix Pastorius and is the drummer for Imperial Triumphant; Ed Rosenberg is a well-studied composer and performer who collaborated with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Bottleote Music Collective in Dublin and contributed the hammered dulcimer for some other bands.

To come back to the comparison with Primus and White Ward: Kilter doesn’t use bass to dominate the sound like Primus and they don’t leave the saxophone standout as much as White Ward do, their sound is much more flowing and all-encompassing. The saxophone can deliver the melody or the rhythm, sometimes the rhythm section works like a rhythm section, but often David’s bass is used like a guitar and the drums are running amok while the saxophone tries to soothe the audience.

Very often we associate jazz and jazz-rock or jazz-metal with the annoying way of musicians showing off their skills but neglecting the song – this can definitely not be said of Kilter. Their jazzy post-metal is very organic and they work very much for the sake of the song; we can still hear a lot of “crooked” sounds and structures working against each other at first glance – well, we are dealing with three excellent musicians here, who know how to do both things at the same time: Play for the overall idea of a song and still show how good they are. If you are willing to listen to something pretty unusual, this will bring you lots of joy discovering new oddities with every spin. 


Thorsten

drone / ambient

German electronic post-rock pioneers Collapse under the Empire have a brilliant 4-LP retrospective on Moment of Collapse Records. The compilation is the regular kind of anthology with some b-sides (for example the brilliant “Spark”), remixes (“Sacrifice”) and new tracks. Those are the new single “Beyond Us” opening the first LP with a brilliant combination of a harsh riff with electronica sounding like an instrumental remix to an undiscovered punkish Depeche Mode track. “Everything Disappears” is like a Latin-style percussion underneath a beautiful and uplifting piano motif with a spiraling guitar line in the background; the third new track is “Anomaly” sees a stomping beat and a spherical ambient space. Of course, some hardcore fans will already know basically all the tracks but the packaging and the beauty of those four vinyls are definitely a reason to purchase this one – especially newcomers to the band might be interested in this one as it is a perfect “entrance” into the realm of this defining post-rock band!

punk / hardcore / screamo

Loma Prieta are back! After a break of more than four years, the quartet from XYZ is back and kicking. Their first 7” after their hiatus is published via Deathwish Inc. and features the two tracks “Continuum” and “Fate”. The first one starts like a sped-up version of the Buzzcocks’ “Ever fallen in Love” before it turns into a Loma Prieta-style post-punk version of Screamo. “Fate” might be even a bit more impressive as it sounds like a mix of Fugazi and the Pixies. As usual, the lyrics are what makes this band great, as they oscillate nicely between clearliness and abstraction, compare the line "Drugs and God the same distractions / Lay on the dirty floor and stare at the ceiling, like it was a planetarium dome" – the last portion trying to explain where the universe comes from while the first one seems to purvey the idea that drugs (to loosen you up from questioning to much) and God (to overlay your sensibleness with believe) give us two different experiences of the universe above us; what a brilliant concoction. Once again, Loma Prieta are back!

progressive metal

Sometimes the meal cooked with simple but high-level quality ingredients is much better than one with a lot of different ones. Try a classical Carbonara, without cream or anything the like. With Grant the Sun’s new EP it is similar. One might argue that due to the people involved already have quite a standing in the musical community, especially Frederik from Meshuggah who is featured here on the bass, but there is more to this 18-minute, four-song EP; the songs are spreading a certain heaviness with the guitars even reminding one of some djent-ish style kick-riffing and the bass supporting it. The songs are somewhere between math-rock and prog-core with lots of heavy riffs and some very interesting vocal samples interspersed to give the release an even better flavor. One can chew on those songs really long because there are a lot of small details to discover, for example the brilliant tempi changes. However, one can also digest this album in a laid back manner as everything flows exquisitely together forming one huge, ass-kicking harmony of intelligent prog-core.

post rock

Cologne-based threepiece Von Mises self-released their first EP at the end of November and it shows an interesting sign of life for a local newcomer. They might have listened to a lot of Russian Circles and Pelican because there are definitely traces of it in their sound-verse, especially the use of a heavy kicking bass combined with a knack for simple but effective breaks to let the song take in some fresh air before it sets in again. The band might make use of their synth a bit more to include some of these refreshing little ditties that makes, for example, “Universe” such a unique track or the structures and layers of “Dxdt” more complex than one would expect from a young band. The guys from the Rhine should pursue this combination more strongly and they are bound to gain a larger audience. Not just for die-hard fans of post-rock, also for those who are searching for a fresh tune to kickstart their day.

black metal

Judging a book by its cover can bring wonderful experiences like buying a record you never would just because the cover is so shining that you are immediately drawn to it. Or the name of a band that simply wants you to like it (Yes, I look at you We Butter the Bread with Butter!). Certain song titles are just so good that you love the track without listening to it (see Death by Stereo’s “No Cuts No Buts No Coconuts”). With Tragedy in Hope it was the same with me, I loved the name of the band – so nihilistic – and I thought the title of the EP was pretty proud. When listening to this new outfit from Russia’s thriving black metal scene, but admittedly I was wrong. The songs are not the problem for they are solid black metal structures and moods, after the intro I liked it a lot. And then the vocals set in and, well, the vocals are the flaw in the construct. With a different vocalist or a change of style, maybe even a different approach, for example going instrumental, this might become a relevant act. This way it isn’t, at least not for me, and that means nothing.

post rock / progressive rock

Writing a review for a fellow is not the easiest thing – what shall one say? What can one say? How objectively do I judge the record? Well, in the case with Home Brewed Universe’s new record it is quite easy. My only criticism would be the drum sound as it’s not as emotional as before but very clean and crisp. All the other bits about this record are really interesting. The mastermind behind HBH has tried to capture a soundtrack to a fictitious story of the Time Thief who is able to prolong his own life by stealing time from other people and who even is able to travel through time but who is forgotten by all he knew. The music to the interesting story is very focused on the riff and thus it is very different from Arka’s previous outputs, when he focused on layering bit over bit. Now the audience is faced with a lot of strong, prog-metal-like riffs that dominate the sound and drive the songs through all different kinds of stages. This review for a friend’s work was easy as the release itself is very easily accessible and still interesting enough to keep the audience listening. 


​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

progressive / alternative / rock / metal

Originality in the music business nowadays is very rare. Almost every band likes to say that they are pushing the boundaries of what they are producing but in reality what transpires is more of the same but with maybe a small twist. Step forward anonymous collective Sleep Token. The band say they worship a deity with an unpronounceable name, but for the purposes of their music, it's pronounced Sleep. 

They burst onto the scene a few years ago with their debut EP 'one' which sounded like nothing else at the time. The mix of dreamy pop with the incredible voice of front man Vessel mixed with downright obscene heavy breakdowns was a breath of fresh air and instantly got the attention of music lovers everywhere. Over the two EP's they seemed to accumulate more acclaim each week. In fact, the only criticism of them it seemed, was that they were a bit of a one trick pony. Would there debut album be more of the same or would they be able to produce something else? Well, the answer to that question is that they have produced something incredible.

The album starts off with the dream like 'The night does not belong to god' which does a brilliant job of accentuating Vessels sublime vocal skills. He sings with such emotions that at times, it sounds like he is close to tears. This segues into 'The Offering' which is an absolute highlight and one of the heavier tracks on the album. The disgustingly good breakdown is glorious and it's at this point you start to realise that not one single note is out of place on this album, the musicianship of the whole band is first class but special mention must be made to the drummer who although anonymous is absolutely at the top of his game. 

The next couple of songs showcase Vessels talents again and reign in the heavier side of the group but this does nothing to diminish the impact of the songs, which vear from catchy dreamy pop into lush guitar driven passages so beautifully you'd think that this kind of thing was easy, it's not, far from it, in fact it's bloody difficult getting something that sounds this natural to be anything other than a mess, and they nail it, completely. The two song combination of 'Give' leading into 'Gods' sounds like it shouldn't work with the former songs deftly building gorgeous arrangements butting up against the latter songs immense heaviness, but again, it does work. 

The upward trajectory of this band is something special indeed. If a group can lure in fans from cross genres then they are onto a recipe for success, I would not be at all surprised that if you went to see them live, you would be just as likely to bump into some wearing a Meshuggah t-shirt as you would someone in a Sam Smith or Florence and the Machine top. I cannot recommend this album enough and you really should give it a listen if you are interested in music that moves you.


Simon

stoner rock / metal

Earthshine is an album released in October 18, by Italian stoner rock group The Whirlings. A relatively concise musical effort — only thirty-eight minutes long —, the record has five tracks: 1) Vacuum; 2) Reverence; 3) #6; 4) Good For Health, Bad For Education; 5) Lost In Without; with a powerful musical vitality, a cohesive internal sonorous consistency, and a gracious ability to explore the genre on its more inhospitable layouts, Earthshine manages to be a very pleasant and magnificent experience. Despite the exceedingly conventional beginnings, the band soon manages to take a more genuine and authorial turn, and from the first track onwards, the album reveals itself as a magnificent musical journey, that all lovers of stoner rock will undoubtedly appreciate, with ardent enthusiasm. 

The vast majority of the rhythms are inadvertently cautious and slow; nevertheless, they are so majestically conceived, they overflow with such an organic consistency, that the exceedingly superb technical competence and attention to detail displayed by the band easily makes the listener fall in love with this album. But the qualities don't stop there. As if that were not enough,   the guitar lines and the general pace of the harmonies are so fantastically exceptional and rapturous, that its impossible not to be immediately attracted to the absurdly abrasive melodies that fluctuates above the horizon of the dense and delightful harmonies showcased by the band's creative and lurid style, that openly reveals the desire to conceive something entirely new, from the good old influences they all had absorbed as musicians. 

Sincerely, I couldn't find anything negative to be written about this magnificent album. With a powerfully afflictive, but at the same time moderate and restrained style — that never exaggerates nor repeats itself —, Earthshine reveals itself as a carefully conceived and wisely elaborated musical masterpiece, whose sensational degree of originality deserves to be praised by the underground. With a deeply sagacious creativity and a sober degree of audacity, that knows precisely where the genre needs improvement, The Whirlings certainly can be classified as a major act of contemporary stoner rock. Undoubtedly, if they continue to demonstrate this formidable level of boldness, sensibility and competence, they are destined to become undisputed references in the history of the genre. 

With a majestic degree of excellence that I personally haven't heard in the genre before, Earthshine, by The Whirlings — in its glorious entirety, from start to finish —, proves to be a spectacular, impeccable and unexpected album. While the band display the general strucuture and the ordinary elements of stoner rock, their rereading and personal rendering of the genre is absolutely extraordinary. With no homogeneity, no repetitive features, no obsolete techniques, no generic or formulaic passages, the majestic grandiosity of this fabulous album deserves to be recognized as a landmark in the history of the genre's development, as Earthshine definitely designs new melodic and stylistic possibilities for the underground music, with a refreshing, vivid and authentic creative nature, that heralds a future of splendor for stoner rock. 


Wagner

alternative / doom / metal

bandcamp

Faith-Faith is an album released by Russian musician Artem Pervykh, under the alias Faith, on September 30. Atmospheric metal with profusely melancholic and symphonic dissonances, this magnificent album is a relentless and formidable masterpiece. Almost fifty-two minutes long, the album has only four long tracks:
1) In the Ocean of My Tears; 2) Clouds On Your Sides; 3) Faith; 4) Oblivion; the first one, a beautiful anthem of serene majesty, the deeply resounding and harmonious cosmogony that emerges from the melodies are exceedingly proverbial rhapsodies of ostensible splendor, that reveals the absolutely graceful artistic competence of Artem Pervykh. 

His musicality has extraordinary features, most prominently the atmosphere upon which marvelously gracious and flexible melodies float, converting a dense horizon of disruptive harmonies into an everlasting sculpture of sonorous virtues. Despite the fact that some songs are indeed very extensive — the third track, Faith, is almost twenty minutes long —, the fantastic cohesiveness displayed by the music, as well as its generally beautiful and exceptionally wonderful tonalities exhibits a superb and incomparable degree of original creative proficiency, perfectly aligned to a sensational level of technical knowledge, that makes this album a very pleasant and delightful experience.  

The spectacular sonorous atmosphere created by the artist is a major point of sensitive highlight in the album. His astounding excellency upgrades the ethereal cosmogony that is a major musical feature within the wonderfully despondent symphonies that floats from the creative atmospheres of the soul. The genuine and intuitive groundbreaking qualities of the album find no match in the genre nowadays. The melodies are made of exceedingly extraordinary levels of beauty, upon which the essence of the album derives its colossal and virtuous strength. 

Faith-Faith is a magnificent, resonating, serene and deeply vivacious album, that not only revitalizes, but opens a new path of possibilities for the development of atmospheric metal as a genre by its own merits. With an exceptionally dynamic, but at the same time fugacious nature, all musical elements on this great album deliberately align, to deliver a wonderfully conceived masterpiece, that deserves to be classified as a milestone of the genre. 


​Wagner