post hardcore / noise / sludge

The beautiful and so-called romantic country of France has given us a lot of surprising musical acts in the past several years. There seems to be a massive underground scene that is both loyal to their influences and innovative. As a result, heaps of bands appear and disappear, all with this odd atmosphere. In today's post-metal scene, this country has been throwing band after band into our mailbox. Not all of them are amazing, but once in a while something really interesting jumps up, something that takes the listener by the throat and brutally slashes them into tiny pieces. Or at least, that's what I expect this post hardcore monster to do a few times a week.

Let me start with a little confession: I'm not very wild about this album. However, I do know that a lot of readers here at Merchants Of Air will be, and for them, this is an absolute must-have. This quintet delivers massively intense post hardcore, laced with noise, post rock and sludge doom. The music is mainly slow, harsh and relentless and the vocals are usually fierce, except for the occasional clean ones. Personally, I'm not a fan of hardcore vocals, even though on this album they are truly gut piercing, but if you are into that kind of stuff, you will absolutely adore 'Espérer Sombrer'.

From the very beginning, Vesperine showcases a violent and unforgiving sound, one which fans of everything between Neurosis and Amenra will undoubtedly appreciate. Opener 'Clair-Obscur' is murderous, and it only lasts for a bit over a minute. After that, six more vicious tunes will put you on the brink of insanity, crawling over the floor in fetal position while wave after wave of sonic despair mercilessly rolls over your shivering corpse. 'Mille Couleurs' contains some awesome riffs, which probably makes this my favorite track. In fact, be careful with this one, it might damage your speakers.

Espérer Sombrer contains some cruel and tormenting tracks. In a way, it continues the path of the aforementioned bands, along with acts like Cult Of Luna, but perhaps Vesperine attempts to drag the violent nature of their music a bit further. There is very little time to breathe. Even the post-rockish passages are heavy and burdensome. The lengthy closer 'Celui Que L'Ombre Pénètre' is a perfect example of that little push forward into brutality and darkness. So no, this is nothing for me but it is definitely an album to be cherished by the seasoned post hardcore fan. If that's you, do not doubt, buy this slab of noise now!!!


​Serge

nu-metal

In todays musical climate, genres are often fluid things with bands dipping their collective toes into all manor of varying branches of music in an effort to sound original. Sometimes this works and sometimes it sounds a bit messy and convoluted. So, it’s nice sometimes to know exactly what you are getting and in what style of music, this brings us onto the new album from Central Florida outfit NoSelf. Who very much stick to the Nu-Metal template laid down all those years ago by the genre’s originators. Nu-Metal has gotten a rough ride of things over the years, but when it’s done well, it can be very good, so how does Human Conditions fit into things? Well, you’ll be pleased to hear very well indeed.

Things kick off with bouncy opener Signal Flares with crunchy drums by Drew Miller and thick chugging riffing supplied by guitarist Justin Dabney. The influences are front and center here (as they are throughout the album) and every time I hear this track, I keep thinking that Chino from Deftones does guest vocals on the chorus, indeed the vocal delivery by front man Dylan Hart Kleinhans really is uncanny in its similarity every time he starts screaming.

Things continue apace with tracks ratD4GG3R (I don’t think I’m every going to get behind the replacing letters with number thing) which has a very catchy chorus and a nice groove to it. Order_66 starts like a lost Korn track circa 1992 and indeed continues like one too. Next track #RAGE has a groovy guitar track and excellent bass work by Glenn Desormeaux and a great breakdown towards the end of the song.

​Master Manipulator gives us more of the same, these guys really can write a catchy chorus! Dying star does nothing to upset the template laid down in the first half of the album. Penultimate track Nothing ups the F Bombs considerably and would not sound out of place as a B side from Around the Fur era Deftones, it’s really rather good. Album closer tries Glow starts off with some slower paced song craft and flirts with pop sensibilities with cheery synths, Linkin Park would be a good touch stone for this song. 

Overall, how you respond to this album depends entirely on how you feel about Nu-Metal music. If you like Nu-Metal and a catchy chorus, groovy bouncy riffs with crunchy drum sounds then there is a lot to like here. If you do not get on with the genre then I don’t think there is going to be anything on here which changes your mind. 


Simon

post rock / post metal

noise rock / jazz / experimental

doom / sludge

psychedelic / doom / stoner rock

ambient

house / techno / electronic

dark ambient

ambient / experimental

electronic / downtempo

bandcamp

heavy metal

black metal / death metal

ambient

Audiobulb

​Serge

stoner rock / garage rock / sludge metal

Tårn is an album released on May 3, by South African stoner and garage rock group Ruff Majik. A very energetic, effusive and heavy album, the record, almost thirty-seven minutes long, has seven tracks: 1) Schizophrenic; 2) Gloom & Tomb; 3) I'll dig the grave; 4) Dread breath; 5) Heretically happy; 6) Speed hippie; 7) Seasoning the witch; despite the simplicity of its general structure, the sound displayed by the band in this furious work can be described as pure, mature, exceedingly powerful, resonant and lancinating. Definitely, a work that will easily please the enthusiasts of the genre.
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There is nothing in Tårn that you haven’t heard before in similar albums. The record is predominantly abundant in incisive, brutal and rude guitar lines, hazardous and practically self-governing destructive and hallucinating, but lucid musical cohesiveness, dense and protuberating, but intense melodies, and all these elements converges altogether to consolidate with masterful elegance an intricate conjuncture of chaotic rhythmic ordinances, that imperiously gravitates towards the gracefully diligent and pervasive creative axis of a sound that collides with the symbiotic grievances of its own robust and wild consistence.  

Despite its more conventional overtones, and the lack of innovation, Tårn can be considered an excellent album, that never disappoints. With hostile, sometimes lethargic, but always brutal guitar lines – that dilutes the phantasmagoric dissonances of its aggressive behavior throughout the implosion of its sonorous, but ostensibly sensorial kingdom of wrath –, Ruff Majik conceives a sound whose stylish virtues dilapidates with cruel veracity the most lethal, tempestuous and arcane, but also flexible elements of stoner rock, concomitantly exposing with grace and salutary vivacity a mosaic of plural qualities, that will definitely expose to audiences the fantastic artistic ambitions and the extraordinary level of versatility present in the group’s music. 

With a primarily dense and heavy sound that becomes exceedingly serene and melancholic in some precise moments, the general style of Ruff Majik can be described as the perfect combination of intricate fury and vivacious energy, correctly inserted in an emotional battlefield of cohesive authorial sagacity, that extends the tissue of elegant harmonies beyond the atmosphere of perennial predictability. Exposing a graceful level of musical excellence that deserves to be widely appreciated, Tårn reveals itself as an exceptionally fantastic album, that carefully positions the creative standards for stoner rock into another perspective.  


Wagner

post metal / alternative metal

This is not an easy world to live in. An increasing amount of people seem to be unable to find their place in life. They wander alone, haunted by their own past and the circumstances which have lead to a life of uncertainty, emptiness and despair. To them, this hasty, stressful society feels unnatural and downright evil.

On average, these people are extremely creative but also extremely misunderstood and underappreciated. These 'lone wolves' are introvert, scared, tormented and emotional, but they also deliver some impressive music, like the quartet of Carneia, for example.

Formed by members of Miava and King Hiss, Carneia bring some solid heavy rock anthems with intense riffs and the soul shattering vocals of Jan Coudron. 'Voices Of The Void' is their fourth studio effort after two full lengths and an EP. With eight straight forward tracks, this album is a strong and well varied piece of work, showcasing excellent songwriting skills. According to the biography, the band is influenced by bands like Faith No More, Tool, Deftones and Nine Inch Nails but there is so much more to be found. For instance, 'Shadow Man' could have been a reggae tune and here and there you can hear a few death metal growls.

Yet, for the majority this albums feels like a heavy concept album by a well attuned band. While listening to opener 'The Making Of The Universe', I still had to get used to this sound, especially the rough vocals. Yet, as soon as 'Blood and Candy' started oozing out of my speakers, I was convinced of the sheer quality of the music. Element of progressive rock meet with stoner metal riffs and rolling bass. That being said, I think the bass player is the biggest Faith No More fan in this band. Correct me if I'm wrong. He does an excellent job supporting his bandmates, that's for sure.

'The Hangman' is one of my favorites here, a potent piece of alternative metal with a dark, brooding atmosphere. The sludge doom inspired 'Alter Ego' is as immersive and overwhelming as quick sand, or a container of tar. Yet, my absolute favorite here is 'Anthem For The Wasted', which mixes the intensity of heavy music with perfect songwriting skills. It shows a mature sound with a certain au-serieux, which I can appreciate. I'm sure many of our readers can appreciate this as well, so I urge you go over to their bandcamp page and check them out. Fucking hell, I love the musical output of our stupid little country...


​Serge

metal

metal / death metal

facebook

progressive rock / experimental

psychedelic rock / doom

hard rock

progressive metal

psychedelic rock /  doom

sludge metal / doom

black metal

alternative rock / psychedelic / noise rock

power metal / speed metal

Witchlords, how more metal can a band with this name still sound? These two metal heads from Belgium, Kristof Dedene (vocals, guitars and bass) and Thomas Lambeir (drums) decided to bring their shared passion to life. In addition to the love for headbanging, they got their inspiration for this release from war and fantasy board games.

Demons In The Dark is their debut that is packed with solid power metal. The title track Demons In The Dark, their first single by the way, immediately rolled through the speakers like a roller-coaster. Powerful riffs and high metal vocals with flashy guitar solos are the trademark of Witchlords. The second song tempered our exuberance when this turned out to be a copy of Demons In The Dark. With frowned eyebrows, we had doubts about how this album would continue.

No worries. From the third song, The Horde, the duo do unfold their talents with an atmospheric intro in the style of Blut Aus Nord. Old school metal is served here, with all the possible tricks and ideas. The thunder of ferocious metal gods is assisted by the howling guitars and rattling double bass drums. We got some goosebumps moments with this song.

The heavy, growling, speed-metal-like tracks worked like a time machine that catapulted us back to the grim and old fantasy worlds. Kristof Dedene cries out his triple lung content with full passion on this 30 minutes blasting album. We are curious how he will ever be able to combine this on stage with his creative guitar playing.

Witchlords can be added to our list of Belgian metal acts like Evil Invaders and Lethal Injury. The duo  is strongly influenced by the 80s metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Helloween, Judas Priest and the legendary US metal band Metal Church. Demons In The Dark is a powerful enthusiastic edition topped with a speed metal sauce that made a strong impression despite all the cliches present. A nostalgic and joyful tear could not be suppressed from our old metal heart. 

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Patsker

ambient / classical

Sound In Silence

experimental / noise

alternative rock / psychedelic rock

death metal

post rock

ambient / classical

doom / black metal

black metal

hardcore

metal / death metal / metalcore

facebook

metal / metalcore

While browsing through my pile of CDs to be reviewed, I found this little thing. I think it has been there for a while. I remembered when it came in. I opened the envelop and saw the CD plus the biography. I read the words "symphonic" and "metalcore" which almost caused the album to become forgotten.

Why? Well, I simply don't like metalcore and it has been ages since I listened to symphonic metal. Today the album almost literally fell into my lap while I was sorting out the CDs. I decided to give it a shot and I have to say, I am not as disappointed as I thought I would be.

The album opens with the powerful and forward pushing 'Lilith'. Immediately influences from bands like Arch Enemy, Trivium and Lacuna Coil appear. Fronted by the versatile Lola Van Loo, this Swiss band is a raging tribute to metal, certainly capable of causing most pits and crowd surfers. So far so good but the following track, 'Don't Waste Your Time' somewhat reduces the joy. Although this is not a bad song, you can hear a searching band, not yet fully convinced of their abilities. Either that, or they take the element of experimentation a bit too far.

Then again, 'Crawling In The Dirt' is a top level metal track, combining the best from Otep with the best of Arch Enemy and that is a serious compliment. It also show a bit of humor, which I think is a good thing. 'Blue Scorpion' is a cracker but also seems to drown in the planned versatility of the band. Sometimes I feel as if Chaoseum tried to adopt too many influences at once, giving the music an unnecessary complexity. In my opinion, fans will crave more tracks like the brutal 'F.T.S.' or the pummeling 'Devil's Wedding'.

'First Step To Hell' is not a bad album. In fact, it's certainly above average. The music is performed to perfection. There is plenty of power and the whole thing is varied enough to remain interesting, apart from a few missteps. What Chaoseum needs now is heaps of stage performances. If all goes well there, there is a big change for founding them on big stages in the future. In a few years, they might release a masterpiece. This CD has planted the seeds for that. There is potential, that's for sure.


​Serge

hardcore / grindcore / crust

black metal

grunge / alternative metal / progressive rock

doom

alternative rock

death metal

punk rock

bandcamp

electronic

electronic / darkwave / EBM / Industrial

shoegaze