post rock / post metal

2020 is probably the most interesting year since the second world war. Not only do we have a deadly health-crisis to deal with, there are riots, Black Lives Matter protests and global warming, plus we all seem to be stuck with a bunch of people who lack the one body part pictured on the cover of the new Wayward Bound album. But enough about politicians, let's just jump to the one thing that actually makes this year worth staying alive for: music. Let's face it, these troubled times have caused an avalanche of new music, certainly from one-man projects who suddenly had a lot of time on their hands. Belgian post rock act Wayward Bound is one them.

'The Denihilist' is David's third album as Wayward Bound and it's a smasher. Opener 'In Niz Bogzarad' easily grabs the listener's attention with pulsating basses. The track gradually evolves into a classic Wayward Bound track, heavily inspired by post rock and post metal but also nudging towards the thrash metal scene with its heavy riffs and pounding drums. In no time you'll be either shaking your ass or banging your head. Not only that, fans of progressive rock might also enjoy this stuff. Title track 'The Denihilist' is one of those instant classics and instantly recognizable tracks where you say "Hey, this is Wayward Bound, awesome". And then there is the jolly and plucky 'The History Of Fish', which serves as an intermezzo and a smile in these dark days, or something like that.

I think it's no surprise when I say that 'One Step At A Time' is my personal favorite here. This massive post rock anthem was composed for the soundtrack of the book 'I Do Not Want This' and rightfully made the album. Personally, I think this is Wayward Bound at his very best, containing the most impressive ending this act has ever composed. 'Turn The Tide' is another favorite. It's one of those tunes you'd want to add to your playlist while driving the open road. The only downside is: we'll probably never going to be able to witness all this post-rock splendor live. I've said it before and I'll say it again, David needs a live band and an audience.

'Tear Down The Waltz' is not only the most brilliant song title on this album, it's also a mindbending piece of music, one that shows a one-man act slowly perfecting its trade. Once again: this might cause some headbanging activity and some butt-shakery. Hell, the apotheosis of this track might even cause a little moshpit in your living room. that's how exciting and exhilarating this album really is. 'Human Instrumentality' and 'Public Isolation Booth' were great post rock/metal albums but 'The Denihilist' easily tops those. It feels more serious, convincing and immersive. So yeah, post rock fans, get your money ready. You'll need this...


​Serge

sludge / doom / post metal

English noise-mongers Wren signed with the highly acclaimed label Gizeh Records for the third chapter in their seasonal lore exploration. The journey which started in 2017 now continues with six new tracks, six brute monsters, armed with doomed out riffs, fierce vocals and an impending atmosphere. 

Although it would be easy to just throw Wren into the sludge doom scene, these Londoners have a few neat surprises up their sleeves. Of course, the majority of the music on 'Groundswells' is a collection of sludgy post metal, perfectly suited for fans of everything between AmenRa and Isis, but listen closely and you'll be amazed.

The whole thing begins with 'Chromed'. No intro, no warning message, just a bombardment of gritty riffs, methodical drums and frightening screams. But then there is the noisy aspect of the whole thing. At one point into this track I found myself thinking "this could be what happens when Sonic Youth and Melvins cover Conan". 'Seek the Unkindred' follows that example and raises the level of intensity to near-death metal levels. After that, it's time for one of my favorite tracks here, the noise-rock induced 'Murmur', basking in dissonance, brutality and a hardcore in-your-face attitude. 

I mentioned the word "surprises" in the beginning of this review and on 'Subterranean Messiah' they show themselves in a glorious way. While most of the tracks are ferocious sludge doom tunes, this one drags the whole thing into the post metal scene. Gloomy guitars, ambient soundscapes and post-rock atmosphere deliver an absolute stunner of a track. Jo Quail and FVNERALS also appear here, which is a perfect explanation for this sudden change of direction. Nonetheless, this is a brilliant track and a breath of fresh air after the sonic violence earlier in the album.

The other tracks are up to you to discover. If you're a fan of any of the bands I mentioned in this review, or a fan of Wren, or merely a fan of being beaten to death by riffs, drums and screams, you should pre-order the hell out of this thing. 


​Serge

post punk

Everybody who witnessed a concert by Cologne Black-Metal-masters Ultha knows that this was more than an assembly of musicians who work for a common goal, or a common sound. It was a kind of vision of what music should be able to do – including helping its human sources get rid of some feelings. Music from the heart and for the heart – if you want to find out more about that check out “The Inextricable Wandering”. Now two of the Ultha -boys have founded a new band called Ropes of Night and the quintet has published their first EP in mid-May via Golden Antenna Records. This is not black metal but glorious post-punk and thus it follows Ralph’s love for that glorious early 80s sound that was driven and melancholic, dark and stellar at the same time. All of this can also be heard on this self-titled debut 7inch. “Halo Cage” is a bit like Joy Division bit with more grit and bit and really takes off into one’s ear canal never to leave it for quite some time. “Faith” is a bit noisier and has a kind of shoegazey feeling to it, which might be a bit like Jesus and Mary Chain. Charming is the voice of vocalist Tatjana who sounds like an 80s pop idol on the right side of the musical spectrum. Both tracks could be leftovers from any of the good ole days when music like this was steaming hot and before it was turned into the poppy mess called New Wave or New Romantics. If you only want blastbeats and screaming, then forget about Ropes of Night; but if you liked Ultha for the underlying emotional darkness – this is your new go-to-band. They have that certain something “more”.

post metal / black metal

For a long time now, lots of metal and post-metal bands have been proclaiming their love for the Deftones as they were the one band amongst the NuMetal-wave of the late 90s that had a more diverse sound. This influence can also be heard when listening to the self-titled debut by Endless Forms Most Gruesome from Finland. The duo consisting of Ghost Brigade’s Manne Ikonen and mastermind Juuso Raatikainen (Swallow the Sun) plays a harsh, blackened kind of post-metal that fits very well to this day and age as they are afraid to first run over the listener: Opening track “Black Hole” sounds more like Full of Hell collaborating with KK Null in all its direct, noisy attack. But after this quick clearing of space in the audience’s ears they spread their filthy, yet sometimes experimenting post-metal. And here the Deftones definitely come into play: EFMG are not as groovy as the usual NuMetal-clones but they rather make use of the Sacramentonians’ experiments with sending singular guitar lines through the songs. This way, the Deftones were able to incorporate a kind of soulfulness and lightness into their sound which EFMG also tries to establish. Or they use some gentle picking over a soft string arrangement in “Free Fall from Womb to Grave” just before they riff their way through the rest of the song and show Juuso’s roots in doom metal. A promising debut in all its low-tuned, upwards-thinking, lyrically-miserable glory. 

punk / death metal / black metal

Karloff from Oldenburg, Germany have listened to some Stooges and Blue Cheer, but also some classic old school death metal stuff or stuff like Bathory. The punk thing is the first thing that strikes, listen to “Fright Fever” for example. High speed octane stuff, very much like New Bomb Turks or Turbonegro with a drummer releasing his inner Animal – remember the Muppets? But that would indicate a certain non-committing to their own ideals which is definitely wrong because Karloff is not one of these Motley Crue wannabe-bands. The guys from Northern Germany take their music seriously and that is probably the biggest difference to guys like Hank Van Helvete, they are no novelty act. The blackened vocals show despair and often blend seem like a mix of classic early hardcore shouters and black metal singers, sometimes even being close to thrash metal.  The excellent riffing and precision make for a force to be reckoned with. 

shoegaze / doom

Lyon, France is known to be a tasteful town. With newcomers Hadewijch a new chapter seems to be added to the former culinary capital of the world. One that doesn’t known boundaries or limitations – at least, not many. It’s not that they seem to have no musical boundaries, because they do perform within the frame of doomy post-metal. But they seem to have a very open-minded mindset as they want to show the possibilities of musically transcending the bodily realms, just like a good herbal therapy. This can also be noticed when listening to their debut-EP which is one, single track – but 19 minutes long. In that time, you can hear a lot of doomy but also noisy shoegaze elements that will help you find some positive vibes for your life. You might hear some Neurosis or My Bloody Valentine, to give you an idea that might push the comparisons a bit too far. The trio is not yet on the level of the bands mentioned, but they are quite good and for a debut, this is promising quite a lot. It will be interesting to see with which noise they follow their herbal and musical theory; nevertheless, they give you one more reason to think highly of the tasty town Lyon.

Thorsten

post metal / doom

A change of musical direction. Those few simple words can strike fear into most music fans hearts. Especially if that band has built up a fan base because of the style of music that the band play. So, when an established band release an album which has ‘a change of musical direction’ this can be a scary thing. One of the things which can happen in this instance is that it alienates the very people who liked the band in the first place, and they stop listening to that band, this is quite sad and in my view a very narrow way of looking at music in general. The other way it can go, is that people embrace the change with an  open mind and find things in the particular album on which to hang their hat, as chances are, if they like the band in the first place, there will be something in there which reminds them why they liked the band in the first place. Obviously, this is quite a simple way of looking at things and I’m aware there is a lot of nuance in any change, but in my experience, people are very weary of change in general, let alone something in which they are deeply invested.

All of which is a very long-winded way of saying that today’s album Siderael Pt. One by Italian post-metal/sludge metallers Post Vorta is a very different album from the one that I was expecting., thanks to those 5 words I mentioned earlier.

We are eased into the change quite gently and lead song Through 4k lenses starts with an ominous sounding piano, so far so metal. That is until an enchanting female voice rings out together with burst of flutes and swirling choral chants in the background. It’s fleeting, unnerving, and yet intriguing. The song builds on its emotional investment as the drums come crashing in creating a strong uplifting quality at the end of the song. It’s altogether less metal but still has elements of post-rock in there.

Next song Viper builds the ambience with a simple drum line to start things off. The gorgeous female vocals again give the song an ethereal, gentle feel, but they are tinged with a distinct undercurrent of foreboding. The electronic elements are much more to the fore in this song which builds to a nice mid song explosion before collapsing into a glitchy electronic ambient section. It’s very nicely done.

Following song Spoon feel like the electronica soundscapes introduced on the previous songs are now a much more prominent part of the band’s sound, in fact, you’d be hard pressed to even think of this as listening to a traditional band at all as the songs from this point on are almost exclusively synth driven in a style so prevalent at present. 

From then on, the songs all fully embrace the synthwave tendencies and shrug off any notion of metal whatsoever. That’s not to say that the songs are poppy with a light touch, far from it in fact, I found it to be quite the opposite and the songs all have the heavy music stylings of trying to convey the darker emotions of the human psyche.
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So, it’s a change of musical direction alright but this has brought about a rather pleasant surprise. If you are put off by the fact that the band no longer play heavy music (whether this is a permanent departure remains to be seen) then you are doing yourself a disservice in passing over what is a rather great album, indeed, I’m not usually one for synthwave but I found myself really liking this album a lot, so, try it for yourself, you may be nicely surprised by what you uncover.


Simon

post metal / sludge / doom

What’s that you say? Don’t go outside! panic buying! No toilet roll! Human sacrifice, cats and dogs, living together, mass hysteria. All you need to do is look around to realise these are no ordinary times we are living in at present. So, if you need some musical accompaniment in what seems like the end of days then I have the perfect album for you.  The new album from Colchester Post-Metallers Telepathy.

The band initially made waves in the British metal scene with their debut album 12 areas. A heady mix of stylized post metal with sections of aural freak outs which injected something new into the post-metal scene. This trend continued with their next album Tempest which catapulted them onto many people’s consciousness with a refined sound. So, what can we expect with the new album? Let’s find out.

The key to a good instrumental album is articulating what you are trying to get across without the use of lyrics. Some bands do this better than others, and it’s here where Telepathy have excelled. The sense of anguish is palpable throughout this album and there are times when it builds to almost unbearable levels, but the band seem to be aware of this and just when it gets to all-encompassing heights, they turn on the release valve to give you a breather. The first half of this album will be familiar to anyone who has heard their previous album Tempest as it follows quite similar sonic patterns. The sense of familiarity however is tempered by a newfound sense of purpose, everything honed to a precise edge. Not a single note is out of place and the cohesive nature of the album shines through.

If the first half of the album is great, the second half is simply stunning. It’s here where the band seem to take flight and truly explore their range and seek out new sonic palettes to try and get their point across. The main riff leading into the euphoric ending on Aonaran is incredible, and the sense of release I mentioned earlier should be experienced by everyone, even if they have only a passing interest in post metal music. The use of vocals in next song ‘Sorrow Surrenders it’s Crown’ are a most welcome addition, with some gorgeous delicate guitar parts backing them up. This song transitions beautifully into the bewitching title track which has guest cello by none other than Jo Quail.
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If Telepathy’s previous album Tempest was good (and it was more than that) this album takes their music to a whole other level. If they can continue this upwards trajectory, the sky is the limit for this band and if they carry on with their exploration which is found in the second half of this album, they truly are capable of making extraordinary music. This is highly recommended and will probably be high up on my personal albums of the year list.


Simon

doom / post metal

In most of the music world, the subjects about which bands sing, are more often than not, things that have happened to them, or past loves which the song writer deems fit to jot down and share with the world at large. Sometimes, a band comes along and writes about a subject which matters fully to them and to which they are intrinsically linked, just like Cegvera in fact, and their new album The Sixth Glare. You see, the bands virtuoso front man/guitarist/bassist Gerardo Arias is also a Doctor of Biology so when he and drummer Matt Neicho write music about the biological end of the world, you know it comes from a place of deep personal attachment, and it shows.

The name of the album comes from a reference to the environmental crisis which is happening to this planet as we speak (unless you are a world leader, in which case, money comes before the planet, but that’s for another day) and is what scientists call ‘the sixth mass extinction’ If all this sounds a bit bleak, well, it’s supposed to, this is an album which is a wake-up call, a call to arms and it demands you pay attention to it. 

 This whole backstory wouldn’t mean a great deal if the music didn’t back it up, and it’s here that the album really shines, in a very dark and doomy way. The first song Incubation sets the scene with delicate guitar parts over and ambient passage, the calm before the storm if you will. Then first song proper Incubation kick in with a Sabbathian low end crunch, rolling forward like an unstoppable wave. Prodromal (the period between the appearance of initial symptoms and the full development of a rash or fever apparently, see, you learn things on this album) comes next and serves up some more riffs to carry you along further down the rabbit hole, rattling along before letting you breath halfway through with a clean section complete with a sample about infection. 

The whole atmosphere of this album is suffocating in the way it wraps you up, spins you round and pummels you until you come out the other side a wiser person for the experience. The album flows in a way which is intoxicating and it’s this flow which elevates this album into spectacular territory. Occasional rays of gossamer delicate melody punctuate it’s run time, take the dream-like ‘After the Thaw’ for example. The peaks and troughs across the whole length of the album are a constant joy and each note and placement has been thought about.
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 This is an album meant to be listened to in one sitting. It’s not essential you understand the context behind the album, indeed, if you disregard it entirely and just appreciate the music, you can’t help but be swept along for the ride. It does help to get the most out of the listening experience though if you put in a touch of effort, and once you do, you won’t regret it as this album is utterly essential, highly recommended.


Simon

post metal / alternative

Eindhoven has always been one of the premier rock cities in all of Belgium and the Netherlands, known for some very fine festivals (Sound of Rebellion, Dynamo and others) and also birthplace of some awesome bands like The Devil’s Blood. For a few years, Eindhoven-based trio An Evening with Knives has been stirring some uproar in the scene due to their status as an undeniable live band. However, what does an undeniable live band need? Exactly undeniable rock songs to perform! And An Evening… has just put out another bunch of really classy tunes with their second full-length out on Argonauta Records (CD) and Lighttown Fidelity (vinyl). This follow-up to 2018’s “Serrated” features seven songs in 41 minutes and is another example of the cross-over and genre-bending-attitude of a lot of Dutch and Belgian bands, for its two feet are equally firmly set in good, melodious 90s alternative metal and rough modern Post-metal.

The trio of Ivo Junkers (drums and samples), Marco Gelissen (guitar and vocals) and Peer van Grunsven (bass and backings) are able to incorporate some post-rock elements like minute crescendos and still maintain a strong, sometimes sludgey sound which in itself is seemingly inspired by some alternative rock – one might remember the harsh grunge version that Silverchair performed on their first two records or also Louisiana’s Thou before they turned all-in on black metal or fellow-Louisiana-boys Down. The way that Eindhoven’s new luminaries are able to slow down the tempo or push it up a notch or two without losing the melody is very promising. One can be drawn into this sound very quickly.

Another strong feature are Marco’s vocals that are clear but never poppy. One example are the lyrics in “Endless Nights”, one of the two singles, where the difference between the last line of the first stanza is merely “Endless Nights” vs “End this night” - but if you really listen closely, you can hear Marco accentuating the difference.

An all-round great record. Not Album of the Year material (as it is one more post-metal record) but this record can and will be appreciated by everybody when you put it on during your regular Saturday evening get-together. A few people will certainly come up to you and ask for the name of that “Awesome stuff you have on there!” and you can simply say “Well, we’re just having An Evening with Knives!”


​Thorsten

grunge / stoner rock

Iceland’s scene is very likely one of the strongest worldwide as we are talking about a country with roughly 360,000 inhabitants and yet we all know so many bands from Iceland pushing the brim for modern music further and further. Keelrider is another one of those, although they most likely will not see as much attention as Sigur Ros, Björk or the whole Icelandic black metal scene because they are Stoner Grungers with a twist. In 2018 they published their debut album “North” and last year they published two singles from their upcoming album “Second Wind”. While “Too Far Gone” is in parts a very nice melange of Alice in Chains-vocals and Soundgarden-stoner riffs, “Sun” is much more interesting because the band some a little more variety when it comes to time signatures and giving the guitar lines more space to breathe. If you are into stoner rock and grunge, this band is something right for you! 

post metal

Post-Metal from Italy. Most foreigners automatically associate it with Postvorta but some, a little deeper in and a little longer might remember the name Calendula, the sextet from Parma, which released an EP (2011) and a full-length (2012) a while ago. After some changes concerning line-up and musical direction, they released a 25-minute-song in November which definitely doesn’t fit to the title “De Brevitate Vitae” - it’s not brevis (brief) at all. It is quite a monster with a lot of dynamic changes and oscillates between dynamic driving drums and some really clever, counteracting guitar-work following the long intro, which sometimes hints at a bit of Tool. The vocals are pretty good, they also use some samples to give it a more differentiated sonic outline. Something that can be criticized is the sound as the partially trashy Lo-Fi sound doesn’t really fit a record as ambitious as this one, although on the other side it fits to the proclaimed role models  – 90s post-rock bands such as Slint (noticeable in the very effective guitar motif after the first real break). If the guys follow this path, we might have two Italian associations with the term Post-Metal.

electronic 

Svart Records is one of the finest labels when it comes to hard, harsh music, most people know about that. Most people do not know that they also have an electronic sub-label – Svartronix which again is very open-minded. A few weeks ago they released the debut song by A Heart Beats “Dazes the Mind” which is pop music that fits perfectly in any 80s mix of songs by some tropical house producer. This songs purvey a kind of Caribbean calypso feeling but their sex-appeal derives to a large extent from the intriguing vocals of Paile who once was a member of Beastmilk. His delivery is very nice and especially the chorus is so funky that one automatically feels his feet moving, but the line also has some depth “It dazes the mind / and numbs the tongue”. The beats produced by Tuuki are layered with some space basslines in the sense of some more synth-driven Daft Punk and the beat itself is shuffling a bit, so that the sunny, opening sounds give the song a holiday feeling without the stupidity. A promising debut song, let’s hope A Heart Beats and Svartronix has some more servings.

doom / death metal

Russian death doom act Intaglio released a demo version of a new track at the end of last year and in some way, the beauty lies in the rhythm. Many voices will now scream that the rhythm is nothing particular new to the genre, as the slow, dragging rhythm of the song is really quite normal, but the way that the strings connect to it, support it in certain passages, yeah, even form it from time to time, that is really breathtaking – the Gothic attitude it brings to the song turns it into a remarkable one. The lyrics, speaking about the overwhelming character of a memory of death which overshadows everything else, are delivered in regular death metal style. Another standout feature is the use of the use of an upright bass that is tuned so well, that you can hear each tap and each ring.
In some way, three pretty singular metal genres are amalgamated into one pretty dense net of emotions that will leave no open ear without imprinting a memory of itself on the listener. If this is a first sign of a new album then one might keep Intaglio in mind.

punk

Everything about this 7” screams “Old school! Old school!”, the cover (seemingly a reverse from the classic Minor Threat discography cover that also was adopted by Rancid several years ago), the cover b-side, the black-white style, the sound, everything! But first things first: The revived band released a good album in 2018 and last December followed with this 7” out on Heartworm Press. The title track is a new shotgun blast somewhere between Zeke, MC5, The Clash, Turbonegro and Black Flag (although one must say, that only the vocals sometimes hint at Rollins) – definitely a good track. The b-side is a well-made cover of “Left for Dead” by The Lemonheads another one of these late 80s punk bands that turned more and more to indie-rock. The cover is good and shows a different side to American Nightmare. However, there is one thing that is lacking in this release and that is the teenage angst that made AN famous. The despair, the sadness, the melancholy – not there. On the other hand, that might drive the listener to despair and achieves the same effect.

avant garde / folk

Dog Tunnel Records

There are genres that seemingly are so heavily steeped in tradition and customs that it is hard to imagine to hear a new sound in them. Take Irish Folk for example; most of us at first might associate it with pub nights somewhere between the Dubliners and Christy Moore (at best) or Michael Flatley and Enya (at worst). But to combine the traditional folk instruments bodhran, flute, violin, and guitar with a wall of sound, lots of spoken word (not cheerfully and rhythmically, but rather intimidating and fierceful) is something rarely heard before. Tuatha is a fierce project that will leave some of us open-mouthed. Formed in early 2019 and already a rising star on the scene, the septet uses old Irish tales from the Middle Ages and Gaelic Dindsenchas (short poems describing certain places) to deepen their already impressive style. In parts, their unrelentless approach reminds one of the approach Archive and SubRosa took in totally different musical landscapes. This here is unique, bewitching and typical Irish yet also totally un-Irish. Folks, give Tuatha a listen!

sludge / doom

A quartet from Phoenix, Arizona with a very grainy, heavy sound, Mosara released their debut demo last November. It shall be a prelude to a record which is in the making and should see the light of day before the end of the year; of course the demo should also draw interest from labels and I think it might: The musical soundscape is strongly influenced by a lot of proto-metal like Sabbath, Blue Cheer, but also by classic doom bands like Electric Wizard or Cough – that means, you get what you expect, low-tuned, richly-distorted, grainy, a bit lofi-ish doom sounds with a tinge of sludge influences (most audible on the second track “Clay and Iron”). Sometimes the howls and growls could be a bit fiercer and less despaired because, sometimes, Tony Gallegos (ex-Twingiant) is a bit too clear. Nevertheless the sound is great, as if someone mated Fu Manchu with Sabbath and their offspring was left in the desert with a guitar as the only means of communication. The riffs are dragging, the bass is dominant, the drums are supportive – all good in the Arizona desert. 

death metal / black metal / doom / noise / grindcore

Noise bastard? Yeah. Death metal? Sometimes. Grindcore? For sure. Doomy Gloom? You bet. All of that and more is “Tellurian Insurgency” by Ploughshare. With their third release in as many years (after 2017’s “Literature of Piss” and 2018’s acclaimed “In Offal, Salvation”) the quartet from Australia’s capital Canberra once again proves that the bar is always too low for them. Excellent musicians with a highly complex understanding of how music works they show that extreme metal must also rely on atmosphere that sometimes exists between the chords and blastbeasts. A great deal of the attraction of this band is the vocals, which never sound cheesy but quite on point. This EP also features a remix of their standout song, the title track of “In Offal, Salvation”, which shows that it is even possible to give this dark nightmare of a song an even more desperate twist. One thing that becomes clear throughout the record is how important good drumming is for such a kind of music as it must set the tone for everyone. If the guys can keep up their productivity we should await a new heir to the extreme metal throne in 2020.

industrial

Describing this Oakland, CA, quartet is not that easy and not that difficult at the same time. Their sound relies heavily on synths, samples but also on guitar, bass and drums. They cross constantly between electronic noise (aka industrial) and post-punk’ish avantgarde sounds. Initiated in 2013 and having independently released already a bunch of records, Lament Cityscape set out to publish three EPs in 2020, each following some red thread and yet also standing out on its own. Something that they share with some of the pioneers of this kind of sonic assault (Godflesh, Killing Joke, Author & Punisher) are the harsh sounds that sometimes remind one of buoys warning the oncoming ships of the nearby rocks and sandbanks which here are symbolized by the rough drum attacks. In parts, this is a good record for those who like Godflesh’s Streetcleaner a bit less polished and a bit more straightforward. Partially, one is left behind by a lack of surprise, but fans of industrial noises and harsh synth-driven drums will really like this.

black metal

At first, the band’s name might sound like a nice pun on 80s karate flic “Bloodsport” (with the amazing multiple Academy Award winning actor Jean-Claude van Shakespeare) but when listening to this new face on renown Swedish Meta label Blood Harvest it becomes clear that the idea of a fungi which sits parasitically on its host and feeds of it before finally killing it works perfectly within the black metal community. It also works nicely because the record to it is really good and leaves one’s ears with an immediate wish to press replay because of its clever changes in mood, dynamics and tempi. The record (especially the second track “Cede to the Saprophyte”) is like a nice blend of groove metal and black metal with the emphasis, of course, on the latter. Thematically, the record presents the idea of the fungal mass on this planet slowly but certainly taking over and destroying all other organisms, a new take on the apocalyptic visions presented by bands like Botanist or Arx Atrata. For a band that only came together in 2018, this is really somewhat impressive. 


​Thorsten

hardcore / screamo

Okay, 100 words. Not more. No unnecessities, all arrangement. 91 left. 

5 years after. Neither dead nor forgotten but always praised and recognizable. No second thought needed. Unmistakably. Why? Because Envy has always been the blueprint, will always be. 

Drumming punctuating rhythms with magical kicks and volcanic blasts. ­­Vocal lines screaming pure urgency and whispering calming ascend. Every uphill battle willingly fought for the view towards the endlessness. Guitar lines wandering along the roughly hewn path onto the stormy heavens. 

Want to hear one perfect (screamo) album this year? Channeling beauty and despair equally? Many people’s AOTY? 

Here. It. Is.


Thorsten

post metal / industrial

Switzerland is the new hotspot for good metal. Another example apart from the HUMMUS and HUC-communities? Apart from Rorcal, Death.Void.Terror? Easy, take Montecharge for example, a new band from Geneva, Switzerland. Although, really new would be pretty far-stretched to say, because the band has been around since 2007 yet highly unproductive, as “Demons or Someone Else” is their debut full-length.

The interesting thing about Montecharge are the small things within their sound construct, located somewhere between blackened post-metal and industrial hardcore. The band uses a kind of flirring industrial echo on some of their guitar tracks and the use of drum computer is also not uncommon so that all in all the listener is guided through some kind of industrial landscape upon entering the 36 minutes encompassing eight songs and three interludes. 

The tracks have Roman numerals (which might indicate a time of writing) and further names and interestingly they are not arranged in numerical order as one might think when seeing the track titles. The band itself progresses nicely through the track list and shows a lot of different sides of their musical identity. Sometimes this can be straightforward, noisy rock bastards like “XVII Oreste” or “XIX Protagonists Antagonists”, sometimes the tracks take more time and have a bit of a 60s vibe (note the use of the tambourine in “XIII Encircle the Earth”. 

Edward Hay’s work behind the drumkit is unique as it is very hard and precise and needs to form the whole rhythmic basis to the songs alone as there is no bass player in the lineup, generally the instrumentation is very interesting as a guitarist, a synth-player and a vocalist share the stage with Hay. The one thing the band lacks is a feeling for the necessity of small, slow-down parts in the songs to give the audience a moment to breathe. The three interludes provide these moments on the album, yet, sometimes a bit more time would benefit the songs. Nevertheless, this lament is rather a tidbit among the whirlwind that is “Demons or Someone Else” which will be highly enjoyed by people who like Knut or Converge. 


Thorsten