experimental rock/ post metal / sludge metal

Ambiance is an album released in November 2, by Swiss experimental post metal trio Ølten. Forty minutes long, the record has eight tracks: Igelkott, Raus, Klark, Lied, Gover, Sludge, Popoutro and Pope. An interesting album, that presents to the audience a colorful, eccentric mixture of post metal and sludge with a varying degree of experimental tenacity, the music is elaborated in concentrated layers of consistent vitality and synergy, with continuous grooves of expansive densities, intrinsically worked over the lethal placidity of its exceedingly abrasive harmonies. 

The style of the group – despite its opaque premises –, is very flexible and cohesive. They engage in a salutary degree of experimentalism, without any fears, but without extremisms or exaggerations either. Moderate and proverbial to a certain extent, their melodies dilacerate its own rhythmic devices, flirting a little with repetitiveness, but they do it in a very dynamic and lucid fashion, never becoming monotonous nor tedious. The know how to genuinely provoke the organic fuel of their harmonies, and definitely knows how to maintain vivid the mostly ecstatic densities upon which their music is made. 

While Ambiance is not a fantastic nor fabulous album, it has major qualities that reveal – to a certain extent –, how original, audacious and inventive these skilled musicians really are. With embracing tonalities that circumnavigates their slow paced harmonies, working exponentially, beautifully and existentially with somber, but discreet elements that makes their music to be a little bit sinister and mysterious, but inadvertently fragile at the same time, Ølten knows how to transform music into a more surreal, dispersive and quintessential form of art. They are definitely a sensational band, whose stylized sound departs from a distinct, plural level of creativity.  

Despite all of their qualities, though, they definitely have to reinvigorate their music with more unpredictable components, something to make them sound more tempestuous and exhilarant. Nevertheless, they are definitely in the right direction – elaborating a sound of their own –, that doesn’t appeal to a particular genre. Ølten is an interesting group that deserves to be followed closely, and Ambiance is an intelligent and very nihilistic experimental ambient rock album, that oversees the gracious and sensible development of a genre, yet to be fully understood and defined. 



Wagner

progressive rock / progressive metal / post metal 

Fire by the Silos is an album released in the beginning of the month by British instrumental progressive metal group Toska. Sixty four minutes long, the record has nine tracks: The Herd, A Tall Order, Abomasum, Congress, Fire by the Silos, When Genghis Wakes, Ataraxy, Prayermonger and The Heard. An interesting album, that reveals a mature, proficient and very technical band, Toska doesn’t have any fears when experimenting with distinct sounds, synchronicities, cadences, dissonances and interchanging rhythms, interweaving all those elements in a very interesting musical mosaic, with a majestic degree of experimentalism that really makes them an extraordinary musical act, that definitely doesn’t know what a comfort zone is, since their main musical disposition is to disrupt them all.

With an intelligent, diverse and unconventional musical identity, that departs from exceedingly original premises, the music of Toska is bounded by audacity and opulent doses of vertical, dissolute and flexible creativity, despite the fact that their sound is prominently heavy, and they never retreat in the slightest degree the ferocious nature of their music. Nevertheless, I do think that Toska is a band that works better as a live act (but this is just speculation, I never had the privilege of seeing them playing). While their sound is powerful and full of qualities that make their style to be quite exuberant and consistent, Fire by the Silos is a very extensive album, that eventually becomes repetitive, and highly fractured by hazardous levels of predictability and monotony – although these deficiencies, in a general evaluation, doesn’t harm the album in any way –, especially when you fully acknowledge the anatomy, the dynamics and the general propensities of their musical diagram.

Despite their apparent flaws, I must say that Toska has some abrasive and coherent virtues, that definitely consolidates wisely the sensibilities of their style. With rude and tempestuous, but also expansive and serene harmonies, they advance vigorously towards experimental territory with more bravery, tenacity, cohesion and graciousness than most bands do, with a level of creativity and security that is definitely above the ordinary standards.   

But I feel they pushed some of their most organic and vital musical elements too far on this album, revealing too much of them. When the album finishes, you feel saturated, without the curiosity or the need to listen to more of their stuff. Toska has to learn to leave the audience with the “I want more” taste, that is the basic premise of conquest. Of course, this is only my personal evaluation about Fire by the Silos. But, like I wrote some lines above, I do feel that they are the type of band that simply sounds perfect in a live performance, being Toska one of those acts that are just made for live concerts, rather than records. Despite this observations, I should point it out that Fire by the Silos – regardless of minor deficiencies – is an interesting, aggressive, pungent and exhilarating record, that elaborates dispersive and severely dilacerating atmospheres, that makes universes collide, in the rapturously extreme dissonances that falls over the strenuous harmonies of their elegant and very abrasive sound, with versatile dispositions that definitely makes Toska one of the most promising acts in their genre, active nowadays in the contemporary underground scene.  


Wagner

post rock / post metal

Maven is an album released in mid-October, by Italian post rock band Menhyr. A very concise album – a little more than half an hour long –, the record has six tracks: Atlantis, Maven, Jacqueline, Ab Aeterno, Echo and Oblio. A very simple album, that departs from the more conventional sonorous layouts of the genre, Maven is a decent and interesting work, though there is nothing exceptional about it. The melodies are good and consistent, but suffers from a severe lack of audacity, subjecting the listener from the beginning to a moderate level of monotony; nevertheless, there is a sad and calm beauty on their lethargic style, that definitely understands its place on the dispersive musical layers devised by the group’s evasively mordacious musicality.

While Maven in general have exceedingly slow harmonies, you can have a modest degree of satisfaction listening to it. The technical elements displayed by the band are way more efficient than its stagnant creativity, although they showcase a pungent and highly concentrated level of comprehension on their genre of choice, and seems secure exposing it’s more virulent and aggressive qualities – confined to some random passages of intense and hostile volatility – which are definitely the highlight of the album. 

With calmer melodies confined to a very homogeneous sound, there is not enough elements on Maven to sustain a profound discussion about their sound. As the album progresses, though, it gets better and better, especially from the fourth track onwards. My favorite track is definitely the fifth, Echo. Despite being ardently slow, the song is beautiful, and its graciously expansive musical devices are relatively distinct from other songs on the album. With heavier and dense guitar lines, it’s the most pungent, visceral and redemptive track, although, in a broader evaluation, showcases the generic standards present in the other songs as well. The final track, Oblio, is also very good. Its harmonies deliver a poetic and melancholic horizon of depressive and somnolent splendor, that will sleep forever in the adjacent emptiness of its own latent impatience. 

In the end, Maven is not a bad album. It’s just too ordinary, and somewhat predictable. While definitely this work has a modest degree of qualities – able to entertain enthusiasts of post rock –, it will hardly impress anyone. Nevertheless, its good work. This band just have to learn how to be a little more original, emotional and creative.


Wagner

black metal / post-metal

Kuar Nhial’s debut album is already the 24th release this year of the Belgian Consouling Sounds label. This trio (Wouter Duprez, Niels Brown & Mathlovsky) from Ghent Belgium, play dark and evil black metal mixed in a post rock concept. The four songs on the record contain a variation of dim twisted moods and explorations of the unlighted regions in the mind. 

Corvus starts like an intro of a Gothic horror movie. A sad piano melody makes place for cruel and blackened riffs with obscure drumming. The death metal throat guides us into the world of Kuar Nhial. This song contains a high level of brutality. Nonam brings us more a Wolves In The Throne Room vibe with the howling guitars. The vocals shout again with deep ruthlessness.

Spiraal breathes death and desolation. These howling grunts produce an atmosphere of haunting doom drenched in black metal riffs. The hypnotic guitar sounds are overwhelming our brain waves and taking us to an unnatural world of decay. Spiraal ends in sadness with the fading of acoustic guitar strings. Lamatate is an instrumental track showing the wide musical views, inspirations and doubts of these three artists. Soundscapes are mixed with contrarian drums and heavy guitars which change to a controlled state of psychedelic art. Keyboards are slightly added to bring more ambiance to the track. 

Kuar Nhial put their signature into the black metal scene. They play adventurous metal of the blackest kind using doom, electronic and post rock influences. The vocals are inhumane dark and aggressive but sounding closer to death metal. The production was in the hands of Tim De Gieter (Fär and Sloth Prince). This music works like a brain scanning machine, layer after layer projected and showing you the essence of black metal music. It will be a long winter of doom.

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Patsker

post-metal 

Another band steps in the footsteps of Belgian underground pride Amenra, that's pretty much the most reliable short description for this debut album by Ghent based noisemakers Hæster. However, it doesn't fully cover the load as Hæster is a rampaging force of their own and not just a copycat.
The members of Hæster have already earned their stripes in bands like Aborted, Nemea, Dedicted, Customs, Death Before Disco and Horses on Fire, plus they have invited some nice guests too: Brennt Vanneste (Steak Number Eight), Stefanie Mannaerts (Brutus) and Sven De Caluwé (Aborted).

​No time for intros, Hæster is here to destroy, demolish and pulverize. Opener 'Ironmongers' does that immediately, with brutal riffs, shattering drums and hellish screams. There is also little time for calm, soothing passages as the whole thing seems to go on with an unseen intensity. Halfway through 'Ghost In Us' I need a little break, a time-out from all this nerve-wrenching aggression. By now I'm sure that this is one of the most brutal releases on the otherwise so nice and friendly Dunk! label. The Zottegem-crew has released a murderer.

I think it's around this time that I have decided that it's just not my cup of tea. But that is not Hæster's fault. I'm just not that much of a fan of these fierce hardcore inspired vocals. On the other hand, fans of post metal and sludge doom will absolutely eat this up, I'm 100% convinced of that. All the elements for decent post metal are present, and they all come in the same convincing level of quality as other Belgian bands like the aforementioned Amenra, or Oathbreaker, or Steak Number Eight, or Hemelbestormer, or All We Expected.

Plus, here and there, Hæster does provide the listener with a little breathing space, like the beautiful instrumental passages in 'So That We Could Live' and 'Graves'. That I can fully appreciate. The disturbing vocal samples also add a lot to the dark and ominous atmosphere of the whole thing. If you want a record that beats you down in a slow and tormenting manner, this surely is your thing. Even though I'm not a fan, Hæster delivered a stunner, one that will undoubtedly set them on their way to Belgian post-metal stardom and hopefully far beyond. 


​Serge

post metal

While the heatwave in Belgium continues, I'm constantly reminded of this year's edition of Dunk! festival. I'm walking around in my apartment, doing the usual household shores. There is music playing, all kinds of different styles, flowing on in a constantly varying shuffle. Quite often a post rock, post metal or doom band appears and most of the times that album teleports me back to Zottegem. Then I wonder how awesome that band would have been on one of these stages. Since I'm a doom and post rock fan, in my imagination all of them are pretty impressive but I know, for now I'll have to do with the recorded versions of the music.

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Good thing that I have big ass Magnat speakers to blast the volume to festival levels.

Two and a half years after their highly acclaimed split with Belgian sludge mongers All We Expected, Dublin based Raum Kingdom returns with a full-length. Still sailing on the oceans of post metal and sludge doom, this quartet brings a pulsating and immersive version of their preferred genre. With seven songs, Raum Kingdom attempts to make their mark on the hungry and demanding scene. And, in the same effort, they simply steamroll that scene to shreds, aided by a monolithic sound, the intensity of a rhino stampede and riffs as effective as a guillotine.

But, it's not all heavy and brutal. For starters, loyal to the style, pretty much everything here is slow. Then, in between the punishing sludge metal assaults, you can find elaborate post rock passages. What I personally like the most, is the wide variety of vocals. From clean, melodic verses to harsh and uncompromising screams, they all add the necessary level of variation to the whole thing. 'Winter', featuring Mia Govoni, is my favorite track in that aspect. Possibly also because it's one of those brilliant and huge post-whatever journeys.

I also dig the fact that there are a few shorter tracks on the album, perfect for a five or six minutes headbanging workout session before going back to the daily tasks. Obviously, tracks like 'Dig' and 'Hidden Pain' can easily become live favorites. Most audience members will go wild on these tunes while I prefer the Tool inspired 'Rebuilding the Page' or the eleven minuter 'Struggle'. Oh well, that's the thing with preferences, they differ. However, after listening to this gem, I'm confident that Raum Kingdom are aiming for the thrones of Amenra, Cult Of Luna and Neurosis. Time will tell if that will ever happen but I predict an overwhelming Dunk! festival appearance in the near future.


​Serge

post-metal / doom / alternative rock

dark jazz / ambient / experimental / trip hop

hardcore

acoustic blues

dark ambient / noise

doom / occult metal

death metal

black metal / doom / death metal

post punk / synth pop

breakcore / industrial

alternative rock / blues

facebook

style of Tool and quite a bit of grunge - vocals that remind of Cobain included. So go buy this one if you appreciate something that refuses to fit into one box.

ambient / experimental

Pany Rosas Discos

post rock

Empty Colors is an album released by French Post Rock act Fall of Messiah. Despite the fact that the record was released more than two years ago, it certainly deserves an honest and profound evaluation, since reveals itself a modest, but sensible work of art, although its musical agenda follows the traditional formula of the genre. With an energetic symmetry whose beautiful, but at the same time discreet and imponderable harmonies overexposes the joy of its continuous, sagacious and vividly tempestuous melodies, Empty Colors is a delicate, but pungent sequence of sincere symphonies of ardent splendor, that gracefully evaluates the colorful abilities of a creativity that works heavily over the boundaries of the genre, without disqualifying not distorting its most recognizable features. 

With a correlated and passive calmness that standardizes a joyful conjuncture of pleasant harmonies under subtly pertinent circumstances, Empty Colors is a very simple, but thrilling album. Very concise – only twenty eight minutes long –, the record has seven tracks:  Monochromic Synesthesia, The Grey Heart Blues, Blue ruin, I always thought that one day everything would be settled, but everything just went black, Alors on en est là, à pisser sur du cuivre..., Rust and Vert-de-gris. Its brevity rejoices at the generous, but tempestuous wave of a confluent mobile objectivity, whose purpose deflagrates over the waves of its ardently ceremonial intonations the glorifying splendor of a calm, serene and everlasting sensitive ordeal. 

The album does have some degree of predictability over the course of its run, but, nonetheless, it’s greatly appreciable and formidably well executed; at the peak of its more abstract moments, it is possible to feel the rapture of its graceful, but warmly diluted singularity. A delicate, measurable, exceedingly pleasant work of vigorous authenticity, Empty Colors presents to its audience simply the best qualities post rock has to offer, in a genuine, refined, unpretentious and competent creative scope, whose incredibly simple, but high standards are sufficient to evoke the marvelous placidity of its surreal grace. 


Wagner

doom / post metal

metal / hardcore

psychedelic rock / doom

psychedelic / doom

shoegaze / dream pop

shoegaze

post punk / new wave

alternative rock / shoegaze

neofolk

experimental / ambient / noise

Unexplained Sounds

ambient / noise / experimental

bandcamp

dark ambient / drone

bandcamp

ambient / electronic

death metal

black metal

Serge

post rock / doom / shoegaze

The last three reviews I wrote described music from acts that have been featured on Merchants Of Air before. Since 2014, heaps of acts have been present on these pages and quite often bands seem to return. Somehow that makes me feel proud of what we have accomplished here. It's great fun to see these bands come back even better than before. French act Ddent is number four in that list. I reviewed their album 'آكتئاب' about a year ago (read) and now they reveal the next chapter in their musical adventures. Again this shows a band that has been growing, maturing, something I can only applaud, obviously.

The music on 'Toro' is rather similar to 'آكتئاب'. Once again Ddent treats the listener to an impressive blend of doom, post rock, shoegaze and (post) black metal. Once again they play with mesmerizing riffs and tonnes of atmosphere. There are seven tracks to be found, pretty much all of them are highlights in their own right. 'Dis à la lune qu'elle vienne' is probably one of my favorites, a highly immersive piece of post rock that would undoubtedly be a show-highlight as well. Then again, I surely believe most of these tunes are show-highlighs.

'Torse De Marbre' is another one of my favorites. I absolutely love the percussion performance in this track. That's the thing with Ddent: they always seem to go that extra mile. They always seem to add that little extra that makes them stand out in an overcrowded post-rock/metal scene. At the end of my previous review for these Parisians I mentioned that 2017 was going to be an awesome year for music. Well, 2018 is heading into the same direction and I couldn't be more pleased about it.

Another masterpiece is 'La Pluie Emplit Sa Bouche', which gradually evolves from dark ambient to atmospheric doom metal to something every metalhead can bang his skull to. Apparently many non-metalheads too. My wife is headbanging right now, how cool is that? Anyhow, this is a brilliant album, one I will gladly recommend to all my slow music friends. Ddent have clearly evolved which is always a good thing. They were great already but now they are slowly entering my top-20 list. 


​Serge