Category: Post Rock

Ihä - Estructuras De Aire, Colonias De Soplo

ambient / drone

bandcamp

Chilean drone/ambient band Ihä return with a beautiful new four track album. Much like their previous release, 'Esperanza', this one focuses on minimal but atmospheric soundscapes. The result is a soothing yet immersive piece of work, something fans of everything between Brian Eno and Barn Owl can certainly appreciate. Furthermore, people with a hectic life, people who just want to ease down and relax for a moment, should also give this stuff a chance. Play it loud enough, not too loud, close your eyes and let this talented act guide you through the wonderful world of Ihä.

Spankraght - Spankraght EP

industrial / metal / drum & bass

Antwerp is a crowded city. One day a metalhead and a drum & bass producer slammed into each other in one of our many record stores. Their respective Channel Zero and Netsky vinyl albums smashed into pieces and fell to the floor. Instead of fighting each other, they bought some gear and locked themselves in a rehearsal studio. Now they released a nice piece of crossover with a pounding five track EP. Heavy guitars meet electronic beats and synths in a whirlpool of musical energy. It's Pendulum meets Combichrist meets ... let's say Rammstein, or Metallica. Most of all, it's bloody awesome, although I have no idea how to both dance and bang my head at the same time...

August Rosenbaum - Rasa

classical

Tambourhinoceros

Back in November 2017 August Rosenbaum released 'Vista'. Now, as a little extra, he offers a six track EP, containing the stripped down foundations of that album, plus one brand new track, 'Milo'. What can I say about this EP? It's a man playing a piano, nothing more, nothing less. That alone makes this one of the most beautiful things to listening to, especially if that man is a talented and experienced composer. So, if you're into calm, soothing and blissful smile evoking piano music, this EP is an absolutely must have, nothing more, nothing less.

Show Aniki - The Deep Blue Sessions

metal

website

The EP by French hard rockers Show Aniki compiles four singles. Throughout the years, the band has suffered several line-up changes but that didn't seem to harm the energy. Influenced by everything between Metallica, Anthrax, Disturbed and Alice In Chains these guys deliver four solid and groovy rock tracks. This is perfect stuff for a hot summer afternoon on some big ass rock festival where the older generation of headbangers will often point at the stage and tell the youngsters how metal should be done. So yeah, this is edgy metal with a heavy yet melodic approach. Great stuff.

The Human Race Is Filth - Liberate

grindcore / crust

Right, that was nice metal and all but for true mental torment you'd have to turn toward this cute and friendly American duo. Thrif delivers their second set of chaotic grindcore pummeling, once again with the intensity of an atomic blast. Fans of bands like Dismember and Napalm Death will undoubtedly get a hardon from this stuff (I don't need photographic proof of that!!!). In eight tracks, mostly short blast of ferocious crust/grind, Thrif effortlessly destroys everything in their path, including your sanity, but who needs sanity when you can have grindcore, right?

Misantronics vs Mint Narcosis - EPI

ambient / techno

Misantronics

Mint Narcosis

Ambient and dance beats mix quite well together. Just look at acts like early Biosphere or Psychic Warriors Of Gaia. In that aspect, it's almost weird that ambient act Misantronics and his EDM alter ego Mint Narcosis only now release a cooperative EP. On 'EPI' you can find four tracks, three of them delving deep into the world of ambient techno and one coming up with some breaks. 'Dragon' and 'Kepler' showcase the calm but danceable side of this EP while 'Kuba' is an hypnotic, trance inducing dance track. 'Unwasted Years' is the odd one here, a gloomy IDM track with haunting soundscapes. Certainly to be continued.

The Room in the Wood - Magical Thinking

new wave / alternative rock

Somewhere between the gloomy sound of new wave and the uplifting energy of alternative rock, we find Liverpool residents The Room In The Wood. Think acoustic music with a strong, distinct voice. In the title track the band shows an infectious blend between Leonard Cohen, Wall Of Voodoo and The Lemonheads. Yeps, that's possible. Johnny Cash fans will undoubtedly appreciate 'Baba Yaga' while The Doors lovers will pick out 'Dragonfly' as their favorite. My personal favorite is the opener. It's a track that makes me curious about their other work. I'll check that soon, but for now, this is good enough.

Twilight - Trident Death Rattle

black metal

To be released on May 1st, this three track EP by legendary American black metal band Twilight, is perhaps one of the most epic blackened releases from that continent. These tracks, which feature Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, are harsh, intense and chaotic songs. They showcase a massive sense of derangement and isolation. In fact, Opener 'This Road South' is currently one of my favorite black metal tracks. 'Weathered Flames' is a suffocating spiral of blackened nihilism and closer 'No Consequence' will haunt your dreams for decades to come. These are nightmares translated to music and I like that.

Corpsehammer - Perversión

black metal

Morbid Skull

Speaking about musical nightmares, allow me to plug this ugly little filth monger from Swedish extremists Corpsehammer. This EP is the third part in their EP trilogy, released by Morbid Skull. If you are a fan of old school black metal, and I mean old school in the form of ancient 'World Domination' compilations, this undoubtedly is your thing. In three tracks, plus an outro, Corpsehammer delivers a rancid, hardcore punk influenced approach to extreme metal, often at ferocious speeds. There's nothing pretty about this EP, on the exact contrary. This is the musical equivalent of crawling to mud and faeces, mixed with needles. Awesomeness...

Grim - Requiem

classical / post rock / jazz

Equally awesome but in a completely different way comes this new EP by Belgian trio Grim. This band from Leuven turns classical music into post rock anthems with a gloomy jazz feel. This release is based on Frédéric Chopin, more specifically his Préludes and Marche Funèbre. the result is a cinematic and somewhat intimate sounding blend of post rock and dark jazz, something I'm pleasantly surprised by. I can imagine enjoying this in a small and intimate live setting, like a living room or a salon. However, it would also fit perfectly on a festival like Dunk!. Anyhow, this is pretty cool and certainly recommended.

Mhönos - LXXXVII

drone doom

This album by French ritual drone doom act Mhönos is a massive and epic undertaking. In a way, this is pure catharsis, driving on monolithic riffs, deranged vocals and a crushing atmosphere. What I like most about this, is that the band allow the music to take all the time it needs to grow and evolve. Although slow, I can certainly sense a punk attitude here, mostly in the vocal performance. That reminds me of acts like Winter and coincidentally also Phantom Winter. Yet, the music also reminds me of noise acts like MZ412 and Brighter Death Now. So yeah, this is a brilliant piece of work and it comes highly recommended.

Zero Theorem - Ataraxis

hard rock / metal

website

Some people are waiting for the new Tool album, others hope Disturbed will release their new record soon and still others are still going heavy on the latest Five Finger Death Punch or Papa Roach. All those people should turn their ears towards Los Angeles based metal band Zero Theorem. This six track EP easily draws comparisons with the aforementioned bands. All these songs are infectious modern day metal songs, with exactly the right doses of aggression, melody, riffing and electronics. It's been a while since I have been excited about anything nu-metal related but this EP definitely does the trick.

Vampillia - Happiness Brought By Endless Sorrow

black metal / noise

Temple Of Torturous

Legendary Japanese "brutal orchestra" Vampilia returns with a four track ep that will undoubtedly blast you into mental oblivion. With a furiously raging blend of black metal, grindcore, drone, post rock and noise, this ten piece smashes all competition. Obviously, that shouldn't be a surprise since this act has been on every extreme experimentalists favorites list for years. Although short, these tracks represent massive anthems and come laced with guitars, drums, violins, piano, screams, grunts and whatnot. This is absolute madness, in the best sense of the word.

The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections - Narrow Escape

dark jazz

And to conclude, let me introduce you to one of my favorite dark jazz bands and their latest single. I have been following this orchestra for quite some time now and I'm always pleasantly surprised by their output. This time they deliver a long track that might as well become one of my favorites in the while genre. It's an eight minutes lasting and lingering piece of dark jazz with delayed bass, lazy drums and a free floating saxophone solo. In other words, this is perfect for a Sunday evening with wine and cigarettes, courtesy of The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections.

Serge

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Brieviews 39

28/3/2018

These Brieviews have been written by Serge. If you like what you read here, be sure to check out his book, 'Cecilia's World'. It's about music, life and love.

Owl - Orion Fenix

doom / post metal

Zeitgeister

Owl, the solo project of Valborg frontman Christian Kolf, delivers an overwhelming piece of music. Post metal, ambient and doom meet and alternate in one massive track, clocking off at 22 minutes. The track was written and recorded in eighteen hours over three days, which definitely explains the organic flow of the whole thing. In a way, this track feels like a concept album, revolving around dark and haunting emotions. Calm ambient and modern classical passages make way for intense pieces of doom inspired metal and vice versa. For fans of decent narrative music, this is certainly a must-have, and that includes sludge metal aficionados.

Stonemule - Dystopian State

metal / hardcore

Polder Records

Speaking of sludge metal fans, they might as well throw their ears at these noise makers from Koksijde (Belgium). What Stonemule delivers is a massive blast of hardcore infused stoner metal, laced with grunge and doom and flirting with the extreme. How they do that? Well, first of all by a solid background of drums and bass, then by face melting riffing and finally by having three vocalists showing of their respective talents in singing, growling and screaming. The result is quite impressive, a blast of sheer energy. Eventually, they top it off with excellent musical skills by flashing some delicious solos. Nice work.

Ritual King - Earthrise

psychedelic rock / doom

When Planets Collide

Speaking of delicious guitar work, here is the new EP by English stoner rockers Ritual King. On 'Earthrise' they come up with three energetic songs. 'Ideology', 'Tides' and my personal favorite 'But Anyway' are uptempo psychedelic blues rock tunes that seem to come right from the early seventies. The jam-calibre is very high on these, making them all perfect candidates for live performances on sun lit (and probably smoke filled) music festivals. I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys appear on Desertfest, Up In Smokes and everything else stoner rock related in the near future.

Wykan - Solace

psychedelic / doom

A strange and bewildering piece of psychedelic doom metal, inspired by both old school doom and black metal, this debut by Canadian act Wykan is certainly something special. On one hand you get the classic riff worship, supported by methodical drums and clean vocals. Yet, on the other hand, there is that cold, eerie and vile atmosphere of extreme metal, enhanced by screams, growls and occult imagery. Needless to say perhaps but this EP is so varied that it almost sounds like a split-release. This is intriguing, to say the least and I am already extremely curious for what this act comes up with in the future.

Soft Science - Undone / I Don't Know Why I Love You

shoegaze / dream pop

Test Pattern Records

Hah, I doubted this single for exactly four seconds. I didn't know what to think about the jangling guitars at first, but then, when the rolling bass and the propelling drums came in, I became interested. Then the vocals of Katie Haley and I was sold. Now, Soft Science has a place in my shoegaze folder where it appears alongside acts like Belly, The Cranes and Slowdive. 'Undone' is my favorite here but 'I Don't Know Why I Love You' is in no way inferior. Both are energetic dreampop tunes, there is very little else to say about that. So get them, on April 6, if you're a shoegazer. Of not, check it out as well.

Maff - Melañiña

shoegaze

Then, where you're in a good shoegazing mood, you certainly have to give Chilean collective Maff a listen. I remember being rather impressed with their 2015 album. Now they return with a five track EP, blending shoegaze, dreampop, post rock and noise rock into another heap of delicious atmospheric rock tunes. In fact, opener 'Act 2' might soon prove to be one of my favorites in that genre. I love those howling, lingering guitars and that almost industrial beat. And then there are still four more awesome tunes to go. So yeps, shoegazers of all ages, you definitely need this one.

Nostalgist - Disaffection

post punk / new wave

Some more eighties inspired music comes from Seattle residents Nostalgist. Their music reflects the dark corners of that era, the one where The Cure, Killing Joke and Joy Division ruled. However, Nostalgist has also been listening to bands like Deftones and Alcest and they're not afraid to throw some distorted guitars into the mix. The result is a brilliant EP, containing six gloomy tracks which perfectly combine these two styles, or eras. Actually, I'm quite impressed by this effort. I didn't know this kind of awesomeness was still being made today. I'm sure that the old school goths will easily appreciate songs like 'Pendulums' and 'Present Tense'. Highly recommended !!!

Amusement Parks On Fire - All The New Ends

alternative rock / shoegaze

Saint Marie Records

English art rockers Amusement Parks On Fire return with a three-track EP which is as simple as it is brilliant. Opener 'All The New Ends' blends post rock with britpop as only the British can. 'Temporal Rinse' is a drone ambient creeper Godspeed! You Black Emperor wished they had recorded. Finally, 'Infernal Flame' picks you up and drags you to the dreampopping dancefloor where you will gaze at your shoes for what feels like hours and hours. To be honest, apart from the name I didn't really know these guys. Now I'm a fan. They only needed three songs to convince me, isn't that neat?

Grift - Vilsna Andars Boning

neofolk

Nordvis

Hailing from the lonesome woods of Scandinavia, Grift delivers two enigmatic neofolk songs. This Swedish poet/songwriter has been around since 2011 with several albums and a split-record with legendary act Drudkh.

On this two track, he comes up with two acoustic songs. I think fans of acts like Sol Invictus, Wardruna and Darkwood can easily appreciate these stripped down folk sounds. 'Bortom Berget' is my favorite on this two track, a solid neofolk track about nature and culture.

Giovanni Verga - Sylphic

experimental / ambient / noise

Unexplained Sounds

A more haunting and otherworldly musical view on solitude and loneliness comes from composer/experimentalist Giovanni Verga. With field recordings, no-input mixers and other kinds of sound manipulation, Verga created an alienating ambient adventure, on that delves deep into the avant garde. The line between music and incomprehensible noise is very thin. There are howling wolves, industrial soundscapes, vocal samples and mysterious drones but there are also tiny hints of melody. And obviously, there is this allover gloomy atmosphere which makes you imagine alien worlds and underground tales. Awesome

TRI:.OBYTE - STAR ⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓ KIC 8462852

ambient / noise / experimental

Speaking about sounds from alien worlds, this album certainly is an interesting one. With a mix of dark ambient, cosmic noise and tales about UFO sightings, this album takes you to new dimensions. I can easily see this music as the soundtrack for new episodes of the X-Files, or any other sci-fi series for that matter. Opener 'Some Kind Of Reflective' is haunting ambient gold and the rest of this record graciously follows it example, except maybe 'Visitation'. This one doesn't just take you to outer space, it places you right on the operation table in one of those abduction stories. This is a great release, certainly recommended.

Bloodkry - Dark Paradise

dark ambient / drone

Even more darkness comes from Finland, where Bloodkry reveals a new EP. 'Dark Paradise' contains four tracks, beginning with the hypnotic title track. I love the percussive elements in this one, it feels likes descending into an underground industrial complex. 'My Shelter' is a bit more friendly, melodic but also glitchy and unusual, like a post rock track that's falling asleep. 'Nowhere' is my favorite track here, a genuine dark ambient piece that brings many of the great names to mind. Closer 'Don't Forget Me' eventually comes up with repetitive industrial beats, along with hypnotic drones. Awesomeness.

Kloob - Remarkable Events

ambient / electronic

Dani Kloob has been making music for twenty years, from underground dance tunes to atmospheric ambient. With this album, he seems to investigate where ambient turns into dark ambient, balancing on the edge between the two. The result is an immersive ambient album, minimal but rich in both sound and atmosphere. 'Remarkable Events' is a perfect album to play late at night, warmly tucked in bed, reminiscing about your life. It will guide you into pleasant and adventurous dreams. I can't pick out a favorite track, because that's a hard thing to do with this kind of minimal music but rest assured, this is definitely worth your time.

Widow's Peak - Graceless

death metal

Right, time to blast some relentless death metal through my speakers. Here is Canadian horde Widow's Peak and their suffocating debut EP 'Graceless'. That title fits the load quite well. This thing is raunchy, filthy and gore, a blend of death metal, hard & grindcore, complete with deep growls, harsh screams and pig squeals. Fans of Aborted or Cattle Decapitation will undoubtedly get a hard-on from this stuff. I don't but I'm old, don't mind me. I know for sure that contemporary death metal, deathcore and metalcore fans will absolutely adore this. So, if you are one them, you'll have to check this out. Period!

Cult of Extinction - Black Nuclear Magick Attack

black metal

Sentient Ruin

We end this edition of Brieviews with one of the most menacing, unpredictable and chaotic releases I have heard in a while. German extremists Cult Of Extinction release a thunderous tape, loaded with a filthy and vulgar mix of death, black, grindcore and whatnot. Quite often driving on inhumanly fierce tempos, this four track aims for nothing less than your rotten soul itself. The result is a massive cesspool of noise, hammering and screams that will drain the last bit of hope for humanity out of your miserable life. I think I made myself clear. This comes highly recommended only to the most seasoned extreme metal heads out there.

Serge

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Stratosphere - Collaborations 1 Special

24/3/2018

drone / ambient / post rock

Projekt Records

We don't always do specials but sometimes there is just a lot to write about an album. I don't really want to use the word 'special' but in a way I have to. This new album by Belgian post-rock-ambient act Stratosphere is something out of the ordinary. Not only because Stratosphere has been growing and evolving as an artist in the past few years but also because this full-length features several renowned artists. Stratosphere's urge for perfection seems to have taken the best out of most of them and in their turn they have taken Stratosphere's characteristic sound to new levels.

Instead of barking out a review, I decided to do things a little different this time. In this article I will be reviewing each piece, followed by a teaser and Stratosphere's own words. Ronald was so friendly to share his experiences on each of these collaborations. Each Sunday, he reveals another teaser, and from now on so will we. So be sure to return to this page regularly and find out the wonderful world that is 'Collaborations 1'.

Intro

One of the artists I have seen perform the most, is Belgian drone-ambient/post rock act Stratosphere. A few years ago, I reviewed his previous album, 'Rise', as well as several of his concerts following that release. Eventually, on Dunk! Festival, we got acquainted. We became facebook friends and we ended up chatting either online or in real life. At one point in that history Ronald discovered my own project, Misantronics. Today, I am incredibly honored to be a part of Stratosphere's new album. However, in that case, I guess a little disclaimer is due here.

This review is not the result of me being on it, even though our song 'Thrive' has become one of the best tracks I have ever been involved in. This review is here because 'Collaborations I' is a breathtaking album and a career defining piece of work. With a little help from his friends Stratosphere has reinvented himself. And to toot my own horn: I saw that coming.

Breaking down Barriers, Revealing the Unknown (Ashtoreth)

The album opens with 'Breaking down Barriers - Revealing the Unknown', an applicable title for this cooperation with Ashtoreth. Ashtoreth appeared to be the one to almost literally break down barriers and revealing the unknown in Stratosphere. Since those two have been playing together, Ronald transformed from a methodical music engineer to an almost fearless improviser. That evolution spawned an amazing piece of gloomy drone ambient, complete with Ashtoreth's shamanic vocal efforts. It's a perfect opener for a massively enjoyable album.

Stratosphere: This track was the first improvisation Stratosphere attempted. Thanks to the support of Peter Verwimp this track succeeded so well that the foundation for "Collaborations I" was laid. It is a collage of two improvisation sessions, which led to this opener.

Erratic Flow (Aidan Baker)

It's clear that I will be unable to pick a favorite tune here. Obviously each track has its own identity, depending on the featured artist. On 'Erratic Flow', Aidan Baker assists and as expected the track is a long winded piece of highly immersive guitar scapes. I love how they managed to add a sense of rhythm and something that resembles seagulls. Perhaps that is just my imagination but for me this track paints a calm blue ocean. I don't care if that sounds cliché.

Stratosphere: This track proves how well a fusion of the slow underlying flow of Stratosphere and the melodic input of Aidan Baker can work. Relaxing and disturbing at the same time, it is possible.

La Vallée de la Somme (Georgeson)

Here the incredible amount of variation starts opening up. Georgeson (Celestial Wolves guitar player) delivered a beautiful piano track on which Stratosphere installed an amount of soothing soundscapes. This would make a perfect intro for a gothic metal album, but it is also excellent post rock and if you add a female vocalist you'd have a perfect pop ballad. Remarkable.

Stratosphere: I was extremely surprised that Joris De Bolle delivered a piano track. What a perfect opportunity to complete the well-known Stratosphere sound with piano. This is probably the most listener friendly track on "Collaborations I"

Lesum (N (63))

One of the longest tracks on 'Collaborations 1' is an enigmatic improvisation with German guitar drone artist N. Here, you can sense the careful exploration of the the whole live-improvising experience. 'Lesum' has become a otherworldly and rather harsh piece of drone ambient with a narrative and adventurous undertone.

Stratosphere: Lesum is an onetake live improvisation recording, together with N. Never before Stratosphere had dared to do something like this. Again a scoop!

Thrive (Misantronics)

Right, this is where my work as a music journalist and my musical adventures meet. I'm incredibly proud of this track. I gave Stratosphere a bunch of electronic sequences and drums to play with and he turned them into a powerful post rock track, perhaps the heaviest tune on this album. I love these distorted guitars and the dreamy soundscapes.

Stratosphere: I already knew that Serge Timmers is a magician with words, but this track proves that he can also do it with sounds. Synths and electronic drums provided me with another big challenge, one I gladly accepted.

Within the Unintended (Distant Fires Burning)

Perhaps this track is the soothing counterweight to the heavy approach in the previous one. Here, guided by the calm bass guitar of Distant Fires Burning, Stratosphere allows his ambient soundscapes to freely ripple through the air. I like the jazzy approach of this track, it once again adds to the variation on 'Collaborations 1'.

Stratosphere: With minimal electronic percussion and a modulated bass guitar, Gert De Meester created the foundation for this track. Since it was very serene, it decided for Stratosphere to follow this flow to complete the most relaxing track from "Collaborations I".

Core (Dirk Serries)

Obviously, Dirk Serries needs no introduction. He is also no stranger to working with Stratosphere. They have released a cooperative album before, loaded with blissful ambient soundscapes. In that aspect, 'Core' is mostly a beautiful continuation of that friendship, a splendid track to induce some dreams about wintry landscapes.

Stratosphere: It can only be called an honor to cooperate with Dirk Serries again. This time, Stratosphere laid the foundation for a track which only Dirk Serries could so masterfully turn into the solid 'Core'.

Desolation (tour & drums) (Karen Willems)

Stratosphere: 'Desolation' appeared on Stratosphere's previous album 'Rise'. This track is one of my favorite live songs, it has been on my playlist for quite some time. Recently, this live experience became a new composition, supplemented with a live drum loop. None other than Karen Willems could, with her own style and her live drums, evolve this track.

Come back soon to hear the teaser

Until We Meet Again (Jesse Massant)

Something we didn't have on a Stratosphere record now suddenly appears: vocals. This highly enjoyable outro, which is a bit too short if you ask me, contains a nice spoken word track, plus some playful guitar plucks and soundscapes. This track shows that Stratosphere is not done experimenting, growing and evolving. I surely hope we meet again soon.

Stratosphere: The genius of Black Narcissus contacted Stratosphere a while ago, and it was soon clear that both were on the same wavelength. His basic track was short but so brilliant that Stratosphere only had to attach his well known sound.

Come back soon to hear the teaser

Conclusion: 'Collaborations 1' is a fantastic album, a well succeeded experiment that shows how magical musical cooperation can actually be. I'm sure that Stratosphere has learned a lot from recording this album and I'm sure he will showcase his new skills on stage very soon. I guess it's no surprise that this thing comes highly recommended, otherwise I wouldn't take the effort of writing such a lengthy special about it, right?

Serge

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Soldat Hans - Es Taut

16/3/2018

doom / dark jazz / sludge metal

Wolves and Vibrancy

Goddammit, I hate it when people steal my ideas. First there was Alice Cooper who stole some of my vocal lines for 'Poison', then Tina Turner did something similar and now Soldat Hans is stealing my ideas for a new live project. I got to find a lawyer or something, and sue the hell out of these people.

I'm kidding, I'm not going to sue anybody but the rest of the previous paragraph is true. As a young boy I wrote songs, only to hear other people perform then a year later or so. I also want to form a doom jazz band in the near future. I'd like to perform again.

In a way, Soldat Hans beat me to that. This Swiss band does something interesting with dark jazz, doom metal, sludge metal, ambient and post rock. The music is slow, obviously, but immersive, like a mix of A Silver Mount Zion, Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Amenra and Sigur Ros. That results in two long tracks, with 'Schoner Zerbirst' divided into two parts. Opener 'Story Of The Flood' is a twenty six minutes lasting doom jazz sloth combining all of the aforementioned elements. Of course, that brings a lot of variation to the whole thing, something I can only applaud, especially in dark, slow and atmospheric music.

Once, Soldat Hans was an experimental noise acts, improvising their way through gigs. You can still hear that in the music on this album. Instruments alternate often, from the usual post rock equipment to violins, sax and trumpets. The only sound I'm not so fond of is the sludge metal vocals, but that's just me. Everything else on this album is nothing less than inspiring. I am damn sure that I will listen to these tracks quite a lot from now on. I suggest you do the same. If you are a fan of slow and atmospheric you definitely not want to miss out on this one.

Serge

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Brieviews 38

14/3/2018

Mixtaped Monk - Northern Eye

post rock

Indian multi-instrumentalist Mixtaped Monk returns with a beautiful, melancholic and immersive EP, dedicated to a dear friend of his who is battling cancer. On this EP you will find four tracks, each one balancing on the edges between downtempo electronics, experimental ambient and post rock. As usual, with this talented young man, that results in nice, friendly but somewhat stubborn music that has the power to both get stuck in your head and serve as background music for a nice get together with friends. Obviously, I can only applaud these efforts, especially when they sound this professional and unique. Definitely recommended.

Onhou - Onhou

doom / sludge / psychedelic

We stay in the downtempo regions but move towards the extremes with Dutch horde Onhou and their self titled two-track EP. On this one, you will find two ten minutes lasting tracks, both being outstanding pieces of psychedelic drone doom. The whole thing sounds a bit like Conan or Yob on LSD, and I quite like that. The music is harsh, dark, aggressive and as immersive as quicksand. It's also slow, very, very slow, yet hints of melody and tonnes of atmosphere keep the the tracks interesting, not only for a good listen by for several listens in a row. This is a dark entity with a bright future.

My Secret Safe - Storytelling

metalcore

Hailing from France, My Secret Safe delivers solid metalcore, compleet with the djenting riffes and the brutal vocals. On the other hand, you might also see this as nu-metal on steroids. Either how, this EP features an awesome intro and five harsh and brutal metalcore tracks. Now, I'm not really a metalcore fan but I can definitely appreciate the melodic passages in songs like 'Disruptive' and 'The Cure'. For fans of the genre, this is a high quality must have, one that also proves that the use of electronics in metal is no longer frowned upon. So, extreme youngsters, this is a must-have.

Alaska Gold Rush - And The Sky Dives Again

folk / alternative rock

Formed around a guitar, a voice and a set of drums, Belgian duo Alaska Gold Rush are about to release an intriguing EP. They seem to be influenced by American folk music but also deliver a great dose of alternative rock. That results in acoustic rock songs that bring acts like Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom and The Posies to mind. The EP contains six tracks, each one a gem in its own term. Although the songs can be surprisingly heavy, they are also warm and emotional. So yeah, this might something interesting to discover.

Things That Aren't There - Slow Down

post rock / shoegaze

Spotify

Surfing on the waves of post rock, shoegaze and downtempo electronics, we find English duo Things That Aren't There. They could have chosen a better name because I couldn't find a bandcamp, soundcloud or facebook link to add to this brieview. However, I did find three amazing pieces of music in which slow, atmospheric music comes to life in a breathtaking way. Opener 'Slow Down' mostly takes on the electronic approach but 'Neon Cross' is a brilliant piece of post rock, one Mogwai wished they had written. This stuff really is great, perfect enough to send you over to Spotify and check it out...

Circus worlD - The Deceiver

alternative rock

For five good old fashioned alternative rock songs, we turn our attention to Circus WorlD and their brand new EP. Opening with the infectious song 'High', this EP brings us right back to the nineties and its raw but melodic garage rock sounds. What I like most about these songs is the dark rock edge that they seem to showcase. In one aspect, because of the guitars and drums, this brings me back to the alternative rock scene of the nineties but the vocals bring those awesome dark rock and new wave bands to mind. The opener is my favorite track, closely followed by the awesome 'Kill Their Sons'. Nice stuff, surely recommended.

The Divided Line - Paramnesia

progressive rock

This EP by Canadian progressive rock album The Divided Line suddenly went from "not bad" to "wow", halfway through opener 'Breathe'. I was a bit sceptical at first but then the mix of Tool, Deftones, Incubus and Russian Circles fully opened. Now I can't seem to get enough of this sound which somehow brings the progressive underground to the level of arena rock. In six songs, these Canadians clearly show their skills and talents as a modern day melodic rock band. They also never seem to lose their cool, never take things to the extreme and never tone down on quality. So if you're into progrock, you need this.

Adonai Atrophia - Metahistory

dark ambient

An immersive piece of dark, mystic ambient, courtesy of Bulgarian one man act Adonai Atrophia. While opener 'The Infinite She' gently lures you in, 'Al Awwal' brings out the haunting darkness and uneasy atmosphere that make dark ambient such a mesmerizing genre. From there the album easily maintains its grasp on the listener while guiding them along eerie soundscapes and fearsome percussion. The album contains eight tracks, with the harsh and intense 'Malah Ga-Mavet' being my favorite. Dark ambient aficionados can easily trust this release to deliver the angsty goods, I'm absolutely sure about that.

Barrel Blood - Midwinter live improvisation

experimental / avant garde / classical

Armed with violin, cello, their voices and an array of electronics, American quartet Barrel Blood brings strange but soothing experimental music. This EP contains three tracks, all improvised and recorded live. In all, you'll have over half an hour of musical experimentation that sounds both unusual and intriguing. There are hints of classical music, ambient, folk and avant garde but the whole still maintains a coherent and certainly narrative atmosphere. Fans of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Dark Ensemble or Kuro will definitely appreciate this music and I think even jazz fans will like it. Neat stuff!

Black Strike - 132

stoner rock / alternative / metal

Belgian alternative metalheads Black Strike have been listening to a wide array of heavy duty bands. Throughout this short but explosive three-track EP, all kinds of acts come to mind, including Alice In Chains, Channel Zero, Soundgarden, Kylesa , Monster Magnet and even Rage Against The Machine. Opener 'Rat' clearly draws the stoner rock card while 'Tiger' delivers some awesome rap metal. Closer 'Hunt' goes full grunge rock on our asses. So yeah, this is a surprisingly varied EP from a band I'd certainly like to hear more from in the near future.

Funeris - Baleful Astral Elements

funeral doom

Argentinian one man project Funeris delivers solid and sluggish funeral doom, seemingly inspired by the neverending vastness of the cosmos. On this album, he brings five lengthy tracks, plus one intro, with a deep, dark and massive sound, complete with deep growls. Fans of acts like Evoken, Until Death Overtakes Me and Shape Of Despair can easily trust Funeris to come up with the torpid and tormenting music they love so much. Personally, I love how the drums take this music to almost industrial levels, especially in my favorite track 'Through The Vast Cosmic Plains'. Funeral doom must-have!!!

Without Dreams - Funeral In The Infinity Of Cosmos

funeral doom / ambient

Don't go away yet because I found another funeral doom gem on that exact same bandcamp page. Without Dreams is a project that goes heavy on the ambient sounds but also comes up with the beloved distorted and droning guitars and the deep, guttural grunts. Here the tracks are even longer, all over twenty minutes, but they never seem to go stale. On the contrary, Without Dreams adds heaps of melody, piano and keyboard to the typical doom sound and I can only applaud that. So you'll have all of that and the usual depressive atmosphere. This really is funeral doom delight.

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Below A Silent Sky - A View From Afar

13/3/2018

post rock / psychedelic / doom

I am slowly getting into the Dunk! festival mood. Spring is in the air and I feel more and more attracted to post rock and related music. Within a few months, I will once again be among the lucky ones in Zottegem, enjoying blissful music and a fantastic atmosphere. Yet, there is still plenty of awesome instrumental music to be found elsewhere, like this German band for example. They really put me in the Dunk! mood, even though today is a cold, dreary, rainy day. Below A Silent Sky released their second album and one of those things that is just always nice to listen to. The same way that spaghetti bolognese is pretty much always delicious.

On 'A View From Afar' you get five tracks, each of them gracefully lingering along post rock, ambient and doom. Instead of a lengthy intro, opener 'The Highest Shrine' almost immediately comes up with the heavy riffing and the methodical drums. Yet, gradually, the band starts to showcase they atmospheric and melodic abilities by coming up with gloomy ambient rock passages. For that, this album is going right into my "post rock" folder where it will find a lot of like minded releases from everything between Explosions In The Sky, Isis, Russian Circles and God Is An Astronaut, to name a few.

On 'Caverns Of Light' the band even seems to nudge towards the industrial scene. Opening with vocal samples and harsh guitars this track slowly evolves into a classic, lingering and immersive post rock track. The massive closer 'The Great Divide' is definitely my favorite track. With a timespan of almost twenty minutes, this track brilliantly resembles a modern version of a classical composition. Actually, all of the tracks on this album do that, that is why this is such a great album to lose oneself in. Of course I will recommend this to all post-whatever fans out there, no doubt about that.

Serge

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Ddent - Toro

8/3/2018

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

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Le_Mol - Heads Heads Heads

7/3/2018

post rock

website

Oh man, you can't imagine how good this feels. In the past few months I have been struggling with my health. The flu got me severely, everything ached. Not only physically but also mentally I was a wreck. I didn't have the energy to do anything, not even concentrate on my reviews.

Now, with spring around the corner, I'm beginning to feel a lot better. I rediscovered the joys of writing, not only here on Merchants Of Air but also in my new novel. Everything seems to be getting back on track again and I couldn't be happier. So I'll just continue my review duties and I have a nice one for you.

Back in 2015, I received an email from le_mol, a post rock duo from Vienna. They had just released their 'Kara Oh Kee' album and they wanted me to write a review. Back then, it was calm on Merchants Of Air. We could still easily keep up with the incoming releases. So I wrote the review (read) and everybody rejoiced. Today, we can't keep up with everything anymore but many of the bands that appeared on the early pages of this website have a big chance to be featured again. Same goes for le_mol, mostly because they just delivered another stunning album.

What le_mol does? Well, one of them plays drums and the other one battles with guitars, keys, effects and a loop station. Yet, with that somewhat minimal setting, these guys can easily stand next to many of your favorite post rockers like God Is An Astronaut, Mogwai, This Will Destroy You or Russian Circles. On 'Heads Heads Heads' they try to convince you of their skills in seven tracks, seven tracks you definitely want to hear.

I'll go right to track number three, titled 'le_mol fear Mogwai'. I think it's my favorite track but here that is a tough choice to make since I mostly just enjoy listening to the entire album without skipping or focusing on one track. However, le_mol needs to fear no one, certainly not Mogwai. This is simply a breathtaking post rock tune, and it's far from the only one on this album. In fact, I think now is a good time to mention that le_mol have certainly grown as a band.

I think the difference between this and the previous album is experience. The songs sound even better worked out than before. Here and there you can still find that urge for experimentation and sound exploration but for the most part, these are well written, well performed and well produced post rock tracks. 'Temperatures Will Drop - Pekoppa' even shows a bit of doom metal influences while '7udud Lurati Ta3ni 7udud 3alami' seems to bring Boards Of Canada and God Is An Astronaut together.

So yeah, this is another highly recommended album for fans of slow, lingering and immersive music because that is exactly what this is. It feels both familiar and unusual. I think that is a good image for le_mol: it is a post rock act but it is a stubborn one, one that will follow their own path instead of the one most other post rockers will follow. It leads them to amazing music, new angles and a unique sound.

Serge

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Hemelbestormer - A Ring Of Blue Light

26/2/2018

doom / post metal

Van Records

"Potverdekke, it's great to be a Belgian", Mr John sang back in the nineties. I still think about that song every now and then, regardless how cringeworthy is actually is. Yet, I do think it's great to be a Belgian. More specifically, as a music addict, it's bloody awesome to live in this country. You wanna dance? That's possible. You wanna bang your head? We got you covered. You want to sit down and enjoy peaceful soundscapes? No problem, sir. The Belgian music industry is more varied than the American porn industry. If you visit this site regularly you will probably have noticed all the articles about the great music in this country.

Hemelbestormer is a band from Limburg, which is normally a gentle, quiet and friendly place. Since 2012, this band has been combining two of my favorite things in music: making it slow and keeping their mouths shut. As an instrumental music aficionado I have been a fan of them ever since I first saw them at Dunk! Festival. They'll be there again this year, hurray. They will probably play a few pieces from their brand new album, 'A Ring Of Blue Light', which is perfectly fine by me. I can already imagine the gig, it will undoubtedly be hugely impressive.

Why?

Well, for starters, Hemelbestormer are incredibly talented in creating narrative music. It's a blend of ambient, post rock and doom with a touch of black metal. Their previous efforts have been immersive journeys, which along with bassist Kevin's gloomy visuals guarantee a complete live experience. On this new album, they seem to take things a bit further. While opener ''Eight Billion Stars' builds a bridge between the old and the new, 'Towards The Nebula' adds kraut- and space rock, plus the awesome riffing of Dutch progressive legends Kong. Doom, post rock and ambient are still a massive part of Hemelbestormer's sound, but that sound is gracefully expanding.

Obviously that is a good thing. You will find a well attuned band that steadily grows, evolves and opens up. You can hear that in the lingering track 'Redshift'. The build-up seems hesitant, carefully adding elements of downtempo electronic music, dark jazz and noise. Instead of bursting out in an apotheosis, this track somehow starts feeling like a haunting piece of dark ambient mixed with old school post rock (if there is anything as "old school post rock"). Those noise samples are brilliant, take it from me. The breather 'Blue Light' is exactly that, a mild and gentle cinematic post rock shortie to ease your nerves.

And then there is 'The Serpent Bearer', closing this album in style. Maybe this is what it would sound like if Godflesh and Russian Circles would decide to work together. This is my personal favorite on this album, one which lifts the levels of epicness to the max. That grinding guitar riff will undoubtedly make many heads shake. It's a perfect closer for a near perfect album. "Near perfect?" Yes, I think that is close enough. It's definitely one of the most interesting albums of the year but let's keep Hemelbestormer on their toes, motivating them to do even better next time. I think that would be a huge challenge for these guys.

Recommended? Well, let me put it this way: don't come complaining to me when you walk to their merch-stand on Dunk! festival only to find out that the album is sold-out!

Serge

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Darius - Clôture

21/2/2018

post rock / post metal

Cold Smoke Records

Czar Of Revelations