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Folian - Blue Mirror

26/1/2020

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ambient / shoegaze
Anima Recordings
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Planning for Burial-like. Have a Nice Life-esque. Archive-ian. Review over.

A: Wait – over? 
B: Yeah, why not?
A: Cause it’s too short and non-explaining.
B: Why do I have to explain that something is great when I give such great Comparisons?
A: Because you do not compare the new Folian record Blue Mirror with these bands, you merely give non-existing adjectives connected to these bands.
B: But isn’t that enough for everybody who knows that the new full-length David Fylstra’s third release within the last two months?

A: Well, how many people do you know who know that Fylstra released a split EP with Shifting Harbor called “Tenemos” on January 2nd and a one-longtrack-collaboration with Entresol called “The Archangel of Huntridge” on December 19th before?
B: Hmmm okay, but most people should know that Fylstra is able to convey an atmosphere of naturalness by incorporating shoegaze elements, some industrial sounds, field recordings, guitar work and some ethereal vocals!
A: Yes, most people should know that; however, we both know that they don’t know and not everybody follows The Flenser and it’s connected artists that closely!
B: Wait a moment, Blue Mirror is released on Fylstra’s own Anima Recordings, not on Flenser, only because he collaborated with .drowse for some of their tracks does not mean that all the Flenser-die hards know about him.
A: Of course the die-hards know, but maybe you are right, cause apart from that his work is not that known.
B: Although it should be as he also worked with bands like Bible Black Tyrant or Ramprasad. 
A: Although they should yes. Do you know what hit me most positively about this record?
B: Tell me!
A: That is all flows together so naturally, that none of the elements dominates the others and that it sounds as if he knew straight away where he wanted to go with this release like he had a planned out map for his way through all of the fog and the forest of Portland where he lives and works and which definitely influenced this record a lot.
B: But isn’t it the way that he was struck by the intricacies of modern life and all its negative consequences on our way of living?
A: It might be and you definitely can feel the paradox of man trying to connect with the old ways (represented by the lots of acoustic guitar and the field recordings) and our longing for modern-ness and “the new” (shown by the industrial beats and the shoegaze walls of sounds).
B:  Oh is that why you wrote that shortest of reviews?
A: Yes, because that’s what these artists also do. Combine old and new. Each in their very own style.
B: Ah, okay, so let’s just say this album is:

Planning for Burial-like. Have a Nice Life-esque. Archive-ian.


Thorsten

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Greet Death – New Hell

10/11/2019

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shoegaze / alternative rock
Deathwish
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Whenever you think you got Deathwish figured out, they come along and jump into your astonished face with a band like Greet Death knocking out your teeth with all their silky, spooky softness and then embracing you with tall towering yet whispered walls of sound. 

Not trying to come across as philosophical, but this release is so unlike most other Deathwish releases (for example lately Process Black or Frail Body) that it’s already more hitting than all the other releases. 

“Circles of Hell” greets you with an intro that might also be the start of a new Weakerthans record, or the beginning to a good song by some Britpop-sensation back in the late 90s, like Spiritualized or Slow Crush, to drop a more recent name. Another name that might come to mind is Radiohead on their first two records still using some harsher guitar riffs and yet blending those with beautiful pop melodies. “I could give you my heart / what would you say, dear? / I could open my arms / I could just lay here” - pure blessed melancholy accompanied by simple guitar lines opens the record and you feel like meeting an old friend at your high school reunion. And then, after 46 seconds, the first noise part steps in and you are totally drawn in reminiscing of Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Pumpkins and other greats of the early 90s when Greet Death probably would have hit MTV’s Alternative Nation hard. The band is able to shower us with melody and noise, with bliss and pop, with melancholy and sweetness – not only in one song but in each single note. 

They also transport that 90s teenage angst thing, the insecurity of youth, the self-righteousness of being young and misunderstood, of wanting to fit in with a non-conformist movement – just listen to the wonderful lines “I hate my friends / Cause they don’t hate themselves / And they shut me up / I want to be like them / I don’t want to talk / I want to think about my days/ ‘till I waste them all”.

And here is the one single thing you might want to complain about – the content of the record. It is a concept album about a couple splitting up, being unable to stay together. The story is told from one of separated and that person is definitely having a very bad time coping with it and drifts off completely into suicidal ideas. Now, a lot of bands talk about death and suicide, but hardly any talks about in such a way, where the “normality” of such thoughts is really hard and where the brilliant noise-rock-pop music might be called a glorification of these tendencies. You should not listen to this record being in a depressed mood, it might not be good for you. 

Nonetheless, from an artistic point of view, it is nearly unbelievable how impressive this album is. One really has to listen hard to hear that this band is not from the UK, but from Flint, Michigan, that they are not teenagers themselves but twens. And that this is not a wonderfully encapsulated record from the 90s blown through a wormhole into the present and now unloading all its blissful queerness onto the ears of nowadays’ audience. The youth should listen, and everyone else, too!


​Thorsten

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Timelost – Don’t Remember Me For This

2/11/2019

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shoegaze / grunge / post punk / noise rock
Golden Antenna
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It’s that special sound of the guitar strings that makes shoegaze so unique – that moment when the pick hits the string and then the sound starts winding its swirling way up the long, thick metal cord. Something similar can be said about the significance of those same strings for a grunge song, albeit here the sound is not winding up slowly and seemingly winding along even after the end of the neck, in many grunge songs the sound is pretty short but robust. You can see the difference clearly when listening to “Loveless” and then to “Nevermind”. 

Rarely a band comes along that denies its allegiance to one side or the other, which merely says “Hey, never mind being loveless!” Timelost is one of those rare bands and at the same time they are more. Another example of 2019’s singular position among recent decades when it comes to new sounds and combinations, just think of Witch Trail or Jambinai. 

So here Timelost are, now entertain us. The first song already transports a similar vibe - “You’ll never know / How strange I feel / It comes and goes / It’s always there” is a laconic take on a broken relationship and the time lost becomes its drive impersonated by the energetic drums and the   quick guitar lines that seem to reach for something beyond its origins. Singer Shane Handal mentions that this is some kind of ongoing motif on the album – relationships and loss, “It’s weird to throw yourself out there to the world and be so vulnerable but it felt honest and real. We wanted to put out a genuine record from the music to the lyrics.” There is something in those good and simple, yet exquisitely shoegaze-grunge songs that goes straight to the heart and makes us want to embrace this duo for all it’s worth. Maybe it’s something like the outro of “Nausea Curtains”, where a few harsh hits on the drum kit end a line of reverberating guitar twists, and the semi-acoustic guitar intro to the following song “Don’t Remember me for this”, where the acoustic-ness is then substituted for some swishing rides of the shoegaze riffs up the neck of Handal’s guitar. 

There are some clearly grungey moments on the record like the intro to “The River broke us” which sounds like a meeting between Kurt Cobain’s neck and Dean DeLeo’s strings. This record is much more than one part Set and Setting (Handal) and Woe (drummer Grzesiek Czapla) – it is neither and stands within a new sound realm, one it draws the listener to. Timelost are here to entertain us, no matter the melancholic mood they were in when writing the record, these eleven tracks spread loads of warmth. 


​Thorsten

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Torzs – Tükör

19/10/2019

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post rock / shoegaze
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It’s very hard to do something original in music these days, be it with appearance, style, genre or any of the myriad options open to bands. Step forward Hungarian band Torzs with their latest album Tukor. You see, this impressive album was recorded in a cave, an actual honest to goodness cave system in a Hungarian National Park. This was not done just as a gimmick (although it is a pretty good one!) no, it seems that recording the record in this way gives the record a quality you just don’t get any other way. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but it does give the record an otherworldly quality, a depth you can almost physically feel, it’s quite beguiling and well worth the mammoth effort it must have been to get it done in this way.

The group themselves describe the album thus: “meant to inspire self-reflection, to conjure ideas about how we see ourselves in one another, how our paths through life parallel, and how these related images can become distorted based upon who’s perceiving them and how.” The whole album is a journey and indeed the music has an open expansive quality to it where you begin to journey inwards, to question past experiences and examine internal and external relations. 

 Lead track Elso starts as the albums means to go on with deliberately paced, delicate guitar picks over a gradually building rhythm section. The whole thing drips with an ethereal quality and the wispy gossamer strands of music seem like they would almost fall apart if reached for.  Album highlight and final track Hatodik takes the themes of self reflection and runs with them. The guitar work on this song truly shines, and has an almost Floydian feel to it which flows through it's entire length and you find yourself swept along by it. It’s immersive and has a definite depth to the free flowing dynamic layers of post-rock you expect. 

 So, if you like experimental free form post-rock, you will find a LOT to like in this album. If there is one criticism to be levelled at it, it’s that it brings nothing new to the genre (apart from the obvious cave recording, which admittedly is awesome) but take nothing away from this brilliant album, if you like instrumental music and post-rock in particular, you will absolutely melt into this great album, recommended.


​Simon

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thisquietarmy/Tom Malmendier – Steppe

30/9/2019

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drone / ambient / post rock / shoegaze
Norwegianism Records
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The Dutch Norwegianism Records label was founded and shaped by Dead Neanderthals duo René Aquarius and Otto Kokke. Both artists couldn’t find the time to continue with the label (lots of music projects). New owner Hans van der Velden is now taking care of the label that is specialized in releasing noise, free- jazz, drone, grindcore, power-electronics and other weird stuff for the masses. Hans van der Velde is also the initiator behind the alternative music event Hans Festival taking place in Diepenheim Holland.

In fact thisquitearmy needs hardly an introduction. Canadian experimental guitarist Eric Quach (thisquietarmy) and Belgian drummer Tom Malmendier joined forces.  Both musicians met at Beauté Soniques festival in Namur (Belgium) for a Hypnodrone Ensemble gig in the fall of 2016. They got fueled by continental travel stories and meetings through the underground scene. Tom Malmendier is a self-taught drummer who is interested in the sound, more than in the pure technique of the instrument. Playing with sounds and to improvise became a great part of his work as a musician.

Steppe is a collaboration of two artists melting their talents and improvisations into a mix of guitar drones and soundscapes submerged  with enormous variations of drumming and percussion. Tom Malmendier ‘s work on this recording shows not only intensive pieces. His percussion also flirts lightly on the surface between the deep drones and effects of wizard Eric Quach. The varied atmospheres combined with the intense drumming make Steppe an interesting and worth listening piece of work. Guitarist Eric Quach shows again that he is a master in creating drones from another dimension. 

Tom Malmendier rattles like a carpenter the guitar drones of Eric Quach into a solid and strong sound construction. The frenzied walls of sound have depth and are filled with the dynamic input of the Belgian drummer. Steppe is a vigorous and unpredictable release with surprising atmospheric vibes. We consider Steppe one of the better co-operations thisquietarmy already did.

​
Patsker


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Brieviews 63

6/7/2019

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Maximilian Latva - Nekyia

noise / dark ambient / experimental
bandcamp
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After 'Hrön', released in 2017, Maximilian Latva returns with a new album. Six tracks long, 'Nekyia' is a harsh and often unsetling dark ambient trip with intense synth-scapes and wailing guitars. It's cool to hear how Latva adapts elements of noise into captivating electronic chamber music with a haunting atmosphere. The result is something that seasoned ambient-noise fans can fully appreciate. My favorite track here is 'Sanoista saastunut', a lingering set of distorted synths, perfectly suited for gritty jazz bars and eerie horror movies alike. My advice? Check it out, it'll be worth the sonic journey...

HIN  - Warmer Weather 

electronic
dSound In Silence
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Two school friends, jamming with electronics and creating melancholic yet dance-able indie pop tunes, that's pretty much how this project can be described. This duo comes up with an intriguing EP where electronics meets post rock. Most of the songs on this EP remind me a bit of Worriedaboutsatan but with emotional indie-vocals. Opener 'The Lower Heat' is already a potential top hit and halfway through 'Blue In Alkali' I'm expecting HIN to one day support Depeche Mode. Don't ask me why. This is very interesting modern-day post-whatever with intense electronic percussion and an emotional impact, neat!

Winterblind - Effigy

progressive / metal / black metal
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According to their facebook page, Belgian progressive metal band Winterblind is definitely not a pyramid scheme. That's good to know but I think it's more interesting to dive into their ruthless and complex music. 'Effigy' is their second EP, and it's loaded with warring riffs, meticulous drumming and harsh vocals. The result is a six-track EP which is just as baffling as it is confusing. If you're into the technically superior regions of black metal, Winterblind might be one of your new favorites. Speaking of favorites, 'Stride' is my aboslute favorite, although 'Black-Scholes' and the almost Tool-ish 'My Public Anatomy' also deliver the odd goods. Anyway, 'Effigy' is an EP to discover...

Plague 9 - Mr. Ass

heavy metal / thrash metal
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Coined as "something for headbanging metal junkies", Australian four-piece Plague 9 delivers old school thrash metal in the vein of most of your favorites. Between the intense riffs and the grooving drums we can find influences from Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica and so on. Opener 'Stuck In Hell' might need a few seconds to get used to but halfway through this song I can see a crowd of metalheads fiercely banging their heads. 'Criminal Justice' might be a bit too chaotic for me but 'Flavour Of The Weak' is a smasher and a possible fan favorite. In all, this is definitely something for old school thrashers.

Things That Aren’t There - Vicious Cycles

downtempo / electronic / post rock / shoegaze
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English electronic post rock duo Things That Aren't There return with another epic two-track EP. I reviewed their preview EP in Brieviews 38 (read) so I was curious about their evolution. Opener and title track 'Vicious Cycles' immediately delivers the goods. Driving on minimal beats and lingering electronics, this song is a modern day shoegaze epic, laced with elements from industrial and post rock. A bit like Worriedaboutsatan but darker and eerier. 'The West Was Won' nudges more towards the post rock spectrum with its dreamy guitars, making it another brilliant piece of music. Recommended? Absolutely!

Wykan - Brigid - Of The Night

psychedelic / doom
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In Brieviews 39 I was raving about the psychedelic rock meets extreme metal sound of Montreal based act Wykan. Guess what, they did it again. What starts out as something Pink Floyd forgot to compose suddenly and brutally dives into the world of old school black metal. In fact, Wykan regularly drags you from a trip through space into the depths of hell and back again. This is such a bewildering experience. Not enough variation for you? Well, how about some stoner rock riffs, or grinding blastbeats, or ritual doom worship? All of that is in all three of these mindblowing tunes. Be sure to get your ears on this EP.

Radien - Aste

sludge / black metal
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Beginning with one of the most haunting intros in blackened sludge history, this two-track by Finnish act Radien is one to cherish for a long time. Eerie vocals and throat-singing over slow, lingering riffs and forceful drums, creating an intense, murky atmosphere, right before all hell breaks loose in sheer Yob or Conan style. Yet, now that those comparisons have been made, it's safe to say that Radien somehow manages to lift the level of intensity even higher. Makes me wonder: why is this band not at the very top of the sludge-scene? And the second track simply repeats the whole demolition. Masterfully crafted blackened sludge, nothing more, nothing less...

Peter Jørgensen - Alt i Stykker

ambient / modern classical / experimental
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With a range of acoustic instruments and classically schooled vocalists, Peter Jørgensen delivers an awe-inspiring two-track EP. 'Alt i Stykker' is no regular ambient album, although the overall sentiment is slow and narrative. I think this could better be described as two lengthy pieces of modern day classical music, or sound track compositions for a gloomy film. In all, 'Alt i Stykker' is a remarkable release, not easy to categorize but definitely easy to enjoy if you are into unusual, free form and improvised classical music. Check it out. it's certainly worth your time.

Boobs Of Doom - Sorcerer

drone / doom / noise / experimental
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Scottish doom outcasts Boobs Of Doom are regulars here on Merchants Of Air, and for a good reason too. This duo does things their way, resulting in weird and interesting albums which defy the rules of doom metal, so to speak. In fact, 'Sorcerer' nudges harshly towards the drone and noise scene with four unique tracks. Perhaps you can say that this is the musique concrète version of drone doom. Perhaps you could say that this is a bit too strange for your sensitive ears but fact remains, Boobs Of Doom is a unique entity, walking its own path through the world of sonic composition and quite often, it's worth following that path...

Temple Music - The Unquiet Mind

ambient / electronic
Sombre Soniks
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Alan Trench & Steve Robinson have been working under the moniker Temple Music for quite some time now and with 'The Unquiet Mind', they deliver a brooding album, inspired by ​Evia, an island at the crossroads of Greek, Byzantine, Ottoman, Venetian and Albanian cultures. Musically, this results in a frenzy of soundscapes, rhythms and melodies which remind me of a mix between Master Musicians Of Bukkake and Tangerine Dream. The five pieces on this album are lengthy electronic music compositions, perfectly capable of taking the listener on a trip. It'll be an unusual sonic adventure but one with many stories to tell, I promise.

Lunden - Lunden

noise rock
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Danish duo Lunden sounds like two members of Melvins getting drunk and jamming on each other's instruments. I'm not sure if that's a compliment but still, this is mind bending noise rock, probably influenced by everything between Sonic Youth, post hardcore and ritual noise acts. 'Bestanden' is way over the top for me but most of the other tracks showcase an intense urge to experiment. 'Ultrapisme' is another weird noise act while 'Screen Walking' and 'Endlessity' scream garage noise rock. In all, this is something for the die-hard noise rock fans, who should already be drooling by now...

Jimbo - Where The Vultures Gather

stoner rock / grunge / alternative rock
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Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Jimbo throws three pieces of grooving rock music into this eclectic mix. Firmly rooted in the stoner rock scene ('Mama Wava'), this trio is not afraid to experiment with old school doom rock and grunge ('Pyrethrin') or heavy garage rock ('Where The Vultures Gather'). Perhaps not surprisingly for a band who seems to be influenced by acts like Led Zeppelin, Smashing Pumpkins and Alice In Chains. These three songs are quite interesting, especially if you love flashing guitar solos (yeah, let's also list heavy metal as an influence, just for these solos). Now shut up and rock!!!


​Serge
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Brieviews 60

11/4/2019

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Sons of Morpheus - The Wooden House Session

psychedelic rock / garage rock / stoner rock
bandcamp
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Swiss psychedelic blues rock trio Sons Of Morpheus deliver a scorching hot slab of desert rock with this six track EP. Opener 'Doomed Cowboy' is a gritty piece of music, heavy on the jams and gloomy in nature. From then on, the trio takes you on a jam fueled trip where CCR meets Karma To Burn. 'Loner' is a solid rocker and 'Nowhere To Go' is a smashing piece of modern day, old fashioned grunge music. By the end, the so-called "Never Ending Version'" of 'Slave' aims to get you into a blues loaded state of trance. So if you're into raunchy jam driven blues rock, this is a must-have.

The Wøøøh - Music For Weddings And Funerals

experimental / jazz / drone / ambient
Ormo Records
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I don't know what kind of weddings and funerals the members of free jazz quartet The Wøøøh usually go to, but I do know that my family would run and never return with this kind of stuff. Not that it's bad, on the contrary. My family just isn't into intense jazz music. I'd never invite them to a Yodok III gig, for example, which is probably the closest reference I can mention. The first of the two tracks on this album is a lengthy anthem, opening with drones and vague melodies before bursting out in a frenzy of free jazz fueled chaos. The second varies on a similar theme. Both are baffling, that's fore sure.

Clouds Taste Satanic - Evil Eye

doom / stoner rock
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American instrumental stoner doom combo Clouds Taste Satanic have never disappointed and they seem loyal to that tradition. Their new album, 'Evil Eye' contains two twenty minutes lasting anthems, the title track and 'Pagan Worship'. With titles like that, I think it's obvious what to expect: occult driven doom metal, loaded with psychedelic solos and gut wrenching riffs. Fans of acts like Earth, Bongzilla and Pelican will certainly appreciate these lengthy narrative tunes. I know I do. Like I said, these guys never disappoint. 'Evil Eye' is simply the next step in the elaborate sonic world they create, and a brilliant one as well.

Experiment#508 - Light Is Lunacy

drone / ambient / experimental / noise
Attenuation Circuit
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A strange and often uneasy album, 'Light Is Lunacy' balances on the edge between experimental ambient and industrial noise. The atmosphere is dark. The music is loaded with eerie soundscapes and impending drones. Yet, the tracks on this album are surprisingly varied. There is the occult driven opener 'Summoning The Madness' or the minimal 'Gnostic Prayer'. There is percussion and ear drum testing drones. 'Firestorm' is harsh and unforgiving while closer 'Obelisk' feels like being locked up in a nuclear facility, waiting for the inevitable. In all, this is a remarkable set of haunting noises.

Itai - Awake / Asleep

electronic / techno
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Gary Numan meets Author & Punisher, that was my first thought when I listened to the six tracks on this abstract electronic techno album. Well, techno might not be the correct term. I think I prefer the phrase "harsh synth pop" for most of these tunes, including 'The Greatest' the impending 'Asleep'. Don't expect repetitive beats and lame vocals but instead prepare for mechanic soulsearching and a massively futuristic sound. My personal favorite here is the friendly 'Adream', a neat downtempo tune. But, as usual, I recommend checking out the entire EP. This is an interesting approach to modern day electronic music.

Folian - Ache Pillars 

drone / doom / shoegaze
Apneic Void Sounds
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Hailing from Portland and inspired by everything between Nine Inch Nails and Neurosis, one man project Folian comes up with a doom-loaded take on shoegaze. This four track EP can be seen as a successful crossover between Jesu and Slowdive with its sluggish tempos, its subdued but emotional vocals and its walls of guitars. 'Ghost In The Flesh' is a stunning piece of music. Closer 'Where All This Dust Comes From' is my favorite, a long and slowly developing drone-gazer, reminiscent of acts like Nadja. In all, this is an interesting EP, one which every droner out there should check out.

Phillip Wilkerson – Sublime Silence

ambient
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This American artist has already released an immense amount of work since he started composing ambient space music. Phillip Wilkerson had several collaborations with other ambient artists like Litmus0001, Silvie Walder, Mystified and the very underrated French ambient artist Lucette Bourdin (1954-2011). Phillip Wilkerson is together with Jourdan Laik the duo behind the deep listening project Time Being.
The spacey soundscapes of Sublime Silence make you feel like driftwood floating without any hesitation into an ocean of relaxation and peace. With soft guidance the music takes the listener towards the borders of immense 
equanimity. Those twenty minutes of Sublime Silence contain healing and reposeful sounds which are welcome in this over-stressed society we live in. If you are into this kind of meditative sound creations, there is a lot to discover from this artist on his Bandcamp page.

Sílení – Long Forgotten Bowers

ambient / dark ambient
Eighth Tower Records
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If you are curious and longing for a dark ambient trip like you never had before, Sílení could be the treasure you’ve been looking for. This release on Raffaele Pazzalla’s (a.k.a. SONOLOGYST) Eight Tower Records label contains nine outstanding pieces of ambient and dark ambient soundscapes. The project Sílení is in fact the alias of the Portuguese musician Valter Abreu, some may recognize his name from his progressive black metal project Necromanther.
The strange, capricious creations on this digital release are spellbinding soundscapes which evoke mysterious paths of unknown and hidden awareness. 
Dark and melancholic ​moods change into spacey ambient tonalities, sometimes kittenish, other times filled with doom. The world of Sílení is covered with alienated sounds and moods. This is an excellent piece of work. Dark ambient lovers, if you listen to Sílení’s Long Forgotten Bowers, you will get hooked. We sure did!

Empty Chalice – Mother Destruction

dark ambient
Toten Schwan Records
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‘The preparation of Mother Destruction was attended by a person who ‘no longer exists’and which is not mentioned in any passage…’  are very strange introducing words that accompany, this Italian dark ambient release in the press folder. The brain behind Empty Chalice is Antoninne A. The weird atmosphere of this recording spreads death, doom and melancholic darkness. The tracks are build up with grim soundscapes mixed with noisy samples, industrial vibrations and ritual ambiance. 
Antoninne A. had some guests featuring on the album.  Ashtoreth (Peter Verwimp), Rare Form and Kurgan Hors were able to lift 
Mother Destruction above standards in this genre. The album is a varied piece of work caught in a deep haunting, emotional prison. Sacrifice and dedication are translated in penetrating sounds and choruses. The nightmare never seems over in this pungent journey of hellish fires. 
Another quote from Empty Chalice: ‘… the lost ones are retracing the path of the oldest fairy tale: coming home’. Well, we did come home and we still feel home between the moods and vibes of this wonderful dark ambient recording.

NIMH – Beyond The Crying Era

dark ambient
Winter Light
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The Winter-Light label has a special gift and sharp nose for talented electronic artists, devising unusual and out of the box sound architecture.  Nimh is an avant-garde, deep ambient, industrial electronic project formed by the multi-instrumentalist and sound designer Giuseppe Verticchio. His distorted  drones mixed with dark ambient blasted unexpectedly and without mercy through our headphones. The enormous sound waves made us gasp for air and left us speechless after the first track. 
Beyond The Crying Era is a selection of dark ambient and experimental tracks recorded 
over a ten year period. Nimh is active since 2001 and has already more than twenty physical albums released. Sound chasers will be pleased and excited with the multi-layering of soundscapes, field recordings, voices and the experimental manipulations of samples this album contains. The sustained drones create darkened and emotive moods. Beyond The Crying Era is an outstanding soundtrack for a SF/horror movie that does not exist. It’s time to dig deeper in Nimh’s music history. Speaking about a discharge!

Anantakara – Momentum Lapses

dark ambient
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Anantakara, is a Belgium based project from Philippe Wauman. His meditative music is more than just ambient. He prefers to call himself a sound calligrapher who engenders a blend of ambient, electronica, neoclassical and ethnic jazz. Philippe Wauman is also member of the Belgian ambient trio Aerodyn.
The music has a calming effect without entering the path of flatness. The combinations of jazzy tunes and different approaches in adding diverse electronic sounds make this album an interesting piece of work. Slow repeating rhythms deliver a tension, high enough to grasp the listener into 
the world of Anantakara. We’ve noticed psychedelic influences appearing in the mysterious structures of  the tracks. The eight adventurous ambient pieces on Momentum Lapses are filled with a variety of lovely compositions and moods. Rumors told us that this album will be released on CD in the future. Anantakara stands for “ to make infinite” in Sanskrit. In some way this album does.




Serge (1-6)
​Patsker (7-11)
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Amp - Entangled Time

21/2/2019

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ambient / post rock
Sound In Silence
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The high quality label Sound In Silence release the brand new album by London, UK based duo AMP. Formed in 1992 by Richard F. Walker, AMP has been cooperating with an impressive list of artists so far, including members from bands like Flying Saucer Attack, Part Chimp and Loop. You can find an extended list on the bandcamp page.

In recent years, Amp became the duo of Walker and and Karine Charff. 'Entangled Time' is their first studio record since 2011 and the first release on Sound In Silence since their collection of live recordings 'Switched On And Live', released in 2016.

The album contains five tracks and delves in the world of electronic music, shoegaze, post rock and ambient. Opener 'Drifting' is a slowly meandering ambient track with minimal shoegaze or dreampop vocals. Fennesz comes to mind here and so does Loveliescrushing. With droning bass lines and heaps of guitar effects, Amp creates and minimal but often overwhelming sound. If you add electronic beats, resembling acts like Gas (Wolfgang Voigt), you get a gloomy dancefloor filler, which is exactly what 'Will-O Dreams' is. Unexpected beats but nice.

For excellence in minimalism, you have to check out 'Opal Tears', a slowly meandering blend of drones and soundscapes. The album closes with an extended remix of 'Will-O Dreams'. Sixteen minutes long, repetitive and immersive. If any song deserves the sentence "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes", it's probably this one. The almost industrial beats beneath the wailing guitars and lingering vocals of Charff will certainly get you in a state of trance.

Neat album, and another one of those must-have gems from Sound In Silence.


​Serge

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Brieviews 58

29/1/2019

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Split/Cross - Rise Of Discontent

hardcore / grindcore / crust
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Pennsylvania trio Split/Cross is seriously pissed off. Formed by members of The Human Race Is Filth and Bittered, Split/Cross delivers eight ferocious tracks, ranging from blackened crust punk over sludge doom to grindcore and even the harsh industrial sound of Nailbomb (in opener 'Blindspot'). That level of variation is not only very welcome but also gives the EP the feel of a concept album. The concept here being "fuck politics, fuck religion, fuck society, fuck humanity", something like that. Fact remains, this eight track is a tremendous kick in the nutsack, aggressive and raging, thus recommended!

Wan - Gammal är äldst

black metal
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More fearsome aggression, this time from Swedish black metal quartet Wan. Formed in 2009, Wan have one mission: hail Satan in the most vile, raw and old school way possible. This five track EP is exactly that. Without any form of compromise, Wan unleash their grinding sound, bases on ear piercing riffs and murderous drums. If you are one of those people who wander through record stores, feeling nostalgic about the nineties and its harsh, gritty and chaotic sound, you definitely need to check out this EP. No doubt, Satan will be extremely pleased with this offering.

BufferState - Anthropy

grunge / alternative metal / progressive rock
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Hailing from the city of Ghent BufferState delivers a very decent mix of stoner rock, alternative rock and metal. Although this is a mix that has been done before, BufferState does manage to create something rather exciting, something you need to listen more than once to fully appreciate. Inspired by bands like Tool, Deftones, Opeth and Alice In Chains, this is one of those Belgian bands to keep an eye on. Perhaps not on this EP but one day they will write and record and huge hit in the alternative scene, I'm certain of that. So, get your hands on this rocker so you can  later tell your friends that you were a fan from the very beginning.

Doomcult - Life Must End

doom
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Dutch one man act Doomcult returns with a good old fashioned doom metal album. Inspired by everything between Trouble and Mournful Congregation, this act delivers an interesting take on the age old genre. In a way, you might compare most of these tracks to funeral doom, slow, melodic and dark. Yet, the vocals are rough, without really grunting, something near sludge doom and those in Cathedral, for example. The result is a satisfying piece of doom metal, highlighting in songs like 'Sulphur' and the cool rocker 'Ashes'. Don't expect anything earth-shattering but an excellently executed set of slow heaviness, which is certainly good enough for me.

Hey Life - Masquerade

alternative rock
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Ever wondered what a good version of the Spin Doctors would sound like? Well, here are French funk rockers Hey Life and their surprisingly infectious debut EP, 'Masquerade'. Opening with the butt-shaker 'Likeholic', this five track is pure pleasure. Although this delves deep into the funk and groove rock of the nineties, there is a high Michael Jackson level in this music, combined with heavy rocking guitars. 'One More Dollar' is one of those tunes that can every festival goer on his feet and shouting 'hey, hey, hey' along with the music. Yeah man, this is pretty darn cool.

Geostygma - The Die Is Cast

death metal
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Here is a lesson in dealing with an album I do not like. French death metal combo Geostygma delivers furious modern day death metal with deathcore elements, tempo switches and pig squeals. Those things are not my favorites. I simply don't like it. However, I do recognize influences from bands like Aborted or Dying Fetus and I do hear that everything on this four track EP is executed to perfection. Within its scene, this definitely is a band to keep an eye on. They know what they're doing and how to maintain a certain quality. The fact that it's not my cup of tea is not Geostygma's fault. Recommended? Sure, if you're into this stuff.

Two Trains Left - Sorry & Pathetic

punk rock
bandcamp
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We're still in France but with something more catchy and listener friendly. Two Trains Left is a relatively new band in the French punk scene, delivering the lighter side of the genre. Think Blink 182, Sum 41, Paramore or Green Day and you're pretty close to what Two Trains Left sound like. Rapid pop punk with melodic grooves and heaps of energy, plus the possibility of having a few fan favorites, that's what you can expect. Besides, while many punk rock bands drown in onesidedness, these dudes manage to be quite diverse and varied. So, punk rockers, put this in your ears and shake that booty.

Liya - Listen

electronic
Blind Mice Productions
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Right, enough with the guitars for now. Let's check what the electronic scene has to offer. Hailing from Israel, singer songwriter Liya comes up with a four track EP, titled 'Listen'. While opener 'Holding On' is a radio friendly EDM track, Liya mostly loves to wander in the regions of synthpop and darkwave. 'No Meaning' showcases that brilliantly and the enigmatic 'Always About You' is a possibly fan favorite. Trip hop act Monophona comes to mind here, which surely is a huge compliment. In all, this is highly enjoyable synthpop, suitable for fans of everything between Depeche Mode and Eurythmics.

I Ya Toyah - Code Blue 

electronic / darkwave / EBM / Industrial
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Another interesting piece of electronic music comes from I Ya Toyah and her in-your-face album 'Code Blue'. With hypnotic beats, harsh synths and gritty electronics, I Ya Toyah brings a somewhat listener friendly version of acts like Atari Teenage Riot or Ambassador 21 and I think Lords Of Acid fans might also enjoy these tunes. Elements of electronic dance music meets with old school industrial and drum & bass, all accompanied by strong vocals. This album contains ten tracks, all coming with a familiar electronic sound but also with some unusual twists and sounds. So yeah, this might be an interesting album to check out if you're into pungent electronics.

Wozniak - The Space Between The Trees

shoegaze
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Hailing from the beautiful city of Edinburgh, Wozniak comes up with a captivating six track EP, loaded with elements from dreampop, psychedelic rock, postpunk, post rock and shoegaze. Yet, for an EP, this thing is quite long, thanks to the massive and mesmerizing track 'Deceiver'. In all, there is forty minutes of pure shoegaze bliss to be found here, from the gloomy opener 'Slacker' onward. So I guess this thing could count as an album and in that case, 'The Space Between The Trees' is a highly promising dreampop album, somewhere between Slowdive and The Jesus And Mary Chain. Shoegazers: you know what do.

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Shipwreck Karpathos - Deviations

15/12/2018

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shoegaze / alternative / electronic
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Shipwreck Karpathos is one of those bands that you simply love, but you don’t know precisely why. The intrinsic and majestic poetry that seems inherent to their sound makes you float through the infinite ages of a cosmogony that is designed by their music using a highly versatile sensibility, easy to follow, but hard to passionately rationalize. And to define their splendidly peculiar style – especially this album – is no easy task, since they make use of a wide range of elements, that creates labyrinths of inextricable sensitivity on the translucent oceans of your conscience, never limiting themselves to established musical ideas, or easily predictable formulas.  

Deviations is an interesting, effective and visionary work, since it is filled by remixes of other artists; so, what we have here, basically, is the creative nucleus of Shipwreck Karpathos, adorned on the exterior sonorous features of its composite musical layout by harmonies conceived by a versatile team of artists. The final result is, indeed, intriguing, unpredictable and ostensibly amazing.  

The album has an abundant and splendid virtuosity, that reluctantly and subtlety reclaims in the diagram of its eloquent qualities the highlight of its rapturous and organic impulses: the third track – Bring Down The Sky (Metavari's Prelude Redesign) – is an intermittent, but poetic, serene, delusional and profoundly dense rhapsody, that effectively makes your sensibilities to drive high on the dispersive energy of its ambivalent, but pungent mordacity. You are simply submerged drastically into an abstract universe of sagaciously obliterated parameters, that doesn’t respond to ordinary sequences, nor feel the reality as a cohesive diagram of emotions.  

Although by the middle of the album, the sound becomes more homogeneous, the primary qualities of the work are not affected. The perfect soundtrack for an endless dream that never seeks the arbitrary paradigm of a coherent layout, Deviations is an interesting experiment in sound, that definitely stands out for its audacious, stable and pure creativity. A formidable mosaic of effectively playful and transient musical dispositions, Deviations certainly deserves to be highlighted by its lucid originality, and sensationally graceful musical style. 


Wagner

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