industrial - black metal

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Hey, I found something both me and my brother in law can appreciate.  He's a hardcore techno fan and I quite like a decent piece of black metal once in a while.  Yes, that's correct, this is a combination of both.  I know what you might be thinking 'this combination smells like absolute garbage' but you're wrong, you're damn wrong.  This is an industrial blast that's way too interesting to ignore.

Hardcore and metal, it has been done before. Remember Morbid Angel's 'Illud Divinum Insanus', the most hated metal album since St. Anger?  I'll tell you a secret, I like that album a lot.  I like crossovers and I like originality.  The quintet from Grenoble, France, is extremely original and somewhat comparable to Samael or The Kovenant because of the electronics.  Yet, Pavillon Rouge takes this mix to the extreme, resulting in a smashing sonic trip.

The strange thing is, Pavillon Rouge really is a full-blown black metal band with all the necessary ingredients to write a decent album.  Besides the basic elements such as ferocious guitars, haunted screams and blast beats, they use electronics to enhance a bombastic atmosphere and analog electronic beats for a tremendous clubbing effect.  The result is stunning.

The album opens with the same sense of bombast as most present day black metal bands incorporate.  In that aspect, this quintet really consists of decent musicians who know a thing or two about songwriting.  Yet, the elements they bring into the mix are very surprising and extremely refreshing.  Besides the dance-elements (which will undoubtedly piss off a lot of people), there's the dark atmosphere of eighties new wave and industrial.  Yet, above all, 'Prisme Vers l'Odyssée' is an excellent black metal song.

There's lot of analog hardcore beats present on this album and the way they are used it pretty damn cool.  Often they turn into very sick blast beats, reinforcing the extreme nature of the guitars and vocals. 'Mars Stella Patria' is the very first black metal song ever that managed to get me dancing.  Maybe it's safe to compare this with a blend of Dimmu Borgir and Combichrist and although it sounds strange, this mix really works.

'Aurore et Nemesis' is another song that reminds me of Samael.  The tempo is a lot slower and the songs drives on pounding electronic drums, a bit like early Suicide Commando used.  After a while, however, it turns into some fierce blackened Thunderdome stuff.  Both dancing and headbanging are possible, and quite inevitable actually. 'Droge Macht Frei' even incorporates some hard rock guitar solos over this industrial mix, raising the level of variation on this album.

Pavillon Rouge is arguably one of the most original bands in the black metal scene today.  Knowing that there's a lot of narrow minded metalheads out there (and no offence to them, different people have different taste) who will frown upon this, the music on 'Legio Axis Ka' is quite gutsy and might take some time getting used to.  However, I dare you to sit still to a song like 'Kosmos Ethikos', which even has a Blutengel-feel to it.

This is blackened clubbing to the extreme and I recommend checking it out if you're in for something new, daring, original and innovative.  To end this review, 'Notre Paradise', you got to listen to this song.  I won't tell you why but it's absolutely brillaint what they did with the original song.  You'll be pleasantly surprised, just as I was.


Serge

grindcore

Get ready for another twelve minutes of complete and utter sonic destruction.  Give Praise records keeps on treating us to excruciating grindcore splits, this time with Soil Of Ignorance from Trois-Rivières (Canada) and Endless Demise from Los Angeles (USA).  This 7" isn't very long but definitely long enough to torment the neighbours and crush the survivors.

Each band recorded five tracks for this release and all of them are quite similar, although there are a few differences between the bands.  Soil Of Ignorance brings some skullsplitting grindcore with ferocious speed and intensity.  Brutal deathgrowls, severe riffs and sick, guttural vocals make this something every grindcore lover will obviously appreciate.  Besides, thanks to the use of samples and tempo shifts, this is also the most varied part of the split.

Endless Demise comes up with even sicker vocals and a similar raging speed.  Here too the focus is mainly on tempo and aggression, exactly what you can expect from a decent grindcore album.  The main difference here is the snaredrum.  If you think Lars Ulrich did a good thing with the snare on St. Anger, you will definitely love this.  If you hate what Metallica did, you will also like this because in grindcore this snare sounds punishing and morbid.

So in all, this is another excellent grindcore split, well capable of starting moshpits and walls of death wherever you go.  In fact, I think I'm going to try to start a moshpit in the street.  There's a lot of roadworkers active today and I'd like to see them react to this kind of extreme metal...


Serge

post rock

It doesn't often happen that a review is being written on the same day as the concerned release reaches our mailbox.  So something special must be going on.  Perhaps it's just a brilliant album, arriving at the right time or perhaps it's a welcome change from the releases I've been listening to and reviewing.  In this case, it's actually both.  I've been listening to a lot of black, death and doom metal lately and, no offense, but I need something else once in a while.  So yes, Unknown Connection Failure reached us at the perfect time and delivered us a splendid post rock album.

This band hails from Hamburg, Germany and walks a similar path as some of the biggest post rock bands in the world, namely GY!BE, Mono or Explosions In The Sky.  The three tracks on this album are lengthy instrumental rock anthems, flowing gently through the room and maintaining this calm, soothing atmosphere for the entire duration.  There are no extravagant sonic blasts present, only the immense beautiful musical landscapes which make post rock such a amazing genre.

The album opens with 'Dust & Wires', which starts out as an elaborate ambient piece, including several drones and strings.  Gradually, but very slowly, the song builds up in perfect post rock tradition.  Other instruments join in and the violin is allowed to float freely upon these soundscapes.  At this time, I'm reminded of artists who combine classical music with modern instruments, like Bersarin Quartett or Hidden Orchestra.  The result is a very sumptuous and excellent post rock anthem which contains all the right elements and the perfect amount of variation to remain interesting.  Halfway through the opener a vocal sample connects this first part with the second, heavier and most post rock orientated, part.

The sextet continues with these beautiful pieces of musical crafstmanship on the other two songs.  The overall feel remains calm and tranquil.  Title track 'Ships Will Sink', for example, rarely incorporates heavy elements and when it does, the music never gets obtrusive.  In fact, it remeains a beautiful cinematic piece of music.  'My Whale vs. Your Whale', which sounds like a fight that I really want to see, brings the same lenient sound, a sound that will find my mediaplayer a lot from now on.  This song too gets a little bit heavier after a while but always in this restful manner.

Years ago, I got acquainted with post-rock through sounds like these.  Elaborate instrumental rock ballads, mainly influenced by shoegaze and ambient music.  Now, years later, I still highly appreciate this genre and they're almost always welcome in this household.  So it looks like my post rock playlist is getting crowded with these six people being added.  I've been told that more work will be released in the near future and I'm really looking forward to hearing more.  And to seeing more because I definitely want to witness this live one day.


Serge

psychedelic folk

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A few days ago, I posted a photo on our Twitter and Facebook account which made me laugh hard.  The envelope contained a CD by grindcore band Cut To Fit, which I will review later this week, and this tape.  To be honest, I was expecting some fierce grindcore with this one as well but boy, was I wrong.  This is something completely different but actually pretty good.

J. Kill &  Mr. Mule is a part of Cut To Fit, but focusing on experimental and psychedelic folk music in stead of extreme noise and metal. The songs on 'Saatana Saa Aina Omansa' somehow remind me of acts like Ween.  With acoustic guitars and clean, subdued vocals, this act brings and original and refreshing bit of foolery to the acoustic folk scene.  In a way it's hard to make out if this is a novelty band or a serious act, planning to grow as a recording and performing act.  There's quite a bit of sillyness in these songs but also a pretty serious and emotional side, hence the Ween reference.  

However, I like this tape a lot.  I like the calm, relaxed atmosphere.  It feels like a warm evening on a camping trip.  The fire is lit, the guitars come out (sometimes supported by a loop- or drum machine) and the night gains a touch of magic, of belonging and connecting.  This is simple-hearted but sincere psychedelic folk that is quite mesmerizing somehow.

Most of the songs drive on a nice, simple melody which can somehow be compared to the calm, acoustic passages of Opeth songs played by Tom Waits.  Some minor drones are being poured into the mix once in a while, giving the whole a bit of a mysterious atmosphere.  On other occasions, there's a tremendous blues or Americana feel which reminds me of bands like Grant Lee Buffalo.

So yes, I like musical surprises and I like this album quite a lot.  It's soft, non-obtrusive and kind sound will probably often find the way to my brand new tape deck.  I have a feeling that I'll be facing something completely different when I listen to the Cut To Fit album tomorrow but it'll be fine because I can always play 'Saatana Saa Aina Omansa' when I need to calm down a bit.


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doom metal

Slovenia isn't really a country with a lot of musical export products.  I've been looking up the country on last.fm to see a list of bands and the only one I knew was Laibach.  However, now there's a second band I know and I really hope they can break through soon.  Mist is fantastic, a traditional doom band with perfect riffs, a great atmosphere and one of the best female vocals I've ever heard.

I wouldn't really have written the last compliment in the previous paragraph at first.  The e.p. opens with a vocal line which made me look at my speakers in disbelief.  It wasn't bad but it came so sudden, unexpected and loud that it startled me a bit.  However, when the music kicked in, I realized that I was in for an awesome ride with these sorceresses of doom.  Yes, 'Inan' is a brilliant mid-tempo doom track.

Mist clearly moves within the traditional regions of doom, mainly influenced by bands like Pentagram, Black Sabbath and Candlemass.  The focus is on strong riffs and powerful vocals.  'Inan' contains three new songs and a re-recording of 'Phobia' from their 2013 demo.  'Frozen Velvet' for example is a beautiful hard rock ballad that could have been written in the seventies.  I doubt the band members were born in that era but they clearly have doom in their genes.  

What strikes me most about the music on this e.p. is the bizarre feeling of already knowing it.  This music holds on to the original doom style to that extend that it feels immensely familiar.  'Under The Night Sky', which is my favourite song, incorporates some awesome vocal lines, proving the worth of an excellent vocalist.  This song feels so in place, so inborn to the genre that it really is a perfect doom song which can compete with the old classics.

That being said, yes, I think Mist is one of the most promising doom bands I've heard in a while.  There's a lot of good acts in that genre but somehow I feel that Mist surpasses many female fronted bands.  Jex Thoth, Jess And The Ancient Ones and Avatarium, beware, because here comes the competition.  Highly recommended e.p...


Serge

black metal

There's a heatwave coming over Belgium.  Today is already a pretty hot day and it's only getting warmer in the next few days.  So I prepared by downloading some bleak and cold black metal into my media player.  That usually helps a bit, along of course with a refreshing beverage.  We start with a very interesting band from Poland, named Jarun.  

Jarun is a band with a history of bad luck, recording issues and delays.  In 2008 Jarun came to life as the solo-project for guitarist Zagreus.  Yet, soon enough he found out that this was meant to be much more than just a one man act, thus he invited other musicians to join in.  The first album constisted solely of songs written by Zagreus and the recording had been a tedious task.  The new album differs in that way.  This is a cooperative effort by all members which does indeed show a well-attuned band but it still wasn't easy to get this album recorded.

The album opens with an instrumental piece of post-metal, loaded with folk influences.  It shows the progression that the band wants to make, and has been making since the previous effort.  Having started out as an atmospheric folk black metal band, Jarun slowly evolved in a post-black metal band with some pagan influences.  'Kamienie' starts reminding me of a band like Opeth and it's not the only song which does.  In fact, most of the songs on 'Pod Niebem Utkanym Z Popiołu' come in that region.

With complex song structures, bombastic pieces of chaotic blackened sludge and fierce vocals, Jarun manages to grab the listener's attention immediately.  Clean, atmospheric and progressive passages (including some folk elements) alternate with these intense bursts of distortion and blast beats.  'Zawołaj Mnie A Przyjdę' seems to borrow heavily from the Scandinavian black metal wave of the nineties, reminding me of bands like Emperor of Immortal.

But indeed, we're not done there.  Somehow Jarun succeeds perfectly in clearing the stylistic musical boundaries between black metal and sludge.  'Pod Niebem Utkanym Z Popiołu' could actually be both.  This song suddenly makes me understand why black metal is so popular in sludge circles.  They truly enforce each other's intensity and bleakness.  'Jak Wiatr', which closes the album in a brilliant way, is probably my favourite song on the album, even coming up with some progressive metal solos and atmosphere.

'Trzy śmierci' is another great example of this mix, although it clearly breathes the malignancy of black metal.  Extreme headbangers of all ages will be extremely pleased with something like this because of the regular shifts in tempo, intensity and malevolence.  At times, this is a crushing, almost trance-inducing piece of verocious metal.  'Piołun' on the other hand is a ferocious and chaotic song that blasts everything in sight.

So in all, we're dealing with a pretty damn good album that is clearly rooted in the black metal scene but dares to cross boundaries.  Once a folk black metal band, Jarun has clearly evolved.  Somehow I think that this evolution is just getting started and that this band will show a lot of new, exciting and refreshing things in the future.  However, for now I recommend checking this album out if you want something truly extreme.


Serge

grindcore / death metal

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Our universe is a cyst, a pulsating abcess filled with pus and filth.  Human kind is nothing but a tumor within that cyst, infesting our galaxy with chaos, deviance and mischief.  With devastating force, sheer brutality and punishing noise, we demolish every single heavenly body in sight before crashing into the sun and melting away in a debris of meat, bones, intestines and vomit.  At least, that seems to be the uplifting message that Cuff wants to give us.  

Cuff is a duo from Oshawa, Canada.  Several years ago, after their previous band split up, they wanted to kill boredom and started this grindcore act.  At first there was a lot of humour.  Like many porngrind and goregrind bands they incorporated sick but hilarious samples into their music.  However, gradually the band became a bit more serious.  'Interstellar Deviance', their latest e.p. is actually quite a varied mix of grindcore and brutal death metal with intestellar samples and atmospheric elements.

All the necessary elements are available; a deep, guttural voice, vigorous guitars and pounding drums, often to the extent of blast beats.  These ingredients alone mostly stand for some quality grindcore but Cuff incorporates some awesome electronic and dark ambient elements as well.  These make the music quite unique and extremely enjoyable, even for someone who things all grindcore sounds quite alike.  

'Pulsations In Anti-Matter' quickly turns into my favourite track on this e.p.  The riffs are immensely powerful and crushing, especially supported by these hammering drums.  The dark ambient piece at the end is brilliant, impending even.  The song that follows, 'Archaic Mysticism' is a strange, intense and dissonant but nonetheless stunning piece of grindcore and 'Bypassing Evolution' is even more bizarre.

There's even a bit of beautiful, completely non-grindcore music at the end of closer 'Prophecies Unexplained' which confirms my premonition that there is some serious musicial craftsmanship hidden beneath these layers of noise and blasts.  I was already thinking about this while listening to the opening track but now I know for sure, we're dealing with talent here.

As far as grindcore is concerned, this is currently my number one of 2015.  The originality and amount of variation make this definitely a high quality extreme metal release that absolutely deserves your attention if you're into that stuff.  If not, well, start praying to be saved from all this sonic punishment that comes from somewhere up there.


Serge

Post-metal / sludge

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding, in all of the directions it can whizz. As fast as it can go, the speed of light, you know. Twelve million miles a minute and that's the fastest speed there is. So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure. How amazingly unlikely is your birth, and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space 'cause it's bugger all down here on Earth.

Those are some of the lyrics of Monty Python's 'Galaxy Song', which contain a lot of truth.  The universe is ever expanding, or at least, that's what most scientists assume these days.  We all know scientific data and sumptions can change from time to time.  After all everything changes, from the universe to that typical human behaviour we call 'music'.  Music evolves, incorporates different elements and influences and continuously alters directions, intensity and atmosphere.  

Some musical styles are perfectly suited to depict the immense vastness of our galaxy and everything beyond.  Ambient clearly is one of them, so is post-rock or post-metal.  Rolling Through The Universe (RTTU), for example, seems to be influenced by the incredible vastness of outer space.  This sludge quartet from Portland, OR (USA) now comes up with their third full-length, named 'Lethe'.

RTTU has been around for several years, perfecting their slow, intensely heavy sound.  The result is a crushing album with six songs, inspired by the likes of Isis, Neurosis, High On Fire and Yob.  Somewhere in between these bands is the perfect spot for RTTU, probably causing a black hole where escape is impossible and doom is indeed imminent.  If these Americans would indeed roll through the universe with their music, it would certainly cause some demolishing shockwaves through the galaxy.

The album contains of six tracks and opens with title track 'Lethe'.  This song actually combines the most enjoyable elements of post-rock, sludge and doom metal so it's no wonder this is my favourite track.  Elaborate instrumental passages alternate with brutal leaden riffs and typical sludge vocals to create a vast song with a lot of variation and the perfect amount of dark energy.

The somewhat shorter songs don't really incorporate the post-rock/metal influences but focus on riff-loaded doom metal, hammering loudly through your eardrums and destroying everything inside.  If played loud enough, you will indeed feel the pressure growing inside your head.  That's what good music does, it makes you feel something, physically.  RTTU understand that and gracefully roll on with this massive sonic spacecraft.

Closer 'Subject of Discord' opens with a very strong piece of post-metal and quickly becomes on of my favourite tracks on this album, along with 'Lethe'.  This final track is immense, the longest one and also the heaviest one I think.  Apart from the elements I mentioned earlier, there's a solid amount of death metal riffs present.  With songs like these, RTTU proves that they're a very skilled band that knows how to bring the necessary variation to keep an album interesting for the full duration. For sludge-adepts this is certainly a worthy addition to their collection.  


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electro-metal / gothic metal

Electro-metal, for years this has been an irreconcilable combination of musical styles.  Luckily for the scene, in recent decades metal has become less reticent as far as electronics are concerned.  Now, beats and blips can be a regular part of the music, creating an ever widening universe where almost anything is possible.  This is good news for a band like Elyose.

Elyose is a French quartet that use the term 'electro-metal' to describe their sound.  In fact, this is actually only partially correct.  There's lot more going on and it's quite safe to say that we're dealing with a very decent gothic metal band in the vein of bands like After Forever and Epica.  It's no surprise that Tarja (former Nightwish) has been a big influence for this band.  Vocalist Justine has a similar vocal reach and lines and the music they bring can indeed be compared to those bands.

After a nice intro, we're immediately treated to powerful riffs and these awesome vocals.  Here and there some death growls are also incorporated but not very often. The music itself reminds me of bands like Samael, mainly because of the excellent combination of metal riffs and atmospheric electronics. 'L'Animal-aimé' is a perfect example of this combination and at times also comes up with something that reminds me of Otep.

That being said, yes, all the vocals are in French, which somehow gives the music a certain mysterious and romantic edge.  When Justine whispers, I immediately think 'Enigma' although this has extremely little to do with that German electronic project. This is high quality rock music that will please a lot of dark metal and goth rock fans.  In fact, a song like 'Pour Un Écu' is perfect for any dark dance floor.

'De Guerre Lasse' and 'Plus qu'Humain' are probably my favourite tracks on this album. The latter incorporates these death growls over a mid-tempo song, making this some excellent material for a decent headbanging session.  Yet, it's mainly the vocal lines that I love on these songs and on most others.  They have a certain sing-along character and get stuck in your head.  Maybe if I ever get the chance to see Elyose live, I'll try to sing along in French.

'Chronocide', halfway through the album is actually the first song in which the electronics take the form of dance beats and melodies, for a short while.  For the most part however, these electronics are atmosphere-enhancing elements which sound a lot more like keyboards than computers.  In 'Rédemption' they take the form of bombastic, almost apocalyptical sounds, perfectly aligning themselves with the guitars, and again I think about Samael.  'Droit Dans Les Yeux' brings us some more beats, and at this moment I've actually started dancing a bit.

So, to conclude, if you're a fan of gothic metal of female fronted metal, this really is something for you.  These are excellent musicians who know a think or two about songwriting, supporting a talented singer.  The result is a very strong, and a bit sexy, metal album that has the power to raise and turn a lot of heads in their direction.  



Serge

black metal

Many bands from the United States have been renewing the metal scenes in the past few decades.  Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room, Liturgy and Krallice, to name a few, have put their respective marks on the genre by incorporating different atmospheres and techniques or by blending certain subgenres into their own sound.  The pioneers are still extremely relevant today and loved by headbangers far and wide.  With Xasthur, America also had one of the most well-known one-man cultbands in history, introducing a new wave of black metal.  Ashbringer seems to ride on that wave, bringing us a stunning album.

Ashbringer hails from Minnesota.  The project arose in 2013, featuring Nick Stanger on all instruments and vocals. The music he wrote and recorded can easily be named 'Cascadian Black Metal', influenced by most of the bands I named in the previous paragraph, along with some European bands like Darkthrone and Alcest.  The result is an excellent album with a lot of variation, both in music and in vocals, and a dark, eerie atmosphere of solitude, desperation and fear.

The album opens with 'Ethereal Aura pt.I', a dark folk song which mainly functions as an intro.  However, this dark folk style often returns for short passages, using clean vocals and acoustic guitars.  Other elements, like dark ambient also appear once in a while.  'Lonesome' is a dark breather which functions as an into for the epic closer 'Bitter'.  About 'Lonesome', this song uses some of the best percussion on this album, making this actually one of my favourite pieces on this album.  This is in no way a black metal song but it remains awesome.

Alternating with these calm, almost soothing sounds, are of course the epic blasts of fierce black metal.  These are simply brilliant, not extremely complex but very enjoyable and well-varied.  Blast beats aren't the main function of the drums, they only appear for short periods of time.  Somehow Ashbringer doesn't really need blast beats to show how intense and destructive his music can be.  'Ethereal Aura pt.II' for example opens very slow, like blackened doom, influenced by post-rock/metal. The haunted screams that make this genre unique are also very present and add a lot to the eerie atmosphere.

My favourite black metal anthem on this album is 'With Vacant Eyes', a song that issues a melody that somehow got stuck in my head. This too is partially influenced by post-rock or at least incorporates similar elaborate passages with a tremendous sense of magnificence and grandeur.  The blast beats in this one are also quite short but insanely intense, almost grotesque.  'Bitter', like actually all of the songs, is yet another piece of epic atmospheric black metal, honouring both the Scandinavian and the American traditions of the genre.

Somehow I think Ashbringer must have had a lot of experience playing in different bands before starting this project.  The songwriting is so meticulous and the level of musical craftsmanship is so high that I can't really believe that 'Vacant' is his first step in the world of extreme music.  Fact remains that this is a fantastic album, truly showing the instrumental abilities of this one-man project.  For live performances he found some musicians to take over some of these duties on stage and I surely hope he takes this show on the road through Europe.  I want to see this live...


Serge

post-rock

Last time I heard the word 'Nexus' was whan I was watching WWE a few years ago.  The Nexus was a faction of young wrestlers who turned heel and destroyed the entire set multiple times.  I know, wrestling is weird but I still like it.  The first time I heard (or read) this word was when The Kovenant (the just Covenant) released 'Nexus Polaris', a ground breaking album in the metal scene.  Anyway, we're pretty far away from both wrestling and metal today.  In fact, I even dare to say we're dealing with something better.

Colaris is a post-rock band from Pirmasens, Germany.  According to their facebook page they're currently looking for a bass player so German bassists, grab your chance and join this spectacular band.  This is post-rock at a very high level.  Somehow they sound like a mix between Explosions In The Sky, Tool and Jakob.  In perfect post-rock tradition this trio (currently duo) delivers a brilliant album that will surely get them on stages throughout Europe.  Or at least, I hope so.

The album opens with 'part I' of the 'Nexus epos' and ends with 'part II'.  This epos is described as gentle and hopeful as the music is: „The Nexus is a place full of eternal joy. If a person gets drawn into the Nexus, all their wishes and dreams will come true, so the person never wants to leave that place again“.  They're absolutely right, both these anthems are absolute pleasures to listen to and will definitely go right into my playlist of 'most exquisite tunes' in the genre.

Yet, in all its cinematic beauty, Colaris doesn't shun some experiments.  Here and there blast beats are incorporated which make the music even more intense than it already is.  These influences, which are clearly drawn from black metal, are also present in some of the slower, bleak guitar passages.  Combined with the atmosphere of  greatness that decent post rock has, this results in a very varied album.  There are indeed images of immense snowy landscapes and icy forest appearing in my imagination when I listen to this music.

In between the two 'Nexus' anthems, a number of other songs are crammed.  All of them fit perfectly in the similar post-rock atmosphere.  'Maelstrom' is an uptempo song, reminding me of a mix between Sleepmakeswaves and Monkey3. This song clearly represents the party calibre that some of the bands in this genre have. Even when the tempo goes down you can actually headbang to this and raise your fist in absolute musical excitement.

Throughout the following songs, the quality remains at an extremely high level.  'Lemuria', 'Shoals' and 'Cluster' maintain the same typical sounds which make post-rock such a unique and widely embraced musical genre.  'Im Sog' is a very slow song, which at times even reaches a dark jazz feel.  In some aspect you can indeed say that this is the ballad of the album, the 'Nothing Else Matters' if you will.

'Nexus' is arguably one of the highlights within the post- or instrumental rock genre this year and should be part of every collection which contains albums by the other bands I mentioned in this review.  Its bursts of powerful rock, alternating with dreamy, almost psychedelic passages is highly appreciated in this household so it's no surprise I've been listening to this album almost continuously in the past few days.  I can only recommend every post-rock fan in the world to get your hands on a copy of this.  You deserve it...



Serge

Grunge - Rock

For the past few weeks I've been observing a group of caterpillars on one of the plants on my terrace.  They are cabbage butterfly offspring and they've been eating an entire white cabbage before they started crawling to the ceiling.  Now they have been cocooned for a few days.  So I think we'll see new butterflies waking up somewhere in the next few days.  Those are my sleeping butterflies, which is also the title of a pretty interesting e.p. by Italian rockers The Hillinoise.

This rockband sprung into existence in 2012, in the city of Potenza.  The band is rooted in the nineties' grunge and noise rock sound, which almost guarantees an interesting combination of guitars, supported by a solid rhymth section.  Yet, they also incorporate a gothic rock influence, which is mainly embodied with the gentle but strong vocals of Daniella. Somehow these vocals remind me of Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Agua De Annique), a huge plus for a rock band in my opinion.

The three songs on this album are indeed very decent grunge rock songs with a gloomy atmosphere.  Opener 'Lighter' slowly introduces the band before it blasts out in distorted frenzy, driving on a groovy bassline and both clean and distorted guitars.  'Nymphetamine' is my favourite song.  It too drives on elementary riffs and a strong in-your-face rock attitude which I absolutely loved in the nineties.  Another striking element is the own life that the bassguitar seems to have.  It gives the songs a nice impetus, especially in the title track.

Maybe in a way this can be compared to The Cranberries but The Hillinoise is way better and a lot noisier so let's just call them the prodigal sons (and daughter) of Cranberries and Jesus & Mary Chain.  They know how to write strong rock songs and how to turn them into their own distinct sound.  If they can set up a decent live-performance, I see a great future for this band and I surely hope to see them on stage soon.


Serge

heavy metal

War is probably as old as mankind itself.  We humans fight for everything and mainly to indulge the egos of the ones in power.  Throughout the ages warriors have become heroes and a source of inspiration for all kinds of artists.  Paintings, tapistry, poetry, statues and music, they all have created tributes to warriors.  Allover the world these soldiers, samurai, knights, impi, hoplites, gladiators, amazons, berzekers and so on, have been honored by thousands of people.  Now Iron Kingdom can be added to this list.

Iron Kingdom is a heavy metal band from Canada, focused solely on the vintage sound of the seventies and eighties.  This tradition is honoured, not only in the music but also in the band logo and artwork.  Every single thing about this album breathes 'classic heavy metal' in the vein of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Blind Guardian.  'Ride For Glory' is their third album and it's completely dedicated to warriors allover the world and throughout history.

The album opens with an instrumental intro and immediately comes up with those classic riffs, drums and solos.  Flashing guitars, vigorous drums and a high pitched voice truly bring back the epic sound of the eighties.  From there on the band rages on through past wars with exhilarating guitar play and a very strong rhythm section.  This makes a song like 'Leif Erikson' (an Icelandic explorer, considered by some as the first European to land in North America, 500 years before Christopher Columbus) a highly convincing anthem.

'Night Attack' and closer 'The Veiled Knight' all have the same epic atmosphere of conquest and victory as 'Leif Erikson'.  Not only because these are the longest tracks but mainly because of the vigorous (twin) guitar sound and the almost militant bombast which they seem to possess.  For that reason, these songs remind me most of Iron Maiden's hitsongs like 'Fear Of The Dark' and several others.  But as good as a guitarist can be, he will still need solid rhythm guitar and bass players to complete his sound.  Luckily for Iron Kingdom all the musicians know exactly what to do in order to create a magnificent sound and touch of greatness.  

But Iron Kingdom is definitely not a Maiden-clone.  They clearly found their own niche, incorporating more complex drums, mainly in songs like 'Lady Trieu And The Kingdom Of  Wu' or 'A Call To Arms'.  Other nice additions are the occasional sounds of swordfights and some other battle sounds.  These make the album concept complete and quite impressive.  The vocals add a lot to these, sounding like a blend of Bon Scott (AC/DC), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Andi Deris (Helloween).

So in all,' Ride To Glory' is an excellent heavy metal album that can stand next to some albums by the bands I mentioned in this review.  I'm not sure if this will one day become a classic in the genre but it's a decent business card to earn a spot on the summer festivals.  If Iron Kingdom is as convincing on stage as on CD/LP/Digital, I see a pretty awesome future for these Canadians.  So heavy metal fans, check this out.  This is a tremendous throwback into the (first) golden age of metal.


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Doom metal - dark metal

Casus Belli Musica

I wrote one review today and for the rest of they day two other albums have been continuously playing in this household.  One of these two will be reviewed later but I did want to introduce you to one of the best doom split albums I've heard in ages.  I know, I often mention that this or that album is one of the best doom albums in a certain period of time but I just can't help it.  This is pitch black melodic doom at an extremely high level.  

Nidra

Nidra is a dark metal band from Perm, Russia.  Their style reminds me of  bands like Novembers Doom, Saturnus or Swallow The Sun.  This duo has roots in black metal and somehow you can actually hear that in the music.  However, the bleak atmosphere and blast beats made place for mesmerizing keyboards and deep growls.   There is actually a lot of variation in vocals, ranging from the usual growls to angsty screams and clean vocal lines.  

'Pathways Of A Dream (Kali)', my favourite on the album, has a dark ambient intro which remains present throughout the entire song.  'Prisoner' is a very strong modern day doom track that somehow makes me a bit homesick for the nineties.  'Thorns Of Never Existed' is another beautiful piece of doom metal that drives on dark eighties keyboards and a melancholic feel, a bit like a blend of Tiamat and Anathema.  The three songs that Nidra delivered are amazing, very emotional and with a lot of variation.

Nidra / K.M.

'Abyss' is a Bethlehem cover. Now, I've never really gave this dark/black metal band a lot of attention so I can't remember what the original sounded like.  Yet, I do like this cover, it reminds me a bit of Moonspell, be it a lot rougher and edgier.

K.M.

K.M. stands for 'Katharos Melancholin'.  This one-man project is also firmly rooted in the black metal scene and still active in several bands.  His songs breathe a grim atmosphere, very much like many depressive black metal bands do. Furthermore, K.M. incorporates some influences from post-rock, gothic metal and even a bit of ethereal music.  The result is once again stunning, three brilliantly dark songs.

For a twelve minute anthem, 'Mutilated By The God' seriously rocks.  This, mostly mid-tempo, song really is a pleasure to listen to.  I know because I've listened to it for at least seven times now and I still love every minute of it.   'Having Begun To Hate This World' and 'Cognizing The Grief' also come up with a lot of melody while still being able to maintain a strong rhythm.

In all, I really think this is a brilliant dark metal album, bringing the best elements of death, doom and black together.  I'm sure this CD will find my neighbour-torturing-sound-device quite often in the following months and I'm going to keep an eye on these bands, that's for sure...


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black metal - post-rock

Musicians are insane, or at least some of them.  Drummers for example.  Drummers are weird people with tons of energy who can make or break a song.  No matter what the others in the band do, if the drummer goes hyper-active and comes up with blastbeats, you're listening to a black metal album.  If the drummer does bizarre, a-rhythmic things, it's math rock.  If the drummer is a machine, you're dealing with dance music.  Same goes for vocalists, screams is black metal, growls is death metal and without a vocalist every band is a post-rock band these days.

Barbelith, a quartet from Baltimore (US) has an intensely screaming vocalist and a very energetic drummer, which should place them within the black metal scene.  However, since Barbalith excells in elaborate soundscapes and guitar passages that breathe post-rock all the way, we're not so sure where to place this anymore.  This combination of black metal and post rock reminds me of bands like Deafhaven,  Wolves In The Throne Room and our own Belgian youngsters Drawn Into Descend.  It's this surprising blend of genres that renewed interest in the extreme underground genres, at least for me.  

Yet, before we even begin listening to this blackened post-rock, we have to deal with an intro.  'Beyond the Envelope of Sleep' is a four minute lasting mix of noise rock, black metal, noise and experimental metal.  This surely is a weird track to open this album but it's a stunning one nonetheless.  Within a few moments you've been drenched in the insanity that drives Barbelith.  Shortly after opening, the song turns into a very decent black metal song, reminding me of another Belgian band, Wiegedood.

In 'Astral Plane' the post-rock influences become the main part of the music.  Here the drums creates quite complicated patters while the guitars create the typical post-rock sound.  Slowly the song builds towards blast beats driven black metal while also incorporating some heavy metal riffs.  The result is massive and simply epic.  'Black Hole of Fractured Reflections' follows a similar path and quickly becomes my favourite song on this album.  In this is song it becomes clear that Barbelith doesn't just alternates these two genres.  No, they blend them together into one mesmerizing trip, constantly swaying the listener between different emotions and atmospheres.

The album closes with 'Reverse Fall', a track that also shows the sludge-side of this American quartet.  Here too the level of intensity is extremely high.  The heavy passages are simply crushing pieces of music.  Somehow I think I've been witnessing a glimpse of the evolution of this band.  In the past 37 minutes they've stunned me with their unique atmospheric sound and their writing skills.  This makes me already look forward to the future of this band and certainly to live performances.  Wit hstuff like this, they will surely be able to convince audiences far and wide.



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For many people, music is way more than a certain arrangement of different sounds.  Many people don't know about the deeper, underlying function of music and sound art.  Music can move and heal people or do the exact opposite.  These qualities have been known for ages but somehow they have been forgotten since the creation of pop music.  Luckily, there are still people who explore and investigate these esoteric principles in sound.

Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule is an artist from Australia, active in different forms of occult art, including sculpture, painting and sound.  rehcaWatcher is his latest music album, featuring several other artists on electronics, violin or vocals.  The album is a compilation of strange sounds and ritualistic vocals.  For the main part, these are soundscapes from another world, a world where few people dare to dwell.

The most striking aspect on this album is the alienating atmosphere it breathes.  Nothing on this album sounds like anything close to contemporary music and it's not really something I can put my finger on.  At times I'm reminded of Deutsch Nepal visiting a fantasy world filled with goblins and other strange creatures.  At other times the weirdness of Goethes Erben shines through, enhancing the unsettling feel that you don't belong in this world.

The album lasts for eigthy minutes and after those eighty minutes the listener will be left behind feeling odd, remembering flashes of these tracks and combining them again into something scary nad occult sounding.  In that aspect you can say that this is a dark ambient release but a highly experimental and intensely ritual version.  Furthermore he incorporates elements from neo-classical, post-industrial and noise music, which turn this album into something out of this world.

In all, rehctaWatcher is a very interesting album if you are into strange, uneasy soundscapes and odd, stretched vocal experiments.  Surely this is something that will only be beloved by a small number of experimental and ritual music aficionados but that doesn't matter.  Some artists just seem to have that elite or elitist following, which we call 'a scene'.


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Time to speed things up, and not even just a bit.  We're going to extremes now, brought to you on a single sided 12" (with a stunning engraving on the b-side), containing twenty songs in only eightteen minutes.  Yet, those eightteen minutes are more than enough to crush everything in sight and blast away every last sense of dignity human kind still possesses.  Yes, this is a grindcore album and probably one of the sickest things that will be released this year.

Suffering Mind is a trio from Lublin, Poland.  'Messiah Of Extermination' actually contains the tracks from their splits with Scourge Schematic and Asshammer.  Somehow this album reminds me of 'Scum' by Napalm Death, mostly because of the short but fierce blasts of grindcore, crust and punk.  Brutal guitars, punishing blast beats and an array of growls and screams bring poignant terror to every living room this album is played in.

There is no rest, no breather and no remorse on this album.  It rolls through the speakers at fericious speeds where violent, hyper-active sounds demolish all competition.  Clearly this stuff is not for everyone, only the most wicked extremophiles will be able to withstand this excruciating punishment.  So grindcore fans, get your hands on this thing because this will be a fantastic addition to your collection...


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Officially today is the second day of summer.  When you look outside, you won't really notice.  Grey skies, rain and cold winds are all I see, and it's quite chilly too.  So I decided to stay inside today and get some writing done.  Luckily some bands succeed in bringing the warm atmosphere of the summer festivals inside and warming up the room with some distorted guitars and pounding drums.  Headbaning is a perfect alternative for morning gymnastics, that's for sure.

Siren hails from Cincinatti and features members of Winterhymn, Hell Scorched Earth, Elimination and Imperial Vengeance.  Thit quartet, founded in 2012 brings us something quite unique, an amazing blend of doom and black metal with vintage heavy metal.  The result is 'A Kingdom Aflame', a surprising full-length which contains eight tracks that will rock your world in ways you didn't know it could rock.  Well, seven track because there's a little breather present as well.

The album opens like many traditional heavy metal albums do.  An acoustic intro, followed by distorted guitars and upbeat drums.  After a short while, 'Fire and Blood' is a solid power metal track which holds a tremendous sense of euphoria, similar to bands like Gravedigger or Edguy.  However, suddenly the bleakness of black metal comes shining through, complete with blast beats and fierce guitars.  

'Into the Starless Night' follows a similar hard rock path with some vintage doom elements and a strong live capacity.  There's twin guitar solo, a multitude of different vocals styles, some stoner rock elements and a lot more to be discovered. These elements make 'Ursine Lineage' my favourite song on the album.  'Bastard of the Dreadfort' somehow seems to borrow from death metal and hardcore and becomes a strange surprise on this album.

'Hiraeth' switches the sequence, opening like a crushing piece of black metal and evolving into something Sabaton could have written when the were in a doom-mood.  Like most of the songs, it takes some time getting used to the strange combination.  Luckily, Siren constists of a bunch of highly skilled musicians who possess a decent amount of songwriting skills.  Each bit and piece of music on this album sounds convincing enough to remain enjoyable for the entire duration.

I wouldn't be surprised if Siren becomes a big name on the festival stages this summer.  This music has the power to please them all, from the oldest metalhead to the youngster looking for new extremes.  Maybe some people will frown upon the combination of completely different styles within the metal genre but that's their problem.  This is just great stuff, with some flashes of mastery and enough quality to entertain you.


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We usually think of India as the land of yoga, overcrowded trains and holy cows, a country dominated by religious views, dating back to ages before the rise and fall of Rome and before the pyramids of Egypt.  However,  obviously, as with every country in the world, there is an extreme underground in India with some very surprising and refreshing bands, counteracting the religious oppression and promoting disbelief.  These people claim that there is no god who controls your life.  You, and you alone, are responsible for the way you choose to live your life and you will have to live with the consequences of that choice.

Heathen Beast is one of those bands who decided to go their own way.  Not only in choice of religion but also in musical style.  They hail from Calcutta and name their music 'atheistic black metal'.  Yet, there's more going on in the three songs on this album.  For starters, the music isn't as raw and hellish as their Scandinavian counterparts and it's not as avant-garde and bleak as the modern day American version.  No, this is very melodic but extremely aggresive black metal with a touch of sludge and some Indian elements.

The album opens with vocal samples, every song on this e.p. does. Then some nice percussion comes in, quickly followed by some great guitar solos and melodies.  It won't take long before the titletrack shows it's true face: a high quality black metal song with a lot of variation, melody and tempo shifts.  Over all this controlled chaos, a demonic voice screeches and screams, a lot.  It strikes me how much the vocalist is present.  He also sounds a bit like vocalist from some sludge bands, hence the sludge reference earlier in this review.

'Ab Ki Baar Atyachar' brings more of the same and therefore is another very decent song.  Yet, my favourite remains 'Gaurav Yatra (The Aftermath)', the one with some authentic Indian melodies and the theatrical sound of bands like Dimmu Borgir, The Kovenant or Cradle Of Filth.  The combination of these elements is just brilliant.  This is great stuff to headbang to and actually a very promising e.p.  I'm quite curious about this band and I'm hungry for more.  Not only from Heathen Beast but from the entire Indian underground.  There's some awesome stuff to be found here...


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This is not a split, this is a collaboration between two of Italy's most notorius sludge bands.  They have been friends for many years and often shared stages far and wide.  So it was no surprise that they would some day get together and record some songs as a collective.  Both bands are mainly influenced by sludge doom bands like AmenRa or Corrupted.  So what you expect from this effect is very correct, only better.

The two songs are brilliant pieces of blackened hardcore infested doom sludge with layers of sound and brutal vocals.  'Special Needs' incorporates some guttural growls, reminding me of some grindcore bands, along with the typical sludge screams that come pretty close to black metal.  The tempo often switches from cumbersome, slow doom to intense blast beats and everything in between.  

'Pandemic' is (for the main part) a lot slower, a solid doom metal track, but isn't any less intense that its predecessor.  Somehow this can be seen as some melodic doom or death metal song, bearing a dark, fearful atmosphere.  Of the two tracks, this is my favourite one.  However, they fit perfectly well together, resulting in a well-varied effort by these two bands.  So my advice is indeed this: get your hands on this, this cooperation is arguably one of the best pieces of work in the sludge scene today...


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Sentient Ruin