synthpop

By now, most of our readers should know that I have absolutely zero problems with blatantly switching genres.  So you shouldn't be surprised that I've selected something without brutal guitars and blasting drums for my second writing of the day.  In stead, we're going to have a little dance and have a good laugh while we're enjoying ourselves.  After all, it's the final day of the summer vacation in Belgium and that should be celebrated.  

Wood Bois is a humourous synthpop trio from Buffalo, New York (US).  They claim to be beautiful and strong men but I'm not going to judge that.  I'll just focus on the music, as usual. This four track e.p. seems to be a decent representation of what these guys are capable of: old school new wave electronics, brought with a indie attitude.  Besides, the vocals are quite good as well, at one point even reminded me of Robert Smith (The Cure, for those who didn't know).

So yes, this is the stuff that can light up any Cure vs Depeche Mode party.  Yes, these exist.  I have no idea why but they too.  Play 'Razor Scooterz' or 'Can You Feel It? (No)' on those parties and the dancefloor will easily be filled.  Even with that eighties rap passage on the latter one.  Remember Weird Al Yankovic's 'Will The Real Slim Shady Please Shut Up?'?  Yep, you're very close to what Wood Bois does.

It's all in good fun and the music is very enjoyable, certainly 'Meth Girl', which drives on a electronic dub tempo.  However, I'm not sure if this is a good playlist for certain bedroom activities, hinted in the title of the e.p.  I think we'd be laughing more than having intercourse.  On the other hand, laughing doesn't give you SOAs and it doesn't make people pregnant.  Maybe after all, this e.p. is a decent contraceptive...


Serge

kosmische black metal

It's a new week.  At Merchants Of Air that actually means very little since we write almost every day, regardless what day of the week it is.  However, because it's monday, I'd like to present something surprising, refreshing and intense.  Something to listen to when you're home from work and need to get all the cosmic demons out of your system.  We're once again digging deep into the Russian underground metal scene and we've come up with a strange but mesmerizing piece of work.

Astarium celebrates his tenth anniversary this year.  It's been a wild ride for this one-man project but a highly satisfying one too.  He seems to be a workaholic as well, having released loads of albums, splits and ep's.  The one I'm about to review today, 'Nekrocosmo: Nocturnal Kali Yuga' takes black metal to a whole new level.  A level where The Kovenant (or back in the days just Covenant) also used to dwell.  It's actually about time this area of black metal is presented a bit more because it's awesome.

Astarium uses black metal as a foundation to experiment with psychedelic rock and cosmic synths. The result is an album consisting of eight highly symphonic anthems, loaded with keyboards and an otherworldly atmosphere.   Vocals, ranging from death growls to blackened chants, tell cosmic stories, including 'Nemesis', written by H.P. Lovecraft and 'Ex Nihilo', written by J. Armstrong.   Furthermore, of course, there's a lot of dark ambient and neoclassical music interwoven in the brutal black metal.

On the other hand, this album is actually not that brutal.  It has way more melody than most black metal bands have and the focus seems to be mainly on the storytelling.  Opener 'Lyrian Selection' or 'Dance Of The Agony' for example are great psychedelic rock songs, dressed in a black metal gown.  There's no overuse of blast beats, no suffocating wall of noise.  I admit, once in a while the whole thing goes quite evil on our asses, like in the stunning 'Phaeton', but the overall feeling is one of cosmic mystery and extraterrestrial agony.

What strikes most is the notion that Astarium seems to be influenced as much by acts like Klaus Schulze or Popul Vuh as bands like Marduk and Darkthrone.  This combination really is stunning and a very welcome deviation from the bleak and evil sounds which often penetrate my ears.  Not that I don't appreciate some fierce blast beats driven extreme metal but an extra touch is usually highly regarded in this household.  'Strain Of Mastor' for instance, perfectly combines both elements and thus becomes something massive, intense and very immersive.

I often wonder what would happen if one-man bands like this find a number of musicians and take their stuff on the road.  The originality of these solo-projects is amazing and I'm quite sure it will blow many established (but one-sided) bands right off stage.  With music like this, Astarium should definitely crawl to the foreground of the present-day extreme music scene.  Please, find a band an conquer Europe before our planet will be pulverised by those evil spirits from out there.  



Serge

post metal / black metal

Post-black metal, a relative newcomer in the genre of of extreme music, has been raging wild in the past few years.  Bands like Alcest, Deafhaven and Lantlôs have become household names and quite successful live-acts.  Furthermore, of course, they have become an inspiration for a number of bands.  In a way, they revive the black metal genre and provide it with a fresh sound, while still remaining loyal to the bleak, cold atmosphere and sheer nihilism.

Enter Montes Insania, a duo from Russia and Ukraine which easily crosses the borders between black metal, post-rock and shoegaze without shunning the experiment.  Their latest album 'Absurdum' is a excellent piece of work where even classical music has its place.  The album also contains the 2014 e.p. 'I Am Empty'.  This concludes in a massive 79 minutes lasting epos of intense bleakness, despair, downfall and new hope.  Maybe also interesting to mention: the album is dedicated to the works of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre.

What strikes me most on this album is the, quite unsettling, experimental nature of the album.  Of course the foundation is black metal but beyond that there are a lot of avant-garde elements included, like the strange voices at the end of title track 'Absurdum'.  In that aspect, I guess it's safe to mention strange acts like Virgin Prunes or Christian Dead in this review.  Add the haunted vocals, typical for the black metal genre, and the result is a hard pill to swallow if you're not used to this kind of music.

'God Of Dust' nudges mostly towards some melodic or atmospheric black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth but without the punishing bombast of those two.  It remains a strange experience and definitely an eerie one.  You never know what's going to happen with this duo and that's quite a great aspect in this music.  'At Final Was Nothing' for instance incorporates some post-punk influences which sound a bit like surf rock at times.  It's odd and bewildering but comes with a decent dose of sheer brutality.

Furthermore there's quite a lot of dark, melodic rock in here but always covered in a thick layer of elusive experimentation.  The result is an almost inaccessible assault of extreme music which might scare off some people but is irresistible for others.  I'm somewhere in the middle, trying to grasp all the different elements and aspects of this music but it's a tedious task.  Montes Insania seem to have an urge to deviate from the traditional aspects of their music, a bit like some freejazz acts do but, of course, a lot heavier.

But there are also some safe havens, mainly in the use of piano and strings.  Somehow these elements manage to keep the album on a human level, a bit more down to earth than the punishing approach of the traditional instruments used.  'Hospice For All', for instance, perfectly combines both extremes and quickly becomes one of my favorites on this crushing album.  

In all, 'Absurdum' a difficult album, demanding a lot from the listener, who, in his turn, will be rewarded with a piece of music that will grow in time and has the possibility to become a fan-favorite in this eerie genre.  This certainly is an unexpected gem from the blackened underground and can only recommend it if you're into the bands I mentioned in this review.  If you're not, check it out anyway.  It will leave you behind in terror and disbelief but at least you've experienced something unique.


Serge

black metal

This is a coincidence.  For quite some time now I've been thinking about the fact that we can't possibly review everything that reaches our mailbox anymore.  In a way, doing this would be an overwhelming and all-consuming task. An endless swamp, so to speak.  In Finland 'Loputon Suo' means exactly that, although there it has a bit more to do with despair than just a lot of work.  But I think you understand where I'm going to with this one.

Loputon Suo is a band from Finland, founded in 2014.  Since then, the quartet has been focusing on creating a harsh, cold sound, borrowing heavily from melodic black and death metal.  That is exactly what we get on this debut-e.p.: three crushing piece of extreme metal, played at an immense intensity and a wall-of-sound effect that is quite irresistible.  It feels a bit like an old school black metal album, mainly because of the production but damn, it's heavy.

Drudkh, The Ruins of Beverast, Agalloch and Dead Congregation are big influences for this quartet and that's quite noticeable.  Opener 'Kädet Valloittamaan' blasts through my speakers with sheer velocity and tremendous blast beats behind a suffocating wall of sound.  Even when the tempo goes down, the band knows perfectly how to smash their music through the listener's skull.  'Deus Delirium' repeats those elements.  Here it becomes clear how much noise the guitars create, a lot!

I'm quite curious for the future of this band.  What I hear on the three songs in this debut is a very interesting mix of old school and modern blackened death metal, with 'Spiraali' being the highlight.  I guess it's only a matter of time before this quartet signs with a decent label, willing to provide a recording studio and a producer.  If so, I can see great things happening for these guys, including support spots for bands like Behemoth for example.  Don't ask me why, but I can clearly see these guys opening for Behemoth...



Serge

doom / post-rock

When I received this album, I immediately knew this was going to be something right up my alley.  With a band name like 'Sloth' and an album titled 'Slow As Sh*t', you should immediately know what this is going to be all about: doom metal.  I remember other animal names being used in band names, like eagles, lions, tigers... but none of them seems so well-suited to describe the music as this one.  So prepare for a very slow journey through the strange history of the ancient sloth.

Sloth is Blake Caverly, a multi-instrumentalist and experimentalist.  The story behind this project is his discovery of an ancient sloth who died while has was protecting a number of Bongripper, Pallbearer and Boris albums.  Upon removing the albums, something awoke inside the ancient animal and Blake Caverly would never be the same again.  It's a bit of a comical story but believe me, strange things can indeed happen when you discover the three bands mentioned in it.

The album is filled with fuzzy riffs and post-rock resembling soundscapes.  It constantly balances on the edge between both genres, borrowing the power from doom metal and the atmospheric aspect from post-rock and blending it into a number of anthem-like instrumentals.  Here and there some other influences are incorporated like twin-guitar solos in 'Call Of The Sloth' and drony noise ambient in opener 'Meditate'.  'Nothing But Leaves' issues some vocals, reminding me of the industrial doom terror of Author and Punisher.

'Awaken That Which Lies Amongst The Trees' also issues some vocals, but this time nudging a bit towards depressive black metal, giving the whole a bleak atmosphere.  But the biggest surprise is closer 'Smoke n' Sleep', a strange, electronic piece of drone-doom which in a way sounds as silly as the biography but in fact evolves into a otherworldly piece of music, combining IDM, doom, lo-fi 16bit music and dub.  It really is something odd, especially for a crushing doom driven album like this one.

In all, 'Slow As Sh*t' is indeed a torpid album, sluggishly dragging itself through my speakers and leaving a thick layer of fuzz behind.  The only thing I wonder is: where does it go from here for Sloth?  Will he look for musicians and take this thing or the road?  Or will he perform solo with this material, and if so, how?  Will the project evolve further and become one of this strange projects in the margin of the underground music scene?  Anyway, we need to keep an eye on this.


Serge

death metal

Well, it's Sunday morning.  The morning after a barbeque with some friends, which involved some heavy drinking and loads of meat.  After spending quite some time in the loo, I have to select the albums I'm going to review today.  After all, it's way too hot to go outside today so I prefer the comfort of my living room and hopefully some new musical discoveries.  Yet, first we're going to blast the hangover out with liters of coffee and some brutal death metal.

Because that's what Analepsy stands for.  Brutal death metal, loaded with technical ingenuity, inhuman guttural screams and an almost constantly rolling bass drum.  Get ready for something wicked and out of this world.  This is Suffocation meets Fear Factory and Carcass meets Disgorge an so on, but mostly it's Analepsy spewing out their guts in a whirlpool of sickening riffs and headbanging at the border between death metal and grindcore.

The album opens with an intro, something that resembles haunting space ambient, as if a huge alien force is heading to this planet in order to completely eradicate it.  Then, the Portuguese quintet opens the assault with the massive 'Colossal Human Consumption'.  With a perfect variation of sheer speed and slower, punishing passages, Analepsy sounds very convincing and mean as hell.  The alien force has now started the war and there's simply no way of stopping them.

'Genetic Mutations' is probably my favorite track on the album, partially caused by some electronic effects which are brilliant.  It's also the most varied track on this e.p., even including some heavy metal guitar solos over a massive piece of death metal.  There's a lot of slower passages on this e.p. and they are all at least as crushing as the blast beats driven ones.  This makes 'Post-Incubation Period' a stunning piece of work, which will undoubtedly leave many audience members in a trance.

In all 'Dehumanization By Supremacy' is a sick piece of slamming death metal, both reaching back to the old days of the genre and joining the ever-evolving nature of it.  The technical aspects are simply brilliant and the sheer power is mesmerizing.  This is death metal at its finest, which means a lot coming from someone who often finds the genre a bit too obtrusive and unoriginal.  None of those with Analepsy though.  These guys are talented musicians and their debut is a blast.


Serge

post-rock / psychedelic / krautrock

I'm not sure if Dunk!Festival accepts recommendations, but if so, I would gladly put this band forward.  I think they will make a great addition to the 2016 line-up, loyal to post-rock but deviating from the norm in a number of ways, each as delightful as the next one.  This is Alice In The Cities meets Tortoise meets Mogwai meets Kreidler meets Ennio Morricone meets Monkey3 meets Ozric Tentacles.  Or something like that.

Valley was formed in 2010 when three friends were looking for new ways to explore their admiration for psychedelic rock, jazz and folk.  Yet, it wasn't until two more members were added that the band actually found the right direction.  Late 2014 they locked themselves in the studio to record their debut e.p., which was later mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Refused, Khoma, Pg.lost).

It's this debut e.p. which I'm so excited by today.  This four track shows a warm, gentle approach to post-rock, driving on immersive bass lines (a bit 'dubby' at times) and a (mostly) slow tempo.  Above these foundations a number of drones, soundscapes, guitars, percussion and effects create a strange but beautiful atmosphere.  The first two songs 'Tunguska' and 'Kiro' are perfect examples of this approach: minimal and subdued, never obtrusive but always nice to listen to.

'Dream Shooter, Golden!' digs a bit more into krautrock and reminds me Hypnodrone Ensemble, another project that finds the way to my media player a lot these days.  It's a bit faster than the previous two and has a brilliant drive to it.  Closer 'Picture Puzzle Pattern Door' is the longest and most varied track, including folk guitars, djembe, vocals samples and an overall sound with a huge smile.  Yes, I think sounds can smile and the ones which Valley create, surely do.

So in all, if you're into post-rock, shoegaze, psychedelic rock and stoner rock, this clearly is something up your alley.  I'm absolutely sure it's going to be played a lot in this household and, as so many times before, I really hope I can ever get the chance to witness Valley live.  That's exactly why I recommend this band to Dunk!Festival.  They will be the quiet haven in a weekend of walls-of-sound without losing the blissful atmosphere of the whole festival.  Brilliant e.p., period.


Serge

atmospheric black metal

I have always loved the mystery surrounding black metal.  Many acts conceal themselves into obscurity, using pseudonyms, wearing corpse-paint and seemingly coming out of nowhere to deliver smashing albums and performances before once again disappearing into the night.  Solus, for example, is a one-man project, moving in the region of depressive black metal.  The sole member goes by the name 'D.' and hails from Nagyatád, a town in Somogy county, Hungary.  He has been active in the Hungarian underground for several years now and already recorded several demos, e.p.'s and splits.

This untitled album is the first one I've ever heard from Solus but it's right up my blackened alley.  It's been a while since I've heard this kind of atmospheric black metal but it never ceases to amaze me.  The combination of dreamy keyboards, bleak guitars and haunted vocals have been a favorite for decades, even since I Vinterriket for the first time.  Opener 'Visszatérés' is a brilliant anthem, perfectly combining all these elements but leaving out the fierce blast beats.

'Világok Közt Vándorló' finally brings out these intense drums, immediately showing the variation and craftsmanship put into this album.  'Elfeledett Utak' once again takes on the slower approach and suddenly I'm reminded of some post-rock anthems.  However, in a way it seems like post-rock borrowed these elaborate instrumental passages from atmospheric black metal bands because I heard stuff like this way before post-rock was even invented.  Anyway, on this album these passages are simply great.

The album continues in a highly varied fashion.  'Az Örök Körforgás' returns the speed and intensity of old school black metal for a little while, before driving on an immersive mid-tempo paste.  'Path Of Wisdom' jumps on the same wagon and is another great song.  At this time I find myself, nodding along with this sluggish, almost hypnotic tempo and trying to find out what D. is screaming about.  That is no easy task, considering the haunted, screaming sound of the vocals, especially not in a language I don't speak.

To make the song-by-song feel of this review complete, I can only add that closer 'Lebegés' is another possible favorites-candidate, but this time consisting of strange soundscapes and a downright bleak atmosphere in perfect dark ambient fashion.  So if you're into bands like Nortt, Summoning, Paysage d'Hiver or Burzum, this comes highly recommended.  In all, 'Solus' is an excellent album with five great songs and one colossal anthem which might be one of my favorite black metal songs of all time ('Visszatérés').  


Serge

black metal

After taking some time off from writing reviews, I've decided to blast my way into the game again.  This album was part of a huge package, a large number of CDs from Satanath Records.  Now, I don't know why but somehow I have an eye for audible quality.  It happens often that I can pick a good CD just by watching the cover and reading the inlay and this time was no exception.  This is a very interesting piece of occult black metal.

Ancient Moon is an international project, featuring members from Belgium, France and Switzerland.  Quite little else is known about this band.  Some people say they have been around since the nineties, but mostly as a ritual ambient project.  Only recently that band made the switch towards black metal.  Judging from the music on this one-track e.p. I actually believe that.  This is a brilliant blend of ambient and black metal and a great approach to the genre.

There's only one track, that's true, but it lasts for twenty eight minutes and can perfectly count as an e.p.  The amount of variation is splendid, even to the point of recognizing several different songs within the structure of only one.  It opens with far away guitars, right before the whole seriously kicks in with a massive bombast and a dark, pounding atmosphere.

While you can compare this to a lot of black metal bands like Wiegedood, Altar Of Plagues and more, I think it's also safe to mention bands like Sunn O))) or Master Musicians Of Bukkake and even dark ambient deities like Lustmord.  This e.p. has it all: impending instrumental passages, soundscapes, haunted screams, ritual chants... Everything you need for those blackened winter nights, even on hot summer days...


Serge

thrash metal / death metal

It's time to open the moshpit again and leave my living room behind in absolute destruction.  Time to wear the patched jeans jacket and my good old army boots and party the morning away. I would invite all of you but unfortunately, I'm out of beer.  Well, well, that was a nice enumeration of metal clichés but they are there for a good reason.  We're once again going to indulge ourselves in some old school death and thrash metal.  This time with a highly anticipated album, I reckon.

Bleed hails from Alberta, Canada and have been thrashing their way into the metal scene since 2010.  At the 2015 Wacken Metal Battle Canada Final they stunned the audience with their horror themed show, filled with chaos of mayhem.  Yet, it's not only the image and the performance, the music we hear on 'The Hatred Inside' simply kicks ass.  Yes, another metal cliché but it is the best way to describe this album.  

According the biography, the band is recommended for fans of Gwar, Coal Chamber, Slayer, Devil Driver, Static-X and Amon Amarth and in a way that is quite to the point but there's a lot more to it.  After an intro, we're being treated to what sounds to me like very old school thrash metal induced horror stories.  Demonic battles, a child-killing priest returning from the grave, rampaging viking hordes and other unsafe activities pass by at high velocity and fierce brutality.

Besides the thrash influences, there's of course some room for death metal in the vein of bands like Obituary or Benediction, but just as much for old school heavy metal.  Some of the solos on this album could have been created by Iron Maiden.  Yet, above all the music sounds as savage and crushing as most of the protagonists in these stories and can easily become fan favorites on concerts.  I can imagine an entire audience singing along with smashers like 'Committed' or 'Suffocate'.

'Murder Baby', a song about bad decisions, is one of those fan favorites and also one of mine.  This will surely make a lot of heads bang, probably covered in (hopefully fake) blood.  'Xombimind' pounds on your skull in a brilliant, almost hypnotic way.  This one is about someone who is slowly becoming a zombie, written from his own standpoint.  Musically, it has a tremendous punk-drive which is quite irristitable for me.  I'll put that on the list of favorites too.

'The Hatred Inside' is a nice throwback and a perfect combination of horror and thrash metal.  This quartet already proved that they can put up a convincing live show so there's little to stop them now from rising to the upper regions of today's metal scene.  There they will have to compete with bands with a more modern style but Bleed shouldn't worry.  Talent always prevails...


Serge

dark ambient

Well, this is odd, and even a bit embarrasing.  I could have sworn that I reviewed this album already.  However, I couldn't find it anywhere on this website.  I know I have been listening to it a couple of times and I know I was quite impressed by this piece of work, even inspired by it. So there's only one explanation for forgetting to write the review: I must have been getting to work on new material for my own little dark ambient project and forgot all about what I was supposed to do.

Yes, dark ambient.  We're back in times long forgotten, a time where ancient spirits wandered among the hunter-gatherers that we once were.  Forests were still surrounded in mystery. Shamans, druids or ancient priests performed strange rituals where hypnotic percussion enforced deep, organic drones.  Those were different times.  Mankind had other things to worry about, survival mostly, but we were connected with nature, way more than we are today.

Paleowolf is a ritual, or tribal ambient project from Belgrade, Serbia.  The project want to evoke those ancient spirits, or at least represent them, with a number of gloomy soundscapes, throat singing and deep, hypnotic percussion.  The result is quite brilliant, reminding me of the likes of Sephiroth, Lustmord and Raison D'Etre.  Needless to say that most Cold Meat Industry fans will probably immediately embrace this album and so they should.

The four pieces on this album vary little from each other but that's perfectly fine.  It gives the whole a nice flow and a decent representation of the entire ritual.  The use of a number of different traditional instruments adds a lot to the mysterious atmosphere.  Besides, title track 'Primordial' mixes that feeling with a great Calva Y Nada like industrial rhythm that is quite irrisistable. I can only recommend this album if you're a fan of decent, high quality dark, tribal or ritual ambient, that's for sure.


Serge

blackened progressive death metal

Some acts do have a special tendency to appear 'destined' for something.  In the past year several albums arrived shortly after I first saw the name of the band passing by on facebook.  I didn't do anything by the way, one day they turn up somewhere in a newsfeed and a few days later I find the album in my inbox.  The name then offer appears again, as if it's being pushed towards this webzine by an unknown force.  I guess it's just how social networks actually work, no?

Show Me Wolves is obviously one of those acts, otherwise I wouldn't have been writing that whole first paragraph.  The project was formed in the beginning of 2015 as a side project for Hörður Lúðvíksson, guitarist in hardcore/grindcore band Grit Teeth and member of several bands in the past.  He lives in Iceland and has been an active member of the Icelandic underground for years.  With this new project, he finally seems ready to make something that is completely his own, regardless of genre boundaries.

That being said, you can be sure that 'Between man, God And False Idols' is a thundering album with roots is black metal, death metal, grindcore, progressive metal and post-metal.  The songs constantly shift between these genres and it's not even easy to grab where exactly these alternations occur.  Opener 'The Lies Of His Sons' immediately shows a modern, cutting edge post-metal approach but suddenly turns into a bleak, crushing piece of blackened something.  

The guitars seem to breathe an urge for progressive songwriting but the vocals scream anger, distress and brutality, borrowing from both sludge and black metal.  This also continues in the fierce but melodic death metal song 'Amongst Us' which issues similar elements and sounds distinctly 'Show Me Wolves'.  This guy is a genre on his own.  With complex song structure, poured over with a thick layer of sheer brutality, he created something unique and frightening.

'Sea Of Trees' suddenly comes up with clean vocals, again over a complicated piece of guitar play.  The result is an alienating combination of extreme music styles and a hard pill to swallow if you're not used to the blackest of the black.  It does make the album highly varied, that's for sure.  Within the course of eight songs the listener in being thrown in a punishing pool of sounds coming from every direction in the extreme Icelandic underground.

It's very difficult to compare this to other bands without having a metal encyclopedia by my side, so I'm not going to do that.  I'm just going to invite you to listen to this intense album if you're into extreme music.  After that I'm going to listen again and imagine this on stage.  I'm not sure if Show Me Wolves ever plays live but I'm very curious about a performance.  


Serge

doom metal / stoner rock

Sometimes band names make me think about funny things and make me wonder about how a band sounds without even listening to it.  So when I saw the name Lizard Queen appearing, I almost immediately thought of Jim Morrison's girlfriend, what would have been the most logical thing to imagine I guess.  However, then suddenly my imagination scrolled further into strangeness and I envisioned an image of Freddy Mercury vacuuming in a supposedly sexy manner to 'I Want To Break Free' while singing with a huge forked tongue. For a second it freaked me out but I quickly realized I just have a way too vivid imagination.

Anyway, back to the band Lizard Queen and their second album 'Third Eye'.  It was released last January but the band only discovered us a few days ago.  Today, I discovered them and I'm quite glad I did because this is a great album that could and should have been stunning.  The latter part of that last sentence reflects my feelings about the production of the whole.  It's not bad, not at all, but it seems a bit too lo-fi to truly impress.  I'm not sure if that is intentionally or just for budgettary reasons but I honestly believe this music is way too good to be presented in this fashion.

Fact remains that Lizard Queen is a very talented band that knows a thing or two about writing strong psychedelic stoner rock songs, rooted in traditional doom metal.  Besides, the chant-approach of the vocals is amazing and really lifts the music up to a very high level.  If I have to compare this music to other bands, I would probably place Lizard Queen somewhere between Uncle Acid and Om.  Yes, it is that good.  With strong riffs and these amazing vocals, they have convinced me of their talents.  Yet, here too I have to mention that they're quite different in the openening track.  Not bad, different.

Yet, it isn't just about riffs, although thery're massive and spectacular in songs like 'Monolith' or 'Summer Of The King'.  There's a great deal of solid songwriting involved as well.  Songs like 'Little White God' and 'Silver Spoon' seem to come directly from the seventies, or even a bit earlier.  'Kiss The Lizard' and 'Fleshly Nautilus' nudge towards post-rock, and so on.  A lot of influences have been added to Lizard Queens's music and incorporated in a perfect manner.  

'Third Eye' is quite a long album, almost ninety minutes long.  But is is a rollercoaster of classic rock, doom metal, stoner and psychedelic rock that is well-worth checking out.  With songs like these, I'm sure Lizard Queen will impress even more on stage that on this digital download album.  So in a way, I think it's only a matter of time before a decent label discovers them, lock them up in a professional recording studio to come out with a must-have 3LP deluxe edition on 180g marbled vinyl.  They truly deserve that...


Serge

folk / ambient

In some reviews I've been writing about the old records I used to listen to when I was a child.  There's one I alway forgot to mention because it's somewhere far away in my memory and doesn't often come up.  That LP is titled '16 Droommelodiën (16 dreamy melodies) and is recorded by Belgian classical guitarist Francis Goya.  Although since then I've almost never listened to classical guitar music, I remained a big fan of the warm, soothing sound of that instrument.  

My knowledge of acoustic folk acts is quite limited.  I know a little about Rodrigo Y Gabriela and I'm quite fond of what people like Luka Bloom can do but this project by Belgian act Yadayn is quite different.  It reminds me more of bands like Barn Owl or even some of the works by Dirk Serries, a combination of traditional guitar and modest electronics.  And that is exactly what this album stands for.  A nice mix of soothing folk and minimal ambient, perfectly suited for those nice quiet, and a bit romantic, evenings we all love so much.

'Pendel' (which means 'pendulum') is filled with these rather mysterious guitar sounds, sometimes folky as in 'In' or 'Veld', sometimes droney as in 'Barst' or 'Wind' and sometimes accompanied by other electro acoustic elements, as in 'Deur' or 'Bries'.  Here and there samples and drum machines are being used but the focus always remains on this beautiful instrument.  In fact, it reminds me a bit of the guitar version of people like Jozef Van Wissem.

My suggestion for this particular album is this: wait until nightfall, light a few candles, pour in some wine and light the fireplace.  Sit down comfortably with your loved one and press play on Yadayn's bandcamp page.  I'm sure you will not be disappointed and with a bit of good luck, you'll be in for an unforgettable evening.  I guess that's what I'm going to do tonight, but don't worry, I will not share more information about it...  


Serge

alternative rock / metal

This morning I got rudely woken up by the doorbell.  I quickly went downstairs to collect what I thought was a package of CD's or something but in stead some woman started talking about Jesus.  I, still in sleep modus, was a bit stunned and surprised.  She said Jesus wanted to help me but my mind was still in bed.  Before I could even say anything, I was holding a piece of paper with some 'religious journalism' printed on it and the woman disappeared.  Well, she just went to the next house.  I dropped the piece of paper and decided all that never happened. 

When I got back upstairs, I thought, 'damn, that was unwanted today' and I suddenly remembered the Grenouer album which had been playing a few times in the past few days.  It was one of those albums which I just liked to listen to without thinking about what I was going to write about it.  In fact, I had no idea what to write about it.  However, it kinda is my job to review albums so I sat my ass down, opened the album and a notepad; got me a hot cup of coffee and started this whole thing.

Grenouer hail from St Petersburg, Russia and you will have to believe me on that.  Listening to the album you wouldn't since it sounds quite American or English.  The band started out in 1992 already, by then as an extreme underground metal band.  However, gradually and hugely influenced by the alternative metal scene of the nineties, Grenouer evolved.  Their sound became a blend of Korn, Helmet, Lacuna Coil, Linkin Park, Deftones and several others.

That evolution did not invoke a loss of power by the way.  Most of the songs are very strong pieces of alternative rock, rooted in nu-metal, grunge and metal as a whole.  Grenouer can count on excellent musicians, including a guitar player who uses his experience to blast out some very immersive riffs and a vocalist with a clear, forceful voice.  Furthermore the whole is enforced by a number of electronics, including some great trip-hop elements.  

The level of songwriting is also quite high.  It makes songs like title track 'Unwanted Today' and 'Blossoms In The Dust' very radio friendly rock hits.  In fact, change the guitars and the latter could be Massive Attack song.  However, don't think this is all goody-goody rock.  The metal background is clearly present in  'A Little Too Obsessed', which partially drives on riffs with a stunning Pantera capacity.  And then, there's even some more going on.  Here and there I can head flashes of eighties new wave and shoegaze, enforced by a rolling bass and a controlled wall-of-soud.

My favorite songs include 'Daily Mirrors', 'Something Really Bad' and 'Artificial Tears' but the whole album is quite enjoyable and certainly a nice throwback into the nineties.  Grenouer clearly shows that this kind of music is still very relevant today, even if the influences date from twenty years ago.  We're dealing with talent and experience here, a combination that almost always guarantees a strong product.  So yes, I conclude by saying that this is an excellent alternative rock album that will often be heard in this appartment from now on.



Serge

sludge / stoner rock / metal

Well, time to get up from our lazy asses and get working on yet another great stoner rock album.  We're going to Londen (UK) this time to check out what happens when you put a stoner rock band and an extreme metal producer (Russ Russel - Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir...) together.  The short version is: they had a lot of fun and came out of the studio with a 2015 stoner rock highlight, clearly placing Limb on the forefront of the current scene.  

This is Limb's second album, after an untitled debut in 2014.  The combination between stoner rock and extreme metal make this one infectious piece of work.  Evidently, stoner rock songs have a nice, immersive drive and here that's no different.  In fact, the solid production give the whole an brilliant amount of groove, as if Entombed meets Fu Manchu.  So yes, even death metal fans can get loose on this stuff and certainly when played live.  God, I want to see this live.

The album opens with 'Three Snake Leaves', a short but very strong song.  At first you might think this is an intro but when it finally kicks in, it comes with a fierce in-your-face punk attitude.  'Ghost Dance' immediately follows and turns both songs into a perfect two-piece.  From there on, we're on a wicked ride, loaded with groovy and solid riffs,  lively tempo-changes and a raspy voice that balances on the edge between rock and death metal, hence probably the earlier Entombed reference.

My favorite track is 'Dawn Riders'.  Somehow songs with the word 'Rider(s)' in it all have that amazing drive, mostly provided by a fantastic bass guitar riff.   I have no idea why that is but I noticed it a lot of times in the past.  With that in mind, I think Limb made the perfect 'Riders'-song.  It's quite a simple riff but so damn infectious and uplifting.  Even the psychedelic passage by the end is mesmerizing.  Speaking of 'psychedelic', closer 'Cocytus' seems to be creates in order to ascend the listener to some other dimension.  Brilliant song.

'Spoils of a Portrait King' brings the whole even further away from traditional stoner rock and deeper into the world of groove death metal while even coming up with some Yob influenced doom as well.  At this point I'm actually wondering what this album would have sounded like when someone else would have produced this.  Would it have sounded this massive and crushing or would have sounded more like a Queens Of The Stone Age clone?  Fact remains: this is a blast.

So while we're deviating from stoner rock anyway, why not incorporate some influences from bands like Motorhead?  'Down By the Banks' could be a hit by Lemmy and co if Limb didn't beat them to it.  Of course, Limb likes to change things once in a while so they add another great psychedelic passage before once again getting their rocks off.  And there's even more.  'Mortuary Teeth' suddenly turns Limb into a traditional sludge band. While this is not my favorite song, it definitely is the most intense one of the album.

I can imagine Limb starting to crawl towards the forefront of the present day metal scene with this one, which is quite a surprise when you realise that they have a background in sludge and stoner rock.  Limb can easily take on the competition and will probably overcome many of them by sheer heaviness and mighty riffing.  That is, if they can pull it off as convincingly on stage than on CD/LP/DD.  Somehow, I'm quite certain that they can and I can only hope they will be in a venue near me soon.


Serge

death metal

I was planning a nice, quiet and relaxed day today, writing something or look for a new job.  However, early this morning a bunch of road workers started using some heavy and noisy machinery to ruin those plans.  So there I was, armed with some coffee and a folder filled with new releases.  'Well', I thought, 'I might as well blast some blackened death metal through my skull while we're at it'.  So I loaded this e.p. into my media player, evoked the demons of hell and sent them to the unexpecting road workers who ruined my day.

Vacivus hails from the U.K. and they have been working on their special blend of blackened death metal since 2013.  This e.p. is available on tape, released by Goatprayer Records and will be released on CD by Hellthrasher Productions later this year.  It's a five track e.p., loaded wth brutal and bleak metal, dealing with the occult, death & transcendence.  Most of all, of course, this is a punishing piece of music, recommended for any old school fan out there.

What we hear on this album is indeed quite old school and often reminds me once again of the bands on those old 'World Domination' samplers.  Bands like Absu, Sadistik Exekution, Obituary and very early Sepultura often come to mind.  This means that the songs are filled with thrash metal influenced riffs, a wide variety of drums (but mostly just fierce blastbeats) and morbid vocals.  Even the production sounds some of the obscure records from the mid nineties.

My favorite track on this album is the briliant opener 'Dark Apotheosis', starting the onslaught slowly before blasting out in high velocity.  From there on the rollercoaster moves forward in fierce tempo and with an intense, destructive force.  Although the songs sound quite alike, there's plenty of variation to remain interesting for the entire duration of the e.p.  So if you're a fan of the most extreme outburst of nineties metal, this surely is your thing. 

Fact is indeed: this record makes me feel a bit nostalgic for those good old days when I listened to those evil cd's from obscure Scandinavian labels.  Vacivus did a pretty good job in bringing back that vintage bleak atmosphere that I loved so much back in the days.  Suddenly all other metal seemed too joyful and 'commercial'.  'Ageless, Nameless' does exactly that: it smashes the 'nice guys of metal' in no time.  I'm getting quite curious about a live version of this one now...


Serge

 

black metal

There are a couple of ways to grab my attention when it comes to black metal, but there is one surefire way of making all my bells go 'dingdingding!' and that is to include lots of analogue synths in the instrument line-up. I am a total sucker for analogue synths. Always have been and always will be. And Stellar Master Elite has one of the most impressive collections used on a black metal album since, well, since ever. 

Let's just go through the list and get my fellow synth fetishists all warmed up: Korg MS 20, Moog Sub 37, Dave Smith Prophet 12, Roland Juno 60, Korg Monotron Delay and a Nebulophone mini ribbon synth. Okay, I know it's all about how you use that equipment but I can tell you they get used to full effect, without ever being too in-your-face. Subtlety wins in this case. Well done. 

But synths alone do not make an album of course. I have to admit that I am not familiar with the first 2 albums by them, so I came into this without any preconceptions. The promo states that Stellar Master Elite should appeal to fans of Darkspace, Thorns and Satyricon and for once I'm going to take the easy way out and say that that is pretty much bang on. Although I will add to that a healthy dose of sci-fi movie soundtrack influences. I can hear some of the grandeur of the Blade Runner soundtrack seeping into 'Hologram Temple' for instance. Darkspace and Thorns might be good references to describe the sound but Stellar Master Elite have a very distinct sound that radically differs from those bands. They are not afraid to go for some all-out, almost black 'n roll tracks, like 'The First Principle'. I guess that would the Satyricon reference taken care of then. And for a German band they have quite a bit of the typical modern French black metal sound as well.. Which is never a bad thing, I might add.

That's the cool thing about this album. The whole thing shifts nicely between its influences, although the general focus is that of modern, accessible black metal. It sounds appropriately heavy, like this kind of black metal should. Vocals range from an almost death metal grunt to rasping black metal growls, guitars have just the right amount of crunch and buzz to them, the variety of drums is there, it all just feels right. Sure, there are elements that I personally could have done without. Like the a-bit-too-Teutonic-sounding clean vocals in 'Perdition Time Loop'. All in all it is a well-produced, heavy sounding beast of an album that will most likely take the first prize in the (invented on-the-spot) category of 'most awesome use of awesome analogue synths in a black metal album' this year. 

Bjorn

death metal

In some older reviews I already mentioned the extreme tendencies of Iron Bonehead Productions, a label which has suprised us a lot in the previous months.  The music we receive from them, rarely fits in the conventional borders of the genres.  Today we're facing another challenge, this time in the form of a 7" from Spanish blasters Altarage.  This single is an appetizer for an upcoming full album and it's sick as hell.

There's two songs on this single.  Both of them are crushing pieces of blackened death metal where drums and vocals are barely audible behind the wall of sound the guitars and bass create.  The riffs sound more like fierce drones with a sound that reminds me a bit of Dismember.  Deep guttural vocals follow a similar sound and almost drown in this pool of distortion and brutality.  This is hallucinant noise at its most vile and putrid.

Yet, I like it.  In a way this single reminds me a bit of the Autokrater album I reviewed earlier.  This is already way beyond death metal and it obviously makes me curious about the full-length.  As crushing and devastating as this little gem is, it will be hard to keep a full-length interesting with this sound.  However, somehow I feel that Altarage will do just fine and will be come a serious force in the world of death metal.


Serge

stoner rock / sludge

Since their appearance at last year's Desertfest, Sardonis is one of my favorite live acts.  With great ease, this duo overclassed several established acts on the bill while they rolled their instrumental stoner doom over an outrageous audience.  Shortly after their crushing gig I had the chance to have a little chat with these guys.  As powerful and brutal as they are on stage, in real life these are two kind, modest guys who still don't seem to grasp what kind of groove-geniuses they are.  Luckily for us, Consouling Sounds knows a little something about musical abilities so they signed them up for their third full-length.

Now, the release date for this album is 11 September, which opens a lot of possible references to another brutal assault that happened on that day, several years ago.  I could write about a similar powerful blast and about leaving nothing but destruction and confusion behind when the clouds finally clear up.  It is a fact that this album is one hell of a rollercoaster, filled with fuzzy riffs and intense drums.  However, when the smoke clears up after this attack is over, all that will be left behind is a growing number of fans with a big smile on their faces and their horned fists still raised in the air.

What Sardonis lacks in vocal resources, they clearly make up in variation and in power.  Within five tracks, they pay homage to the power of the riff, ranging from psychedelic rock, over sludge and doom metal toward even black metal.  Opener 'The Coming Of Khan' starts with some calm guitars, a bit hesitant maybe but slowly evolving into the first of a whole bunch of groovy riffs and astounding drums.  From there the tone is set and we soon realize we have embarked on a wicked ride, a seering hot cruise through the vast desert of stoner rock.

When the word 'riff' appears, many people will automatically think of Black Sabbath.  In a way the work of Tommi Iommi has obviously been a huge influence on Sardonis' music but there's much more that just Sabbath-cloning elements here.  Other influences seem to come from bands like Monster Magnet, Sleep, Fu Manchu and Colour Haze.  On 'Battering Ram', a song with a perfectly suited title, there are also some elements from extreme doom bands like Yob and Conan present.  These already return in the first minutes of the brilliant 'Roaming The Valley', a stoner rock song even funeral doom fans can appreciate.

All these references should perfectly illustrate the highly versatile sound of Sardonis.  This is not just another instrumental stoner rock band.  This is a massive steamroller, combining elements from stoner rock, doom, sludge, punk, metal and noise rock.  'Ruined Decay' for example shows a bit more of the groove-aspect in Sardonis.  Again this song drives on immersive and forceful riffs that any Roadburn, Freak Valley or DesertFest visitor will embrace.

This record shows how Sardonis evolved from a bit of a hesitant but fuzz loaden two-piece into an extremely confident band while still having a lot of fun rocking everyone's socks off, everywhere they go.  A perfect example of this mature sound is the twisted closer 'Forward To The Abyss', a huge, monolithic piece of instrumental sludge, combining quiet passages with fierce riffs and often blackened drums.  This is the stuff that will tear a venue down, demolish speakers and crush audience members everywhere, but it's damn well worth it...


Serge