stoner rock

​We remain in Canada for a while, although we're going to check out something completely different.  In a way, we're going on a trip back into the glorious history of rock 'n' roll, be it drenched in a thick cloud of smoke.  As you could have guessed from the album title, 'Through The Thickest Haze', we're dealing with a heavy grooving stoner rock band here.  This is their debut-full length, after an e.p. and a live e.p. earlier.

The album opens with the forcefull bariton vocals that will be present throughout the entire album.  The vocals immediately remind me of Danzig, even before I heard any of the music.  It might take getting used to this vocal range but eventually it seems to fit in perfectly with the music, giving the whole a vigorous feel. When the music finally kicks in, we really are on a blistering hot stoner journey.

88 Mile Trip seems to be influenced by bands like Black Sabbath, Kuyss, Karma To Burn and so on.  Those influences are almosts continuously present, mainly of course in the fuzzy, groovy sound of the whole.  Yet, halfway through 'Serpent Queen' I can't help but feel as if I'm thrown back into the seventies and listening to glorious guitar solos by the likes of Iommi or Hendrix.  Hell, there's even a bit of funk in that bass.

For the main part, the songs on this album are highly enjoyable pieces of stoner rock, well-able to get some heads nodding and some asses shaking.  Furthermore, the whole feels so exceptionally vintage that it really is hard to believe that this band was founded in 2013.  Their loyalty to traditional rock and hard rock styles is stunning.  In fact, 'Burn the Saints' sounds like one of the oldest stoner rock songs ever, would that be possible.

Besides some good ol' fashioned rocking, there's always some room for a psychedelic jamsession, which adds a highly organic feel to the music.  I think that aspect of this music will be the most successful at live performances.  I can imagine the barely dressed dancing girls clearly when I listen to 'The Awakening' or 'Sacred Stone'.  It's a nice to imagine, no?  At least a lot better than imagining a barely dressed Glenn Danzig.


Serge

instrumental atmospheric (post-) black metal

​People who regularly read my reviews, might already know that I admire instrumental music. In fact, I've turned down many albums in the past because of the vocals but I will rarely turn down unsung music. Leaving our vocals, actually results in one less thing that can break an album.  So when this e.p. reached my inbox, I immediately became interested.  

Vision Lunar is a one-man act from Canada, focusing on instrumental black metal.  The project was formed by Alexandre Julien in 2006, disbanded in 2009 and resurfaced early 2015.  Meanwhile, a pretty succesful compilation with previous work was released.  Yet, this e.p. is brand new, and it's something weird.  Interesting, absolutely, but still a bit off from what you expect with amtospheric black metal.

What Vision Lunar does, is quite similar to many modern day black metal bands who usually are tagged 'post-black metal'.  Yet, there is a lot of old school atmosphere in these songs, something that often lacks with bands like Deafheaven, Wolves In The Throne Room or Altar Of Plagues.  This atmosphere is mainly caused by the production level, which resembles some the basement-recordings of the nineties.

That being said, the music honestly deserves better that this production, because it's pretty damn good.  'Desperation' opens with atmospheric ambient keyboards, immediately evoking the bleak feel of the whole.  When the guitars come in, it's post-black metal all the way.  Great headbanging material.  That certainly counts for 'Spiritus Luna', the longest and heaviest track in this e.p. and absolutely my favorite of the three.

The music is almost trance-inducing at times, caused by adding layers of sound to the whole. The instrumental nature also makes it a great album for post-rock and even shoegaze fans.  It would be great if Alexandre Julien would find some musicians to help him make this a live-act because the stage is where this music could truly shine.  I'm not sure if that'll ever happen so from now on, I'll just play this album as a warm-up for the gigs I'm going to go to in the near future.


Serge

death metal

From first sight of the Artwork and the band logo you probably get a good hunch of what you’re in for, which is some mighty sick and brutal death metal / death core / gore grind or however you see fit to categorize the band.

The drums are solid. Guitars have a nice brutal tone, and sick ass vocals that range from typical guttural death metal to the almost pig squeals. Very talented band from Spain, they do actually mix it up a bit from the typical with some nice guitar work that includes some slick fingers. They remind me of early Gorguts meets Devourment which is a great combo in my book. The album gets better as it gets into the later songs.

The stand-out track for me was “The Threshold of Obliteration”, I was tempted to slaughter my dog, This track put my mind in that oh so special place, luckily I like my dog and overcame the impulses, plus I don’t like cleaning so he survived.

The album features a lot of cool backing/guest vocalist from bands Cerebral Torture, Legacy Of Brutality, Cathexia, Maze, Defeated Sanity (I love this band), and more. The band has been around since like 2011 and hopefully they keep on going as I will be anxiously awaiting the next piece of sickness they churn out. 

 

-Paul 

death metal

​Well where to start on this one? Been following the band since the early nineties when I personally had some trading going on with Dave, when everything was still done by postal service and I believe I still have the demo's "Deformed Beyond Belief" and just maybe "Embalmed in Blood". 

Anyway on to this EP, it's awesome, retains the classic death metal feel, just how I like it, raw, not overly produced, and sincere. It's still got the Demigod, Disgrace, Dismember and Unleashed sound/style going on and I wish there were more bands still putting out this stuff today! 

I usually like to pick a stand out track but I just can't, they are all awesome! The biggest surprise is the Sabbath Cover of "Neon Knights", holy shit is it heavy, one of the best versions I have heard any band try to pull off, it's just brutal as hell! I want everyone to dig this track up and jam it, if you don't like it piss off! 

I'm not going to sit here and break down everything with a play by play because if you don't know anything about this band and are into Death metal at all, shame on you!

Just buy it already!

death metal

Nero One

Ok I feel like I stepped back in time, is that good? Nah it's great! I will say it every time I get my hand on a gem like this, I miss the early 90's Death Metal! Before I checked it out I was reading what was sent and they mentioned all the bands they resemble or sound like as far as style, I like all those bands but disagree a bit.

When I play this I feel like I am listening to a mix of Impetigo meets Goreaphobia meets Abhorrence (The good Abhorrence from Finland mind you). Some sick clips and 4 Tracks of old school brutality, ugly and disturbing. It's on cassette only and all handmade DYI and I believe is in limited edition of 250 copies so if your into old school and cassettes better get your order in. Meanwhile I will continue worshipping the digital version....


​Paul

black metal

When somebody asks me 'Bjorn, you obviously love black metal a lot but if you had to make a choice to name your absolute favorite black metal band, what would it be?', the answer is a resounding 'Ildjarn', every single time. There really is nothing that I don't like about Ildjarn, in fact, I absolutely love everything about it. The lo-fi caveman poundings, the repetitive riffs, the one-of-a-kind atmosphere, the blunt simplicity of it. I even agree to a certain extent to the whole Ildjarn philosophy like the veganism, the misanthropy and the respect for mother nature and her flora and fauna. Quite simply, if someone were to tell me to stop listening to Ildjarn i'd rather just as well stop listening to any kind music for the rest of my life, period. 

Ildjarn has ceased to exist, leaving behind a legacy and a discography that demands respect. Although he often gets ridiculed for said musical simplicity and his unorthodox worldview there is no denying that his mark on black metal is of immeasurable value. This is apparant in the worldwide slew of bands that have tried to emulate the typical Ildjarn sound. Tried and failed I might add.. Although every once in a while, there comes a band that really 'gets it', so to speak.. 

Which brings us to Dutch black metal horde Wroth. Because you know, emulating the Ildjarn sound is one thing, emulating the atmosphere, that's a different story, and that's where lots of bands fall flat on their faces. I mean, I can't play a single note if my life depended on it, let alone a riff (this might verify the myth that a lot of music journalists are failed musicians, but to hell with that..) but I can imagine that playing black metal like Ildjarn from a technical point of view shouldn't be too hard for experienced musicians. Or even semi-experienced for that matter, but I digress. But that atmosphere, that elusive spirit of what black metal should be, that je-ne-sais-quoi.. To get that, you have to really understand what it is about. And Wroth understands it. From the very first notes of opening track 'Force', it is apparant. And it never lets down, all the way through to the obligatory 'Outro'. This album oozes everything that makes Ildjarn great, therefor Wroth is great too. 

And here is where the tiny problem with the album rears it's ugly head. As much as I love this album, the Ildjarn worship is so in-your-face that 'Force and Wrath' might just as well BE an Ildjarn album. Sure, there are some Darkthrone influences (especially in the added 2014 Demo on the album) that seep through, but that can be said of pretty much all lo-fi black metal acts. And I mean come on: 'Force and Wrath', you don't have to be a genious to see the analogy with Ildjarn's 'Strength and Anger'. I mean, they might as well call themselves 'FireIron' while they're at it.. I am, however, more than willing to ignore this and give them the benifit of doubt. So what if their own identity is subordinate to the total experience? But Wroth isn't just a copycat, they are a pure homage to a brilliant band. And the fact that they pull this off is worthy of high praise.. 


Bjorn 

post-black metal

Avantgarde Music

Ever since Alcest released their debut album, the whole genre of post-black metal or blackgaze and all of its variations or whatever you want to call it really took off. Sivyj Yar from Russia is one of those bands that has progressed with every album to the point where he is now: very accessible black metal in the vein of Alcest, Deafheaven, Ghost Bath, Drudkh, Woods of Desolation etc.. 

A solo project by a guy named Vladimir, Sivyj Yar's lyrical and conceptual basis lies in the hardships of Russian peasantry in pre-modern Russia. The famines, living of and working on the land, all of it in harsh weather conditions. It's an interesting concept, that sadly is not really reflected in most of the music and melodies. Most of it sounds pretty upbeat and hopeful to be honest. I'm not saying that those peasant folks were miserable people all of the time but the fact that I don't have any translated lyrics with my promo doesn't help matters in this. I just have the music to go on.. 

And while the music is pretty nice, one cannot help but feel that 'Burial Shrouds' lacks a bit of an own identity. Vladimir is a very accomplished musician and the album has a lovely production, with room for all instruments to shine. There is some really great bass guitar work for example, an instrument that is often overlooked within black metal. Another thing that bothers me is the lack of traditional folk music influences. The concept lends itself perfect for that, and the album does have several parts that breathe the atmosphere of what life would have been like for those people. Take for example the final track 'The snow shall fall a long while' where all the elements, including a lovely folky outro, fall into place, making it the standout track of the album. It's a shame then, that the rest of the album doesn't live up to the greatness of that track. Giving it more of an own identity would have made the difference between an album that is nice and pretty okay and an album that is truly great. 

I'm sort of torn between two opinions here. On the one hand 'Burial Shrouds' should easily appeal to fans of the bands mentions earlier, on the other hand it lacks identity to truly stand out among those bands.. There is nothing wrong with the album but it could have been so much more. 


Bjorn

post-black metal / doom / progressive

​We remain in the dark areas of the musical universe for a while, but now with a modern, ever evolving sound.  A sounds that resembles bleak visions of cities in the near future, or at least how those cities will look like when the world keeps evolving in this direction, filled with fear, hate, war and terror.  In that aspect, aren't we all 'Dwellers on the Threshold', powerlessly awaiting our impending doom?

Dystopia Nà hails from Oslo, Norway.  'Dweller on the Threshold' is their second album, the follow-up to their 2011 debut 'Syklus'.  While the previous album could mainly be described as atmospheric black metal, their new effort, Dystopia Nà shows a new, evolved, sound.  Blending elements of black metal, doom/sludge, shoegaze, post-rock/metal and dark ambient, this quartet comes up with something refreshing.

There's five huge songs on this album, along with a number of instrumental breathers.  In some aspect, the music reminds me of bands like The Black Heart Rebellion, AmenRa, The Ocean or Deafheaven, bringing highly atmospheric pieces of metal with an eerie feel.  Opener 'Doppelgänger' immediately shows that approach by being a huge anthem with tons of influences, poured into a distinct own sound.  'Through Mirrors, Darkly' goes a bit more in the direction of sludge-metal.

Yet, my favorite track, is the blackened but epic 'Winding Stares Into Nothing', driving on fierce guitars and hammering blast-beats.  As far as vocals are concerned, they balance perfectly on the line between sludge and black metal.  Although Dystopia Nå often uses clean vocals as well, effectively adding the 'progressive' tag to their music.  These clean vocals appear over some of the elaborate post-rock passages which are pretty awesome.  Yet, here too, Dystopia Nå succeeds in covering the whole in this dark, pitch black layer of blackened soundscapes.

As I mentioned earlier, there are also a number of breathers.  These short, instrumental pieces lace the songs together, creating some sort of concept.  Most of them are short but can pretty much stand on their own as ambient tracks, or in some cases even leaning towards folk music.  'Cold is the Colour' diverts from that ambient approach by becoming a very decent post-doom song, if I may invent a genre.  Shortly after, two more epic pieces of music fill the hour long masterpiece Dystopia Nå has created.

Because yes, if you can easily cross borders between all these genre and still come up with something interesting and highly-varied, you created a masterpiece in a certain genre.  For Dystopia Nå that genre is post-black and they're becoming damn good at it.  I'm already curious about what these guys come up with in the future, since musical evolution seems to be what drives them.  But for now, it's time to witness this on stage.  So let's hope they come over here soon...


Serge

black metal

​Since we're dwelling in extreme metal today, why not add a black metal album to the list?  After all, there's plenty of these on the pile and they often manage to surprise me.  This is is actually no different, although it surprises me in a different way that some of the earlier albums from Satanath records.  Godhater seems to hold on to the old school wave of black metal, despite the present day directions the genre is evolving into.  It's almost as if I'm listening to an album from the nineties.

Godhater is a Russian duo, plus a session drummer.  This album is the followup to their 2011 debut 'Odium'.  There's little else known about this band, but that's ok, it adds a lot to the mystic atmosphere of the whole.  'Blasphemia', the new album, seems to borrow a lot from those obscure old school albums.  Fierce riffs, tons of blast beats and eerie screams make up most of the music.  It's no surprise that bands like Immortal, Satyricon and Unlord come to mind.

In fact, Godhater even covers 'Angel Of Fire' from Unlord.  This cover sounds very much like the original and also like the other songs on this album.  So it fits in perfectly with the concept or the overall sound.  It's hard to pick a favorite track, and definitely hard to type the title here, since most of them are in Russian. If I have to choose, I'd pick the epic closer 'Godhater'  Yet, I would advise any black metal fan to check this out, especially if you want it raw, heavy and intense.  That's what Godhater stands for and they're bloody good at this.


Serge

thrash metal / hardcore

​Right, back to the writing table after a few days of rest.  We definitely need the rest but, as one of the first laws of physics say, 'a body in rest wants to remain in that position'.  So, in order to avoid getting lazy, let's blast some brutal metal through our speakers.  Usually, bands like Sepultura and Slayer do the trick but being a reviewer and all, I decided to check out one of the albums that recently reached our headquarters.  

V-Anger is metal band from Milano (Italy), formed in 2012.  Besides being very decent musicians, this quartet seems to have an unhealthy obsession with shovels.  They claim that the shovel represents heavy, groovy, direct & "straight in your face" sound, which is a decent explanation.  I, on the other hand, think the shovel is just an instrument to get rid of the people who didn't survive the moshpits that V-Anger causes.  This is damn heavy, that's for sure.

With a blend of thrash, death and hardcore metal, these Italians don't bring anything new to the scene.  Yet, what they do is quite impressive.  The riffs of 'Chaos A.D.' era Sepultura, the drums of Slayer and the vocals of Hatebreed.  Hell, they even cover Sepultura's version of 'Biotech Is Godzilla'.  But before that, let's check out some other songs.  'Revenge' immediately opens a can of old-school asskicking, followed by one of my favorites on this album, named 'No More'.

When 'Soldiers Of Pain' comes up, the band starts showing some other influences as well.  There's the riffage of old school death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse or Suffocation, the furious durms of speed metal and the industrial technicality of Fear Factory (in 'First Angel') or the massive sound of Pantera (in 'Slaughterhouse').  Here and there some elemements from Deftones also shine through. All of course covered in a thick layer of distortion and played with sheer brutality.  

So in all, 'In Shovel We Trust' is a well-varied blend of metal styles, with a lot of energy.  Headbangers will absolutely love this, although you have to be quite experienced to be able to cope with the tempo sometimes.  Yet, this is also perfectly suited for hardcore festivals.  V-Anger has no problem combining both metal and hardcore into an intense piece of music.  I think they're well on their way to the European stages, at first probably supporting one of the bands I mentioned in this review, but given time and effort, see them rise...


Serge

drones / jazz

Lessons in music creation, advanced class.  In beginner's class we showed you how to write and record an good album.  We talked about variation, about atmosphere and about track duration.  In advanced class we will see how to create an album that works on different dimensions.  Our guest-lectors are James Welburn and Tomas Järmyr.  James is a bass player and a software wizard while Tomas plays drums.  Together they form the duo Barchan, who recently presented this album at Incubate.  More about that, of course, in our Incubate review.

When we mention drones and drums, often people think about Nadja or Fearfallburning or maybe even of James Welburn's work under his own name.  Yet, Barchan seems a little different.  For starters, Tomas isn't a repetitive drone drummer. He gives the whole a freejazz sentiment, using his instrument in a highly experimental fashion and constantly altering his partaking in this act.  Although at first this might sound quite chaotic, this approach to drums add a lot to the music, at points even out-droning James.

James himself, of course, blasts out layers of drones, soundscapes and atonal bass sounds out of his beloved instrument.  Yet even here he diverts from most drone acts like the ones I mentioned earlier.  In stead of nice, soothing loops, James often goes for controlled noise and a freaked-out sound.  At points he barely avoids drowning in harsh noise, which isn't easy when the energetic but nervous sound of the drums reaches its highlight.

Anyway, on to the multi-dimensional thing because that's where this album truly excells.  You can listen to this on different volumes, creating completely different albums.  On a low volume, 'Soliton' is gentle, jazzy ambient music, perfectly suited as background music for a number of everyday activities.  Here you might indeed compare this to Aidan Baker and co.  It never gets obtrusive but remains on an enjoyable level, a bit of an all-family thing maybe.  

But then we turn the volume up and the whole turns into a massive piece of dark drone jazz, something in the neighborhood of Dead Neanderthals for instance.  Still listenable but definitely grabbing your attention and diverting you away from those every day activities.  At this point, some people might actually think there's too much jazz involved, but sometimes you can't have 'too much' jazz.  On this level 'Soliton' shows a bit more intensity.

Play this very loud and you could compare the crushing intensity of this music with sludge doom acts like AmenRa or Eyehategod.  At this volume level, the crash-cymbals almost sound like screaming vocalists while the rest of the music just takes you over in a trance of drones, drums and noise.  Louder still and even Sunn O))) will have to bow down to the might of Barchan, especially with the fierce blast beats at the end.  Needless to say that this album is stunning.

This multi-dimension scope is quite unique and adds a lot of credibility to these musicians.   The album is one monolithing track, lasting almost an hour but it constantly changes.  Different elements continuously fade in and out, giving you a chance to breathe in between the intense, crushing passages.  So 'Soliton' is perfectly suited for fans of jazz, ambient, drone and even doom fans, if they're a little open-minded that is. 



Serge  

death metal

A vision of the future? It shows an abandoned city, demolished by war and slowly but certainly collapsing.  There's no animals, even the plants have disappeared.  A few clouds hover over the city.  If they could feel, see and think, they would be appalled by what has been going on here. Below stand the words 'Rising Of Hate'.  Did hate destroy this city? I guess so.  Hatred certainly is on the rise these days, cause inhuman suffering, fear and distress.  Not only to us but to earth itself. But whatever sick and twisted human minds can think of, in the end we are on the losing side of nature.

South Of Hell is a French death metal band, focusing on the old school version of the genre. This debut contains nine songs for a total of a bit under thirty minutes.  Yet, for this quintet that's plenty of time to convince the listener of their abilities.  Influenced by the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus and Hypocrisy they blast their songs through your skull with great intensity and precision.  According to their biography, the want you to bang your head like the rotors of a helicopter.  

Challenge accepted.

The songs on this album are well-varied pieced of old school death metal, reaching highlights in 'Damned' and 'Blood', my personal favorite, maybe because it reminds me of a mix between old Sepultura and old Tiamat.  Here and there some influences from melodic metal shine through, which adds to the variation and makes 'I'll Be Back Soon' quite a great traditional death metal song.  On the other hand, at points South Of Hell reaches quite impressive technical levels as well.

So in all, this is a welcome addition to any death metal collection.  It's nothing new, nothing daring nor extremely unique.  It's simply an excellent album, highly recommended for any metalhead who like his music vintage, powerful, raw and brutal.  It's perfect for anyone whose physical exercises consist of several headbanging sessions I day.  


Serge

industrial metal

Well, you can say that again.  Once again we're dealing with an album with a self-explanatory title.  This is a quite confusing and intense album but it really is grand.  The get straight to the point: this is a masterpiece of modern day industrial metal and I'm so damn glad it reached my mailbox.  Brace yourself for a wild ride through decades of combining electronics and guitars and get ready to have the time of your life listening to this.

The Silverblack hails from Torino, Italy, and was founded by multi-instrumentalist Alessio Nero Argento.  The purpose was created heavy but catchy industrial tunes, influenced by a huge number of bands and styles.  When I listen to the songs on 'The Grand Turmoil' bands like The Kovenant, Pain, Sisters Of Mercy, Amduscia, Combichrist, Pendulum, Diary Of Dreams and Oomph come to mind.  Quite a varied bunch of noise-makers, indeed, but The Silverback turns it all into something violently entertaining.

The album opens with title track 'The Grand Turmoil', showing the metal side of the band by coming very close to The Kovenant or Samael.  Yet, like all the songs, this one drives on an impressive wave of electronics and issues angry, almost black metal, vocals.  From here on it's clear that The Silverback is not just another metal band trying to do something new.  They're here to take over the industrial scene, grabbing fans in every direction of the genre.

If the opener doesn't do the trick, the brilliant 'Anymore' definitely will.  This song has the same energy and power as Pain's 'Shut Your Mouth' and pretty much the same elements as well.  I can easily imagine this being a live-favorite, evoking a moshpit in front of the stage and a packed dancefloor right behind it.  This is my favorite song on this album, one I love to sing along when I'm doing some household tasks. Yes, I caught myself shouting 'you won't fuck me anymore' at the dishes.

But if you throught The Silverblack played all their trumps at these two songs, you'll be in for some more surprises. This act isn't weary of drum & bass and dubstep basslines either, resulting in extremely energetic songs.  Imagine Pendulum with fierce vocals and dito guitars and you might get an idea of what several of these songs sound like.  It's very hard to sit still on this music, and that's a fact.  Just listen to 'Pyromanservant'.  

For those who think drum & bass and dubstep are way too modern and overrated, The Silverblack didn't forget about you.  'As Good As Dead' and 'Attic Hime' will please you.  Think Atrocity's 'Werk 80' or think a mix Blutengel and Hocico with guitars, or thing Hanzel und Gretyl, Die Krupps, Frankenstein Drag Queens. Hell, you can even think Rammstein if you want.  The Silverblack has it all: heaviness, darkness, danceability... it's all here and it comes with a perfect sound.

So yes, this is an amazing album, filled with modern metal scene smash hits which will cause frenzied audiences everywhere they go.  Or at least, that's what I'm hoping for.  I surely hope to be a member of one of those audiences in the near future.  I can recommend this album to every industrial and nu-metal fan out there, young and old.  The Silverblack is coming and there's no way to stop them from taking over.


Serge

black metal / death metal 

'Experimental black metal', a term that evokes so many questions.  Is it going to be a blackened version of free jazz? Is it going to be fifty minutes of harsh noise?  Well, in this case, it nudges fiercely towards old school melodic death metal.  This album seems to come directly from the time when the line between death and black metal was still a blur.  Back then, there's was 'metal', like in 'thrash' or 'speed' and there was 'extreme metal', as if the genre wasn't extreme enough already for the worried moms and dads.

Iscarioth hails from Klin, a village in the Moscow region (Russia). This trio has been working on their distinct sound of extreme metal since 2012.  I'm not surprised that this act has been picked up by Symbol Of Domination Productions.  This label seems to have a flair for original, out-of-the-ordinary music.  They have surprised me in a good way in the past few months and with this album it's no different.  'I Am The Arm' is a great album with surprising hooks and brilliant riffs.

The album opens with an atmospheric piece of music, an intro so to speak.  Immediately thereafter, Iscariot blast their massive sound through my speakers at high velocity.  In 'Mountain Echo' I can hear a blend of old school extreme metal and so called black 'n' roll.  In fact, that blend is present throughout the entire album, reaching an early highlight in title track 'I Am The Arm'.  This is a ferocious headbanger, reminding me a bit of Samael but without the electronic aspect.

That's why I hesitate to label this music as 'black metal'.  Besides Samael, bands like Moonspell, Tiamat and even Arch Enemy often come to mind.  Acoustic guitars are being used in several songs, along with keyboards, creating elaborate atmospheric passages.  That obviously doesn't make this album 'soft', on the contrary.  For the majority of time, and especially in 'Voices Of The Twilight Forest' Iscarioth fiercely rocks.  Besides, I can't help but feeling that these guys also like to listen to bands like Sisters Of Mercy or Fields Of The Nephilim.

'Jūros Šventė' is a breather, and a pretty good one too, driving on plucking guitars and with a narrating voice.  Shortly thereafter, Iscarioth continues the melodic and quite technical metal assault.  'The Domain Of Seven Queens' is the strangest songs on this surprising and refreshing album.  On one hand it's a great atmospheric metal song but on the other side it reminds me a bit of the blackjazz movement that seems to be going on these days.

I really think this is a band to keep an eye on.  Their music brings a daring but highly enjoyable approach to all things blackened and certainly a lot of variation.  If you are a dark metal fan who isn't afraid to go into extremes once in a while, you should check this out.  I am already curious about the future of this band, since I feel that their best work is yet to come.  Given time and effort, Iscarioth could come up with a dark metal masterpiece in a few years.  'I Am The Arm' is an excellent herald for that one.


Serge

black metal

Don't ever judge a book by it's cover, or this case an album.  True, from looking at the cover you'll probably guess correct about the overall genre of this album.  Corpse paint, satanic symbolism and a pretty typical logo all clearly say 'black metal' but when you listen to the music, there seems to be much more going on.  This is modern day thrash metal in a blackened coating and it's quite fucking awesome.

Mabthera is an experimental black metal band from Belarus. In 2009 it was a solo-act but over the years other members joined in.  Loyal to the old school black metal wave, this band incorporates the haunted vocals and bleak atmosphere of the traditional version of the genre but with clean vocals, this could be a modern metal album.  The tempo usually isn't extremely fast and the whole is quite varied.  

I'm especially fond of opener 'Under Wings Of Satan', which is an excellent example of what this act is capable of.  It reminds me just as much of bands like old Metallica or Pantera as it reminds me of Darkthrone or Immortal.  'Ivadék' crawls even deeper into the world of metal, coming quite close to doom and even a touch of industrial.  It's this experimental and free approach to black metal that I find quite interesting.

Of course, the overal feeling is an occult, satanic and downright evil one.  Furthermore, the songs aren't extremely complex, which is a good thing.  Sometimes modern black metal bands tend to drown in their own sense of complexity and forget 'to rock' but Mabthera doesn't, Mabhtera knows how to write compelling songs that will get many heads nodding, including mine. 

Just listen to 'A Magyarok Nyilaitól', a one-fold but very decent rock song with blackened vocals.  It even has a little bit of folk metal in it. When you want blast-beats and typical black metal riffs, then 'Ahol Hideg Szelek Fújnak' is something for you.  This song reminds me a bit of Emperor and everything that reminds me of Emperor is worth listening to, not? Or listen to the bizarre 'Elhintem A Magot'.  This song is just wicked.

Anyway, if you like you black metal deviate from the norm, you might want to check out this band.  I'm not saying they are the future of the genre but they defititely succeeded in bringing a breath of fresh (be it putrid and foul) air into the scene.  I can only hope they feel like touring Europe with this material. It will be a welcome variation on themed festivals and to your infernally grinning cd shelve.


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dark jazz

If you followed our tweets during the latest Incubate festival, you might have noticed the one mentioning 'Here come the goosebumps'.  When I sent that one, I was watching this German quartet and I suddenly realised why I am a frequent visitor of this amazing festival.  It's discoveries like this one that make it all worthwhile.  I actually almost missed them, until my wife pointed them out when she was reading the description in the festival guide.  

Radare has been around since 2011. According to what I read about the band, they started out as a post-hardcore doom band and gradually evolved into what is now a brilliant dark jazz band.  If you are into Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore, Dale Cooper Quartet, Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble or the mystical works of Angelo Badalamenti, there's no way of missing out on 'Im Argen'.  With this record, Radare set themselves right in the middle of that company and show no intention of being a lesser quality band.

In fact, and I'm going boldly honest on this one, Radare has currently surpassed Dale Cooper and are right on their way to pushing Bohren off the pedestal in my dark jazz collection.  Why? Well, simply put: because of the amount of variation while strongly holding on to these elaborate gloomy compositions.  Besides regular instruments like guitars, bass and drums (which they use in free-form mode), there's Rhodes pianos, klarinet and trombone.  And because there's only four members, they need to vary those instruments, resulting in something very organic and ever-evolving.

The bass player also plays trombone, the drummer also plays klarinet and the guitar players also play that awesome Rhones piano or keyboards respectively.  That can't be easy on stage but I witnessed it and these guys pull it off with great ease, or so it seems.  On 'Im Argen', they do it even better and they're blessed with a great production, resulting in a perfect sound.  The sound is dark, often nudging towards doom metal, in a setting of a smoke filled nightclub in a David Lynch movie.  

But there's more to this music than dark jazz.  On some occasions, like in the mesmerizing closer 'Distress' they show a little bit of their post-rock and even noise history.  This song continuously changes intensity and sound, making it a perfect apotheosis for this fantastic album.  I know I didn't mention the other songs, but that's because I mostly love the overal flow of the album.  Since Incubate, Im Argen has been frequently playing, both on vinyl and mp3 and I'm absolutely positive it will float through my speakers a lot of times from now on. You might find this one quite high on my best-of-2015 list, that's for sure...


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doom metal

Whenever an email mentions the words 'atmospheric' and 'doom', my long-haired nineties alter ego suddenly interupts his hibernation.  His eyes opens a little bit while my finger clicks on the link.  Between his sleepy eyelids he sees more interesting words, 'Saturnus' and 'Skald', two bands he's been a fan of for quite some time now.  At that point, he completely takes over, demands the album to be played while he raises his horned fists to the majestic sound.  

Yes, Soijl is the newest project by ex-Saturnus member Mattias Svensson.  He started this solo-act in 2008 already but it wasn't until 2014 that Soijl became something serious.  By then Henrik Kindvall of Skold joined in, taking care of vocals and lyrics.  Now the duo released their stunning debut upon the masses, re-introducing the atmospheric approach to doom metal in a highly convincing way.  The hibernating doom kid inside of me secretly hopes this will be followed by live performances.

The album opens with title track 'Endless Elysian Fields', immediately showing what this project stands for.  Slow but melodic guitars and a wide array of drums form the foundations for the deep growls and often blackened screams to thrive upon.  Although the tempo is quite sluggish, there's still a decent amount of energy, mostly coming from the brilliant use of drums and percussion.  I especially like the double bass drums used on this album as they provide a droning element which I simply can't resist.

'Dying Kinship' takes the same elements and adds layers of guitars.  It's because of music like this that I ended up listening to funeral doom, post-rock and drone music, but it's always great to return to this kind of melodic doom metal.  Bands like My Dying Bride, Anathema, November's Doom and Doom:VS often come to mind when I listen to these tracks.  It breathes the same atmosphere of solitude, despair and impending agony.  What's more, Soijl even succeeds in translating the genre into a version that works quite well in the present day doom scene where bands like Pallbearer roam.

And Soijl isn't even done there.  In a way, this duo also succeeded in bringing in a few depressive black metal elements.  Once in a while, especially when the blackened vocals take the upperhand, the whole thing takes a twist towards a bleak, eerie atmosphere.  Minimal but effective use of keyboards enhance that atmosphere, making 'Swan Song' a bit of a masterpiece actually.  'The Formation Of A Black Nightsky' takes that even a bit further, and faster, and is my favorite track on this splendid piece of work.

I only mentioned four songs in this review and there's still three more to come, but I'm not going into a song-by-song thing with this one.  By now it should be clear that this albums comes highly recommended.  It's a welcome addition to any collection where the bands I mentioned in this review are present.  There's plenty of variation, melody and intensity to remain interesting for a few consecutive listens, that's for sure.  So I'm going to let that long-haired doom kid enjoy this one a little more.



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stoner rock / noise rock / psychedelic rock

Hey, I remember this band.  When I received the e-mail promoting this album, I knew I heard that name somewhere.  When I started listening to the music, I suddenly envisioned Desertfest Belgium again.  Then it all came back to me.  Old Man Lizard replaced Slabdragger on that festival (Jack Newnham is a member of both bands). I was standing in the back of the venue, trying to figure out the sound, or the combination of influences. I stayed for a few songs before attending to some interview duties.  I remember not being very impressed but I also remember being very tired and fuzzed-out.

Old Man Lizard hails from Suffolk (UK) and was formed in 2011.  Above all, they're live band with an impressive number of shows on their resumé.  Yet, funny enough, I'm more impressed by this album than with their live performance.  Back then I wasn't very fond of the vocals, but now I realise that this is just another aspect for this band.  This is not mere a stoner rock trio.  There's a lot more going on, including noise rock, psychedelica and vintage hard rock.

The songs on this album are complex pieces of work, driving on immense riffs and loads of fuzz.  Although the tempo usually is quite slow, there are very few similarities with doom metal.  Throughout the music I hear flashes of influences from Kyuss, Baroness and The Melvins, interwoven in challenging song structures and contrarian rhythms.  'Fawza-Faith' even shows a little bit of post-rock but again, not as we know it.  It's just one of the elements floating in and out of the music.

Even in a clean-guitar ballad like 'El-Doctor', Old Man Lizard sounds heavy and psyched-out.  When the song gets heavier, there's simply no way way of denying that I was wrong about this band in the first place.  Here we're dealing with a tremendous and massive sound which brings a refreshing approach to all things stoner.  There's just as much Sonic Youth here as there is Harvey Milk and just as much Swans as there is Sleep.  Needless to say that this is quite a versatile album, no?

So yes, almost a year after I first encountered Old Man Lizard, the band finally succeeded in convincing me of their capabilities.  With complex songs they divert from most stoner rock bands these days and definitely bring a breath of fresh (be it smoke filled) air to the present day 'desert' scene.  This album comes highly recommended if you're in for something new, although it will absolutely please the old school stoner, noise and psychedelic rock fans.  



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death metal

Well, time to start writing again after a few days of inactivity.  And what better way to kick off these activities than playing some brutal death metal.  It definitely wakes me up and it provides a decent alternative for the noise coming from the roadworks in front of my living room. So let's play this loud chase the hangover away.

Display Of Decay hails from Edmonton (Canada) and have been around since 2007. Focusing on a great blend of old school death and thrash metal with a hint of doom, the band have been playing allover Canada in the past few years.  'Dust Of Existence', their latest album, is a nice example of how the band processed these influences.  If you're a fan of bands like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Immolation, you should check this out.

Display Of Decay doesn't need intros or elaborate arrangements to make their statement.  In stead, they immediately kick off with the blasting 'Created To Kill', which seems like a perfect way to describe the music this quintet is smashing into my skull right now.  At times repetitive riffs and drums have an almost hypnotic effect on the listener, even if the tempo often changes.

That repetitive aspect often returns, hinting at industrial metal as well as the previously mentioned influences.  This gives the music an extra sense of intensity, which is already pretty damn high.  Add the growling insanity of the vocals and you really end up with something fearsome and addictive.  'Messiah' for instance, is a brilliant piece of inhuman extreme metal.  ' High Voltage Castration' does that even better and becomes one of my favorites on this album.

Another striking aspect is the sound of the bass guitar.  It again reminds me of some industrial acts, cold, dry and mechanical, almost slapping at times.  Yet, it's exactly that sound that gives these songs an extra touch and quite an interesting one indeed.  Not that the other instruments are inferiour, not at all.  It's quite curious how these guys can come up with different sounds for nearly everything. Just listen to the amazing song 'Maruta', a rolling beast of torture and punishment, so to speak.

I admit, it took me several listens before I truly started understanding how versatile and great this album really is.  At first it does feel like another album in the vein of the bands I mentioned earlier.  Yet, gradually it becomes clear that Display Of Decay isn't just copying and pasting influences.  No, they made it their own sound, filling a small niche within the world of death metal.  In 'Cellar Goreatory' for example, they viciously attack our necks with an irresistible headbanging assault.

In all, this is a very interesting piece of death metal.  Just when you think the tradition version of the genre has been exhausted, this quintet makes it relevant again by coming up with quite an original approach.  Some of these riffs surely make Dimebag smile in approval up there in metal-heaven, and right beside him Chuck Schuldiner goes nuts over the technical qualities.  Again, so to speak.  Fact remains that we're dealing with a great death metal album which perfectly controls the chaos that this genre can be.


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black metal

We remain hidden in darkness for a while, which isn't self-evident on this sunny day.  Yet, it's cold enough to lock myself up with some blackish metal.  'Blackish?', you rightfully ask.  Well, yes, the band themselves call it that way and they are absolutely right to do so.  This is dark, progressive metal, rooted in but definitely not restricted to black metal. Folk, gothic rock and neo-classical are also being interwoven in the complex nature of these songs.

But before we go into the album a little more, let's introduce Klamm.  The five piece from Würzburg, Germany started out in 2007 as a solo-project by Simon Ludwig.  The name stands for 'ravine', explaining the musical direction wherein calm passages precede harsh outbursts of guitars and blast beats.  This reminds me of bands like Summoning, Vintersorg and Opeth, to name a few.  Yet, Klamm clearly found their own niche and became quite a unique band over the years.

'Ernte' means 'Harvest'.  It's a concept album about a greedy farmer with a superiority complex.  However, when a natural disaster destroys his crops, the farmer tries to turn his life around but fails miserably at doing so.  In the end, he cannot escape his demise.  In a way the story sounds like a parable.  It is perfectly comparable with modern day society, which is being hollowed by greed and vanity.  It's a powerful story nonetheless.

After an opening folk-song ('Anima'), 'Windsaat' slowly builds up until it suddenly blasts out in ancient black metal tradition.  In that aspect it resembles the disaster from the story quite well.  Yet, this song continuously alternates between genres, at times even reminding me of dark German bands like Lacrimosa.  This song is long and complex, bringing in a lot of variation and some surprising hooks.  In all, of course, the sound is bleak and breathes a tremendous sense of obscurity.

The complex nature of Klamm is present in most of the songs, even to the extend of incorporating a little bit of dark jazz in 'Ernte'.  It definitely keeps the album enjoyable for the entire duration, even if the mainstay is extreme and haunting metal.  Here and there strange ambient tracks fill the gaps between songs.  In 'Rauch' it seems to resemble the growing insanity of the farmer, before he finally find his demise in 'Zahltag' (which means 'Payday').  Not a happy ending for the farmer but definitely an interesting listen for the open-minded black metal fan.  



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