Sorguinazia - Sorguinazia

Ruínas de Sade - Ruínas de Sade

Smallman & Ivan Shopov - Inner Oceans

Jupiter Hollow - Odyssey

Grus Paridae - Forthcoming Nonintellectual Decadence

Solar Mass - Pseudomorphosis
Right, back to the extremes, this time with a strange and chaotic entity from New Zealand. This tape seems to be something special and certainly somewhat exciting. It doesn't just blast out some fierce thrash metal, neither does it crawl in the thick, muddy sound of grindcore. It isn't doom metal, nor progressive rock. Nope, this is pretty much all of them, a tremendously varied blend of metal styles, pressed into something original. Bands that come to mind, include Celtic Frost, Death, Voivod, Dismember and even Sacred Recih, to give you an idea about the versatiliy of this mere eighteen minutes lasting tape. Certainly recommended.
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Speedwhore - On the Verge of Dysfunction
Feel like headbanging a little more? Well, here's your chance, courtesy of German blackened thrash metal horde Speedwhore and their latest effort. What makes this band so interesting for me, is the effective blend between old fashioned thrash metal, including the occasional high shrieks, and vintage black metal vocals. The result are five infectious pieces of mosh-pit inducing metal (plus an intro and an intermezzo) which are quite irresistible for the metalhead who likes his music fast, ferocious and relentless. Songs like 'Alcoholic Force' and 'Dead City' really take me back to the glory days of Sacred Reich, Tankard and Vio-Lence. Truly recommended stuff!!!
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Cathuria - позив
Right, time for something calm and soothing after all those metallic assaults we've been through so far. On the other hand, you might replace "calm and soothing" with "dark and terrifying", which is just as good for me. This single by dark ambient act Cathuria is a great and somewhat narrative piece of music, featuring eerie, haunting soundscapes and almost ritual percussion. As a fan and composer of this kind of stuff, I can honestly say that this thing is right up my alley. If you're a fan of acts like Raison d'être , Desiderii Marginis or Svartsinn, this single should definitely have a place in your collection.
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El Pretro Maniaco - As Impie As Can Be
Where the previous single was dark, mysterious and terrifying, we now go for 'maniacal, torturous and diabolic. From the first look at the cover, this act reminds of me of acts like Nicole 12, MZ412 and Archon Satani, a feeling that remains throughout the album. So yes, we're balancing on the thin egde between dark ambient and noise, somewhere in a region we call "the avant-garde". With haunting soundscapes and deranged voices, El Pretro Maniaco certainly delivered something intense and captivating, something which definitely isn't suited for everyone, only for those dark, tortured souls out there...
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[ówt krì] & Fecal Fetal - Misanthropy VI
Speaking of tortured souls, here is a hypnotic cooperation between two acts from Finland. While both acts are experienced in the world of dark ambient and sound design, their cooperation is harsher than their solo work, often blatanly crossing the line between music and harsh noise. There is a sense of madness in here, a heap of utter darkness and a gnawing feeling of despair. The music is a combination of unrecognizable soundscapes, rhythmic loops and vague melodies. Sometimes I can hear flashes from jazz, hidden beneath a wall of strange noises and voices. Better train your ears for this thing...
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Derhead - Via
The first official release by this Italian black metal act immediately is a banger. With four songs and a heap of older demo recordings, this ep is a fifty minutes journey into utter despair, depression, anxiety and madness. Deranged vocals, furious tempos, bleak riffing, everything a self respecting black metal fan can possibly want is here. The atmosphere is intensely cold and dark and the music is perfectly suited to unleash your inner demons. My favorite track possible is opener 'Cenere', which might as well be one of my favorite black metal tracks this year. So, my fellow haunted souls, get your cold, dreaded hands on this thing..
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Encyclopedia Frown - Phantomwise
Right, back to the somwhat friendlier side of the music industry, where we end up listening to a teacher-student duo from The Philippines. This act comes up with a harsh, primitive version of post-punk and shoegaze music. It takes me way, waaaay back into the eighties where bands like Joy Division, TC Matic, The Jesus and Mary Chain and even Sonic Youth roamed. On the other hand, it sounds like many of the garage bands you can hear while walking or biking through the vast musical universe. It's not complex, not technical, not perplexing, not extremely original or varied, but it rocks and that's all that counts...
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Red Cain - Red Cain
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Plecto Aliquem Capite - The End
Well, I guess I have to reconsider what I said in the first Brieview of these series. That was not the most raunchy and ghastly piece of music, this one is. And it comes all the way from Sri Lanka to haunt your dreams and devour your souls. Although categorized as black metal, the act sounds more like a Japanese noise act with their downright disturbing and chaotic sound. Even a seasoned black metal listener like me has a hard time staying sane while playing this stuff. This must be one of the most insane and demonic releases I've ever heard. Approach with caution, this one might be harmful to your mental health....
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Wolve - Lazare
Somewhere between Radiohead, Deftones and Massive Attack dwells the French band Wolve. They take the time to write decent songs and to let those songs evolve and alter on their own, something I can only applaud. Opener 'Lazare' is an amazing rock anthem with plenty of atmosphere and some nice instrumental passages. That alone makes this ep worth the effort. But then there's the other songs. A nice modern, alternative rock tune in 'Porccelain', an immersive rocker in closer 'Far' and a weird noiserock shorty called 'Inferno'. I'm not really sure about the latter, but the rest of these tunes make up for something highly promising in the future.
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Beneath A Godless Sky - Beneath A Godless Sky

Plaisir Vallée - Plaisir Vallée
We're still in France, but this time something completely different rolls through our speakers. Plaisir Vallée is a trio that combines the funk of young Michael Jackson with the psychedelic rock of Jimi Hendrix and the indie attitude of Ween. The result is a joyous and somewhat adventurous ep with some great rock songs. This definitely is something for the stage, so I'm secretly hoping to be able to witness this anytime soon. I'm not going to name a favorite song here, since all of them make me smile and dance a little bit. I suggest you try the same. It doesn't always have to be darkness and despair, sometimes awesome rock music is all we need...
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