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Loathfinder - The Great Tired Ones

5/5/2017

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doom / black metal
Godz Ov War
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Hah, you thought I was done throwing festering doom metal albums on this website, did you? Well, hell no, there is (at least) on more epic piece of doom I want you to check out. It's not a long one but definitely long enough to pound you into a coma. With four fearsome blackened doom metal tracks, Polish horde Loathfinder delivered something immersive and heavy, something the doom metal scene needs today.

Why does the scene need this ep? Well, Loathfinder is one of those bands who seem to look back to the early days of death doom, or doom death by adding deep growling vocals to thick riffs and pounding drums. On the other hand, the band drags in the screaming vocals of black metal and the atmosphere approach of the current post-scene.It's not overly complex but immensely captivating.

I'm sure that a lot of doom fans will start banging their heads slowly when they play these four epic tracks. Closer and title track 'The Great Tired Ones' is my personal favorite, closely followed by 'Feast On My Entrails' but I'm quite positive that all four of these tunes will often pop up in my doomed playlist. My advice? Well, obviously I recommend this piece of work to all you doomers out there. You know you want this...


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Drug Honkey - Cloak of Skies

5/5/2017

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doom / death metal / sludge
Transcending Obscurity
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A putrid cesspool of filth, misery and misanthropy, pustulating, sickening and insurmountable, that is probably one of the best compliments I can give this album by American doom mongrels Drug Honkey. And believe me, that is an actual compliment. This album is a monstrosity, in the best possible way, obviously. If you're into slow, death metal infused doom, you should look no further as you have found the holy grail of deranged musical insanity. Hurray.

The songs on this album represent an hallucinogenic nightmare. They're slow, sluggish, like a thick layer of tar weighing on your very soul and oozing out of your speakers. Then there are the vocals, or better, the intense and harsh screams of a madman. They grab you by the throat, clawing through your skin and onto your larynx until you suffocate. The massive axes of the drums eventually finish the job with sheer precision.

I can easily say that this album is a stunning piece of doom metal but that would be an understatement. I mean, I love doom. I'm not always fond of its little brother, sludge metal, but what Drug Honkey delivered effortlessly thrashes most of the competition. Doom fans of all ages should make sure that this album is a part of their collection. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in the near future, this one stands next to the absolute genre classics.

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Dwaal - Darben

5/5/2017

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doom / sludge
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Right, since we're at it, let's throw some more depressive slow music into the mix. This time, I picked something so thick, so sluggish and so intense that it almost resembles quicksand. Once the music has captured you, there is no way out. You can struggle but Dwaal keeps pulling you down into their doomed spiral. Post sludge doomers of all ages should start paying attention now, because this might be one of their favorites in 2017.

But first things first.  Dwaal is a quintet from Oslo, Norway. 'Darben' is their debut ep, a 12" containing two long and conscience pulverizing songs, lasting nineteen and twelve minutes respectively. In those thirty something minutes, Dwaal drags you along soothing post rock/metal passages as well as pounding sludge doom hammerings. Resistance is useless since the music is so immersive that you will happily surrender.

In all, this ep is a solid business card for these Norwegians and I truly hope that it will be picked up by bookers allover Europe. With a massive and intense sound like this, there is no doubt that Dwaal will deliver a bunch of eargasms and perhaps the occasional collapsed lung. My advice? Buy this thing, play it loud and the world being blown away by Dwaal. I need a cigarette now...


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The Sky Is - Télépathie

5/5/2017

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post rock / doom
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What a dreadful day it is today. Grey skies, drizzling rain and cold wind fill the city. Even the birds are quiet, sitting on a branch and waiting for the sun to come out. Today is a perfect day to stay inside, drink a hot cup of coffee and enjoy some good music. In my world, the latter is easy. I just have to pick something out of the gigantic pile of albums to be reviewed, download the thing and shove it into my media player. In the case of this particular album, you can do pretty much the same but you will have to pay five euros for it. I'd suggest you do that, especially if you're a fan of heavy and immersive post rock.

The Sky Is is a band from Poland, formed in 2011. In 2012 they released a first three track, only now followed by this new effort. 'Télépathie' contains five tracks and clocks off at a bit under thirty minutes. In thier biography, they mentioned that they support Russian Circles in Warsaw and by sheer coincidence, that is the first band I thought about when I started listening to 'Entangled' and 'Kudzu'. Much like Russian Circles, The Sky Is comes up with immersive, riff-based post rock and post metal, flavored with hints of doom and stoner rock.

There are two other bands that come to mind too. The outstanding and captivating bass play reminds me of Australian colleagues Meniscus. Some aspects of the music come quite close to Tool as well. Then, there are the thick, led heavy doom metal riffs, Sabbathian if you will. Halfway through 'Depths' I found myself banging my head, slowly but still, heavy stuff. I don't often headbang to post-rock/metal but when I do, you can be damn sure that there's a highly talented band playing.

So yes, I think The Sky Is is a pretty talented band. They certainly succeeded in delivering an impressive and well varied album, even though it might be a bit too short. In that case, just play it twice in a row like I am doing at the moment. This one deserves your attention and perhaps that of certain festival bookers too. I'd like to see this live on day but for now, let's all enjoy 'Télépathie', a damn fine post-whatever album...


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Funeral Tears - Beyond The Horizon

25/4/2017

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funeral doom
Satanath Records
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From delightful post rock we dive into the dark, depressive world of funeral doom, again with an act I'm happy to hear again. Russian one-man funeral doom act Funeral Tears returns with his third full length. This act by Nikolay Seredov (leader of bands like Стахановцы [Stakhanovite] and Taiga) has pleasantly surprised me in the past, not only because this is one of my favorite genres, but also because Funeral Tears throws a lot of melody in his otherwise led-heavy music.

As per usual, the six tracks on this album are enormous anthems, mostly driving on almost tangible drones and riffs. These come with torpid drums and deep, guttural growls, plus the occasional blackened scream. Opener 'Close My Eyes' is already a brilliant anthem, outstanding in atmosphere, intensity and melody, a bit like Shape Of Despair maybe, or any of those awe inspiring funeral doom bands.

You know. I could have just wrote down the words "funeral doom" and publish this review. If you are a fan of this kind of music, this album is an absolute must-have. There is no doubt about that. Everything to make it a prime example of this style is present on 'Beyond The Horizon'. But it is even more than that. I can easily imagine post rock and post-black metal fans skipping over to this kind of stuff. 

My favorite song here is 'Breathe', which somehow blend funeral doom with the new wave sound of bands like The Cure. I like that shoegazing guitar lick and I'm very sure I will not be the only one. So yeah, this is another highly recommended doom metal album and a solid reference towards the slowest of metal styles. Excellent job, and now I hope that this act will start touring, that would be bloody awesome...


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Morphinist – Follow The Grain

25/4/2017

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doom / heavy metal
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Follow The Grain is an album released on April 9, by renowned underground German musician better known by the alias of Morphinist. Though mostly known by his releases on the genres of traditional and atmospheric black metal, Follow The Grain witnesses the musician experimenting with doom and heavy metal, in a very unexpected, but interesting experimental mood. Forty one minutes long, the record has only three very long tracks (which is somewhat a remarkable feature of his): the eponymous Follow The Grain, The Demons Of Doubt and Battle Wounds. With amazingly solid and vociferous, but at the same time soberly clean guitar lines, Follow The Grain from the beginning reveals itself to be a great and marvelously crafted instrumental album. With lucid, but very imponderable harmonies, perfectly delineated at the height of severe rhythmic ordinances, Follow The Grain encounters Morphinist in his best creative shape, brilliantly displaying the vigor of his colossal energies in a style not familiar to his audience. Nonetheless, the final result couldn’t have been more formidably amazing. 

Underlying the visionary cosmic strength of serene melodies, these three tracks effusively consolidate the sonorous ritual of a sentimental intensity that deeply elevates its harmonies into an imaginary field of astounding deliverance. With exceedingly factual poetical elements that acts at the direct interface of the songs, the extraordinary sensible intonations that plays with a more spiritual level of intricacy reveals a genuinely effective musical structure, whose technique is perfectly correlated with the sensitive ordeal that joyfully precipitates the consistency of the sound into an imaginary cosmogony that dreams abundantly in the unpredictable fields of mind expectations.

With a surreal predicament of a linear embodiment of devotional artistry, Follow The Grain is simply a tremendously magnificent album, with the most audaciously ferocious and imponderably creative guitar lines that you will ever hear in your life. Preciously beautiful, inherently natural and vehemently undertaking a wonderful sonorous journey of exhilarating rapture, the three tracks of Follow The Grain are simply formidably arranged masterpieces, that will elevate your soul to different standards of existence. 

With no faults to be pointed out whatsoever, this is an album for a lifetime. A majestically monumental state of the art work – one of the best and most fantastically exceptional guitar driven albums ever to be conceived –, whose sagaciously demanding imperative beauty has created sonorous galaxies of perceived excitement and graceful healing, Follow The Grain is an unusual move for Morphinist, that once more has proved why he is one of the greatest and most versatile musicians in the contemporary underground scene. 



Wagner
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Father Sky Mother Earth – Across the River of Time

17/4/2017

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drone, doom, stoner rock
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Across the River of Time is an album by drone/ doom/ stoner German duo Father Sky Mother Earth, released on April 2.  Thirty seven minutes long, the record has only two tracks:  The Return of Alhazred and the eponymous Across the River of Time. Primarily atmospheric in nature, with an intensely sinister layout of dense expectations, the sonorous style of Father Sky Mother Earth is thoroughly lenient, but distinctly voracious as well. As strange as it seems, despite little rhythmic variations and the general uniformity of the sound, monotony and exasperation are out of the equation here: their style is promising, enduring, solid and consistent, and the anguish provoked and emancipated by the afflictive expectancy generated by the agonizing behavior whimsically dilapidated by their sound is not only purposefully well designed, but majestically monumental as well.

The nature of their music is profoundly ambivalent, and unmistakably pragmatic. Not only enabling, but sustaining an irrevocable atmosphere that produces anguish and anxiety in the general syncope of its soundscape, the two tracks present on this album legitimately captures within the axis of its own interior universe an essentially hostile and dense definition of dying disillusion. The affinity expressed in the deeply fugacious ordeal of the music has an imponderable strength over the listener, and you feel magically bound to the intense and dubious atmospheric nature of the work.     

An interesting record – almost esoteric in the rapture contrivances of its anatomy – that sensibly replicates in the nature of its own purpose the exhilaration of a personal universe undefined by the characteristics of a singular crisis, Across the River of Time is an album with high probabilities to impress any audience. The intense power that emanates from its insidious, perfidious, densely vast, exponentially rude and ecstatic – but at the same time beautiful – melodies makes this record a highlight of the genre. The subtle intrusive behavior of the music deeply contrasts with its capacity to insert into the innermost molecules of the melodies a calm transient pattern of anxious expectation, that revolves around a corner that ostensibly ignores its correlation with an imaginary parallel universe of dilacerating nothingness.  

A dense, pervasive, somber and intricate album, Across the River of Time is a sinister, but overwhelming drone/ doom/ ambient record, that expands in the discreet side of its nature the nefarious audacity of its intentions. True to the sober and consistent vitality of the work, Father Sky Mother Earth certainly has created one of the most wonderful, tense, abrasive and fiercely despondent masterpieces ever conceived in the history of the genre. 


Wagner
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Hant – Arisen 

10/4/2017

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avant garde / metal
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Arisen is an album by Hungarian avant-garde metal project Hant, released on April 4. Forty one minutes long, the album has eight tracks: Desolate, Evolution of Minds, Of Longing and Lust, Black Lake, Arisen, Beyond the Astral Doors, Summoning and Mad World (a beautiful instrumental cover version of the notorious Tears for Fears song [and, in my opinion, the best track on this record]). With an incisive work competently built on guitars, Arisen is an album with interesting shapes and nuances. With generally calmer melodies, the harmonies are conceived in an anxious and afflictive layer of lancinating and acute atmospheric anguish. Somewhat interesting, there is a virtuous degree of skilled technical proficiency holding the musical structure of the work. Unfortunately, since the harmonies are mostly slow all the way through, and the songs are generally very long, a tedious, nefarious and exasperating sense of monotony overcomes the listener, and the album eventually becomes more of a boring task than an actual pleasure.

Nevertheless, there are distinct elements, as well as intriguing passages, in some tracks along the way. With minimalist and neoclassical tendencies, Arisen has charming peculiarities, and the sensational sonorous dilapidations that ostensibly arise in the outer limits of the conclusively splendid exterior layers of the songs reveal, quite surprisingly, a modest, but sagacious level of audacity, originality and creativity, well-worked and majorly conceived in the expansive fields of rhythmic dissonances discreetly dispersed throughout the album. 

Although Arisen can’t be qualified as a majestic record – and you will hardly be surprised while listening to it – this album has, indeed, several qualities. The hazard, dilacerating and meticulous guitar lines undoubtedly are the main force behind the work, and create all the major elements that consecrate the overall musical atmosphere. Taking that away, you don’t have too much components to appreciate on the album, although some harmonies are fulfilled by a lonely, restless, reflexive and poetic appeal. Evidently, if you like slow, melodic, melancholic guitar driven rock’n’roll with avant-garde elements, then Arisen is an album that you should listen. 
     
As far as my personal evaluation goes, Arisen is a good album, but is incapable of going beyond that. Too much accommodated in a common concept, with an ostensibly exacerbated uniformity, with little rhythmic variations, the overall sound, in the end, reclaims an ordinary and inefficient final product, that will probably appeal more to guitar players and guitar students in general.     


Wagner
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Pallbearer - Heartless

25/3/2017

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doom metal
Profound Lore
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A few days ago, my wife and I were talking about the evolution of some of the bands I have been reviewing over the years. Quite often, a band seems to select a certain genre to play, write a first album, do a bunch of gigs, go back into the studio to write new songs. Throughout those albums, you can sometimes notice the evolution from a beginning band to a well-attuned group that has learned a lot about making music. You can hear confidence, passion and experience.

Yesterday, I finally decided to take the new Pallbearer album for a spin, and guess what, I noticed those exact same things. It surprised me too, because for all I knew, Pallbearer was already at that point where confidence, passion and experience were present in the music. I have been a Pallbearer fan for several years. In my humble opinion, they are one of the best doom metal bands today. So yes, I was surprised to see that even a seasoned act like Pallbearer seems to evolve their style. 

Of course, that is not a bad thing, on the very contrary. Without further ado, I can honestly say that 'Heartless' is a breathtaking album, progressive doom rock at a very high level. I hear influences from King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Anathema, My Dying Bride and Black Sabbath, but most of all, I hear Pallbearer give the very best of themselves. Opener 'I Saw The End' is a very strong song, one that immediately made me like the whole album.

'Thorns' is a first highlight, an epic piece of doom rock which takes me back to the nineties and the seventies at the same time. 'Lie Of Survival' is a long, progressive rock song with a gloomy edge, which even brings some gothic rock acts to mind, be it the slow, depressive ones. I really love the guitar play on this one, along with the introvert, emotional vocals. And suddenly I think, "what would happen if Pallbearer and Depeche Mode worked together". But nevermind that.

'Dancing In Madness' is another highlight, and dare I say "a masterpiece"? This song only proves what I have been babbling about in the first two paragraphs: confidence, passion and experience. With plenty of emotion and tonnes of musical craftsmanship, this is undoubtedly one of the best songs Pallbearer have ever written. If Pink FLoyd were a metal band, this would have been their sound.

Now, for the doom fans among us, don't worry. Besides progressive beauty, there a still plenty of doom loaded riffs to slowly bang your head to. 'Cruel Road' and title track 'Heartless' will easily fulfill your metallic needs. The closer is one for you to discover for yourself, but rest assured, I will definitely be worth the effort, just like the rest of the album. So yep, this one comes highly recommended. It's probably one of the most mature metal albums in history...


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Planning For Burial - Below the House 

9/3/2017

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shoegaze / drone / doom
The Flenser
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I've said it before and I'll say it again: the world of one-man bands is an intriguing one. Solo acts have been fascinating me for years. Many of them come up with dark, enigmatic music, exploring their deepest emotions, fears and ennui with all kinds of instruments. Of course, loopers, samplers and software make it possible for people to work alone but still, doing it all on your own is quite an achievement, especially when the result is a perplexing piece of work.

Planning For Burial is such a one-man project, formed by Thom Wasluck. His music is slow, harsh, emotive and gloomy. 'Below the House' is an introvert but bombastic piece of work, loaded with influences from shoegaze, doom metal, nineties dark rock, ambient and drone. It is an album that comes from deep within the artist and it reaches out to all those who are into sonic darkness.

Opener 'Whiskey and Wine' first comes up with the droning beauty we know are respect bands like Nadja and Jesu for. However, soon the blackened sludge metal vocals come in, making the whole thing even harsher than it is. Here, Deafheaven comes to mind but they soon disappear when the following songs show different vocals, clean ones. On 'Somewhere In The Evening' another side is shown, the one that reminds me of  a band like Anathema.

To show his know-how in the noise and dark ambient scene, Planning For Burial threw the dark track 'Past Lives' on this album. Right before that 'Warmth Of You' drags in influences from dark rock and new wave bands, like Killing Joke meets A Place To Bury Strangers. '(something)' is soothing ambient tune, serving as an intro for the stunning tandem 'Dull Knife pt. I & 2'. Here, like in the opener, the noise elements seem to return. If Skullflower would make a shoegaze album, it would probably sound something like this.

In all, this is another one of those albums that throw their listeners into a whirlpool of drones, despair, depression and solitude and that's perfectly fine by me. If you are one of those people who prefer slow music which is loaded with sentiment, you need this album. On a medium volume, it's an enjoyable alternative rock album. On high level it's a massive blast of drones, drums and doom. So it's perfectly suited for every situation...


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Altar of Betelgeuze - Among the Ruins

23/2/2017

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stoner / doom / death metal
Transcending Obscurity
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I have to admit, the death metal scene doesn't thrill me as much as it used to. There was a time when I devoured albums by Entombed, Dismember, Death, Amorphis and so on. Yet, in recent years, the genre seems to slip through my fingers. At first, I thought that that was age related. I'm just getting older and thus more interested in slow, calmer music. Yet, that doesn't seem to be the cause of my growing disinterest in the genre. The main problem seems to be a lack of originality. Many bands seem to fear trying new things, which results in uniformity. 

Enter Finnish quartet Altar Of Betelgeuze and their green smoke filled approach to the genre. Their new album 'Among The Ruins' is saving the genre for me, blending the harsh and abrasive nature of death metal with the monolithic riff capacity of doom and stoner rock. As if that is not varied enough, they throw in some clean vocals and even some psychedelic guitar solos. It's not often that bands like Black Sabbath & Electric Wizard come to mind while listening to a death metal album, but it sure is pretty damn bloody awesome.

Although opener 'The Offering' is a strong and immersive piece of music, follower 'Sledge Of Stones' is an absolute masterpiece. Somehow, Altar Of Betelgeuze managed to add the groove of bands like Entombed and Dismember to the thick sound of the bands I mentioned in the previous paragraph. At some point even Queens Of The Stone Age come to mind, along with some of their stoner rock colleagues. 'New Dawn' is another favorite, but more a vintage doom metal track than a death metal tune.

Another absolute highlight its 'Absence Of Light', a slow but brutal steamroller of a song, one that will have you on your knees in no time. There is a tiny bit Amorphis in here, enhanced with all of the above. Obviously, the majority of metal fans will classify this album as doom metal and I can't disagree with that. The overall tempo is quite slow. The riffs are almost touchable. The clean vocals remind me of the early days of the doom genre.

Basically, perhaps you can simplify classification by saying that this is "Conan with grunts" but that would be too easy. Fact remains that this is a well-written, well-thought-out and original album that definitely deserves a spot in your collection. So who to recommend it to? Well, doom fans of course. They will adore this thing, no doubt about that. Death metal fans will have to open their mind a bit, but once bitten, Altar Of Betelgeuze could easily become your favorites.


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Until Death Overtakes Me - AnteMortem

20/2/2017

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funeral doom
Dusktone Records
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Years ago, I discovered the immense 'Missing', a song from Belgian funeral doom act Until Death Overtakes Me. Back then, I didn't know anything about that genre. For me, at that moment, doom metal was the stuff the My Dying Bride, Anathema and Tiamat did. However, 'Missing' immediately became one of my favorite anthems and I started grabbing everything I could get from Until Death Overtakes Me. Then, the project seemingly became silent, until now apparently.

Suddenly, this album appeared in my inbox, something I could have never expected. Not that I minded, on the very contrary. I quickly downloaded it, fed it to my media machine and allowed myself to bask in the thick, torpid doom that this act produces so well. 'AnteMortem' brings four tracks, two of them being massive funeral doom anthems, lasting over twenty minutes while the other two take up about ten. 

The key ingredients are all here. Atmospheric keyboards, sluggish guitars and huge ambient passages. Fans of acts like Evoken, Shape Of Despair and Esoteric will easily embrace this album. Opener 'Before' is - in my opinion - even better than 'Missing'. In fact, the whole album shows an artist that managed to grow, improve and thrive in a genre with strict boundaries. Of course, this one comes highly recommended. 2017 is definitely going to be a Belgian year!!!


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Brieviews 20

8/2/2017

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Aidan Baker & Karen Willems - Landlos

drone / ambient / jazz / krautrock
Midira Records 
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Another cooperation between Aidan Baker and a drummer, this time Karen Willems from Belgian experimental band Inwolves. Together, the duo recorded two tracks which both showcase the drone ambient we all know Aidan Baker for, but also take on elements from krautrock and jazz. Of course, neither of both musicians go for a conventional way of playing their instruments and in this case, that leads to a strange, mildly psychedelic trip. The overall tone is rather calm and soothing. Of course, this comes highly recommended for all drone ambient fans. You simply can't go wrong with Baker & Willems.

Derby Derby - Love Dance

drone / krautrock / experimental
Ormo Records
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This debut album by French improv-experimentalists Derby Derby is quite an interesting one. Split into two parts, this thirty minutes lasting blend of krautrock and drone reeks of jazz, without losing itself in the chaotic approach of free jazz. Part one, 'Love' reminds me of Caudal, but with trumpets instead of guitars. It's slow, repetitive and immersive, and perfectly suited for all fans of Aidan Baker and company. The other track, 'Dance', is wild, energetic and psychedelic. Both are absolute recommendations for those who love to wander in elaborate musical landscapes, that is a fact. 

Noemie Nours - Songs From The Life Of Bears

singer-songwriter
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These are four of the saddest, most fragile songs you'll ever hear, seemingly recorded somewhere in a bedroom. There is nothing complex or overproduced about this ep, on the very contrary. This is an introvert singer and her instrument, completely locked into herself, into the subdued correlation between the two. The result is an exceptionally minimal singer-songwriter ep that breathes the spirit of folk activism and protest.  Amplified and extended with other instruments, these tunes could become immersive shoegaze songs and I kinda want to hear that happen, but for now, this surely is something to listen to while shedding some tears...

Fen / Sleepwalker - Stone And Sea / Call Of Ashes II

doom / dark ambient
Ksenza records
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A dark and haunting split between Russian one-man act Sleepwalker and UK's progressive black metal act Fen. Sleepwalker opens the split with three amazing pieces of music, ranging from shoegaze to post-rock and doom to dark ambient. Opener 'Somnambulistic Trance' alone is worth the effort of buying the album, an immersive piece of work, like The Cure meets A Swarm Of The Sun. Then there are three Fen tracks, two epic progressive black metal pieces and one calm, acoustic track. Obviously, all six tracks are worthy of a spot in your collection. This simply is an awesome split album, period.

Assent - We Are The New Black

metal / metalcore
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Aah, the French, such a bunch of stubborn experimentalists. Once again a French act comes up with something that defies all classification. This project, created in 2015 by Aurélien Fouet-Barak (vocals, bass, drums programming) blends a bunch of metal genres, including groove metal, black metal, metalcore, progressive and heavy metal, into a whirlpool of heavy, violent, technical and blasting music. With all these different elements, obviously this is a well-varied album. Yet, in all honesty, I do have to say that only trained metal ears will be able appreciate this. For other people, this is just too weird and exhausting, not for me though...

Raptor King - Dinocalypse

thrash metal / hardcore
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We're not done with the weirdness of the French yet, and apparently that also counts for the level of variation and the number of different genres. Here, thrash metal goes fist in fist with hardcore, black metal, stoner doom, heavy metal and whatnot. The result is an ep that rips on your eardrums and stomps your stomach. My personal favorite is the blackened 'Fight 'n Roll', but I would recommend the entire thing because of two good reasons. One, it fucking rocks, and two, the front man is a dinosaur who survived the meteor impact and the following extinction 74 million years ago. I know, it sounds weird but in France, everything is possible...

Nula - Kenoma 

doom / sludge
Black Bow Records
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Hailing from Serbia, Nula comes with a different and refreshing approach to doom and sludge metal. not only are the vocals in Serbian, which is already pretty unique I think, but Nula also brings a sense of melody to their rough and intense sound. Furthermore, it seems like black metal has been one of Nula's influences, along of course with several sludge doom bands. 'Silazak U Prah' is my personal favorite but I'm quite positive that all three songs on this album will eventually end up in my heavy playlist. I suggest you do the same, check out this album, let these Serbians surprise, shock and awe you. You know damn well you want to...

Adrian Pain & The Dead Sexy - Mixed Messages

metal / metalcore 
All-Core
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Canada delivers another slab of musical aggression with metal hybrids Adrian Pain & The Dead Sexy. Here, we have something between metalcore, death and progressive metal, as if Alexisonfire or Funeral For A Friend combined forces with Deftones, Ill Nino or Incubus. In a way, this ep can be seen as a gateway, something to lure younger rock fans into the massive world of metal and core. Honestly, this isn't really my cup of tea, as I'm not a big -core fan, but I have to admit that there are some awesome tunes to be found and that 'Say It Like You Mean It' is a world class song. So, youngers, meet your new favorite...

Soothsayer - At This Great Depth

doom / sludge / black metal
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Hell yeah, a huge dreamy post-rock/doom passage, followed by nutsack ripping black metal and sheer brutality. Normally, those sudden outbursts of aggression cause me to go 'meh' but in this case, I'm definitely sold. These Irish doomers have released a stunning ep, with two long tracks, heaps of variation and some psychedelic passages. This is sludge metal at its best, intense as fuck and immersive as hell. And then the second song still has to start. Doomers, doubt no longer, this will provide you with multiple eargasms, or it will make you go absolutely insane, which is just as good...

Illimitable Dolor - Illimitable Dolor

doom
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From Australia comes arguably one of the most beautiful doom metal albums of the year. This album is a tribute to Gregg Williamson, a deceased band member, and perhaps one of the most emotional tributes I've ever heard. The album contains for deep and sorrowful doom anthems, somewhere between the funeral doom of Evoken and the doom death of bands like November's Doom. If you are nostalgic for those glorious nineties and its awe-inspiring bands, you definitely need this gem in your collection, right next to My Dying Bride, Saturnus, Officium Triste & Shape of Despair. Get it now, you will not be disappointed, I promise...

Radien - Maa

sludge / doom
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Oh damn, this is a massive doom monster with fierce claws, perfectly prepared and willing to rip you shreds. Finnish sludge doom horde Radien comes up with a very nasty and gritty version of the genre, seemingly also inspired by the punk scene. The two tracks on this ep are horrifying pieces of music, and that is actually a compliment. Throughout the two songs, I've been thinking about Winter, Skullflower, Dopethrone and the complete uselessness of our existence. Besides, usually, I'm not so high on sludge metal vocals, but this one is awesome. These guys are on their way to become one of my favorites in a precarious scene...
Serge
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Ddent - آكتئاب

3/2/2017

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post rock / doom
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Oh yeah, here comes another early candidate for my best of 2017 list. I know, there are still loads and loads of albums to be released but this is an album that combines three of my favorite things in music. One, it is completely instrumental. Two, it is dark and atmospheric. Three, it is slow and immersive. So yes, instrumental post rock, nudging towards doom metal and containing flashes of industrial. Believe me, I'm sold. Hell, I was sold even before I actually listened to this album and that doesn't often happen.

First things first. The Arabic word '​آكتئاب' translates as 'depression, melancholy'. Google Translate says we should pronounce it as 'akitiaab'. For the record, we're not dealing with a band from Arabia or anywhere in the Middle-East for that matter. Ddent hails from Paris, France and initially started out as a two-man band. Today, the band consists of four members and, judging to the music on this album, they can convert 'آكتئاب' into music like nobody else can. Or maybe a few other bands....

Yet, as brilliant as this album really is, I find it hard to write about it. Like I said in the opening paragraph, I was sold when I read the words "instrumental", "post-rock" and "doom". I think every fan of these three things can easily trust Ddent to deliver the eargasms we all crave so much. The music is slow, intense, massive. I'm reminded of bands like Russian Circles, Monkey3, Meniscus, A Place to Bury Strangers, A Swarm Of The Sun, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Pelican, Cult Of Luna... See, that's how good this band actually is.

I'm also not going to mention titles or certain passages in certain songs. Why? Because this album doesn't need to be divided into parts. As far as I'm concerned, this is a sonic trance that lasts for almost an hour, a trance in which you can explore the deepest and darkest caverns of your inner-being and thus the state of our society as we know it. You can almost surf on those distorted, droning guitars, guided by the methodical drums and lulled by these massive soundscapes.

Oh well, let's just face it. The world of post-rock and doom metal will have to its very best to produce something as exciting and captivating as 'آكتئاب'. I can only recommend this gem to all fans of slow, immersive and atmospheric music, whether it is drone, doom, shoegaze, post-rock, post-metal or even dark ambient. Apart from the intense darkness and the depressing feeling in the air, I think 2017 is going to be an awesome year for music...


​Serge


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Brieviews 19

26/1/2017

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Alex Cordo - Origami

progressive metal
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This one is a guitarist's dream, the musical equivalent of a karate student looking at his sensei. Alex Cordo is a classically trained guitar player who brings his skills into the world of progressive rock and metal. The songs on this album are instrumental metal anthems, narrated by technically perfect guitar play. Fans of flashing guitars, heavy rocking music and technical skills will probably adore the hell out of this album. If you're into Vai, Malmsteen or Satriani, you will undoubtedly appreciate this compositions and you'll definitely find a spot in your already massive collection to add this. So go ahead, check it out and enjoy the awesome landscapes of Alex Cordo...

December Hung Himself - Perseidi

dark ambient
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Speaking about landscapes, this Italian duo surely knows a thing or two about atmospheric and cinematic music. Formed by the guitarists from Thank U For Smoking, Drought & Charun, December Hung Himself take their post-rock and black metal experiences into the world of dark ambient and drones.The result is a must-have for fans of Atrium Carceri, Inade, Kammarheit and so on. If you're into minimal dark ambient, there's no doubt that this album deserves a spot in your collection. Here and there you can find a hint of melody, guitars and gloomy electronics. To conclude I have to say, the trippy closer '​Beta Persei' is pure genius

Last Builders of Empire - Hades

post rock
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American quartet Last Builders Of Empire also seem to know their way around post-rock and with this ep they show exactly how versatile this genre can be. Opener 'Descent of Perithous' is a classic post rock anthem, something between This Will Destroy You, Mono and Wang Wen. 'Clinostat' reminds me of the heavy and drone-infused regions of the scene, with bands like A Swarm Of The Sun. 'State Of Grace' brims with symphonic arrangements and then there are two more awesome tunes to be discovered. You guessed it, this ep definitely is worth the effort, and an excellent sonic journey into the Ancient Greek underworld.

Tuath - Things I Don't Know

shoegaze / psychedelic
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Irish noisemakers Tuath come up with a dark and gritty four-track ep, breathing a vintage shoegaze atmosphere but also incorporating elements from ambient, noise rock and even a hint of sludge doom. The title track is a strange episode with soundscapes and a long vocal sample, but definitely one I can often listen to. The other tracks rock quite heavy, here and there even getting a psychedelic and occult edge, like The Jesus And Mary Chain meets Hawkwind perhaps. If you know Tuath, you know that these guys aren't easy to categorize but that's exactly their strength. So, my advice, check it out, you'll be surprised.

Cyclocosmia - Immure

symphonic doom
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Progressive, symphonic, female fronted doom from London, created by producer James Scott, vocalist Aliki Katriou and guest musicians from all over the world. The result is an interesting album, blending the symphonic approach of gothic metal with the heavy riffing of vintage death doom and progressive technicality. So don't expect Nightwish or After Forever but expect a blend between Draconian, Ayreon, Dream Theatre and more modern metal acts. Even though it's not easy to correctly categorize this ep, I would certainly recommend adding it to your collection of unique and stubborn metal releases. I does deserve a spot there.

Hummingbird Of Death / Beartrap - Split

grindcore
Here And Now Records
Give Praise Records
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Grindcore, grindcore, grindcore, guttural, grindcore, short, attack, grindcore, punk, thrash, grindcore, growl, scream, grindcore.

I think that's pretty much all a grindcore fan needs to know about this fierce split between Hummingbird Of Death & Beartrap. It's a single, containing a bunch of extremely short and extremely aggressive hardcore punk influenced pieces of grindcore.

Oh, did I already mention grindcore?

​Grindcore 

Feller Buncher - 203040

alternative / metal
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A feller buncher is a type of harvester used in logging, something I jokingly called an "industrial treehugger". That aside, Feller Buncher is also a metal band from Paris. they have just released this heavy ep, highly influenced by sludge metal and the ever awesome power of the riff. Yet, the music reminds me more of bands like Danzig and Channel Zero, which I guess isn't that bad to be compared with. Although the tempo isn't always fierce, there is plenty of energy coming from these five tracks. Metal Fans should doubt no longer and start banging their heads to this massive machine...

Desiderii Marginis - Songs Over Ruins

dark ambient
Cyclic Law
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When this email came in, I was pleasantly surprised, but mostly because I thought it was a brand new Desiderii Marginis album. However, this is a reissue but nonetheless an interesting one. Back in 1997 and released by Cold Meat Industry, 'Songs Over Ruins' became a landmark dark ambient album, one that influences acts and labels all over the world. Now, the good people at Cyclic Law decided to reissue this masterpiece so more fans can get their hands on a copy of this. All I can add, is "go ahead and buy this thing", this is the stuff that gave birth to an entire scene...

Pintandwefall - Red and Blue Baby 

indie rock / pop rock
Svart Records
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On the somewhat joyful side of the musical universe we find this pop rocking girl band and their damn catchy tunes. With elements from indie rock, grunge and punk, Pintandwefall present a lo-fi version of acts like The Breeders or Throwing Muses. Opener 'Come To Rest' is my absolute favorite on this album, a song that easily gets stuck in your head. 'Seasimularo' is another fav, somehow bringing the sixties back. In all, this simply is a very enjoyable album that undoubtedly goes right into my day-to-day playlist. I'm sure I'll be smiling every single time one of these songs roll through my speakers.

Ric Gordon - Just Can't Get Enough

punk rock
Russian Winter Records
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While moving, punk rocker Ric Gordon discovered a box with fifty copies of his 1979 debut ep. So he decided to reissue them and make them available on CD and digital formats as well. In that case, I guess this is officially the oldest release ever to be reviewed on Merchants Of Air. Do I recommend it? Obviously I do, this is old fashioned rock 'n roll that is actually old enough to be old fashioned. There is a sense of timelessness in these songs. If you like acts like Ramones, Misfits and Status Quo, I suggest you check this thing out. Vintage just got a lot vintager... 

Gentle Savage - Introduction

rock / blues
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"Let the good times roll", they sing in opener 'Bring Back Rock`n`Roll' and I can't help but agree. Let me introduce Finnish blues rockers Gentle Savage and their first tribute to rock 'n roll. In three songs, one catchy, one rather psychedelic and one pretty damn southern, these guys delivered an awesome debut, something for fans of everything between Hendrix, CCR and Black Crowes. Obviously, this gem calls for a full-length in the near future, followed by a tour. So, I guess it's clear, Gentle Savage are here to bring the soul back to rock 'n roll and judging from this ep, they're doing the right thing...

Funeral Mourning - Descent MMXV

funeral doom / black metal
Nihilistische KlangKunst (cd)
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Right, enough joy and happiness. Time to drag our depressed souls through endless floods of despair and misery, courtesy of Australian act Funeral Mourning. That might sound as a little joke, but I'm damn serious about this album. This is an atmospheric funeral doom blast, one which easily fits the gaps between your Esoteric, Evoken and Shape Of Despair albums. In two lengthy tracks, this act definitely convinces. If you want the assaults on your sanity to be slow, intense and punishing, you need this album. Hell, it's stuff like this that made me become obsessed with this whole genre to begin with...

Adam Probert - The Battle For Tomorrow

noise / drone / spoken word
Sonic Entrails
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Noise music and activism often go hand in hand, and that is exactly the case with this album by spoken word punk poet and dignity in care campaigner Adam Probert. The music here can be compared to acts like Con-Dom, Atrax Morgue, Brighter Death Now and Propergol, although Probert's tracks are not as harsh and punishing as the others. Yet, the whole remains in the drones and minimal noise regions and contains a heap of spoken words and samples. My suggestion, download the album, play it loud, listen to the words and think about them, even if you're not into noise, just listen and think!!!

Steelballs - Steelballs

heavy metal
Witches Brew
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We've been travelling through time a lot in this edition of Brieviews. Right now, we're in the eighties, where bands like Helloween, Manowar and Grave Digger were the heroes of metal. Formed in 2013, Steelballs is a band from Argentina who honor that era of heavy metal. So how do they do it? Not bad, my friend, not bad at all. Raging heavy metal, flashing solos, high pitched vocals... it's all here and it comes to you like a freight train. The ep contains four fine tunes which will easily remind you of the bands I previously mentioned. To some it might sound outdated but to others this is timeless metal, period.

Teleport - Ascendance 

death metal / black metal
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A band that answers the question "bands we like" with "insane ones" immediately demands respect. With that alone, this Slovenian band gained my interest, but also with the term "cosmic metal". Apparently, that means, "a complex and progressive blend of black and death metal which aims to pulverise your very soul into a massive black hole of musical extremism". So yes, blast this thing through your speakers and prepare to bang your head into an endless vacuum. Fans of extreme metal can easily trust this ep to bash them into a bloody pulp because take it from me, these guys can play.

Serge
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Emptiness - Not For Music

26/1/2017

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doom / industrial
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The first month is not over yet and one thing is already starting to become clear. 2017 will color black, yellow and red (mostly black). There is no denying that Belgian bands are about to dominate the musical landscape and, as a result, plenty of end-year lists in December. Bathsheba and Wiegedood already set the standard in their respective genres and now Emptiness is aiming for the absolute top in whatever genre it is they play these days.

That being said, I have no idea how to correctly describe the music on this stunning full-length. The follow up to their 2014 album 'Nothing But The Whole' simply shatters every genre restriction you can think of, eventually resulting in something between Anathema, Godflesh and Massive Attack. I know, those are miles away from each other, but somehow Emptiness managed to throw these and other influences into something that actually deserves the term "unique".

It opens with the awesome track 'Meat Heart', a dark metal tune with plenty of keyboards and soundscapes but still damn catchy and immersive. I really dig the vocals here, along of course with the pitch black atmosphere. The vocals seem to come directly from a haunting horror movie, which adds a lot to whole concept. 'It Might Be' follows a similar path, but on the same time adds some elements from the whole post-black metal scene.

With the addition of Ashtoreth's Peter to the line-up, Emptiness brought in someone who know his way around drones, noise and soundscapes, something you can clearly hear on this album. 'You Skin Won't Hide You' perfectly illustrates that. This is one of my favorite tracks here, somewhat reminding me of Nadja covering The Cure and using these awesome dark grunts over it. Yep, apart from everything I already mentioned, this album also breathes shoegaze-galore.

So yes, in a way this album contains plenty of variation but at the same time it showcases a coherent and conceptual sound. Even the dark jazz influenced post-doom track 'Digging In The Sky' fits perfectly in this concept, even though this song issues an atmosphere of increscent madness rather than the pitch black darkness in the other tracks. And if all that is not enough, 'Ever' comes up with synthpop meets gothic death metal and still sounds convincing.

After listening to the album a few times, the phrase "I hope this is Emptiness' 'Wildhoney'" appeared in my head. With that, I was thinking about the conceptual feel, the lower tempo and the domination of atmosphere over aggression but also about simply breaking through. With this album, Emptiness added an absolute blast and certainly a landmark in their career. Obviously, this comes highly recommended for every fan of dark metal or "angst rock".


​Serge
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Dopelord - Children of the Haze

23/1/2017

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stoner rock / doom
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Children of the Haze is an album released on January 16, by Polish Stoner Rock group Dopelord. With six tracks – Navigator, Scum Priest, Children of the Haze, Skulls and Candles, Dead Inside (I&II) and Reptile Sun – the album is a classic Stoner album: with slow rhythms, viciously hostile guitar lines, expressively strong sonorous walls and a corrosive pattern of harmonies, the record manages to be very good. Although there is nothing new here, you definitely manage to have a very cool time with Children of the Haze. Impersonating the best qualities of the genre in a very expressive and solid definition, Dopelord does a great job on this album, and from the beginning it becomes very evidently why they are so good.

With pervasive, but subtlety aggressive guitar lines, the songs are well written, elaborated in a solid conjuncture, that highlights the best expressions of the genre. Although eventually you may get resented of a little monotony, Children of the Haze sustains itself very well all the way through, being way better – I mean, really above the top – than the vast majority of other records released on the genre.

Evidently, the guitar lines are what the record has at its best, although the vocals are exceedingly cool, in a very categorical and proverbial sphere of sound. The instrumental passages are mostly surreal, and majorly abundant. The instruments converge and align with one another very well, and technically, they are undoubtedly skilled. The production values also sound professional, and everything that you hear on this record certainly goes beyond the ordinary standards. 

Although I haven’t found this album to be superbly incredible, it has more merits than derogatory elements. The only lamentable things here are some tedious passages – they are there, but are very little – some sonorous uniformity and a “common ground” approach to the genre. Nonetheless, there are interesting melodies, and a demanding originality, that, although shy sometimes, presents itself astonishingly. They are powerful, delusional and whimsical, and you can feel their sound touching your skin.

Although I really like Stoner Rock, it’s not one of my favorite genres. But Dopelord are definitely miles away in an evolutionary and creative stance, if compared to a lot of their contemporaries, and they have an astoundingly surprising potential. Undeniably, they greatly represent Stoner Rock, and have the talent to become one of the main exponents of the genre.        


Wagner
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Brieviews 18

14/1/2017

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Hurray, the first edition of Brieviews of 2017 is here and once again it's a damn varied one. From shoegaze to grindcore and from techno to djent, it's all in here. I'm sure that there is something you like in here. Enjoy...
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Blushing - Tether

shoegaze / dreampop
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Two husbands and wives making music together, that's always a better idea than go on a joint bicycle trip while wearing similar fluorescent bike-wear, not? Well, it certainly proved to be an excellent time spending idea for these four Americans, making blissful dreampop and shoegaze. In these four tracks, they easily please fans of Slowdive and Cocteau Twins while also coming with with some gritty grunge sounds. Opener 'Tether' is a damn catchy tune, one that might easily get stuck in your head. The other songs are perfect shoegazing tunes, once again highlighting in 'Mess'. This truly is a recommended ep.

88 Mile Trip - Blame Canada

stoner rock
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Another neat idea comes from Canadian stoner rockers 88 Mile Trip. During a beer drinking and record spinning session, they discovered some awesome songs from their home country and decided to cover the ones they like the most. That results in groovy stoner rock versions of songs by Bachman Turner Overdrive, Red Rider, Doug and The Slugs, Neil Young and Stampeders. Yet, the band manages not only to cover the songs but to make them their own, eventually resulting in a surprisingly coherent sounding ep. Although, as good as the ep is, I can't help but continuously singing South Park's 'Blame Canada'. Perhaps a cover idea for the future? 

The Empire Line - Syndicat de la Couture

electronic / ambient
Avian
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Scandinavian multi-disciplinary artists Jonas Rönnberg & Christian Stadsgaard come up with some haunting electronic ambient like only experienced techno producers can do. Opening with the creepy 'Fragrance Arpege', this ep is as atmospheric as it is varied. 'Cafe Anglais' drives on electronic percussion and unidentified noises while 'Jewelry Armoire' is post-apocalyptic soundtrack material with eerie soundscapes. Closer 'Syndicat de la Couture' eventually brings out the analog beats and techno influences, but in a good way, a trancy and somewhat hypnotic way. Nice little gem, certainly recommended.

Movement Of Static - Novelty Seekers

post rock
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We also have something nice for fans of post rock, namely the Greek band Movement Of Static who have released their quite promising debut ep. Although, ep, the whole thing last over half an hour, which gives us plenty of time to get acquainted with these beautiful tunes. In four songs, Movement Of Static provides the listener with an excellent blend of post rock and ambient with some heavier passages and loads of atmosphere. Opener 'Telomeres' is a brilliant piece of work, dark, creepy and immersive, like Godspeed meets Deftones.  If you like well-varied post rock music, you just can't go wrong with this ep.

Cowards - Still

black metal / hardcore
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Somewhere in the extreme spectrum of the musical universe, we find French horde Cowards and their brand new ep 'Still'. With a blend of black metal, hardcore and sludge, this act plans a vicious assault on your sanity. The music is gritty, noisy and more in-your-face than you can imagine. Pulverising riffs, blasting drums and a vocalist who seemingly feels like he doesn't need his lungs, this thing is out for nothing less than utter destruction. However, they do have a sense of humor, brilliantly covering The Horrorist's 'One Night In NYC', which actually is one of the coolest covers I've ever heard. Anyway, if you want music to murder you, this ep might be worth a shot

Dead Neanderthals - Dolphin

heavy jazz / noise rock
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Dutch heavy jazz combo Dead Neanderthals are seemingly doing everything in their power to make something unique. As a gift to their fans, they uploaded this eleven minutes lasting epos of sax, drums, chaos, intensity and insanity. It's stuff like this that connects the jazz scene with the grindcore and noise rock scenes and I have no idea what most jazz fans will think about this. That aside, I would recommend checking it out, preferably at a ridiculously loud volume and start throwing things against the walls. It therapeutic, I promise, you'll feel a lot better when it's all over. Rare jongens, die Nederlanders...

The Stone Cox - Blackboard

alternative rock
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Hell yeah, time to rock 'n roll  and for that French combo The Stone Cox are the perfect companions. On this ep, they come up with three high energy rock tracks, influenced by everything between Led Zeppelin and Foo Fighters. The first two are heavy and groovy rockers that can get every party started. Closer 'Not Going Home (Hard Red Sun)' somewhat reminds me of a band like The Scabs and shows a more musically gifted side of this band. Anyhow, rockers of all ages can easily appreciate this ep and I hope that soon this will be followed by a full-length. 

Death Metal Pope - Harvest

doom metal
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Imagine that, a death metal pope, growling his yearly "urbi et orbi" from a black and red painted Vatican. Would be funny. However, this Death Metal Pope has nothing to do with Christianity and just barely with death metal. This is a doom metal band which often comes very close to Black Sabbath and on other occasions blasts some guttural grunts and some psychedelic passages in your face. Although I still had my doubts in title track 'Harvest', 'From The Dust Returned' convinced me that this is an awesome ep, one that is certainly worth your attention if you're into old school doom. A must-have for doom fans, that's for sure.

Ben Blutzukker - Analog Blood

heavy metal
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German one man electro band Blutzukker becomes German one man metal band Ben Blutzukker and comes up with something surprising. As you can see on the cover, one of the influences is Guns 'n Roses but the whole thing sounds more like an Abbath side project, exploring the massive history of heavy metal. The four songs on this ep are quite gritty metal songs, reminding me of acts like Venom or Motorhead. Not bad for songs that were initially electro/industrial tunes. My favorite is 'Red' but I'd certainly recommend every open minded metalhead to check this out and compare the songs to the originals.

A Cunning Man - Practical Applications Of Theurgy

power metal / heavy metal
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Another one man project, and one with a quite unusual twist. A Cunning Man describes his act as "One man metal project with a strong Scottish accent", something I can't deny. Of course, the Scottish accent makes the whole thing sound somewhat weird and drags it into the world of pagan metal. Yet, the music feels like a mesmerizing amalgamation of metal styles, from the power metal of bands like Hammerfall over black and death metal to modern day arena rock. The ep contains three songs which certainly deserve your attention, especially if you want something familiar yet unique. 

Beneath A Godless Sky - ​Beneath A Godless Sky

hardcore / progressive
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French djent-act Beneath A Godless Sky comes with a debut that will pierce you in more ways that you could possibly imagine. Now, personally, I'm not a connoisseur of the whole djent scene, which to me makes this whole ep sound like something between Meshuggah, Periphery and Tesseract. I guess that's not a band list of bands to be compared with. I do know that the songs on this thing are loaded with energy, intensity and brutality. Besides, some passages here are damn immersive and most riffs are well-worth of an intense headbanging session. In its entirety, I know that this is nothing for me but for fans of progressive hardcore and djent, it is definitely a must-have.

Elusion - Desert Of Enticement

symphonic meal / gothic meal
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This debut by Belgian band Elusion does not sound like a debut, far from it. If you told me that this was a new effort by After Forever or Epica, I might have believed you. The three songs on this ep are high quality symphonic metal songs, played by seasoned musicians and sung by a talented  woman. What's more, these songs rock, making them perfect headbanging material. Personally, I didn't really follow this particular genre anymore but I'm damn sure that these three tunes, especially the folky closer 'Facade' will appear in my day-to-day playlist quite often from now on. They should appear in yours too if you're into this genre.

Rumah - A View To The Sea

techno
Wolfskuil
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At festivals, I often wander into the dance hall, even though I do not consider myself a techno fan. However, I usually enjoyed these sonic adventures for a while, which is exactly why I sometimes decide to review a techno ep This one comes from English producer Rumah and contains four high energy dance tunes, mainly inspired by the Detroit scene of the nineties. The first act that came to mind to compare this ep with, was Joey Beltram and you can add people like Jeff Mills or Dave Clarke to that list as well. So yes, this is a recommended release if you're in for some decent, old school dance music.

American Anymen + Lise - Oui

alternative / singer-songwriter
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From the United States comes a nice cooperation between anti-folk act American Anymen and singer-songwriter/keyboardist Lise. In four songs, both acts seem to explore the possibilities of this get together. Opener 'Nobody Made Me Smile Like You Did' is an excellent ballad while 'Less Complex' and 'Does Anybody Still Think Of Me' are uplifting rock songs, driving on acoustic guitars. Closer 'H' is another ballad, but probably my favorite track on this album. I wouldn't really know who to compare this ep with, Beck maybe? But then again, nice pop songs like these don't need comparison, they just need to be listened to.

The Vomiting Dinosaurs - Exoplanets

death metal / thrash metal
Grimoire Records
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And we end this edition of Brieviews with a short but destructive assault by American thrash-death horde The Vomiting Dinosaurs. In mere  fifteen minutes this trio blasts nine songs of gore and brutality over their listeners and I'm sure those listeners will enjoy the abuse.  Most of the songs drive on fierce hardcore punk tempos and issue an array of guttural growls and screams. If this stuff doesn't get your grindcore party started, you are not having a grindcore party, that's for damn fucking bloody sure. A favorite? Nope, this whole thing is only fifteen minutes long, which makes the entire thing well suited for a session of audible SM.

Serge
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Ketch - Anthems of Dread

12/1/2017

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doom / sludge
Aesthetic Death
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We're not done dooming yet (as if we're ever!!!) so we'll just continue to blast some slow, torpid metal through our speakers like a flow of mud over our consciousness. Although, this one is somewhat different from the funeral doom album I reviewed earlier. This one nudges to sludge metal and carries a hint of psychedelic music as well, which obviously makes the whole thing a bit more varied and aggressive.

But what would you expect from a band composed of members of several black/doom, power grind and psychedelic bands? Of course this multitude of influences has leaked into their sound, much to my delight too. It provides plenty of variation, not only musically but also as far as vocals are concerned. With both sludge screams and deep, guttural growls over the thick riffs, Ketch certainly convinces.

The album opens with 'Fertile Rites by Sacrifice', vintage sludge metal song but also one that carefully flirts with dark jazz, another one of my favorites. Yet, as the distortion, the hammering drums and the vocals come in, we're riding on waves of doom for about an hour or so. Further down the record Ketch guides us along funeral doom, post-metal and even flashes of death metal, the latter beautifully represented in the riffing in 'En Nomine Eius'.

'Estranged' is the strange breather before Ketch kicks off the second part of the album with my absolute favorite, the massive 'Detached and Conquered'. This is another one of those hypnotizing beatdowns that only sludge metal bands can deliver and in doing that, these Americans absolutely convince. I can easily see hordes of fans in front of the stage, sluggishly banging their heads to these waves of sludge hammers.

So yes, this is an excellent, well-varied and highly immersive piece of sludge doom, one every fan of the genre should get his hands on. It's a long album too, with ten songs. In all lasting for a bit over an hour. The leel of musicianship is high, actually even higher than most other bands in this genre. So what are you waiting for, buy this thing and allow it to hammer you into a piece of pulp. You know you want it...


​Serge


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Frowning - Extinct

12/1/2017

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funeral doom
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Aah, doom metal, the odd man in the world of extreme music and by far my favorite too. That is, until I discovered funeral doom, an even slower and darker version. I spent countless of hours listening to Evoken, Until Death Overtakes Me and Pantheist. And we all know that "countless of hours of funeral doom" equals about seven songs or so. Just kidding, I devoured them all and apparently, I'm not the only one.

Val, the person behind this German funeral doom project, started Frowing in 2011. He was inspired by the exact bands I mentioned above. 2014 saw his first substantial release, which is now followed by another brilliant piece of music. For this, he got some help from vocalists Stanislav Govorukha (Suffer Yourself) and Hekjal (Ad Cinerem). In short, 'Extinct' is a stunning testament of depression, fear and despair. 

In a way, this is an album with all the right ingredients to make it a classic funeral doom album, nothing more, nothing less. The tempo is extremely slow. The guitars and drums create an immersive and hypnotizing sound on which the deep growls thrive. The songs are long, with 'Buried Deep' lasting over twenty minutes. 'Frédéric Chopin's Marche Funèbre' is the shortest one, clocking off at about six minutes.

That being said, no, this album doesn't differ that much from the ones by Shape Of Despair, Esoteric and all the others but that doesn't matter one little bit. I'm absolutely sure that fans of the genre cvan easily appreciate the tormented sound of 'Encumbered by Vermin' or the brilliant 'Veiled In Fog', each of them being a vintage funeral doom track. Besides, the whole thing carries that cold, eerie atmosphere that we all adore so much.

So take it from me, if there is one album that funeral doom fans will love this year, or if there is one band in this genre to be discovered, it might as well be this one. You simply can't go wrong with Frowning. This one is going right into my day-to-day playlist and I'm sure it'll guarantee another countles of hours of pure misery and damnation, just the way we doomers like it...


​Serge


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