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We have t-shirts. We know you have some too, but they're not the same.
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Mök - Kamikaze Slug
black metal / crust punk
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Sometimes strange thoughts appear in my mind. This time the sentence: "blackened crust punk played by people who can actually play their instruments" popped-up halfway through the second song. With chainsaw-guitars, eerie vocals, grunts and brutally dynamic drums these guys actually created a stunning piece of work. Darkthrone or Mayhem come to mind but also extreme hardcore punk of bands like Amebix. The well-played and quite varied combination of both styles make this a raunchy and filthy delight to listen to, perfectly suited to squatted building parties and grungy underground venues. Recommended stuff...
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Malacoda - Ritual Aeterna
symphonic metal
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Hailing from Canada, symphonic metal horde Malacoda comes up with a dark, horror inspired ep. These sixs track are loaded with immersive tempos, excellent guitar play and plenty of keyboard sounds. The end result reminds me of something between Dimmu Borgir, Nightfall, Moonspell and Kamelot, which obviously means that this music is epic as hell. My favorite track is 'I Got A Letter' but there's a lot of gothic goodness to be found on this thing. Fans of dark melodic metal surely can't go wrong with this. There's plenty of variation, tonnes of atmosphere and enough energy to keep you rocking...
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Venkman - Thunder Thief // Some Rainbows
funk / alternative
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Right, time to explore something completely different for a while, which takes us all the way to this English act and their uplifting funk. I reviewed their work before (read) so I was curious about these two songs. With good reason too. This is stuff for world music festivals and sunlit family events. 'Thunder Thief' has a warm and dynamic sound, possibly inspired by traditional African music. The second song, 'Some Rainbows' is my favorite of the two. It brings a touch of indie rock, a dash of ska and loads of soul together to create something you just have to dance to. This goes right into may day-to-day playlist.
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Rodney Cromwell - Fax Message Breakup
synthpop / electronic
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Time to put on our dancing boots and enjoy some gloomy dancefloor fillers. This ep apparently was inspired by the infamous break-up between Phil Collins and his second wife but don't let that confuse you. The title track is a Depeche Mode meets OMD meets Pet Shop Boys track which will definitely cause some ass-shaking. I also really dig the Cure inspired guitar line in this one. The remixes range from strange disco to even stranger techno tunes but are nonetheless quite joyful tunes to light up your Sunday blues. The vocals say "I can't do this anymore", but I personally hope he'll do this more often...
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Dead High Wire - Satellite State Brain Drain
post punk / alternative / indie
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Earlier this year, I had the pleasure to introduce these guys on our website (read) and now they return with a brand new ep. This new release contains four tracks and showcases the evolution of the band. Opener 'The Germans' for example reminds me of acts like Cabaret Voltaire. while 'Defectors' is a damn immersive rocker. 'The Grey Zone' and 'Chains' punk things up a bit but still remain loyal to the whole post punk and indie atmosphere. I specifically like the first two tracks. Somehow they feel like they have the power to attract a lot of new fans. But rest assured, this whole ep is a prime example of energy being put to good use. Awesome ep.
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Flayed - XI Million
hard rock
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Hell yeah, my favorite French rockers return with a new ep, one that once again blasts with energy and adrenaline. What you get on this ep is exactly what you would expect from a band like Flayed: heavy blues-infused rock 'n roll with rough vocals and that always awesome Hammond organ. If you're into everything between Deep Purple, AC/DC and Black Crowes, you should get your hands on this gem. The opener and title track 'XI Million' remains my favorite but I'm sure that these five fine tunes will blast through my speakers a lot from now on. Oh, and there's a smashing version of CCR's 'Fortunate Son' on this one too.
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Maira - Maira
black metal / shoegaze
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I never really understood the whole "blackgaze" thing. Ok, the bands blend shoegaze with black metal but the genre still sounds like black metal to me, perhaps a bit more psychedelic but still. That is, until these guys from Austria showed up in my inbox. On their debut ep, they actually manage to shatter my doubt about this genre. While these two songs are still infused with a decent dose of black metal, Maira comes up with clean vocals and, well, actual shoegaze and post rock. The result is somewhat surprising but nonetheless highly interesting. I will keep an eye our for these guys, and I suggest you do the very same thing.
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Killer 4 - Killer 4
grunge / alternative rock / punk
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Those Italians sure know how to rock, and Killer 4 are here to prove exactly that. With their sleazy blend of grunge and stoner rock, dressed in a filthy punk attitude, these guys want to rock your socks off. For me, this really is a nice throwback into the nineties where the guitars were distorted, the vocals were raspy and the drums blasted the whole thing forward with a lot of energy. There are five songs on this ep, all guaranteeing a wicked and wild rock 'n roll party. You take care of the booze and the girls and Killer 4 will take care of the raunchy soundtrack for your nineties themed debauchery.
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Nick Noro - Vietnamm
rock
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The frontman for American metal/hardcore band Survival comes up with an interesting piece of rock music. Although the music doesn't seem to be very complicated, it's not easy to place this in a certain category. I hear flashes of English punk rock, some influences from bands like Sisters Of Mercy, Killing Joke, or The Damned. There are samples and electronics, but most of all, there is sheer energy and some damn immersive pieces of kick-ass rock music. The whole comes with a tremendous in-your-face attitude which makes this ep quite irresistible for fans of pure and uncompromised rock music.
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Birthday Kicks/Screaming Dead Balloons - Tonight at Vault Relics
post punk / alternative rock
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Speaking about in-your-face rock music, here's a nice 7" for your listening pleasure. Side A features Greek fuzz-rockers and their immersive version of 'She Talks To Rainbows' (originally a Ramones song). Of course, in this case the original will always remain better but this sure is one damn good version. Side B brings the gloomy post punk from fellow countrymen Screaming Dead Balloons. This is my favorite of the two, combining lingering guitars with noise rock and a hint of psychedelic rock. So yeah, I'd say "check it out", it's a nice addition to your already impressive collection.
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Chanvre - Valkyrie Mecanique
alternative rock / noise rock
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By now, we at Merchants Of Air know France as a country with headstrong musicians doing their thing, regardless of trends or genres. Take this trio for example. They're armed with guitars, bass, drums and a bunch of effect pedals so you might expect quite anything. Yet, even then your expectation might be wrong. Once you press play, you'll be engulfed in a whirlpool of noise rock, post punk, psychedelic rock, sludge, math rock and sheer weirdness, all accompagnied by French vocals. The result is a strange but nonetheless enjoyable ep that just might get you dancing or banging your head. The choice is yours...
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Dark Clarity - Dark Clarity
hard rock / heavy metal
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Dark Clarity is a melodic rock band from Finland. Although they formed back in 2008, several line-up changes slowed down the growth of the band, only now resulting in a first release. Judging from the songs here, those setbacks didn't stop them from becoming a heavy rocking band with an eye for epic heavy metal. My favorite song here is the uptempo 'False God' which even reminds me a bit of Helloween. Other bands that come to mind, include Manowar, Iron Maiden, Gravedigger and Saxon. Not a bad set of names to be compared with. I hope their line-up now remains solid so they can start conquering the metal scene...
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Anal Trump - That Makes Me Smart
grindcore
With Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation on vocals, San Diego grindcore outfit Anal Trump comes up with a short and vicious assault. The longest song on this album is eighteen seconds long and I had to listen four times while writing this thing. So yes, this is sick, gore grindcore in perfect Anal Cunt / Napalm Death tradition. It comes with a lot of shit that someone named Donald Trump has been spewing out, like 'I'd Date My Daughter', 'Build That Wall' and 'Breastfeeding Is Gay'. So if you miss Seth Putnam, hate Donald Trump, think music should be torturous and have no problem with the fact that downloading this release will last longer than actually playing it, you need this.
Morbid Panzer - Only The Total Death
black metal / thrash metal
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Since we're dwelling in the putrid extremes of the metal scene, here's a brutal piece of blackened thrash metal for to add to vulgar little pleasures. German horde Morbid Panzer comes up with two songs that will tear your ears off your head. Grinding guitars, pounding drums and screams from the deepest pits of hell will surround you and you will bang your head uncontrollably. The ep reminds me of those old black metal albums from acts like Mayhem, Impaled Nazarene or Darkthrone. So fans of everything other people might find disgusting, get your hands on this brutal gem. You know you want to.
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Cancer - Terminal
black metal
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Right, let's go even deeper into the sound of utter despair and haunting imagery. Our infernal search for the sickest, grimmest and downright terrifying music now brings us to Australian horde Cancer. The band consists of members of Deadspace and Inquinamentum, so I reckon there has been a lot of experience in these musical regions. Musically, this five-track ep is one of the creepiest depressive black metal releases I've heard in awhile. Fierce, primitive and crushing black metal, accompagnied by frightful howls will definitely reappear in your nightmares. This is only suited for seasoned black metal adepts, that's for sure.
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Harmonic Generator - Skull
punk / alternative rock
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Hurray, here is part 3 of Harmonic Generator's 'Heart, Flesh, Skull & Bones' tetralogy. Once again, these Frenchmen throw a bunch of high-energy punk rock songs in our faces. They borrow elements from old school hard rock, noise rock and every other guitar-based energy producing genre and turn the whole thing into a rock 'n roll party you can't resist. Opener 'Dreams & Tears' is my favorite on this ep but I suggest every fan of alternative rock music to check this out. And while you're at it, get your hands on the others as well and join me in waiting for the final act in this rock-opera.
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Shroud Eater/Dead Hand - Split
doom / sludge
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We end this edition of Brieviews with a crushing steamroller in the form of a 7" by two bands from the American stoner doom scene. Shroud Eater kicks off with an immersive piece of music, driving on monolithic riffs and strong vocals. Fans of acts like Yob, Elder and Conan will be absolutely thrilled with this track. Dead Hand drags the whole thing deeper into the noisy sludge scene but their track is equally immersive and enjoyable, if you're into eardrum-ripping guitars. This track also contains a beautiful psychedelic passages, which only adds to the overall quality of this release. Doomers, you know what to do!!!
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Serge
