alternative rock / grunge / nu-metal

post rock

Is the post rock genre already old enough to have an old-school scene? If so, French quartet Tölva could soon become a force to be reckoned with. Inspired by the greats, you know, Godspeed, You Russian, This Will Destroy the Explosions in Mogwai, that kind of stuff, Törva delivered a very strong debut ep with all the necessary elements to make it a strong competitor. The opener 'Poveglia' remains my favorite and I really enjoy the calm breather 'Puzzle' as well. The other two track? Well, they're equally loaded with beautiful soundscapes, a blissful atmosphere and all the emotions only decent post rock can deliver. This is a great, and highly recommended, debut.

alternative rock / grunge

See? I told you we were facing a nineties revival. It's hit France now too, and it hit it good. Leaving Passenger is an alternative rock band from Paris who are about to debut with this magnificent ep. Influenced by the likes of Hoobastank, Incubus, Linkin Park and Nickelback, these guys come up with some  strong and highly convincing songs., strangely enough reminding me of Tool and Deftones. 'Lies On The Floor' is a world class song, and definitely not the only one on this ep. I love the riffs, who show some stoner rock influences as well. But the coolest thing about this is the use of electronics to give the whole thing an extra touch, something glitchy often. This is a brilliant ep.

electronic / techno

Anomia

I had no idea what to expect from this 12" but the opening track 'Divulge' certainly got my attention. Glitchy ambient and otherworldly soundscapes filled the room, much to my delight. On 'Patterned' the techno beats arrive and I thought, "well, why not" and started shaking my ass a little. The music reminds me a bit of acts like Riou or Unit Moebius, two acts I quite like fro their experimental approach to electronic dance music. In that aspect, the title track might be my favorite but I like this whole ep, even the somewhat nineties inspired '500 Words'. So yeah, perhaps it's a good idea to check this out and do a little dance. It's a nice change from the stuff we usually listen to...

dark ambient

When French artist and writer Nihil asked Swedish one-man martial ambient act In Slaughter Natives to compose the soundtrack for his book, something very interesting happened. I don't know which is the darkest element of this experience: the music, the artwork or the short stories. Main theme is the search for identity of the main character, a man who accidentally awakes from the artificial lethargy everyone has been submerged into for ages. The amazingly detailed artwork mostly displays one desperate human being, face or eyes covered. The soundtrack only emphasizes the lonely and frightening atmosphere of the whole. In Slaughter Natives again delivers top-shelf dark ambient and martial industrial soundscapes. For fans of Puissance, Triarii, Raison d'Être but also recommended to anyone who's fed up with the muzak which comes gushing out of your radio...

electronic / dark ambient / industrial / noise

We're not done with crawling through utter darkness yet. In fact, we're going deeper down into a world where sounds are no longer natural, no longer bearable for the ordinary person. Fans of electronic drones, dark ambient and dark industrial noise on the other hand will have a blast with this album from French one-man project Sona Nyl. This album constantly balances on the edge between musicality and noise and quite often blatantly crossing over. The result is a captivating album, loaded with unidentified noises, creeping, crawling and repetitive enough to grind you into a deep and gloomy state of trance. This is something for fans of everything between ​Aghiatrias, Atrium Carceri and Atrax Morgue 

dark ambient / neo classical

Russian dark ambient and neoclassical project Astarium has been around for quite some time now, always delivering some strong and mysterious music. On this cooperation with Portuguese act Antiquus Scriptum that is no different. The eight tracks delivered by Astarium are once again representations of mystical worlds and times with beautiful arrangements and a eerie atmosphere. Antiquus Scriptum adds another set of strange songs, perhaps a bit more experimental and bizarre but nonetheless very interesting. There is something pagan, something medieval to this music and clearly something I can appreciate. This is an excellent split which you should check out if you're into ancient folk and gloomy musical bliss.

folk 

Aah, the beauty of being an introvert. It's so nice to dwell in someone's mind by exploring their music and that certainly is the case on this album by Canadian singer songwriter Clara Engel. Here and there aided by people like Aidan Baker, Armen Ra, Thor Harris and Siavash Amini, this woman delivers intimate but soulful folk songs with guitar, vocals and soundscapes or drones. The result is a pleasure to listen to, often even evoking a teardrop. For me, it's hard to compare this to other artists, because it's a realm I don't often visit. But that doesn't matter, all you need to know about this album is the captivating and immersive nature and the simply beautiful songs, loaded with emotions. Definitely recommended stuff.

classical

Dominique Charpentier is a multi-instrumentalist from France. He chose the piano for his first full-length album, his instrument of predilection. and you can immediately hear that this is one very talented fellow. He has also made soundtracks for films and video games in his home studio, and you can hear impressive orchestral compositions on his soundcloud page. The piano songs on Passages are breathtaking gems that remind of the works of Yann Tiersen and Ludovico Einaudi, two other self-made musicians and Carpentier's main influences. I'd say: go check this album out now!

doom

Once starting out as a blackened doom metal band, Swedish act Nangilima gradually evolved into the symphonic doom death combo they are today. Their new single, 'Shards Of Loss' contains two tracks which should every fan of Saturnus, Novembers Doom, My Dying Bride and Swallow the Sun tremble with excitement. Deep guttural growls and thick riffs are being accompagnied with piano and orchestral arrangements to create vast sonic journeys. Both songs are varied enough to remain interesting and lingering enough to maintain that always awesome doom metal bliss. See, this is why I love this genre so much. It comes from deep within and speaks directly to the darkest of souls.

black metal

bandcamp

When an album title translates as "I hate life", you know you can expect something depressive and harsh. And yes, that's exactly what this Italian one-man act delivers. After an intro, hell breaks loose with harsh, minimal, mainly slow, gritty and primitive black metal, somehow reminding me of some of those ancient pioneers in the scene. Yet, the mid-tempo approach of songs like 'Primavera Depressa' has something post-punkish as well. 'Ricaduta' is probably my favorite track on this album, one that shows decent musical skills and a flair for a bleak atmosphere. I recommend this album to all fans of Nyktalgia, Nortt and Xasthur, or anyone who thinks life is something to be suffered, not enjoyed...

experimental / noise / improv

Cylinder Recordings

What happens when an experienced double bassist and a seasoned electronic experimentalist climb on stage together? Well, apparently you get something highly impressive that defies all categorization, like this twenty minutes lasting orgy of drones, soundscapes noises and hints of jazz. This release was recorded during a gig the two artists did in Rotterdam and damn it, it makes me regret not being there. In its digital form it's already impressive but my guess is that the concert itself has been intensely captivating and hypnotizing. Then again, that's something we're already used to with Machinefabriek, but still, this surely is something you need if you're into experimental ingenuity...

alternative rock / electronic / indie

facebook

Hailing from France, Tomy Lobo doesn't seem to be interesting in doing this normally. The indie rock this act delivers, drives on modern electronic sounds but also seems to showcase a tremendous flair for the bombast of alternative rock. The result is a combination of everything you can hear on a decent alternative music radio station. You can dance to it, you can kneel-down and cry your eyes out to it or you can just shake your head in absolute approval. Personally, I prefer the latter but wouldn't mind dancing to gems like 'Night Prism' or the gloomy dubstep track 'Erase It All'. It's a bit like Oscar and the Wolf, but better. Way better. Check it out, you just might have found something new to expand your collection.

crust / screamo / post-hardcore / noise rock

Hailing from the beautiful country of Spain, but a bit more on the noisy spectrum of the musical industry, comes this raunchy and loud trio, Drei Affen and their untitled blast of sheer aggression. With a blend of screamo, noise rock and post-hardcore, this trio is out for nothing less than utter destruction and as far as I'm concerned, it works pretty well. I mean, listening to this ep already caused me to throw a hot cup of coffee at a mosquito and punish a pillow for its uncomfortable position. This music is intense, that's for damn sure, and I think it's not suitable for everyone. Yet, for fans of ruthless violence, this definitely comes highly recommend. I'm sure live shows by this trio will cause a lot of bruises and broken noses...

gothic metal / death metal / doom

We end this edition of Brieviews with two harsh doom songs with a gloomy, gothic atmosphere. German band Valborg has been compared to bands like Type O Negative, Celtic Frost and Triptykon and who am I to contradict that. Fans of these bands will certainly appreciate these massively immersive pieces of death doom but I still feel that Valborg has its own sound, somewhat industrial, somewhat dirty and vampiric. I'm sure Bela Lugosi would have loved the brilliant title track if he were still alive. Oh well, go ahead, check this out and join me in hoping that Valborg will come up with a stunning full-length and tour in the near future.

writers: Serge & Eline

martial industrial

Yesterday I witnessed Sophia presenting this release live at the Porta Nigra festival. Absorbing the first track immediately drags me back to yesterday, a night that has dragged me back quite a few years in time. You can read more about those memories and about Sophia's new tunes in Serge's review of last night because I second what he said (click here). 

The album cover, too, drags my mind back to about fifteen years ago. Those were the nights. I always felt extremely tired at school - my adolescent brain somehow was incapable of realizing that a massive sleep shortage was the only possible cause. When my parents sent me to my room to sleep, I would spend the first hours reading anything I could get my hands on until the point where the letters danced before my eyes. But whatever I tried after putting out the light, the thoughts kept on assaulting me like hungry lions. I started developing the habit of just getting up again in stead of drowning in my own thoughts: sneaking down the stairs, turning on the computer, sometimes to surf to a website which was all about images like Unclean's cover, always while listening to some damn dark music through the headphone. This prohibited behaviour gave me the kick of fear which I guess I needed to be capable to slay all the lion-thoughts because after such a late-night session I could finally get some sleep.

Anyway, Swedish martial industrial act Sophia's tunes haven't lost their guts during the band's 13 years of hibernation, on the contrary. They're back and I can't say that they're darker than before - I believe there's just one shade of black and Peter and Cecilia Bjärgö have never turned their backs to it. If you asked me to compare Unclean to the previous work, I'd say there's more vocals, less melody and a lot more percussion. About half of the tracks almost burst with noise and percussion, just like during the performance last night. Rhythmic, hypnotic, intense, perfectly supporting the imploring whispers and chants. Examples: 'Where Steel Meets The Flesh', 'Unclean' or 'Steel Cathedral'. The other tracks, mostly the shorter ones, contain dark ambient and quite some noise and vocals too, which enforce the ghastly, misanthropic atmosphere. 

The whole sounds quite a bit like In Slaughter Natives, Karjalan Sissit (without the screams) and Arditi, just like in the good ol' times. I just fucking love this album and I'm glad Sophia is resurrected and kicking. Get your hands on this album if you're a fan of one or all of the bands mentioned above, you won't regret it. Just don't forget to put your knives and other potential torturing devices away before hitting the 'play' button...


Eline

doom / martial industrial

I'm a sucker for crossover genres.  Somehow I almost always like what I hear when a band or artist blends two seemingly irreconcilable styles.  I admit, sometimes the result gets quite confusing and bizarre.  Yet, on the other hand, often brilliant pieces of music appear on such occasions.  In this case, the result lies somewhere in the middle between confusing and brilliant, which is a pretty damn good accomplishment on its own.

Sol hails from Aarhus, Denmark.  Founded in the beginning of this century, this act has adopted many different incarnation, all roaming in the dark underworld of the music scene.  On this album it seems that Sol takes on the doom metal approach but it wouldn't be Sol if there wasn't a lot more to it.  I hear elements from sludge (vocals), funeral doom (tempo), martial industrial (aggression) and black metal (atmosphere). 

Perhaps it can be imagine a little something like this: Xasthur and Esoteric crawl into a studio with the instrumentation of Blood Axis, inviting Make Pesonen (Karjalan Sissit) on vocals.  After a short intro, 'Ascending to the Embrace of Clouds' takes the listener on a mournful journey of despair, bleakness and hopelessness.  Everything on this album breathes this eerie, haunting atmosphere.

The journey continues throughout the album, often taking the form of modern classical or acoustic drones and on other occasions bursting out with lingering guitars.  'Black Belly Of The Beast' for example is one of the most epic funeral doom tracks I've ever heard, even though there are little crushing guitars and pounding drums.  It has the power to make every doom metal fan bow for the might of Sol.

In memes language, this definitely would be a lay-on-the-floor, try-not-to-cry, cry-your-eyes-out album.  The whole atmosphere is so deeply depressing that I imagine fans at concerts just laying there, drowning in a huge puddle of each others' tears, wondering what the fuck they have done with their lives.  This is musical exorcism in it's purest form and I would definitely recommend checking it out if you are into depressive music, whatever subgenre it might be.


Serge

martial industrial / dark ambient

Do you remember Arditi's 2009 ep 'Statues Of Gods'?  Well, that was the birth of this new project by H. Möller (Arditi, Puissance) and M. Belfagor (Nefandus, Ofermod).  Well, 'new' isn't really correct.  This project has been around for a few years now.  It continued Möller's experimentation with traditional Swedish folk instruments, besides they typical bombast of his other bands. The music doesn't differ that much from the other project but enough to make it clear that this truly is a unique entity. 

Leidungr tends to focus more on a dark, gloomy and certainly pagan atmosphere, perfectly illustrating feasts and rituals from ancient Nordic tribes.  With repetitive drums and layers of soundscapes and melodies, it's not hard to image someone obtaining a state of trance if the music is loud enough.  Deep, rather subdued vocals narrate a multitude of stories, add some melodic chants or drone through the music, a bit like throat singers do.

Fans of martial industrial or rhythmic dark ambient can't go wrong with this one.  It is a nice addition to any collection where Arditi, Puissance and all the other dark gods of ritual music are present.  To be honest, I don't think it's a highlight in this genre but that's not easy if you realize that there have been so many brilliant albums in this scene.  Yet, fact remains that fans of this music will enjoy this album, I'm quite certain of that...


Serge

martial industrial / dark ambient

Years ago, bands like Arditi, Puissance, Triarii, Deutsch Nepal and Toroidh were pretty much residents in our household.  Nearly every household chore was accompanied by dark martial industrial music, just because we really liked the genre.  Gradually however, and probably because of my work at Merchants Of Air, these bands faded away to the background, making space for more psychedelic and doom music.

However, when Equilibrium Music asked us if we wanted to write a review for the new Arditi album, we didn't hesitate a moment.  So we downloaded the album and loaded it into our media player.  Suddenly, before we realized it, we were cleaning again with Arditi playing loud. Suddenly, it was like we never moved on to another genre and like were still fierce fans of this one (apparently we are). Few things change, and that certainly counts for Arditi.

Swedish martial industrial act Arditi has been a forerunner of the genre for decades, and with good reason too.  Their unique sound is immediately recognizable on this album.  Deep percussion, dark drones and epic neo-classical strings still form the foundation for their music. Here and there some vocal samples are being added to the music.  So yes, the elements are similar to what they always do.

Perhaps it's not really renewing anymore and I doubt if Arditi will ever manage to surprise me but I still prefer a decent version of the original over a seasoned artist who doesn't know what he's doing anymore.  Arditi definitely know what they stand for and they simply made a brilliant Arditi album.  Highlights are opener 'Imposing Elitism' and 'Dawn of a New Mythos', which might be a new highlight in the genre altogether.

Conclusion: everyone who has ever been into martial industrial music and everyone who has ever liked anything Arditi has ever done can blindly trust them to deliver a high quality album. And that is exactly what 'Imposing Elitism' is, a splendid album which no fan should deny.  March on, my comrades...


​Serge