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Kadinja – Ascendancy 

3/4/2017

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metalcore / progressive metal
Klonosphere
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Ascendancy is the debut album of French metalcore/ progressive metal group Kadinja, released in a partnership between the labels Klonosphere Records and Season of Mist. With ten tracks, the record is very interesting. Displays possessive and overwhelming melodies, that can be dynamic and static at the same time. Introducing several elements from other genres, Kadinja’s musical style is more singular and indefinable, and certainly prioritizes a formidable degree of originality, that standardizes a peculiar sonorous identity to their music, giving them a special place in the underground scene. With genuine and fearless compositions, Kadinja manages to be a defining group, that invades the musical scene with a promising, intriguing, volatile and authentic debut, that has placed them in the musical framework.

The metalcore appeal into their music – especially the interchanging clean and sober vocals with the more guttural and aggressive ones – has everything to guarantee their space among the enthusiasts of the genre. Reminding a little another prominent metalcore acts, like We Came as Romans, Kadinja depicts a very polished, refined and sophisticated style, unraveling a clear message in their debut, Ascendancy: that they are already musically mature, and they have all the necessary qualities to be major in the global underground scene.

Each and every track is more fascinating than its predecessor. The record only gets better and better as it progresses. The third song, Episteme, is infuriating, sentimentally sagacious and spectacularly sublime, and has on the crest of its melodies all the audacious anger of a restless and emotionally empty sour day. Carrying the true combative stream of life in each song, Kadinja reveals itself not only as an exceptionally relevant band, but as a vigorous and voraciously brutal musical and artistic force as well. 

Sincerely, there are no negative aspects to be pointed out on this album. With sensational, monumental, reflexive, painful and exhilaratingly intense and beautiful melodies, Ascendancy is virtually an extraordinary album, a true and fantastic state of the art work. Deserves to be slowly absorbed and appreciated. An exceedingly creative, dynamic and lucid musical work, filled with rapture and sincerity, Ascendancy is an impeccable, glorious and splendid record. Be sure you will simply love this amazing and lancinating debut, that deserves to be highlighted, and to make history.  

 
Wagner
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Brieviews 22

31/3/2017

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Lynhood - Septembre

ambient / experimental / shoegaze
Atypeek
Amazon
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Lynhood is the solo project for French bassist Chloé Della Valle, founder of the Grenoble label. Lynhood is also a very interesting take on ambient, drones, noise pop and shoegaze. Armed with a bass guitar, her dreamy voice and a loop station, Lynhood creates textured pop songs with a gritty edge. That now results in this four track ep which at times is extremely melancholic. While opener 'Tree' is a gentle tune, 'White Emperor' is a tremendous tearjerker, gloomy and deeply introvert. In all, this ep is not an easy pill to swallow but certainly one worth the effort. It's simply another interesting take on drones and ambient. Try it out...

Duality - Archeology

metalcore / metal
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French metal act Duality come up with a complex but immersive take on progressive metal and metalcore, a genre I'm not always a big fan of. However, the three songs on this ep are laced with oriental influences, unusual vocal lines and tantalizing electronics, which make this thing a lot better than I expected. The songs are quite slow but still contain heaps of energy and grinding riffs. My personal favorite on this ep is 'Osiris', an intense piece of work that will often surprise the listener. I suggest you check it out, musical surprises are always a good thing as they open your mind for new things.

Never Train - Dnar

hard rock
Inverse Records
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They call it "street rock", but I think the term "hard rock" will fit the band very well. I mean, uptempo rockers with a dirty edge and plenty of power, both in the riffs and in the vocals, that spells hard rock in my book. Never Train, a band from Finland, does nothing really new but they did record three highly convincing pieces of good old fashioned rock 'n roll. There is a little bit of Skid Row in here, a dash of Ramones and even a touch of Guns 'n Roses. So this just can't go wrong. Opener 'First We Live' is my favorite. 'Hope In Youth' is a rocking dance floor filler and closer 'Dnar' is simply an uplifting piece of old school hard rock. You might need this...

Dominique Charpentier - L'attente

classical / ambient
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The email that contained this ep, also contained the words "It's a piano solo album", which is probably the truest thing I have ever read. On this ep, there is a piano and ten massively experienced fingers who gently help the instrument reveal its dreams. The five short pieces on this ep are soothing and minimal classical pieces that can lighten up every day. I don't care what genre you usually listen to, dear reader, but I strongly urge you to purchase this album. Music like this should be in everybody's collection. Everybody needs moments like these, moments to meditate and look into their own soul. This album can help you with that...

Vautour - Vautour

drum & bass / industrial metal
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With the energy of a metal album, French electronic act Vautour comes up with six massively energetic pieces of industrial music. Fans of Chase & Status or Pendulum will undoubtedly embrace this thing. There are references towards hardcore techno, dubstep, drum & bass and breakbeats but also towards rock and metal, be it a highly electronic form If you ever see a moshpit forming during a drum & bass gig, it will probably be while Vautour is playing live. In all, this debut is an interesting piece of work, one which will definitely get your dancing boots on. I can see good things happening for this act in the future.

Moonlight Prophecy - Eternal Oblivion 

progressive / thrash metal
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Philadelphia's Moonlight Prophecy is a Progressive, Thrash and Neoclassical Metal project from multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Lawrence Wallace, and that is pretty much all you need to know before getting your hands on this stunning ep. Mostly instrumental, this three-track is loaded with shredding riffs, epic guitar solos and a massive drum sound, all coming with a gloomy atmosphere. People have said that this compares to Nevermore meets Testament and I'm not going to disagree with that. Fans of epic, technical and immersive metal can easily trust this project to deliver the goods. So yep, recommended as hell, this one...

Era 9 - Warrior

nu metal
Soundcloud
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This single by Montreal based rock band Era 9 is a very nice appetizer for their upcoming album (planned to be released in May). This song seemingly blends influences from Linkin Park, Paramore, Lacuna Coil and even Skrillex and throws them into one immersive piece of music. The result is a possible hard rock charts hit, a song that would do perfectly well as a Wrestlemania tune, for example. So yes, it's worth to check this out. I'm already curious for the upcoming full-length and if you're into anything that smells like nu metal, you should too...

Electric Floor - Fader

synthpop / new wave
Vipchoyo Sound Factory 
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With elements from indie rock, new wave and synth pop, this trio politely invites you to the dancefloor, especially if you are a fan of Echo & The Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, Human League and so on. These five tracks seem to come directly from the eighties but will just as well please fans of modern day indie rock. Opener 'Bluedive' and the gloomy 'Borderland' are my favorites on this five track but all the songs are worth your attention. So yes, for a nostalgia trip, this is definitely a highly recommended ep and to be frank, I'd rather go see these guys on stage than Depeche Mode.

Headless Horseman - 47009

techno / industrial
47
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Speaking about invitations to the dancefloor, this one is something for the discotheques and dance festivals around the globe. Headless Horseman delivered a four track ep, loaded with beats and eerie soundscapes. Yet, instead of the regular 4/4 beats, this act gives the whole thing an industrial touch, reminding me of acts like Imminent, Sonar, Morgenstern or Synapscape. The opener, 'Widow's Peak' is my favorite here, along with the Scorn-like dark dub track 'The Day She Vanished'. So yeppers, for a techno record, this is a bloody good one, one that will find the way to my playlists quite often from now on.

Lonely The Brave - Diamond Days

alternative rock
website
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British band Lonely The Brave delivered a nice four track ep, named 'Diamond Days'. On this ep, the band comes up with small rock anthems, seemingly influenced by alternative rock, indie and post rock. Opener and title track 'Diamond Days' is a possible fan favorite, an intelligent rock anthem that would fit perfectly well in today's alternative rock community. 'Two Heads' is a bit heavier and 'Collider' is another awesome anthem. The ep closes with a nice version of 'The Rat', originally recorded by The Walkmen. In all, this ep might not be earth shattering but it's definitely a nice addition to your collection.

Misto - Infinite Mirrors

post rock
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This debut ep by Italian one-man post rock act Misto has been released last year but it only reached us a short while ago. Usually, when that happens, the release ends up in the pile of albums-we-don't-have-time-for but this time I'd like to make an exception. Why? Well, this is a very nice six-track ep, containing some gentle post rock tunes. This certainly is one of those ep that would perfectly fit in your massive post-rock playlists, there where Explosions, Godspeed, Mogwai, Caspian and Astronaut also roam. So go ahead, download these tunes help me in hoping that Misto will form a band and tour soon...

Grave Plague - The Infected Crypts

death metal
Give Praise Records
Redefining Darkness Records
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On to the extremes then, courtesy of American death metal horde Grave Plague. Their sole goal is to resurrect the old school version of death metal and on this two-track ep they do exactly that. With a sound that reminds me of something between Dismember and At The Gates, this quintet blasts two ferocious slabs of vintage death metal through my speakers at a very high paste. The whole thing is quite short but powerful enough to demolish a small suburb. So if you're into grinding riffs, sick grunts and pulverising tempos, this one should have a spot in your collection. Period.

HaatE - Crystal : Farewell

dark ambient / black metal
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Italian black ambient act HaatE returns with a mesmerizing and hypnotic ep, one that has everything it needs to be a solid reference to this dark and mysterious genre. Although mostly rooted in dark ambient, there are elements from black metal and the whole post-black/rock scene. The end result is a sonic journey that never disappoints, never gets stale and continuously contains this cold, eerie and haunting atmosphere. I can only recommend this thing to all you dark souls out there. For people like you, this music is comforting and calm while it's dark and scary for others. Great work, a must-have.

Kolfskop - Cambozola Superster

experimental rock
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The weirdest ep in this edition of Brieviews comes from Belgian trio Kolfskop. These guys from Ghent once had an idea about how music should sound, threw that overboard and started experimenting, influenced by Zappa, Waits, Beefheart and Primus. Now, they come up with this strange ep, one that has the words "avant-garde" written all over it. Nonetheless, this thing comes highly recommended because it's something you just don't hear very often anymore. Oh, and it's all in Dutch, but don't let that stop you. After all, plenty of Belgians are musical geniuses as well as completely mad.

Eli van Pike - Herzschlag

gothic / industrial metal
Darksign Music
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A German-American cooperation, deeply rooted in the dark industrial metal scene, that has got to be interesting. And it is, certainly for fans of bands like ASP, Oomph, Wolfsheim and so on. This single contains the gothic rock song 'Herzschlag' and a bunch of EBM/industrial/future pop remixes. Personally, I would have preferred one or two other songs on this single, just to add a touch of variation, but nonetheless, this is an interesting example of today's gothic scene. So I guess the choice is yours, and I strongly suggest checking this single out. If you like it, why not get the whole album?

Fork / Göttemia - Indre Enfold

punk
Kraftpest
Fork
Göttemia 
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And we end this edition of Brieviews with two bands from the Norwegian punk underground, bands that have been playing live and touring for years and became quite good friends. Fork comes up with two energetic punk songs, nudging towards alternative and noise rock but still raunchy enough to please hardcore punks. Göttemia adds three aggressive punk tunes to the mix, perfectly capable of getting that mosh pit started. Both acts seem to do exactly what they want, which obviously is in perfect punk tradition. So, punk of all ages, check this out. You'll love it.
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Cry Excess – Vision 

27/3/2017

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metalcore
Bleeding Nose Records
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Vision is the most recent album by Italian metalcore group Cry Excess, to be released by Bleeding Nose Records on April 24th. Only thirty six minutes long, the album has ten tracks: Vision, Mess of me, Survival, Down 'n out, Detroit, The Path, Immortal, Lost - and Alone, The Black Squad and Chase The Sun. A very good, legitimate and audacious work, Vision is the typical metalcore album, although it is filled with powerful and highly energetic songs, that seems to be meticulously ordained by a lucid and vigorous fury, that really honors the genre with all the sardonic determination of its unmerciful and objective style.     

With amazingly created melodies, and a furious layer of inconspicuous wrath, Vision is a very outstanding and direct to the point album. Despite the general lack of innovations, the record has a very sober, realistic and true to the ground approach concerning the genre. Exceedingly rapid, with strong tempestuous rhythms and a concise musical direction, Cry Excess really has crafted, solidified and consolidated Vision as a very interesting album, built in the spectacularly lancinating axis of aggressive, but concomitantly philosophical harmonies, as usual for the genre, but in a more lancinating style.

The powerful energy, the highly effusive intensity, the beautiful melodies and the brevity of the songs are a major point of strength in the work. The tracks have a fresh, colorful, vivid and rejuvenating force, that is so full of life that it’s an impossible task not to be immediately drawn by the highly devastating force of their style. This is specially felt in the fourth track, Down 'n out, a marvelous, furious and sincere sonorous ode to a life well lived.         

Although Vision is a too much concise album, metalcore enthusiasts will be exceedingly satisfied and pleased with this glorious and splendid work. A striking and very intense album, Vision offers to the public the very best qualities metalcore has to offer to its audience: lucidity, vividness, fury, intensity, a sincere anger, an obliterate sense of damnation, an elusive hope and a sentimental disdain towards life. If you are a metalcore enthusiast, you can’t afford to miss this fantastic and exceptional release. You will be more than positively pleased with this one!  


Wagner
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Eyes Wide Shot – Back From Hell

13/2/2017

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metalcore
Season Of Mist
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Back From Hell is an album by French Metalcore band Eyes Wide Shot. With ten tracks – Waiting In Vain, A Glimpse Of Me, My Redemption, Lost For You, Lips Off My Lips, Back From Hell, Under The Knife, Livin' The Dream, See What I've Seen and Watch Me –, this is a terrific and exceptional album. Metalcore [although the band, in their FB page, identifies itself as a rock/ alternative metal band] is a superb and very emotional musical genre. With a lancinating fury, but more of a restrained, self-controlled and intelligent one, not displaying the teenage angst normally seen on certain musical acts of the genre, as well as having the lucidity of an objective style, Eyes Wide Shot worked out right to make Back From Hell an excellent and insanely wonderful album. Featuring awesome songs with intelligent choruses, exceedingly astounding rhythms, impressive sound dynamics and flavored harmonies – without falling into an art pop category –, you can positively categorize this record as incredibly amazing. Besides absorbing into a genuine style of their own the best qualities of the genre, Eyes Wide Shot is a band of skilled and mature musicians, with a great domain of their art.

Although, by a generic sound association, they do fall categorically under a more general perception of metalcore, with a lack of new elements, they really know how to do it right with their genre of choice. With powerful guitars, versatile, but lacerating rhythms, poetic elements filled by a sincere, emotional and gentle persuasive style, and a lucid approach to an authentic and intuitive sense of creativity, Back From Hell is a sensible, but strong album, full of life, vitality, soul and frailty. 

With each song having a feature of its own – but cohesively maintaining an identity throughout the whole album – coherence, sensibility and a striking sense of serenity seems to be the main components behind Eyes Wide Shot’s music. With the technical elements being just as competent, you can be sure Back From Hell is an emotionally explosive album, one you certainly will wish to listen, if you are into metalcore. 

Although I personally haven’t found this album to be a masterpiece, it certainly gets close. Amazing melodies, insinuating harmonies, aggression side by side with passion, poetic rhythms and emotionally aggrandizing passages – superbly adorned by an impeccable musical rhetoric –, definitely makes this album a wonderful work. Back From Hell definitely deserves a great score. A very good album, from a band full of potential!   
 

Wagner
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Brieviews 20

8/2/2017

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Aidan Baker & Karen Willems - Landlos

drone / ambient / jazz / krautrock
Midira Records 
Aidan Baker
Karen Willems
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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
Amazon
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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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Brieviews 17

17/12/2016

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Ummagma + A.R.Kane - Winter Tale 

dream pop
bandcamp
Ummagma
A.R. Kane
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The one thing I dislike about Christmas, is the music. From those appaling bells to the 'Frohe Weihnachten' by The Wiener Sängerknaben, it's all horrible. Luckily, this year, there's a decent alternative, a little cooperative single by shoegaze / dream pop acts Ummagma and A.R. Kane. 'Winter Tale' is a gentle, dreamy and quite minimal song, guaranteed to get you into the wintery atmosphere. If you're into stuff like Cocteau Twins, 'Winter Tale' could easily guide you through the darkest days of winter. I also really dig the two remixes, taking on an ambient approach. Nice work...

Verein Freude - Schnappschuss

jazz / krautrock / post rock
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Somewhere between the immersive atmosphere of post rock and the psychedelic approach of krautrock we find the inspiring music of Verein Freude, a German band. On their facebook page, this quartet mentions Miles Davis, Avishai Cohen and several other jazz-musicians, and with good reason too. The music on this ep is a perfect combination of jazz and post rock, well, the mild, subdued version of post rock that is. The end result is a nice relaxed piece of music, perfectly suited for the quiet winter evenings and the lounge bars at the summer beaches alike. Check it out, this is a pleasurable listen.

dy - Flip Side

electronic / idm
ampbitifgo
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On to the electronic scene then, where we meet a project named Dy and his weird, gloomy electronics. In a way, I think it's safe to place this ep between your Aphex Twin and Autechre albums. Dark, haunting soundscapes and broken rhythms make up most of this release, brilliantly highlighting in 'Flipped Out'. Although, I have the say, that eerie opener, 'Cheap Seats' is a great piece of electronic (dark) ambient as well, reminding me even of Deutsch Nepal's percussion rich works. In all, this is a splendid effort, containing five original and immersive pieces of electronic sound art, definitely good enough for my daily playlist.

Architectural - Cubismo

techno
Triple Vision
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Time to put on your dancing shoes and join me in the discotheque. Spanish producer Architectural comes up with an ep containing four dance tracks, seemingly inspired by the early industrial techno scene of Detroit where strange soundscapes and noises meet repetitive beats and minimal percussion. For me, the ep highlights in the second track ('Cubismo 8.2 (Lost in Buenos Aires)), probably because of those awesome ambient soundscapes. Yet, I just might recommend this one to everyone who isn't afraid of some electronic dance music once in awhile, especially those who nudge towards industrial.

Guruzsmás - Üst A Gríz Felett​

rock / experimental
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Back to the world of rock music, more specifically the experimental corners of that industry. Guruzsmás is a band from Hungary, four guys playing some complex, confusing and fascinating music. It's just as alternative as it's psychedelic and reeks just as much of jazz than it reminds me of Frank Zappa. There are flashes of surf rock, post rock, math rock, noise rock and so on. Hell, there is a didgeridoo and it's mainly instrumental, apart from some troath-singing. Yes, this is a weird album, but nonetheless one that deserves your attention if you want something else, something unique. This is something unique!!!

Crimson Tusk - Crimson Tusk

stoner / doom
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Driven by the sheer power of the riff, Oxford quartet Crimson Tusk come up with a heavy but groovy four track ep. On this, they deliver a solid blend of sludge metal, stoner rock and heavy blues, obviously resulting in delicious fuzzed out rock songs in the vein of Dopethrone, Bongzilla, Weedeater and so on. My favorite track is 'Stray Dog', a guaranteed party started, but I guess that could easily be said about all four of these tunes. Even more so, throughout the album, the party seems to intensify. 'Rollin' made me start a little head-banging session. What a fine stoner doom tune that is. Stoner doomers, you have got to buy this one!!!

Cities of Mars - Celestial Mistress

psychedelic doom
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Swedish doom masters Cities Of Mars take us on an interplanetary mission. With heavy riffing, psychedelic passages and firm, intense vocals, this trio comes knocking on the doors of Yob, Conan, Mastodon and The Obsessed. The three tracks on this ep are simply epic doom metal anthems, with title track 'Celestial Mistress' being an eleven minutes lasting highlight, both on this ep and in the whole doom metal scene. Fans of the above mentioned bands can easily trust Cities Of Mars to deliver the goods so it'll be no surprising that this galactic gem comes highly recommended.

Ur - Hail Death

black metal / doom / thrash
Arachnophobia Records
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Another shocking piece of extremism comes from Polish horde Ur. They present a six track ep with a grim blend of thrash, doom and black metal. The result is a damn varied piece of work with some fierce headbanging potential. Bands that come to mind include Voivod, Venom, Sodom, Absu, Marduk and so on. Yet, it does feel like a coherent effort. 'The Tongue Of Fire' is probably my favorite song on this one but that's a difficult choice to make. Whom I'd recommend it to? Well, obviously  all those old school black & thrash metal fans out there. This is the real shit!

Dark Messiah - Dark Messiah

thrash metal
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Hailing from Canada, Dark Messiah blends metal, metal and metal into metal. The band was formed in the summer of 2015 and already come up with their debut ep. In a way you can actually hear that. Although the five songs here are decent metal tunes, they're not yet close to the heroes that influenced Dark Messiah (you know, Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera...). But who knows, give time, effort and a professional producer, the future might shine bright for these Canadians. If so, in a few years, many fans will start looking for this debut, so you might as well just buy it now...

Stillborn Slave - 7 Ways To Die

metalcore
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Formed in 2009, French melodic hardcore combo Stillborn Slave have a lot more experience under their belts than the band above, and you can actually hear that. In seven songs, with a total of twenty-eight minutes, these guys blast some brutal metalcore, deathcore or whatever core through your speakers. The absolute highlight is 'End Of Everything', a song that sounds destructive enough to deserve such a title. This definitely is something for the younger generation of metalheads. However, I'm sure seasoned metal fans can easily appreciate the high level of musicality on this one.

Expo Seventy - America Here & Now Sessions 

drone / ambient / psychedelic
Essence Music
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After all that metallic violence, it's time for something completely different. For that, this massive jam session definitely is a highly recommended piece of work. Like we're used to from Justin Wright, this album is an hypnotic trip through cosmic music and psychedelic rock, something between acts like Om, Earth and Barn Owl, along with the jam bands from the sixties and seventies . This time, two drummers have been added to the mix, giving the whole something jazzy and psychedelic. The end result is a mesmerizing album that will definitely accompany my late-nite writing sessions from now on.

Tellma - Swansong

folk / rock
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Tellma is a French duo, dedicated to playing elegant rock music and that's exactly what you get on this ep. The acoustic guitar is the central instrument on which a number of calm, emotional pop rock songs are written. The songs are not complex, not overly distorted, not rocking your socks off but they are certainly a pleasure to listen to. The music reminds me a bit of Radiohead, David Bowie and Jeff Buckley. The title track remains my favorite, followed by the tearjerking version of Queen's  'The Show Must Go On'.

Deathblow - Demolition Deployment

thrash metal
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While preparing their upcoming full-length, Salt Lake City thrashers Deathblow throw this short but brutal assault in our faces. The ep contains two songs and a cover version of Motorhead's 'Mean Machine'.  Obviously, this is stuff to bang your head to. Think Overkill, Kreator, Testament, any of your eighties thrash favorites and you'll be very close to what Deathblow delivers. It's fast, varied and relentless, exactly what this kind of music is supposed to be. So thrashers of the world, what are you waiting for? Get your hands on this ep or are you not a true thrasher? I mean, it's only a dollar...

Deep Fryer - Deep Fryer

punk / hardcore
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Songs about hangovers, groundhogs and whatnot, recorded in a basement by a band constisting of members of other Fredericton, New Brunswick based bands, a band with the seering hot name Deep Fryer. I'm not sure if this is all too serious, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is the fact that these are four fierce, aggressive and fast hardcore punk songs that will even make your chamber plants start a moshpit in your living room. My personal favorite? The band's name. I know, I'm not really a hardcore fan but if you are, you have to download the shit out of this. Besides, it's free so you have no excuse not to.

Parallel Colors - Inoculation

post rock / psychedelic / progressive
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Also free, and certainly worth the effort is the very first single by American progressive rockers Parallel Colors. Inspired by everything between Tool, Caspian and Russian Circles, these guys come up with an immersive, technical and varied eight minutes lasting track. If this really is the harbinger of things to come, like a full-length, Parallel Colors might become one of thé discoveries of 2017. I certianly hope that they will send me the album when ready and come over to Belgium and the rest of Europe for some magnificent gigs. This truly is promising stuff...
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Glasslands - Pariah

28/11/2016

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metalcore / post hardcore
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Pariah is the debut album of metalcore duo Glasslands, consisting of musicians  Josh Kincheloe and Brandon Mullins. With ten tracks, being them Birth, Back And Forth, Fame, Deadman, Soul Without A Home, The Sounds, Demons, Meaningless, Dark and Go For Broke, Pariah certainly is, without a doubt, the best metalcore album that I have ever heard in my entire life. Powerful, complete, graciously touching, moving and poetically melodic, this work is painfully dilacerated with sad harmonies and a world full of frozen dust, fulfilled by joyful paradoxical artistic principles, and an astonishing balance between raw and clean vocals. Pariah is best described as a great, incredible, lucid and marvelous masterpiece, like I haven’t heard in centuries. Filled with emotional fury and sentimental beauty, Pariah deserves a handful of prizes. If this work passes out without any recognition, no other album in the history of the genre deserves one. Far above splendid and way ahead the limits of the beautiful lines of a true poetic artistry, Pariah will enter history as a marvelous reference for the entire metalcore worldwide scene, for such a heinous fury, transcendental poetic sorrow, undivided harmonies and gigantic colossal beautiful melodies were carefully dilapidated at the core of an enthusiastic and deeply symmetric testimony of artistic proficiency, strengthened by the confluence of a turbulent, but natural musical talent.

Combining a sincere, but sad fury, with a poetic melancholy that dilacerates the nuance of rhythms at the pace of a joyful sonorous composition, Pariah’s music has so many components correctly placed at the right angle, that for the first time metalcore was done right, without sounding like the complaints of a bunch of teenagers crying over their middle class life problems at home.   

With the power of a sincere fury deeply exhilarated by a profound existential sadness, underlined by the symmetry of a high level of musical elements standardized in a categorical style filled with a serene devotional wrath, the deeply meaningful cadences that surround the rhythms, over the pace of poetic melodies wonderfully entitled to a transcending melancholy that harmonizes the beautiful intersections of a poetic life encircled by the most wonderful melodies ever written in the history of the genre, this is a gracefully marvelous album, generated by angels in heaven, and transported to earth by these two marvelous musicians, that shares with us the most wonderful metalcore album ever produced. 

With all the power of an aggressive and sad melancholy, inserted at the heart of a meaning that dilutes the sorrow in the forgotten hearts of hungry nights, the perfect equilibrium between harsh and clean vocals intertwine the precise volatile dynamics of promising sagacious harmonies. A sincere epic hymn to the dark disgraces of the human life, Glasslands, with Pariah, undoubtedly exhibited to us all how to do an impeccable state of the art work.

If this album is good? No, it’s not. It’s excellent! You can say Pariah converted me into an avid enthusiast of metalcore. Definitely, one of the greatest albums that I have ever heard in my entire life!  


​Wagner
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Until The Uprising - Out Of Time

24/11/2016

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progressive metal
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Out of Time
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We're still in France, in the coastal city of Nice this time. We're also still engaged in some ferocious metal but this time a bit more extreme. With a mix of progressive metal, death metal and metalcore, Until The Uprising tries to force themselves a breakthrough in the world of extreme metal. As far as I'm concerned, they may since, this is a more than decent album with a flair for quality and some brutal controlled aggression. "More than decent", that doesn't sound very good, I know. But give me a moment to explain myself.

Some of our returning readers might already know that I'm not really a fan of metalcore and that vague genre named "djent". For me, it's all metalcore mixed with progressive and death metal. However, I often give these bands a chance. Why? Well, first of all, most of them are hardworking and talented artists and it's not their fault that they play a genre I don't really like. Furthermore, I've listened to a lot of albums that made me change my mind about a certain genre. That's how I discovered Sepultura. I hated it the first time, became a massive fan the second time. So what couldn't that happen again?

Well, after listening to 'Out Of Time' I can say that I'm still not a fan of the genre, but I do respect and appreciate the hard work and talent that go into writing these songs. Besides, there are some awesome passages to be found on this album, passages that are perfectly capable of getting every metalhead headbang himself into a coma. Especially the younger generation of fans will adore this album, since it's loaded with heavily distorted guitars, breaks, growls, screams and pounding drums. I can easily imagine the moshpits and walls-of-death being formed on songs like 'Invisible Cages' and 'Nothingness'. 

In that, I see no reason not to recommend this album. The song structures are complex but immersive as hell. The use of electornics is simply great and some of these riffs could almost literally crush your skull. Fans of bands like Vildhjarta or Animals As Leaders can easily trust this effort to be a solid addition to their collection. The production quality is crystal clear and there is some obvious talent behind these songs. Yes, this is a must have for djent-fans.


​Serge

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Magoa - Imperial

21/10/2016

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metal / metalcore
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Time for a fierce slab of metalcore, and that is something I don't say everyday. After all, this certainly is not my favorite kind of music, but apparently my feet seem to like it. They are secretly tapping along with the sheer brutality coming out of my speakers. Now, I have to admit, there are some stunning pieces of music to be found here, certainly for metalcore fans but also for fans of severe gloomy modern metal.

Magoa is a French band, from Paris to be exact. With 'Imperial' they released a beast upon the world, one loaded with screams, thick metallic riffs and eardrums ripping drums. The first three or four tracks, from the title track to the crushing 'Kill Us' clearly show the direction of these guys, metalcore, but with an own twist. The fifth song, 'Merge', is my absolute favorite, a dark, harsh and impending piece of music.

Although this album is as aggressive as a pitbull with a bad temper, there is plenty of room for melody. Hell, even nu-metal seems to have a place as some of these songs actually remind me of a harsh and intense version of Linkin Park. Now, don't get me wrong on this one, Magoa definitely have the capacity to rip you open, take out your guts and feed it to that pitbull. All I'm saying is that I can easily imagine young metalheads starting out with Linkin Park and eventually becoming huge fans of a band like Magoa.

So who to recommend this album to? Well, metalcore adepts will undoubtedly appreciate the brutality, the screams and the axe wielding riffs so I think this is one for them. Furthermore, fans of modern day melodic metal should probably give this a shot as well, they might be mindblown by a song like 'Endlessly'. Finally, this is something for maturing nu-metal fans who like a touch of electronics in their metal. So check it out, it'll be a blast...


​Serge
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Brieviews part 14

11/10/2016

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Narthraal - Chainsaw Killing Spree

death metal
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We kick off this edition of Brieviews with two brutal old school death metal songs, courtesy of Icelandic horde Narthraal. This digital single is the forerunner for the upcoming full-length, which is scheduled to be released somewhere in 2017. An important aspect of their sound, is the use of the Boss HM-2 pedal which creates a filthy, raunchy sound. Furthermore, the main influences for this act are the old school bands we all love so much, including Grave, Dismember, Unleashed and Carcass. I don't think you need any more convincing. Go ahead, download the album, and prepare to fiercely bang your head. You know you want to...


Dead End Path - Hypnotic Truth

death metal / metalcore
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Somewhere between the realms of death metal and metalcore roams the Belgian quintet Dead End Path. They handed out this three-track ep at the latest edition of Rocktoberfest, where the played an all-consuming set in front of a handful of people. Well, my friends, you can see this little review as a nudge to get your attention on these guys because they're damn good. Melodic yet brutal death metal which quite often reminds me of something between At The Gates, All Shall Perish and Unearth. In three tracks, these guys show a tremendous technical ability, along with the skills to write and perform decent songs, all of course as brutal and crushing as it can get. Harsh stuff!!!


Balcanes - Carne Nueva

noise rock / hardcore
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Something a little different, but in no way less in-your-face, is this ep from Spanish noisemakers Balcanes. What starts out with an impending piece of drone and noise, quickly turns into a hardcore punk infused frenzy in 'Combustible'. 'Masada' drags the ep deeper down into the world of sludge, driving on inelaborate but damn infectious riffs and monotonous drumming. That being said, no, there is not a lot of variation to be found but Balcanes definitely makes up for that by creating an intense wall-of-sound and beating you into a pulp with it. If you're a fan of sludgy noise rock, like Melvins or Harvey Milk, you should check out this little gem. Oh, and Balcanes need to tour Europe, like now!


Daddy Was Wrong - Daddy Was Wrong

alternative rock / hard rock / grunge
vi.be
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Back in Belgium, a country that still teems with people who hold rock music close to their heart. That certainly counts for hard rocking squad Daddy Was Wrong. In five songs, and about fourteen minutes, they showcase some of the first songs they have written together. Although they have a firm hard rock sound, I do sense some influences from grunge and alternative rock, but of course, they mainly add to the level of variation. My favorite track is the groovy 'Immortal', probably the most headbanging-worthy track on this ep. Anyway, if you're ready for a decent portion of good old fashioned hard rock, you should give these guys a shot. Rock on!!!!


Barrow Wight - Kings in Saurons Service

heavy metal
Heavy Chains Records
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Once upon a time, this Canadian act start out as a Venom cover band. Yet, gradually they grew into what they are today, a headstrong heavy metal act with lyrical inspiration from Tolkien and musical inspiration by bands like Venom, Amebix, Manowar and several others. What you can expect on this album is pure, uncut heavy metal in the veins of their predecessors but with a raunchy, somewhat experimental edge. To me, is sounds like some of the very old school black metal albums, when the genre hadn't discovered blast beats and corpse paint yet. For you, this might be a good way to start checking out today's heavy metal scene. There is some great stuff to be found, including this one.


Dusk - Eko

industrial / dark psy
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When band photos show the man behind this projects with respectively a KMFDM  and a Godflesh t-shirt, you know you might be in for something interesting. That certainly is the case with this ep. Dwelling in the realms of industrial metal and dark dubstep, these four songs pretty much sound like modern day electronic remixes of songs by Fear Factor or Ministry, created by Infected Mushroom in a darkstep mood. For an electronic album, it's damn heavy, coming close to the stuff Amduscia, Xotox, Ambassador21 or Noisuf-X have been blasting out over the years. My favorite track here is 'Dragged By The Shadows' which or more suited for headbanging than dancing. Check it out, this is pretty awesome


Bhutan - Vexations

drone / ambient / post-rock
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The album from Argentinian band Bhutan was submitted by a fan. According to his email, Bhutan was the support act for Nadja in Argentina and are considered a household name in the drone-scene of their country. Well, dear fan and band members,  as far as I'm concerned, this trio should find an international record deal and a world tour to show of their beautiful blend of drone, ambient and post-rock. I mean, when an album reminds me of acts like Klaus Schulze, Pink Floyd, Aidan Baker ànd Godspeed, You Black Emperor, something fascinating is going on. This is a damn varied piece of sonic art, one that will undoubtedly be a stunning experience live.


Queen Elephantine - Kala

drone / doom / psychedelic
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What does a psychedelic doom act with an ever-changing line-up of no less than fourteen musicians sound like? Well, apparently like a jamsession between Master Musicians Of Bukkake, Earth and Jimi Hendrix.  The word "jamsession" is important here because that's pretty much how this whole album feels. There is a number of drones and soundscapes, some strange vocals, minimal drums and a load of psychedelic guitar solos to be found on this album, all seemingly improvised on the spot. The result is an set of immersive vintage seventies psychedelics, which are at best when played at a loud volume.


Monophona - Folsom Prison Blues

trip-hop
Kapitän Platte
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Now this is something nice. Luxembourg resident trip-hop act Monophona come up with a little pleaser to soften the wait between their brilliant 'Back To Black' album and the new one. On this 7", the band covers respectively Johnny Cash and Morrissey, both in Monophona's beautiful blend of gentle electronics and Claudine's fragile vocals. My favorite here is 'Folsom Prison Blues', which is an excellent cover version, bringing the song into this era. 'Every Day Is Like Sunday' takes on a different approach, a heavier, one showing some dark drum & bass electronics and a funky breakbeat rhythm. But, you know, like I said, this is a pleaser, and I'm here waiting for the next full-length.


Xaon - Face of Balaam

dark metal / death metal
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Back to the heavier side of the musical spectrum, this time with Swiss combo Xaon and their debut ep 'Face Of Balaam'. At first glimpse, it might be easy to place these guys into the melodic death metal scene of the nineties, reminding of bands like Soilwork, In Flames to Children Of Bodom. However, listen deeper  and you'll find some more influences. From Type O Negative to My Dying Bride. Deeper still, and there is a flash of metalcore hidden beneath the violent, crushing guitars, which drags the entire melodic death metal scene into the current era. It certainly is a varied piece of work, this ep, and it shows a band that can easily pull through to the top of today's extreme scene.


Fliptop Box - Catch 22

hard rock / alternative
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Greek rockers Fliptop Box are masters in balancing on the edge between rock and metal. In that aspect, they remind me a lot of bands like The Foo Fighters. Their heavy rock is influenced by acts like Therapy?, Danzig, Volbeat and Alice In Chains and that's exactly where you could place this album. With awesome songs like 'Blast', 'Class Of Underdogs' and the highly immersive and quite Deftones-inspired 'Desert', these people are paving their way to today's alternative rock scene. As a rock fan, I think you should definitely check this one out, and as a metal fan I suggest you do the same. This thing rocks and, from the sound of it, it pretty much guarantees a party when played live. 


Gespenst - Forfald

black metal
Duplicate Records
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And we're back into the realm of all consuming darkness and dark misery. The album by Danish horde Gespenst is a tensive, harsh and fiercely immersive piece of work. It draws elements from black metal, funeral doom and dark ambient and blends them together into a massive whirlpool of sonic violence. The four lengthy tracks will undoubtely maintain their grasp on fans of today's post-black metal scene. In other words, this album is an epic piece of atmospheric extremes, one that you should definitely own if you like to be hypnotized by eerie guitars and haunting screams. I hope these guys come over to Belgium soon because I definitely want to see this live.


Oddhums - The Inception

stoner / doom
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Hailing from Jaén, Spain, this trio comes with an excellent blend of stoner rock and doom, a delightful must-have for the fuzz-freaks out there. Firm drums accompany vintage stoner doom riffs, while here and there an immersive post-rock passage appears. That's all good and fine and nice and stuff but what I really like on this album are the vocals. They remind me a lot more of acts like Jesus and the Mary Chain or Slowdive. You know, the shoegaze way. Sometimes, there are some Conan or Yob chants, which also fit quite well. The combination of those epic riffs and these distant vocals make this ep a stand-out for me. I hope these dudes will tour Europe soon. Recommended? Definitely!


Rest - Rest

crust / hardcore / black metal
Third I Rex
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Why the hell is this band named 'Rest'? I can easily imagine people seeing this in the window of a record store and buying it because they expect something calm and relaxing. Then they come home and play the record, only to be completely wrecked by the intense blend of black metal, crust and hardcore. 'Rest', as if they want to say, "you can, you need and you will have some rest after this spiked steamroller grinds your eardrums and leaves you behind traumatized".  Italians have a weird sense of humor I guess. Now, I have to say that this is one fierce motherfucker with four brutal tracks and one epic piece of music, the closing track 'V'. If you like crust, hardcore and black metal to be relentless, intense and harsh, you need this.


Hymnambulae - Orgelhuset

dark ambient
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Welcome to the Organ House. You may enter after you have become silent. Feel free to have a look in each room, but try not to make any noise. You don't want to interrupt what you're about to witness. Oh, and beware of the god... 
Kammarheit and Cities Last Broadcast's Pär Boström joined forces with his sister Åsa, not only to create Hypnagoga Press (their publishing house and record label) but also to share Orgelhuset with the world. This is a dark ambient album of extreme quality, like we're used to from Pär (read). The right soundtrack to your inner travels. 
One can hear the cathedral of aerophones, the organ, blow in every room of Orgelhuset. In some rooms there are people hypnotically chanting, in other places the flute or the piano is present - never obtrusive but always in harmony with the rest of the sounds. Wherever you go, there's subtle sound effects intertwined with the drones, creating ever varying soundscapes. For fans of Raison d'Être, Subheim, In Slaughter Natives.

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Brieviews - part 12

17/9/2016

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Oh yeah, another set of brieviews on Merchants Of Air, another chance to discover some new gems in the gigantic pool of releases. Today, we're once again going to ignore genre restrictions and provide you with some seriously divergent pieces of music. Enjoy...

Reptilians From Andromeda - Sonic Rabbit Hole

alternative rock / post-punk
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A little bit of Ramones, some Sonic Youth, a flash of Teenage Jesus And The Jerks and a touch of Slowdive, that might get you an idea of what Turkish garage rock act Reptilians From Andromeda have released upon the world. The ep opens with some rough, mid-tempo tracks but suddenly dives into noise-rock insanity with the eerie 'We Are Who We Are', which sounds like Hole on some weird drug. Right after, they pour a synth-poppy shoegaze thing in our ears. Weird, very weird, but damn immersive and definitely ready to make their entree into the world of noise-rock and garage rock, and entree through the grand gate if you ask me. Interesting stuff...


Postman - There

noise rock / experimental / post punk
Epileptic Media
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An experimental rock act that reminds me of bands like Cabaret Voltaire and Crash Course In Science, that is odd. I think the last one that managed to do that, was Black Dice. Anyway, Postman seems to draw influences from everything between Ween, Joy Division, Sonic Youth and the aforementioned bands to come up with some surprising songs. The set-up seems to be minimal, synth, drums, guitars but what they do with those instruments, is far from limited and often results in decent gloomy pop songs. 'Escape Velocity' is one of my favorite tracks but I strongly suggest to check out the album if you're a fan of strange, out-of-the-box releases. Hell, there's even a hint of dub and reggae here, or even Iggy Pop, or post-rock... Great stuff!


Chelsey and the Noise - Losing Landscapes

electronic / electro-rock
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Somewhere in California, this duo is barking out a strange blend of glitchy electronics and rock music which kinda reminds of something between Lydia Lunch, Archive and Autechre. The songs on this ep are quite danceable pieces of music, but come with a gloomy new wave atmosphere. Their main influences seem to be Glitch Mob, Sleigh Bells and Purity Ring but, to be quite honest, I like this little ep a lot more than those acts, especially the somewhat industrial 'Edge Of Infinity'. There is a certain gritty feeling about this one, an impending atmosphere. It reminds me a bit of some Tricky songs but, again, way better. 'Parish' is a brilliant piece of joyful glitch electronics, something you definitely should check out...


Aanod - Yesterday Comes Tomorrow

metal / metalcore
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French extremists Aanod move somewhere between metalcore and the melodic death metal of the Götheborg scene. Yet, somehow they combine it with a modern sound, plenty of variation, electronics and epic ambient textures. The result is a massive and pounding ep, loaded with energy and sheer violence. The music feels suited for the tiniest of venues and the biggest of metal festivals alike, which isn't easy to accomplish I think. For the record, metalcore isn't really my thing, but I can surely respect the level of songwriting and the technical skills of these guys. So, all you metalcore kids, check this one out, it might as well become one of your favorite bands.


Moanaa - Passage

post metal / doom
Arachnophobia
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Hailing from Poland, Moanaa have released a debut in 2014, now followed by a blast. With elements from post-rock, doom, sludge metal and psychedelic rock, they create a highly immersive sonic adventure. In some strange way, these songs remind me of a heavy and more intense version of some Cure songs, played by a mishmash of bands, including A Place To Bury Strangers and Cult Of Luna. The overall atmosphere is intense, dark and downright crushing at times. The vocals usually are clean, except from a few growling outbursts, something I can truly appreciate. In all 'Passage' is a tremendous album, perfectly suited for any post-metal fan out there. Check it out, you need this.


Mumrunner - Gentle Slopes

shoegaze / alternative 
Wolves and Vibrancy
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Alternative rock and post-punk, interlaced with joyous dreampop, that's what you get on this ep by Finnish quartet Mumrunner. The four tracks on this album remind me a lot of acts like Cocteau Twins, Slowdive and even The Cure. 'Shawshank' is my favorite song on this ep, an uptempo earworm that gets stuck in your head, an ability most of the songs actually have, even the punky shoegazer 'Cascais'.  This truly is stuff for the dark and murky dance floors all over the world, which obviously comes highly recommended. I hope I get the chance to see this quartet soon. I'm sure they will guarantee an immersive live performance, causing entire venues to dance the night away...


Dätcha Mandala - Anâhata

psychedelic / blues / folk
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Oh man, I absolutely love this newfound interest in seventies music. Take this French trio Dätcha Mandala and their latest ep for example, a brilliant piece of psychedelic blues rock which could have come directly from the studios where people like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles recorded their stuff. 'Misery' is a gloomy blues ballad (with a beautiful guitar solo) while 'Mojoy' is a pretty heavy rocker, somehow reminding me of Black Crowes. Both songs are excellent examples of how this newfound interest should sound: vintage, convincing and perfectly executed. I hope this single will be followed by a full-length and a tour soon. 


Colosso - Obnoxious 

death metal
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Portuguese horde Colosso have released a behemoth, a pungent blend of death metal and industrial, loaded with soundscapes and sheer ferocity. The result might indeed be one of the most impressive death metal albums in 2016. Somehow it reminds me of a mix between Carcass and Limbonic Art, crushing the boundaries of one genre and smashing right into another one. This album is a ranging assault of blast beats, haunting screams and vicious, often droning riffs and pure noise created with the sole intention of demolishing anything in its path. I admit, you have to be used to some level of crushing death metal before you can handle this, but once inside, the beast never lets go.


Shlømo — Vanished Breath

electronic / techno
Wolfskuil LTD
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Dance music right after death metal, because why the fork not? Besides, this isn't ordinary, stale and unimagined techno. In fact, there's only one true techno tune on this ep (and its remix), 'Obsession'. True, it's not my favorite but it might get some people dancing. Opener 'Vanished Breath' is more like an eerie ambient tune while a great track 'The Ritual' is a breakbeat inspired vintage electro act. Speaking of vintage electro, 'M.U.M.' seems to come directly from the seventies when people like Klaus Schulze and Kraftwerk were pioneering in experimenting with electronic music. So yeah, this fits perfectly on this edition of brieviews. 


Marta De Pascalis – Anzar

electronic / ambient / experimental
The Tapeworm
Touch Shop
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Speaking of acts like Kraftwerk, Schulze and Tangerine Dream, here are two pieces of circular synth and tape-loop music, courtesy of Italian artist Marta De Pascalis. Both are long tracks, seemingly based around a central theme but constantly moving and changing. Title track 'Anzar' really takes me back to those early electronics pioneers, often coming up with some folkish melodies along with the cold synth sequences. 'Emerso' sounds a bit darker, somewhat nudging towards the ambient scene. In all, I like this one a tad better than the opener, probably because of its lingering soundscapes. In all, this certainly is an interesting release, which comes highly recommended to anyone who loves those old, almost psychedelic electronics. But be quick, there are only 100 copies of this tape...


Jonas Van den Bossche & Benne Dousselaere - The Multiverse Ennui Can't Last Forever

experimental / ambient / noise
Silken Tofu
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Another strange two-track album comes from Belgian label Silken Tofu, who released this one-session recording of Jonas Van den Bossche & Benne Dousselaere. These two tracks are elaborate audio-adventures with drones,  noise, soundscapes, synths, guitar and minimal percussion. On hand hand, the music reminds me of acts like De Fabriek, Machinefabriek; Maurizio Bianchi and Tim Hecker, while there's also a hint toward ancient electronics and gloomy eighties electro. It constantly changes, mostly driving on one or a few drones. In fact, the only thing that remains a constant on this album, is the quality. This thing definitely comes highly recommended.


Illum Adora - Son of Dawn

black metal
bigcartel
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From "meh", over "hm, interesting" to "fuck yeah" in mere thirty seconds, that's not an easy task to accomplish but this German trio somehow managed to do exactly that. I wasn't fond if the opening of this ep, but gradually it grew on me and halfway through 'Eyes of the Scythe Wielder', I was heabanging along with their chaotic and primitive approach to black metal. Nothing fancy, no over produced feel good shit, just sheer violence and intense blasphemy. This ep sounds like it comes directly from an underground bunker in the early nineties when the blackened scene was just beginning to make headlines everywhere. If you like your black metal true, bleak and vulgar, this is your album of the week.


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Brieviews part 10

26/8/2016

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Dopethrone - 1312

sludge
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A free three-track ep from Canadian sludge deities Dopethrone, which, by the way, is completely free to download if you wish. So why write a review about it? After all, every Dopethrone fan should know about this ep already, and most of them should already have it in their digital collection, no? Well, like I said, "should". I know that there are some lazy stoners out there that haven't checked out the crushing 'Shot Down', the grinding 'Drifter' (my favorite) and the pulverizing closer 'Skag Reek' yet. Maybe because it's monday morning and they still need to get the weekend out of their systems. Good new, this ep can help you with that by knocking you out cold...


Astrophobos - Enthroned In Flesh 

black metal
Triumvirate Records
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The Scandinavian countries have always been the place to be for decent black metal and Swedish trio Astrophobos are here to prove that. Since their inception in 2009, they've released an ep and a full-length, now followed by this triumphant four-track. These songs resemble some of the all time greats, including Satyricon, Dissection, Immortal and so on and comes with an excellent production, solid enough to blast the wax out of your ears. My favorite track is the epic 'The Cadaver Monarch', a massive piece of (mainly) slow, grinding black metal in the vein of some of the best Dimmu Borgir songs. This ep certainly is a must-have for ever self-respecting black metal adept, that's for sure... 


Morrow - Covenant Of Teeth 

crust / post-metal / sludge
Halo Of Flies
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In a faraway future, when our civilization is left in unrecognizable ruins, a number of new people will form tribes and start all this madness all over again. London, UK based supergroup Morrow created the soundtrack for this post-apocalyptic world, and what a massive beast that album has become. Crust, post-metal and sludge with violins and cellos accompanying the more traditional instrumentation, intense, heavy and  often straight-in-your-face music that is quite hard to categorize. The band is huge, featuring a massive number of guest vocalists and narrators speaking or screaming in different languages. This certainly is a strange but highly immersive experience.


Black Tar Prophet / Iron Gavel - Split

sludge / noise rock
Broken Limbs
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Ready to be hypnotized by repetitive, almost ritual, sludge doom? Well, than the first part of this burdensome split is something for you. Black Tar Prophet for Nashville, TN, specializes in thick, harsh sludge with samples instead of vocals and the result is mesmerizing and immersive. It could very well be the soundtrack for a David Lynch movie about Dante's 'La Divina Commedia', or something. Iron Gavel basically follows a similar pattern with harsh guitar riffs and pummeling drums but seem to throw a thick sauce of noise rock over the whole thing. In any case, this split comes highly recommend to anyone who wants to scare the shit out of people...


Hostis - Hostis

death metal
Miner Records
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Headbanging time! Drop whatever you're doing, play this one loud and bang the day away. This band from Montenegro, featuring members from Abhoth, comes up with bloody delicious thrash induced death metal. Slayer meets Obituary and Testaments meets Dismember, which obviously means fingerlicking riffs, a fierce tempo and deep guttural growls. However, it might be interesting to notice that these guys never let brutality get in the way of musicality, which is a massive plus in my book. The level of variation is high, the mid-tempo parts are immersive as hell and 'Demigods' is a world class death metal track. This album certainly is a highlight in 2016's death metal scene.


Impure Consecration - Succumb to Impurity Fire

death metal
Blood Harvest
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This strictly limited 7" (250 copies) is meant to be an appetizer for the upcoming debut of American trio Impure Consecration. I'm not sure when the full-length will be released but if you're a fan of old school death metal, you might start preparing to feast on the corpses of your enemies. The two songs on this single are primitive, harsh and unforgiving pieces of death metal, quite similar to some of the oldest works by Morbid Angel, Sepultura or Vital Remains.'Apparitions of a Malevolent Spirit' for example, completely reeks of the early eighties when extreme metal started to take form with its growling voice, it's chaotic riffing and it's nutsack piercing drums. Try it, it's good for you....


Supremative - Servitude Of The Impurity

black metal / death metal
Blood Harvest 
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I have no idea where Blood Harvest keeps finding these ancient school bands. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a time portal to the early eighties in their office. Take this Supremative ep for example, an intro with gregorian chants, followed by chaotic and psychotic noise, moshing on the thin line between black and death metal. The tempo is murderous, but so seem to be the intentions of this whole thing. This Spanish act blasts and grinds its way through your eardrums, right into wherever your soul is situated. I'd recommend this thing to all the old schoolers out there. Maybe to the new death metal kids too, hoping this music will devour and destroy them completely...


Osmium Guillotine vs. The Tickturds - Osmium Guillotine vs. The Tickturds

punk / metal
bandcamp Osmium Guillotine
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One is a metal band, the other a collective of punks. Both play heavy music, preferably loud. Both have recorded one brand new song and a cover of the other band. But the whole thing kicks off with a song they wrote and recorded together. That song, called 'Imitators' is an intense piece of punk-metal, guaranteed to start a moshpit or at least a decent headbanging session. The whole thing feels a little Exploited-like, you know, thrash metal meets punk. Other bands that often come to mind include Overkill, Anthrax and The Unseen. This really is a fun crossover ep by two of Essex' loudest bands, exceptionally suited for those who long for the good old days of both genres...


Buildings/Volunteer - Split

noise rock
Triple Eye Industries
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Dissonant music doesn't always have to be metal. Take this impressive six-track split for example. Opening with a brilliant piece of noise-rock in 'Something Better', American trio Buildings comes up with one of the best things in the genre I've heard this year. The other two tracks are just as much dissonant delight, bringing everything from Unsane over Godflesh to The Jesus Lizard to mind. Fellow countrymen Volunteer add a few hints of sludge to the whole noise-rock sound, perfectly completing this already stunning split. This is something for fans of Vandal X, Today Is The Day and Neurosis, maybe, probably. I don't know. This is noise-rock perfection...


Royce - Embrace Yourself

metalcore / metal
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Although metalcore usually isn't my thing, I do feel some sympathy for these youngsters from "De Kempen", a geographic region in Belgium, claimed to be "silent". Well, nothing is silent on this debut ep, on the very contrary. With their mix of fast hardcore, melodic metalcore and metallic extremes these guys are preparing for the bigger stages. This is pure aggression, dressed in something that seems to be influenced by everything between Alexisonfire, Parkway Drive, Trivium and Gojira. There are some brilliant passages, plenty of variation and sheer power, everything a good metalcore band needs. So yes, this is highly promising. We'll hear a lot more from these guys in the near future...


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Everything Behind - Man From Elsewhere

17/6/2016

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hardcore / metal
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Right, time for a piece of brutality, torment and violence. We're still in Paris, France but we're not talking about the horrible recent events in France. No, we're talking about an ep by Everything Behind. In 2013 they released an ep, named 'Human Paradise' but they felt that it was time for a new start, a new sound. Still firmly rooted in hardcore, metal and possibly metalcore, this quintet comes up with a refreshing approach to brutal music, and after a few listens I have to admit that I quite like it.

Perhaps that needs an explanation. To be honest, I'm not a fan of hardcore and metalcore. In fact, none of our currently active writers are, which leaves me with the task to review the cds that come in. Yet, that often pleasantly surprises me. I often find this particular scene quite narrow and one-sided but once in awhile a band appears and shatters that prejudice. You guessed it, Everything Behind is such a band. They evolved, crossed the borders between hardcore, metal and electronics and come out with a pretty damn good album.

Don't get me wrong, there are still some fierce riffs, tormenting screams and skull piercing drums to be found but the whole comes with so much variation, so many surprising hooks and edges that it's pretty irresistible. I often found myself screaming along with songs like 'Hopes Run Away' or the brilliant closer 'Man From Elsewhere'. I enjoy the influences from the post-metal scene and I enjoy the pretty dubsteppy touches here and there.

Nah, as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best things in today's 'core' scene. It's a dynamic, versatile and energetic blend of heavy styles that will make a lot of faces turn into Everything Behind's direction. Screams alternate with melodic vocals, immersive passages alternate with axe-smashing riffing and the drummer, well, he just wants to beat you to death I think. All in good fun of course. 


​Serge
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Fallen Eight - Rise & Grow

26/4/2016

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metal
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Hm, this is a tough one. It's an ep that will not be played very often in this household but I don't want to tear it down either. I mean, the fact that this is a genre I don't really listen to (or like), doesn't make this a bad album, on the contrary. Besides, the opening track is pure genius, a potential smash hit that will get this band on loads and loads of main stages in the near future. For a reviewer, it's difficult to write about these albums, but I'm going to anyway.

Fallen Eight is a French band, formed in 2011. One year later, they started playing this material on several stages in France and now they seem ready to take their music abroad. In that, I can only agree. It's music for live performances, music with a lot of energy, dynamics and aggression. I can easily see audiences far and wide go nuts on this and perhaps I'd be nuts about it too when I hear it live.

So, you might ask, what is my problem with it? Well, to be honest, I'm not into metalcore and the metalcore influences definitely shine through on most of the tracks. 'Come From The Sky' and 'Final Shot' are harsh, aggressive pieces of work, enhanced by an alternation of clean vocals and brutal screams. I know, there's more to this than metalcore. I'm often reminded of plenty of bands in the metal scene, including Machine Head, Slipknot and Linkin Park.

Like I said earlier, 'Reborn' is an absolute killer, a masterpiece of melodic metal and certainly my favorite track on this ep. 'Light' comes very close and closer 'Worst Nightmare' could be the entrance theme for a wrestling superstar. Yes, Fallen Eight have a very modern style, often even reminding me of the methodical industrial approach of Fear Factory, mainly in the drums. That's obviously a huge plus.

The verdict? Well, I'm going to go ahead and recommend this album anyway, mainly to the metalcore adepts and young metal fans out there. After all, Fallen Eight are pretty damn good at what they do, showing a well-attuned band that can 'Rise & Grow' extremely fast from now on. However, if you check it out, do me and the band a favor and don't just pluck this from the internet in awful MP3 sound. Buy the physical release at a show, support your scene and show some respect.


​Serge


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Aterra - All Born In Pain

9/3/2016

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thrash / metalcore
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Right, how about a rude awakening today? We're kicking off today's writing session with a brutal blend of hardcore and thrash metal, because why not? After all, we need something to wake us up after a short night of sleep. Too short, if you ask me, but perhaps that's my own fault because I've been designing stuff until four o'clock last night. If all goes well, you'll soon find out what I've been doing over the past few days but for now, let's stick to our day job and review this stuff.

Atarra is a band from Warsaw, Poland, formed in 2012. Something tells me that these guys take their music very seriously and are determined to become a big player in today's metal scene. They seem professional and driven, two very good characteristics for a metal band but obviously, that doesn't necessarily make a band great. To be great, you need awesome music too. And that's where Aterra are heading.

Now, in all honesty I have to say that metalcore and hardcore have never been my favorite genres, although I do respect and admire the skills of many artists out there. In that aspect, Aterra might not become my favorite band but I will tell you that they made a very interesting album, one with a lot of variation, a lot of guts and a lot of power. For hard- & metalcore fans, this really is a must have.

The album opens with 'Still To Try', a track that immediately reminds me of bands like Sick Of It All, Hatebreed and many of their colleagues. Yet, there also seem to be some melodic death metal influences, mostly from the Swedish style. That combination works quite well as you can hear some excellent melodies behind a well of brute force. It's a great opener for this album, immediately showing the headbang capacity.

But there seems to be more to Aterra than just smashing some distorted guitars through your eardrums. Between most of the songs, they've placed a number of atmospheric instrumentals, some drones, some ambient stuff.  These breathers are quite welcome between nutkickers like 'Paper Kings' (which could be seen as a very heavy Dog Eat Dog song), the grinding 'PW' or the punk rocker 'Voices'.

That alternation between quiet breathers and fierce hardcore metal keeps the album interesting for me. Besides, none of the songs seems to be exactly the same as the previous one, something which often is the case in this scene. 'Low', for example is a brilliant doomed post-metal track and, for that, probably my favorite track on this album. Did I mention the fact that Aterra often incorporates keyboards? No? Well, they do and they really complete this album.

So yes, I've been pleasantly surprised by this Polish quintet. Yet, I also feel that they still can do better, that they will undoubtedly grow as a band. Why? Well, there are some elements on this album that could set Aterra apart from other hard- & metalcore bands. If they find and emphasise these, I'm positive that they will become a pretty unique and genre-bending act in the near future and that they will, in their turn, influence a lot of young bands to go out there and do their thing.


Serge
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Acidiun - 9 Circles

13/1/2016

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death metal / metalcore
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Five guys between twenty-two and twenty-four, pushing themselves in a small, hot rehearsal venue, blasting their brains out with pure raw energy and fierce brutality.  Sweating, screaming, sometimes bleeding, but always giving 100% in order to come out with something that will shock and awe audiences everywhere.  That's the life, one chosen by countless of metalheads around the world, and with good reason too.  It's fucking awesome.

Swedish quintet Acidiun comes with three songs they have written and recorded in that rehearsal room, probably hoping to get discovered by a big label soon.  As far as I'm concerned, they damn well deserve it too. Metalcore, deathcore, death metal, hardcore call it what you will but fact remains that this intense stuff.  Usually, I'm not even a big fan of metalcore but I do appreciate the hard work and the strong belief put into this ep.

Besides, these are great songs too, blasting, intense, heavy and punishing.  They drive on massive riffs, drilling drums and a combination of hardcore screams and death growls.  Tempos often change and some of these passages are catchy as fuck.  My favorite remains opener 'Boiling Inside', a fierce piece of metal, regardless of sub-genres.  My advice? Check them out now before they turn into a massive band soon.  At least you'll be able to say that you knew them before they got big...


Serge
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