post rock / post metal

This is an untitled album released on May 12, that is a split between Japanese post rock project Of decay and sublime, and Russian post metal group Sequoian Aequison. A little more than forty seven minutes long, the record has four tracks: the first two – Womb and Parhelion – played by Of decay and sublime, and the other two – Caverna and Nemuri – played by Sequoian Aequison. A very interesting album, here we can testify the major confluence of two very interesting groups, that has a lot of contrasts and similarities as well. With a sound that complements one another wonderfully, these two groups have a lot in common, but each one has worked and developed a style according to a very singular set of principles and sensibilities.   

While Of decay and sublime has more tender elements sidelined to the invisible ocean of a splendorous outline of graciously poetic attachments, the sound tends to filtrate the normal correlations of extremely floating melodies, standardized over a stream of harmonious symmetries, that perfectly highlights at the axis of the music a majestic universe of restrained turbulence, easily surpassed by a joyful pragmatism destined to overcome the tempestuous elements of the fallacious shadows of inexistent sentiments.  

Sequoian Aequison, on the other hand, displays a thoroughly heavier sound, that dissipates over the abysses of a despondent soul all the dust and darkness conceived by the loneliness of a sad spirit. In the deserted desolation of a gray horizon, Sequoian Aequison’s sound complements, perceives and condensates the subtle hostility of the environment in a pervasive scale of dissonant consternations, indefinitely sidelined by an evasive solitude of constantly painful perceptions of life. 

This split album definitely is a very beautiful, gracious and ultimately striking combination. Two amazing artists, whose sonorous characteristics complement one another so overwhelmingly, and yet, each one with its own distinctions, and respective musical styles. With a perfectly balanced symmetry of harmonic values, greatly distributed in the shapes of intensely sensible, and incredibly well dilapidated melodies, definitely this record stands as one of the best split albums that I have heard.            


Wagner

avant garde / metal / post metal

Saule is the debut album of the eponymous Polish crossover post metal act, released by Italian record label Avantgarde Music, on May 13. Forty one minutes long, the record has seven tracks: I, II, III, IV, V, VI and O. A brilliantly conspicuous, sagaciously unreserved, pervasively ambivalent and profoundly monumental album, with consistently epic elements, Saule reverberates through the colossal components of its own intrinsic beauty thoroughly exacerbated and melancholically dense desperate devices, that harmoniously shapes the melodic oceans of sensibilities upon which their music is crafted, and intelligently expands the fundaments of its redeemed phantasmagoric labor. 

Marvelously beautiful and thoroughly efficient, the style of Saule has an imperative grandiosity centered in wonderfully shaped and sculpted melodies, that brings at the confluence of its sonorous axis the experience of a sound convergence that reiterates the strength of a formidable and inextricable creativity. Sidelined at the lucidity of its ambitious harmonies, it is possible to observe the birth of entire universes, craving in the linear opacity of its thought the fugacious galaxy of a serenity that dreams way ahead the philosophy of its delightful whispers. In the corners of a delicate and splendidly voracious sensibility, Saule becomes the ethereal veil of melodies covered in dust, upon which the world has buried the coalescence of its unwanted dreams.  

Although the album is deeply submerged most of the time in a beautiful and almost hypnotic density of a marvelous instrumental ocean of deeply saturated sensibilities, there are thoroughly gracious vocal passages, that highlights the subtle style of the group to another path of reflexive grace. Stricken by an aggressive stupor of melancholy, the sound seems to levitate between somewhat inexistent monumental spheres of fallacious agony, and afflictive worlds of dying secrecy, upon which the fundamental principles of our soul becomes diluted, but keeps feeding at the fountain of the music’s essence. 

Despite some sonorous uniformity, Saule’s debut is a great and very unexpected record. A genuine and incredibly original work of art, full of gracious energy and displaying a genuine vortex of melodic infallibility, in thoroughly consistent rhythmical dissonances that creates a very singular dimension of plural expansions, Saule condenses the pressure of a gas giant into a symbiotic strength of versatile proclivities, meticulously engendered to pronounce the fugacious doom of a universe lost at the insensitive fables of our own inhumane hearts. So, summarizing, a formidably creative and astoundingly terrific album. 


Wagner

post rock / doom

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

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

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

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


​Serge

post rock / post metal

Hell yeah, Sleepmakeswaves are back. Well, "back" might not be the correct word since they never really left. These Australians seems to work harder than most bands; recording, touring, rehearsing... It's a full-time job, being a Sleepmakeswaves member, but certainly one I would sign for. I mean, you get to see the world (supporting Devin Townsend and Underoath, or headlining) and help create some of the most mesmerizing tunes in the post-rock industry. The only thing is, I don't really have the musical talent that these guys have, so they'll probably never hire me. But that's ok, I'll just write about the new album.

So, the album title is a lie, that's one thing. This one is not 'Made of Breath Only'. On the other hand, imagine if this album wàs made out of breath only, that would make these guys incredible human beatboxes, Bauchklang or DubFX would look like amateurs compared to an a cappella Sleepmakeswaves. But, of course, there are guitars, drums, bass and whatnot on this album, all arranged in perfect Sleepmakeswaves tradition, which in my book means "party post rock". For me, these Australians have always been standing out because of their uptempo songs, their massive sound and their ability to set venues on fire with sheer enthusiasm.

On 'Made Of Breath Only', those elements still stand, even though the whole thing feels darker and more aggressive that their previous efforts. The 'metal' tag now seems to shine through, resulting in blasting tunes like 'Worlds Away' and the fierce headbanger 'The Edge Of Everything'. There seems to be a bigger emphasis on riffs this time, even though the typical Sleepmakeswaves soundscapes are still present. In the past, you could dance to Sleepmakeswaves, but now you can also bang your head, which I think is a pretty damn good evolution.

Furthermore, the songs are more complex and progressive than what I am used to. More varied too, even coming up with funky bass lines, beautiful piano tunes (that title track is breathtaking), math metal elements, dance beats and so much more. I really feel like each band member put his very soul into this album, along of course with heaps of technical abilities and experience. 'Into The Arms Of Ghosts' begins with almost typical trance, complete with dance beats, combined with typical post rock, only to blast out in brutal progressive metal, combined with psychedelic rock. The song is as complex as that sentence I wrote about it but it still is bloody awesome.

Well, I guess you should know by now that this is a brilliant piece of work, destined to grab the post rock scene by the hand and help it evolve into the future. Heavier, darker, angrier and more intense than its predecessors, 'Made Of Breath Only' is a landmark in its genre, and a magnum opus for a massively talented band. I can only recommend this album to all fans of instrumental rock music, whether it's post rock, post metal, progressive rock or anything related. You simply can't go wrong with Sleepmakeswaves. They help define the sound of tomorrow's scene...


​Serge

post metal

The Circle is the most recent album by German Post Metal group Heretoir, released on March 24. Sixty five minutes long, the record has eleven tracks: Alpha, The White, Inhale, Golden Dust, My Dreams Are Lights In The Sky, XIX XXI XIV, Exhale, Eclipse, Laniakea Dances (Soleils Couchants), Fading With The Grey and The Circle (Omega). An album full of rich harmonies, The Circle has an exacerbated and vivacious brilliance shaping the mordacious creativity of the sound. Although the musical direction is sometimes too predictable, there is a charming, philosophical and condescending beauty in the overall perception of the melodies. 

The songs, in general, are beautiful, with delicate and poetic insurrections expanded throughout the light of perennial intonations of quiet and peaceful lucidity, widespread in the sensational and humane sensibility of a very cohesive, opalescent and carefully detailed structure, with angelical and poetic passages similar to religious anthems. With intensely philosophical overtones, and a profound immersion into the quest of the human spirit, Heretoir creates a fugacious and ephemeral bridge towards the restless triumph of an everlasting sorrow, that corrodes the strength and the perseverance of our derelict personal universes. Like a perseverant warrior that bravely emerges from the dust, their music seems to be motivated by the hopeful desire to wake humankind from its stupor and lethargy. And yet, strangely enough, despite the subjective message implicit in the poetic, serene and melancholic atmosphere of their music, there is an art for the art’s sake component, ardently projecting its outstanding ambitions from the crest of the sound, to the higher grounds of their style.      

Unfortunately, with longer tracks and slow harmonies, the album can be quite tedious, and some passages in particular are so extensively calm and serene that the style resembles more soft rock than actual post metal. Nevertheless, these demerits are not sufficient to diminish the importance and the formidable qualities displayed by the band in this extraordinary album. With its fair share of rapid, lancinating, infuriating and aggressive moments as well, the record overflows with a vast amount of principles and sensibilities, impossible to deny or to forget.

In the end, The Circle can be classified, with the restless vigor of its incommensurable beauty – and despite some minor deficiencies – as a prudent, artistic and exceptional album, with epic and proverbial intonations. Sometimes, more is less, and I can’t avoid thinking that, if the album was a little bit shorter, then it could have been a masterpiece.


Wagner 

post metal / sludge / hardcore

Well well, here seems to be the perfect soundtrack for a day like this one. People and things have been annoying me all day long. Schoolkids in the store, stuff that keeps falling to the ground, Belgian car drivers, Dutch car drivers... Damn, I wish I could lock all of them up in some kind of cave and blast this pummeling album by German hardcore extremists Hyenas at full volume. That'll fucking teach them.

For the record, I suppose none of those people who annoyed the shit out me have ever heard of this band, since they probably only listen to what our mindnumbing radio stations throw at them. So, for them, this whirlpool of aggressive riffing, skull splatting drums and ferocious vocals would make a perfect torturing device. For the season hardcore, post metal and sludge fan, this absolutely is a must-have.

'Deadweights' is a rather short album, but as far as brutality, raunchiness and raw energy goes, these twenty six minutes are more than sufficient. In eleven songs, Hyenas present an intense slab of distorted guitars diven noise, resembling bands like Everytime I Die and Norma Jean. So for those interested in extreme and filthy punk, songs like 'Smoothtalkers', 'Homeostatis' and 'Ambiself' will definitely get you into the pit. Buy it, now.


Serge

 

post rock / post metal

English instrumentalists Telepathy managed to blast themselves to the very top of my personal best-concerts-of-2016 list with their jaw dropping gig at Antwerp Music City (read), leaving even Russian Circles and The Cure behind them. What I witnessed in that small venue was nothing short of amazing, a tremendous blast of energy. Back then, I knew the band from their 12 Areas album but I wasn't really a fan. Yet. Then came the gig in AMC, and now here comes the new album, one I have been looking forward to ever since September 8.

Of course I had high expectations, which usually isn't a very good thing to have. Just ask Metallica fans about their high expectations and they will rant for hours about how disappointing their favorite band can be. Still, expecting nothing short of amazing, I shoved the album into my cd player, gave the volume control a firm twist and prepared to get blown away again. 'First Light' started playing, causing the thought "excellent intro". So far so good, and then 'Smoke from Distant Fires' started.

While the song blasted through my left ear (the good one), my right ear barfed out all the expectations and possible scenarios in case the album was not to my linking.  That does indeed mean "fuck, this is good". My head immediately started nodding and when the blast beats came in, my blackened metal heart joined the party. The post rock loving side of my inner-being gladly approved the calmer parts. Much like their gig at AMC, this proved to be more than satisfactory, and that was just one track.

I don't think there is much difference between '12 Areas' and 'Tempest', except for the fact that the latter shows a mature and well-attuned band, more so than their previous effort. Telepathy still hold onto their blend of instrumental post-rock/metal, sludge and doom, here and there throwing some blackened elements into the mix. However, on this album they come up with a massive production, a coherent sound and a professional attitude, which obviously are good signs. Telepathy are certainly growing.

I cannot pick a favorite track here, or rather, I really don't want to. 'Celebration Of Decay' is a highlight, that's true, but so are the others. I mostly prefer to listen to the entire album, as if it is a concept album but I'm also quite sure that all these tracks will end up in my shuffling day-to-day playlist. I suggest you do something similar: get your hands on a copy of this masterpiece and play it loud. In my humble opinion, 'Tempest' is one of the best things that ever came out of the heavy post-whatever scene. It's that good!!!


​Serge

post metal

Unearthing is an album by New Zealander Post Metal duo Into Orbit, released on February 3. Forty one minutes long, the record has eight tracks: Dark Matter, Stone Circles, Scattering Light, Equilibrium, Caldera, The Archer, Unearthing and Gilgamesh. A marvelous record, with wonderful, delicate and planetary melodies, Unearthing is fulfilled with a poetic and splendid sense of majesty, that inhabits a universe of delusional and abstract colorful tonalities, where glorious guitar lines and intricate, but devotional, expansive and empirical harmonies create worlds of introspective brilliance, making you see things differently, in a dream-like state trajectory where all your thoughts are converted into a gigantic and transcendental wave of cosmogony, that vividly conflagrates into the signs of your soul all mysterious directions that perpetuates the enigmas of time.

Unearthing is a splendid and magnificent work. With a solid purpose, and a strong sense of originality, Into Orbit develops a very lancinating musical style, that can be described as a hazardous and proficient storm in the middle of the most serene and ambivalent ocean. With punctual and fluctuating devices, that carries out at the height of an imponderable significant concept a very sensible ordeal, the songs are as soft and calm as the perpetual haze of a distant world of ethereal  dreams, that suddenly feels prepared to captivate your soul, being the sole objective of the journey the desire to wonder free into the most derelict, antagonistic, pure and sincere vicissitudes that shapes the orbit of the insecure emotional devices of the human existence. With laborious and insinuating melodies that capture the essence of an insurrect desolation that standardizes the retrospective resilience of the human soul, Unearthing is unparalleled in the streams of its poetic correlations, surpassing the formidable essence of an inexistent river of detrimental recollections of fragmented dreamscapes, that conforms to the non-aligned essence of an unbound and unrestricted sentimental galaxy. 

With exceedingly beautiful and strong guitar lines, Unearthing is a formidable instrumental album, that really shapes the genre in a very personal and original context. Unfortunately, some passages of incongruous and diffuse musical uniformity transmits a sporadic sense of monotony. Nonetheless, these awkward moments do not compromise the strength, the audacity and the genuine sonorous lucidity of the album, primary qualities that grow stronger and stronger, with each track.                     

Unearthing, by New Zealander Post Metal duo Into Orbit, is a solid, masterful, perennial, splendid, graceful and gracious album, that will literally take you into another orbit of sonorous existence, certainly a more extraordinary and vivacious one. A sensational and monumental record, Unearthing is a wonderful and spectacular state of the art work. Original, lucid and very singular, this is a record with a seriously ferocious artistic potential, that has all the right components to revitalize and revolutionize the genre.        


Wagner

post rock / post metal

It's strange how an album can be both fantastic and disappointing at the same time. I know, that's a pretty harsh sentence to open this review, especially since this album is far from disappointing. I'll explain. The title of this album is 'Film Noir', something I associate with dark jazz acts like Radare, Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones or Bohren & der Club of Gore. The artwork points in a similar direction and even the opening track 'Alive and Torn' has something dark-jazzy. So yes, I immediately went into post-dark-jazz-rock modus, which was rudely interrupted by sneering guitars on 'In Anger'. My mind went "damn, that was my favorite genre".

Luckily for Lithuanian post rock orchestra Autism, everything they do next also belongs to my list of favorite genres. 'In Anger' sets the tone for the rest of the album, blending post rock with progressive metal, all without uttering a word. There are words on this album, but solely in the form of samples, film noir samples I think. They turn 'Brittle Bones' into a stunning piece of music, one which breathes fear, hopelessness and pain. I think it's safe to say that 'Brittle Bones' is my favorite, as it is an incredibly immersive post-rock track that can easily compete with the greats in the genre.

'918' is another highlight, a long, narrative composition that even crawls into the regions of post-black metal, a genre Autism often seems to flirt with. I like that, it's an excellent addition to the already varied sound of these Lithuanians and it certainly adds heaps of atmosphere to the whole thing. The album closes with the title track, which is equally impressive as its predecessor. In all, 'Film Noir' simply is an exquisite post rock album, carefully and meticulously written and arranged by talented musicians who dare to think out of the box. Of course I will recommend it to all you post-whatever fans. This deserves a place in your collection, that's for damn sure...


​Serge

post metal

With nine furious and interesting tracks, Surrounding the Void is an album where slow, decidedly aggressive and more elaborated melodies prevail. Although their style may seem generic at first, the songs are clever, profound, and deeply emotional. With an intelligent structure, supported by realistic, arduous and potentially escalating melodies, Surrounding the Void definitely congregates the abilities for an interesting record. With thinly disguised elements of post hardcore and metalcore as well, Surrounding the Void is permeated by sentimental harmonies, that expresses a furious anger in very expressive guttural – sometimes almost hostile – vocals, with incisive drum beats, and very well structured guitar lines. Although the harmonies in between the songs seem to have little variations, the band presents a very cohesive style, and a captivating creativity. 

Of course, if you don’t like this genre of music, you may be bored, and the slow passages of the album do demand some patience. But overall, this is a very tempestuous album, that explicitly states in the more agonizing moments the proverbial intentions of their style. With the prevalence of abrasive guitar lines, that distinctively shapes the sound as an aggressive ritual of desperation, Surrounding the Void is a somewhat multifaceted album, with a lot of shades, perspectives and nuances, some more beautiful than others. With no fear of exposing their more delicate side, the album has some poetic and melancholic tones, full of vibrating nostalgia and never-ending colorful afternoons.

Although some songs are too long, there is transcendental majesty on this work, with serenity, calmness and happiness underneath its brutal falling on reality. An album to listen carefully, with attention and passion, certainly, as you can listen for yourself, it’s full of qualities and merits, and deserves to find its audience.    

The major problem of the album is the length of some songs: being generally too extensive, probably will demand a great deal of your patience. But putting this aspect of the record aside, if you are into this genre of music, you will find Surrounding the Void a decent and enjoyable album. With a style of their own, that intensely plays with a very genuine creative feeling, Palmer is a promising band with an authentic sound. Despite the fact that they have yet to learn how to properly infuse synergy with dynamics, they are skilled musicians on the right road. Definitely, Surrounding the Void can be considered an interesting album, for enthusiasts of the genre.    


Wagner

post metal / post rock

2017 is going to be a busy year for the guys of Belgian post metal band Terraformer. A tour is being planned, taking them to Germany, The Netherlands and Dunk! Festival. A split album with Watered is set to be released, ànd they are preparing to unleash this brand new full-length upon mankind. This album, their third, contains six heavy post metal anthems and takes you on a forty minutes lasting journey through soundscapes, distorted guitars and meticulous drums.

That being said, don't let the cover art fool you. The drawing looks like a psychedelic rock album from the seventies but,  instead of acts like Jefferson Airplane or Pink Floyd, expect something like Meshuggah writing a post rock album. I think that comes a lot closer to what I'm listening to right now. I know, it might be weird to compare this album to Meshuggah, but if you listen to the harsh, intense, "djenty" guitars on this one, you might understand.

Of course, the music on this album compares more to bands like This Will Destroy You, Russian Circles, Pelican, Isis and so on. With elaborate soundscapes, narrative musical passages and a cinematic atmosphere, Terraformer easily place themselves among the greats of the genre. Besides that, a track like 'Adamantine' thrives on these pungent guitar riffs, turning the post-rock sound into something your can brutally bang your head to.

'Penelope' is one of my favorite tracks on this album. Like most of the songs, this is a long, complex and intensely heavy anthem, loaded with these typical soundscapes and thriving on an immersive tempo. There is a hint of math rock and perhaps a dash of noise rock present, reminding me of A Place To Bury Strangers. Again, not a band name to be compared with I think. 'Epoch' eventually brings on the doom references, much to my delight.

But apart from all that comparing to other bands, I feel like Terraformer have found their niche within a genre where many bands are starting to sound alike. Maybe I can just go with the flow and categorize this under the new genre "post-djent". I'm not saying that this is a unique album, but it is Terraformer at their very best. If you like heavy post-rock, you should give this a go. So in the end, again a Belgian band has started to climb into end-year lists.. I'm sorry for the rest of the world, but in 2017, the Belgian music industry is winning...


Serge

post rock

Vendetta is an album released on December 1, 2016, by Spanish Instrumental Post Metal group Malämmar. With six nameless – only numbered – tracks, this is a rather interesting and peculiar album, filled with ergonomic twists, melodic uplifting shadows and slow, but outspokenly heavy harmonies, that does not forgive the hallucinating demise of the it’s ingenious originality.

With an audacious and lucid sound that corroborates the sometimes brutal heaviness of a solid style, Malämmar introduces to us in a very explicit and direct manner the greatest aspects of the somewhat twisted and not well defined genre that is post metal – but who needs definitions when such a great sound reverberates in your ears, so splendidly? With contorted, but aggressive guitar lines, that leads extremely well the harmonies into the slow rhythms of the songs, the marvelous and dissonant sonorous walls of these tracks will leave you hallucinated. Nonetheless, Vendetta is for the most experienced of us all: if you do not understand the shape of their style, nor their musical proposal, you will feel a little disturbed, as their sound, predominantly slow, is calm all the way through, as the aggressiveness of their style is more detailed, rude and largely sculpted in the abrasiveness of melodies whose wild side presents itself in the scathing, cutting edge notes of the guitar, that builds a paradigm of delusions within the circle of its turbulent artistry.           

Slow, methodic and carefully created, the harmonies are very well built, and their technique is also another major point of evaluation. Besides great instrumentalists, they are amazing songwriters, that really know precisely what they are doing. With an audacious musical rhetoric that sees no boundaries, their wild originality works at their favor: they are wisely constrained, and don’t push the sonorous boundaries beyond measurement, meaning that there are no extravaganzas here, nor exaggerations. The sound is constructed carefully, beautifully and poetically. The only problem is that this awesome album is too short. Being only thirty minutes long, this incredible record makes you want more, as the sound imperceptibly penetrates inside you, and you inevitably incorporate all the beauty that this wonderful album evokes, little by little, very subtlety.  

An inspiring work of art, that really shows the vigorous creativity of amazingly inspired musicians, Vendetta is a genuine work of art. A record that you will want to hear, if you are into instrumental Post Metal. Formidably conceived, and brilliantly executed, certainly begins a real revolution into the genre!  


Wagner

post metal / black metal

From the seering hot desert to the icy cold landscapes of Siberia, for Merchants Of Air writers that could be just a small step, simply depending on the album we're trying to review. Perhaps we're a bit oversensitive to the atmosphere in some of these albums but the difference between this one and the album I reviewed before is huge. That one was sunlit, this one is dark and loaded with despair, angst and insanity.

L’Homme Absurde, a post-black metal band from Russia, was founded in 2015 as one-man band of A., who is known for being the drummer in most known Russian doom metal bands (Mare Infinitum, Who Dies In Siberian Slush, Comatose Vigil) and as the mastermind behind doom/downtempo band A Young Man’s Funeral. In 2016, other members (including Mare Infinitum guitarist Georgiy Bykov) joined in to record a first, self-titled demo and this full-length.

But this ain't no doom metal, far from it. In fact, where most post black metal bands tend to use slower passages, reminiscent of doom, L'Homme Absurde mostly maintains a fierce tempo. Some of the blast beats on this album are simply out-of-this-world and almost inhuman. To top that off, the rest of the music consists of layers of blackened riffage and haunting screams. I know, that doesn't sound very entertaining to most people, but it certainly is immersive.

This is the kind of music you want to play extremely loud while screaming out your inner demons, your fears, your frustrations while the constant drilling of the blast beats mangles you into a bloody pulp. I have no favorite song on this album as pretty much all of it reminds me of the most intense and insane pieces of black metal I've ever heard. I'm talking about acts like Limbonic Art meeting the newer scene with Altar Of Plagues and Wolves In The Throne Room.

Yet, apart from all the sheer brutality, there are some passages that prove just how talented and techically skilled this band really is. The post rock passage at the end of 'Disillusion' and the jazzy intro to 'Wanderer' are nice pieces of music, bringing a decent dose of variation to the whole thing. Besides, the latter has a Primordial-feeling to it, which is always a good thing. Black metal fans can't go wrong with this one, that's a fact.


​Serge

alternative rock / post metal

Not that long ago, I recommended this Belgian band as one of the "bands to see" at the Rocktoberfest festival in Lier (read - and read the festival review too). Although I didn't have the chance to see their full gig, I was quite intrigued by their sound, a blend of alternative rock and post hardcore with Dutch vocals. Last week or so, I received this little ep with four songs, 'Gouden Kooi', 'Gruis', 'Brood & Spelen' and 'Beton'.

Perhaps the combination of heavy rock with Dutch vocals might sound strange for some people, but not to me. Opener 'Gouden Kooi' somewhat reminds me  of a blend between AmenRa and Aroma Di Amore. The latter would often return since vocalist Fons sounds a bit similar to Elvis Peeters, even the vocal lines feel similar. I think that's a compliment, I really like Aroma Di Amore and I definitely like these songs.

'Gruis' is a bit more radio-friendly but nonetheless a strong song, possibly my favorite on this ep. Deftones come to mind, another positive reference. The only song I don't really like, is 'Brood & Spelen' but I guess that is simply personal taste. Techically, this one is perfectly fine, just not as catchy and immersive as the others. Luckily, Muddler closes with another great track in 'Beton', a possible single, destined to reach 'De Afrekening' (a listeners-choice chart on Studio Brussel).

What I like most about this ep, is the fact that Muddler seems to be one of those bands who give Dutch (or Flemish) music an added value, much like bands like Aroma Di Amore, Gorki, Noordkaap and Arbeid Adelt have been doing over the years, only heavier. They give our native language a sense of "serieux" and add some captivating music to it. I think it's time Muddler gets some attention from magazines like Humo and radio stations like Studio Brussel. And from you!


Serge

metalcore / post hardcore

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

post metal / experimental

A few days ago, I was going through the pile of albums to be reviewed when this thing caught my eye. The accompanying biography mentioned post metal, which at that time seemed like a decent companion for my daily tasks. So I shoved the disc into my audio-machine, pressed play and started doing some household chores. The opening track 'Athens' started to play. I remember thinking, "that's a pretty nice intro, all classical and stuff". Even when the post metal vocals came in,k I thought, "nice approach, I like it". But then I didn't know that the whole album was going to be like this. After about thirty minutes, it was all over, and I found myself wondering what the hell I'd been listening to. Post metal and sludge, without distorted guitars. Is that still post metal?

Regardless of what genre this is, it's awesome. There are typical post-metal vocals by Matthieu Miegeville (My Own Private Alaska, Psykup, The Black Painters), both haunting screams and clean ones. There are drums (studio: Jérémy Cazorla (Shake Us) - live: Hélios Mikhail (Meredith Huner)), equally normal in this area of the musical universe. But then there are the classical guitars of Arnaud Barat and the cello of Audrey Paquet (Trio Milonga, Quatour Eveil). The result is strange but nonetheless quite impressive. It shows that classical music and metal aren't that different from each other and fit perfectly well together. It's like listening to atmospheric and acoustic sludge metal without losing the power of the initial style.

That approach also drags some jazz influences along with it, maybe not intentionally but certainly welcome. Finding references to other bands isn't really easy either. Maybe it's best to think of an acoustic set-up for bands like AmenRa, Eyehategod and Neurosis but also acts like Tool and Deftones. Regardless of all that, I think this is a pretty daring and a highly original album, one that breaks boundaries between genres and eras. I know I didn't mention any particular tracks in this review but that's because that whole thing is such a bizarre and somewhat chaotic experience. A damn intense one too. Recommended? Definitely!


Serge

post metal / progressive

Winter is coming, soon snow will cover the lands and ice will form on the lakes and ponds. In Belgium, that will probably result in cold, slippery brown mush everywhere and a thin layer of ice on some ponds, not enough to skate or have any kind of fun with. That's why we prefer staying at home, lighting the fireplace and getting drunk while listening to good music. We are a simple kind of people; as long as the music is good enough.

This album by Irish one-man project Arcade Messiah is just the thing we need to get through the winter. It's one of those albums that tell elaborate stories, mostly without uttering a single word. The project is founded by KingBathmat frontman John Bassett and drags in heaps of influences from the gargantuan world of rock music. Yet, since the music is mostly instrumental, it might be both easy and correct to place this thing into the post rock and metal corners.

That being said, fans of bands like Pelican, Russian Circles and Cult Of Luna will definitely appreciate this music, but I'd also like to recommend this to others. There are elements of grunge in opener 'Revolver' while 'Deliverance' takes a strong progressive stand. Here and there I can hear influences from doom and sludge metal too and the whole stoner rock scene is never far away. Finally, there simply is a great dose of riffing goodness present here.

The tracks are well built-up and have the immersive nature of many of its highly acclaimed predecessors in the post-whatever scene. I have no favorite track since they all fit very well together, forming one big concept, which is exactly what I love so much about this genre. So, a shout out to fans of anything between Radiohead, Alice In Chains, the previous mentioned bands and Godspeed! You Black Emperor: this is a great album, a perfect companion for all your daily activities.


​Serge

post metal / noise rock / experimental

Aah, Swiss instrumental adventurers Lilium Sova return, once again to leave me speechless. I reviewed their previous album, 'Epic Morning' for the former version of our website (read) and I remember using the world "labyrinthine" to describe this music. Well, if anything, I can easily use this word again since this once again is a mesmerizing and somewhat confusing piece of music, completely shattering all genre regulations.

The album opens with an eerie drone, which basically serves as a gateway into the complex and deranged music Lilium Sova produces. A cello appears, right before the track 'Pakeneminen' blasts off in perfect post-hardcore meets mathcore and noise rock tradition, if such a thing exists. I can hear influences from acts like Godflesh, Zu and Converge but just as much hints of free jazz and the heavy jazz of acts like Dead Neanderthals.

'Scandens' seems to attenuate the intensity for a while, nudging a bit more towards the jazz kind of things. Yet, it slowly evolves into an immersive piece of post-whatever. That being said, the first six tracks of the album, the 'Lost Between Mounts And Dales' part, drives on rolling bass, methodical drums and the wonderful sound of the cello. In that aspect, I can only throw in Apocalyptica as a reference because you know, it's metal with cello, but heavier.

'Ustabil' is a gloomy harsh ambient piece, providing a little breather before the short but destructive 'Lavina' starts smashing your skull. The latter only needs 43 seconds to do exactly that. It's followed by my favorite track 'Ofkæling'. Yep, I'm beginning to dig this whole jazz/post-rock thing, especially when it evolves into an awesome, lingering composition. Like classical music on steroids.

​Then there are four more tracks, the so-called 'Set Adrift In The Flood Of People' side of the record. This side too blasts some intense experimental music through your eardrums, rarely giving you a chance to recuperate. That's the strength of a band like Lilium Sova. Although they come out as very experimental, they easily manage to keep the listener in their grasp, keeping the whole thing interesting. This simply is a marvellous piece of heavy, intense and experimental music, regardless of genres. Great job!!!


​Serge

post metal / black metal

Eternal, the most recent work by Dutch band An Autumn for Crippled Children, is a great, sensational and astonishing album, that certainly has everything to be considered a masterpiece. With a powerful, effective and expansive mixture of post-black metal, black metal and experimental music – sometimes flirting with a more traditional approach to rock’n’roll as well – Eternal is a majestic and exceedingly artistic album. With ten tracks, being them eternal youth, i will never let you die, on fire, farewell, this small space you occupied is so empty now, you have been in the shadows for so long, days of sleep, swallowed by night's despair, cloud mood and
matters of the heart, An Autumn for Crippled Children’s music is characterized by a proficient and prominent poetic melancholy, that drives the listener all the way throughout their music, being efficiently melodic, but never slow. With beautiful melodies, and songs with a “normal” duration – which means that these songs are not as long as usually seen in most post-black metal albums –, even the brand “post-black metal” possibly does not apply here, despite some elements, and most prominently, the vocals.

With the beauty of their own style, and a highly solid stream of pungent melodies, traditional rock’n’roll elements are everywhere to be seen, as the basic axis of their music. With a poetic beauty that accurately surfaces as the mostly sincere and complacent driving force, serenity and resilience appears to be the greatest components of Autumn for Crippled Children’s music. A beautiful album that really transcends all explanations, Eternal erodes, transforms and dissipates tranquility and calmness, by the fluidity of a sound that seems to be an everlasting light. Resounding with an incredible sense of balance and equilibrium, Eternal is a masterpiece, that should transcend the underground boundaries, and achieve mainstream status, for such a marvelous state of the art groundbreaking work cannot be known only to a few thousand insiders.

With powerful lines of guitar, sincerely scathing vocals, enchanting harmonies, dilaceration and majestic rhythms, and a fantastic convergence of all of its elements, Eternal is material for major record companies, and worldwide distribution. Having never listened to something so incredibly poetic, intense and artistic on the genre, Eternal is an album that literally made me speechless. An enormous and gigantic work of musical expression, An Autumn for Crippled Children certainly is today the most promising act in the Dutch underground scene, having such a powerful and compelling degree of originality, that it will be a major waste not to thrown them to a higher place, where they definitely belong. 

Eternal is a majestic album. Certainly one of the best albums of 2016, it is destined to be hailed as a major masterpiece, and an impressive artistic achievement, for its ability to create sound at the rhythm of stars and galaxies. A phenomenal monument, it is the indefinite, ethereal and perfect embodiment of a priceless musical legacy.  


Wagner

post hardcore

The recent post-hardcore craze is somewhat of a mystery to me. I guess I don't really understand it, like my parents probably never understood my lust for harsh, evil and occult music either. I actually like most of the music, but it's the vocals that make me frown a bit. That too might be weird, since I have absolutely no problems with death growls and blackened screams. Yet, these hardcore screams often sound a bit out of place over the atmospheric approach to heavy music. They belong on hardcore punk, but on this?

Now, I have to say that in this genre, it makes a huge difference when you experience it live. On stage, these bands usually are a blast and in that aspect, French horde Aleska is no exception., I think Although their debut full-length will probably not appear in my day-to-day playlist, I would definitely go see them when they play anywhere near Antwerp. Besides, there is one song on this album on which the vocals add a lot to the sick and twisted atmosphere, But let's start from the beginning.

The album opens with the song 'Instaurer Le Vide', which initially sounds like an excellent post rock song, or post metal if you wish. After listening to the whole album, I feel like this is the luring-in song, the one that fans of the genre will like enough to buy the album. But then it starts, things start getting weirder, flashes of sheer insanity seem to appear and the intensity rises to often punishing levels. These levels seems to rise with each song. 'Leaves, Trees and Me' reaches a huge highlight but what happens next is simply destructive.

'Que-Reste-T-Il?' pulls out all the stops, grabbing influences from sludge, crust, hardcore and black metal to turn the song into a whirlpool of musical and vocal madness. This definitely is the most pummeling song on this selftitled debut. The madness returns on 'Our Illusion Is Creation', but in a different way as the music once again drives on these beautiful post rock guitars while the vocalist now seems to be lost completely in his dark, eerie and haunting world. Fans of bands like Isis, Envy, Cult Of Luna or AmenRa, this surely is something for you. Check it out!!!


Serge