Merchants Of Air
  • Home
  • News
    • Poster Wall
    • Audio & Video Zone
    • Varia
  • Reviews
    • Albums
    • Concerts
  • Other
    • Interviews
    • Playlists >
      • The Day To Day Playlist
      • DJ Spullenhulp
      • Marc's lounge room
    • Funs & puns
  • A Small, Neat Journal
    • Series
    • Bottom Of The Pops
    • Blog
  • Shop
    • Merchants Of Air releases
    • Giveaways
  • About us
    • About Us
    • Writers Wanted
    • Logos and banner
    • Advertise
    • Mailinglist
  • Cecilia's World
    • preview

Eight Bells - Landless

27/2/2016

0 Comments

 
 doom metal / experimental / black metal
Amazon
facebook

Tartarus Records (tape)

Battleground Records (vinyl)

Foto
Picture
THISISNOTABANDSHIRT - exclusive shirt designs, created by members of Merchants Of Air
Every once in awhile an album appears that smashes all my expectations. Albums like these start out in a "not-bad" and end with "what the bloody hell have I been listening to?" It's actually this kind of stuff that keeps the whole, ever-evolving music industry interesting for me.  In this particular case, it's an evolution on its own. At one point I even thought "this is what The Breeders would sound like if they were a doom metal band". But to be honest, that flag doesn't cover the load.

Eight Bells are a three piece band from Portland Oregon.  Their sole purpose seems to be to experiment with metal and ethereal elements.  Yet, unlike some bands who combine these two, this didn't turn into a gothic metal act.  Instead, this turned into a stunning blackened doom metal band, perhaps the most unpredictible of their kind as well. I've always been weary about the term 'progressive', certainly when combined with doom metal, but here it works perfectly. Besides, even then there's a lot more going on.

The album opens with the song 'Hating', which actually starts out as a psychedelic rock song, evolves into something between shoegaze and grunge and suddenly blasts out in what sounds like a doom metal ballad. I really like these clean, ethereal vocals but I feel like this isn't everything these women can put out of their sleeves, or throats. And as often happens, I was quite right. The song is followed by title track 'Landless', which breathes a post-rock/metal air and introduces the bleakness of black metal to the album.

From then on, this album rages on between all these genres, from traditional doom metal over thrash induced black metal and shoegazing darkness. Perhaps it's not a bad thing to reference Kayo Dot here, certainly with all the surprising twists and hooks.  'Hold My Breath' might be the most progressive noise rock song I've ever heard, or perhaps the noisiest progressive rock track. 'The Mortal Suite' could be a cooperation between Barn Own and Cocteau Twins. Closer 'Touch Me' returns the old school doom sound of the opener to complete this odd circle of songs.

So takes it from me, this is a strange but interesting album which deserves your full attention. It drags you everwhere you want to go and everywhere you definitely do nòt want to go. It's dirty, it's eerie, it's harsh and it's beautiful. If you have ever listened to a church choir and thought "this needs distorted guitars and some brutal drums", you have to buy this album. That'll teach you to try to think in church...


Serge

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    subscribe to our newsletter

    Genres

    All
    Acoustic
    Alternative
    Ambient
    Avant Garde
    Avant-garde
    Black Metal
    Blues
    Children
    Classical
    Country
    Crust
    Dark Ambient
    Dark Jazz
    Darkwave
    Death Metal
    Doom
    Dream Pop
    Drone
    Drum & Bass
    Dub
    Dubstep
    EBM
    Electro
    Electronic
    Ethereal
    Experimental
    Folk
    Folk Metal
    Funk
    Gothic
    Grindcore
    Grunge
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Hip Hop
    Hip-hop
    Idm
    Indie
    Industrial
    Instrumental
    Jazz
    Krautrock
    Martial
    Math Rock
    Metal
    Metalcore
    Neo Classical
    Neo-classical
    Neo Folk
    Neo-folk
    Noise
    Noise Rock
    Noise-rock
    Nu Metal
    Nu-metal
    Opera
    Pop
    Post Metal
    Post Punk
    Post Rock
    Progressive
    Psychedelic
    Psytrance
    Punk
    Reggae
    Rock
    Score
    Shoegaze
    Singer/songwriter
    Sludge
    Soul
    Southern Rock
    Speed Metal
    Stoner
    Symphonic Metal
    Synthpop
    Techno
    Thrash
    Triphop
    Trip-hop
    World

    Archives

    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

Find us on

facebook
google+
twitter
tumblr
​
minds

About Us

Contact
FAQ
Logos and banners
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
✕