Blue Sabbath Black Cheer / Griefer - We Hate You / Dancho Danchev Suck My Dick (2010)

Split, Deterrent Records
2010

Genre: Noise/Industrial/Death Industrial/Power Electronics
Region: USA

Hope you're not tired of noise yet — I'll get to some more recent and palatable releases soon. I meant to get this split posted here like a year ago and I don't know if any other blogs have it up out there. Two excellent noise inducers of very different styles.

As always Blue Sabbath Black Cheer unleash a shuddering heap of droning noise in one 14 minute track titled We Hate You. This was actually my introduction to this duo and it is genuinely impressive. It starts off as a coarse cannonade of bassy, rumbling ambiance and slowly snowballs into a grotesque tower of howling static complete with those absolutely ferocious vocals I love so much, basking in malice, pain and animosity (as the title suggests).

When they appear it's by far the best part of the track. They're accompanied by some kind of reverberating and obviously massive bell tone at points which add so much to their force An intense squall is stimulated by the final half with successive muffled explosions and knocks.

It molds a destitute landscape in the best way, becoming oppressively loud near the end. A huge atmosphere, a perfect build up to unfettered cruelty, and a disturbing decline as the harsh howls subside is what awaits all listeners.

Griefer's side is composed of 4 tracks of varying sonic malfeasance through power electronics. There are some exceptional and blunt lyrics buried under fierce processing, perfectly translating computer and network deviancy and themes of digital tyranny and brutality.

"Criminal Aggregators" starts us of well expressing the dismal character of financial an stock industries in the most blunt and aggressive manner possible, with a percussive force like that of a wrecking ball fading in and out. The sharp cycling rusted squeal and the warbled buzz serving as a base for the deeply distorted and digitized vocals. "SMS Ransomware" reads like computer prompts and code in lyrical form decoding the reality of SMS services and the implications for network security. A sharp buzzing with intermittent dips into crumpled metallic scrapes and knocks, spiraling upwards with pained frequencies; they are climbing relentlessly.

"Dancho Danchev", the subject of this split and the third track, uses this cyber threat analyst as a target with one of the more chilling lines on this record:

"you take care of yourself 

because it would be terrible 

if something were to happen to you."

A muffled rumbling and then growing bit-distorted signals rise more and more as the words are distant, masked and shaky. Rough booms enter eventually and from here it grows. This one is ominous and disturbing and by far the most entrancing, and the lyrics definitely feel the most direct and personal. "SS8 Interceptor" is the final track, once again reading like an windows error message for the first half, but far more clear, focusing on a specific cyber intelligence and security company. Spiking warbled sirens and a hypnotic buzz to blanket them are the core elements with only slight aberrations.

A great noisy and ugly split. Both artists lay down impressive material here. Head over to Deterrent Industries or Absurd Exposition to get a copy of this split in limited marble brown vinyl format.

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Hell - Hell II (2010)

Full Length, Eternal Warfare / Pesanta Urfolk
April, 2010

Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal
Region: USA

Oregon's Hell brings you something dark and towering with their second record. A layering of bleak sounds that evolves slowly with great care. It took me a while to get to this one and it's clear to me I've been missing out once again.

For me this feels like a big step up from their debut. It's far more refined without losing the raw, hideous textures and atmosphere they so easily manifest and yet moves into other territory too. A tragic and violently crushing tome which withers all it comes in contact with like acoustic gravity waves emitted from the core of Earth.

They come at you with four fierce and intimidating tracks, the shortest of which is just shy of 8 minutes and the longest is the opener clocking in at 20. This track "Gog" takes on a more drone-like form, slithering from trudging doom chords and feedback which barely move at all to ebbing noise and soundscapes that leave the listener feeling touched as if by some spectral molester.

It spreads out meticulously often with gaps of silence, rumbling distorted bass and sustained notes. Subtle dissonance is tasted from the down-tuned madness, and vocals range from a vile gurgle to unholy growls while the drums are paced so slow with some nice cymbal work. There's also some very haunting clean sections especially in the middle of "Gog" that are very reminiscent of Thou's sludgery in some ways, echoing and shining as the only light in their cavernous atmosphere; it's no wonder why they collaborated on their recent split. This is the most straight forward song on the record if you can believe it, breathing its hot and sour breath like a fallen titan that has collapsed on top of you — drawing it's final gasps as it drags you into it's crater-sized grave.

However if you're wondering this album is just nothing but plodding doom you'll be pleasantly surprised by the three tracks that follow. If it was, I would certainly have no problem with that; who doesn't like a good slow battering from that genre? What first seems like a simple formula slowly grows, crawls from it's hellish sludge shell and carefully pulls in with it's huge gravity elements of black metal and a slight folk tinge. By the end of the record you've almost completely parted ways with undulating sludge but have been so easily, comfortably pulled away that it feels natural.

You hear a little of the blackened influence near the 6 minute mark in "Gog", but if you made it out of that sludge slide alive you find that it's in "Ublilicus" and "Metnal" where we first get a more definite hint that all is not what meets the eye here. "Metnal" opens with a powerfull groove (seriously addicting) and is quickly accompanied by a nice slice of blackened tremolos, nodding towards the growth I mentioned before the vocals enter.

They do not rely on this brief injection and continue to crush with riff after riff of clawing doom before letting the melodic black influence creep back in. This gradual introduction of change is both very tasty and intriguing. When things become silent we hear subtle use of cold synths and cycling feedback, awash with sorrow when suddenly (near the two-thirds mark) we get a depressive acoustic melody which builds with intensity. A striking set of black metal riffs are pushed forward, and acoustic chords infect the doom again, accompanied by wavering synths. The distorted melancholic tones build and fall away until the black metal (akin to atmospheric bands such as Fell Voices or Ash Borer) forces its way into the fray; dismal and dark.

The bassy doom comes back momentarily, as do the frightening acrid rasps, feedback and eerie synths — and this process is continued before the jump is made to"Ubilicus": a track which takes those previous evolutionary steps and sets them aside momentarily (and only slightly) before the final throes of the album. At this point the record is starting to feel extremely cohesive, all elements coming forward to a stunning high. This is just fantastic writing  Yes, the creaking sludge makes a return with whirring noise behind it — the sound of souls being sucked down the cosmic drain. Punishing riffs abound here, straining bends and then the tremolo buzz reveals itself once again as war-like drumming emerges behind it. And in the final grasps of this track, a solitary bass riff leads us to a clean melodic doom section and opens up into the writhing blackened pits to close

The final song "Trucid" where it seems the blackened plague has swept their writing almost completely, the growth and blend of genres all comes to ahead here. Clean and mournful is the atmosphere that is quietly fomented, again rolling drums stay subdued for a time beneath this dark melody. Some time later the climb is beset with rising bass groans as we feel the song reaching a summit, and the clean section is smashed by a foul black metal riff from both bass and guitars; an air of triumph is met. And suddenly a bouncing doom section surfaces only to fade to a clean and acoustic journey.

How this album twists in and out of these moments never feels forced. It's quite an accomplishment, never over-dramatic or boring. We can get this sense once more at around the 8 minute mark a droning, depressive blackened riff cuts through alongside the harsh screams which evoke torturous pain — and again the switch is flipped to a stomping pace, doom slabs dive and feedback washes over everything. The final moments of "Trucid" bring back the cold, clean melody as the light sweeps and fades from the tomb of sludgy hate they've carved here in vinyl.

What a dark and epic trek through Hell this is. A surprisingly deep tunnel of sounds. This is definitely an overlooked doom gem well worth your support, especially if you love monstrosities like Thou. I bought this beast at the Gilead Media fest and it quickly sold out there. You fine readers can buy a copy in vinyl form from Pesanta Urfolk which comes with a download code and a spiral etching on the final side — it's limited so work fast if you want one. It was originally offered in cassette form but that has long since sold out.

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Blood Revolt - Indoctrine (2010)

Full Length, Profound Lore Records
July 19th, 2010

Genre: Black/Death Metal
Region: Canada

This is one for the ages in voyages into untold darkness and violence of bestial war metal. The talents swirling within this release are such that one should not ignore what this release has to offer. This is another example of Canada demolishing the competition.

Composed of a triad of fantastic and seasoned members, Blood Revolt tear through every boundary of extremity in black and death metal with their first and only release (thus far) titled Indoctrine. From the legendary Primordial: A.A. Nemtheanga brings his jarring and pained vocals to grate on this release, while the inhumane, squall-like drumming of James Read (of Axis of Advance, Revenge, Conqueror, and Kerasphorus) batters and bludgeons with untold ferocity and technicality, and finally the sharpened axe of Chris Ross (Axis of Advance, Revenge, and Weapon) shreds and obliterates in true terror all the conventions known to the genre.

Who would ignore this release? I am ashamed of myself for not knowing about it when it initially appeared.

Indoctrine is a lesson for every metal fan and musician. Without traipsing down the path of dissonant Portal or Gorguts worship this record twists the traditional death metal formula into something so grotesque, so abhorrent that it's a wonder how they have gone unnoticed up to this point: especially those who claim death metal is dying (despite the slew of other excellent releases that also prove otherwise). While the tone is certainly warlike this is no clone of the genre, it in fact escapes that categorization with ease through it's unique sound, superb writing, and whirlwind pacing.

Nemtheanga's vocals have received criticism on this record due to their unorthodox clean, howling, wavering style from purists of the style — what a fucking surprise. Disregard them. His style fits the atmosphere of this record perfectly: tortured and amorous with a true feeling of ferocious urgency. The lyrics are violent and hold no punches. According to the band's statement Indoctrine "... follows the first person narrative of a man who comes to the realization that he lives outside of the system as an animal, a law unto himself. To his salvation through striking at the system, severing its artery, wringing its neck in the only self-expression left to those with no choice in this world. In over the course of eight acts, you will witness his descent into madness, salvation at the barrel of a gun, dehumanisation and ultimately his redemption in destroying himself."

From reading them they espouse war and the power of man against God and all natural forces, alienation, the consequence of raw power and mortal desperation, betrayal, martyrdom, the detailed expression of the filth of battle, the transfiguration of will into a life-ending grasp on the system, the smell of burning cities, metal and sulfur.

This really comes through in all the songs displayed here, but especially the title track, "The Martyrs Brigade", "God's Executioner, Praise Be", "Salvation at the Barrel of a Gun", and "My Name In Blood Across The Sky." I assume if you like Primordial then the vocals won't be a hurdle. Even if you don't, this is metal we're talking about — bending the norms to create something brutal, cacophonous and extreme is what the genre is about.

Between these howls of agony there is the rare but very appropriate and mood setting samples, sometimes spoken passages that are distorted and laced in static. Indoctrine opens with a very ominous one indeed: on "Salvation at the Barrel of a Gun" heavy, haggard breathing is heard, a quick heart beat with one line "make my aim true and my hand steady" followed by successive gunshots before you're thrust into the chaos. It crushes from this point onward with a hateful lust.

Beyond this is the truly magnificient drumming and riffing. Read is a legend. His skills are practically untouchable: his speed and technical finesse are blinding, raw and capture the urgency of the rush of battle. The production arguably hampers them but again in this genre all things are dirty so suck it up. Read will pound your bones to a fine paste before the end without any question.

Ross clearly knows how to craft memorable, filthy, venomous guitar rhythms and leads that cut through to your soul. They lash at your ears with barbarous malice. The tone is condensed and without the plastic feeling so common in "brutal" metal today. Despite being sour every moment of Ross' work on the guitar becomes spellbinding, truly gripping. His riffs will stay with you after this record has finished spinning. Indoctrine has finished its assault. You could take any track on this album as an example of this, but just take a glimpse of "The Martyrs Brigade":

The riffs are chunky and hypnotic, churning with a searing hatred, shifting from gritty tremolo thrashes to thick and energetic sliding powerchords to quick alternate picked slices and gallops. When a solo does appear it is anything but filler: it is almost melodic but so simple that there is no pretension to be heard. The slower moments twist with pain in an ugly groove. Again, the only slow-ish track on the record is My Name In Blood Across The Sky which has a very subtle touch of doom to it midway through (like Antediluvian's Under Wing of Asael), and even it strays into the sheer abrasive speed of the others; especially in terms of Read's drum work.

For all fans of death metal or black metal looking for the ultimate in writhing horror. Especially if you're a fan of Axis of Advance, Rites of thy Degringolade and Revenge you would be doing yourself a disservice to not begin spinning this album immediately. A highly recommended gem of the genre that I have not done justice to here. Profound Lore still have copies available, or if you're in Europe you can find this at Invictus Productions' store as well. Buy it now.

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Svart Crown - Witnessing The Fall (2010)

Full Length, Listenable Records
October 25th, 2010

Genre: Black Metal
Region: France

I saw these guys open for Ulcerate last Thursday and man was that a show to remember. Needless to say Ulcerate completely surpassed my expectations and demolished the tiny venue but I didn't know anything about Svart Crown. Regardless I was pleasantly surprised by their sound and performance. The French know black metal, that is certain, and Svart Crown are another group that come out of that country with some sick and twisted sonic undulations.

Witnessing The Fall is packed full of cutting and dissonant riffs, a ferocious sound that borders black and death metal as the blasting drums hurl you backwards and venomous tongues tear through your ears. At one moment it sounds straight forward and oldschool (though brutal) when suddenly you're struck by a discordant pack of riffs, undeniably powerful with big bends and sustains (as heard on "Strength Higher Than Justice" and "Dogs Of God"). When these bouts of concussive rhythms are over the sharp tremolo riffs, swirling and churning to great satisfaction, and chunky gallops punch through with relentless malice — and an occasional dive bomb solo — made all the more tasty by some thick production and a skin-flaying guitar tone.

The writing is very solid. I wouldn't say it's hugely unique and the subject matter is pretty typical but there's enough there to hold your interest and bring a few surprises. They can play their instruments very well, throughout the release there's a sense of technicality without staying from the orthodox formula or falling into any wankiness that can be off-putting; the intro sets it up nice and it stays pretty damn catchy throughout the 10 tracks with only a few moments to catch your breath.

The final track "Of Sulphur And Fire" is the longest hitting 8 minutes, slowly building from a dark, clean set of chords and then plummeting into a creeping groove, slowly gaining speed and hitting rough dissonance right up to the last fading moments. Slow, loud, filthy and sour.

I recommend checking this out (especially if you like shit like Arkhon Infaustus) and if you have the chance you should definitely see them live. Their material packs a bigger wallop live no doubt and they perform flawlessly with a ton of energy.

Pick this up directly from the label in various formats. They, along with Ulcerate, had a lot of their gear and merch stolen by a pack of cunts while playing in New York a week before I saw them so if you like what you hear try and help them out — same goes for Ulcerate. Those guys are magnificent and true soldiers for plowing through without a hint of self-pity after such a disappointing event on their first North American tour.

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Baby Boy - 2010 Tour CD (2010)

Split / Demo, Self-released / Independent
October 29th, 2010

Genre: Post-Hardcore
Region: USA

Here's one I've been meaning to get up here since I returned from the Gilead Media fest, which is where I first heard Baby Boy as well. Don't know if any other blogs have a link up for this. Also I'm pretty sure they're goofing on the horrendous movie with the same name, but luckily the music here is leagues better than the movie.

I know post-hardcore is often used as a tag that masks screamo bands to make them more marketable these days (apparently Fugazi is the only true post-hardcore band) and I myself have a hard time placing what the tag exactly means these days, but I feel it's appropriate for this group's sound.

Baby Boy is comprised of 3 members of Thou (Andy, Mitch and Josh) and is the complete opposite of that wonderfully heavy, socio-politically charged, and dark group both in terms of sound and aesthetic. It's an extremely catchy batch of 8 songs (one of which is not available on their bandcamp page) which are light-hearted though still weighty, sometimes melodic and twangy. Most of the material here runs just over 2 minutes with a few exceptions but are fairly dense and noisy, with all members contributing vocals (together and separately) that are in the hardcore vein of things: screamed as their convey frustration. Lyrics dealing with fairly straight forward punk themes (religion, reason, race) while others are more vague and open to interpretation. They're easy to hear without the sheet though as, while the vocals are harsh, they are clean enough to be decipherable.

There are some excellent and catchy riffs here too. The opening section of Handwriting and the final third of Wake Up have some addictive sections that leave you wanting more, and In Our Blood has some tight grooves running though the whole length with a fair bit of noise draping the guitars, while a more clean riff supports it underneath with the bass. With the song Lovers it starts of with some pretty harmonics, playful and clean but dips back and forth between more muddy powerchords before the hook kicks in and the instruments drop out.

Other tracks become more melodic, slower paced, as can be heard in What I Did On My Summer Vacation which is quite beautiful right from the beginning — drifting ever more softly the further it progresses into the warm haze of melancholic chords and effects. There's a subtle hint of post-rock but the track does not over indulge itself here, keeping to their bouncy style as a great lead drifts above to the end. Definitely my favorite track on this album. The Littlest Frenchman is another track with a similar feeling but a little faster and angular at points.

This is quite enjoyable, surprising and memorable. It sounds like the guys had a lot of fun with this and when watching them perform I got that impression as well.

Highly recommended for those who want to hear how versatile the boys from Thou can be outside of their doom adventures. This release can be bought, streamed and downloaded (for $5) from their bandcamp page. It has been pressed on cd but I believe it's only sold at shows and is limited to 100 copies, and it will eventually be re-pressed in 12" format as a split with another Baton Rouge act known as Small Bones at some point in the future.

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Deafest - Splinters: Collecting The Split Songs (2010)

Compilation, Black Sign
March 11th, 2010

Genre: Black Metal
Region: USA

I don't know what it is, but when it comes to the two man project Deafest I've always enjoyed the songs they release on splits more than the full length material. That's not to say their full lengths should be passed over, I just don't get the same level of enjoyment from them that I do from their numerous excursions with other underground acts. Deafest are perpetually overlooked it seems. Originally a one man project with vocals, they're now a largely instrumental black metal act with atmospheric tendencies and a major focus on nature.

This record is a collection of their side of the various splits they released with Livimørket, Mirovia, Cynd, Severnaya, and Dunkelheit from 2008 to 2009 and it's still some of my favorite material from them; before they dropped the vocals I might add. Deafest's style of black metal certainly could be called atmospheric but completely unlike the style of more well known bands who have brought it to the forefront (WITTR et al).

The atmosphere is there but the long songs and the ambient passages are dropped for a more traditional and strong tremolo-based structure with only a few instances where the riffs drop to clean chords. Vocals here (performed by Chase, the main member) are a high, indecipherable screech comparable to the depressive black metal style — pained as they extoll natures grace, persistence and resilience, or scold the encroachment of mankind. Drumming duties are presently handled by Brett but every track here (except for the ones from the Livimørket split)  was recorded before he joined, so on splinters we're hearing largely drum machine which does the job just fine honestly.

Majestic and tragic, mournful and raw: this is how I would describe the atmosphere they conjure. You can almost smell the fresh air from a recent downpour when listening to their material. Not only do they nail this aspect but the riffs are both tight and catchy, strung along at a perfect pace (most tracks lay between 5 and 6 minutes) with peaks and valleys that resemble the very subjects the music is meant to embody. Deafest are not about being fancy — over use of reverb or other effects are not needed here, nor is sampling and keyboard interludes. They lay out a very simple formula and stick to it, but do so with a great amount of passion and effort.

I have to say my favorite tracks here are taken from their split with Mirovia: Migrating Elk, Dynamic Sky and Without Rain. The final passages from each of these tracks exemplifies why I love Deafest so much as the climax is beautiful but so simple, evoking the glory of untouched nature and the ruin wrought by man. The 3 tracks which follow this are from their split with Cynd and have a similar effect, carefully arranged and executed to draw forth a soulful melodic string of coarse riffs. When the tracks aren't climbing and shimmering they take a darker turn as if into the shades of towering forests. Sometimes they open quietly with delicacy as on Winding Water, slowly opening up and exploding with melancholy, while on other songs like Coniferous they burst immediately, mowing you down with a forceful riff from the start. It's always a pleasing voyage though.

I really recommend this album. As a whole Deafest offer a refreshing albeit simple take on the "cascadian" genre and on Splinters we find some of their best material in my opinion. The songs from the bands they collaborated with on these splits are definitely worth checking out as well. They put up all their material for free on bandcamp and their official site except splits; they used to but for what ever reason stopped. You can get most of their releases in tape and cd form from Ninth Meridian Records, their bandcamp has a pay what you want for a digital copy of this recordl.

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Anhedonist - The Drear (2010)

Demo, Self-released/Independent
August 12th, 2010

Genre: Doom Metal
Region: USA

Their first full length "Netherwards" is going to finally be released in a matter of weeks and I haven't even posted this crushing slab from 2010. Shame on me

I saw them at Rites of Darkness III last winter and they did not disappoint. In fact they decimated the venue with powerful, slow blows of melancholic doom. The Drear is three tracks that hit just over ten minutes each and they are truly something to savor. They're dark and incredibly hypnotizing as they quake with unheard of sorrow, focused into the thunderous grooves expertly. Echoing and pained hoarse vocals and slow riffs meet with they cavernous and plodding drums.

The Insatiable Hole is continuously plodding, dark and subtle with melodic undertones while Despond has a section which picks up the pace slightly in the beginning (almost hitting death metal territory) before crashing downward into low tuned agony again. The last track Ouranophobia I remember clearly from ROD III. It settles into more seriously addicting slabs as heard in the first track with a clean section near the end to heighten the incoming towering conclusion to the record.

With this demo as a solid indicator I can confidently say that Netherwards will undoubtedly be among the heaviest releases this year next to Pallbearer's "Sorrow And Extinction" and Amenra's eventual release of "Mass V". Just listen to this new track!

Get this shit now and follow them over here. The vinyl release is limited to 500 hundred on Parasitic Records so I don't know if you can still get it. If not, go fucking preorder the Netherwards cd from Dark Descent Records (and eventually on vinyl via Parasitic Records and Nuclear Winter Records). Highly recommended especially for fans of Lycus, Sound Asleep, Pallbearer, Aldebaran, Evoken, etc.

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Vilipend - Plague Bearer (2010)

EP, No List Records
May 8th, 2010

Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore
Region: Canada

A short while ago I posted Vilipend's demo up as it was a pleasant discovery. Well Christopher, a gentleman and the vocalist of Vilipend, has kindly asked that I bring this high velocity shred of angularity to your attention and I have no problem doing so because it's a fine release indeed.

Within Plague Bearer are three angular tracks that are sure to delight any fan of surging hatred in aural form, building on their already strong demo and live record. The title track starts slowly with crushing blows of dissonance and the bleak utterances from Chris; spitting resentment. A slick bass line emerges, the drums pick up we hit a fast and scratchy patch, then chaos furiously bounding with drums rolling on. Into another bass riff before a set of dark and melodic sustained notes carry you to the descending end.

Magnificent Desolation is a beast opening with a seriously explosive and gratifying set of discordant bendy grooves, increasing with intensity before breaking through to a slower variation; bouncy and jagged as the percussion slows slightly. Ugly seething anger bleeds though, and frenetic stop-starty scratches coupled with sustained riffs scrape your ears. A calmer section emerges before returning to the opening groove and final twisted passage.

The final track, Dulling Silver, is the longest on the EP. A steady drum beat escalates and eventually the coarse bass surfaces when at 1:27 the guitars slide in — noisy and dissonant maintained fuzz builds at a crawl before the vocals emerge. Creeping notes mount carefully to a brief but awesome riff, returning to the previous uproar, and then straight to controlled chaos when suddenly that wicked riff returns and lingers satisfyingly as the bass creeps underneath. A final push of disorder is made when the track ends with a cycling delay.

More love for Canadian hardcore right here and this is recommended for sure. This may be short but it hits hard, is acute and well crafted — jagged and pissed which is the kind of hardcore I love. Hopefully this gives a glimpse into what they're working toward on their upcoming full length which will surely be huge. Give Vilipend some love by picking this up digitally on their bandcamp page or grabbing a physical copy in 7". Follow them on facebook too since they're planning a few shows soon and I'll definitely be going.

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Young and In The Way - Amen (2010)

Full Length, A389 Recordings / Swarm of Nails
June 17th, 2010

Genre: Blackened Hardcore/Crust
Region: USA

Since I've already posted their other albums I figured this one should be up here too.

Young and In The Way's first full release Amen compared to their more recent releases displays how far they've come. This album has several tracks that eventually were reworked into I Am Not What I Am and here they sound just slightly different in terms of vocals, production, writing, pacing, etc. "Earth" eventually turns into "Love and Terror Laid the Stone", "Worrier" becomes "The Chaotic and Bloody World Around Us", and the second half of "White Light" is put into "Leaving Nothing But the Absence of Everything" — the first half is slow and sludgy with a nice build to this point.

The rest of the tracks are unique to this release, blasted through their signature style of blackened crusty hardcore with relentless vitriol. The first track is an instrumental and very chunky, followed by Dark Seed which has some wicked gallops and slow chords, and Eye of Providence is full of twangy dissonant riffage. The final track (opening with rainfall) almost hits atmospheric sludge territory. It's 13 minutes with slower chords bringing a melancholic atmosphere swelling up reverb and sparse amounts of vocals until the midway point. It quiets down after this before hitting some crushing powerchords, thick bass lines and  launching into a reverby tremolo riff finale.

Amen is an excellent record showing off early on how much Young and In The Way are capable of in terms of blending genres, keeping everything tight and powerful. A389 Recordings just repressed this and I Am Not What I Am as one double LP (in black or black/white split) so pick it up while you still can, or listen to it and get other copies on their bandcamp.

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Cellgraft - Deception Schematic (2010)

EP, Self-released / Independent
July, 2010

Genre: Grindcore
Region: USA

Any grind band taking their name from an Insect Warfare track better rip at their level. It would seem Cellgraft does just that, picking up the torch where it had been laid down as the influence of the aforementioned group strikes you like a freight train immediately, and does not let up once.

Like an engine being red-lined into a smoldering mass of steel and oil this shit is a loud, frantic and angry machine — 8 minutes of face-stomping, filthy, intense and tremendously satisfying grindcore. Unrelenting, raw dystopian chaos roars within this EP. No hesitation or meandering, packed with harsh noise and sick, sharp blasting riffs that will knock you on your ass.

Highly recommended for fans of Insect Warfare, GridLink, etc. Pick up the 7" over at No Reprieve. Follow them here.

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Pallbearer - 2010 Demo (2010)

Demo, Profound Lore Records/Shadow Kingdom Records
July 11st, 2010

Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal
Region: USA

Pallbearer is a band I knew nothing about going into the Rites of Darkness III festival but boy was I surprised by their performance. This is some epic doom metal.

Comprised of 3 tracks that hit between 5 and 9 minutes long and emanating a classic stoner doom vibe (ala Black Sabbath), it's a great taste of what this promising band has to offer. Massive riffs with some melodic elements mixed in with brilliant clean singing that has a droney, mournful and dreamy feeling to them. The tracks trudge along with a great gloomy atmosphere, staying interesting especially with the vocalists strong presence over top of it all. The solos are wonderful as well and are placed expertly.

Sludge and doom fans should give this demo a listen. I can certainly say that as good as this demo is they're even better live. You can download the demo and listen to it on their bandcamp page.

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Forgotten Spell - Desecrated, Decayed and Still Holy (2010)

Demo, Parasyte Curse Records
June, 2010

Genre: Black Metal
Region: Germany

Forgotten Spell truly have a unique sound. Very unorthodox while still retaining an exceedingly raw black metal feeling. And oh fuck is it raw — the production might put some people off but once you look past or embrace it (and you really should) there is hugely complex/creative song-writing and skillful musicianship buried underneath. One might be inclined to describe it as technical or even progressive but if so it's certainly not in a flashy, wanky sense. "Desecrated, Decayed and Still Holy" is still well within the realm of traditional occult black metal but their song structures, atmosphere and guitar tone are far different then most black metal acts out there.

The guitar tone at times resembles horns of some kind, warped and wailing over chaotic and furious drum blasts and the caustic, frantic growls, moans and howls of the vocalist ("Into Sulphuric Vortex of Abyssic Cult" is a perfect example). Blazing tremolo riffs screeching through the thick, filthy production with moments of darkly groovy powerchords; the bass is there though barely poking through the rest of the madness. Sparing use of piano and acoustic guitar work very well for quick breathers from the distraught whirlwind of chaos that your ears are saturated with all the way through. This is their second demo and it hits the 1 hour and 29 minute mark with 9 tracks which is enormous and ballsy — the material here is very strong and compelling but a demo of such length will no doubt wear down many people.

Forgotten Spell have conjured a magnificent storm of strange and foul black metal with this demo. They succeed in straddling the realms of "true" black metal while pushing technical and atmospheric boundaries without falling into common trappings of either side. I'd really like to here the demo they put out this year. This particular release is limited to 333 copies on tape and only available from the label as far as I know.

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Thou - Summit (2010)

Full Length, Gilead Media / Southern Lord
June, 2010

Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal
Region: USA

Man, Thou flat-out rule. Their third full length album "Summit" is four immense, perfectly distilled, spellbinding sludge tracks that show great maturation even over the greatness that was "Tyrant". The pacing is excellent, the lyrics are sharp and cut into you with the vitriolic blackened vocals, riffs are booming (with occasional melodic passages peaking through) and will stick with you long after the record has stopped. Especially Prometheus, I come back to that track constantly. It is some mad low-tuned destructive shit from beginning to end, filled with raw frustration, gloom, lividity and punctuated with brief glimpses of beauty.

Definitely something that should have been posted here a while back. I love this record so much I recently picked up the repress even though I already have the first press. This version includes two bonus tracks, both of which eventually ended up on the recent "The Archer & the Owle" EP, and is still available at Gilead Media. I suggest picking it up if you love doom or sludge especially considering the label in need of some help at the moment.

Listen to it on the label's bandcamp.

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Auroch - Stranger Aeons (2010)

Full Length, Self-released/Independant
March 12th, 2010

Genre: Death Metal
Region: Canada

Death metal from the west coast of Canada with a Lovecraftian flare. This one will be a little contentious based on vocals alone. I saw Auroch last night along with Nuclearhammer, Adversarial, Sortilegia, and Into Oblivion at Skull Fucking Metal Fest III and I was impressed by their set.

Where some people may get turned off is the vocals. Half the time they're traditional raspy death growls and then occasionally they swing into clean vocals resembling early Pantera (high pitched screams) or maybe a little bit on the power metal side of things. If you can get past that aspect then you'll hear some pretty fast, catchy, technical guitar work with some serious early Kataklysm influence (always a plus), chaotic Slayer-esque solos, and wicked blast beats and kicks. Get a taste here.


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Begrime Exemious - Impending Funeral of Man (2010)

Full Length, Dark Descent Records
April 15th, 2010



Genre: Death Metal
Region: Canada

Dark Descent Records certainly have an impressive stable.

I'm a little late on this one but with their new album "Visions of the Scourge" is on the horizon now is a great time to get this up anyway. Begrime Exemious are from Alberta and like Mitochondrion, Adversarial, Antediluvian and Weapon are at the forefront of the massive and crushing wave of dark, twisted and well written Canadian death and black metal that is turning heads in the community. If you enjoy those aforementioned groups and haven't heard this get on it!

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Glasses - The Ills of Life (2010)

Full Length, Vendetta Records
November, 2010



Genre: Hardcore
Region: Germany

Coming from Vendetta Records (Men in Search of the Perfect Weapon, Perth Express, Alipinist, and Black Freighter) — Glasses are a great female fronted German hardcore act. This is their second release and a damn good one. Short and sweet.

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Murmuüre - Murmuüre (2010)

Full Length, Cold Void Emanations
March, 2010



Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient/Electronic
Region: France

Murmuüre is one guy from France recording bizarre and creative black metal. The self-titled is short (just under half an hour), well written, and quite unique. There's a heavy emphasis on synth/electronic sampling, a noisey electronic haze blankets the album but underneath there is a distinct black metal sound and structure which focuses the chaos to some extent. Brilliant atmosphere is created from improvised guitar soaked in effects with giant swells of noise; this is definitely a gem.

Full stream of the album right here. Information here:

"All Murmuüre material is based on a one hour guitar improvisation from November 2006.
Selected parts were further edited to fit a rythmic structure, and merged with additional layers of sound.
This process of mixing & endless re-writing took 3 years until final completion.
The percussions are a mixture of the original programmed drums, and some (extremely re-edited) additional live drumming.
Vocals were recorded during a cathartic trance at a sacred place in the forest, with a mini-disc recorder.
Being almost inaudible in the music, they're strictly conceived as a vocal sigil technique, a vehicle for intent.

The 30 minutes long, self-titled release is possibly the first and last Murmuüre record.
I've put so much in it that it will be hard to match, and there would be no point in doing something more just for the sake of it."

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Black Breath - Heavy Breathing (2010)

Full Length, Southern Lord Records
March 12th, 2010



Genre: Death Metal/Hardcore/Thrash/Crossover
Region: USA

This is some excellent blasting crossover heaviness from Southern Lord. Guitar tone resembles Denial or Vorum (has a great growl), with more hardcore/thrash leaning vocals. Never really settles too long on one style. Fast, aggressive and loud.

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Monarch! - Sabbat Noir (2010)

Full Length, Throne Records
March 27th, 2010



Genre: Drone/Doom Metal
Region: France

Put your doom hats on, turn the lights off and light some candles. Some slow and heavy stuff from France with haunting female vocals across two huge tracks.

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Encoffination - Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh (2010)

Full-length, Ritval Death Offerings
April, 2010



Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Region: USA

Plodding, heavy, dark as shit doomy death metal with great atmosphere, like a smoke filled crypt. Suffocating and thick.

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