Wreck And Reference - Black Cassette (2011)

EP, Flenser Records / Music Ruins Lives
February 25, 2011

Genre: Experimental/Electronic Doom/Noise/Industrial/Post-Punk
Region: USA

Here's one of those 2011 releases that I didn't listen to soon enough but had heard of vaguely throughout the year.

Wreck and Reference are a hard one to place and describe. The Flenser describes them as "pure misanthropic electronic doom". They're clearly influenced by the likes of Big Black and Swans to some degree, and I would even compare them to Have A Nice Life and The Angelic Process in some sense. Lo-fi, noisy, DIY basement/bedroom industrial doomgaze pop? Sounds idiotic and contrived but Black Cassette is definitely a unique and challenging record which really can't be boxed in by genres. One of those love or hate releases.

Vocals are what I noticed right away, clean and a little off key with that Dan Barrett style of singing from your heart, and there are very short sections where he reaches a yell you might hear in hardcore or screamo. Lyrics are focused on the "darker components of existentialist philosophy including the non-existence of god and fated death."  From what I can glean from other sources the only other elements used outside of vocals are live drums and an MPC which other than samples takes the place of a guitar and bass, and to be honest until I read up on it I almost couldn't tell it wasn't a guitar/bass. It's used exceedingly well throughout the record to conjure a bleary, despair-filled atmosphere. Drums range from slow and sludgy to jazzy to a hardcore/black metal pace, doing a great job of throwing you off before laying a nice foundation to the gloom.

There are some interesting sounds to be heard here and a big dose of atmosphere to be enveloped in. Black Cassette has very ethereal and melodic moments interlaced with the heavier machine-like trudging. "Surrendering" starts off quiet with what you would swear was a bass with creaking samples behind it, eventually squirming into a dense and noisey haze with a wicked warped synth section. Melodic, intense and depressive.

"In Chains, Awakening" throws you for a loop with a fast drum section that moves into a satisfying bassy, distorted groove that grows, getting louder and louder as the drums pound and the vocals dive below the noise. "Evening Redness" starts of twangy and sludgy with pained yells and ends with a bouncy coda heavily affected by the volume nob and some ace drumming. Halfway through "Desire, Ether" a huge switch to a psychedelic and very heavy industrial doom sound is made, very gloomy and dark. All the way through its strange knowing what you hear is not a guitar though some moments do jar you just enough to question it.

I think Wreck And Reference show great promise and have laid down something strange and bold here. This definitely isn't for everyone but I certainly suggest giving it a try. It's grown on me immensely. Those who like Have A Nice Life, Swans, Big Black, Mamaleek, etc. should take a chance on Black Cassette. You can get a copy on vinyl over at The Flenser and you can download it for free on bandcamp.

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Embryonic Depravity - Constrained by the Miscarriage of Conquest (2009)

Full Length, Permeated Records
October, 2009

Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Region: UK

I don't post much brutal death metal so I thought it would be a nice break from the more common genres found here. Admittedly I used to listen to teh slamz a lot more in previous years but until the new Wormed album is unleashed I can't see myself listening to much outside of the classics I enjoy already (Defeated Sanity, Disgorge, Human Mincer, Inveracity, Wormed, etc.); unless something unique like Proteus rears its head.

Embryonic Depravity were a short lived and hideous monster from the UK but holy fuck did they unearth something ridiculous here before they split up. I definitely wouldn't say its entirely original but who cares? This is some extremely well executed brutal death metal all around.

Constrained by the Miscarriage of Conquest is a 26 minute orgy of some wicked slams, stop-starty technical riffs, tasty pinched harmonics, ugly bends, machine gun drumming, and ear melting guttural vocals. There's some great use of sweeps here stuck between the huge crushing leads without them becoming the focal point or cheesing it up, and the reliance on breakdowns is largely avoided while maintaining a healthy dose of slams. The breakdowns that do appear are crunchy and heavy bridges between the frantic deformed riffs and gallops. The final track slows it down a little bit with crawling palm-muted powerchords and fades into a creepy atmospheric sample.

If you enjoy shit like Vomit The Soul, Human Mincer, Wormed, etc. then I recommend getting this. I think you can still pick up a copy over at Permeated Records.

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Children of Maani - The Veil of Osiris (1998)

EP, Velvet Music International
1998

Genre: Black Metal
Region: France

I've been meaning to get this up here for a while. This is a true gem brought to you by Vindsval, the man behind that jarring blackened mass Blut Aus Nord. I actually enjoy this more than any full album by Blut Aus Nord honestly. Do not judge this album by the cover art alone as you would be making a serious mistake and end up passing over a fantastic, little known EP by this defunct side project.

The Veil of Osiris is four tracks of melodic black metal bursting with absolutely creative, powerful writing and musicianship in all aspects: solos that are truly epic and memorable without sweeping wankery, snaking and soaring riffs in a unique guitar tone, face blasting drumming, a big low end, subtle use of keys, and a vocal style shifting from occasional gravelly roars to strained rasps/screams.

"Tradition: The Birth" sets the pace perfectly with quick repeating serpentine tremolo riffs that build to a short bridge and the first excellent solo: technical and graceful with a rhythm section accompanying it that is just as strong. This is the basic formula followed throughout the EP and it gets progressively better each song. There are moments of slow and chunky riffs as shown in the next track immediately which shows off the tamer melodic side, before dropping into blast beats and more quick winding riffs, a short ambient section and then ending with another shredding solo.

The final two tracks are by far my favorites. "Tiphareth" shows off the perfect balance between fury and melody with ugly vocals over the harmonious guitars and a touch of keyboards. At 2:20 the best solo on the album kicks in. It's damn beautiful, with a crushing rhythm underneath — when the tapping starts I get chills. This is the section that sticks out in my mind when I recall this album. A brief bridge follows but the final riff is carried from the tail end of the solo.

"My Birth" does not have a solo and is the slowest on the album but again displays a perfect combination of all elements. The two primary riffs here are disgustingly addictive and extend throughout the song, probably the best riffs on the album. The two guitars are playing almost identically but with a slight variation sometimes. Once these pass a slower section follows that has a slight keyboard backing reinforcing the melody, it circles itself for a while before hitting those previous sweet riffs again and ends with some slight tapping and a slow fade.

Quite possibly one of the best black metal EPs out there to be honest, holding its ground more than a decade since its release. Crisp, mesmerizing, well written, unique, powerful. How one man pulled this off and dropped it afterwards I just don't understand. I cannot express how addicting this is (I listened to it 3 times while writing this) and I highly recommend it.

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Spire - Metamorph (2011)

EP, Art of Propaganda
November 17th, 2011

Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Region: Australia

While they don't consider themselves exclusively black metal, Spire definitely reside within its sphere of influence. Their self-titled EP (which you can hear on their bandcamp page) reminded me of Lunar Aurora and Deafest with more emphasis on the ambient elements (like Darkspace), and Metamorph continues with a similar feel. Five tracks which are composed of slow riffs, noteworthy drumming, scratchy moans and howls, and eerie ambiance.

Metamorph opens with a whirling, pulsing hum over muffled radio transmission samples, spilling into the next track  which of all the tracks is the most orthodox in its approach to black metal riffing, but having said this it's still swamped in cold ambiance and ends with a buzzing, distroted drone (as most tracks here do). "Larva" contains more crawling atmospheric riffs with a section around 2 minutes in that (very briefly) veers into Thantifaxath territory with a slightly twisted take on the dragging riffs that preceded before returning to the slower pace.

"Parturience" opens with a section that reminds me of a much slower, early Amon Amarth or even early Wolves in the Throne Room. This is carried the full length of the song and has a less spacey, more cascadian feeling to it, and I quite like the drumming here. The last track starts at a faster pace then the previous songs, incorporating occasional blast beats for the first 2 minutes, dropping into a slower section of chords, dry howls and screams with. Icy tremolo riffs and melodic bass lines return with a sad tone, pressing on to the conclusion: silence followed by muffled, echoing booms.

A slow, cold journey. I must say I like their previous effort a little more at points — regardless this is a focused and solid release with some room for growth. If you want a little chilling spacy atmosphere with your black metal without it straying into "hipster" territory I would suggest giving this and their self-titled EP a shot.

You can pick it up here or directly from the band by contacting them here.

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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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Lycus - Demo MMXI (2011)

Demo, Graceless Recordings
May 18th, 2011

Genre: Doom Metal
Region: USA

Three "L" posts in a row.

Fucking awesome doom metal right here. I was tipped off to Lycus many months back but really didn't check them out until fairly recently, I regret not doing so sooner.

This demo is heavy, heavy shit. Monstrous doom that does not drone and wear on the listener, it has purpose and moves elegantly in huge, satisfying swaths of riffs. There are three tracks that hang around the 7-9 minute area, all three do not linger on one riff too long, and while they may be treading familiar ground they manage to add their own strong melodic mark on the genre.

It does not drift aimlessly. This demo has purpose and is tightly directed — a perfect expression of solemn, melancholic, beautiful and cavernous doom carefully paced and well executed. A deep vocal presence bolsters the despondent atmosphere with growls, roars and drawls while a steady down-tempo beat supports the buzzing, boulder splitting melodic guitars. The whole thing has an epic air around it, barely escaping funeral doom territory and remaining interesting. A slumbering giant that has awakened, graceful and doleful, trampling slowly through barren fields on an overcast day.

Much like other engrossing newer doom acts like Anhedonist and older monsters like Asunder this is one I wouldn't pass up. You can download/pay-what-you-want and listen to it on bandcamp, also The Flenser will be releasing it on vinyl soon. I suggest picking it up when they press it since the tape is sold out. A welcome addition to any doom fans collection. Follow them over here too.

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Leucosis - Pulling Down The Sky (2011)

Full Length, Unsigned/Independent
April 2nd, 2011

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Region: USA

This has already been posted quite a few places, such as The Living Doorway (where I originally found it) and Forever Cursed who have done justice to this far better than I can, but it deserves a post here too.

The story behind the album cover (quite uncharacteristic of most atmospheric black metal acts I've run into) is bound to one incredibly unlucky cosmonaut, a haunting and ugly tale. It can be read on the blogs I mentioned above but if you want here's some regurgitation from one of the members of Leucosis as read on TLD:

"The Soviets basically sent this guy into space in a half-finished spacecraft, and he burned up on reentry. The radio noises on Track 2 are his screams as he came crashing down to earth. The crazy part about this guy's story is that pretty much everybody knew the spacecraft was gonna fail, but nobody wanted to take responsibility (they'd get killed, thrown in the gulags, etc). Basically a really fucked situation. The picture on the cover is of the superior officers gazing upon the horrors they were responsible for, perhaps seeing that black mess on the table as something within themselves."

That alone should spark some interest. Leucosis lay down some wicked atmospheric black metal on Pulling Down The Sky, spacey and alien-esque despite the cascadian influences. It's clear they come from that school of black metal but they manage to pull off something quite different. Containing a droney, buzzing intro (and outro) with some eerie chanting setting the mood well, an 8 minute track with howling wolves and an acoustic guitar, and as one tumbles further through the rest of the record the cold, raw, darkly hypnotic passages that build to a oppressive and desolate soundscapes — there is no question that Leucosis have invoked something special while writing this.

Pulling Down The Sky runs through some very depressing territory without becoming played-out and stale, cutting its own path through bleak and tragic sounds in a captivating way. The sounds of hopelessness and uncaring, the desperate moaning of someone who has been running in fear for days, struggling to survive in the isolated corners of a cold and unfamiliar land. A feeling of darkest despair as you gradually run out of oxygen in the freezing capsule of a space station, trapped in the unknown reaches of space as you realize your fate.

Highly recommended for fans of the genre. You can buy it directly from the band here or via email.

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Logn - Í fráhvarfi ljóss, myrkrið lifnar við (2011)

Full Length, Unknown / Independent
November 24th, 2011

Genre: Grindcore
Region: Iceland

"In Icelandic, the word logn is used in reference to a calm weather – peace - lull. The calm veiled a looming threat. A storm is about to ensue."

                   

An ironic definition I would think from the sound of this record. The name of this album in English is "In The Absence Of Light, Darkness Comes To Life", and what we have here is some dark Icelandic grind. I can't say I've heard much metal come out of Iceland but that could just be due to my complete lack of inquiry and exploration regarding the country.

This is a pretty sick album I must say and I would hope Logn gives a good representation of what the scene looks like up there in Iceland — a pleasant surprise in the often neglected request folder. Thirteen tracks flipping back and forth between 50 second rapid fire dirty grindcore and an occasional flurry of slow, crusty hardcore in the form of 5 to 7 minute melodic frolics. Both aspects are pulled of very well, dark and pissed with the slow moments giving off a feeling of brooding sadness (as can be heard in Salt í sárin and Í fráhvarfi ljóss). 

A storm of clever, sometimes chaotic and groovy riffs, speedy drumming, pummeling basslines and ear-shredding vocals all throughout. Not revolutionary but I would say it has a definite unique tone in the crowded grind arena, and is an excellent and earth-scorching effort for this young grind act. 

A strong and tight performance, well paced and heartfelt. Certainly if you're a fan of Gadget and sweet grind like that I encourage you to check this out as it won't disappoint. Download and listen to it on their bandcamp page, buy it here, and follow them on facebook.


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Sanakan's Top 20 Albums of 2011

Yep, this year I decided to post my picks for 2011. I usually keep my lists confined to my last.fm page and haven’t posted them here in the past but fuck it.

I went with a main top 20 list plus a separate demos + EPs and splits list with less detail — despite the fact that a few EPs show up in my main list. Usually everything from the top 5 stays solidified at their spots the others may go up and down the list occasionally.

2011 was another great year for music, there was so much great shit released by hard working groups and labels that again it was a tough year to make a list. I always feel as though I should wait like a month or two after the new year to make a list like this since I do usually miss an amazing record and regret not putting it on the list. On that note: if I miss something it’s cool if you post a suggestion in the comments, but please try to hold off on the “You forgot _______, not good enough for ya?!” type of comments — you guys have your own lists to do justice to those albums you feel I’ve missed.

Do post suggestions though. I have added a huge Honorable Mentions and More Good Shit list for recommended albums that aren’t in the top 20 but are great. Anything not on that list I didn’t feel like mentioning, haven't heard it or I just missed it.

Enjoy and GFYS.

A pirate blog trying to fight SOPA. Go figure. (Stop Online Piracy Act)

Hello everyone, I want to get something out of the way. I have not been posting, and probably won't for awhile because I'm getting a cap on my bandwidth. So AT&T is charging me more because I'm either downloading or uploading too much.

To the topic at hand.

I may be just a stupid idealist, and I'm not the best writer but I need to tell you something. SOPA is a threat to us and the rest of the internet, and I mean the whole internet. Not just the US, but all over the world. The new bill gives any company the right to shut any website if that corporation finds any copyright material on said site. In short, let's say a large record company like say Nuclear Blast see's our blog, they can potentially shut down not just our blog, but all of Blogger.com. Even blogs here that have nothing to do with pirating or anything copyright will be blocked. Even a video on youtube with a copyrighted song will cause the entire site of youtube to be blocked. That's basically what this bill does.

But let's say, only pirate sites get shot down. Like our blogspot, band's that link us their albums or ask us for promotion will have a harder time trying to get their music out there.

That's not cool.

If you don't believe me, here is the bill. And don't say that it won't pass, Obama is going to veto it, yet bills like NDAA have passed which that bill violates an American's 4th and 5th amendment rights.

Things you can do even if you aren't american and info:

Reddit
American Censorship
Techdirt
Save the Internet!
Totalhailbut <--- He explains this a lot better than me.
Mozilla
Wired
Write to Congress

You guys, and our friend's over in other blogs can help spread the word. Even if you are aware of it, shove it down people's throats because people still have an apathetic attitude. I'm sorry my country is trying to destroy the world, I really am.