Skagos - Anarchic (2012)

Full Length, Self-released
June 21st, 2012

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Region: Canada

The frozen earth lays still, dead but ever dreaming…
Dreams spurred by the morrowind, chilled by snows of yesteryear.

The follow-up to the soul crushingly beautiful, visceral masterpiece "Ást" has long been in the wind — presumed dead (by me at least). A bit of news this morning from the hard working guys at Hammer Smashed Sound and The Flenser reveals however that the members of Skagos have decided to put the first side of this lurking work of genius up on bandcamp for streaming. The plan is to raise money to get Anarchic pressed in physical form for a true release date and I for one desperately want this to happen. All they're asking is a mere $2.50 to download Side A: a 23 minute hypnotic raw journey through the mist shrouded dark undergrowth of the cascadian wilderness, delivering a huge dose of sorrow and longing. This is easily worth the measly amount charged and it's only the first side which has me greatly anticipating what is locked away in Side B.

If you haven't heard Ást yet, go listen to it (and download it for free). It's a highly praised yet little known gem which doesn't disappoint. I highly recommend all readers who enjoy it to support these guys so we can get this glorious album to finally see the light of day. They are committed to releasing this themselves which means what you donate will go straight towards just that, and if you honestly can't afford it the guys even suggest just ripping it from the stream. I believe however that once you listen to this sample you'd be fooling yourself if you said it wasn't worth the money.

SUPPORT/LISTEN (Bandcamp)

Undergang - Til Døden Os Skiller (2012)

Full Length, Xtreem Music
February 1st, 2012

Genre: Death Metal
Region: Denmark

It's the new Undergang, building on a previous demo and it fucking demolishes all in it's path. Raw, uncompromising, heavy, ugly, violent, hacking it's way through your brain — you couldn't ask for a more mighty display.

I shouldn't have to say much here in order for a death metal fan to snap this up without question. I will thank JGD again, as well as Haxan of Forever Cursed and JT over at Coffinpslams for getting it out there for me to pass along. I recommend picking this crusty stack of old school greatness over at Xtreem Music ASAP.

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Vilipend - Love Left To Rot... (2009)

EP, Independent / Self-released
March 2nd, 2009

Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore
Region: Canada

Gotta thank A389 Recordings for making me aware of this group. Vilipend come to you from the great white north known as Canada bringing a seething mass of chaotic and angry metalcore in the form of 5 tracks on Love Left To Rot.

Chaos and general pissed negativity are the focus here with a smattering of bouncy, gritty, sometimes angular, sometimes melodic riffs and bass lines with a few massive slams expertly placed for maximum force; cracking your skull wide open. Mangled frantic vocals are laid over top of this, furious in their lyrical utterance of distaste and bitterness, with precise percussive clattering sitting comfortably behind it all. Rare moments of quiet/clean riffing are careful interspersed between the high energy, scratchy and strident rhythms; sometimes just leaving the bass to rumble along.

Vilipend know how write and slam down riffs with cacophonous impact. For those of you who enjoy Curl Up And Die, Botch, Narrows, Kiss It Goodbye, Deadguy — you know, all that hard hitting chaotic hardcore/metalcore — this is for you. They put this one up for free and they have a new 7" out too which is pretty fucking sweet. I suggest you check it out as well as their live album.

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Abyssal - Denouement (2012)

Full Length, Independent / Self-released
January 2nd, 2012

Genre: Technical Death Metal/Black Metal
Region: UK

I suggest you wander over to The Living Doorway and thank JGD for unearthing this contorted beauty. Do it.

Abyssal are channeling Ulcerate and Deathspell Omega through an old school lens with Denouement, laying down a shadowy atmosphere with hints of brutal technicality and frightening dissonance without blatantly copying the aforementioned acts.

Twisted, obscure riffs are laced with a ashen atmosphere — at times technical like Gorguts with some taps and bends, occasionally peppered with chunky brutality, and at other moments more drawn out chords or temolos resembling atmospheric black metal; maybe even Blut Aus Nord or Ascension. The drumming is clear and rapid fire though a little out of place sometimes, not quite reaching Ulcerate's unmatched power and grace. The vocals are a mix of putrid roars and slithering whispered rasps hiding behind the instrumental disarray. It's all very seamless too, creative and filthy with quite a few surprises while managing to conjure some hugely addictive hooks amongst the seemingly haphazard blistering fury.

Definitely find time for this one if you enjoy bizarre death and black metal. Not only do these guys craft some disturbing black/death metal but they're kind enough to put this up for free on bandcamp for your listening/downloading pleasure. If you feel so inclined you can also pick up a physical copy over at their store to support them.

DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)

Timeghoul - 1992-1994 Discography (2012)

Compilation, Dark Descent Records
February 1st, 2012

Genre: Death Metal
Region: USA

A gem of a band buried long ago. Timeghoul's two demos were released in the early '90's and then they split up, but the gentlemen over at Dark Descent Records were cool enough to re-release them in the form of this compilation.

I'm not going to write much about this as others have done far better then I could in describing it. This is some truly excellent and unique old school death metal with a few spacey twists, taking slices of Death and Atheist and blending their astral bleakness into it to create a dark, terrifying, cavernous atmosphere all their own. This shit rips a hole in time, space and surely your face with sharp, creeping, scorching riffs, tight quirky drumming, deep and fast growls — all powerful and uncompromising.

Highly recommended old school echoing horror. I urge you to make your way over to Dark Descent Records and pick this terrific chunk of forgotten death metal before you miss out. Mine's on its way as I write this.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

Momentum - Whetting Occam's Razor (2011)

Genre: Dark Hardcore

Region: UK

This is some incredibly powerful, dark hardcore from 4 members of Light Bearer.

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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.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

Sutekh Hexen - Larvae (2012)

Full Length, Handmade Birds Records
February 21st, 2012

Genre: Black Metal/Noise
Region: USA

Another disturbing and hazy excursion from Sutekh Hexen.

Larvae envelops the listener slowly, far more incremental and atmospheric than Luciform's brash attack. Isvar Savasana begins creeping with a hypnotic energy. Swirling and frigid, crackling and dragging through bleak static/noise before an ebbing wall of chaos falls upon you, turning into more disturbing scratchy tremolo riffs and fuzzed shrieking. This halts suddenly, morphing into ethereal chimes and a synth-like build only to jolt back into the dark fog of disarray: warped riffs and faint frantic drumming.

This fades and cycles slowly into the next track Lead Us In Warfare. Opening with an evil crawling distorted guitar and bass groove as thunder underneath with sharp discordant sounds circles endlessly. This leads to a break and then heavily distorted vocals with the the groove behind it, eventually shifting slightly in tone and rumbling forth like a fast approaching avalanche before leaving only the bass line. It's like a ritual being performed beneath an collapsing mountain.

Finally we reach the mammoth La Det Bli Lys (Let The Be Light). Cycling samples, creaking and scraping over top a cavernous static while glimpses of a clean guitar surface slowly. As this grows pained cries and whispers rear from the darkness as the background static mounts, and a spoken passage is thrust upward with the acoustic passage quickening. The atmosphere is thick at this point, trance-inducing and deep. This proceeds with various sounds peaking over top the eerie clean riffs with a constant cacophony of whispers and noise twisting in the background; it builds so well. A short gap forms as the oppression loses its grip and then a blast of chaos appears once again, spiraling through the entropic wall of sound while a slow groove gradually breaks through — a final crushing blow from this record entrancing you in the last 2 minutes.

Larvae is much different than their last album and shows off an even darker aspect of their sound, calculated and cold with moments of focused chaos. The vinyl for this album is long sold out but the CD is still available over at Handmade Birds, so pick it up while you can. This is the vinyl rip.

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Pallbearer - Sorrow And Extinction (2012)

Full Length, Profound Lore Records
February 21st, 2012

Genre: Doom Metal
Region: USA

Pallbearer's new record has leaked. I've already ordered my copy but I've listened to it multiple times through their live stream and wow am I impressed. The demo was excellent as was their performance at Rites Of Darkness III (an unexpected highlight of the festival) and this is record goes further — managing to give me goosebumps from the heaviness and despondency layered within.

On Sorrow And Extinction (as on the demo) the vocals are a huge draw for me. A Black Sabbath kind of vibe. They're beautiful, strong and gloomy, very passionate and flow perfectly along side the melancholic, huge, thick riffs to create a wonderful harmony. His voice rings through the suffocating darkness adding much to the cold atmosphere — sometimes they drone and at other times they're sung shaking with melodic majesty, but always exude numbing pain; truly stunning.

Crashing bass licks compliment this dynamic with a deep growl underneath, and a steady beat lifts all this up artfully. Barely reaching a mid pace except for a few moments Sorrow And Extinction steamrolls over you, and with elegance at that. There's five tracks, two of which are reworked from the demo which sound even better than the originals with a few new additions.

The new tracks are so sweet and sad. Foreigner opens with an acoustic melody that soon turns into the fuzzy roar found in the rest of the song, making walls shake with they're sheer might. The vocals on this track are glorious especially near the end. An Offering of Grief pulls you through more lonesome travels at an agonizing pace, a slow crawl of land-splitting riffage and melodic climbs. Near the end coarse yells lead to a brief acoustic interlude only to tumble back into dark territory under a solo. Given To the Grave starts with a low bass lead and choir-like synths, breaking into more full on sad beauty with a clean section soaked in an ethereal atmosphere. This is broken by Brett's sorrowful vocals and crushing, slow grooves and eventually a spacy effect laden solo that plays off the main riff; the tail end is punctuated in this kind of style bringing the album to a close with the heavenly synths fading out.

This is truly an epic, deep journey. Pallbearer do not disappoint and inject their doom with a nod to the oldschool while staying fresh effortlessly. Highly recommended. You can hear this magnificent record streaming at NPR right now, and you should pick it up over at Profound Lore Records too.

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Plague Widow - Plague Widow EP (2012)

EP, Burninhell Records
February 29th, 2012

Genre: Death Metal/Grindcore/Brutal Death Metal
Region: USA

Undeniably one of the more brutal and horrifying EP's in the grind/death metal genre I've heard since Wormed's Quasineutrality. Think Wormed crossed with Portal and you have a disturbing image of what Plague Widow have created here.

Furious and uncompromising in it's twisted display of death and refined technicality. Plague Widow have packed so many dissonant, tangled riffs in this 15 minute EP it's almost overwhelming. Between ominous spoken samples there are squalls of grotesque growls and guttural croaks, vicious bends and harmonics, and blast beats that smash your face into a pulp mercilessly. At various points they channel Portal (Swarth era) and bring frightening discordant atmosphere to their style, an impressive feat managing to distance itself from any kind of copycat antics. Spiraling horror flows through every devastating track. This is a powerful display of musicianship, focus and writing in all conceivable aspects.

This can't be more highly recommended. And guess what guys? I'm not going to be a cunt with this one. No mediafire link for a while because these guys are putting this up for $2.00 minimum on bandcamp and this EP is easily worth more than that. So support these guys. Either pick this up in physical form from Burninhell Records, or listen to it on bandcamp and get a digital copy. You can also follow them on facebook, which I would encourage as these guys clearly will be killing it well into the future.

DOWNLOAD / BUY (Bandcamp)