Void Forger - Ruined (2012)

Demo, Independent / Self-released
April 3rd, 2012

Genre: Blackened Hardcore/Crust/Doom Metal/Black Metal
Region: Romania

I've mentioned before I'm backed up on requests. I hope to remedy that soon. Here's one from Void Forger, a crusty blackened doom three piece from Romania who have released this demo themselves for free.

There's a lot of genres blended within these three tracks but these guys manage to keep it from getting muddled and haphazard. This is what I imagine Young and In The Way would sound like if they had more doom elements. It's a pretty even mix all the way through with the crust and hardcore moments peaking over top in many instances. The riffs from the bass and guitar are slow, coarse and chunky for the most part with bouts of faster chops both punk-like powerchords and black metal tremolo tears; the production is raw making the atmosphere quite gritty. Deep growls and blackened yells briefly surface from the murky depths and the drums splash and froth among the other members.

Pointless Media starts of mid paced and heavy before breaking into a thrashy section, and ending with nice tapped riff that starts off very YAITW-ish. Relief starts of a little faster with a crusty, bouncy, muffled rhythm that heads into a few blackened bits of territory before slowing down, hitting a nice section of chords before diving back into chaos; they make an out on a gritty bass line and a nice dark tremolo riff.

Automation is the final track and the most sludgy. A slow opening riff and pounding percussion rotates comfortably for a minute or two, changing not long after that but maintaining speed. It finally builds after some feedback and a bass line into a nice hardcore section to end, quite catchy.

There is definite promise and potential in Void Forger's demo, some room to grow and tighten up but as a whole it's a great demo. Anyone who's enjoying the wave of crusty blackened hardcore at the moment and wants a little more doom/sludge to spice up the mix would be smart to give this short release some attention. Check them out on bandcamp and facebook.

DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)
DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

KEN mode - Venerable (2011)

Full Length, Profound Lore Records / Init Records
March 15th, 2011

Genre: Sludge/Hardcore
Region: Canada

Not that it matters to music fans that congregate on blogs such as this one but KEN mode recently won a Juno award, the equivalent of a Grammy in Canada. Now while I would've definitely picked at least 10 other bands to be nominated along side them if I really gave a shit about award shows — which I don't — (Devin Townsend and Fuck the Facts are fine, Cauldron is eh but Anvil?) and of course it's arguable whether Devin Townsend deserved it more, I have to say that it is surprising and nice to see an actually good, talented metal/hardcore act getting recognized in a mainstream music ceremony — even if it is in a ceremony akin to the watered down afterbirth of the stale abortion that is the Grammys.

Having said all that: KEN mode do fucking rule. I wouldn't be posting them here if they didn't. Quite deserving of some respect from the industry. They have a fairly distinct sound melding Converge-ish hardcore with more traditional southern sludge elements. For whatever reason their newest record, Venerable, escaped my list last year despite having heard it and thoroughly enjoyed it on multiple occasions. Each of their records makes slight adjustments to their style and this is one that in my opinion has basically perfected it, a very cohesive and strong effort indeed. Their early stuff is often compared to Mastodon, I don't like Mastodon much to be honest — to me they don't sound similar at all. Especially on Venerable.

What you get on this record is a tightly packed, dense and aggressive conjuration of angry metallic hardcore with brief glimpses of sludge in the slower moments. At times it's balls-out vicious, filled with twangy dissonance and catchy hooks (eg. Obeying The Iron Will..., Book of Muscle, The Ugliest Happy You've Ever Seen) while in others it can crawl with huge slams and creeping atmospherics (eg. Never Was, The Irate Jumbuck) but it's always intense, noisy, loud and heavy. It has a great amount of variance throughout the 40 minute march as well, letting the styles encountered breath nicely. Vocals are often yelled and punkish, only occasionally hitting a growl or a spoken clean, while the guitar and bass are thick and well defined; playing well together without smothering one another. Drumming duties are carried out with controlled and dedicated fury.

Better late then never right? This is a very pleasing record from a hard working band. Go listen to it right now. I highly suggest supporting them by grabbing a record from their online store or getting a digital copy on bandcamp (where you can hear most of their albums), and checking them out on facebook.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

Light Bearer - Celestium Apocrypha; Book of Watchers

Split - Halo of Flies Records

2012

Genre: Post-Metal / Atmospheric Sludge

Region: UK

The guys from Light Bearer were kind enough to upload a new song from their upcoming split with Northless. It's a massive track, approaching almost 22 minutes in length. I can't believe they recorded and mixed this in such a short period of time. The studio that this song was recorded at is absolutely gorgeous, though. No wonder it came together so well!

recording "Celestium Apocrypha"

Light Bearer is one of the best bands around right now, in my opinion. Hopefully they'll get their next full-length out to us by the end of the year. Light Bearer / Northless split will be coming out on Halo of Flies in the US and Alerta Antifascista and Moment of Collapse in Europe. Support these amazing labels by picking up the gatefold LP when it's released.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

Serpentine Path - Serpentine Path (2012)

EP, Parasitic Records
February 1st, 2012

Genre: Doom Metal
Region: USA

A thick slice of doom for you guys. This is the first release from Serpentine Path who are composed of members from Unearthly Trance and Ramses so you know there's some talent behind this 7".

Two tracks here just over six minutes a piece, and while admittedly it's nothing particularly jaw dropping or special it's definitely a solid offering of glacial paced doom. Both tracks are similar in feel and quite enjoyable, very to-the-point and do not meander as they've been paced and edited well.

Serpentine Path's EP is made up of a thick guitar tone with excellent slow drumming — a steady clash of symbols, and echoing, deep gravelly vocals. In Eerebus a constant synth-like hum is floating behind the trudging grind, and a similar cycling noise can be heard near the end of Depravity; it adds much to the gloomy atmosphere. The riffs are well crafted grooves, a slow spiral downward eroding into darkness. There's only a few points where they break away from thunderous powerchords and hit single notes at a slightly faster pace (particularly in Depravity).

A nice offering of doom indeed. This EP is limited to 500 and available at Parasitic Records, and you can follow them on their blog for further news.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

200 Followers...

Recently Equivoke reached 200 followers which is something I consider impressive for a relatively small and insignificant blog in an ocean of music blogs. It's been a strange year with SOPA/PIPA and the continued interruptions in file sharing, big blogs shutting down and all that scary yet seemingly insignificant shit we all bitch about. But we're still here and going strong, and that's the plan to for the future as well.

Whirr - Pipe Dreams (2012)

Full Length, Tee Pee Reecords
March 13, 2012

Genre: Shoegaze/Dream Pop
Region: USA

I loved their Distressor EP a fuckload, and their June EP was just as nice. This is their long awaited first album.

It's true that after bands like Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Lush, Cocteau Twins, etc. created and perfected the shoegaze/dream pop sound that one could argue there wasn't many ways to elevate the sound — unless you took it into directions that Have A Nice Life, Sweet Trip, Alcest, Crooked Necks, The Twilight Sad and The Angelic Process have taken it, and then it's hardly even the same genre. Still bands like Ringo Deathstarr, Asobi Seksu and Whirr show that the genre can birth some beautiful groups and sounds.

Whirr (formerly Whirl) have perfected their sound well with Pipe Dreams. The album is just over 30 minutes of floating ethereal chords with an angelic vocal performance from Byanca (occasionally harmonized with the guitarist Loren), lush synths that drift in and out, and hypnotizing, vibrant drumming all coming together to create a hazy, dreamy, warm ocean of noisey shoegaze. The vocals are definitely my favorite aspect here as they couple with breathing, effect drenched instruments to mold some beautiful textures.

At times it is a sedated and soft experience, either sad or euphoric while in other tracks it's upbeat, noisy and twangy, more pop oriented and catchy. It's always loud. There is no particularly jarring moments though as the album seems to effortlessly flow together and the songs are edited down (nice and short) so as to leave one feeling pleased; there is no wear from Pipe Dreams.

In the end I love this record. It definitely improves on their first EP which was already stellar. I really recommend picking this one up. Tee Pee Records has the album for order go over there and grab a copy if you like what you hear. You can also follow them on tumblr or listen to previous albums on bandcamp.

DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare)

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.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

Crooked Necks - Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't (2011)

Full Length, Handmade Birds Records
October 1st, 2011

Genre: Shoegaze/Post-Punk
Region: USA

Someone a month back requested that if I could get my hands on this record to post it up, so here it is.

I've seen Crooked Necks labeled black metal. To be honest I've had no exposure to this act previous to Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't, but if my ears are still working I'd say they're far more on the shoegaze (or even post-rock) side of things than black metal. The vocals (when not clean and drenched in reverb) are definitely ugly and strangled so in that respect the comparison is accurate but in every other respect they're definitely shoegaze or some variation of post-punk. Perhaps when they were known as Frail the black metal influence was far more prevalent. They have released a much lauded split with the enigmatic experimenters Circle of Ouroborus so there's obviously a connection to the genre. I'm just ignorant I suppose.

Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't is this three piece's first full length album in any of their incarnations and it is certainly a bright, glistening and delicate example of heartfelt longing in aural form. All of the songs here are soft, frail and shine brilliantly as they peak and dip, only contrasted with the strained and ghostly creaking voices. Throughout the album the solid bass lines flow and groove beneath the siren-like vocals and riffs — it creates both a tragic and euphoric feeling.

While each song has a similar feel they approach it differently. This Place Is Violent leads with clean vocals that creep up on you while melodic tones ebb softly when everything gets louder and the shrieks emerge; this pattern repeats to great effect. Streets With Teeth has a similar vibe including more strong tremolo sections but they don't last long. Some tracks definitely give off a My Bloody Valentine feel for a moment before settling into something more their own, as can be heard in Hearts and Colors.

Every Step Seems Backwards begins with an almost southern/western feel when it suddenly turns dreamy with echoing murmurs, quiet bright notes, and barely-there drums. The blackened vocals emerge for a time here and there, and in the final third of the track noise swirls in the background as the fragile notes build; it becomes strangely nostalgic and eerie. Songs like this, Taste The Sounds and Lead Clouds conjure up fond memories the long lost summers of youth for me.

A purists nightmare one might say. Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't is another beautiful record that I missed in 2011, as I'm sure many others did as well. It's a shame they're not more well known. There's only 250 copies of this album in print and the 100 purple copies are long gone so get on top of this release — go to Handmade Birds.

DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare) (correct track list 23/03/2012)

Circle of Ouroborus - The Lost Entrance of the Just (2012)

Full Length, Handmade Birds Records
February 29th, 2012

Genre: Black Metal/Experimental/Post-Punk
Region: Finland

You can always count on this Finish duo experimenting with their sound and staying busy. Recently Moonflares and Eleven Fingers were muffled hazey excursions while Armon Keitaalla switched to a more traditional black metal sound leaving the muddy atmosphere behind.

The Lost Entrance of the Just returns to the post-punk/shoegaze sound on Eleven Fingers and Moonflares. Clean mournful vocals remain dominant as does the murky ethereal mist but slightly tamed, slower. This is most evident in the first two tracks. In fact the first half of the album is more ambiance heavy with dazed and drowning rhythms and less prominent use of tremolo riffs at first. Of course they always have such elements warmly pulsing under every track coupled with a soft drumming technique to entrance you, but it's much more subtle to begin with. In tracks such as Cast in Clay and Black Hole Womb the approach is similar to the clouded sound of The Angelic Process.

Skyline Painter and Ride the Wolf are closest to Eleven Fingers in my opinion as the droning cleans mix with the raw rasps from Antti, and a strong smothered tremolo pattern wails underneath. Grittier aspects of Armon Keitaalla are just barely present in some of the later songs — and only briefly. Often overtaken and smothered by drugged out atmospherics. Toivosta Syntynyt is probably the most unique here with warbled melancholic bends standing out as the lyrics are sung in Finnish.

Overall it's another solid entry into Circle of Ouroborus' extensive library of experiments though a little less gripping than their last few releases. Still enchanting though and unlike much else out there. This album (like their last few releases) is limited to 500 on vinyl so if you want it I'd hurry up and head over to Handmade Birds Records to pick it up before it's gone forever.

DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare)

Mgła - With Hearts Toward None (2012)

Full Length, Northern Heritage Records
February 28th, 2012

Genre: Black Metal
Region: Poland

As with bands like Taake, Inquisition and Lunar Aurora, Mgła prove that despite what elitists whine about the orthodox movement of black metal still plows ahead unharmed by the influx of variations on their prized style.

And what a fucking record this is! This is Mgła's second full length (their first record in four years) and it shows that they've been carefully crafting With Hearts Toward None since Groza. Again, like Inquisition, you'd never know they were a two piece from just spinning their work. The writing on display is fantastic, every track becomes spellbinding — all equally strong, fresh. It's raw but melodic with an unending string of tremolo riffs burrowing through each song, while underneath ghostly chords spring up to support them. The echoing acrid rasps and howls of the vocalist cut through the foggy atmosphere with an occasional break for semi-clean passages as the complex battering drums splash beneath.

Mgła have created quite a powerful assault here, a very satisfying listen. Uncompromising yet refreshing, bleak and cold while still cripplingly gorgeous.

Sure to be a welcome surprise to many. With Hearts Toward None does not disappoint and comes highly recommended. An example of orthodox black metal remaining fresh and addictive. Support this hard working duo by picking up the record at Northern Heritage. Don't pass on this guys.

DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare)