Metal Bandcamp

Spirit Adrift - Enlightened in Eternity

noreply@blogger.com (Calen Henry) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 20:21:00 +0000

Artwork by Adam Burke.

Despite being written in 2019 Spirit Adrift's fourth album, Enlightened in Eternity, sounds inexorably linked to 2020. By splitting the difference between the somber doom metal of Chained to Oblivion and the righteous classic metal vibe of Divided by Darkness it comes off as hope battling through existential dread, exactly how 2020 has felt for many of us. It also sounds like Nate Garrett and Marcus Bryant simply had a blast recording it. Garrett has a gift for taking a collection of metal riffs and melding them into catchy, anthemic songs that straddle the line perfectly between classic metal and arena rock anthems.

These new songs are more diverse than any single prior album. From the punky intro to "Cosmic Conquest" through the full speed metal banger "Harmony of the Spheres" to the dramatic trudging doom metal of closer "Reunited in the Void". They lay the foundation for some genre hopping classic-metal worship that comes off as reverential, rather than hackneyed. Like with the songs themselves Garrett cherry picks whatever metal bit or piece he pleases and adds some delightfully out there touches from a late track key-change to spooky chains clanking. The lead work fits the feel of every song and twin guitar leads abound. Many of the parts have the air of familiarity from classic metal albums, but nothing (apart from that one riff in "Stronger than your Pain") calls back to a specific band or album. It just feels right, like "comfort metal".

The choruses are as catchy as the riffs, but the lyrics dive a bit deeper than simply arena rock pizazz. A vein of hope runs through the album, but so does death and pain. The same dichotomy of downcast doom metal and triumphant classic metal that runs through the riffs permeates the lyrics. Many of the songs are about hope and triumph, but they're often about hope through pain and darkness and death, and the strength to face them head on. So still pretty metal, but 2020 metal, not 1980 metal.

2020 has been a crazy year and much of my music consumption has been revisiting favourites and discovering classics I'd missed in the metal pantheon so some new music completely fell off my radar Enlightened in Eternity almost did until Max asked me to cover it, and I'm glad he did. It's exactly the metal album my 2020 needed.

Enlightened In Eternity by Spirit Adrift

Vigor Reconstruct: A Benefit For The Soroka Family

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 01:51:00 +0000

Artwork by Calvin Cushman

Here at Metal Bandcamp we have been fans of Markov Soroka's many projects for years. Like Drown, Aureole, Krukh, and of course the mighty Tchornobog. This, though, is not a celebration of another new release from Markov, it's a benefit compilation with a sad background:

Markov Soroka's father suffered a severe heart attack earlier this summer and, though he survived, was left without a job nor insurance in the wake of such tumult. Now the Soroka family faces at least $66,000 in medical bills. It is our hope that this compilation, featuring some of the very best of the metal (and beyond) underground, will help ameliorate some of the financial woes which they face.

Musically there's much to enjoy here (Mare Cognitum tearing through "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times"? Yes, please). The fantastic King's X cover by Panopticon led me to rediscover a band I had forgotten all about (I'm currently deep down a King's X Youtube rabbit hole). For another look back at good times, here's a couple of candid Tchernobog merch actions shots from when they played (remember live music?) Kill-Town Death Fest last year:

Tchornobog merch action at Kill-Town Death Fest 2019.

Oh, one last thing. An important message from the compilation organizers:

We will also concurrently be running a raffle for the original hand-painted artwork by Calvin Cushman, as well as original artwork by Karmazid (Tchornobog logo et al). At $5 per ticket, you are welcome to purchase as many "tickets" as possible (Paypal the total amount as Friends and Family to sorokafamilybenefit@gmail.com) between 10/2 and 10/4 (at midnight PST), with the winners being announced 10/5. Global shipping will be covered by the artists.

Vigor Reconstruct: A Benefit For The Soroka Family by Soroka Family Benefit

Toadeater - Bit to ewigen daogen

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 08:07:00 +0000

By Justin C.

Artwork by Drowned Orange.

While discussing this album with a friend, an obvious question came up: What the hell is a toadeater? The interwebs provided the answer: "Originally, a charlatan's helper who ate (or pretended to eat) poisonous toads so that his employer could display his prowess in expelling the poison." So, an appropriately bleak moniker for a black metal band, with bonus points because they avoided using phrases like "necro" and "goat."

The band's second full length, Bit to ewigen daogen, starts off with the standard mood-setting, instrumental opener. To be honest, I’ve gotten a bit tired of this widespread pattern, but I have to give kudos to the band here for melodically tying the intro into the first track, which is much better than the usual, formless fare found in these. From there, we're off to the races with "Conquering the Throne," which immediately sets the band apart from a sea of melodic black metal. The song somehow manages to straddle the line between thin and frosty and a meatier, fuller sound. The driving energy reminds me of late-period Woe, with a punk-like aggression. The lyrics come barked out, syllable by syllable, directly on the beat while a guitar plays a chiming line above. It’s not long before the band breaks to a different direction, opening up to an airier sound while the drums and (audible) bass plow on. It’s a barn-burner of a track that maintains the momentum while giving space to compelling melodic lines.

"Crows and Sparrows" covers similar territory, but adding in some far-off, clean sing-chanting that actually manages to not sound trite or cheesy. "Returning the Crown" does a similar trick--it keeps the band’s core sound and energy, but also mixes in some influences that remind me of The Cure or Depeche Mode. That gothic/new wave-y sound wouldn’t necessarily be up my alley, but the band absorbs and incorporates it in an organic way that somehow makes those sounds seem like a natural fit in with the maelstrom.

The album comes in a little on the short side for this genre--just 36 minutes and change--but the upside is that the band doesn’t wear out their welcome. Without the lyrics, I can’t say if the band is pro- or anti-toad eating, but regardless of your own predilections, you should give this album a spin with whatever snack you prefer.

Bit To Ewigen Daogen by Toadeater

Lares - Towards Nothingness

noreply@blogger.com (Ulla Roschat) — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 02:04:00 +0000

By Ulla Roschat.

Artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski.

Towards Nothingness is the sophomore album of the four piece German Berlin based band Lares. The band founded in 2015 and this album follows up their first EP Mask of Discomfort from 2017. Towards Nothingness is 8 songs and about 36 minutes of Blackened Psychedelic Sludge/Doom, and it's also an apocalyptic space trip.

The album starts with the track "It Burns" and yes it burns like the rocket that shoots you into space and into unknown realms, fueled by driving, hypnotic rhythms. A distorted, psychic buzz that keeps you trippin, and soaring harsh vocals with blackened ferocity. There are also a few moments on the album that create a sense of contemplative floating, like in the second track "Theiaphobic Ansia", but they never feel like a soothing weightlessness or moments of serenity. With a sound damp and blurred with distortion and electronic effects they rather create an atmosphere of depressive bleakness and disorientation.

And these first two tracks are a perfect introduction to the album. They showcase the album's basic and omnipresent atmospheres.

Yet each song has its own moods and defining elements that make them memorable. There's the urgency of the ferocious vocals in "Cursed With Embodiment", the somber, gloomy doom riffs and huge build up of "SN1987A Space Alteration Machine", the loud-quiet dynamics and glorious propelling drumming in "Grey Haze" that keep spiraling deeper and deeper into the unknown. The dark and brooding ambience of "Oumuamua", the gooey, bluesy riffs and the spacious sound of "Catacomb Eyes", and, eventually, the droney, almost formless waves of noise of "Towards Nothingness", that let you know you've reached your destination.

This variety of nuances weaves a thick, expanding texture into the entire album and adds to its dramatic structure with waves of tension building the all encompassing structure. The highest peak of these waves is no doubt "SN1987A Space Alteration Machine". This is the longest track of the album (9:21) and Lares don't waste one second of it. Here they set space truly ablaze like a supernova with a sweeping, carefully layered build up creating a sublime, intense and monolithic atmosphere.

It's Lares' ability to combine the fierceness of Black Metal, the abrasive filth of Sludge, the entrancing grip of Psychedelia, the gloomy heaviness of Doom and the thrilling dynamics of Post Metal in an exciting way, that makes Towards Nothingness an organic, cohesive unity and an extremely rewarding listening experience. And to make the sense of completeness even "completer", once again, Mariusz Lewandowski perfectly captures the soul of the music with his cover artwork (like so many times before for Abigail Williams, Astral Altar, Bell Witch, Elder Druid, Eremit, Jupiterian... just to name a few). So I am hoping for a vinyl edition of Towards Nothingness, not only, but also, because of this great artwork.

Towards Nothingness by Lares

Ars Magna Umbrae - Apotheosis

noreply@blogger.com (Bryan Camphire) — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 23:48:00 +0000

By Bryan Camphire.

Artwork by Dhomth

The Great Art of Shadows. This is one possible translation of Ars Magna Umbrae. This Latin name may not easily roll off the tongue, but no matter. Listening to this music, it's clear that the artist who created it is not interested in easy pleasures. The Great Art of Shadows could hardly be a more evocative and mysterious moniker. Apotheosis, the band's third release, is also a fitting title as it is indeed a high point in the development of this compelling and carefully crafted body of work.

Ars Magna Umbrae is a one person black metal entity hailing from Poland. The band's previous release, Lunar Ascension, caught my attention as it was released by the venerable I, Voidhanger Records, an unmatched tastemaker dealing in present-day outer reaches of music. What shocked me about this artist then--and continues to do so now--is the uniqueness of the voice. There is a sophistication in the sense of melody and composition that becomes instantly recognizable and sounds like no other.

The high level of talent on display in the music of Ars Magna Umbrae is unmistakable. I'm of the opinion that heavy metal music is a realm toward which musical savants gravitate who would have, in former times, gravitated toward classical composition. Nowadays, composing classical music is no more likely to pay the bills than metal. Metal music affords unique opportunities for emotional expression. Black metal can be seen as an especially emotive sub-genre, one that venerates individuality and poise. Describing how imperative it was for black metal bands to be unique in the genre's early formative years, Garm, aka Kristoffer Rygg, of Ulver put it thusly,

“I think in those days that was a major criterion; to be a force to be counted on in the scene, you had to create your own thing. This latter-day perception that true black metal only sounds like Darkthrone is just fucking silly, it’s a lot of distortion on the original idea, which included stuff like Mercyful Fate, for crying out loud. The charisma of the music was really paramount."

Going into detail about the singularity of the music on Apotheosis, there are passages to be found within this release that are nothing short of jaw-dropping. One such moment arrives as the second riff on the second song, "She Who Splits The Earth". A woozy 4/4 rhythm is stomped out as the guitars glissando up and down the fretboard with uncanny precision. The off-kilter feel is accomplished by the guitar cramming more notes into the phrase than seem to want to fit, almost as though it's transposing some odd-metered tabla phrase into an otherwise aggressively head-banging riff. I feel like I'd have to hear it slowed down to even begin to make sense of it, yet it's this smearing of my perception that makes the riff so intoxicating.

Other Apotheosis highlights include: The wet gurgling vocals in the lumbering end section of "Mare Tenebrarum" (The Dark Sea), evocative of a pyroclastic flow belching skyward and scorching everything on which it lands. The asymmetrical opening section in "Of Divine Divergence" giving way to a sharp-taloned riff that shreds the listener to ribbons, ending in yet another inter-dimensional guitar glissando. The dueling guitars in the mid section of "Oracle of Luminous Dark"--one of which is played by G.G. of Cosmic Putrefaction--sounding like they're acting out the scene depicted on the cover art for Dawn of Possession.

Apotheosis ends with a number called, "Ignis in Tenebris" (Fire in the Dark). It starts off sounding like the amp was just turned on mid-phrase, as though the song was already unfolding before we arrived to witness it. It builds steadily ablaze with the energy of an all-encompassing darkness. Some time later, as the spell and the album is extinguished, the guitar mimics the dying sounds of smoldering flickering tongues.

Ars Magna Umbrae is a force to be counted on. Apotheosis is their grand gesture. It's a record of sweeping vision and charisma.

Apotheosis by Ars Magna Umbrae

Bull Elephant - Created From Death

noreply@blogger.com (Calen Henry) — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 13:10:00 +0000

By Calen Henry.

Anonymous UK collective Bull Elephant's sophomore album picks up where the debut left off and this time the band are less cagey about the subject matter, giving a pretty clear overview of Created From Death's narrative.

The album's eight songs switch between the story of the eponymous Bull Elephant, now in human form, and the build up of tensions during World War II, both on conventional and unconventional fronts. The Cult of the Black Sun, self-professed descendants of a corrupted god, seek to re-enlist the bodies buried in mass graves as an unending undead army. To combat such unholy creations the creature goes "from beast to human to beast again". From reborn human flesh, the essence of the creature known as Bull Elephant is transferred into the form of a great whale, and on that note the album ominously ends. They'll have to go far to top Mastodon's Leviathan for "battle whale concept album" but I'll definitely be along for the ride.

Just as the the story for Created from Death is a bit more succinct than Bull Elephant so is the music. This time around the band digs deeper into groovy doom-sludge, leaning more on the melodic "almost-a-scream" style of vocals and keeping the really heavy and really atmospheric sections for key story moments. The change makes for a more cohesive album than Bull Elephant. Created From Death flows better, has deeper grooves, and more memorable riffs but owes a great deal to the debut. The sequel wouldn't work without the set up from the first album. Bull Elephant introduced the whole mythos, where Created From Death gets to dive right into the next chapter.

The ridiculous multi-album concept (there's clearly going to be at least one more part) may not be for everyone, but Bull Elephant deliver the goods, both in riffs and concept. Sign me up for album no. 3.

Created From Death by Bull Elephant

Mesarthim - The Degenerate Era

noreply@blogger.com (Calen Henry) — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 05:04:00 +0000

By Calen Henry.

The meta is extremely consistent for Mesarthim albums. A new one drops with no warning, giving no information, with a title referencing an esoteric cosmic concept. It always musically iterates on the last album but remains extremely divisive in the metal community and it always gets a nice dynamic master. The Degenerate Era is no different. It's the band's space trance metal at its finest and this time the cosmic concept refers to the cosmic era after the current one, when protons will decay leaving nothing but black holes, presumably what is shown in the album art.

Despite being the opener, the three part "Laniakea" is the album's centerpiece. The title refers to the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies, of which the Milky Way is part. The movements refer to the Great Attractor, the central gravitational point in the supercluster, the Zone of Avoidance, the portion of the cluster that is obscured from view from earth, and Dark Energy that is hypothesized to ultimately tear apart the Laniakea supercluster.

Underneath these cosmic trappings The Degenerate Era continues the shift towards more epic lead-guitar driven songs that started on Ghost Condensate while also harkening back to the more symphonic sound of .- -... ... . -. -.-. .(Absence). Track length also splits the difference between those two albums with one 14 minute suite and four tracks ranging in length from four to almost nine minutes. Though the shift and references back through the band's catalog are almost seamless, there are a few transitions on The Degenerate Era that seem to lean to far on stop time, with just a fraction of a second too much space before the next passage begins, something I didn't hear on any prior releases. It can't hold back the album's epic heights, though, with great riffs and leads and the return of pick slides giving it a weird, but great, space punk edge.

Though it's impossible to discern the actual lyrics for a Mesarthim album, there's clearly a cohesive concept. From the album title through the "Laniakea" suite to the album closer "618" (a reference to one of the largest known supermassive black holes) complete with a Morse code message spelling out "Planet Nine Located", there are mysteries yet to discover in The Degenerate Era and the dynamic master (DR 12) makes repeated listens a joy.

The Degenerate Era by Mesarthim

Vassafor - To The Death

noreply@blogger.com (Bryan Camphire) — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:26:00 +0000

By Bryan Camphire.

To the Death is Vassafor's grand statement to glorify Satan and all that is evil through music. The album - the band's third studio recording - is a high watermark in uncompromising black metal being released today. You'd be hard pressed to find music that sounds this aggressively malignant produced by guitar, bass, drums and voice.

Vassafor achieves this apex of malevolence by a raw, loose-limbed performance that is sharp, forceful and urgent. The live sound they have captured spews forth at a rolling boil, yet still contains ample nuance beneath the surface. The riffs knock the listener into a trance-like stupor and then they just keep coming. More than half the tracks clock in at close to or well past ten minutes, altogether amounting to over an hour of extreme relentlessness.

By some sleight of hand and a lot of attention to detail, every time the listener is lulled into thinking they know what to expect, Vassafor break out with some strange secret ingredient that keeps each song in a perpetual state of transformation. To the Death unfurls itself like a powerful explosion belching flames aimed the heavens: a colossal spectacle of blasphemy.

The title track comes first, and it's a definite highlight. Three minutes of dirge at the beginning make way for some truly bizarre guitar harmonics that bludgeon the listener into submission just as the blasting begins and the tempo takes off. It's a raucous gallop from there, chock full of wild twists and turns along the way. Here's a demonic fast-picked arpeggio, there a stomach churning dive bomb, next without warning come some witchy cackling chants. Hard panned wraith-like whispers whirl across the sound field to dizzying effect. Finally, at eleven of its twelve minutes, the track climaxes in seemingly the weirdest way possible: with a bass solo. This writhing busy twisted bass passage somehow sounds like the song's very entrails are unspooling into your lap, all noxious and inky black.

Raise the volume and you begin to notice all sorts of hidden strangeness. Track three, "Eyrie" - the title of which may refer to the nest of a bird of prey - features a melting solo thirty seconds in that smears two sections together like a space-time rip. This dimensional bleed-through motif returns six and a half minutes into the song, once again smudging your perception yet sticking with you like so much shrapnel after a blast. At eight and a half minutes, monastic chants creep in low and slow in the mix and last less than ten seconds, like phantoms stealing their way through your subconsciousness. Did they ever really exit anywhere, or have they been sneaking in and out all along? Turn it up and try to find them again.

Vassafor's lead songwriter, VK, is a noteworthy sound engineer, who's worked with heaps of underground bands of the darkest caliber. This skill set and experience imbues Vassafor's sound world with its own distinct atmosphere, enveloping the listener in a bewildering shroud of hate. To the Death charts a course deep into the darkest realms of black metal, one with plenty of left turns in its gnarled twisted paths.

Vassafor III - To The Death by Vassafor

Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum

noreply@blogger.com (Bryan Camphire) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 14:45:00 +0000

By Bryan Camphire.

The music of Khthoniik Cerviiks looms large amidst a rich and storied history of underground German bands who make uncompromising extreme metal. Æequiizoiikum, their sophomore full length released through the venerable Iron Bonehead Productions, is the fullest realization of this band's unique sound to date. Khthoniik Cerviiks is a band whose name, music and very essence is likely to cause anything but indifference. The one word that newcomers and long time fanatical supporters can likely agree upon to describe their sound is: unorthodox.

Listening to Æequiizoiikum, it's clear how well-defined the band's style has developed beyond any easy comparisons. There is a loose-limbed feeling to this set of music that separates it from cleaner overworked releases. The heat that this live sounding performance brings is palpable and inspiring with a tremendous sense of urgency. Æequiizoiikum conjures up old school blackened death metal in all its daring full frontal attack, dripping with atmosphere and menace. Among the record's most striking achievements is the fact that the band manages to create such heaviness that is both instantly recognizable and still profoundly strange.

More than ever in their seven year history, Khthoniik Cerviiks refines the interplay between the berserk and the calculated on this record. Meticulously composed intricate song structures are constantly threatening to splinter into a caterwauling spiraling abyss. Æequiizoiikum, all the songs all at once are both overwhelmingly intense and infinitely subtle.

Dystopic quasi-robotic voices welcome us to hell at the beginning and release us into nothingness at the record's end. Soaring leads in the guitar's upper registers abound throughout the set; in fact, I'm given to think that the band may even be playing in standard tuning, which is quite an unusual approach in music that's this extreme. The churning riff that begins the fifth track, "Para-Dog-Son - Demagoron", reminds me of the late-great Howls of Ebb, with whom Khthoniik Cerviiks released a split in 2017. The three bars of blistering bass solo twelve seconds into track two, "Odyssey 3000", ramp up the momentum for the onslaught that is to come. The backing vocals four minutes and twenty seconds into track three, "Æequiizoiikum - Mothraiik Rites" - howling about swallowing the truth - harken a majestic and powerful climax.

According to the band, "the album’s title means age or era of sameness. It refers to a dystopian setting that is characterized by dehumanization and individual instability as indoctrinated by a technocratic, quasi robotic, ruling class." In the midst of this barren desolate hellscape, in this era of indoctrinated sameness that we call reality, with Æequiizoiikum, Khthoniik Cerviiks offer up delicious refreshment.

Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum by Iron Bonehead Productions

Sigh - Hail Horror Hail

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 01:13:00 +0000

An Autothrall Classic. Originally published here.

Sigh is one of the best metal bands in the world, but until this release, they were simply a very good black metal band from Japan, doing a familiar style with a cool ethnic influence.

Well, this is where the levee broke, and Sigh would never be the same again. And neither would I. The titular track opens with a volley of Mirai's mad snarling, and 70s influenced blues leads over a raging metal riff. You are immediately confronted with several layers of melodies, the guitars are fucking everywhere and despite this being a very evil metal album, they manage to give you that real good feeling. But it's not over, for the latter half of this opening song is full of lush, beautiful orchestration which recalls classic, romantic theater productions and then relapses into more Mirai snarls...and this is all happening to simplistic slasher/killer lyrics like this:

Beyond all morality into insanity
I plunge my knife in you again and again
Torture your corpse before it's cold
I seek to devour your life and soul

What the fuck? Right? And this is only the first song! The 2nd track "42 49" brings back some of that earlier Sigh feeling where you are reminded of Celtic Frost/Hellhammer...but wait, what is that? Psychedelic robotic vocals only a few seconds into the track? Folk guitars? What is going on here. I demand an answer.

What IS going on here is an already brilliant band has gone stratospheric in their mushroom-addled ambitions, and concocted one of the best original sounds to ever exist in the wide world of heavy metal. A style so unique it belongs up there with the Voivods of the world, the few and far between.

The rest of the album is equally engaging. The frightening, discordant orchestral doom groove of "12 Souls". The pure piano dirge of "Burial". The shimmering, epic "The Dead Sing" and electro-orchestral number "Invitation to Die". And you haven't even got to "Curse of Izanagi" which is one of their classic go-to songs.

Hail Horror Hail isn't Sigh's best album. I'd reserve that title for Imaginary Sonicscape. But Hail Horror Hail is still an extremely beautiful work of art, which belongs in the collection of any person of taste. It was truly the turning point that skyrocketed them into the upper echelon of metal genius minds.

Hail Horror Hail 恐怖万岁 by Sigh

[Note from Mort Productions: The second CD, track 10-19, contains an unreleased Hail Horror Hail track and a rough mix of the album.]

Osyron - Foundations

noreply@blogger.com (Calen Henry) — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 15:59:00 +0000

By Calen Henry.

A press release in my inbox announcing Osyron's new album Foundations was the first I heard of them. The Calgary band’s album was billed as a symphonic power prog metal album “exploring Canadian history and identity”. As a proud Canadian from their neck of the woods with a penchant for over the top conceptual metal, I knew I had to write about it.

Somewhat in contrast to the lofty promise of the press release, Foundations is under half an hour but manages to pack a cohesive conceptual arc into that short run time. Through the five tracks of down-tuned, "Djent-ey", melodic prog metal the band weave tales of conquest and glory in battle that, at times, verge on rock opera bombast. The music is epic with down-tuned chugging, belted out choruses with melodies doubled by hard rock guitar lines, and even a few forays into blast beats and rasped vocals. The album, though, is more than grandiose glory-peddling.

Underneath the album’s raucous tropes of the glory of colonization, battle, and sacrifice runs an undercurrent of pathos and regret. The lyrics reckon with the actual cost of colonialism and unending conquest. They delve into the human and social cost of colonization. What starts as stories of grandeur in conquest ends up bringing in the cost of war, mourning the loss of friends and comrades, and ultimately the realization that Canada was built on blood and genocide and we must reckon with that in order to move forward.

I came for the promise of Symphonic prog Canadiana and stayed for the skillful melding of genres and a cohesive lyrical arc packed into fewer than thirty Heritage Minutes.

Foundations by Osyron

Nodus Tollens - Melancholic Waters Ablaze with the Fires of Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Justin C.) — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 13:21:00 +0000

By Justin C.

Artwork by Nate Burns.

When I went to confirm the Bandcamp link for the debut album from Nodus Tollens, I came across the definition of the name itself at a link titled Thoroughlly Depressing Word of the Day. The short definition is “the realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore.” Pretty appropriate for a DSBM album, although the album varies far and wide from the usual DSBM template.

The music on the album is as complicated as its title: Melancholic Waters Ablaze with the Fires of Loss. After a brief intro, the music seems to seek to unsettle, with “Hexenwald II Wölfinninwald” opening with some seriously off-kilter and dissonant guitar shredding. That stops abruptly and gives over to a lovely acoustic passage. Then we’re back to a more traditional black metal sound with vicious vocal rasps that can serve as a power exfoliant.

The album as a whole is as wide ranging as that track. Mournful melodies are topped with paint-stripping vocals. Songs with a more traditional black metal feel give way to extended acoustic guitar jams. “Ad Meilora” starts with chanting and church bells before moving into some lovely clean singing (although with electronic distortion applied) that immediately brought to mind the melodies of 90s alternative act Christie Front Drive. (That will probably be one of the most left field references I ever make, but that said, go listen to that band if you haven’t already.) Then the final track provides a gentle background behind guitar lines so jagged that they seem designed to disrupt your brain waves.

What to make of all this? Is it an insane mish-mash of ideas? Yeah, I think it is, but somehow it works. True, it’s less of an album as it is multiple music ideas seemingly fighting for supremacy, but sometimes what sounds like nonsense on paper ends up being an odd little gem, and although I do think this album might be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition with little ground between, it’s worth a listen to see where you fall.

Melancholic Waters Ablaze With the Fires of Loss by Nodus Tollens

Overthrow to Overgrow

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 19:44:00 +0000

Artwork by Nate Burns.

Mark Duggan (2011), Michael Brown (2014), Eric Garner (2014), Tamir Rice (2014), Sheku Bayoh (2015), Walter Scott (2015), Dalian Atkinson (2016), Philando Castile (2016), Alton Sterling (2016), Rashan Charles (2017), Stephon Clark (2018), Stewart Kevin Andrews (2020), Ahmaud Arbery (2020), George Floyd (2020), Chantel Moore (2020), Sean Monterrosa (2020), Regis Korchinski-Paquet (2020), Erik Salgado (2020), Breonna Taylor (2020).

Too many of us have sat back and watched, or looked away, as faces in our communities were wiped from history; disproportionately affected by police violence and systemic racism. Too often we have seen our black, brown, native American and First Nations brothers and sisters killed through unnecessary police violence. While this has become an international issue in the last few months, racism has been a fact of daily life for millions around the world.

We feel that the time has come for members of the metal and punk scenes to offer material support to the struggle against racism and for equality, engaging with our brothers and sisters in the streets who are out in front of the conversation against pervasive prejudice and systemic racism. While many of us are in the streets supporting these causes it became apparent that we could amplify the voice of those who are most at risk by using our platform as musicians.

To that end, thirty bands from across the extreme music world have come together via this digital compilation featuring artists as varied as Doom, Panopticon, Obsequiae, Agathocles, Thou, Chaos Moon, Outlaw Order, Deviated Instinct, Dawn Ray’d, and many others to benefit Black Lives Matter, Life After Hate, and Stand Up To Racism.

The compilation was put together by Austin from Panopticon and Mike from Hag Graef. New tracks were provided by Aerial Ruin ("Becoming the Sunken Lake" is an outtake from the Nameless Sun sessions), Chaos Moon, Detractors, Hag Graef, Human Failure (members of Akasha), Inexorum, Krieg, Nori (members of Axis of Light), Obsequiae, Throne of Blood, Tvær, Uprising (a new and exclusive track with Austin helping out on drums), Vukari, and Woe (the "Abject in Defeat" demo. A little different from the album version, it has more lyrics).

Covers were provided by Hornet Murmuration (members of Kostnatění covering Dead Kennedys' "Drug Me"), Nechochwen (Gospel of Vomit's "Sulphuric Stench"), and Ripped to Shreds (Unholy Grave's "No Racial Superiority!").

Remixes, live cuts, and re-recorded tracks from Agathocles, Alda, Chat Pile, Cloud Rat (a previously unreleased acoustic recording of "Blind River", with the lyrics from "Losing Weight", taken from the Pollinator sessions), Dawn Ray’d (a live version of "Colony of Fevers" from Black Flags Over Brooklyn), Deviated Instinct ("Fall of the House of Cards" is one of 5 old songs re-recorded during the Husk session in 2017), Doom, Falls of Rauros (a re-recording of the live show staple, "Silence" from The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood. Recorded and mixed entirely by the band), Krallice, Mania, Outlaw Order, Panopticon, Thou, and Tired of Everything.

All proceeds will be donated to: Black Lives Matter Over-arching movement to combat racism and fight for social justice in the US and Canada. Life After Hate A nonprofit in the US that seeks to combat racism by providing resources to help people leave racist movements, as well as help de-radicalize violent far right extremists. Stand Up To Racism A UK based nonprofit that is focused on organizing against racism throughout the country.

OVERGROW TO OVERTHROW compilation by Bindrune Recordings

[Note: this post is an edited version of the announcement posted by many of the involved bands on Facebook, together with additional information about some of the songs].

Kamancello - Of Shadows

noreply@blogger.com (Justin C.) — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 07:54:00 +0000

By Justin C.

Artwork by Maahy

Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne is no stranger to Metal Bandcamp at this point. Matt Hinch recently reviewed his solo album Worlds Within on these very pages just a few weeks ago. Matt listed Weinroth-Browne’s metal bonafides--including Musk Ox and Leprous--but he’s no slacker when it comes to other projects. Kamancello is a duo, featuring Weinroth-Browne’s cello contrasted with Shahriyar Jamshidi’s kamanche, a Persian stringed instrument, bowed like a cello, which is prominent in music from Iran, Kurdistan, and other nearby Middle Eastern countries. As played by Jamshidi, it features sounds similar to the cello, but in a higher register and with a raspier timbre.

Of Shadows is the duo’s third album, and I’ll give you the highlight right from the top: The entire album is improvised and unedited. Now, depending on your depth of musical interest, you may have heard a jazz combo or two, and those might have shown you the fine line between masterful improvisation and “oh god why are we listening to a 20-minute trombone solo.” Kamancello are firmly in the former category, but they take it even a step further. Unlike improvising over a jazz standard with a fixed chord progression, Kamancello approaches their songs with the most minimal planning. Weinroth-Browne told me that sometimes he and Jamshidi will agree on a Persian mode or key signature beforehand, but sometimes not even that. They keep contrasting moods in mind for the progression of the tracks over the course of the album. Sometimes they’ll use alternate tunings for their instruments. But if you, like me, conjured an idea of the two men meeting in a room, silently nodding, and beginning to play, you’re not far off.

There is an extraordinary amount of communication here. Sometimes it’s relatively straightforward--you can hear a distinct call and response between the two artists late in “The Rider,” but you’ll find more subtle interactions elsewhere. “Dance of Shadows” finds the duo merging to a single melodic line before diverging again. “To Mourn” has melodies that wind around each other, elevating the song beyond a simple dirge to a piece as complex as the process of mourning itself.

If you’re worried that this will be strictly classical music that you might not be interested in or otherwise attuned to, think again. “On the Precipice” will tempt you to bang your head--maybe just a little--or at least tap your foot to the driving rhythms. The players use every sound texture available to them. Sweetly bowed passages, staccato plucked lines, and even the occasional percussive sound with a finger tapped on the body of one instrument or another. Sometimes you’ll even be convinced you’re hearing a vocal melody, perhaps in a language you don’t understand.

The fact that these improvised pieces stand as fully realized compositions--sometimes much more so than songs that have been meticulously planned--is a testament to the level of artistic communication between these two musicians. They straddle the line between “music made for musicians” and easily accessible melodies and rhythmic figures that anyone can immediately grasp and enjoy. A balance is struck between music to get lost in and music to absorb while fully present. It’s a stunning work, and I heartily recommend it and their previous two albums.

Of Shadows by Kamancello

Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin - Stygian Bough Volume I

noreply@blogger.com (Justin C.) — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 14:02:00 +0000

By Justin C.

Artwork by Adam Burke.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Stygian Bough Volume 1 was a split, since it does list both Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin as artists, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. This album features Erik Moggridge, who plays dark, acoustic folk under the name Aerial Ruin, playing with Dylan Desmond and Jesse Shreibman, the duo that makes up Bell Witch. It’s not a new band, per se--it’s not even a new idea, since Moggridge contributed vocals to Bell Witch’s monstrous album Mirror Reaper. It’s a collaboration. Or, given that the music often drifts into tempos so slow that metronomes can’t measure them, a funereal relay race, with both musical entities passing ideas back and forth.

Maybe the clearest example are the songs “Heaven Torn Low I (the passage)” and “Heaven Torn Low II (the toll).” Part I is mostly Aerial Ruin’s show, featuring Moggridge’s inimical clean vocals and acoustic guitar. But as the song progresses, Bell Witch begins to creep in around the edges, giving Moggridge’s sound the epic swell that’s usually implied in Aerial Ruin’s music, but not actually present.

Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin live. Photos by Nessie Spencer (licence).

As Part I slowly fades, Part II roars to life with the distorted bass and slow-moving melodicism that’s unmistakably Bell Witch. Moggridge continues to provide vocals, but massive, distorted bass notes stretch out and break into howls. The songs clearly take heavy emphasis from Aerial Ruin and Bell Witch, in that order, but it would be a mistake to say that Part I is “Aerial Ruin’s song” and Part II belongs to Bell Witch. One often takes center stage, but the other is always supporting and expanding.

There’s a lot of heart-breaking beauty in this album, and even though it’s just over an hour--which is pretty tame by funeral doom standards--it has the effect of dilating time. I listened to this album during a long drive, the first in a long time, and the light, pandemic-affected traffic on top of the music made me feel as if I were being pulled into some other realm. The album feels endless at times, but not in a tedious or tiring way. Timothy Leary’s old drug-addled adage of “turn on, tune in, and drop out” applies in a weird way, but no LSD is needed here. The artistry itself that takes you away.

Stygian Bough Volume I by BELL WITCH and AERIAL RUIN

Dawn of Ouroboros - The Art of Morphology

noreply@blogger.com (Master of Muppets) — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 21:10:00 +0000

By Master of Muppets.

Artwork by Jill Colbert.

Versatility is a tough thing to pull off well. Too much of it and any given album is likely to be a jarring mess, not enough and it's Disturbed. While older, seasoned acts tend to more or less settle into the confines of one genre or other, many young bands find themselves to explore their sonic boundaries at will. Though the fruits of such youthful ventures are often spirited and compelling, they are not always particularly well-guided endeavors, nor do the wide scopes of the artist's intent necessarily manage to find their mark; many debut albums attempt to be more than they're actually capable of being, but then again many debut albums aren't Dawn of Ouroboros' The Art of Morphology. It's actually possible that most albums aren't The Art of Morphology, but that's neither here nor there. What's here is one badass album, and what's there is an absence of reasons as to why you shouldn't be jamming out to it right this second.

Before we get too far on course with this great album, we must wander off course to pay tribute to… another great album! In the name of karmic balance, I must admit to have only stumbled across Morphology while trying to get the most bang for my buck; Naturmacht Productions offered it included at a discount alongside What We Leave Behind, the latest offering by Swedish doom act Soliloquium, and the only thing I love more than Katatonic doom is pinching the proverbial penny. If the deal is still going on whenever you read this, I'd urge you to take advantage as both albums are well worth your time. I'll almost certainly be back to babble about What We Leave Behind at a later date, but in the event that you can't be patient or I can't be trusted, I'll say this: it's a wonderful piece of modern post-doom on a lovely label, and without either I would never have found the excellent album in discussion today. Everybody, say 'thank you!'

Categorizing the Katatonia core of Soliloquium or explaining the appeal of saving money are relatively straightforward tasks. Describing Dawn of Ouroboros' sound, on the other hand, is no such thing. These Californians wear a lot of hats, adopting several sonic styles throughout Morphology's 8 tracks and pulling all of them off downright fiercely. Proggy, deathy riffs? Check. Frostbitten tremolos and blackened shrieks? Ch-ch-check. Clean, pleasant passages with ethereal vocals? You know how this game works, I'd also throw in 'melodeath sensibilities', 'symphonic flourishes' and 'random djent outbursts' if I felt like continuing that shtick, but I don't. The point is that Dawn of Ouroboros do a lot of things with 43 minutes, and they do them surprisingly well for this being a debut. The Art of Morphology is a constantly shifting soundscape, a hostile world where the weather's always changing and yet it feels like home nonetheless.

This vibrant sense of variety brings with it a feeling of vitality so vaguely, faintly familiar that it almost feels foreign to today's metal climate. Dive through any genre on Bandcamp and you'll find not only several prominent artists of the scene but also myriad clones, all attempting to cash in on a sound that's been proven to work by 'doing [genre] right;' The Art of Morphology has that mythical air of a band just being themselves and having fun with their own sound, the kind of palpable sincerity and earnestness found amongst such unifying, time tested classics as In Flames' Whoracle or Pantera's Far Beyond Driven - except, again, this particular slab of exploratory greatness is a friggen debut. The potential that tracks such as the artfully balanced prog death of "Pinnacle Induced Vertigo " or the symphonic blackness of "Serpent's Charm" foretell is impressive and incredibly promising, to say the very least.

I love The Art of Morphology, and I am absolutely gunning for Dawn of Ouroboros' future. I found this album entirely by accident, only to discover the first album to make me genuinely excited about a young band's future in years. It's well crafted, well paced and well executed; The Art of Morphology is one of those special albums likely to unite fans from all ends of the metal spectrum, and it is incredibly refreshing to find such a thing as the rest of the world is falling apart. If I somehow haven't sold you on this sweet slice of scariness yet, I would like to point out that every shriek, growl, roar and otherwise nameless vocal declaration of war uttered within Morphology's tracks was delivered by one loud little lady named Chelsea Murphy. You would be doing yourself a disservice as a fan of metal to allow yourself to miss out on her incredible performance here on Morphology.

The Art of Morphology by Dawn of Ouroboros

Eye of Nix - Ligeia

noreply@blogger.com (Justin C.) — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 15:57:00 +0000

By Justin C.

A tidy genre tag for Eye of Nix is elusive. We could go with Black/Doom/Avant Garde, from their Bandcamp page, and that’s more or less O.K., but that leaves out the gothic, psychedelic, and sometimes operatic elements. Maybe “post-everything” covers it.

Their newest, Ligeia, is that rare album that manages to encapsulate a wide palette of sounds without sounding like an album made by seven different bands. The first track, “Concealing Waters,” is actually a pretty good introduction in more ways than one. It’s a mysterious opener that showcases a lot of the sounds you’re going to hear on the rest of the album. Lush guitars and clean vocals start out, creating a doomy, psychedelic start reminiscent of Ides of Gemini and even a little bit of The Doors. Vocalist Joy Von Spain weaves a spell, but the perspective takes a hard left when the drums start to blast and she adds blackened harshness to her vocals. Sure, the song is almost 7 minutes long, but in a contradictory way, it feels both more immediate and more expansive than that run time suggests.

“Pursued” charges out of the gate with more of a death metal feel, but the proggy, off-kilter touches you heard in the album opener are still there, even if the mood has suddenly turned more vicious. This track also features the first demonstration of Von Spain’s operatic style of vocals. It’s typically not a style I enjoy in metal or its natural habitat--although I appreciate the skill--but Von Spain’s use of it as just one of the styles in her arsenal works for me.

The rest of the album dwells in these dualities--”Stranded” starts in an ethereal plane before moving to churning heaviness--and it’s a sound to behold. All of the band members get a chance to shine here. The intricacy of the drumming, the atmospheric guitar, the bass providing the solid bridge connecting the instrumentals, and the synths and “sound collages” are all showcased at one point or another, but yet this is still very much a band effort, and that band is exploring its own path in a very unique space. Even if one of the many things I mentioned here is usually a turn off for you, I highly recommend you give the whole a chance.

Ligeia by EYE OF NIX

Raphael Weinroth-Browne - Worlds Within

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hinch) — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 21:05:00 +0000

By Matt Hinch.

Painting by Heather Sita Black.

This site may be Metal Bandcamp but this solo album from Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Worlds Within, is barely even metal adjacent. That term doesn't make much sense anyway. Raphael has played with Musk Ox, The Visit, and of course Leprous so he is well known to the metal community. However, we haven't really heard him play the cello quite like this. Unaccompanied. Every sound on here was made by him on a cello. The instrument itself has great range but add in the percussive elements and effects pedals and you'd swear a whole orchestra is in on this. It's just him though. Rhythms, leads, everything. Worlds Within seems like a spectacularly apt title given the worlds that open up in the minds of the listener on this 45-minute piece presented as 10 movements.

All 10 of those movements are quite moving. The piece's bookends, “Unending I” and “Unending II” feel like dawn and dusk, casting shadows with beauty and subdued light, brightening and fading, albeit with melancholic qualities. Melancholy and darkness find their place often. “From Within I” and “From Within II” open up the mind and paint an expansive picture. Raphael himself has stated a mind-nature connection exists with this section and with eyes closed the majesty of both worlds fills the soul.

As we move into “From Above” and the “Tumult” suite Worlds Within starts to show its diversity even more. Non-traditional playing techniques (is that strumming?) and percussive elements change the mood. It feels more dramatic and expansive once the spacey layers find their home. Layers move in and out of consciousness amid a steady beat until gorgeous leads take your breath away. There are times even that the Walking Dead theme comes to mind. So does Blue Man Group!

“Fade (Afterglow)” brings things back down to earth after all the drama. In fact, it feels watery, like ripples spreading in a pond as rain falls on the surface, leading us back to the aforementioned dusk of “Unending II”.

Worlds Within is an escapist piece of music. Wrap it around you like a blanket and let the emotions it conjures penetrate you. Serenity, fear, joy, sadness, conflict, peace. Traditional sounds via untraditional methods form a profound 45 minutes of encapsulation. The cello is an amazing instrument and Raphael is an amazing musician and composer with amazing vision, passion, and skill. We all need to escape. Escape to Worlds Within.

Worlds Within by Raphael Weinroth-Browne

Ulthar - Providence

noreply@blogger.com (Bryan Camphire) — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 17:21:00 +0000

By Bryan Camphire.

Artwork by Ian Miller.

I saw Ulthar perform much of this set here in Texas last year. I knew they were good, I had their debut full length. The righteous album art drew me in, plus the fact that they were signed to the venerable death metal label, 20 Buck Spin. I liked their brand of blackened Old School Death Metal. Still, their first full length did not prepare me for the ferocity of this set of songs that are now released as Providence. I was in the front row at the show hanging on every note. (Damn, I miss live shows.) After this fiery initiation rite of witnessing them spreading carnage onstage, I became obsessed. I walked up to the merch table later and bought a shirt. The bassist had on an Order of Chaos shirt, illustrating that his commitment to the old school was for real. I asked him how he plays so fast. He said, "I practice a lot."

Listening to Providence, it's clear that this band is a well-oiled death machine. The aptly titled opener, "Churn", blasts off with a take-no-prisoners approach. Dueling blacked vocals and death growls, swirling aggressive riffs and relentless drumming all race towards the finish in just over two minutes. As the shortest song on the record, it's the perfect opener to this set. Its lean gristly riffs function as a mission statement of what's to come, assuring that listeners sit up and pay attention from the jump.

Completely unexpectedly, track two, "Undying Spear", opens with an acoustic intro. At this point, the listener is led deeper into the dark thicket of horrors on display in Providence. This cut further showcases the band's ridiculous chops in a cavalcade of tangled blistering riffs. Put headphones on to relish in the detailed playing on offer, or simply play it loud to offend some neighbors held captive in quarantine.

Next comes the record's title track, and it's from this point that the band locks into its steady stride that remains more or less consistent through the end of the record. You can hear echoes of Death's 1991 masterpiece, Human in the gnarled labyrinthine structures of Providence. The record harkens back to golden times before "technical" became a dirty word when applied to death metal. Providence brings the riffs with plenty of low-end and ample urgency. Songs on offer here, like "Cudgel" and "Furnace Hibernation", are as these titles suggest blunt edged forces of restless burning fury.

In the wake of watching their live set, I remember getting an oil change later that week, reading an interview with the band on my phone. My wig was so flipped that I wanted to know more about how such a tumultuous din gets kicked up by these three men. The guitar player describes once upon a time flying from California to Pittsburgh on his birthday for the sole purpose of placing the band's demo cassette in the hands of the label boss of 20 Buck Spin, saying, "I told him it would be a real dick move NOT to put it out, after all that. ...he wrote me a couple days later, saying he wanted to do it." This anecdote recalls the lore surrounding the first Deicide record in 1989, when legend has it that Glenn Benton waltzed into offices of Roadrunner Records presenting them with the band's demo saying, "Sign us, you fucking asshole." You want OSDM bona-fides, Ulthar's got 'em. Providence represents everything the band gets right taken to an even greater extreme.

Providence by Ulthar

It's Bandcamp Friday Again.

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:04:00 +0000

It's Bandcamp Friday again, and for the third time they're waiving their fees. Originally the Fridays were meant as support for bands who had to cancel shows and tours because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but this time around many bands and labels have chosen instead to donate their proceeds. Ayloss from Spectral Lore explains:

"Together with 40 60 other metal bands, I'll be donating every purchase at Spectral Lore's Bandcamp page to the National Bail Fund Network. Support and solidarity to the demonstrators that fight for racial equality and against police brutality in the US, without any "but" or "if" or anything. This is a one in a lifetime uprising, even things that seem like they'll last forever like racism can be overturned if we fight hard enough."

The first 41 bands.

This initiative was started by Sarah from Smoulder. Here's her message on behalf of the bands:

"Following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer on May 25, protests have erupted across the United States decrying police brutality and decades of institutionalized racism. As an act of solidarity, on Friday, June 5, 41 heavy metal, rock, and punk bands [plus a few surprises] will be donating proceeds from sales made on Bandcamp to the National Bail Fund Network.

The National Bail Fund Network organizes to end all forms of detention, criminalization, and surveillance. The charity uses community bail funds as organizing tools to free people and push to abolish detention. Go here for more information on bail funds.

To get involved, head to the Bandcamp pages below on Friday, June 5 from 12 - 12 PST and buy! More importantly, you can donate to the National Bail Fund directly here."

Artwork by Loukas Kalliantasis.

Mystras is a new project from Ayloss. It's a good deal rawer and more aggressive than recent Spectral Lore output. The obvious comparison is the majestic castle metal from Obsequiae. but Mystras comes without the romanticism. While the music is meant to "shed some light on unsung acts of valour and bravery from the Middle Ages", Mystras' focus is on the common folks instead of kings and nobility.

Castles Conquered and Reclaimed by Mystras

Artwork by Michael Whelan

Smoulder plays epic doom. Seriously good epic doom. Three things tells you exactly what the band is about: the motto "Love Metal | Hate Fascism", the awesome cover art by fantasy great Michael Whelan, and the dedication of Dream Quest Ends to the memory of the mighty Mark "The Shark" Shelton from Manilla Road.

While compiling this list another 20 bands were added to the Network. All 60+ of them are listed below in alphabetic order. The initiative have gained popularity fast, but it bears mention that many other bands and labels are donating to similar causes. This is just one list of many that could have been made.

A Flock Named Murder

An Appointed Time by A Flock Named Murder

Astral Witch

Astral Witch by Astral Witch

Azath

Through a Warren of Shadow by Azath

Black Knife

Spell Caster by Black Knife

Blood Star

The Fear by Blood Star

By Fire & Sword

Freedom Will Flood All Things With Light by By Fire and Sword

Cemetery Filth

Dominion by Cemetery Filth

Cirkeln

Kingdoms That No One Remembers by Cirkeln

Citizen Rage

Pink EP by Citizen Rage

Concilium

No Sanctuary by Concilium

Culled

Thin the Herd, Fail to Learn by Culled

Cultist

Cosmic Tomb by Cultist

Destroyed In Seconds

Divide And Devour by Destroyed In Seconds

Emblem

Emblem by Emblem

Ezra Brooks

Gods, Men, and Death by Ezra Brooks

Falsehood

Falsehood by Falsehood

Feminazgûl

No Dawn For Men by Feminazgul

Fer de Lance

Colossus by Fer de Lance

Flavortoun

and on the seventh day Guy created... by Flavortoun

Haunt

Mind Freeze by Haunt

Häxan

Aradia by Häxan

Hitter

HARD ENOUGH by HITTER

Horrendous

Idol by Horrendous

Horror Vacui

Living For Nothing by Horror Vacui

Hyperia

Insanitorium by Hyperia

The Isosceles Project

Bridges by The Isosceles Project

Knightmare

Space Nights by Knightmare

Lady Beast

The Vulture's Amulet by Lady Beast

Lightning Born

Lightning Born by Lightning Born

Locust Leaves

A Subtler Kind Of Light by LOCUST LEAVES

Maldita

Aca No Hay Justicia by MALDITA

Malleus

Night Raids by Malleus

Mega Colossus

V 2019 EP by MEGA COLOSSUS

Midnight Priest

Midnight Steel by MIDNIGHT PRIEST

Mount Cyanide

MOUNT CYANIDE by MOUNT CYANIDE

Nomadic War Machine

Creatures of the Wind by Nomadic War Machine

Nucleus

Entity by Nucleus

Oath

Legacy by Oath

Obsequiae

Aria Of Vernal Tombs by Obsequiae

Olórin

The Wretched by Olórin

Pale Mare

Pale Mare II by Pale Mare

Ravensire

A Stone Engraved in Red by RAVENSIRE

Ravenous

Eat the Fallen by Ravenous

Ripped to Shreds

亂 (Luan) by Ripped to Shreds

River Jacks

Strange Adventures by River Jacks

Rough Spells

Ruins At Midday by Rough Spells

Sallow Regent

Poisoner EP (Remastered) by Sallow Regent

Septuagint

Negative Void Trinity by Septuagint

Syryn

Beyond the Depths by SYRYN

Third Chamber

Harvesting Our Decay by Third Chamber

Thorazine

The Day the Ash Blacked Out the Sun by Thorazine

Thronehammer

Usurper of the Oaken Throne by Thronehammer

Throne of Iron

Adventure One by Throne Of Iron

Völur

Veiled City Ft. Michael Eckert by Völur

Vulgarite

Fear Not the Dark Nor the Sun's Return by vulgarite

Yovel

"Hɪðəˈtu" by Yovel

Zealotry

At the Nexus of All Stillborn Worlds by Zealotry

5¢ Freakshow

Massive Monster Mayhem by 5¢ Freakshow

Cauldron Black Ram - Slaver

noreply@blogger.com (Bryan Camphire) — Fri, 22 May 2020 17:44:00 +0000

By Bryan Camphire.

Artwork by Misanthropic-Art.

If you don't already know, Cauldron Black Ram are living death metal legends from Oz. This band has been making uncompromising original death metal since 1996. Slaver, their new release for the venerable label, 20 Buck Spin, takes their sound to new heights. This band cooks more flavor into a single riff than most bands eke into entire albums. Theirs is the sound of a power trio taken to its fullest extreme.

Never a band to blast beat their way from start to finish, each composition on Slaver is packed with ever-changing rhythms and feels. This is what sets Cauldron Black Ram apart from other acts in extreme metal. In a single track, they're liable to thrash it up at a gallop, only to slow things to a lurch, then lock into an OSDM style mid-paced stomp. Slaver continuously leaves the listener wanting more of each tasty riff only to outdo itself in intensity with what comes next.

The band's know-how comes from experience. The members' other active projects - Mournful Congregation and StarGazer to name just two of many - are legends in their own rights. Both of those bands have also been making high-test death metal since the mid-90s. What is so interesting about Cauldron Black Ram is that theirs is a sound that is always re-inventing itself. Unlike nearly any other death metal act comprised of elder statesman who've been making music for the past quarter century, Cauldron Black Ram's material keeps getting more and more fresh with each new release. To date, Slaver is their masterpiece. The fat is trimmed. The menace is visceral.

Favorite moments on this record include but are not limited to the following examples. The second riff in the second song, titled, "Smoke Pours From The Orifices From The Crematory Idol" (If ever there was a song title that conjures the ambiance of the music within, this is it): the disjointed drumming tramples forth like a violent stampede. Another blood curdling detail occurs and recurs in track four, "Graves Awaiting Corpses" (Another fittingly evocative title): The corroded arpeggiated guitar chord that creeps out of the rests during the verse and claws at you with its rusted hook. Memorable moments such as these abound across the entire wretched run-time of Slaver. The seasick rhythms, the gurgling tar-pit low end and the craggy guitars all punctuate the rough edges of this jagged, fearsome music.

This music originates in a scorched section of the Earth. Australia is home to some of the most extreme metal being made in this day and age. The unholy trinity of Portal, Impetuous Ritual and Grave Upheaval, in addition to StarGazer, Mournful Congregation, Temple Nightside, Consummation have all together significantly raised the quality standard of what extreme metal can be. Up to now, Cauldron Black Ram was perhaps the least well known of this pack, lurking in the shadows & toiling away with evil patience. Slaver stands to mark their name on the map indelibly, for all those who dare to venture to death metal's darkest depths. The fact that the vinyl of the first pressing of Slaver already sold out on release day shows that people are taking due notice of this massive record.

Slaver by Cauldron Black Ram

We Miss Live Music So Much (Beastwars)

noreply@blogger.com (Calen Henry) — Wed, 13 May 2020 15:33:00 +0000

By Calen Henry.

"Damn the Sky" was the first song where I got Beastwars. From that single track I was hooked and tore through their discography just in time, unfortunately, for them to go on hiatus then announce that singer Matt Hyde was (ultimately successfully) battling cancer.

After all that their announcement of a surprise comeback album, last year's IV, was the most exciting musical moment of 2019 for me. The anticipation was well founded; it ended up being my favourite album last year. It turns out that wasn't the only surprise the band had up their sleeve.

On May 1, Bandcamp's second "all proceeds to artist" day since global COVID-19 quarantine efforts began and bands faced a cascade of gig cancellations, the boys in Beastwars decided to drop a live album. Not just any set either, their entire comeback concert from July 2018 at Wellington NZ's San Fran. As a Canadian fan who is unlikely to be able to catch the band live, it's an incredible gift. Not just a comeback album, but their comeback show, professionally recorded and mixed. It's even got some nice dynamic headroom with a master clocking in at DR8.

Being a year before the release of IV the setlist is made up entirely of songs from their trilogy. They start the set with the Beastwars song "Damn the Sky". From there they rip through some of the best tracks from the three albums in largely chronological order though they save two tracks from the first album, the savage stomp of "Red God" and mantra-like "Daggers" as the one-two punch to end the set. "Daggers" is such a perfect note on which to end the set, with its repeated refrain

Play that song
Play that one we know
Play it loud
Play that one we love

They sound like a different band from the snapshot of despair, grief, and hope captured on IV. By time they got back to the stage Matt was back to full demon-bellowing capacity and the set is a band with fire in their bellies ripping through their back catalog for their hometown crowd. It's magical and kind of perfect for a band with so much mysticism in their lyrics to hear the moment they hit the stage after so much turmoil and a rebirth. To top it off the band have been kind enough to ask for absolutely nothing in return. It's Name Your Price on the band's Bandcamp page.

Live at San Fran by BEASTWARS

We Miss Live Music So Much (Hamferð)

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Fri, 08 May 2020 01:34:00 +0000

Hamferð was the last band I saw before the Covid-19 pandemic shut everything down. With nothing in between, their set has stuck with me to this day. It was a welcome release at the end a somewhat underwhelming festival. It was one of the best sets I have seen and a different experience from most other metal shows.

Hamferð turns the metal band experience on its head. All members dress in jacket and ties. Even the drummer wears a white shirt, a vest, and a tie. When a song stops, the stage lights are immediately turned off. There's no contact with the audience between songs. After our applause we can spend a few seconds contemplating what we just heard before the next one begins. The mood is somehow both solemn and very joyous.

Jón Aldará has both a deep full-throated growl and a majestic clean voice. He sings in Faroese and sounds alternatively like an emissary from Hell or a chanter of otherworldly sacred songs. He's far from the typical extroverted frontman. During the beautiful encore, the person in front of him gets a brief pat on the shoulder, and the rest of us get a quiet "tak." And that's the extent of his interaction with the audience.

The drummer, Remi Johannesen, is more active than most drummers playing music this heavy and sad. There are passages where we're almost in drum solo territory, at least briefly, and it sounds so good. Now and then the lighting is used to great dramatic effect, like the time when Aldará switches from crooning to growling and is instantly bathed in firelight. The sound is just perfect. At times I get so carried away it feels like I'm not touching the ground.

Hamferð is signed to Metal Blade Records. Their second full-length, Támsins likam, and the live EP, Ódn, are on Bandcamp. For their debut EP, Vilst er síðsta fet, and their first full-length, Evst, you can go to the Faroese Tutl Records, and they will ship them to you, literally, aboard a boat from the Faroe Islands. Recently, Aldará was announced as the new vocalist of Metal Bandcamp favorites Iotunn, and I cannot wait to hear how that turns out.

Ódn by Hamferð

Támsins Likam by Hamferð

We Miss Live Music So Much (A Roundup)

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Mon, 04 May 2020 20:49:00 +0000

The mass cancellations of metal shows, tours, and festivals due to the Covid-19 pandemic has made me think about what live music means to me. Obviously the bands are hit much harder by this than those of us in the audience - it affects their livelihood directly - but I know I'm not alone in missing that live magic. And THE PIT. This week on Metal Bandcamp will be my small tribute to live music, beginning with this roundup of three recent live releases.

Artwork by Cameron Hinojosa.

This Khemmis EP, Doomed Heavy Metal, is only half-live. There's a newly recorded song, two studio rarities, and three live tracks, one from each of their albums. It takes a confident band to cover a Dio song, but here Khemmis takes their shot with "Rainbow in the Dark." They make it work as a "Khemmis song" without tweaking the original overmuch.

But we're really here for the live tracks. Of particular note is "The Bereaved," the best song from Khemmis's debut album Absolution and always a live favorite. Here's a Shitty Video™ from their set at Maryland Deathfest 2018. It's short and the sound quality is terrible, but the jubilant audience wohooo's when the song kicks in probably tell you better than all my words what it is we're missing.

Doomed Heavy Metal by Khemmis

The Inter Arma live EP takes me to a venue in Copenhagen last year. On record, Inter Arma have passages that sound great, beautiful even. Live, they're an entirely gnarly beast. Even the epic instrumental "The Long Road Home" (which was a bold choice for opener of the set) becomes a part of churning maelstrom of nonstop metal, anchored by the incredible propulsive drumming of T.J. Childers. After the last song of the Copenhagen set, there were a few seconds of stunned silence before somebody said, only slightly slurred, "Could you please play one more, if you don't mind... please?" And they did.

Note that all proceeds from the EP will go to Direct Relief, an organization that provides PPE to healthcare workers in regions affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Live at Club Congress by Inter Arma

I never saw Porcupine Tree live - they went into hiatus before I started going to shows again in earnest. In March, the band launched a Bandcamp page with a cache of live recordings, making up for what I missed out on. Some of them are pretty rare, like the surprisingly good recording of their first ever live performance in 1993. My favorite is the immaculate Köln 4th Dec 2007 (TV broadcast). It's a nice collection of songs, including a particularly good performance of the 17-minute "Anesthetize" and a beautiful version of "Dark Matter." I guess I am a sucker for songs with that kind of epic build up.

Like Inter Arma, the drumming on these songs is a joy to hear. Take for example the way Gavin Harrison's cymbals start playing double time during the solo in "Dark Matter." He can change the rhythmic feel of a song like no other, and he knows when to add something interesting to the song and when to step back and let it breathe. It's a high quality live recording, you can hear every little fill he does.

Should Porcupine Tree ever tour again I will definitely try to catch them. But for now I am happy that these recordings has found a home on Bandcamp.

Köln 4th Dec 2007 (TV broadcast) by Porcupine Tree

10 Nazi-Punching Metal Albums to Celebrate May Day

noreply@blogger.com (Max Rotvel) — Fri, 01 May 2020 15:58:00 +0000

By Kim Kelly.

Happy May Day! Around the world, May 1 is traditionally celebrated as International Workers Day (except in the U.S. where our craven authoritarian government pushes “Loyalty Day” on us instead). It’s a time for love, and solidarity, and joy, but is also a day for rage and protest. Normally, many of us would be in the streets today, but given the current reality of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the best thing we can do for our fellow humans right now is stay inside. One small silver lining there is that, right now, we have an opportunity to extend some support to our fellow members of the music community who are struggling to make ends meet right now—the bands and artists who are stuck at home alongside the rest of us, unable to tour or play live during what would usually be a busy springtime touring season.

Bandcamp will be waiving their fees today, which means that every penny of every purchase will go directly to artists. They did this last year, too, and the response was so enormous that their website could barely handle all the traffic (I have a feeling there will be a repeat this year, but at least now we know we’ll need to be patient in getting our precious new tunes). As a small token of my appreciation for their labor, I wanted to put together a little list of bands that I am especially excited to support today, and share a few of them with you (a much longer list of recommendations will be public on my Patreon as of 2PM EST). Some may be familiar to you already, and some may not, but all of them have two very important things in common: they’re actively trying to make the world a better place, and they fuckin’ hate Nazis (which you could roll up into one, really). Happy listening!

Voarm doesn’t just dabble in darkness; this Richmond black metal collective (gathered from the ashes of Argentinum Astrum) invites it in, offers it a cup of tea, and settles into its lightless, suffocating embrace. Their doom-laden spin on the genre summons up punishing, magisterial riffs, weighed down with swaths of smothering distortion, and beckons you closer into the abyss.

Voarm by Voarm

It’s been over a decade since we last heard from these black/death anti-civilization stalwarts, but recent stirrings of life on their end (and the enduring timeliness of their anti-racist, anti-oppressive, pro-environment message) made me want to include them on this list. As the world burns around us and an invisible plague lays bare the gaping structural flaws upon which our modern society has been hastily constructed, bands like Peregrine remind us that things don’t have to be this way.

The Agrarian Curse by Peregrine

These Texas troublemakers skirt the line between punk and metal, but their fierce leftist politics and battering-ram intensity make them the perfect candidates for mention on a day celebrating radical working class resistance. Their live presence is unsurpassed, and their music—a gritty melange of hardcore punk, crust, sludge, doom and even skramz— is the perfect soundtrack for an uprising.

Our Voices Will Soar Forever by Amygdala

This Boston outfit bends sharp fragments of noise to suit its paranoid vision, drafting in elements of grindcore, industrial, and depressive black metal as they go. Their debut LP is discomfiting, ambitious, and impossible to tear oneself away from once its horrors begin to unfurl.

Healing by Diva Karr

Denver's premier sludgy black/death miscreants are back with some new blood; this time, there's some nice, rotten Domination vibes involved, and their death metal proclivities are on full display. This is just one teaser track for what hopefully will be a new album, but even that is enough to whet the appetites of the unholy (and I still haven’t gotten over their “Fuck Nazi Sympathy” cover).

Worldsflesh by GLACIAL TOMB

One of the prime architects of post-black metal has uploaded some of his most cherished releases on Bandcamp, and not a moment too soon. I’m especially partial to the Manchester, UK artist’s 2009 self-titled EP, but there are lots of gems to sift through for those who enjoy their black metal with a twist of the experimental, the spacey, the emotional, and the strange.

Hands that Pluck (2011) + 10 Bonus by Caïna

Artwork by Guang Yang.

Straight outta the Bay Area’s hyper-capitalist hellscape, these California nightmares dole out bloody HM2 worship with sacrilegious glee. Sworn to the old school, rooted in the classics, and armed with the chops to pull off aggressive modern death without lapsing into proggy fretboard Olympics territory, Ripped to Shreds is a disgusting delight.

亂 (Luan) by Ripped to Shreds

Artwork by Florian-Ayala Fauna.

Adzes’ raison d'etre has long been to churn out socially conscious, noisy, atmospheric sludge with teeth, and this latest entry into their anti-capitalist canon seems finds them even more woebegone over the fate of our dying planet. Taken off the band’s upcoming full-length debut, the pair of tracks currently live on Bandcamp tell a dreary tale of dashed hopes and burning radical potential.

No One Wants To Speak About It by Adzes

The buzz around Cascadian black metal as a micro-genre has lain dormant for the past few years, but Awenden is a shining example of how lovely the form can be when executed well. Golden Hour offers shimmering melodic black metal that's bursting with light, and aligned against the evils of empire, fascism, and civilization.

Golden Hour by Awenden

Talk about an antifascist metal (and hardcore) dream team. This four-way split between reactivated metalcore greats Racetraitor, antifascist war machine Neckbeard Deathcamp, high-intensity grind force Closet Witch, and raw black metal storm Haggathorn makes for an essential combination of brutality, integrity, and blastbeats.

4-Way Split Neckbeard Death Camp/Closet Witch/ RACETRAITOR/ Haggathorn by RACETRAITOR