... The Swan King / Tellusian -split EP-

Released through Hell Comes Home rds, this split ep is part from a serie which consists in 12 split eps that for the most part we gonna present you within the next days... Each split is available individually (physically and digitally) but there's also a complete box set available at very reasonnable price !!!  and all this is just volume 1,  so believe me, HCH rds is just at the beginning of its future rich history... support !

"The Coldest Of Seasons" comes from Malmö based TELLUSIAN, who make an impression with their at times hectic and mostly sinister style. The song owes something to both the meandering works of Neurosis or earlier Cult Of Luna and the condensed yet hectic songwriting ethos of fellow Scandinavians like Dunderbeist or Stonegard, which are equally hard to pigeonhole. The song is quite accessible, but THE SWAN KING's "Between The Lies" surpasses it. The band from Chicago indulges in prosaic Stoner Rock at first sight, yet paints wider, more open soundscapes within conventional song format with an inspired solo and melodic singing which is, at last, not just present for the sake of it.

words by Andreas Schiffmann

http://www.hellcomeshome.com

http://www.facebook.com/Hell.Comes.Home.Records

... There is no tomorrow : DEMONAUT – S/T

Combining the freak-out fuzz of ‘Locust Abortion Technician’ era Butthole Surfers with a hearty dose of mid-to-late period Melvins (minus the self-indulgent experimentation of either band) only begins to describe the sound of Atlanta, Georgia’s Demonaut. Add to this winning combination an additional bass player and an inclination for crafting indelible hooks and the picture, though obscured by a dense fog of dope smoke, becomes a bit clearer. With shared vocal duties amongst the two bass players and lone guitarist, Demonaut’s unique approach allows them to, in their own words “…create a doom sound that is thick and covers a wide frequency range (super lows-mids-high)”. The six songs that comprise Demonaut’s eponymous debut are collectively a leaden slab of nod-inducing, stoner-doom perfection.

Screeching feedback and impenetrable fuzz announce album opener “Woman in White”, a tune that, through its production, indeed covers the super lows-mids-high frequency range that Demonaut strives for. “Falling Into Hell”, a track that is most reminiscent of Big Business era Melvins, mainly due to the vocals, is easily the catchiest jam to be found on the album. “Pretty Little Lamb” amps things up and is one of the more frantic tunes until, apparently, the blotter kicks in. Demonaut, on the drop of a dime, slows things down by beginning their ascent into the stratosphere before ultimately plummeting back to Earth and the quickened pace that started it all. “Fallen/Risen” simply brings the heaviness, doom and stoned-out psychedelia that could also be found on any Slomatics release. The fourth track, “Waterway”, continues the brooding heaviness of “Fallen/Risen” but sporadically interjects a fuzz-driven instrumental hook throughout the tune. “Battle Caravan”, the longest track of the collection begins with brief call-and-response riffing before launching into another upbeat tune akin to “Pretty Little Lamb” before closing out with an extended, slow-paced groove.

While listening to Demonaut’s debut it is impossible not to recall bands such as Big Business, Slomatics, Red Fang or, especially, the Melvins. But within that school of heavy stoner metal Demonaut are unique enough to stand on their own despite drawing comparisons. The production of this debut album is perfect for Demonaut’s brand of thick, trippy metal by accenting the dual low-end attack, but still maintaining the clarity for the drums to pop and the guitar squall to shine. While this debut straddles the EP mark, the six songs collected here contain an amazing depth and variety that is often missing from a debut. Whether or not the band has something in the works for 2013 is unknown, but one thing is certain: Demonaut fucking deliver.

Words: Steve Miller

http://demonaut.bigcartel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Demonaut

... BRETUS "In Onirica"

In Onirica (2012)  is the first full length album of the four piece band Bretus (founded 2000)  from Catanzaro/Italy. They had two releases before, one demo and one EP in 2008 and 2009.

Bretus basically play a traditional style of stoner doom metal, with an edge of sludge to it. So there’s nothing essentially new to it and yet the 7 tracks of In Onirica caught my attention from the first song and kept it to the last one.

 The combination of breathtakingly well written songs and great vocals is extremely captivating and addictive. There are great melodies, catchy choruses, cool riffing, a lot of tempo and rhythm changes. The atmosphere is mostly dark and eerie, matching the “lovecraftian” themes with a strong touch of 70s stoner sounds.

But the really exciting thing is, paradoxically, the unobtrusive use of all the elements. All the goodies are precious for not being abundant. The riffs are heavy but not massive and totally crushing. The strikes of sludge are tiny bolters, almost mere hints. The atmosphere is “occultish” dark, but never brooding. The production is smooth and clear, yet gritty enough to make the guitar sound filthy –  again just a hint. There’s almost a teasing attitude to this unobtrusiveness which is highly enjoyable.

If you love traditional  Stoner/Doom you should not miss this album. Tightly written songs, strong expressive vocals and this special kind of teasing unobtrusiveness make it captivating and unique.

words by Ulla Roschat

http://bretus-doom.webnode.it/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bretus-doom/142047745837472

                                          

 

... Awakening the good old evil : an Interview with NONSUN !!!

Out from Lviv in Ukraine, here's an amazing band that's certainly  gonna leave on me (and you I hope) tangible and indelible traces on this new year 2013...

As already mentioned several times, I'm not a specialist at all in subgenres like Drone or Funeral Doom but that doesn't prevent me to think that with their awesome blend of drone and funeral death/doom NONSUN released a magnificent EP that is "Good Old Evil" and make proof of a stunning maturity and sense of composition.

Headiness and dissonance of the years 2000 along with crushingness and sorrowful, aesthetic darkness of the early 90's, shit that's a rare but delightful programm and this young band perfectly  implements it... Read the following interview I've just had with Bohdan and enjoy the EP  immediately !!!

- Where does the name of NONSUN comes from ? Did you know that if you write it like you in just one word and put it on the google translator, then it only works as an italian expression !?

The name doesn't have a specific origin, or a meaning... you know that the Sun is often associated with God, especially in heathen religions... i think it can be understood also in this way, like, nowadays man lost all his gods and just pretended that he still believes in something...

also Nonsun is close phonetically to Nonsense - that's what i liked when i chose that name . So we all walk under the same nonsun ;)

- That's what I thought too, nonsun/nonsense, great ! you recorded the EP as a 2 piece with Andrij on drums and you on guit/bass/keyboards + vocals... has it been this line-up since the beginning by choice or obligation ?

Yeah, this was rather no choice, so hard to find people here in our city which would play slow music, long-length songs, i don't even know anyone here that would listen to drone))

I would love to transform this into a live band though, and i'm still working on it, i still search for musicians.

- Oh that’s quite surprising to hear, I thought that the doom/Death and in particular the funeral doom scenes would have given birth to Drone addicts throughout the years… do you think that people’s tastes remain about the sames as 10-15 years ago ?

I believe people's tastes evolve, and they should evolve and broaden with all this internet stuff and so, but at the same time I meet so many people listening to the same narrow range of bands for years, decades, and they don't even wanna hear about something slightly different or unusual. I mean, music is music... Yeah, there's some stuff closer emotionally, but all this devotion to a certain subgenre within another subgenre which in its turn belongs to another one, I don't get it. Differentiation gone too far...

- Is Andriy a permanent member at your sides ? Ideally, what would be the best formula to play live, would you need just a bassist or add someone on keyboards too or … ?

Andriy is my old friend, he's not so much into heavy and slow music, but he's a quite open-minded person and well-experienced drummer. He loves experimenting, so he gladly agreed when I asked him to join my project. Andriy has offered so much creativity and shown a genuine interest during the process of creating, recording and mixing our EP. Now he's even more satisfied with the result than I am :) I hope to continue working with him, but I'm not sure so far how it'll turn out. Ideally - it would be to gather a full line-up (two guitars, bass, drums, keys) ;) But minimum could be even only three persons: guitar-, bass-player and a drummer (or 2 guitars and drums).

- The style of NONSUN is hard to classify, can we say that it’s basically DRONE with doom/Death and funeral doom elements of (maybe) your early years into music ? I hear some influences from the early 90’s ( not just in your vocals!), like P.L./MDB/WINTER,… sure you cite also others like Celtic Frost, Earth, EHG, The Swans, etc… but is that your most influential period in your musical development ?

Yeah, you got it right, man, these are the most influential years for me. Though, it still seems a bit strange you guessed it so easily, because, before and during a recording of the EP, my inspirations were mostly drone, post-metal, sludge and stoner bands. Perhaps those doom-death influences are rooted in me deeper than I thought they were :))
By the way, I am currently also on vocals in a doom/death band Apostate, and some years ago I had a doom/death/gothic metal project Negative Plus.  

- I’m ok for Sludge to be in some parts also added to your wide musical spectrum, but I don’t really see in which manner the “Post Metal” label can be applied to your sound ?

 

Maybe you're right, man, and I shouldn't use the "post metal" in description, I don't know... I'm not that good at all this classification stuff, you know. What I can say for sure - I was under a big influence of Isis when I wrote those songs, and we both with Alpha listened to bands like Omega Massiff, Pelican, Khuda etc... Okay, then how would you label the second track "Rain Have Mercy", especially its second half? It's not really doom/death, it's too fast and structured for being drone... And all these delays, atmosphere - I thought it was closer to post-rock/metal thing. Isn't it? :)    (nothing obvious in my opinion, but you're the best judge...!)

 

Lviv is a rather big city that has had a pretty eventful history and presents the particularity of having quite many catholic churches in its heart… does it make it very different from other Ukrainian cities like Kiev or Odessa ? Even if Drone isn’t popular at all, is there any underground metallic activities in town ?

 

Yeah, Lviv is very different from other Ukrainian cities, it has that beautiful European architecture and is my favourite city in Ukraine, but still I hate living here :)) And about the underground, of course, there are, and were, cool bands here (not so many), but, you know, lately, things are going down, nobody goes to gigs, fewer and fewer guys organize them, and, as I mentioned, so hard to find a musician, in particular for slow music. I'm not even saying about drone, you know, in Apostate we have the same problem - and this is pretty cheerful death-doom :)

 - The cover of the EP represents a solar eclipse, did you ever witness one (I did here in France in 1999, short but impressive) ?

I witnessed one in late 90s, I was swimming in a lake then, and I remember some people were telling me I shouldn't do that during the sun eclipse because I might drown))

- Maybe it has positively evolved but - if not all, most of the ex USSR republics don’t have a very cheerful image, how do you consider this ?

I won't say about other ex-republics, but in the Ukraine - yes, it's fucking depressive, and nothing seems to get better in the nearest future. I'm not even talking here about the economics or politics (though they're shitty of course), I mean first of all that cultural, spiritual decline. I fucking hate this situation, sometimes it's pretty hard to stand.  

- What have been some of your faves of 2012 ? did you see any cool gigs in your area or elsewhere ?

 

In 2012 I've heard Horseback for the first time - that's my band of the year. Surprisingly great album from The Sword. Earth, of course (Angels of Darkness... II). Ufomammut - both albums. The return of the year (or years!)) - Dead Can Dance. Swans returned too (or not?), but I haven't heard the album yet. Black Shape of Nexus released a good LP - though I liked their demos and splits more. At the end of the year I heard Undersmile - wow, I'm still scared))
Dissapointment of the year - an amazing drone metal band Kodiak split up :(
Gig of the year - Eyehategod in Warsaw, Poland - that was awesome and unforgettable!

- Do you already have some good feedback about the EP ? do you intend to look for a label to release it physically or will that remain just a free download and you’re already thinking about next effort ?

I have a great feedback but from a few people :) I realize it's the first EP, a lot of work is still ahead, in this modern day of overproduction it won't be easy to attract people's attention. I am looking for a label but at the same time trying to promote the EP by own efforts. And of course, already thinking forward, about the future record, just find some inspiration to start and the people to cowork with :)

- Thanx a lot Bohdan,feel free to add something important I might have forgotten to ask you ! all the best to you and the band for the future … 

Stéphane, many many thanks for this interview, you know newcomers like Nonsun desperately need help in promotion like this, so thanks again. All the best to you and the Temple of Perdition zine!!

https://www.facebook.com/NonsunDoom

... Open your eyes : PROJECT ARMAGEDDON – Tides of Doom

The sluggish, melancholic plod of traditional doom coupled with a trace of NWOBHM virtuosity—both vocally and instrumentally—is the type of metal that Project Armageddon peddles to the masses. With ‘Tides of Doom’,the Houston, Texas three-piece deftly navigates their way through waters both stagnant and rapid resulting in an album that blends the best of lumbering doom riffs with a variety of tempo changes that are delivered with the precision of a tight-knit, hard-rock trio. Beyond the excellent musicianship of the individual players, the vocals of “Doomstress” Alexis are particularly noteworthy and often come across as an odd, yet compelling blend between Bobby Liebling and Geddy Lee. The end result is an album that is completely engaging from start to finish.

A thick, groovy bass line initiates album opener “Into the Sun” before Alexis’s delay-laden bellow kicks the song into overdrive. “Into the Sun” is an upbeat rocker that burns from hot to hotter courtesy of the stellar drumming of Raymond Matthews whose timing propels the song forward through its myriad twists and turns. This first track includes some thrashier moments before a single gong crash slows things down. “Call to Piety’, the first of three instrumentals, is a hypnotic, Mediterranean-flavored dirge that could be the soundtrack for an arduous pilgrimage before it segues into the appropriately titled “Sanctimonious”. This third track lays the doom and gloom on thick as “Doomstress” Alexis lambastes the hypocrisy that has existed among religious zealots through the ages. Despite beginning at a snail’s pace, the song eventually takes off and again features some great drum playing and a blistering solo from guitarist Brandon Johnson before reverting back to a crawl. The first half of the album closes out with another instrumental, “Conflict”.This instrumental is a driving, straight-forward militant stomp that is unrelenting.

The second half of the album opens with the standout title-track “Tides of Doom”. Winding, serpentine lead guitar, gong crashes, and a thundering bass line open the track before Project Armageddon slithers into a classic sounding Sabbathian groove. “Tides of Doom” really highlights the musicianship of all three players and Alexis’s bass playing is particularly mesmerizing in the latter half of the song. “Upon Solace’s Shores”, the third and final instrumental, is really centered on the band’s rhythm section and is similar, in a way, to the previous instrumentals in that it conveys an atmosphere of exoticism. “Fallow Fields”, the longest track with a runtime near ten minutes, opens with a rising, steady squall of feedback and a bouncing bass line before settling into a mid paced groove. While “Fallow Fields” isn’t as initially captivating as the other vocally driven tracks on the album it does pick up by launching into a galloping rhythm that is accented by some fantastic lead guitar playing. Whereas “Tides of Doom” had Project Armageddon proudly wearing their Black Sabbath influences on their sleeves, “Fallow Fields” ends up with subtle Pentagram flavored moments. An ominous organ intro adds variety and depth to ‘Tides of Doom” as it announces the final track, “Paths of Darkness”. “Paths of Darkness” is easily the moodiest track of the album and also injects a fair share of stoner psychedelia into the mix, particularly during the serene, gentler instrumental moments of the song.

With their sophomore release, ‘Tides of Doom”, Project Armageddon has stepped up their songwriting and surpassed the achievement that was their debut album, ‘Departure’. As a whole, ‘Tides of Doom’ is a huge step up from ‘Departure’, but the band will be hard pressed to record a stand-out track as engrossing or indelible as “Psyko-Sonic”. Traditional doom fans with a penchant for Black Sabbath, Pentagram, or even Cirith Ungol who have a taste for expansive songwriting will find many redeeming qualities in Project Armageddon—a great band that deserves more exposure.

 

Words: Steve Miller

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Armageddon/115542915136006

 

... ANTERO SLEEPS "Titan"

The concept might sound original at first, but the music of this trio, which has been around since 2009, is clearly not. Antero Sleeps combine a rather ambitious science fiction story (obviously set on Titan) with sludgy Doom Rock as you know it from High On Fire and earlier Mastodon. What you get here are aliens, genetic mutation, military hunt and a lot of stereotyped drama as far as the plot is concerned.

Plodding along in a subtly melodic manner, „Whispers And Stardust“ opens up quite bleakly with hoarse vocals and no compelling motif at all, but turns out to be kind of an intro to„The Fall Of Gellar Elias“ (one of the characters) the first of two key songs with a length of roughly a quarter hour each. Antero Sleeps start off with a minimalistic arrangement, nicely shifting between harmonious and dissonant chords that make for a moody atmosphere instead of a memorable tune. The vocals, partly screamed, add to this impression, and in case the whole story leaves you entirely cold, the song will do so as well, notwithstanding a picturesque interlude without distortion and the expectedly more vehement ending.

„Transformation“ serves as another interlude in itself, this time on strummed acoustic guitar with a droning echo behind it. Here, the decent production helps enforce an intimate ambience, which is what such a breather should do in the first place, so this track is a winner, the more so as it calmly segues into „Calimbian Flight“. With this grooving behemoth (crawling up a Post Rock wall of sound), Antero Sleeps don't submit the most diverse tune either, but the main riff and lyrics, which are pronounced more clearly, proove that the band is capable of writing distinct songs.

For this album, it shall remain the only one, as closer „The Funeral Dirge“, the other 15 minute epic, gets drawn out too long, admittedly with beautifully shimmering open chords and melodic ideas which point towards a future that may have more remarkable music in store. For now, Antero Sleeps are no nuisance, but solid emulators of a well-known sound and thus redundant.

words : Andreas Schiffmann

www.anterosleeps.com

www.facebook.com/anterosleeps

... GORGANTHERRON "s/t" EP

And here's another interesting EP of 2012 that came to me like an unexpected nice Christmas present ! Just by knowing that GORGANTHERRON will play at next DOTD fest, I should have paid attention before to that name, but, thanx to Kathy Reeves, this trio from Indiana's Evansville and T.o.P. are now in touch and hell yeah, that's fucking cool !!!

This EP contains 6 songs for about 25 minutes, pretty short but striking, the band leaves long and epic songs for others (at least on this 1st effort); at some point the strong 80's Metallic edge of the band is certainly a reason to this. Straight and authentic are two essential caracters of both first songs "Mothra" and "Lost in Space" with earth-shaking riffs and thunderous rythmics. Those particularly up-beat affairs remind me a bit of "Coven of Cain" from the last TGOS, just not sounding as bitter and pissed !

"Assimilate" starts with a bluesy intro and then a sabbathian mood with Clint Logan (guit/voc) taking an amazing direction in his lyrical expression, very deep and hypnotic in the vein of Pete Steel... At about 4:40 it turns into crazy soloing to make it the longest song of the album, maybe not the catchiest but assuredly the darkest and most psychedelic. Black Sabbath is naturally mentioned in their funny bio (read it on their fb) as well as Iron Maiden both first lps, when you have talented musicianship and lives it with passion like those guys seem to , ain't that the best references possible ?!?!

"Cemetery Shoes" comes back to more traditionnal Metal influenced structures with a slight Stoner tone, great vocals hooks and captivating, melodic guitars work; this one is a real winner and tends to confirm that from tracks to tracks, progressively, the band developps an indentity far more rich than your average new band.

"Gorgantherron" is the doomiest of all 6 songs, more simple and not as twisted as in previous songs, the basical riff is plodding and much heavier, I quickly surprised myself  humming that "all hail gorgantherron" and regreting this one was also a bit too short ! There's a funny touch here which is refreshing for the genre, just as the bio suggests some interesting things in the lyrical content that is closely related to sci-fi.

Without being boring "Andromeda" ends this nice debut averagely, certainly the weakest composition but nothing that can prevent me to think that this band definitely proves on this debut a lot in terms of dynamics and variation of tempos, in this sense, even if GORGANTHERRON are doomier and logically not as brutal, fans of  High On Fire should like them too ! The basis of a memorable sound is all here...

http://www.facebook.com/Gorgantherron

http://www.reverbnation.com/gorgantherron

.... FRAGMENT "Temporary Enlightenment"

Brainchild of Thierry A., a musician/composer based in Lyon (France), FRAGMENT is a one-man-project born in 2006 which has just digitally released its brand new album called : "Temporary enlightenment", expected on CD edition via  OPN Records (Lambwool, Sigma Octantis...) at the end of January.

Several releases (EP, split, albums, compilations) on various labels (ConSouling Sounds, Denovali Records, Happy Prince...) in many years, contributed to make Fragment's music an addictive cocktail of alternative, ambient, drone, metal, shoegaze, slowcore, industrial and electronica elements : "Temporary enlightenment" is the natural consequence of all those creative experiences.

While waiting for the official physical release, the album is available right now for entire streaming/legal download on Bandcamp.

For fans of Jesu, Nadja, Godflesh, My Bloody Valentine...

https://www.facebook.com/fragment.official

... KING BONG "Space Shanties" (album review)

Trumping up with their third release, Milans King Bong are no novices on the field of instrumental Stoner Rock, a stylistic drawer you will open intuitively when hearing the band's name. Despite its humorous approach though, the trio sounds refresheningly serious, even eclectic with its refusal to cater to expectations.

On the other hand, they are no virtuosity-driven friends of Progressive Rock either, as you may come to think due to the album title which brings Khan's cult classic „Space Shanty“ to mind. Lasting (in the truest sense of the word; you have to endure this one) 15 minutes, the opening „Even 50 Feet Hamsters Have Feelings“ is a very slow display of mostly soft, but at times more forceful guitar playing. Andrea, the man responsible for this, repeatedly feints having found the one and only motif for his tune, but then thinks again and tries something else. Thus the rhythmic backbone is the only thing which keeps the track together up until its noisy ending.

Clocking in at exactly 10:00 minutes (just like „Kilooloogung“ a meandering assortment of ideas not quite fitting together), „Of Bong And Man“ immediately establishes a main riff you can cling to. Bass player Alberto keeps laying it down, supported by nuanced drumming courtesy of sticksman Teo, while Andrea delights us with a rather inspired solo. The psychedelic and apparently improvised (as much on this album) second part is also more or less pleasurable to listen to, as King Bong know how to swing and cough up some juicy licks. The shortest song „Inhale On Main Street“ is by far the best, rhythmically exciting and an attention-getter when it comes to stylistically diverse guitar playing, Andrea citing everything from Hendrix to angly Noise Rock.

With „A. B. Ong“, King Bong lay focus on different tempos, but it's again the guitarist who drives the ever shifting composition (if it is one) safely home. „Cthulhu“ evokes multiple associations as a title, but doesn't impress much because the group simply comes up with more of the same, meaning good craftsmanship in an impromptu setting. If you take pleasure in simplicity with maximum versatility, King Bong might be your band; for sure, they are a more compelling instrumental band than the majority within the field of Stoner or Doom Rock, but immediately graspable songwriting is something they leave for others.

words : Andreas Schiffmann

https://www.facebook.com/kingbongofficial
https://www.facebook.com/moonlightrecordspr

... Last 2012 TOP 10 lists from Beaten Back To Pure, Fire Faithful + Givethemrope !!!

Thanx to Scott Harington, here come some more TOP 10 lists from 313 INC Artists (well, this is definitely the LAST part for 2012 !)... 313 Inc. Artist Management is a multi faceted company that handles all aspects of career management and artist development , some other bands in his roster are Order of the Owl, King Giant, When the Deadbolt Breaks, Sixty Watt Shaman, Hour of 13, Ichabod...

Ben Hogg (Beaten Back To Pure/vocalist)

1. Witchcraft-Legend
1a. Pallbearer-Sorrow and Extinction
2. Gypsyhawk-Revelry and Resilience
3. Midnight-Satanic Royalty
4. Bastard Sapling-Dragged from our Trance
5.MGLA-With Hearts Towards None
6. Hellgoat-Anoited in Blood and Ash
7.Windhand-S/T
8.Denial of God-Death and the Beyond
9.Leviathan-True Traitor True Whore
10.Witchcross-Fit for Fight (sweet reissue)

Boom!

Shane Ripp (Fire Faithful/guitarist)

1. Graveyard -Lights Out
2. High on Fire- de vermis mysteriis
3. Orange Goblin - A Eulogy for the Damned
4. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
5. Corrosion of Conformity - Corrosion of Conformity
6. Corrosion of Conformity - The Megalodon
7. Trampled by Turtles- Stars and Satellites
8. Om, Advaitic Songs (this will most likely make it higher, just started listening to it.)
9. The Sword - Apocryphon
10. Down - Down IV (The Purple EP)

 
Rian Poltrone (givethemrope/guitarist)

1. Venomous Maximus - Beg Upon The Light
2. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
3. Mount Carmel - S/T
4. Lana Del Ray - Born To Die
5. Down - The Purple EP
6. Primate - Draw Back A Stump
7. Saint Vitus - Lillie F-65
8. Jack White - Blunderbuss
9. Pig Destroyer - Book Burner
10. Haarp - Husks
11. Goatwhore - Blood For The Master
12. Baroness - Yellow and Green
13. High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis

... The horn of Heimdallr calls : THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR – ‘Ascension’

Colorado’s folk-influenced, psychedelic metal conjuring duo of Clayton Cushman and David Csicsely—collectivelly known as The Flight of Sleipnir—have, courtesy of Eyes Like Snow Records, reissued their extremely rare, self-released ‘Wisdom Calls for Sacrifice’ demo, the just as scarce ‘Winter Solstice II’ EP, along with the additions of a cover version of Pentagram’s “Be Forewarned” and a live rendition of their epic tune “Algiz” under the banner ‘Ascension’. For the uninitiated, The Flight of Sleipnir plays a unique blend of doomy psychedelia that is heavily accented with ethereal passages of progressive, folk-influenced instrumentation. Vocally, the band utilizes both clean and harsh vocals to superb effect and finds much of their lyrical inspiration from the sagas and eddas of Norse mythology. Despite their influences, it would be lazy to categorize The Flight of Sleipnir as mere “Viking metal” as the band remains unparalleled in their approach and execution.

The first three tracks of ‘Ascension’ are culled from the ‘Wisdom Calls for Sacrifice’ demo with the notable exclusion of a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes”. “The Deceiver, the Blind, and the Beloved”, “At the Roots of the Ash Tree”, and “Thyrm’s Bane” offer a glimpse into the early machinations of the duo. Sound-wise these tracks are above and beyond typical demo quality, though the production is a bit more harsh and “crunchy” compared to what will follow on subsequent releases. Despite what can only be deemed as a more primitive or primordial sound, the signature elements of what makes The Flight of Sleipnir so great are deeply ingrained in these tracks from the use of harsh and clean singing to sweeping steel guitar embellishments and ghostly, forlorn backing vocals.

The seven tracks that make up the ‘Wisdom Calls for Sacrifice’ demo and the ‘Winter Solstice II’ EP are cleft in twain by the official release of the band’s rendition of Pentagram’s classic tune “Be Forewarned”. Of all of the songs in Pentagram’s vast catalogue, “Be Forewarned” is probably the best suited for The Flight of Sleipnir’s modus operandi. The end result is a faithful adaptation of the ‘First Daze Here’ version of the song both musically and vocally. While it would have been interesting to see the band take a more eclectic approach to covering the tune by adding more of their signature elements, the band cannot be faulted for faithfully paying homage to a great band and song.

“Winding Path”, “Among the Slain We are Chosen”, “Within the Fires of Muspell”, and “Let Us Drink Till We Die”, originally collected as the ‘Winter Solstice II’ EP, begin to round out the latter half of ‘Ascension’. Here, the band is beginning to find and ultimately refine their sound. The production is more akin to the releases that will eventually follow, but the band is arguably heavier than anything to be found amongst the tracks of both ‘Lore’ and the ‘Essence of Nine’, save perhaps the initial, traditional sounding composition of “Let Us Drink Till We Die”. The most significant leap the band makes is in regards to their vocals, particularly the harsher vocal delivery of Clayton Cushman and this really comes across on the hypnotic sixth track, “Among the Slain We are Chosen”. While the three tracks of ‘Wisdom Calls for Sacrifice’ are undoubtedly and unmistakably the products of The Flight of Sleipnir, it is the four tracks of the ‘Winter Solstice II’ Ep that truly mark the band’s arrival.

‘Ascension’ closes out with a live arrangement of the band’s epic, “Algiz”. The quality of the track is stellar and the end result is a moving, gloriously executed slab of crushing, yet trippy metal. The inclusion of a live version of “Algiz” is a fine representation of how the band sounds in a live setting where they sacrifice some of the folk-influenced, softer moments in favor of metallic heft.

With each release The Flight of Sleipnir continues to solidify and refine their sound into a wholly unique vision. Due to the band’s influences and their consequent arrangements The Flight of Sleipnir are essentially in a league of their own. They are able to craft tunes that are heavy, psychedelic, haunting, and at times beautiful. ‘Ascension’ is an interesting trip that will satisfy fans who are eagerly awaiting the release of the band’s fourth full-length, ‘Saga’, or those who simply like music that is both unique and engaging. ‘Ascension’ is not merely an artifact that exists to illustrate how a band has developed over time from its humble beginnings, but instead is a solid collection of tunes from start to finish. ‘Saga” is slated for release in time for purification on February 15th.

Words: Steve Miller

http://www.northern-silence.de/eye.htm
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Flight-Of-Sleipnir/267879219900772

... DEATHCRAWL "Accelerated Rate of Decay"

From Cleveland (Ohio) here's DEATHCRAWL; delivering an uncompromised but very tasty SLUDGE, the trio consists in Damon Gregg (guitar) Jason Luchka (bass) and Dave Johnson (drums), each one sharing diverse vocal attacks !!!

After a 1st album "the end is not near enough" and an ep "this is the way the world ends" where the initial aesthetic of depressingly slow, low-tuned, crusty Sludge eventually gave way to include mid-tempo grooves, progressive riffs, and even grindcore elements as DeathCrawl evolved, the guys are now back three years later with this "Accelerated Way of Decay" which from the first notes of "burned out" marks a real step forward both sonically and musically.

DEATHCRAWL is still a terrific machine of decimating heaviness but don't expect here a discontinuous deluge of brutality and dissonance, sure this is violent and extremely heavy but just like there's a nice diversity in vocals, music lets place to various paces and ambiances, well-crafted soundscapes, all enveloped in a coldly mastered insanity.

"Disturbing the Earth" starts quietely, even with clean melancholic vocals more than a few seconds, based on an infectious and pummeling slowed- down tempo (basically those are some recurrent caracters), it keeps all along a menacing tone enhanced by explicit lyrics that declaim the abuse of men towards the environment and the apocalyptic fate which he suicidally works on... This is the general thematic of the lyrics from what I had the possibility to read about, maybe sometimes more nihilistic or sarcastic according to the tempo and weight of the songs.

"Killed or be killed" could be the fave one of most listeners, with an almost deathed-up mid-tempo, it shows all the consistency and variety of all the nasty and brutal sounds that DEATHCRAWL has in stock for you !!!  I can't tell which guy is mainly singing here but one of those "throats" really reminds me Chris Reifert and I feel it like another strong argument :)

Other various proofs of richness can be regularly found here and there in this soulful maelstrom of failure and violence like in "Maginot" and its sharped crushingness, "despite our best efforts" and its doomed harmonies or the closer "Lucifer's hammer" with its entertaining riffage and overlapped vocals.

It took quite some time to Deathcrawl to release this sophomore album but it was definitely worth the wait, because in this overcrowded scene where Sludge bands raise everyday from almost everywhere, those guys are faithful to the good old recipes while adding a real musicality and remaining incredibly heavy ! Highly recommended \m/

deathcrawl@deathcrawl.com

facebook.com/deathcrawl

... AstorVoltaires "BlackTombsForDeadSongs" (album review)

This is the second album by Chilean solo artist Juan Escobar, who has played in a lot of other bands, most prominently maybe Mar De Grises. What he does here on his own is rather close to the sound of that band, meaning that AstorVoltaires plays Doom Death with the almost mandatory nods towards early Katatonia and the likes, but embellishes it with really strong clean singing and a kind of songwriting that is sturdier than the usual assortment of ideas which are drawn out for their own sake

Opener „Rosas Y Fuego“ has a slightly epic quality once Juan starts to growl and churn out his slow riffs – a hint already to „Como Un Desierto“, which is by no means the sonic desert you might expect given the title: Juan sings in unison with a female and makes for some veritable hooks, a quality even more obvious during „Nexo Estelar“. As far as the man's talents for orchestration go, he effortlessly shifts from thick, heavy passages with effect-laden bass and synthesizer towards calm ones, taking away distortion in order to widen the dynamic range of his compostions.

„Aroma A Ti“ can be considered as a ballad without Gothic-kitsch and turns out to be the standout track on the album, while „Tummasilmäinen“ (Finnish for „dark-eyed“) and „Donde Nada Existia“ points toward Juan's Scandinavian influences once more, quite likely ranging from Opeth to cookie-cutters like Swallow The Sun. All in all, AstorVoltaires surpasses the average a few times on this record, mainly with the carefully built „Thy Endless Of Mourning's Heart“ (okay, I did not promise there'd be no kitsch at all …) and „Solo Un Sueño“, which features a string section and acoustic guitar.

The rest is either interludes or common genre-fare you don't do anything wrong with, but can surely do without in case you are looking for true ingenuity.

Words by Andreas Schiffmann


www.rainwithoutend.com

www.facebook.com/RainWithoutEndRecords
www.facebook.com/astorvoltaires

... DISPERSED ASHES "the nature of things"

Prolific one-man-show Mark Thompson from Stuttgart, Germany, once more vents his creative urges via music, whereas in professional life, he seems to be a visual artist. His sonic means of expression can be described as funeral doom, a romping ground for dilettantes and autistic wannabe-musicians, if you are prone to cynicism – but this British fellow at least strives for diversity, albeit within the narrow frame this sadsack-genre allows.

The songs are seven to eleven minutes long and characterized by Thompson's raspy voice that harks back to the early days of Agalloch, the overall ambience being similarly mysterious and somewhat „sylvan“, if that makes sense. Remarkably enough for a solo project, all instruments, even the drums, are played by the protagonist himself, the slows pace making this easier at first sight, although the devil hides within the details: „I Cried At The Sun“, „With What's Left Of The Night“ (most desperate sounding ditty here) and „On The Nature Of Things“, while not providing us with anything like a hook, are well thought-out displays of monotony at its most effective, meaning that Thompson elaborates on distinct musical motifs and has a good grasp on how to arrange instruments dynamically. The only thing that mars the experience is the lifeless production job, but the resulting sound is probably embraced by fans of this type of music – and rest assured of the fact that „The Nature Of Things“ is made for nobody else than them.

„Burnt Over“ adds melancholic whispers and piano to the mix, not to forget a rather solid wall of guitars towards the end. A nifty man behind the mixing desk would quite likely have worked magic on this material, turning it into something you could easily tag Shoegaze Post Black Metal or whatever. „Promise Me“ sounds as if Thompson had hidden inside a cave, never wanting to come out again, and to this reviewer, it's a complete mystery how an artist who wants to communicate his inmost completely fails at creating interest in his lyrics: Whereas Thompson by no means comes across as whiny, his utterances are rather an additional instrument than of actual substance, especially in „Promise Me“, where they mingle with the riffs and melody (which consists of three to four notes at best, mind you).

Longest and last track „To Create Death's Memory“ appears to be the strongest … for whichever reasons. Could this be due to the relief felt now that the listening session is over? Is the scene that dwells on this sound a support group for sadomasochists? We don't know because artists like Mark Thompson first and foremost create for themselves, which is a good thing, particularly in a climate that fosters shameless self-promotion even among those who don't have anything to promote at all.

words by Andreas Schiffmann

 

http://www.naturmacht.com/

https://www.facebook.com/naturmachtproductions

 

... Playing slow, low and loud : BLACK TAR PROPHET / CRAWL split CD

After their interesting debut "Note to Nod" last summer, Nashville's instrumental duo BLACK TAR PROPHET just released a split with CRAWL from Atlanta (GA)... well, call it as you want, EP or not, but this has a total length of about 35 minutes and is almost equally shared, just that B.T.P. plays two songs and their colleagues one...

Despite the fact that guitarist Mark Owen left the band just before the recording, nothing much has changed in the dirty, straight and raw sound of BLACK TAR PROPHET. Greg is still a massive purveyor of slow, distorted noises, damn crushing and infectious...

While the overall remains elemental and plodding especially in "Judgement Whore" , the other song "Hypomania" has a more gnarly tempo in its mid-part, with even a crusty touch that fits well with their natural roughness and is pretty entertaining... There's certainly less prominent vocal samples and noisy feedback, which -to my ears- give a slightly more accessible dimension to their rumbling yet effective sound and good promises of new pounding songs in 2013 !

CRAWL is a new band which formed in Spring 2012 and has yet very solid arguments to value; after their 1st demo released this fall, they now include "Rise Feast" to this split affair and even if this is also extremely slow, low and loud, they're pretty different from B.T.P. which makes it complementary and in no case linear.

Here, on this song, CRAWL is more insidious than straight and raw, more into bulldozing sub frequencies that can leave corporal damages to non initiated people ! A strange and droning mix of influences ranging from Neurosis to The Melvins...  This is a nice song but I'm surprised that this is a long instrumental and sounds very different from their demo stuff which had a great southern tone with filthy vocals and pure sludge crudeness, amazingly mixed all together with short and striking songs (Buzzov*en being then another clear influence...). That's a bit disconcerting to wonder if this is the same band that you're listening to between their demo and this new song !

But, all in all,there's no problem at all towards this, the catchiness is here in all cases and this split release is really worth checking out !!!

https://www.facebook.com/blacktarprophet
https://www.facebook.com/CrawlDoom

... Into the circle I wander : GALLOW GOD "The Veneration of Serpents"

London, England’s Gallow God occupies that realm of majestic, emotive doom which is shared by the likes of Procession, Griftegård, Warning, and Pallbearer. With a runtime pushing near the 70 minute mark the eight tracks of the band’s debut full-length, ‘The Veneration of Serpents’, is a sweeping collection of immersive, soul-crushing doom punctuated with moments of calm, melancholic beauty. Though it’s been nearly three years since the release of the band’s impressive debut EP, ‘False Mystical Prose’, Gallow God seem to have further developed and fine-tuned their glacial paced sound before propelling it once again into the sublunary sphere.

Opener “The Circle” is easily the most immediate and rewarding song of the album due in large part to its heavily distorted sluggish groove and the vocal melodies of singer/guitarist Dan Tibbals whose voice, at times, resembles ‘Children of Doom’ era Chritus Linderson. “The Circle” is a solid introduction to the arcana of ‘The Veneration of Serpents’ and is, for many of the subsequent songs, a difficult track to follow. “Waters of Death, Thy Hands will not Cleanse” is a brooding, somber tune that utilizes space and quieter passages, but doesn’t ultimately abandon loud, heavy moments. The instrumental passage in the latter half of the song highlights the rhythm section particularly the double bass drum kicks add thundering depth and variety to the doom and gloom (this really has to be underlined because G.G. faced serious line-up problems over the past months; indeed, bassist Mitch Barrett had left the band for this album and only played on The Circle. Also Dan done 98% of drums and shared bass on the rest with Riccardo (guit)!!!).

“At Eternity’s Gate”—perhaps the most Warning sounding track due to its cadence and lead guitar—is held aloft by Tibbals who delivers his most impressive vocal performance of the album. It’s heartfelt and pleadingly forlorn. The album’s namesake, “The Veneration of Serpents”, rivals “The Circle” as a standout track of the album and again spotlights the rhythm section who drive the song forward to converge with the catchiest chorus of the album.

The second half of the album opens with “A Miser’s Land” and is the first track that really begins to test the listener’s fortitude. While “A Miser’s Land” is by no means weak, it is a dirge-like crawl that lacks any of the hooks or tempo changes that made the first half of the album so engaging. This lack of hooks, coupled with the lengthy runtime of the track makes for an arduous detour. As if sensing something is amiss, Gallow God throws the listener a curveball by unleashing their rendition of the traditional ballad “Scarborough Fair” and they simply kill it. It’s appropriately heavy while still remaining faithful to the spirit of the classic ballad. “Gaslight” almost succumbs to the same fate of “A Miser’s Land”, but the song plays with tempo and effectively weaves its sluggish plod with lead guitar driven passages. The album closes out with “The Cranes of Ibycus” which tells of the fate of the ancient Greek poet and the cranes that caused his murderers to inform on themselves. The themes of this final track suit the band’s ability to craft beautifully despondent tunes.

While the first half of ‘The Veneration of Serpents’ is arguably stronger and more memorable, the entire album flows with continuity and singular purpose. The band is in elite company with their ability to compose heavy, yet emotional tunes that can have a visceral effect upon the listener. Fans of traditional doom or the band’s earlier work will find a lot to like in ‘The Veneration of Serpents’. Welcome to one of the first great albums of 2013.

("Hopefully end of January G.G. will have Cd available. Downloads will prob be available mid January".)

words : Steve Miller

http://www.gallowgod.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gallow-God/185275254829537