8 New Reviews 3/19/2011
Blut Aus Nord- 777 Sects- CD (Debemur Morti Productions)
There is a sickness about this band that grows and festers with every release I hear from them. Blut Aus Nord is Astral, Ethereal, Metallic, Doom, Industrial , Blackened and just damn inventive in there sounds. I would always like to say if Swans, Neurosis, Voivod and Lustmord took a trip into the realm of the Black metal arts this is what Blut Aus Nord is.. If you like bands like Red Harvest , DHG and Virus then your coming close to grips with a band like this. The melodies are actually the creepy parts of the album and they make you want to end your very exsistance with there cold and distant beautiful. The ugliness is in the more Industrial and machine like over tones that come through out the release. Blut Aus Nord are just one of those bands you know who they are from the 1st track of the album . They have a sound all there own. Its Defines 21st Century Industrial Blackened Doom Metal... Godflesh, Phobos and MZ412 would be every every proud...
Infestus- Ex| Ist-CD (Debemur Morti Productions)
Oh the Heathen elements of the Black arts is strong this this one Ex| Ist is just that a journey that few any ever try to journey and if they come back they are never the same. The band follows its own path into the occult and the dark woods of the old European realms. If you have interest in bands like Burzum, Enslaved, Mayhem, Middle Period Satyricon , Graveland and Khold this will be a road that you will need to travel. The vocals are so close to the brink of losing ones sanity that they accent the hollow sounding and very droning guitar and bass tones with a drummer trying to drive the demonic forces into your very soul. The acoustics and martial elements work so well as a backdrop to all that is going on as well. This is musical craftsmanship on the highest of orders. Infestus is not for the casual listener. You need to dig into this and understand its bleak and somber beauty..
Samael- Lux Mundi-CD (Season of Mist)
Samael are back for this review in a form not heard since Passage!!!!. The Occult Industrial Dark metal sounds that made me fall in love with this Swiss group of Power, Mastery and Control of the the Darkened Hymns is all here. The vocals of Vorph are razor sharp. Xy classical/ industrial synth arrangements are second to none again and those guitars are filling the airwaves with bombastic deep full tone. I feel with Above the band lost it way a bit and tried to relive a past that wasn't needed. Samael are best when they embrace there technology of 21st century and add there eastern and dark metal elements to the electronic they weld so well. I feel like with each song on Lux Mundi we have a grand leader telling us what the course of humanity will be and the masses are listening and understanding every word to help with the cause.. Lux Mundi is massive in sound and compostion. Season of Mist has 4-5 albums coming out right now that will rule 2011 underground music world hands down..
http://season-of-mist.com/
ARKAN-SALAM-CD (Season of Mist)
So what we have is the 2nd release from the former drummer of Old Dead Tree new project. If you like Old Dead Tree then this will blow you away because all the melodic Death metal and Classic metal elements are all there plus added a major Oriental vibe and female vocals. Arkan have so much in common with Orphaned Land that members of that band are on this releases. The eastern vibes flow so well here think of bands like Rajna and Dead Can Dance mixed with powerful death metal riffs and drumming. Arkan are an adventure to say the least. The mix of Eastern chants, Guttural vocals and lush sung female vocals is so just down right brilliant. Fans of Nile would be interested in this as well though not as brutal still all the fantastic and inventive...
http://season-of-mist.com/
MurkRat - Drudging The Mire- CD (Aesthetic Death)
Is haunting an under statement for an album like MurkRat for sure. This is doom in the same way bands like Dolorian, Skepticism, Thergothon and Ras Algethi did back in the 90's . Organ filled , slow and molasses like with tormented vocals and lumbering passages and arrangments. Love this kind of Doom/Death. They remind me a lot of early Madder Mortem and Opera IX esp because of the female vocals. MurkRat are what the meaning of darkness and sorrow are in the realm of Doom metal. With a style of music you have to live it and understand it or it will just pass you by. MurkRat is not for everyone for sure. There is a very avant element to all that goes on here. They are akin to projects like Devil Doll and Shining (Sweden) at times with the madness it creates for sure. The Piano and Synths sometimes play a major role in the mood of the music, other times its that deep long droning doom guitar and those sickened distanced female vocals/ cries.. MurkRat is something that really just needs to be heard to understand. I would say Bethlethem and Deinonychus fans would wrap themselves in this band as well..
http://aestheticdeath.com/
Negura Bunget- Poarta de dincolo-CDep (Code666)
So the Romanian Avant /Experimental Black/Dark metal force is releasing a final ep on Code666 before the move to Prophecy Productions for good. We have here the haunting Occult and heathen acoustic heaet of Negura as always with the Blackened vocals and the heathen clean sung vox. The music is a mix of Acoustic Woodland music , Black metal, Doom and straight out folk. This is what makes the band so interesting to keep up with and listen to. Though being an ep to leave a label it seems to be very impressively done and the songs don't sound short changed in any way, It's actually quite the opposite it sounds like Negura Bunget took extra time to make this a very special goodbye to Code666. If your a fan of the band this is a must have and it goes from delicate to masterfully dark and epic...
Haiku Funeral- If God is a drug- Pro CDR ( Hikkiomori Records)
Blackened Industrial Noise/ Avant Electronics with a nod to bands like MZ412, Valefor , Ulver, Manes, Neubaten, Pigface and Skinny Puppy. Haiku Funeral is odd to say the least but it works in way that Ulver's Themes works as its a cross over from the Metallic to the Electronic. This very much what If God is a drug comes to mind with.. The spoken word and electronic elements are very Ulver to say the least and yet again the eastern musical elements come out seem to be a flavor of this review section this time out. I didn't know what to expect from a new label sending me material but if even half there releases are this interesting this will be a new label to follow and grow with.
Tiny Little Blackouts- Daly City- CDEP (Robot123)
So the gang from Tiny little blackouts sent me there new 3 song Ep to review as I really dug their last album and I can safely say there is nothing here not to like if your a fan of Trip hop and Jazzy indie rock with a strong Shoegazer overtone. This reminds me so much of the mellower moments of Anneke (ex the Gathering), Mazzy Star and even elements of projects like Curve and Slowdive. The Pop/Americana elements are flowing through this a well were fans of Neko Case will really enjoy this ep. Love the way the acoustics of the guitar and warm bass and simple percussion work so well with the female vocals and odd electronic and left field musical elements mix in to it all. Sometimes just a good indie record is all you need to make the day a bit better and Tiny Little Blackouts do just that...
http://robot123records.com/
Comments