6 New Reviews Prog Death to Indie Punk ( were more open minded then you !!!!)
Sorrow Plagues- S/T CD/ Digital (Self Released)
There is a strong connection to Black metal and Sci-fi / Fantasy Stories and movies and Sorrow Plagues fits somewhere between both. Atmospheric Black metal futurist David Lovejoy is creating music as beauty as haunting and foward thinking as possible. If you can mix elements of Bal Sagoth, Sigh, Satyricon and Fen. You will have an idea of where this band is coming from. There is a strong Shoegazer tone to the overall picture but we also have many Cascade Black metal movements similar to bands like Wolves in the throne room and Negura Bunget. The synths and harmonies play a major role with the raw guitars and grim vocals. This album is stunningly well done being self released and is an album that needs to be witnessed to fully understand the magic that is being created it. I want to say this is what Black metal created by David Bowie , Queen or Cheap trick would sound like. There is such a theatrical rock element going on here as well with all the subtle over tones going as well. Sorrow Plagues is one of the more interesting bands coming to me in as of late.
Primitive Man/ Northless- Split CD/Digital ( Halo of files)
4 songs 1 from Primitive Man and 3 from Northless. 1st up is Primitive man which I hard from the relapse album they released. This is crushing Black Sludge Doom so punishing and heavy even bands like Neurosis and Eye hate god will take a second look and say wtf??? This band is a sonic nightmare at 78 rpms and incase you weren't kicked hard enough have a bat with them so you can remember them on the way out.. Northless are more of a Noisy Sludge unit with a strong touch of math rock in their chaotic nature. The vocals go less doom and way more old school Crust and Hardcore is pumping through the speakers with them. This is much more Deadguy, Noothgrush and Unsane in the way they create their hate to the world. I would even say there are strong Integrity and TAD.. This is an amazing and draining release all at the very same time. The common theme is Brutal riff, sludge tones and musical heaviness...
http://halooffliesrecords.com/
Ragnarok- Psychopathology- CD/ Digital ( Agonia )
Over two decades with releases on such prolific labels as Regain and Head not found. This is I think the second album on Agonia for the band Jontho is the Front man and drummer of this battalion of blackened musical misfits. If you like Northern European Black metal from the mid ninety's likw Dark Funeral, Graveland, Marduk, Behemoth and Old Man's Child then Ragnarok is going to kick your ass in a major way. This is not for the timid or the manstream masses . We have Blast beats, waves of treble filled raw/ melodic guitars a warm Bass tones. This is 1st time ever Jontho is doing the vocals only . I love to call bands in this genre Blackened War metal as they mix Thrash, Death metal and Black metal into something that rituals and circle pits at live shows are made for. Agonia has really become one of the best labels for extreme metal period now and seem to continue to grow so Ragnarok could not have found a better home..
http://agoniarecords.com/
Obscura- Akroasis- CD/ Digital ( Relapse Records)
Germany has a rich history for extreme metal and Obscura is not a band that will shame that long and proud tradition. Where Obscura falls is in the Prog/Tech Death metal realm. Are you a fan of bands like Cynic, Pestilence, Gorguts and Death... The jazzy prog elements are not hidden in any way at all as they have some very Atheist and Pain of Salvation elements as well. The shear talent of this band is second to none and the band keeps you on your toes with all the amazing time changes and interesting mash ups of tones and arrangements. The even remind me at time of bands like Shining (Norway) or where Ihsahn is heading with his musical adventures. This is a challenging yet brilliant take of experimental side of Death metal..
http://relapse.com/
Soon- Vol 1- CD/ Digital ( Temple of Torturous )
Ok so let's just call it for what it is this is one fucked up musical journey. If you know the following labels release then I will start there. If Svart, Southern Lord and Sub pop all decided to find a band that hit the major focuses of their labels and co release it that would be Soon. Fuzz out, Proggy Heavy indie Post rock band with a very Desert Doom over tone . Is totally what we have going on here. If Kyuss, Earth, Beastmilk, Pelican and Screaming Trees were one band you would have Soon. There are still pop elements from there form bands which you can read more about if you get the album but the overall heaviness of this band comes from that 70's proto doom/metal element. There are very much Blue Cheer and Trouble elements coming through the speakers as well. Soon is a very interesting band and are much more then meets the listeners ears 1st time around.
http://www.templeoftorturous.com/
Hot Coffin- S/t- CD/Digital ( Triple Eye Industries)
Odd Name, Even stranger band. Oh were to begin. What is 80's Indie Punks come in contact with Cold wave and Noise Rock from the Midwest on labels like Amrep and Touch and go??? Hot Coffin is born. I get I will say it as easy as I can as I love this album but there is clearly nothing metal about it. It's like
Sonic Youth, Rocket from the Crypt, Jesus Lizard , Killing Joke, Husker Du , Dead and gone, Six Finger satellites gave birth to something just down right sick and fantastic and is spreading it's plague on a new generation of middle class youths feeling lost with the vision and path their nations and world is heading in 2016. What else is there really to say other then music and nonconformist thoughts can honestly change the world. There are some great punk hooks on this album. What are you waiting for this band just kicks ass...
https://tripleeye.bandcamp.com/album/hot-coffin
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