Playing Catch up long over do reviews for 2016!!! 11 more completed...

34- S/T- CD/ Digital ( Fountain City Records)

This one got Lost in the woodwork and I just came across it. 34 are an amazing Sludge Crusty Noisy Hardcore band that reminds me of bands like  Fudge Tunnel, Deadguy, Unsane , Minsk and bands like Integrity .. I think you get where I'm going with this album there are some really fucked up spacial riffs with all the in your face violence as well. The vocals are a nightmare running straight at you with no way to escape them. This is a pissed off and wonderful at all of that.  There are ex members of Eighteen visions, Sisters of in this madness. 34 are not an easy journey but well worth every month of the multi listens that will occur from this . 

http://34kcmo.bandcamp.com/releases

Keosz- Be left to oneself- CD/ Digital ( Cryo chamber )

This is a dark ambient release that is as sweeping and drifting as it has drone and new age elements in it. I can feel the futurist and scifi elements just pouring out of the tracks of the album it feels more like what labels like Hypnos and Soleilmoon where doing doing the 90's even some of the more avant ambient bands that work with Projekt label as well. Lustmord and Robert Rich would be hugely honored by the homage that is being placed and paid back on Keosz album.  You can just hear and feel the labor of love in a release like this .  Albums like this are so very reflective and personal to each listener you hard many different things but the environment you grew up in . All I can say is Cryo Chamber has this market corner in the 21st century and we needed someone to bring this musical and sonic landscape to the next generation of ambient and experimental music faithful.

http://cryochamberlabel.com/

GRIDFAILURE- Ensuring the bloodline ends here- CD/ Digital ( The Compound )

Dark, Sinister, Minimal, Unsettling, Twisted, Horrifying  these are some of the feeling and thoughts that come across from this debut from Dave of Earsplit PR Noise/Industrial/ Electronic Hatefest.. This is so pissed off with out being a full on wall of sonic riffage. This almost feel like a nod back to late 80/90's Diy Noise and Dark industrial scene when you would pay $5 for see 10 noise acts at a art gallery, someone house or in a warehouse and the walls of pedals, projectors and red and blue lights would fill the room. Do you remember bands like Prurient , Sickness,  Bastard Noise, Final, Bird and Tin, Troum  etc. Well this is were GRIDFAILURE lives. This at times is musique Konkret in the way it's presented. The vocals are in the distance as a terrifying reminded that mental illness may not be a curse but the gift to keep underground and away from the masses of sheep that will very well bring the end of days..  The minimal power, darkness and spine tingling feeling this give me can not wait for more to come from this project. 

http://www.thecompoundrecs.com/

Ultha- Pain Cleanses every doubt- CD/ Digital ( Translation Loss)

Avant/ Ambient Post Black metal this what we have here I'm not going to be long winded here and just say that if you like bands like  Xasthur , Burzum, Wolves in the throne room, Stilla, Alda and An autumn for crippled children then you have all the feedback for what you need to own and love this album. This is an album or beauty and torment all at the same time and it's what you need to have an album like Ultha come out and be remembered for years to come. Stellar work and I know we will hear more.

http://www.translationloss.com/

Shed the Skin- Harrowing Faith- CD/ Digital ( Hells Headbangers)

The intro is a very gothic ambient horror moment and plays very well into a classic Death metal sound with the next track takes us this is 90's Shredding Death metal you know what I'm going  to say before I even say it they mix Doom. Grind, Punk, Thrash and Melody into something that just as face ripping as the cover itself. You know this band has a love of Hardcore and Punk as well as Metal for the last 30 plus years you can hear it in the riffs, arrangements and just that Incantation meets Bolt Thrower meets At the Gates vibe that is endlessly being presented to us the listener. If you like the more catchy side of Death metal on labels like  Displeased, Listenable, Nuke Blast, Relapse and Earache in the 90's this is going to hook you in and never let you go. Horn's high on this beast!!!!!

http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/

Sun of Gaia- Corrode-CD/ Digital ( Self Released)

 Full on Prog, Tech Death metal that gives me a very Gorguts and Atheist  feel then around the corner comes the Septic Flesh and Devin Townsend elements as well. The love to mix the electronics with the metal and make it as symphonic and epic at times too. Sun of Gaia is really amazing in scope and presentation. It's more then simple to hear form each track they love death metal. I even hear elements of bands like Novembers doom and Paradise Lost in the over all presentation of the music meaning there is a dark doomy over tone from this band from the land down under.  Corride is impressive to say the least. They love Celtic Frost as well but that really does tie into all the other elements I've been speaking about too. Sun of Gaia is really parts of many layers and styles throught out extreme metal history check them out

https://sunofgaia.bandcamp.com/releases

Vex - Sky Exile- CD/ Digital ( Eihwaz )

Avant Prog Death metal seems to be a direction many of the more creative extreme metal forces are heading today as they have grown up listening to Doom. Death and Black metal as well as full of Prog bands and have a love for Industrial and electronic elements too and Vex is very clearly a fan of  Prog Metal, Death metal and Post Rock as I can hear elements of In flames, Russian Circles, Dan Swano, Opeth and even bands like  Emperor in what is going on here. Vex is over the top in the best of ways and as extreme music fans you know what I'm saying there are even Borknagar, Katatonia and St Vitus elements going on withing Vex. So much talent for a band that is so early on the road to making amazing music.  I'm hooked on this album and have just listened to it 3 times to make sure I'm not missing something. " Sky Exile " one of those albums that will hold on to you listen after listen as you hear more and new elements .

http://eihwazrecordings.com/

Throane- Derriere Nous La Lumiere- CD/ Digital ( D.M.P)

It's one of those bands damn it .. The ones that mix  Post Black Doom, Industrial music and Spacial elements into something that sounds like nightmares that have come from the 8th Dimension and one thousand years in the future. Were they are here for very very sinister things and will not be leaving until the world is turned into a dry husk of it's former self. Throane are the army that attacks at the night so you can not see it coming and once they are here you accept them as your new overlords or die as they cleanse all around them from what they do not see as fit to live. I know I'm going way over board on this but listen to the album and tell me you don't get the same feeling..

http://www.debemur-morti.com/

Light of the morning star- Cemetry glow- CD/ Digital ( Iron Bonehead )

Damn I was not ready for a death rock album in the same way bands like Sisters of Mercy, Tiamat, Bauhaus and David Galas have been presenting us for years.  If you like this style of music then run to your local music location and buy or download this album of sorrow, morbid feeling and tones and let the sorrow and heavy tones take you back to when Gothic rock and metal was something people did not speak about to and you went to places like the Limelight in NYC to get you fix of.  Damn I honestly was not ready for this to be such a doomy Death rock records and I'm so very pleased I got to hear this project.

http://www.ironbonehead.de/

Invehertex- Hacia el Vortice- CD/ Digital ( Signal Rex) 

Over 75 minutes of  Dark ambient soundscape and ethereal post black metal that comes from raw and noisy to a avant coldwave style. Invehertex are one of those bands that will scare the shit out of most that listen to it as it's a band that is not conventional in anyway and are very ritualistic and occult in the way they created this about. The masses will think this is going to take their very soul to the darkest places in the abyss and they will never return for the 5% of us that know better the band is just very good at creating an atmosphere that is mind altering and down right horrifying to say the least. Signal Rex have being offering up some insanity in the black and noise world over the last several releases . This is really a label to watch and see as they have something that could take them to the next level like Season of Mist and Code666 did.

http://signalrex.com/

Muscle & Marrow- Love- CD/ Digital ( The Flenser )

Wow were in the blue hell did Muscle & Marrow come from and how come it took to the 2nd release for me to hear them . Thank you The Flenser for giving me this gem. It's  electronic, trip hop, Dark Rock, Post rock .. It has post hardcore and prog rock element all in something that is beautiful haunting and just amazing..  I hear Chelsea Wolfe, Julie Christmas, Jarboe mix with 3rd and the Mortal , Portishead, Lush, Ulver, Dead can Dance etc. This album is blowing me away . I can hear PJ Harvey and Folk music, Celtic elements. Ok you know what this album just Coldwave, Darkwave, Post everything. It's happened very few times where an album makes me speechless and Muscle & Marrow have just done that. I'm going to end this review cycle with this album as I'm just drained and want to listen to this over and over and over again. Stunning and Majestic album .. This maybe the album of 2016 for me....

http://theflenser.com/