Few new reviews for a Sunday in April .. Just say thank you ...

Ziggurat (Israel) -Ritual Miasma- CD/Digital  ( Blood Harvest )

Black/ Death  comes in several  different waves of sounds and ideals  wioth  Ziggurat we have a very dark war like and brutal side of this style .  We have more of a Bolt Thrower, Panzerchrist, Marduk anf Gorgoroth side of the spectrum and it really is impressive as more an more talented bands are coming out of Israel in extreme metal music . It's amazing to hear the element each band has taken to make it's own. There is a desolate melodic side to all of  what  Ziggurat does as as well. At times I even hear moments of bands like  Old Man Child and Septic Flesh as it works so well. This is no an epic or symphonic journey. There are very barbaric and nightmarish feeling coming for this but the massive sound of the album always does bring me to Dissection and Incantation in the way it  given to us.  Not much more to say other then check it out and see what your thoughts are .

http://www.bloodharvest.se/ 

Mammoth weed wizard bastard/ Slomatics -Totems- Cd/ digital (Black bow )

There are time were bands on a split are very different and then we have this journey of two bands on the same  Sludgy, Drifting  Post Doom forces trying to make  Sludge, Post Metal and Doom into a religion.  These two band are just simply amazing . Mammoth weed have more of a video game and 70's electronic tripping balls  feel to them over all but fuck are they heavy and good . The female vocals are just down right haunting in the way they come across  this  Babes in Toyland meets Made out of Babies  and you have an idea.  This band would have been on Hydra Head, Southern Lord or Rise Above  for sure if it came out 5-10 yrs ago. Slomatics has more of the darker spacial and oppressive  Sludge/ Post Metal vibe going on both these band have that bottom end you want for this kind of music . Black Bow has another winning release for sure.

http://www.blackbowrecords.com/

 Ulvesang-The Hunt- CD/Digital /LP (Nordvis)

There are words that come to mind when a bands album starts always  and with  Ulvesang  these are as following  Pagan, Black , Folk Metal . Lets see how far off the track I am as we listen to  " The Hunt" . There are some  Experimental Heathen elements as well but the  vocals , musical tone and acoustic guitars are really setting the tone for this album cover as well . So far after two track is more  folk, Pagan and heathen elements with a metallic over tone that just seems to work . I get heavy Prog rock elements going on as well . Its like if  Anathema, Agalloch, Ariel Ruin and Folk rock all got together to make something  very different and special . Again Very impressive and Majestic in a dark and mysterious way. I will say Nordvis very much has the spirit of  Nature , Forest Folk and  Magic in a release like this very impressive to say the least.  I will end by saying if Black metal was acoustic it would be Ulvesang. Nice work indeed.

http://nordvis.com/