Black Boned Angel "Verdun"

Ok, you asked for it. One of my favorite Black Boned Angel albums, 2009's "Verdun" featuring nothing else but a track called "Prayer Sodden Holes - Tears Strike the Mile High Gong - Creeping Barrage", and yes... it is as long as the title. These guys are the best doing what they do best, never-ending droning riffs. Expect nothing but riff. Heavy po)))unding merciless and punishing riff. God, i love this. Enjoy.

the po)))wer o)))f the riff

Elm "Nemcatacoa"

This is what I'm in the mood for today, it's sunday night, it was a very windy day, the sky was all day filled with dark grey clouds. And this is just what i needed to clear up my mind from all of my worries. Elm is Jon Porras (from Barn Owl) solo creation. His music retains the megasonics of Barn Owl, but finds his tutelage deep in the heart of the desert. "Nemcatacoa" is a lonesome, epic journey. Named after one of the deities of his Colombian heritage, his latest full-length (and first large-scale solo release) feels huge and endless. Walls of guitars shatter beneath the weight of the booming percussion blasts that find their way from the caves into the light. An acoustic guitar is mournfully plucked, the beginning of a procession of the dead. "Nemcatacoa" is an album begging for somebody, anybody to find and embrace. Even though this album is dark and at times bleak, it never overpowers. Traversing similar aural planes as Sunn O))) and Earth, Porras is staking a claim all his own. As his voice wails over blankets of guitars, he never loses sight of the golden life ahead. It’s dark, it’s epic, it’s a full-fledged metallic drone masterpiece. Not sure if it's still available here, better email these guys before ordering.

listen | sopor somnus

Svarte Greiner "Kappe"

It's been a while since i've posted some ambient, droning stuff. I guess it comes often, depending of my state of mind. In need of this "numbness" into my mind, i recently picked up Svarte Greiner's "Kappe". Svarte Greiner is a dark ambient project by Erik K Skodvin (full name, Erik Knive Skodvin), half of the Norwegian duo Deaf Center, formed in 2005 in Oslo.

At a first impression you might wonder what does it sound like. I can tell you it sounds exactly like it looks, just look at the artwork. The whole environmental palette on this album is just dark, dark, dark. "Kappe" is not an easy album for the common easy listener. But if you dare to look deeper into this sonic abyss, go ahead, continue reading.

the set is opened with "Tunnel Of Love", a blurry swell of dense tones and funereal howling before eventually throwing in a metallic clamour that cuts through the murk in a brilliantly discordant fashion. Disfigured guitars hum and fray in the background, but it's not until "Where Am I?" that more substantial drone developments take hold. The piece evolves from a sequence of glacial tones that eventually dissipate into the background, transformed into what might pass for demonic whalesong emanating from a misty fjord. Next comes the intriguingly titled "Candle Light Dinner Actress", the longest of the four pieces here and easily the most astonishing, hovering weightlessly over sixteen minutes of strained harmonics and searing overtones that will leave you gasping for breath. As is often the case with Svarte Greiner releases, it's not always easy to tell what instruments and sound sources are being tapped for these unearthly noises, but there's surely some deconstructed electric guitar in there somewhere and some heavily cloaked saxophone tones. Wrapping up the album, "Last Light" makes for a fittingly elegiac closing piece, populated by thick, noxious vapours, disembodied found sounds and strings bowed so coarsely and heavily that they begin to take on a knotted, thorny quality. There's a real air of restraint about "Kappe", and it's an album loaded with dark energy, always poised ambiguously between outright aural punishment and an impenetrably black chasm. A masterclass in organic, artful gloom, "Kappe" comes with the highest possible recommendation. You can buy this here.

listen | gloomy thursday

Wyqm "Wyqm"

Wyqm is a mysterious one man project Black Metal band certainly inspired by some of the best USBM acts like Bone Awl, Xasthur, Leviathan, and probably many others. This was his first debut, presenting 6 songs in 35 minutes of hatred, blasphemy, agony and aggression. Total dark and gloomy Black Metal is what you'll hear in this piece. You can grab this on wax here.

listen | the black horse of death

VA "Primitive North America"

Now here's a kvlt-as-fuck mixtape. "Primitive North America" is a homage to "Primitive Finland" and it features some of the most horrible and unlistenable Black/Punk/Noise/Metal from the U.S. You get Bone Awl, Grinning Death’s Head, Arts, Horrid Cross, Ash Pool and many more... i just put this up here because there's a band called Haxan. All the songs have been ripped from cassettes, so if you don't know the relation between a cassette and a Bic pen, fvck you.

"omg... it's so kvlt!!"

Shadow Of The Torturer "Marching Into Chaos"

Formed by ex-Aldebaran front-man Mike Brown, the 33 minutes of chaotic sludge on "Marching into Chaos" is some of the heaviest, most bleakest doom ever made. This is a fine example of how every fucking sludge/doom should be made. The sound is thick and they have some of the most truly frightening dual vocals ever recorded. Fans of Hooded Menace will dig the horror filled growling. Is it possible to be catchy when you are playing so slowly, well Shadow Of The Torturer are very catchy that but maybe that is just my warped mind playing tricks on me but i find this album to be infectious in a sick kind of way. I also love to death that artwork, so fucking awesome. It was made by the great Glyn Smyth at Scrawled Design. It's been almost three years since this was released and there isn't a shadow of a new album on the horizon, yet. I pray to the mighty Horned One that new material comes soon from these guys. At least something good for this year that started in such a lousy way. Nevertheless, this is must hear, a must download, do whatever you can, but you have to check out this one. You can buy this awesome record here.

listen | die

Sleepwalker "Demos"

Sleepwalker is the side project from Mike, the drummer of Fell Voices. It has released two Demos so far, one in 2009 and another one in 2010. The sound that Sleepwalker presents us is a misty and murky post rock influenced BM, with repetitive and hypnotic riffs that leads us into some sort of trance. The production is as raw as you can get. This is good material though. These guys are playing now on the Gilead Media Festival, so if you're near it, check out Sleepwalker live in one of its rare live appearances.

listen | shady sounds

El Ego

El Ego are a metal band from right next door, Spain. I refuse to use the tag "Melodic Death Metal" because i really hate this label... C'mon, "Melodic" and "Death Metal"?? What's so melodic about Death Metal? Moving on.. This is their debut album from 2009 called "Winds Of Glory". In my opinion it is quite a good release, even better than their latest "We've Been Dead Before" released this year. One of the things i like in this album is the sound, it's really good. I love the guitar tones and drumming. The production is also quite good. You will surely notice on their sound some influences from bands as At The Gates, Disfear and also The Great Deceiver. The instrumentals are also remarkable in this underrated release. "Winds Of Glory" is one of those albums i have in my iPod that when i stumble upon, i can't stop listening to it until the end. "Winds Of Glory is a shot of pure adrenalin, you just can't stop headbangin'.. trust me.

myspace | whirlwind of brutality

HKY

HKY is a french atmospheric sludge band formed by members from other unknown bands such as Immemorial, Warsawwarsaw, Every Reason To… and Altess, what they play is a really loud and heavy atmosphere that reminds me of bands like Rorcal, Switchblade, Monarch or even the older stuff from Isis. I really super recommend these dudes, if you are looking for some really loud riffs and beats mounted in a post-metal atmosphere. 4 tracks, more than 7 minutes each song, a really big trip you have to check out. Fans of bands mentioned above, get this now. Buy here.

myspace | heavier than a baguette

Manatees

Manatees, a three piece from the UK that have been around since 2005. I remember listening to their first release, and i know that it didn't stuck at the time.. maybe due to the diverse offer of sludgecore bands at the time. "Just another band trying to leave its mark in the sludge swamp" i thought. Well, with this release "Icarus, The Sunclimber" the band really struck that sludge pond like a fuckin' rock. The band's sound? Think more of the mighty Melvins gritty sound, the filthiness of Eyehategod and add to that the totemic scene figureheads of the Neur/Isis axis. These guys have been silent for years now, i keep on hanging to the idea of something new to come out... one day eventually. Manatees made this release to be surely haunting and something surreally primeval. They definitely found their place in the sludge pond. Laced with feedback and noise, "Icarus, The Sunclimber" is far darker and bleaker than their previous release. On "Icarus, The Sunclimber", Manatees perfectly display their ability to mix crushing heaviness with sublime introspective ambience.A fabulous record. Buy it here. Highly Recommended.

myspace | the filthy wings of Icarus

Crawl Back In

In the city of Malmö in the south of Sweden in the summer of 2007, the five members of Crawl Back In gathered in a tiny stuffy practice room for the first time. Intent on making a beautiful distorted racket, practices began in earnest. Ideas flowed and songs were written and as time as marched on, said ideas flourished and Crawl Back In realised the true sound that they were meant to create. Something monstrous and beautiful at the same time, while not sludge or hardcore or metal, but an amalgamation of all three while retaining the Crawl Back In sound. Guitars build giant glacial riffs which both squash the breath in your lungs and still have delicate melody interwoven, these are pushed along by a throbbing bass which rumbles and threatens to suffocate all in its path, the drums pound along with equal ferocity, not unlike a suckerpunch to the breadbasket. All the while the vocals rant and rage sermons of a poetic, depressive nature.

myspace | there's definitely something in the woods..

Aethyrvorous

Aethyrvorous was an Australian death metal band, and that is halfway for you to press the download link, but their punishing demo, that felt like it was dropped from the sky (or hell), for it bears little resemblance to what we've slowly grown accustomed to hearing from Australia. This is partly what made this band so refreshing. They stand out thanks to their complete immersion into the occult. Surely they are not the first band to creep through such dark corners, but the degree to which they have absorbed the arcane into their music and image is striking. The tape alone looks like a small mural of glyphs and sigils rather than a cover. An impressive tape indeed, one that any collector should feel proud to own. I'm note sure if there is any copies left for sale but if you're really interested contact these guys here or here.

blaspheme ritvals in Oceania

Jackal-Headed Guard of The Dead

From the darkest nightmare realms of Edinburgh come the dreaded Jackal-Headed Guard of the Dead. Nameless horrors of lurid abomination doth lurk within the instrumental doom played by these three accursed practicioners of subsonic malevolence. I discovered this Lovecraftian sludge/doom inspired trio thru an interview i read from my good friends Of Spire & Throne. Loud and slow. Check them out.

bandcamp | unleash the hounds of hell

Impetuous Ritual

Damn.. today was a shity day. Lot of work, tight deadlines, stress, bad weather, and more stress. I'm fuckin' tired, and been dreaming of bed since i left it about 7h30 am... shit. To end this lousy day and throw it behind my back nothing better than some Impetuous Ritual. "Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence" is one bestial album, what else could we expect from some of the twisted minds that also run Portal? How does it sound? Well just look at the cover. Imagine you're there. Conjuring the true essence of death metal, through surreal, submerged riffs, a pounding rhythm section, and deep, subterranean growls, "Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence" is just the perfect way i can find right now to end this stupid day. About time these freaks launch something new by the way.. i love this album. I'm tired.. sleep now. Have a nice weekend.

myspace | welcome to the chapel of self inflicted disembowelment 

Ocean Chief

Ocean Chief is a Doom band from Sweden and this album, "Den Förste" was one of the best things i heard back in 2009. Holding only 3 songs it delivers half hour of thick, stoned, dragged doom. At a first audition it might not hook you immediately, but i'm sure it will just take three or less auditions for you to realize "Den Förste" is a very good album. You can buy it here.

myspace | doom vikings in the sky

Habsyll

This is the debut full length from French ultra-mega-abstract-doom trio Habsyll, "MMVIII". Heavy and slow, yeah obviously, but it's HOW heavy (very) and HOW slow (ummm, so slow the songs seem to have almost zero forward momentum) that makes Habsyll something much more than a metal band or a doom band, if you're thinking Khanate, Monarch, Moss, Bunkur, Fleshpress, you're already thinking too fast, too structured, too riffy. This is some excessive extremist radical dooooooooom, the sort of chug and plod and buzz and bombinate that makes the rest of those bands sound like speed metal.

"MMVIII" brings two lengthy epics, 17 minutes and nearly 29 minutes, neither very traditionally doomlike, but both most definitely doom, maybe more "doom", than most actual doom we've heard. Like staring into the abyss, or looking up at a black moonless night sky, these sounds are the sounds of emptiness, of bottomless depths, of never ending expanses of space and time, the end of the world, the birth of new universes, the sound of black holes, of exploding stars, the soundtrack to the end of the world, to the end of everything. Slow and heavy and low and spaced out and damaged and fucked up and strangely beautiful and mysterious and abstract and far out and completely kick ass while remaining very very very difficult listening indeed. Recommended for hardcore doomsters only.

myspace | doooo-o-o-o-mm-m-m...m..

Struck By Lightning

Ohio's Struck by Lightning has gotten off to a rather impressive start. Their debut record, "Serpents", is far more focused and fine-tuned than many debuts, a fact that might be attributed to Gregory Lahm's leading presence (Lahm's previous claim to fame was being a part of Mouth of the Architect's "The Ties That Blind" era line-up), Struck by Lightning's debut record, "Serpents", offers up a terrific blend equal doses of sludgy grit, intelligent riffage, and some crust punk fervor. If the band takes this formula and works in a little more experimentation in the world of bigger grooves, they might just be capable of producing a record that meets or exceeds the high bar set by their slew of main influences. Great stuff.

myspace | eat lightning, shit thunder

Battlefields

Ever since the release of "Stained With the Blood of an Empire" back in 2007, i was hooked on this band, Battlefields. Their music is just awesome... heavy sludge and doom with great post rock atmospheres, and the constant duel of voices, just made my jaw drop to the floor. Today i bring you their 2009 album "Thresholds Of Imbalance", while the new "Agassiz" EP is still in the oven. This album was a bit controversial, some fans loved it (me included) others didn't. Maybe they got bored with the which exaggeratedly long interludes. But that's why this band makes a difference. This is the essence of Battlefields.

The first song "Disacknowledge" is a perfect example of the dynamics the band introduces, starting at first extremely quietly, and building to a point of sludge like distortion. It then shifts between heavy and light for almost twelve minutes. Oh yes, the songs are long and slow at points, which makes this album a difficult listen, but the question in a genre such as this isn't necessarily how well the band does the build up, but how well they take over with the climax and bring the song to a new level, how they change these sounds into music and not simply filler. Image a bright sunny day and then suddenly dark clouds appear out of nowhere, thunders and lightnings rages upon us, the Earth is swallowed by a colossal flood, and then, as fast as it came, the storm is gone and the Sun shines again.. that's what Battlefields sound like. 

myspace | quake and flood

Gog

I love ambient, experimental music, and I especially love drone sounding stuff like Sunn O))) . But Gog has its own unique sound and is in some ways more enjoyable for me because of the variance in song structures. This album, "Mist From The Random More", is an unbelievable experience and journey into the darkness. It's great to put on and get lost in, or to put it on in the background and transform whatever else you may be doing at the time. That's the great part about this music - you don't have to give it your full attention to enjoy it, but you will be rewarded if you do. This album is not easy listening: lots of squealing feedback and deliciously crunchy doom riffs. But if you put forth some effort, you will emerge from the other side of this blown away.

Droooooooonnneeee

Grave Miasma

Another awesome death metal band that i love a lot, are Grave Miasma. Formerly known as Goat Molestor (i really prefer the actual name by the way), the band plays some "Real Death Metal", by saying it's "Real Death Metal", I mean Death Metal that is truly evil and morbid sounding, Death Metal that adheres to the raw, vile groundwork laid down by the genre’s originators, none of that studio-slick bullshit. Just the way i like it, raw, morbid and heavy.. and just look at the bands logo, love it. This EP "Exalted Emanation" is one of the most horrific releases of Death Metal’s new breed, a breed from which Grave Miasma just might emerge as the apex predator. Although the band themselves might refer to this as an ep, I call it a damn near perfect death metal album. If you’re looking for some morbid, forbidding Death Metal that completely crushes the competition and makes the the big label death metal bands seem like nothing more than a bad joke, look no further. This is the real deal.

myspace | conjugated desecration of the obliterated miasma