Haxan's Halloween Mixtape

Hey there boys and ghouls... couldn't find another cheesy way to start this post, so, nothing better than a cliché sentence. So, this is a compilation i made for Halloween, although it's not part of our european/portuguese culture, every year its getting more and more and more rooted in our society. There's pumpkins everywhere! So i compiled some horror/gore/satanic/blá blá blá inspired themes for you to listen while going trick or treatin'... enjoy.

Mommy, can we go out and kill tonight??

Thrall

"Vermin to the Earth" is the brand new full-length by Tasmanian Demon who answers by the name of Thrall. Last year's Thrall debut "Away from the Haunts of Men" was quite a welcome and a quite good essay of sorrow and darkness. "Vermin to the Earth" looks remarkably similar to its predecessor, so there is no shock that the band are treading familiar territory, striving only for an aesthetic consistency. "Vermin to the Earth" returns to the formula of faster, blasted passages and slower, rocking rhythms redolent of influences like Darkthrone, Burzum and Bathory, but this is all wrought in a clean, shadowy package that feels constantly like a sun setting across a barren desert. About half the tracks feel functional but average, with firm textures of desolation but no real standout riffs; whereas the other half have something more to offer. "Oblivion" is a good example of one of the album's more potent pieces, with slowly churning black/rock rhythms slathered in echoing rasps, but a few jarring twists to the guitar that keep the listener on the edge of his/her seat. In fact, the later half of the album seems to focus more on slower music adorned in crisp, ringing guitars, but measured blast beats are often thrown in to prevent a gray monotony from setting in. "Vermin to the Earth" progresses with subdued force and focuses much more on conjuring atmosphere and emotive response... Thrall are proof that the orthodox canon of Black Metal is very much alive.

myspace | black to the core

Ahh... nothing like some trve cold Norwegian Black Metal. "Ved Graven" is the new album by Norwegian Black Metal act Throne Of Katarsis. Once a "demonic duo", the band is now a vicious quartet. According to a press release, the album title "Ved Graven" can be translated to "At the Grave", and is by far the darkest material written by the band to this date.  Cold, raw, and with the bizarre aura of an everlasting funeral, Throne Of Katarsis delivers their requiem in honor of the final darkness. During three long nights the seven rites of this album was recorded. The séance was done in darkness and with poisoned minds, and with a dedication closer to a possession rather than anything else. All instruments and vocal were recorded live in the studio, in order to capture the aura the band creates during their convocations. A couple of guitar leads were added to the mix, and also church organ — recorded at nighttime at a local church during a highly blasphemic ceremony. Holy shit... now that's trve Black Metal spirit. Highly recommended!

myspace | buy it here


Note:
it seems that this one bit the dust.. sorry guys search for it somewhere else if you wanna preview it or buy it, its really worth it, trust me.

Funerus

8 years. It took 8 years for this corpse to decompose. McEntee and his crew are back on the attack with "Reduced to Sludge". With a shift in duties within the band and a change in line up, fans of the band now see ex-Incantation frontman and mastermind John McEntee joining his wife Jill on vocals, on top of his guitar duties. There is also the inclusion of Sam on drums, completing the current line up of Funerus. The experience and the connection between the band members is immediately felt right from the opening track, "Behind the Door", seeing the band slowly build up the climax before unleashing it all upon the listener relentlessly. Unlike the dark and suffocating atmosphere that Incantation is known for, what Funerus presents to listener is a somewhat heavier version of death metal in the veins of bands such as Netherland's Hail of Bullets, it also comes to my mind Bolt Thrower, and even in some parts, Obituary. The vocal styles of John is a far cry from what he presents to fans familiar with his work in Incantation, leaning more towards a low-pitched howl, reminiscent of Hail of Bullets' Martin Van Drunen. Even the riffing and drumming remind the listener somewhat of the aforementioned band, with the tone of the individual instruments and the at-times intentional sloppy drumming of Sam.

There is also a certain sense of urgency and intensity involved in the execution of the songs, and the band makes use of the heavy hitting on the drums and the highly distorted guitars to create an impact so great that it makes it almost hard to breathe. There is however, a noted lack of guitar solos on the album, with the focus being on the riffs and the drumming, but no complaints here as the listener fails to take the notice of the absence of such moments with the amount of activity going on throughout. The band also constantly alternates between fast, furious moments and slower, intense moments, as evident on tracks like the title track "Reduced to Sludge". The short run times of the songs mean that the band only has a limited amount of time to leave an impact and an impression, and suffice to say, they have more than met the mark.

The music on "Reduced to Sludge" are as dirty and filthy as one can get in old school death metal, and listening to the album, it definitely proves that the 8 years since 2003's "Festering Earth" was well-worth the wait. As the album title promises, the aural lambasting provided by this trio shows them doing what they do best, and will certainly reduce the listener to nothing more but sludge.

myspace | nothing but human slime

Dominus Xul

Back in 1998, there was a little Chilean band releasing an album called “The Primigeni Xul (I Condemned My Enemies)” which turned out to be a real gem for early Incantation, Immolation worshippers, unfortunately the band’s line-up disintegrated shortly after the death of Danny Grave and most of the members went on to form another band called Melektaus. Now, it’s 2011 and despite substantial line-up changes, the quintet still delivers and the Chilean Death Metal act has risen again! Back from the dead, they bring this awesome "To the Glory of the Ancient Ones". Focussing on mid-paced, heavily Morbid Angel inspired tracks that consume you like a crawling, ancient stream of black matter, and mixing it with fast catchy attacks while retaining an ominous, unholy atmosphere, "To the Glory of the Ancient Ones" works just fine for me. Dominus Xul might not overwhelm us with inventiveness yet entertain us perfectly by staying true to the confines of their own style. It might take you two or more some auditions to this album, but I'm sure it will grow on you as it did for me.

myspace | back from the dead, the ancients have risen

Innumerable Forms

Innumerable Forms is an excellent new death metal outfit from Boston, Massachusetts. Led by multi instrumentalist Justin Detore, i think that this guy just got bored of all of that hardcore/powerviolence/punk stuff he was doing (please, i love Mind Eraser) and decided to create some of the dirtiest, darkest and raw sounding Old School Death Metal to come out of the American scene in quite some time. His first contribution to the metal scene is "Dark Worship", a pulverizing three track expedition into the fiery depths of Christ’s least favorite place. Hell. The sound of Innumerable Forms is decidedly old school in flavor, mixing Swedish and Floridian brutality into a quaint little ten minute EP for all those Incantation/Grave fans out there. The music is generally catchy while always aggressive.. The production isn’t the rawest that I’ve heard but still emits that old school vibe to it. Songwriting is balanced and musicianship is superb. No pretense, no overbearing snare hits, no breakdowns and no auto tuned clean choruses will be found here. If you love dark, atmospheric death metal in the vein of Incantation, Portal and Autopsy then you should love this .

myspace | contaminated illusory life

Corpsessed

And now for one of the most brutal, heavy as fuck and personally favorite Death Metal releases of this year: Corpsessed's "The Dagger & The Chalice". If you search for the definition of the meaning "Death Metal", right in front of it it would be this bands logo.

In this debut EP, "The Dagger & The Chalice", we have a 6 song EP that has 23 or so minutes of pure death metal mayhem. The atmosphere is very dark and dismal. It reeks of the cemetery, of dried out bones, the stink of mud and moldy everything! These guys know their shit, it goes fast and then slows down for some crunching and crushing heaviness like no one. "The Dagger & The Chalice" simply amazing, beginning with the artwork made by the master Alex Brown. The production on this fucker is dark, evil and leaves a dismal feeling over everything, sound wise. One of the best things that came out this year. I expect big things from Corpsessed in the future. Recommended of course!!

myspace | massgrave cult of the worm

Filtheater

New EP entitled "Tenebrae", that offers you four tracks of some of the most putrid Death Metal around. Released on tape, it has that dirty production that gives an even more brutal character to the music. We can hear some influences of Incantation, Nuclear Death or Necrovore and of course.. Autopsy. So if you dig old, dirty, brutal, smell of rotten corpses, maggot soup and stuff like that, get into this.

myspace | maggots feast on thy flesh

Poisonous

"Perdition's Den"is the debut album of brazilian Death Metal band Poisonous. Arisen from the ashes of Impetuous Rage, these Brazilian metalheads have crafted a fantastic debut album of pure evil and profane Death Metal that will drag the listener into depths of depravation, opening the gates of perdition. Get into it!

myspace | under the mark of the beast

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..

Owl

Owl is the latest project to emerge from the ever-productive and continually brilliant German label (and family of bands) Zeitgeister. This particular project is the brainchild of Christian Kolf (Island, Valborg,Woburn House), who handles everything but drums on this debut full-length. At its root, Owl is deeply organic and menacing death metal, an unholy union of The Dead’s bottom-feeding personality, Immolation’s most esoteric and hate-fueled riffage,The Chasm’s cavernous expanses and even Deathspell Omega’s dissonant, less blackened terrain. It all carries a bit of that familiar eeriness common in Kolf’s other projects, not to mention the most hellacious and demonic vocals the man has ever spewed forth.

The album kicks off with “Conquering the Kingdom of Rain (Enter Her Holy Halls),” a 13-minute death metal behemoth of churning riffs and subtle dynamics that manages to make its length pass by in no time flat.. and that is only the beginning of this dark journey In "Owl" expect long named songs and darkened crushing atmospheric Death Metal that truly give this album/band it's own personality.

lair | howls of insanity

Voids of Vomit

After two years, Voids of Vomit’s modern Death Metal masterpiece entitled “Veritas Vltima Vitae” is finally unleashed. Having clawed their way out of the catacombs of the Italian scene, Voids of Vomit play traditional Death Metal that touches the same nerves as classic bands from the early 1990’s. Voids of Vomit’s directive is clear: to convey the majestic omnipotence of death with the mute and morbid eloquence of the corpse. When Voids of Vomit recorded their first demo in 2006, the band easily situated itself in the top tier of bands within the modern Death Metal revival. Since then the Death Metal bandwagon has been filled to capacity with scores of bands ostensibly aiming for the same goal. However, where most of those bands fall far short of producing a genuinely noteworthy sound, Voids of Vomit succeed in summoning the most sickeningly macabre metal. While the band’s influences are readily apparent – Asphyx, Grave, Incantation, Miasma, etc. – the manner in which these influences merge within Voids of Vomit’s work is uniquely devastating. Voids of Vomit dig through cold earth to uncover the remains of mortal corpora long perished with the alcohol-sickened and hallucinatory mind of a decrepit digger of graves. Through dense, tumultuous song structures they conjure the odor, the imagery, the intense feel of pure morbidity. Voids of Vomit are notoriously reclusive and there is not likely to be another release by the band in the near future.

myspace | veni vidi vomit

Eldjudnir

Eldjudnir is a two-man black metal project conceived to be an outlet for the creative energies which may sometimes flow from a persons mind, heart and soul. The songs and music created in the name of Eldjudnir, will always be the result of these energies, nothing more.

Eldjudnir will never aim to please.

The name Eldjudnir is derived from norse mythology, wherein Eldjudnir is the name of the halls of Hel (goddess of the dead) in the underworld. "Ginnungagab" is the new release from this mysterious Danish Black Metal duo. Awesome release... the Gods will be pleased.

bandcamp | Gods of the North

Astral Rebirth

Astral Rebirth are a band from the grim and frostbitten land of... Mexico. Astral Rebirth play a very dark, raw but yet melodic form of atmospheric black metal, this is their Album/Demo "The Axis Of The Utter Black Ocean".

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in, while the synths, when they are used, they bring a primal dark ambient feel to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful. The rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast raw atmospheric black metal riffs that are also very dark sounding and have a small amount of melodic parts and there are little to no guitar solos or leads presented on the recording. You'll will also get a lot of screams on this one.. the vocals which are mixed down low in the mix are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls but the main setback on this recording is that the guitars over power the vocals, while the lyrics cover dark, esoteric and depressive themes, as for the production it has a very dark annd raw feel to it but it could of made the vocals sound more powerful unless that is what the band wanted.

In my opinion Astral Rebirth are a very good, dark and raw sounding atmospheric black metal band that shows alot of potential on this release, and if you are a fan of this sound you should check out this band immediately.

website | trve grim tortillas

Aosoth

I've been listening to these guys since their self titled 2008 album, thanks to Mr. Aaron Turner from the defunct Isis from one of those "what i'm hearing lately" lists.. nevermind that, the thing is since I found out about the French Black Metal scene i have really been impressed with it and this specific band. This third album, "III" was one that I certainly looked forward to hearing this year after being very impressed with their last effort. One reason I looked forward to hearing this record so much was due to a sense of curiosity as to what sound the band would pursue on this album.

I personally found this record to actually make use of more atmosphere than its predecessors did, it's more powerful and it's more mature. Despite the more chaotic approach the instrumentation takes on here, the atmosphere is incredibly dense and crushing. At times, this record really comes off sounding like something Deathspell Omega might try and do, but I really hear them coming out in a lot of bands, like the latest effort from the swedish Rite for example. Overall, I expected good things from this record, but this exceed them, instead of going off into one of the two realms they had previously done, this new one blends them together. Very few bands are able to make a record this chaotic so memorable. If you're into experimental black metal, or like bands that do a more chaotic style of it, you should do yourself a favor and check this out. 

myspace | 333

Acherontas

This is "Hermeticism" EP released this year by the Black Metal band Acherontas, their new album "Vamachara" is already floating around, but i still didn't found the time to hear it properly. This EP really caught my ears in just two or three auditions. It only features two tracks, "Side Draconian: Hermeticism" and "Side Sorcery: Meum Nomen Deus" but it really brings the haunting occult side of Acherontas, it's short but a very highly concentrated flask of pure evilness inside. I just hope that the new album sounds as good as this one. Meanwhile check out this fantastic EP.

myspace | a shot of pure evil

Nethervoid

Here is some cool BM band i ran into Bandcamp some weeks ago, Nethervoid with "In Swarms of Godless Wrath". Ferocious anti christian Black Metal very well played, with a very great production, from Carl Staff (who holds clients such as Grails, Harm's Way, Pygmy Lush, just to name a few). It's one of those albums that, the more you hear it, the more it crawls deeper in your skin. By the sound of it this band could easily come from Northern Europe, it has some really "old school" aura around them. Really worth checking this band out. 

bandcamp | kiss the goat

Wolvhammer

New Wolvhammer, "The Obsidian Plains". Throughout this album we see Wolvhammer weave effortlessly through the most conservative of black metal, grimy crust punk, traditional heavy metal, and even expansive, atmospheric doom metal, all while sounding cohesive and fresh and fearless, if not horrendously pissed off. Charging with the power of a demon-led fleet of panzers through forty-four minutes of some of the finest metal I've heard this year. Need to say more? Get it.

myspace | the wolves are howling

Decrepitaph

Elektrokutioner and Sinworm know their shit. Decrepitaph have been around for almost six years, have two previous full lengths as well as a TON of splits and EP's. I would assume that a two man band would be less prolific, but these guys must have some great chemistry. "Profane Doctrines Unburied" is their third full length, and right off the bat it gets credit for staying away from both of the strong trends that have developed in the new wave of old school death metal movement. Every second of this album is strictly old school, from the strictly non-blasting drumming to the ambiguously horrifying subject matter. If you're tired of endless Swedeath neophytes and Incantion plagiarists, but want to hear great new death metal, "Profane Doctrines Unburied" is for you. Hell, doesn't that ghoul of the cover reminds you something? Now that's old school...

myspace | tales from the crypt

Truppensturm

"Salute to the Iron Emperors" This is the second full-length album from german Black/Death metal band Truppensturm. The production on this album is ridiculously thick and heavy: the bass and drums are way in the bottom register, the guitars are down-tuned to hell, and even the vocals are a belch that barely breaks the surface. The whole album is practically a single wall of low-end. It reminds me a bit of Diocletian's "Doom Cult".

"Salute to the Iron Emperors" is so monolithic and crushing that it takes a few listens to fully sink down to riff-level, this record is chock full of headbang-inducing blasphemy-style riffs and relentless drum lines. The overall effect is a lot like being run over a steamroller for half an hour, though the band throws in a few samples, spoken-word sections, and slower parts to break the mood now and again. This record may be unrelenting, but nothing about it is unconsidered, and there's not an ounce of filler to be heard here; even the intro and outro are classic. One of the best DM albums that came out in 2010. Get into it

myspace | emperor of blasphemy

Asbestoscape

Another gem that was very well hidden, waiting for the first rain drops to fall in the lights of the night. Asbestoscape is a one-man project that offers dark, haunting, electronic post-rock instrumentals. Some might call it ambient, but it’s too guitar-driven. Some might call it trip hop, but it’s too ambient. Asbestoscape’s soulful, beautiful and melancholy blend of styles, is almost impossible to classify but If i had to so, i would describe it as apocalyptic post-rock. However, this album doesn’t totally conform to the conventions of the post rock genre, it has some really strong shoegaze and drone influences. It doesn’t meander off from the main melodic themes, or start quietly and build slowly. Instead, the approach here is to launch into a groove that digs deep into your psyche, then pile on subtle textures, working toward a cathartic climax. Asbestoscape offers the perfect soundtrack for wandering lost alone in the city at night..

listen | dark city lights

Aethyr

Little is known about the secretive duo named Aethyr, aside from the fact that Mr. D and Mr. W are aliasing names of well-known professional artists who live and work somewhere in between Russia and Western Europe. One of them is a gifted musician who plays in various music bands, and the other is an acclaimed graphic and visual designer. This specific Aethyr' release, "Ave A", reveals a different approach from the old releases and show us an ambition to create a punishing voyage of black and doom metal, dark ambient and harsh industrial elements. Get aboard.

bandcamp | sinister sounds

Unfold

After years of absence, Unfold is back with a gigantic new masterpiece named "Cosmogon".

Following his unique path of tortured dementia, the band delivers an ultimate 6 tracks of epic intensity, a burst of pure sludgy hardcore combined with perfect melodies and walls of massive aggression. If you are a fan of the genre I also strongly advise you to dive into their two first albums. "Pure" was already a fucking piece of art, rough, brutal, paroxysmal. But "Aeon/Aony" was the one which changed the game. Rich and heavy at a point that no one can even imagine. Unfold has reached the highest level of his art with this third full-length. Massive and hypnotic, this music does not forget to be melodic as well.

myspace | into the dark corners of the cosmos

True Widow

We've been blessed by St.Peter and finally water is falling from the sky...

And now i gotta review my iPod playlist, but one album for sure that is gonna roll a lot this Fall/Winter is (inhale): "As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth" from my beloved True Widow. After the awesome self-titled debut album, these stonegazing rockers just put the stake (inhale) as high as the highest heavens and from the center to the circumference of the earth. 

But in this specific release, True Widow's guitars are much louder and grittier, with a vast bone-crunching slab of murky distortion laid thick over the snail-paced grooves they settle into. They've even taken a stab at coining their own genre, "stonegaze," to describe this sound. Some of the songs like "Blooden Horse", "Skull Eyes"and "Doomseer" suggest material that is far darker than the first offer that the band brought us. Definitely one of the best albums this year and it will surely make it to the List. This is the "Deluxe Edition" release and includes not one, not two, but three(!!!) Bonus tracks.

myspace | i got high in the middle of the circumference

Kodiak + N

September has brought us the newest release by German doom/ambient band Kodiak, a collaboration with guitarist N entitled: "RN | XE". Kodiak emerged in 2008 with an impressive self-titled album showing the group’s ability to frame slow, grinding compositions with more subdued atmospheric guitar and percussion.

"RN | XE" is made up of two songs appropriately named “RN” and “XE.” The first track offers a lengthy intro involving droning guitars and eventually light percussion and bass. It sets the stage for the compositions, showing how the two guitars work as a unit while the bass and drums usually follow another pattern or feel. “RN” builds up extremely well, showing how the group’s sound can morph from calming ambiance to powerful dissonant peaks. When the group finally reacts to the anticipatory opening of the song, it’s a crushing awakening as all four members explode with a dark march toward the peak of the song. As “RN” ends, dissonance gives way to excellent effect-ridden guitar and bass work.

Kodiak and N really shine in the ambient passages of the album, showing an ability to create landscapes of sound beyond the ability of most other full bands playing drone and doom metal. The first half of “RN” is quite beautiful and a fitting progression into their despair-filled dirges later on. On both songs there are moments where certain notes seem to hang in the air for an eternity until the song continues on with a new part or instrument. That being said, this album is worth a listen if you have patience for long compositions or like ethereal, chilling atmospherics.

listen | formula of doom

Hedorah

Taking it's name from the aerial pollution god that faced off against Godzilla in the Japanese psychedelic kaiju classic Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Hedorah is an industrial noise/doom/drone project consisting of James Keeler (Wilt) and Dan Hall. This beast, made of blackened doom metal, delivers over sickening downtuned guitar riffs that seemed to drift in and out of phase, smears of filthy electronic noise, and crushing monotonous drum machine beats. Not one ray of light, nor ounce of melody is anywhere to be found. Just plodding, utterly hypnotic, nauseatingly crushing industrial doom. Recommended for fans of Nadja, Gnaw Their Tongues, Moss.

listen | banzai!

Special Review: Of Spire & Throne

"The Trial of Failure" is the new EP by the Scottish doomsters Of Spire & Throne, i wrote about these friends here long ago about their Demo. Well i must say that now they made me swallow what i said back then, not that i said something bad about them... they just needed more "sauce" (portuguese expression) to their sound.

"The Trial of Failure" begins with "Loss Ritual", as the first guitar feedback open way to the funeral march, conducted by drum and bass, we don't have to wait much until the first riffs collapse upon our ears, Ali's voice is really deep and grievous, sounds almost like death metal.. but don't get me wrong, this is doom in its most pure element. Slow, heavy and dirty sludge straight from Edinburgh's sewers. This is a long song, it almost passes the 10 minute mark. Next is "Steeped In Ruin", another colossal song, the instruments seem like are being dragged, i only can imagine this band live, it must sound three times heavier. Man, the riffs are so long that almost scratch the outskirts of Drone, on this song we witness some new elements, as the synthesizer that really gives another soul to the atmosphere. The end arrives with "Ruin", a instrumental song and a great way to end this EP, the whole atmosphere of this song is as dense as the fog that sometimes covers the city of Edinburgh, its a dark, grieving song. In general the production of "The Trial of Failure", is very good and deliver us a solid EP of the band, and i believe that the sound of OS&T is just getting more and more accurate, i just hope these guys don't stop, and keep bringing doom as it really should be. Now that we see it, there are few bands nowadays keeping, this kind of doom, flame burning, besides OS&T the only bands that comes to my mind right now are Atriarch and Aldebaran. So it's good that OS&T keep motivated and leave their mark on the scene. 

Thank you guys so much, specially Ali for sending me the EP for free! Although i even purchased it thru their Bancamp, so i hope you follow my example and support these guys, it's quite cheap. And they really are worth it. 

bandcamp

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

Coffinworm

Coffinworm are badass. A storm of pestilential, nihilistic blackened sludge. One of the best examples of those two vicious genres being combined. 

Coffinworm is a five piece metal band from Indiana and “When All Became None” is their first full length. Their sound could be described as the horrific procreation of Black metal and Sludge/Doom. They made an awesome Mixtape for Cvlt Nation sometime ago and it's mostly made up of Black, Death and Doom Metal. A bit like what the cursed offspring of Darkthrone and Eyehategod would grow up to be. They also have members of Black Arrows of Filth & Impurity, these guys know how to destroy. Signed to Profound Lore, the band definitely has massive potential. From the moment “Blood Born Doom” begins, the ears are terrorized with a huge swell of feedback. Before long things escalate into eerie arpeggios and crushing riffs. The shrieking vocals are devastating and there are some death growls thrown around too. One of the best that came out last year.

myspace | rotten flesh eating maggots for breakfast 

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

Momentum

Momentum is a London based hardcore crust punk band, that features members of underground successes Plague Mass, Light Bearer and Fall of Efrafa, playing driving, epic heavy and melodic DIY hardcore punk, both crushing and uplifting, ignoring sub-genres and getting back to the basics of why we love playing fast political music. Influenced by the words of Carl Sagan, and other luminary thinkers, the music forms around a set idea, that of our place in the universe, the hatred and anger and stupidity of a species of ape, on a small insignificant planet, but also our ability to look beyond these facile ideas and appreciate and begin to understand the awe of the universe. They have just finished recording this album “Whetting Occam’s Razor” wich features guest vocals from Greg Bennick (Trial) and the brothers Karlsson (Monachus) and the band is kind enough for giving away this album for free. The band is built around a strong D.I.Y ethic. Dealing with all is its record label and booking directly Momentum is bringing back a movement created in the 80′s. “Once you do everything for yourself: put out your own music, book your own shows and promote yourself that is true craftsmanship”.

“Whetting Occam’s Razor” will be available to download for free from the band. Vinyl and CD will be released through Alerta Antifacista Records. For fans of From Ashes Rise, Ghostlimb, Protestant. 

facebook | somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known

Bastard Of The Skies

Bastard Of The Skies first full length "Ichor! Ichor!" was another of those underrated albums of last year. Recorded and produced by the band themselves in their own studio and mastered by the prolific James Plotkin, the sound of "Ichor! Ichor!" is weighty and forceful, the glutinous crunch of the guitars and the pulsing bass pushed to the forefront, with occasional guitar flourishes that rise above the dense, deadly morass and pull the listeners ear in further, moments that either ring out sweetly or jar dischordantly. The vocals are a buried roar or occasional whisper, lurking beneath the scabrous surface and adding further bite to the scalding stew of sound, along with the propulsive clatter of the drums, but its the weighty heft of the guitars that drive Bastards Of The Skies’ mighty war-engine. This album is no disappointment at all. In fact i dare to say that it's a betentacled colossus of a monster. The kind that emerges from the depths of the ocean bedecked in seaweed, eats an entire air force, nibbles on the navy and then pisses off back to the depths with a belch of fire as fast as it came still crunching some human nuggets. A great record worthily to be checked out. 

myspace | is that a tentacle in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

The Abominable Iron Sloth

Just a quick bio: Originally named The Indomitable Iron Sloth, but changed to The Abominable Iron Sloth when the members of Will Haven heard Justin's material and joined. During AIS' downtime and financial recuperation from a rough tour of England, Will Haven regrouped, and Justin was joined by members of Vancouver sludge band El Cerdo and the name was changed back to The Indomitable Iron Sloth. Later the name was again changed to The Abominable Iron Sloth. Got it?

This album "The Id Will Overcome" was one the heaviest, dirtiest albums of 2010. The ultralow guitar tone, the crushing kicks, and the banshee-esque screams of The Sloth will make any listener craving for a cold shower by the time this album has finished. With a name like The Abominable Iron Sloth there’s little room for imagination when it comes to the style of music they play. In the genre of sludge and doom, you either love it or hate it and by the end of this album the listener most certainly love it. They really mean it in the opening song "I Destroy".

The approach that The Abominable Iron Sloth take to their music is both slow and purposeful; even their drummer is forced to play slowly due to a heart condition, which also prevents him from playing live. Truly not suitable for those with a fragile heart condition. No preview for this one, search on youtube, there's a couple of videos of the Sloth there. Get destroyed.

the sin of sloth

Coffin Dancer

This is almost a remembrance, Coffin Dancer's first EP, "Pax Romana". This is the reissue of the EP, so it contains one extra track, "The Roman Peace". "Pax Romana" splits into four acts, each one with their own historically-orientated sub-title. One of the tracks it's even called "Auto da Fé" that is in portuguese, and consisted, for those who don't know, in a public penance ritual used in the Inquisition. Read more about it here. The songs can pass us the feeling that they are slightly repetitive at times, but it keeps the mood going. The vocals are ferocious, and the music interesting. You'll probably have the feeling of "dejá-heard" on one or more riff of this EP,  feeling like it’s been recycled from other atmospheric sludge band. Even still, this EP is strong enough to grab your attention. For fans of the genre.

myspace | solemn procession of doom

Clandestine Blaze

Here is an album i've been revisiting for the past weeks, Clandestine Blaze's "Falling Monuments". This album isn't groundbreaking and isn't suppose to open new roads at all, but i really like the sound of it.. the sound, the vibe. Mikko Aspa's voice is really great. In its own way, "Falling Monuments" is very old school and pure. Recording quality aside (and it sounds quite good), this is what many seminal black metal second wavers were aspiring to; direct and no frills songwriting, fatless songs that are pure emotional upheaval. The moods here never change and the pace is recalcitrant, hammered ‘till its very last second. With "Falling Monuments", Clandestine Blaze underlines the core of black metal as it has been interpreted by it. Utmost focus on the core elements of riffs, melody, song structures and lyrics. Leaving out everything that is unnecessary in a stripped down simplicity of sound, music with more distorted, lethal and fierce sound. For those who are not familiar to CB, Haxan recommends you to listen to it.. NOW!

myspace | behold the cold monoliths of despair

Extinction Algorithm

Now that i truly believe that the cold is coming (it's almost middle of October and so far the temperature here has been like around 30º C / 86 °F) I'm getting more and more the thirst to listen Black Metal in it's proper environment..

Following the mood for atmospherical Black Metal, this is Extinction Algorithm, an independent one man band hailing from Romania. "My Forest Is Dead" is more than just a simple record, it is an artistic protest, regarding the dehumanization procees of the nowadays society. This is the alarm signal, born by the depression of the artist, regarding individuality’s extinction. The human soul is an endagered species but we can change it’s extinction algorithm. How? Remembering. That is the main purpose of this somehow unexplainable black metal rooted , dark cinematic anthem collection. Recommended for dreamers only.

soundcloud | the extinction of life

Ayr

Ayr is a black metal side project of Young and in the Way members Rick (guitar) and Randy (drums). These guys have been around for like two years but i've only discovered this recently.

The four tracks that make up this EP "Nothing Left To Give" bring us some great black metal atmospheres. The riffing has some kind of old-school vibe about it, it's cold, dark and aggressively tremolo picked for the most part, but catchy as well. In overall the sound of "Nothing Left To Give" is really, really good.. it's raw and once in a while there are some burst of feedback along this trip. While half the tracks on here are fairly straight forward and don't take too many detours, the shortest track, "Hallucination", remains the most somber and mellow track on here, despite featuring some well crafted tremolo picked melodies and closer "Expiration" features a much more epic and atmospheric sound. Overall, a solid album. They are streaming "Nothing Left To Give" at their bandcamp site now. Fans of atmospheric black metal will surely dig it. Get into it.

bandcamp | young and into black metal

Fuck The Facts

I was talking to a friend of mine about the new Fuck The Facts "Die Miserable" and then he told me about this.. this "Misery EP", and i: "What??? Another one??". So i decided do to some research and really found it. It seems that the "Misery EP" was recorded back in 2010 and consists of b-sides and some other stuff that didn't made the cut for "Die Miserable". And since i didn't see this floating around the blogosphere.. well here you go. And what's the deal about their artworks lately?? Holy shit... Fuck The Facts gentlemen and dame, I'm available for freelance.

bandcamp | fuck the miserable artwork

Band Request Spree

Ok, so next i'll post band requests i received some time, and after hearing what these guys had to offer i decided to post here on FRVRCRSD. Let the Band Request Spree begin!

The first band is Off To Ruin. They are a two-piece Hardcore/Post-Metal band from Aylmer, Quebec. Off to Ruin was created 3 years ago when they barely knew how to play their instruments. From that day, they would jam every weekend, almost in religious fashion. The self-titled EP was finally recorded when the guitarist decided that he would move to Montreal. The EP was recorded to keep a memory of what they've accomplished as musicians and to remind them of the growth of their friendship thanks to music. Isn't that sweet? The EP has four moments entitled: "Hopeless", "Worthless", "Emptiness" and "Restless", the production is good and will leave every dark and dirty hardcore fan pleased. You can get listen to the songs on the bands Bandcamp, and if you enjoy it, download it thru the mediafire link (something about Bandcamp download limit & shit). 

bandcamp | threatening skies

Next one coming up is Old Wounds (curiously the same name of an album of one of my favorite bands, Young Widows). These guys aren't new on the scene, i know them since the release of their "Sleeper" Demo/EP, and now they bring "Terror Eyes" with a more mature sound. It reminds me a lot of Cursed although the sound/production, is more polished. But still is a good release. If interested, you can buy this here. Check them out below.

 bandcamp | terror wounds

Ok, last round...

Final band here is Armada from Milwaukee. These guys bring some really pissed and raw hardcore punk, they have released "Premonitions" early this year, and with it expect 6 of the most venomous hardcore around. Buy them some stuff here. 

bandcamp | throw the cards

Blut

This is Blut's new album called "Grief and Incurable Pain", its the follow-up to their devastating 2010 release "Ritual and Ceremony" and if thought that album was sick, wait to you hear this. This is simply put, one of the most uncompromising albums released this year.. fuck, EVER! In fact it is so extreme in its absolute offensive malicious intent, I think it will be too disagreeable to the senses for most people to sit through without feeling somewhat nauseated by its sickening bleakness. This could easily be one of those releases from Woodsmoke (Elu Of The Nine, Hell, Münn). Trying to describe tracks with this much depth and atmosphere is almost impossible. A large chunk of this album is dedicated to drones and sheer nasty noise so if you lack patience for those kind of extremities, you might want to avoid this monster. What saves this album from being just pure noise and little else is the psychedelic, hypnotic vibe that really drags you into these sonic sound-scapes. Unlike most other drone acts that basically recycle SunnO))); Blut have truly got a sound and style all of their own. They may even be the most original drone act around at the moment. The music is a challenging listening experience that is ambient, abrasive, incredibly bleak but at the same time captivating in its sonic complexities. The sound is thick as mud for the most part and multi-layered. There is also not a lot in the way of real vocals in the traditional sense of the word; just a whole lot of insane tortured screaming that just adds to the overwhelming persistent blackness. If you want to buy actual albums they are available from Bubonic Productions and War Command Distribution, or contact directly the band, i believe they have a few cassettes and copies left. Recommend.

myspace | neverending grief