Celestiial

Celestiial are an unusual beast. Their latest release, "Where Life Springs Eternal", is a fascinating mix of heavy, droning funeral doom guitars, tortured vocals, and glacial percussion. Somehow they’ve managed to take the usually oppressive and choking tools of the funeral doom metal trade to evoke an almost soothing animistic atmosphere of forests and streams and mist on the air. It’s a strange and impressive achievement. It took me quite a few listens to get the point of this release. At first I felt the compositions were dry and unimaginative. The guitars are hazed in delay and fade which gives them a dreamy, airy feeling, very unusual for doom, but I thought that perhaps the music was just using this production tool as a gimmick to hide a limited creative vision. Likewise the many samples of water, wildlife, and forests. Celestiial embraces the inspiration flowing from his surroundings and injects them into an inspired and uniquely challenging/spiritual expression. This album features the talents of Tim Glen (percussion) and Jason Walton (bass) from Agalloch. "Where Life Springs Eternal" is a vibrant exploration of beauty from within and its reflection upon the waters streaming from the woodlands. Buy here or here.

there's something in the water

Kingdom

The smell of fire weighs on the stale air. The birds have fallen silent. A shiver runs through the naked skeletons of the trees. The dead river meanders aimlessly. As the sun darkens, the moon is bereft of its light. The land grows weary amidst the shadows grey, and hearts are relieved for they welcome darkness; they welcome our kingdom. Belgiumʼs Kingdom, featuring members of Amenra and Black Heart Rebellion have started serving masses with their debut full-album; separating themselves from false prophets. “Hemeltraan” is a slow, mature work of bleak drones, epic doom and fuzzy sludge in five movements, which slowly draws listeners into an unfolding landscape of broken imagery and half-remembered screams from the past that burrow deep into the soul. Both the heavy and the droning parts serve as an audible fog that slowly creeps around and attacks your senses. Through the repetition of sludgy riffs built on sustained chords and eerie chanting, “Hemeltraan” hypnotizes its prey and conveys a brooding feeling of unease. “Hemeltraan” is immense yet quiet, dark yet hopeful, pure yet doctrinal, the sum is but an echo of it parts, inviting the listener to subconsciously abandon all hope. Now itʼs too late to pray. Buy this magnificent album here.

myspace | kingdom comes

Balcony View

This is a request that arrived from one of my fellow Vicious Circle (check out blogroll) blog brother and head of Slays For Days Distro, Mr. rasputin.

Balcony View is the solo project of Chance Bridges from Alabama. This self titled record is his first release and is thematically based around the concept of an oncoming storm. In fact, the album was recorded prior to and during one of the biggest storms in Alabama of the past few years, and the intensity of that night is reflected in the music. The kind of music that Balcony View present us is very introspective, it feels almost that the listener is side by side with the artist in his room, and looking outside the window, a storm is starting to form...

The first track "Resonance" is a minimalist, acoustic track that serves almost like as an intro to this release, next we get "Old Ghosts" that softly lashes us with some warm sonic waves, i pretty like the post rock chords on the last minutes of this song, really a nice touch. After it comes "Skyscraper", that uses the same formula as the previous song, although with some more distortion on the guitar. "Cold Wind" is another soft song, featuring a low voice, so low i can barely hear what he is saying. Feels like he is whispering, almost as afraid to wake up in this numbness cloak built by successive warm guitar layers. Honestly i don't know if the voice really adds anything special to this song, or if it downgrades, when compared to the rest of the alignment. At last, the final apotheosis, "The Coming Storm (And Its Aftermath)" with almost 15 minutes long is the culmination of what we previously heard. A long dreamy song that builds imaginary devastated landscapes in our head. Balcony View's release is a pleasant release, although not memorable, its a recommended album if you wish to travel without moving your feet. What i liked the most about this release was its crescendo feeling, just like an oncoming storm. But always in a controlled way. Like watching a destructive storm from afar. For fans of Barn Owl, The Gentleman Losers, Human Bell, Fear Falls Burning. In lack of artwork from the artist, i took the pleasure to make one myself. Support by grabbing it here

less is more

The Austrasian Goat & Hallowed Butchery

The USA-based progressive doom soloist Hallowed Butchery teams up with the French funeral doom soloist The Austrasian Goat for a monumental collaborative split 10″ based upon the moral stance of self-reliance, popularized and preached by the Transcendentalist movement of the 19th-century. In a world of consumerism, conformity, religious-brainwashing, and political bullshit, these two musical geniuses refuse to merely follow the pack. This is reflected in both their lyrical content, and in their approach to their music, which is performed in solitude, and which often defies categorization. The Austrasian Goat begins the split with two songs of dark, minimalistic, funeral doom reminiscent of Ahab, Celestiial, and Nortt, but with an approach all his own. On the second of the two dirges, Ryan Fairfield of Hallowed Butchery makes a guest appearance. Side two features one epic song from Hallowed Butchery. His song is different from anything he has done in the past – reminiscent of Hawkwind-on-a-bad-acid-trip with Black Sabbath chugging cough syrup, while My Bloody Valentine snorts a mishmash of pills. The song features guest appearances from Julien Louvet of The Austrasian Goat and Brad Bolduc of Terrible Old Man. In a nutshell, “Songs of Self-Reliance and Solitude” is music for the forward-thinking, the individualist, the anarchist, the artist, and the metal-head in us all. Buy it here, european friends can grab this here.

listen | heading straight to the slaughterhouse

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

Putrified

Old school kick ass name? Check!

Low budget artwork? Check!

Putrid old school death metal sound production? Check!

Here is Putrified, after the classic Demo and EP phase, this is the brand new full length entitled "Spawn Of The Dead" (is it a homage to Dawn of the Dead??). Formed by a Swedish one man band (after all, this isn't only a Black Metal thing) this guy locked himself in a cold, dark cellar, instead of the typical room covered with Burzum and Immortal posters on the walls, and must have been watching 24/7 zombie movies since he started writing this stuff. Basically it stenches old school death metal everywhere, even the production seems like this was released in 1996. It's nice, it's cool.. i can already see the green and purple lights as skeleton hands drag me down to their graves. Bang your head to the sound of Putrified you fuckers!! Buy here

myspace | spaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnn

Tamut Amen

Tamut Amen are a young promising band hailing from Israel that features members of death grinders Whorecore, grind hardcore thrashers Tea With Satan and powerviolence hardcore band Mondo Gecko. Tamut Amen define their sound as Black Metal, and after some auditions i can add to that the genre "Progressive". Its not that trve kvlt grim/frostbitten or that symphonic crappy Black Metal as we know it.. its on another level. If you're searching for comparisons, another band that comes to my mind are the greek Dephosphorous, but where Dephosphorous forged a beast of black/sludge/grind, Tamut Amen forged their own beast with black/grind/punk, formed by all the influences every member brought to this new band. The production of this Demo is excellent. But perishing from that "First Demo Syndrome" the band still has some uncleared edges to polish, most of them on the construction of the songs. The highlight of this Demo goes definitely to the first track "She Returned" i just wished they had explored more of this and applied it to the other songs. In overhaul judging by the quality of this Demo i'm pretty sure that we will hear more of Tamut Amen soon. Thanks for the band for sending me this. Good luck in the future guys.

listen | unholy black blasphemy

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..

Ensorcelor

A year after their first release, "Urarctica Begins" we got Ensorcelor's "Crucifuge". It features only two long songs.. and sounds quite different from its predecessor, this one is more cohesive. The atmosphere is less doleful and grieving, replaced by the feeling of something inevitably sinister and menacing. Skin deep fear creeps out of every note of this album and permeates the listener's mind. The production is also a bit better than before. Better as in dirtier and more obnoxious, that is. This release was quite a good surprise and just hope that Ensorcelor keep on bringing more good stuff like this.  Reinvigorating and never boring venomous sludge. "Crucifuge" is indeed a name to fit in your top list of 2011. North american/Canadian friends can buy this splendid LP here, meanwhile european friends can grab this slice of sludge here.

myspace | there is something about these woods

Fantômas

This is by far my all time favorite Fantômas release. "Delirium Cordia" features an insane 1 hour epic track called "Surgical Sound Specimens From the Museum of Skin". It's kinda like a train, its wagons are all different but at the same time, they all coexist in a perfect harmony with each other. It's like a freakin' soundtrack to a nightmare. A soundtrack to a collaborative movie between Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dario Argento and Jodorowsky. I saw them live when this came out. It was one hell of a show.. the best part was when Lombardo hit a gong with a pineapple. Brilliant.

How to dissect a nightmare...

Gilead Media

No.. this is not a band or album. This is a call to arms.

If you dig Ash Borer, False, Thou and Fell Voices than the name Gilead Media isn't strange to you. I read this article on HSS and felt like almost obligated to spread the word. In a short way, the future of Gilead Media is hanged by a thin thread, and there's only one person who can help them out, you. Now, i know many of you come here to see what's new, download stuff and i like to think that, in the end, you end up even buying something. Now it's time for you to prove that support and do something right and legit, head straight into Gilead's store and buy to you girl/boyfriend, sister/brother, or at least to yourself, that awesome LP you been flirting for such a long time... some prices have been dropped so there's no excuse. Don't let it die.

site | store | bandcamp | blog

Nocturnal Blood

Emerging from chaos comes Nocturnal Blood, a young one-man band playing straight-forward Black/Death Metal in the bestial and occult traditions of the past. The music bursts forth from the stereo with abyssic tremolo-picked riffs which sound as if they are coming from within the depths of a distant tomb. The riffs create the sense of darkness and morbidity that many bands attempt to create but only result in a forced and hollow effort. The music of Nocturnal Blood is far from forced and carries a bold and honest feeling, hitting the listener deep within. No bullshit, no hype, no shit.. just True Tradition of Old motherfuckers!! Grab this here. Meanwhile check this out first, to get in the full spirit for this release. Fuck, now that would give a fuckin' evil intro.

listen | ancient spirits of evil rise!

Surachai

A naked person with a goat skull in a small room with candles in the background like some sort of ritual?? I like it!

Today i bring you new full-length od Chicago’s one-man black metal/ambient/doom/electronic audio nightmare Surachai, “To No Avail” is a stark and relentless journey to the center of an experimental, black metal earth poised on the brink of destruction. A cathartic, guitar-driven manfiesto ripped from the heart of a digital underground, Surachai’s “To No Avail,” elevates the US Black Metal scene to new heights - and smashes the conceptions of trve/false mania upon your unsuspecting face. Highly Recommended for fans of Krallice, Deathspell Omega and even maybe some Blut Aus Nord fans. Available as a digital download and in a beautiful limited-run vinyl with the artwork made with pictures taken by Sarah Sitkin that you can buy here. Highly Recommended.

bandcamp | black magic ritval

Rorcal & Solar Flare

After being locked down for 3 days in a humid basement, to write and record a collaborative track sounding as heavy as it could be with 2 basses, 3 guitars and supported by drums and vocals from the Mordor. The final result is at sight. A fierce collaboration between the belgian sludge doomsters Rorcal and Solar Flare. Basically Solar Flare brings cold and dark ambient themes, but if at a first listen you think it's dull wait until you hear the last collaborative song track with Rorcal... it will crush your skull. As said by the band itself:

"As concept and guideline, we found inspiration in the poem “La Ronde sous la Cloche”, taken from the book “Gaspard de la Nuit” and written by the french poet Aloysius Bertrand… although the legend says that this book was probably written by the devil himself. His text drags you into a world between nightmare, hallucination and darkness which we tried to reproduce musicaly."

All has been mastered again by Raph Bovey who produced the masterpiece "HLGBLS", the release is presented in a handmade digifile CDr format featuring tracks from Solar Flare and the collaborative song. Support this awesome band by buying their stuff here.

the day the sun didn't rise

The Body & Whitehorse

Recent split between two heavy weight bands, The Body and Whitehorse. Each band delivers one heavy as fuck track. Honestly, i'm not a big The Body fan but man, i loooooove Whitehorse. And the Whitehorse track on this one... damn. The Body track is also ok. Check it out. Buy here.

The body of a whitehorse

Demonical

Here is a sweet release i was pretty hooked on for some time ago.. Demonical's "Death Infernal". Demonical hail from Sweden and yes, yes.. their sound has that swedish old school death metal à la Entombed touch you are very familiarized with. But hey.. is that bad? Demonical aren't some Entombed clones, this album is cool, it has some really memorable and solid songs, good riffs that will make you tap your feet and will make you slowly headbang while listening to it on the bus to work. And that's it. "Death Infernal" doesn't sound groundbreaking or innovative but is a respectable Swedish death metal album. Hail Demonical!

myspace | swedish death metal darkness

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

Panopticon

This album, "Social Disservices" is an introspection, you can feel that on every note, and specially on those samples used.. the crying children that we just want them to stop. If there's one sound that gets me off it's the sound of children's crying. Even though i have a wonderful two year boy. It just makes me very uncomfortable. Every artist puts a little of himself on everything he does but in this case, "Social Disservices" feels very invasive.. it feels like opening the book of Austin Lunn's life, you know this guy is very active on many fields, like social anarchy, veganism, etc. So it is no surprised that in "Social Disservices" he is telling us a chapter of his life story, or maybe just lighting the way for some social cause. You decide. What matters is that this album has a very raw feeling behind the production and you can feel it most on Lunn's vocals, it is low but harsh. The sound on this album was mastered by Colin Marston (Krallice), giving each element room to breathe. The balance between emotions, is always in a constant struggle. Really emotional, passionate, angry, heavy record. Get it here.

facebook | is there light at the end of the tunnel?

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

Aghori

Aghori were a sludge/doom band from Oregon that included members of bands you know well, like for example Aldebaran and Ritual Necromancy and many others. Now don't expect clean production here, this is one filthy, raw, live recorded Demo. As described from Parasitic Records, from where you can buy this tape:

"This live-recorded demo is an oppressive slab of sludgy, misanthropic doom with blackened screams. Imagine a jamming session of the rhythm section of Burning Witch with Landfermann, the ex-vocalist of Bethlehem ('Dictius te necare') screaming in the background and perhaps you’ll get the picture."

Well, did you get it? Then what are you waiting for? Buy it here. Meanwhile, while you're at it, check out the other great releases.

a slab of dooooooooommmmm

Encoffination

Another album i was counting the days and nights to hear, new Encoffination album "O' Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres". Being a huge Encoffination fan i have high expectations on this one. But as far from what i've read about it, i'm pretty i won't be disappointed, Elektrokutioner knows his shit and everything he is involved is awesome. So this new book of hymns, "O' Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres", redefines and magnifies Encoffination's well known signature. Low-end funeral doom wrapped in the most pure stench of death. Based on Ghoat's own experiences of working in the funeral industry, "O' Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres" is a abstract concept album, the theory is inspired in the death of the human form to the sacrifice of flesh into the Earth. From their music to the artworks, these guys don't disappoint. Another excursion into the abyss of death, invoking total incarnation of funereal reality.. expect nothing but the most dense stench scent of death here. You can buy it here. Highly Recommended.

 myspace | caskets made out of bones

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

Hull

Hull's brand new album "Beyond the Lightless Sky " is a musical saga based on the adventures of the Mayan Hero Twins. It tells about the contrast between light and dark, as if to call attention to one of the central pillars of Mayan belief: duality. A concept album like this, with the artist’s intention so obviously laid out for the listener beforehand, is a tricky thing. Knowledge of a storyline can allow for a new level of intellectual engagement, but it can also be off-putting. Fortunately, "Beyond the Lightless Sky " does not feel limited by its grandiose concept; nor does it venture into gimmicky territory. The lengthy tracks are broken up by short, pensive interludes that help shape the story in a tasteful way. 

As the band’s own identity trickles in, so does the importance of the concept. Would "Beyond the Lightless Sky " be as powerful without knowledge of the story? Not nearly. Minimalist additions such as “Just a Trace of Early Dawn” and “Curling Winds” wouldn’t hold much weight. As parts of a whole, they make sense. “In Death, Truth”, tells the last bit of the tale; its authoritative riffs fade out slowly, like the dying breath of one of the protagonists, accepting the relief of final silence. “Lonely soul / In death, truth / Holy way out / Redeem.” I really liked their previous efforts, i'm still digesting this one yet. As we say here, "at first it is strange, then it gets in our guts". Buy here.

myspace | release your inner warrior

Lords of Bukkake

No, don't expect to see some weird japanese gangbang here. Although their name makes you imagine some gross shit in that fucked up head of yours, Lords of Bukkake "Desorden Y Rencor" is a fuckin' mandatory album for any sludge fan. In fact, "Desorden Y Rencor" is a shining example of modern sludge, no track ever becomes tedious despite their wholesale worship of the riff. They build and decay, rise and fall with a great feeling of momentum. The vocals are coughed out in distorted, the production is big and clear with each instrument prominent in the mix. The guitar tone is heavy and thick while remaining clear and is a refreshing change of pace in a genre where burying the instruments in distortion is the norm. The drums pop, snap and swing with plenty of creative fills and imbue the songs with a sense of motion and dynamism. A must have for fans of sick, noisy metal.

myspace | i cum sludge

Ruinebell

Ruinebell is a Finnish-Spanish collaboration with Lasse from Hooded Menace in guitar, bass and keys and Dopi from Machetazo, ex -Dishammer, in drums and vocals. Ruinebell plays apocalyptic slow and dark crust, with a lot of metallic edges. For fans of Amebix, Voivod, Deviated Instinct, Godflesh, Axegrinder. Buy it here. Thanks for the mighty Von Frost for upping this one. 

myspace | die in disgrace

Symptom

Awwww yeaaaah... back to some nasty grim death metal tunes. Already had this but in a shitty quality and didn't want to let my costumers down. A big Thanks to JT from the great Coffinpsalms for bringing it back from the grave. Symptom is an awesome down tuned death metal act for fans of Claws, Hooded Menace, Anhedonist. I'm not sure if the band is having this on some physical releases, from what i've seen it seemed that they are giving it for free. If someone could confirm this... that would be ok. Meanwhile be sure to grab their two releases. Uuurgh!!

summon the dead

descend into the grave

Belong

Following the line left with the previous post i now bring you one of my favorite releases of this year, Belong, with their beautiful album "Common Era". This is the first album in five years from this experimental duo. Both the time invested, and the wait, have been well rewarded with this return. "Common Era" shows extraordinary progression from that first album of dense, scorched earth instrumentals, hints of a new direction having been revealed on the EP from 2008. The new material has such common pop elements as songs, vocals and drum machines, but the results could hardly be called conventional and are like little else happening on the current scene. Never heard anything like this.. it's not quite shoegaze, although the songs deliver a thick wall of sound, that is usual in that genre. The songs themselves are like radio transmissions received from another time and place, just as likely to be the future as the past, or even from a contemporary alternate universe. They are both passionate and dispassionate, grey yet technicolor, ghostly and palpable, distant yet immediate, grainy and focused. Upon listening these conceptual contradictions are dismissed with ease, as the recordings reveal that they fit all of these descriptors simultaneously, an extraordinary balancing act. Highly Recommended.

myspace | this is the new era

The Soft Moon

Today I'm in the mood for other sounds besides metal.. today is non-metal day. The Soft Moon is the one-man project of Luis Vasquez, The Soft Moon gives the darkly hypnotic sounds of Suicide, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and Krautrock new life with a stripped-down, lo-fi approach. I found this last year, thru a blog from a musician/designer i follow daily, it was on his Best Of 2010 list, and of all the names he mentioned, this was the only was that was not familiar to me.. so i decided to investigate. And it was love at first sight, or in this case, audition. It was perfect, i passed it into my iPod and when left work to catch the bus it was already dark, it had been raining so the reflections were multiplied by the lights coming from the cars headlights. The decaying city, the dark and dirty subway station... the silhouettes of junkies and prostitutes, the dirty neon lights... The Soft Moon provides the perfect soundtrack to all of this environment. Recommended.

facebook | drugged on the moon

Sembler Deah

Sembler Deah is a journey behind words. This bold eulogy of dark ambient and industrial noisesoundscapes drags each participant, who is more than just a listener, into an ethereal and hypnotic journey of knotted drones and falls. Dark and hypnotic, beauty only rivalled by it’s ominous presence. Features members of Amenra, Kingdom and Treha Sektori… buy here.

facebook | sounds beyond words

Aelter

One of several side-projects to emerge from the Wolvserpent camp, Aelter is the solo effort of Wolvserpent guitarist Blake Green. With Aelter, Blake explores a similar realm of dark majestic sound to Wolvserpent, with his massive downtuned guitar roar and bleak minor key melodies being the common thread between the two projects. But where Wolvserpent blends this chugging Melvins-esque heaviness and haunting slowcore arpeggios with violins, pounding drums, and a propensity for extended hypno-dirges, Aelter dispenses with the drums almost completely and goes for a more cinematic approach using layered keyboards and gorgeous harmonized voices that reminds me of something you would have heard on Beggers Banquet or 4AD being fused to a malevolent black heaviness. Both of the Aelter albums were only released on vinyl in limited editions of a few hundred copies and are close to going out of print completely, "Dusk/Dawn & Follow You/Beloved" is a special journey into new landscapes of majestic sound. One of the most amazing album of the genre. Buy it here fast. Recommended.

listen | from dusk till dawn

Blue Ox

Here is one of my latest discoveries.. from where? What? That's right.. from another Bandcamp expedition. You might thing i spend all my time around Bandcamp, well, to be honest i don't go there often, i really would like them to change those Search criteria. The thing is, if i don't go there than probably i won't find these awesome bands. And Blue Ox are definitely one of them. Now this band kicks ass. Their brand new album "Stray Dogs On Pity Party Island" is their ring and if you even dare to go in it, then my friend... you're going to get hurt, really hurt. I can describe their sound as a "polished-hardcore-sludge", the guitars have the tone for sludge but not as dirty, the bass and drum just add that extra weight that will knock you down to the floor.. and the voice, man.. the voice. Dennis voice has gotta be one of the most pissed-as-hell out there. "Stray Dogs On Pity Party Island" can be shortly described as an offspring of Pantera and Mastodon. The album delivers 8 heavyweight songs that as as soon as you start to hear them, it will go out in a flash. Not that all songs sound the same, they are very distinct from each other, you even get one 8 minute song in the middle. In the end i think this is a very impressive album. And this band still has a lot of hatred to expel. So keep your ears on them. They will soon play with the mighty Battlefields and will also support The Atlas Moth, all in the same show, soon. So if you have the chance to see them live, be sure to don't miss it. Meanwhile get this baby here.

bandcamp | grab it by the horns

Below

Below is a doom/sludge band that has in its formation Adam Nicholson, this name maybe not familiar to you, but if i say that this fella plays in Seidr than maybe this association makes sense. Below provides a pretty hefty supply of their trippy doom with their recent release, "St. Anthony's Fire". Stretched out over four extra-long tracks, "St. Anthony's Fire" is an exercise in balance, moving between super-heavy, slow doom mixed with some psychedelia. Although this album is absolutely amazing, i just wished the guitars sounded more thicker, more dirtier... But that's just me being picky, "St. Anthony's Fire" is great, the song "Ancient Tongue" is just amazing. Be sure to keep an eye out on their Facebook page for physical copies, which should be available in the near future. Truly it might achieve the title for one of the best underrated albums of this year.. the truth is we need more albums like this. 

facebook | sweet dreaded illness

Midnight

As the clock strikes for Midnight.. and it's time for a satanic ritual. And the smell of Black Heavy Metal is in the thick of the night. Bow down before Midnight's "Satanic Royalty". After nearly a decade of EPs and splits finally it arrived, "Satanic Royalty", is the first full-length of the black metal rockers Midnight. It's both a distillation of first-wave Black Metal magic and an extension into harder-rocking territories rampant with lust, filth, and sleaze. The name Midnight has been a cult one for years now, but here they prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt! The perfect soundtrack to summon the Devil. Highly Recommended! Buy it here.

myspace | into the ritual

Cara Neir

Cara Neir is a two-man project that started in the fall of 2008 and are based in Dallas, TX. Their style consists in primarily Black Metal but with a lot of influences from crust, hardcore and punk, just look at their list of influences and you'll get names such as Bathory, Taake, Darkthrone, His Hero Is Gone, Pg.99, Skitsystem. "Stagnant Perceptions" was self-released at 11/11/11 after been working on it since March of 2010. After a first audition to "Stagnant Perceptions" i can assure that the Black Metal influence on Cara Neir's sound overcomes all of the other influences.. let's say that the core of it is totally Black Metal and there are successive layers of crust, punk all around it. Whatever you'll find in "Stagnant Perceptions". These guys did a wonderful job in absorbing all of their music influences to give birth to "Stagnant Perceptions". The production is very good, and i was quite surprised with the quality of Cara Neir with this first full-length. "Stagnant Perceptions" is great, it delivers 11 good tracks of Black Punk Metal. The album is physically available in only 50 copies, that at this point, must be gone by now. But if you're interested, contact the band here. Meanwhile get this great album below. Recommended!

bandcamp | numbness in black

Dispirit

It's dark as none could imagine. Dispirit "Rehearsal at Oboroten" is atmospheric black metal at its best. It's the music we need when all's wrong. It's the new project of John Gossard, the man behind the guitar of Weakling and Asunder. And it's Xasthur-meets-Khanate somewhere but you'll find hundred other and better references I'm sure.  Enjoy this drowning in horror.

listen | an essay of horror

Ruins

Ruins is a blasphemous blackened thrash outfit that draws their influences from old-school acts such as Darkthrone, Voivod, Hellhammer and Bathory. But while there are quite literally hundreds of thousands of bands within today’s metal scene that draw upon the same said influences, there are few that manage to successfully capture the vibe and the sound of the above mentioned acts with such authenticity and energy. “Chambers of Perversion” was originally released in 2010 as a 10” vinyl limited to 250 copies and sold out almost immediately. The record contained 8 songs of Black fucking Speed Metal and one hell of artwork done by, who else.. Mark Riddick. This has got to be one of the sickest covers i've seen. Buy it here.

myspace | goat fucking christ

Sea Bastard

From Brighton, U.K arrives this colossal sea monster delivering three awesome epic tracks of doom. I don't know, but lately there are great doom/sludge coming from northern Europe, like my beloved friends Of Spire & Throne. Sea Bastard are no exception, it's good to see this real and pure sludge/doom emerge from new bands. As the first song begins and the first slow and salt water drenched riffs start to fill my head one band comes to my mind... Graves At Sea. There are some similarities indeed, the slow dragged riffs, that accent in the voice.. but nevertheless they achieve to gain their own style and although Sea Bastard don't name Graves At Sea on their personal influences, they have a long list with such greater names as Corrupted, Electric Wizard, Ramesses, etc... Judging by the quality of this release, one day they will be also named in someone else's list of influences.. I assure you that. Highly recommended.

bandcamp | don't get seasick

At The Heart of the World & Quills

This is a split release between noise black doom influenced band At The Heart of the World who performs a slow harsh noise, with some sludge in it, but it's clear that it holds some Black Metal influences. In this split it presents some tortured songs not suitable for the weak. Meanwhile the grinders Quills, that feature members of well known Misery index and hardcore band Ruiner, is a straight forward grindcore band, who aims at playing super fast short songs. The more blast beats the better.. and thats exactly what you'll get in this split. They have a website with a hand full of releases you can get for free, but remember that all that is at hand took time and passion. So support them.

at the core of the noise

Ritual Necromancy

Holy shit, i've been waiting for this one. Here's another beast that emerged from the deepest and darkest bowels of Hell. Following a vicious four-track Demo, "Oath of the Abyss" is the brand new full-length of Portland's Ritual Necromancy. The eerie cover art for "Oath of the Abyss", created by Josh McAlear, is an early indication of the type of punishing treat the recipient shall receive. With no compromise, "Oath of the Abyss" is a murky and sinister debut that delivers exhausting and suffocating death metal in spades. Eight tracks; thirty-eight minutes, this album is a reminder that beneath metal’s crusty exterior lies hidden gems that still can be uncovered if a listener is willing to look hard enough. Love this shit. Buy it here. Highly Fucking Recommended!! 

myspace | oath to real death

Ravencult

And now some blaspheme greek Black Metal! Ravencult's "Morbid Blood". Ravencult is another of Greece's traditional black metal outfits, exchanging the cultural leanings or aural experimentation of a Rotting Christ or a Necromantia for a pure throttling pioneered by the likes of Bathory, Nifelheim, Mayhem and Impaled Nazarene. They lack the colder, depressive onslaught feeling, but they compensate with a thick, writhing tone and a slew of memorable enough riff attacks that succeed in slamming the listener through a brick wall from the sheer level of hostility alone. This is not the black metal of the cold woods at night. You can't see your own breath in it. The wolves have turned in for the evening. No, this is more like a street fight through perdition, a brawl in the ritual chamber, a muscle car with a potent engine that spews only diabolical exhaust in its wake. Unfortunately i do not consider it awesome enough to earn its place on the List for the Best Of 2011. But don't get me wrong, it's still a great release and Ravencult delivers. Buy it here.

myspace | the horde of the raven

Moon

"Caduceus Chalice" is the first full-length by this aussie one man band, Moon. The first impression you'll get is the sound, you could compare this to Xasthur. The production on this is actually quite good, if intentionally trebly and low-fi. The guitars are waspy and sharp-sounding, wringing out atonal and unpleasant riffs while the vocals bellow incomprehensibly through a mile of echo chamber. You can even hear the bass on this, which surprised me. This is not an epochal release, but what I love about it is that it is an attempt to dig back down to the fundamentals of Black Metal - dark, murky, unfriendly music that strives above all to create a forbidding atmosphere. So many supposed BM albums these days are content to be noisy and evil, while forgetting the all-important element of mood and feeling, which is what separates the jackoffs from the real Black Metal practitioner. This is rough in spots and far from perfect, but at least this guy is doing it right. You can buy this release here.

myspace | bad moon rising

Brut

Now here is another great find... from Montréal arrive Brut. A blend of furious hardcore with hints of crust and the heaviness of sludge. This is their first release simply called "Brut" and what a hell of a release...  12 furious and vicious songs that just wanna make me throw molotov cocktails into police cars. A lot of good things are coming or, came, out of Montréal for example like one of my favorite bands of the genre, Black Ships, this band is a good reference for what the sound Brut are making.  A huge thanks goes out to Pat of Brut for letting me sharing this Promo. Now do me a favor, and show your love to Brut and buy this now! Check the band here or here.

bandcamp | brutality will always prevail