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

Fading Sun "Yawning Void"

Fading Sun is a one man band from Minsk, Belarus playing tortured funeral death/doom. "Yawning Void" features only one long track, kinda repetitive but i really dig the whole doomed atmosphere on this one, the voice is very deep and cavernous. Very appropriate to your insomnia nights. Check it out below. Available here.

listen | into the void

The Great Old Ones "Al Azif"

In 1927, Lovecraft wrote a brief pseudo-history of the Necronomicon that was published in 1938, after his death, as "History of the Necronomicon". According to some sources, the book was originally called Al Azif, an Arabic word that Lovecraft defined as "that nocturnal sound (made by insects) supposed to be the howling of demons". 

Influenced by Lovecraft's imaginary are The Great Old Ones, a post black metal band coming from Bordeaux, France. The Great Old Ones are all about dark ambiance, atmospheric sounds and most of all, extreme music. Musically speaking, the type of black metal that the band unfolds along "Al Azif" fits in the "post" genre, it's more atmospherical and it has, at some points, some hints of that sludgy post metal riffs which dwells in a more slower, almost doom-ish rhythm. The concept behind "Al Azif", this fantastic debut album from this french band, as you can automatically tell by their name and title, is related to the whole imagery of H.P. Lovecraft's short tales. So i guess i can reformulate and affirm that this is true Lovecraftian black metal.

I was really anxious to hear this whole album by TGOO ever since i found them on Bandcamp, it just took one listen to believe that i was before something really majestic. Throughout  the album, is clearly that each detail has been thought to exhaustion. From the epic first track "Al Azif" to "My Love For The Stars (Cthulhu Fhtagn)" every riff, every note is perfect and flawless. "Al Azif" is without shadow of doubt an album of epic proportions that lives up to name Lovecraft. Check out the band here, where you can also order this fantastic album. Highly recommended!

« That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die » 

H.P. LOVECRAFT

listen | Cthulhu awakens

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

Kehlvin "The Orchard of Forking Paths"

4 years of silence and finally the light... or the darkness : progressive-hardcore Swiss act Kehlvin are back with a brand new album, "The Orchard of Forking Paths". With this new album we find Kehlvin giving birth to its most solid and devastating record so far. Taking distance with their previous love for long instrumental parts and reveling a major propensity to let distortion talk, the band explores a whole bunch of new directions through a more extreme riffing and a sense of melody unseen so far, all of this brilliantly displayed in savage songs. Still focused on high quality writing, Kehlvin knows how to develop intriguing melodies without losing any dynamic. Powerful but sensible, "The Orchard of Forking Paths" is nothing less than a mind blowing new step in the band carrier, taking sludgin’prog-hardcore to the next level of beauty and intensity. Buy it here. Follow the band here.

listen | mere noise

Nisroch "Demo" & "Split"

Nisroch are a blackened hardcore band from Jacksonville, they have released so far a Demo and a Split and man... i really hope for a full-length soon. The music of Nisroch is solid and very cohesive, giving you really little few time to breathe, in fact, the only time you have is to engulf just a little bit of air before being sucked in again to the depths of these dark and murky waters. The quality of these tracks are in pair with other well-known acts like Heartless, Full Of Hell, Hexis, Brutality Will Prevail, Young And In The Way and many more. If you enjoyed these guys Demo wait until you hear the tracks from the split with the band Crooked Look. Nisroch definitely are in another league, they are on the right path, destroying and burning everything around them.. i just hope they make enough smoke for someone to spot it and give them some spotlight and recognition. Because with a quality like this, they really deserve it. Check them out below and see what i mean. Follow the band here.

Listen | Demo-lition

listen | split in half

Esoteric Youth "Demo"

Esoteric Youth are a relatively young band coming from the UK and this is their first Demo, delivering 5 tracks of misanthropy, depression, bleakness and the Armageddon, as they say on their blog. Although I'm getting a little bit, let's say, fed up of this blackened-crust-hardcore genre i pretty enjoyed the Demo from these lads. The Demo begins with "Waldensamkeit", a really good instrumental intro i just wished it was longer, only because i'm a sucker for long and epic tracks. The tracks "Canis Pullus" and "Illunga" simply dump all of that contained anger we all know in this genre, "Litost " is another interesting track, it has more variation of tempos and it sounds more obscure than the previous ones, it finishes of with "Hive Collapse", a real kick in the face that features this annoying droning noise layered beneath culminating into stormy sounds. I truly predict some really dark skies if this young band continues on. Of course there are some rough angles to polish but that vanishes off with practice and time. I truly enjoyed the more slow and experimental tempos explored by the band, i think if they dig in deeper then we will have a fucking awesome band. Keep it up! A big thanks to those music junkies from Music As Heroin for this find.

dread kennedys

Pseudogod "Deathwomb Catechesis"

"Deathwomb Catechesis" is a highly anticipated full-length debut for the Russians Pseudogod. Delivering an abrasive blend of old school death and some of the most ferocious black metal, this album bears the mark of the Beast all over it. This is pure, barbaric hate. Boundless morbidity, bestial churn, grinding disease, otherworldly dread: these are the hallmarks of Pseudogod, who've quickly decimated the extreme Satanic Black Death scene over the past few years to become one of the most-hailed bands around. Evoking its namesake as well as a host of other nameless horrors, this work of art drives deep into the mysteries of death, dragging the helpless listen along as their sepulchral black/death conjures its spell. Prepare, then, to enter Pseudogod's deathwomb! What a great fucking album this is, one serious candidate for the numerous Best Of 2012 Lists. Recommended for die hards of Archgoat, Teitanblood, early Belial, and Demoncy. Man , that booklet artwork sure looks fucking awesome. Worship it here. Highly Recommended!

listen | in the womb of thy beast

Woman Is The Earth "This Place That Contains My Spirit"

Woman is the Earth consists of 3 members, brothers Jon and Andy Martin, and Jarrod Hattervig. They come from Black Hills, South Dakota and have been playing music together since the summer of 2007. Their mutual interests in musical movements such as the recent flux of American Black Metal in the West, ancestral folk music and an appreciation of highly textured, atmospheric music led to the formation of Woman is the Earth. This triad also share similar ethics in regard to spirituality and nature, creating a solid framework for the content of our music and ethos as a group. "This Place That Contains My Spirit" is their second full-length album, written over the course of three years. Much time and effort was put into writing and recording the album to uphold our original conception of the music. In addition to guitars and drums, a variety of instruments were used, including a Roland Juno-60, bass guitar, classical guitar & ocarina. "This Place That Contains My Spirit" was written, recorded, and mixed/mastered/produced by themselves at home. The album reflects a yearning to reconnect with the spirit of the natural world in a time when that connection is quickly dissolving. 

Carrying a strong DIY ethic throughout, the final result here is really impressive. What these boys have managed, moved by their passion and effort, is quite outstanding. For a DIY recording, the sound is more than acceptable and to be honest, is quite amazing. The only negative aspect i find here is about the drums, the sound is not as accurate as the other instruments and it often ends by stealing my attention throughout the tracks. But after a few listens you'll get used to it. Besides that aspect, the tracks are quite solid and there's more positive aspects to it. Demonstrating a great guitar work, the songs are well written and constructed, resulting in a perfect blend between the most furious and melodic parts. While the voice screams and summons the ancient spirits of the Earth, the guitar unleashes all of its fury along this vortex of sound. The highlights of this release are indeed the title track, "This Place That Contains My Spirit" and "Sage Moon". Two beautiful and emotional atmospheric black metal tracks. Said this, this is quite a good release by this young band from whom i hope to hear even more in the future. You can check the band's website here.

listen | titans of the earth

Laster "Wijsgeer & Narreman" EP

This is one EP i've been hooked on lately. Featuring members of Northward (from whom i've talked about their awesome Demo here) and White Oak, Laster is a Dutch black metal formation founded and located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. "Wijsgeer & Narreman" is a conceptual work presenting us three tracks inspired by Goethe's tragic play, Faust. The first impression i got when i heard this EP for the first time, was about their sound, if these guys were north-american they would get the label "cascadian" written all over them. The sound of "Wijsgeer & Narreman" is quite good, it features an outstanding drum work and some creepy voice, almost like one harpy coming straight from the most dark and frozen mountain cave. Delivering three great and emotional tracks, Laster did a terrific job with this EP. It carries a lot of poetic emotions balanced with the right dose of grimness. It's going straight to my shelf of the best EPs of the year for sure. The band is looking for a label to manifest a physical release, so if by the way you run a label and if you are interested, contact them here. Check out the EP on their Bandcamp (where you can download the EP for free) and get your dose of black metal for today. Highly recommended!

listen | mephisto awaits

Occultation "Three and Seven"

Debut album of the NY "occult doom rock" band Occultation. One of the most interesting albums of the year, in my personal opinion. I've read, on some well known music related websites, some great reviews about this album but for me it just took one look at the cover in order to check it out. Besides that, it features on its formation Nameless Void from Negative Plane who have launched an amazing album (featured on my Best Of 2011 List), but before i knew this fact, as i heard this wonderful album, there was a voice inside my head whispering "Thisssss ssssssound familiarrrrrr.... Negative Planeeeeeee...." i swear it's true. You will figure that out, if you are familiar with Negative Plane, as soon as you hear this album. Well, with a name like this, Occultation, it all moves around... yes, the occult. And that's fine by me. Because that's the main reason I'm into this "religion", since very young i've always been attracted by the whole imagery around it. And that is precisely what fuels this band, it breathes and exhales occult. The environment of this album is indeed bizarre, each track is named as if they serve to carry out certain specific rituals. The music has this ritualistic retro atmosphere and the voice is just amazing, many of you might hate it, i personally love it. Every single detail on this album is just delicious, beginning with that guitar sound, the drum, those bells, that creepy sounding keyboard... simply amazing. This is for sure one of the best albums for the year. Try and give it a listen. Buy it here or here. Highly recommended!

listen | bewitched

Faustcoven “Hellfire and Funeral Bells”

Four years have passed since "Rising from Below the Earth" and the Norway's wretched satanic doom act are back with “Hellfire and Funeral Bells”. With this new record, Faustcoven demonstrate the virtues of a band taking time with its craft. This album, like all of Faustcoven’s work, is steeped in a classic doom sound, but exhibits a recognition and infusion of more modern and extreme forms of metal as well. For these reasons, Faustcoven has, through the years, commanded the attention of an extremely dedicated and fanatical core of admirers even though the band has, for the most part, been under the radar of the scene at large. Despite the fact that it was executed by just two individuals, the sound on “Hellfire and Funeral Bells” is massive. Hansen’s songwriting is unparalleled within this style of doom metal. Every riff is crafted to contribute to the movement of the song as a whole, and that effect that on Hansen's voice is frightening as hell. Never static, the tracks evolve and build as the riffs are seamlessly merged into place within the horrifying soundscapes. Hansen has been consistently refining and focusing his approach with every new album and release. This new album carries the mark of the Beats and is very likely the most succcesful effort Faustcoven has yet put forth. Buy it here.

listen | dusty crucifix 

Faal "The Clouds Are Burning"

"The Clouds Are Burning" is the second album for the Dutch group Faal, it is the second album for this doom metal band after the 2008 release of "Abhorrent-Salvation". According to the band, this impressive new album deals “with subjects such as the human psyche, the state of being tortured, the road to madness and inner conflicts”. The concept isn't new so let's cut the chase and get to what's inside. Four long tracks (the shortest one has about 9 and a half minutes) of well executed funeral doom with a dense atmosphere of sorrow and grief around every corner.

"The Clouds are Burning" is a well executed essay based on gloom, emptiness and despair. Take a listen at the opening track, “My Body Glows Red”, it is a brilliantly somber and gloomy song from the beginning to the end. It begins slowly, preparing us for what we're about to witness.. a journey into an empty world, featuring nothing but desolation and death. And in this journey, there's no triumph at sight in the line of the horizon. It wraps the listener in a way that, although it's a long track, there isn't one single bit of boredom on it. The guttural vocals add that extra weight to the tracks and remind me quite Tomi Koivusaari's vocals from Amorphis' "Tales From The Thousand Lakes". The instrumental parts are simple but beautiful, they fit perfectly for wandering around lost in a desolate world. The growls give it a visceral edge to it, but it does not take long for that somber feeling to creep back in as the songs progresses forward. Beside all of this funeral doom, you can still find some hints of black metal being thrown, as heard on “The Incistance Wish”. Faal’s "The Clouds Are Burning" is the type of album that hooks you from the first minute, it gets inside your head and affects your mood. Fans of the black/doom metal genre, don't sleep on this one. Recommended for fans of Monads, Esoteric. Buy it on vinyl here.

listen | dark clouds in the horizon

Aosoth "Our Crown Of Sins" EP

"Our Crown Of Sins" is the latest breath of evil expelled by the blasphemous french act Aosoth. Limited to 500 copies, with 100 copies containing an A3 sized poster, it features two tracks only, "Our Crown Of Sins" an amazing track that sounds exactly like... Aosoth. I mean this track could easily fit on the awesome "III" released last year. On the other hand "Aura Of Pills II" has a different vibe, it starts almost as a haunting intro and it soon dwells into a more black thrash way, sounds like a "leftover" from their self titled. Nevertheless it's fucking Aosoth and a must have to all avid black metal fans. Pre-orders for this release may be placed at Inferna Profundus Records online shop here.

listen | crown of bones

Grandmother "Family Time"

First of all i would like to start this post by apologizing to my blog friend rasputin of the great Slays For Days for the delay on this one. But you know what they say... better late than never, right?

This time i was gifted with the new release of the band Grandmother. Drinking influences from acts like Man Is The Bastard and Bastard Noise, Grandmother create what they call "sludge-violence", and add some "noise" to that also. The album begins with an authentic hymn to noise, almost if a swarm of bees were attacking a freaking harvester machine. The songs are short but effective as if they were connected between them with some short fuse, exploding one after another. Between those swarms of noise they can still deliver some very catchy punk riffs that combined with this successful formula of power-violence, sludge or hardcore, gives Grandmother a very refreshing and unique sound. This is just a sample of how good this band can grow and it leaves me wondering how destructive this must be live. So next time you have a family meeting, surprise you're whole family by inviting these guys to give a gig. I'm pretty sure they are going to love it. Check this and other goodies at Slays For Days cartel here. Support!

family values

Noose "Death and Hatred to All"

Rhode Island's Noose deliver, with this first Demo, a wave of primal and raw as fuck black metal. Five tracks of the most blistering and demented black metal with some punk influences. If you're into this kind of stuff be sure to not miss this one. And if you're feeling gloomy, be sure to visit them at their website.

listen | kill em all

Severe "Severe"

Another cool newness is this self-titled by Belgian band Severe, brought to my attention through my pals PTD171 and Luxury_Cannibal over at Perception Through Dissonance. Severe play this really abrasive and raw sounding black punk metal. Do not confuse them with the roll of latest blackened hardcore crust wave, these guys have nothing to do with that.. these are true grim punkers with their hands dirty with blood. Delivering 5 tracks of the most pure and filthy caustic black punk metal made here in the old Europa, Severe present us some really good tracks and i look forward to hear most of this band in the future. Recommended for fans of acts like Black Monolith or even Hexis. Check them out below and stay out of drugs kids.

listen | broken statues

Failure Ritual "Failure Ritual"

Now this is some serious kvlt case. A dark, mysterious and odd find was this release by Failure Ritual, from whom i've heard nothing before and can't seem to find any info on the web. Nevertheless, this release is really from what nightmares are made of. Three tracks of buzzing droning and noisy black metal that will corrupt our soul almost for one whole hour. As i started to hear the title track "Failure Ritual" i fell into this trance and feel  like i'm tele-ported directly to the Dark Ages, right into the set of one of Bosch's paintings of Hell. The power that music sometimes have of making us creating these eery, fascinating scenarios in our head is truly amazing. And with Failure Ritual i can go there any time. The atmosphere is heavy and hypnotizing. At some points you can hear a agonizing voice breaking through this malefic barrier of noise, almost as a cry for help before being devoured by the bowels of Hell. If you would like some comparisons the only thing i can relate is something like a crossbreed between the industrial sludge of Halo, the dark ambient of In Slaughter Natives and the whirlwind of noisy and experimental black metal of Sutekh Hexen. The result is something really demolishing. Recommended strongly only to the fans of the bands mentioned.

listen & download

Hivelords "Grand Cromlech"

Hivelords are a relatively new band taking their first steps on the scene, this is their second release (they have released a first Demo almost at the end of last year) "Grand Cromlech", produced by Chris Grigg of the band Woe. Featuring two tracks only, it sure left me begging for more. Away from production, which gives the tracks this sound almost as if they were played live (it pulls to my mind the kind of sound production you hear on Coffinworm's "When All Became None") each track is brilliantly crafted which leave us absolutely at the mercy of the quality of this band. "Upon arrival at the grim structure" start in this wobbly, drunken slow pace while the voice lurks in every shadow and lashes us with their cries of agony, and from there on it drags us thru this dark alley during 7 minutes. "Divining goliath astragals" is a more different beast, not as slow-paced as the previous track, it begins automatically with an attack of blackened riifs and blastbeat rhytm. And along those 7 minutes we are constantly tangled in this web of blackened sludge designed by Hivelords. An amazing sample for sure of what's to come. The band is giving this release for free at their Bandcamp. So go there and listen to one of the most promising acts in these couple of years.

listen & download

Torche "Harmonicraft"

The mighty Torche are back. After 4 years since "Meanderthal" in order to fill this year with another splendid release, these boys bring "Harmonicraft" in their luggage. I gotta admit i love this band since day one. Every album is just amazing and these guys know how to throw one hell of a party. I was lucky enough to see them live once and it was fucking fun and loud. In this new album, they deliver a rainbow of tracks that will please every Torche fan. Playing as a quartet again and after their latest "Songs For Singles", i was kinda worried that they would loose all of that heavyweight sound they brought us on "Torche", "In Return" EP and in "Meanderthal". Their sound has become a little bit more polished, but the spirit remains the same, just look at the tracks, since the opening track "Letting Go", that carries the Torche watermark all over it, to "Walk if Off", a song that brings me the grunge years, a more fast, nirvanaesque track, to "Solitary Travel", a more melancholic yet melodic track that only Torche can pull off, and the instrumental title track "Harmonicraft", this album is all about positive energy and having fun. Wacky riffs are thrown all over the album as the artwork certainly reveals that psychedelic but always humorous side of Torche that we all know. Great album from great dudes! Buy it here. Recommended!

OBS: Link has been taken down... i won't re-up this, sorry. But i bet you can find it just around the corner.

listen | somewhere over the rainbow

Anhedonist "Netherwards"

Finally, one of the albums i was really dying to hear this year, fell from the sky. "Netherwards", the first full length by Seattle's Anhedonist. "The Drear" was, and still is, one hell of a Demo, a true hymn to the most sorrowful death/doom. But with "Netherwards" they put on the table a more heavy, and man... i mean HEAVY, deliverance of the most thrilling, deep, obscure and crushing death/doom. As soon as the first song started and this monolithic wall of doom fell on my ears only one word came to my mind: "Crushing!" Believe me, this is much heavier than "The Drear".

For those who are not familiar to this band, Anhedonist play a slow, heavy, dark, dreary and depressing funeral death doom in the vein of bands like Incantation, Disma, Disembowelment. The sound of the guitars is down tuned with tons of distortion almost in a sludgy way, that enlaced with the drums, sounds like a monstrous thunder breaking right above our heads. But not all is about heaviness in this album, Anhedonist can also prove their skills by delivering some amazing grievously melodic passages. "Netherwards" features a rich atmosphere that is sometimes sorrowful and depressing and other times evil and vicious. "Netherwards" really is a masterpiece in all of his corners, when it comes to this style of music. You can grab a copy here although it will be out on Parasitic Records soon too. And later on this year it will be released in vinyl. Highly Recommended! A big thanks to my pal Sanakan of the always amazing Equivoke for lighting me the path to this one.

listen | fall into bleakness

KR Grauwacke "Corpse Flower"

Raw black metallers from up north Minnesota. Very raw. Described as "nondescript in person, unforgettable in performance". KR Grauwacke is raw black metal, and with this "Corpse Flower" demo they gift us with a strange but interesting content. Great structures, suicidal and agonizing vocals, ambient black metal with lots of noisy and raw riffs. The form of organization in the instruments, composition and texture perfectly balanced in order for we to appreciate. A good demo with great style, there is no need to seek objects adjacent or comparions, just let flow the music. I think this tape is completely sold out, but if anyone find a legit link where people can grab this, please leave it in the comments below. 

listen | rotten petals on your corpse

GGUW "Gegen Gravitation und Willensfreiheit"

From Germany arrive one of the most oddly interesting black metal releases of the year. GGUW (Gegen Gravitation Und Willensfreiheit) that translated to english means something like "against gravity and free will". This release really pushes the boundaries of black metal and really gives it another concept brought here by GGUW with their unique and brilliant interpretation. When i first found this i just stared at that cover trying to figure out what that was, what sort of creature? A weird cloak? Is it the front or back? The fact is that what you see here is exactly what you'll hear on the inside. Bestial, insane, harsh, raw, primordial black metal. The voice is high-pitched and inhuman.. like we are watching some kind of ritualistic transformation from man into beast. This avalanche of black chaos is sharpened as a wolf's teeth and it will devour you with no mercy at all. Clearly one of the most innovative and outstanding black metal releases i've heard this year.

Tragically, the band’s guitarist Wolfrano Ketzer reportedly took his own life at the beginning of March, so I’m not sure what are the band’s future plans. The only guarantee you will have is owning one of GGUW’s releases with the one and only original line-up. You can get your hands on this, buying it straight from the band here or at Fallen Empire. My copy just arrived yesterday and i can't wait to give it a spin. Highly Recommended.

listen | of man and beast

Church of Disgust "Demo"

Here is some rotten death metal for your wednesday. Church of Disgust are a death metal band and this is, i believe, their first Demo. Feturing three tracks, COD deliver some putrid old school death metal just the way i like it: evil, raw and rotten to the core. We really need more bands playing like this nowadays. If you dig it, be more than kind and grab yourself a copy here.

listen | altar of carcasses

Profetus "...to Open the Passages in Dusk"

Ok, moving on.

After all the comments left on the previous post, first of all thanks to all of you who found time for dropping a comment, very much appreciated, believe my word. I'll go with Zippyshare from now on, might eventually use another mirrors once in a while. I'm coming out of the trenches with my bayonet sharpened..

"...to Open the Passages in Dusk" by Profetus must be one of the most astonishing and perfect funeral doom albums i've had the pleasure to hear in my life. This is really good. It truly makes justice to the genre. Slow, darkly sad and sorrowful in all of its elements. Always layered with a lethargic keyboard that creates an even more depressive sound to this amazing atmosphere created by Profetus. it features only 4 tracks that culminate in almost one hour. Goes straight to my shelf of my favorite records of this year. If you live in the U.S you can get this here. For European dudes, here. Highly Recommended!

listen | dream of a funeral

RIP Mediafire

Well.. i knew sooner or later this was about to happen.

My Mediafire account has been suspended which means that albums here posted FxC are dead. I guess someone not happy with the fact to see some files posted here maybe reported it to Mediafire and as consequence of that, all files are now suspended. Maybe I'm just speculating and they just erased my Account.

But just because they won a battle it doesn't mean that the War is over. No sir..

My aim here is to post good music, new artists on the scene, i always try to put a link where you can buy a physical copy of it and to those that don't have the means to buy it, at least make music affordable to them.. in all corners of the World.

Upload the old stuff?? I dunno yet.. meanwhile i'm pretty sure you guys know how to use Google right? Don't make me use this.

Meanwhile i will have to change to a different Filehost.. i'm thinking of Zippyshare.

What do you guys think?

Year Of No Light & Altar Of Plagues "Split"

Killer split between two of my favorite and truly amazing bands, Year Of No Light and Altar Of Plagues. With one track for each band, a leftover from Altar Of Plagues, prior to their amazing "White Tomb" from 2007 and another astonishing track from my beloved french YONL who are preparing a new album (yes!), and are about to edit some splits. Talking about YONL, meanwhile some sweet editions of "Nord" are out and i'll be damned if i ain't gonna grab one of those. Just hate those french shipping taxes... I'm sure some of you out there understand me with this. You can buy it here (soon) or here. Recommended!

listen | year of the plague

Norke "Era"

An album i've been diving into a lot lately is this debut from the very unknown Norke, the info of this project is so little that the only things i know about it, is that it comes from Canada, that's pretty much it. Besides, this album is self released in CD-R and limited to 100 copies, where can you get it? Have no idea..

In general Norke's "Era" brings us some really deep depressive atmosphere, the album kicks in with "Nihil" an industrial sound intro topped with some random black riffs, after that, the first real track, "La Belle Morte", starts with some classic acoustic notes before swallowing us in into that black hole of depression. You won't find any sort of worship to the unholy goat here, instead you will get some depressive, almost in a romantic way, black metal. I mean depressive but not the kind of wrist-slashing depressive... i mean depressive as in something cold, dramatic, dead. One of the interesting aspect on this album is that we have, a handful of tracks, simply called "I", "II", "III", "IV", "V", that seem to work almost like a play, divided in acts. The purpose of these 5 tracks is for them to be played connected to each one of them, with no interruption. Because they work as a whole. That's the perception i get, as my attention is caught on every single detail by Norke's music. The end is announced by the track "Epitaph" and closed with "Somnis". Now, this last track is the loose end on this album... it doesn't have nothing to do with the rest of the previous tracks, just when we thought we've witnessed the funeral of "Era", "Somnis" comes along exhaling life and light. Maybe it's setting the tone for the next chapter, a new era... i really don't know what the artist thought by ending the album this way. Better listen for yourself and take your own conclusions. In overhaul, "Era" is a pretty solid release with great sound production, that got me hooked up to it in these past weeks.

listen | radiant depression

Inverloch "Dusk | Subside"

I've been very, very excited for this one. Inverloch, a new project featuring two members of Australian monsters diSEMBOWELMENT (guitarist Matthew Skarajew and drummer Paul Mazziotta), is the closest thing you'll get to this legendary Australian band. Inverloch’s debut album (EP?), "Dusk | Subside", is so good, so good that as the first notes start to fill my ears i swear i leave my undies all wet. This is absolutely the kind of stuff that goes to the "Loop" section here at the Haxan's den. To the most death/doom aficionados, the diSEMBOWELMENT connection might hook you up to this immediately, besides that fact the truth is that Inverloch has made something deliciously evil and amazing beautiful with "Dusk | Subside", so amazing that the only bad thing on this is that it features only three tracks. This is one of the most expected releases of the year so far and surely a must-have for every real death/doom fan out there. Just look at that amazing Collectors Edition LP, seriously... I'm speechless. Buy it here. Follow them here. And worship below. Highly Recommended!!

listen | dinverbowelmentloch

Arms Of Ra "Unnamed" EP

After a well received EP back in 2010, the french post-core band Arms Of Ra are back, this time with a conceptual EP simply called "Unnamed". You probably have already seen this cover a hundred times and all over the blogs out there, since this came as a request from the label and from a band member itself i could not say "No!". Swarm Of Nails Records holds a dozen great bands and releases in their cartel and Arms Of Ra are no exception. I really liked the 2010's EP and this "Unnamed" EP caught me a little by surprise. I was told that this whole EP runs around the concept of a man who tries to deconstruct himself in order to disappear from society, and based on such strong concept i was really expecting more, but the band is still young and i know that, with time, they will grow better and better. At a first impression i can see that the band has finally found their own characteristic sound. This post-hardcore rubbing into sludge, a more cohesive and muscled sound in the bass, guitars and drum while the voice seems to get his own particular pitch into the hardcore/screamo fields going, from time to time, to a more low tone. I would like to have seen the band taking this great concept a little bit further, because at a first listening, and not knowing the whole concept behind it, i could never tell it is eventually conceptual. If i could catch some tracks and from there build a concept i guess i would choose the tracks: "Afterwards", "Unnamed" and "To be acknowledged is to exist". Maybe if the band had spent some time building some interludes like "Unnamed" between the tracks, it would reinforced the idea of a concept in the album. Besides that, it's a cohesive album, not memorable but.. in general, a good one. Away from the sound production, the whole environment in which this album revolves, is monochromatic, almost like a short film, shot in black and white whose main character is a man, a John Doe, that evaporates from society, right in the middle of a crowd. Check out this and other great releases from the guys at Swarm of Nails here and here. Follow the bands steps here.

Note: i fucked up by stating that the band belonged in Throatruiner Records, that is not true, they belong in the Swarm Of Nails cartel. My apologies to the band and to whom it may concern.

listen | John Doe

Snakes "Please Just Kill Me Now"

Ahoy! I'm still going with this lack of time for posting convenient and proper posts here on FxC, so i'll leave you with a quickie one for today. One of my latest discoveries thru one of my incursions thru Bandcamp, Snakes. With "Please Just Kill Me Now" this Grand Rapids band, deliver a smashing and poisonous blend of hardcore/crust/powerviolence, and at some times some death metalish riffs à la Dismember, that will crush your skull like a peanut. Check them out below.

fucking snakes