At The Graves "II"

Another great slab of Sludge/Doom to cheer you up in this Thursday... At The Graves consists in a two piece sludge band from Arnold, Maryland. They have released two EP's (that you can download for free at their Bandcamp) and i believe that, at this point, they are preparing new material for their first full length, which is wonderful news. At The Graves play this thick and heavy sludge, and the result is pretty good. I'm sure it will please every sludge fan out there, if you're one of those, you must check this band immediately.

listen | looking at an open coffin hole

TWOR "TWOR"

Another good discovery was this english band, TWOR. They play that down tuned sludgy hardcore that we all dig so much... Nothing new here but instead all is very well executed. I hope to hear more of this band in the future because they got tha skillzz!! Check it out!

listen | god of twunder

The Pledge Of Cain "We...Martyrs"

Another awesome band hailing from the old mighty Europa. The Pledge Of Cain are a french sludge/doom band from Strasbourg. "We...Martyrs" is their first album, and i can describe it to you in just two simple words: Slow and Heavy. As soon as you enter the cold and dark quicksands that "We...Martyrs" is, you will began to sink in a very slow and painful way... just wishing that death arrives soon to end all of that suffering, but no.. The Pledge Of Cain gets some sick pleasure in making you drown in a very horrific way. I dig the sound and that harsh voice, so good man. In overhaul, "We...Martyrs" is a sick album and a great debut from this french quintet. Get into it now! Highly Recommended!

listen | in sludge we drown

Blut Der Nacht "Demo MMXI"

Straight outta Portland, comes this Black Metal horde, Blut Der Nacht with this killer four track Demo. Blut Der Nacht opens the gates of the blackest Hell and unleashes eleven minutes of raw, blackened wrath. The trio aren’t trying to reinventing the wheel here, what is real is that they offer us, mere mortals, a slab of classic black metal without pretensions. Recorded in a 4-track, only adds to its flesh-shredding-sound that corrosive authenticity. Pure, raw and venomous Black Metal.. just like the way we like it. Limited to 100 copies only, i believe there are some copies still available for you to get, so buy it here.

listen | piles of cascadian corpses

MAL "Eonian Quiescence"

Another great product coming straight out of the same land where demons like Blut Aus Nord and Aosoth were spawned, France.  "Eonian Quiescence" is the debut of the french band MAL, formed by the mysterious R (Guitars, Bass, Drum and Programming) and F (Vocals). I found this band randomly on one of my Bandcamp excursions. The sound MAL delivers is some sort of Horror inspired Psychedelic Blackened Doom. In general we have here a very eclectic album, while some tracks, like "Unsinkable (Super Sargasso) Sea" bring to my mind comparisons to the also Black Psychedelic Doomsters, Dolorian, other tracks like "Radioactivate (Interstellar Carrier)" due to the guitar sound, reminds me of Gothic Prog Rockers, Deadsy. The voice of F fits perfectly in the canons of the Black Metal universe, while that buzzing guitar create barriers of freezing horror around us bridged by all of those prog samples that enhance the dark atmosphere that "Eonian Quiescence" brings. The band is offering this interesting album for free at their Bandcamp, don't forget to say "Thanks!" here.

listen | le mal

Ashdautas & Bone Awl "Split"

An awesome split between the amazing Ashdautas (RIP) and Bone Awl. Man, i love Ashdautas, and as the first notes start on the 22 minute epic track "Permillion Stars In Depths Familiar" i feel like i'm pulled of into this black sucking hole and transported into another dimension. Just like Arizmenda, Ashdautas have that uinque sound that swirls around and elevates you from the floor, it automatically transports your mind into a crushing dark, cosmic cacophony storm of sharp riffs and relentless drum beats and the voice... oh man... the voice, those shrieeeekkkksss!! I fuckin' love it. In the meantime Bone Awl bring what they do best, that itchy and raw-to-the-bone Black Punk Metal. I believe this split flew in hours so i guess you won't have any luck in getting a physical copy of this, but still, if anyone knows where and how to get it, drop a line in the comments below.. in the meantime: Get into the Black Void!!!

From the ashes of bones

Seagulls Insane And Swans Deceased Mining Out The Void "Self Titled"

Now here's a strange beast... how on earth am i going to tag this? This was my first thought that ran into my mind as the music of SISADMOTV echoed thru my ears. The first thing you will notice is the loooooong name that this band has, now i really would like to know the story behind this, probably the result of a very drunken night or other illicit stuff.. if you know what i mean. SISADMOTV is a polish band formed by Nihil (from Massemord and many other bands that he holds in his portfolio) and Havoc from the sludge doomsters Blindead. The sound they bring on this debut album is a patchwork of influences, their own influences. We get a great dosage of mid/slow paced Black Metal, some Doom, a little bit of Industrial, all entangled with countless layers of atmosphere. I guess we can call it Post Black Metal, let us not complicate. The main thing here, ladies and gentlemen, is that this is one hell of an album. It's impossible to remain indifferent to what SISADMOTV brings to us here. The voice of Nihil reminds me a lot of Anaphylactic Shock, that i love, and which i have already posted on FxC some time ago. And that's good. The album is divided in 5 parts, all entitled with the numeral system of ancient Rome. Each track has its own personality, while in "I" we have a more dense, atmospheric, slow paced Black Metal in "III" i had to check the iPod to see if it had jumped to BAN's "777 - The Desanctification". In short, putting the bands name aside, we have a pretty amazing album here. You really need to hear to believe it yourself. You can get this here. I'm afraid that this will become my latest vice... Highly Recommended! 

listen | when seagulls become swans

Bruxers "EP"

Bruxers are a crusty Death Metal band with some doom/sludge influences. Kinda like His Hero Is Gone meets Graves At Sea meets Ilsa, something like that... the truth is that Bruxers totally deliver with this EP, three tracks of dirty, heavy as fuck, crusty Death/Doom. I've been following the activity of these guys for quite some time in order to hear an official release. This is indeed promising. I hope that with this, Bruxers, will get on the map soon. Just remember this name.. Bruxers!

listen | pestilent winds

Teitanblood "Purging Tongues" EP

Oh yeah... here is finally new Teitanblood material. "Purging Tongues" consists of a one 15 minute track EP. Here you will get it all, a super long intro, instrumental sections and most of all... a whirlwind of devastation. With an artwork that matches perfectly what you'll hear in "Purging Tongues", Teitanblood continue their path to bestial havoc. Too bad it features one track only, we want more! Pendejos!! You can buy this here although there more places where you can find it, don't be lazy and just Google it.

in tongues we speak

Sleepwalker "Demos"

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

listen | shady sounds