Test, "s/t"

 

Free jazz freak out. Man, do I love this.  As I mentioned in the avant jazz thread, I saw this free jazz collective open for Sonic Youth in NYC back in 94 or so and they blew my mind, especially the drummer, Tom Bruno, who also provides voices on this CD.  Dude's intense, and something of a legend in the contemporary NYC free jazz scene.  This was recorded in 96 and released by Ecstatic Peace (Thurston Moore's label).I really think some of you will enjoy this so give it a shot.

Buy it here.

DL it here.

Leeches of Lore - S/T

A band hailing from New Mexico. They play a blend of stoner rock fused with 'western music', thrash, psychedelic, etc.

These guys are everywhere when it comes to genre, almost like they wrote several separate stoner, country, thrash, and psychedelic albums then cut up the music and pasted it back together. Except it works, and sounds great.

MF

Igor Wakhevitch - Docteur Faust

It's really hard to sum up an album like this. The six tracks (excluding the intro) range from Throbbing Gristle-esque passages overlaying spoken word segments, to progressive psych-rock with tribal chanting, to bone-chilling modern classical reminiscent of Krzystof Penderecki or Gustav Holst. Overall it's a superbly constructed mindfuck, so give it a shot.

Nails - Unsilent Death

Mega infuriated metallic hardcore.
10 songs 13 minutes
Get on it.

BlackHolePit - Portals

Darkwave/Industrial Doom from South America. Only one album was released before the project was abandoned in favor of other efforts (which are all industrial as well, but take a good amount of influence from extreme metal).

This is a heavily atmospheric release, in the right environment it can be either terrifying or soothing.

I highly recommend this, give it a listen.

Download

Supernaut - s/t

I stumbled onto this band via a friend who showed me one of their tracks on youtube. Supposedly they were a UK proto-doom act that was poised to be signed to Vertigo records but were dropped on account of being "too heavy".

I say supposedly because it's debated on whether or not this is actually a "real" band or a hoax from the label "Kissing Spell'.

In any case, it's pretty good stuff, recorded in 1974 and released in 2005 from the afore mentioned label. Take it with a grain of salt.

MF

v/a - Vinland vs. Finland

The clear winner for me is Vinland, but it's all pretty good. Bone Awl's part is what anyone has come expect of them with their raw black metal goodness. Hammer was surprisingly good. Volkurah created some good rifs, but Vordr. No. That was pretty bad. The vocals, Oh god, the vocals. They sounded horrible, and some of the isntrumentation sounded like there was a cat scratching on a scratching post in the background. Luckily, it wasn't bad enough to ruin the whole split, but especially during "Sabbath of Ruin" my ears were not happy when I was listening to it. So, this is a great compilation... if you just skip Vordr's part.

Hail, "Permafrost" and "Seeds"

Don't know if anyone is gonna be into this at all, but these are ultra-limited and thus ultra-rare demos from one of the other bands of L'Acephale's Set Sothis Nox La. They only exist in CDr editions of 30 each, and somehow I got lucky enough to buy them from some dude in South America dirt cheap. I have the full-length "Crimson Madrigal" as well if anyone is interested, but that's not as limited (edition of 93) and can be found elsewhere on the interwebs (I think).

They consist of neo-folkish ambient metal noise, so yeah, they can't really be categorized. But they are amazing, that's for damn sure. A very different experience than L'Acephale, but equally as rewarding. Check 'em.

Permafrost

Seeds

Warmarch - The Declaration (2007)

Featuring the guitarist of Rites of Thy Degringolade, Warmarch continue in much the same vein, with a slightly more progressive touch. The production is cleaner, the songs are more adventurous, and "The Lake" features one of my favourite riffs of recent history. None of the visciousness and uncompromising brutality has been sacrificed in this equation, though in this case the attack comes more in the form of sardonic, twisted riffs than outright blastbeats, and the result is very satisifying. Personally I enjoyed this more than Begrime Exemious' recent debut, and it certainly contains that same otherworldly atmosphere. I'm sure most of you have heard Mitochondrion (rectify that as quickly as humanly possible if you haven't) and I see a lot of the same creative spark in these guys. Unfortunately, Canadian War Metal bands seem to have an incredibly short half-life, and this band split up shortly after releasing this album. Here's hoping the minds behind this album and Rites... will form another band post haste (someone slap me if this has already happened).

For now, enjoy:
Rapidshit (ask for an alternate site and I'll try to upload it there)

Disembarkation - Rancorous Observision (2000)

For those of you who wanted Cynic to have balls, look no further. The jazzy, mid-tempo riffage of Focus is preserved here, sans any (at the much less) further progressive tendencies or vocoder bullshit, and while not every song is as inspired as the opener "Aushwitz", it's still a damn fine listen.

This flew under the table when it was first released, and still hasn't managed to surface above more interesting buried gems like Nespithe or the Timeghoul demos, but I see no reason for this to go entirely unnoticed, especially when Decrepit Birth's latest has been recieving so much praise.

Rapidshite

Nonesuch Explorer Series - Golden Rain (1969)

Prepare to get yer noggins boggled folks! This is some of the fastest gamelan ever recorded! Gamelan is traditional Indonesian microtonal gong music. This particular recording was recorded live in the jungle by David Lewiston. The tribesmen go from a spinechilling brooding pace to what sounds like 200bpm with so much musical feeling it makes any death/doom band weep in a corner.
The third track is another live recording from a different Balinese tribe. It's called the Kecak Monkey Chant. It's a large group of people chanting like monkeys, with a finale that will give the even the most hardened noise expert a boner. You simply have to hear it to believe it!

So be sure to try this out whenever you're in an open-minded exploring mood.

Sleepwalker - I

Fell Voices + Ash Borer = Sleepwalker

If you don't already have it, Go fetch it.

Sgt. Sunshine - Sgt. Sunshine (2007)

So this is a rather funny name for a band regardless of what they play. In this case we have a german band with members coming from diverse ethnic backgrounds (at least hispanic I suppose, since there's a couple lyrics written in spanish) that play some sweet ass stoner in the vein of Kyuss or Sleep. However evident their influences are (which is a lot in Sgt Sunshine, really) they don't limit themselves to just copying Holy Mountain and Sky Valley, and they put together a really good album that is nicely diverse with no song that sounds exactly like any other, and while not inventing anything new, at least it's done with great skill, lots of good ideas and killer riffs everywhere.

Summer is definitely the best time for stoner rock. In a coupe days I'm gonna go for a week of holidays in the beach and the sun, and I think I'll be playing this on repeat all the time.

peace

Noisy Sins of the Insect

Awesome screamo from Turkey.
In the vein of Saetia//I Wrote Haikus About Cannibalism In Your Yearbook.
Semi-lo-fi with sweet guitar parts and harsh shrieked vocals.
Very somber instrumentals too.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Ravens Wing- Through the Looking Glass

The band in question is Ravens Wing. Hailing from Australia, Ravens Wing is an epic RAC/folk band. I'm not totally familiar with RAC, it always just seemed to me to be guys putting on labels and making statements to cover up for their lack of talent. Ravens Wing definitely confirms my beliefs.
Ok, so back story. Any time there is a discussion over whether or not Destroyer 666 is racist, someone brings up Ravens Wing. KK Warslut, guitarist and vocalist for D666 did guest guitars on this album. And I must ask WHY?!?!? Remember that "America, Fuck Yeah!" song from Team America? Their vocalist sounds EXACTLY like that. I honestly thought this shit was a joke when I first heard it. Cheesy galloping riffs and this dudes terrrrrrible vocals. The album slowly becomes way more folk oriented and there are some nicer spots, but of course he has to ruin it with the vox.
I dunno, I figured I'd share because this is a pretty rare and unknown release and to just share something different...

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8YRVS9RO

Priesticide Lust - Pride of Ignorance (1994)

"It's like being hit with a sack of hammers that were fans of Incantation." - Funeralmass

Priesticide Lust, aside from having an amazing band name play extrememly kvlt death doom from Poland. This shit is fucking crushing. They pummel you into oblivion and then just when you can't take any more they change the pace with a blasting death section. The vocalist is of Demilichian flavor. Well enough rambling, hit this shit up.

peace

Elder - Elder (2008)

Country: USA
Genre: Sludge/Doom


This album is quite possibly some of the grooviest, and most solid sludge/doom that has ever entered my ear canals.
Lyric excerpt:

earth behind me
universe in front
so grab your matches man
and take a hit of the cosmic blunt

I think I just blew a megaup"load".

When - Death in the Blue Lake (1988)

When - Death in the Blue Lake(1988)
experimental/post industrial/psychedelic

When is a solo project of Norwegian musician Lars Penderson. He began the musical project under the curious name "Hospital Blimp" in 1983 before settling on the bands current enigmatic moniker in 1987.

Death in the Blue Lake is Penderson's sonic answer to André Bjerke's pschological thriller novel of the same title. Although I haven't read the novel (it appears to be difficult if not impossible to find in english) Penderson's work definitely caries a foreboding and schizophrenic atmosphere that wouldn't be out of place in a tale of murder and madness. The album being Norwegian and from the late 80's also has the significance of enjoying quite a bit of popularity among the country's second wave black metalers. Perhaps the album inspired Varg to flirt with dark ambient? That's just conjecture on my part though. What I do know is that Satyricon sampled the title track of Death in the Blue Lake to use as the intro on their debut full length Dark Medieval times.

So forget all of that, what does the album sound like? Well the album ultimately carries many pop sensibilities. They are however obscured by the dark atmosphere and dissonance that create a patina of decay above everything else. The album begins with a grueling journey through a 20+ minute sound scape. All hope seems to be lost, but when the next track begins the album reveals it's true colors as catchy hooks and melodies begin to surface. The album works best as a cohesive whole so I recommend listening to it all the way through. Otherwise you will miss the contrasting elements.

peace

Aorlhac- Opus I (2009)

Artist - Aorlhac
Album - Opus I
Year - 2009
Country - France
Genre - Blackened Folk Metal

Ahh yes, French black metal. From the unsavory sounds of Peste Noire to the soft shoegazing of Amesoeurs, we have surely got quite a bit of different things coming from the country. But what is this? Epic, folky dudes Aorlhac have quite a different formula then the other bands. Unlike most other folk metal bands, these guys create an epic atmosphere minus the saccharine wankage of keyboards and/or various other instruments, sticking to the good ol' acoustic and electric. Woe be the person standing above me during the song "Aorlhac", I cannot help but fist pump to the powerful chanting of the vocalist. This album comes out like a cannon ball in Versailles and ends with a bang (Ulver cover!). So yes, this album is a must for anyone remotely interested in black metal or folk metal. Listen here.

Whitehorse - Whitehorse

Detune Burning Witch another whole step, slow the tempo down another 20-40bpm, and add layer upon layer of blackened droning noise. The density of this album (2 discs, one with two live songs, the other with three studio tracks) is unlike almost anything I've ever heard. Nearly constant throbbing sub-bass, guitars alternating trebly black metal ice-picks and oozing sludgy undertow, topped off with vocals that can only be described as crippled and decrepit. And just when you think you've got the whole package figured out, they get all melancholic and pretty on the live tracks. I hate trying to describe shit, so I'm just going to stop there. Suffice to say that this is well worth a listen for any fans of crushing doom ala Burning Witch, Graves at Sea, Ocean, etc.

disc 1

disc 2

Dažd - Dažd (2009)

What, is there any actual metal band in Serbia?
I discovered this band because of their split with other blackened crust band (namely Order of the Vulture, who are awesome btw) and their only song on there was enough to instantly make me check this band out. Anyone familiar wit OotV will probably have an idea what to expect from Dažd, but to those who doesn't, this is somewhere in between crusty sludge a la Dystopia, some serious Amebix, Hellhammer and first wave BM worship and everything slowed down a tad to get a doomy feeling. Vocals are rather scarce throughout the album but when they appear they are like raspy scream somewhere in between a black metal shriek and your typical crust vocal style, and the singer contributes really well to set the dark, apocalyptic atmosphere that metallic crust is so effective in casting. Lyrics apparently deal with anarchy, paganism, nuclear war and other funny things, though I obviously don't understand a single word the guys shout to the microphone. They seem to be fairly simple anyway, and you can pick the words from the song titles being repeated over and over again

Also, if any of you suckas happen to not like this, it's also a fairly short listen so you won't need to suffer for more than thirty minutes. Hope you like it though.

derp

Poison (GER) - Into the Abyss

I haven't posted in a few decades now, so I figure I owe you guys this one. It's not really well known, but by no means enshrouded in darkness either, as plenty of you have probably heard this already. Still, it deserves a spot here, as it easily sits among the best primal thrash/death/black metal albums I've heard. You may be thinking, "pity it's only four tracks", but fear not, for each of these are 7+ minute sojourns into the darkest recesses of riffage known to man.

Alright, I'll cut with the theatrics and let you guys have the link: MediaFire

Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance (1978)

Artist - Pere Ubu
Album - The Modern Dance
Year - 1978
Country - US
Genre - Post-Punk

DC told me to rip my review from RYM. So:

A band of street musicians plays punk music with robots and angry hobos at a train station in a noisy and chaotic future city. They are interrupted and accompanied by the noises of the station; trains, passengers in conversation running off to unknown destinations, traffic, and the general noises of the city. As night falls and the station quiets down, their music takes a somber tone. Once alone, the group take part in an anarchic jam session and vandalize the station. As dawn approaches they play one last song, a fitting finale to their performance.

One of my favorite albums of all time... it just has such a wonderful energy to it, and it really builds an atmosphere. There's catchy shit, but at the same time it does stuff that would scare away anybody just looking for catchy shit. The album has a great flow, and I absolutely love some of the sounds the band gets out of the instruments. From the shrieking solo on the Modern Dance, to Thomas' at times psychotic sounding vocals, to the cacophony of noise that Sentimental Journey builds to, I just love this album.

Download

Derek Bailey - Aida (1981)

here

Insepultus - Considerations (1995)

The album is filled with awesome piano solos and killer riffs. It has some influences of Incantation.

Password - "Roxor"

GET IT HERE

Torture Chain - Humbling Isolation Terror (2008)

"Humbling Isolation Terror" consists of 3 great compositions filled with aggression, some melody and spectral atmospheres, in which music and emotion interweave overwhelmingly. This band does an exceptional job at creating fast paced, 2nd generation Black Metal experiences while adding hints of modern Raw Black Metal to the already tasty recipe. All 3 tracks are garbled with blast beats and completely restless guitars leaving you very little time to breathe before the next onslaught tears your pansy ass ear drums apart. The vocalist bleeds it all out with his trademark scare-the-shit-out-of-your-parents gargling rasp, which fits very well in with the music and adds to the general mood." - The Funeral Stench


Mediafire

Necrony - Pathological Performances (1993)

It's one of the best death/grind albums ever, clever songwriting, awesome use of jazz guitar soloing to spice things up, and if it weren't for the flute, I don't think this would have been so morbid.

I probably make it sound so avant-garde or whatever, but it's really just old school grinding death metal that keeps it fresh and interesting throughout the album. So, yeah, most of you have probably heard this, but those of you who haven't, stop procrastinating.

Megaupload.

MediaFIREEEEE.

Makrothumia - The Rit of Individuation (1997)

Romania? What a shithole! Musically speaking, what did we ever provide to the world? What did our musicians ever add to the metal genre? With the exception of Negura Bunget, most of our bands are third-rate Pantera or Hatebreed worship.
Well, lucky for us that Makrothumia contains Ed and Negru, the founding members of NB!
If you look beyond the engrish, you'll find that this obscure gem contains a sort of atmospheric keyboard-laden doom/death with quite a few interesting compositions. The closest bands I can compare them to are Depression (Rus), diSEMBOWELMENT and maaaaaaybe a bit in mood to Traumatic Voyage.
Also, you know that "signature NB" main part in Cunoasterea Tacuta from Om? The clean-ish psych-ish bit that practically makes the song? Yeah, it's here on track 4 or 5. Nearly 10 years earlier.

Drew, I guess it would have been a safe bet for you. It's not metal in the "AUTOPSYYYEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" type of way, but its not polluted by bluegrass, post-rock, industrial, shoegaze and whatever flavor of the month "attached-subgenre" is hip right now either.

Download

-Radu

Hunters Moon - The Serpents Lust (2009)

Artist: Hunters Moon
Album: The Serpents Lust
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Australia

Hunters Moon is a new black metal band from Australia, with members from Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves. This little EP is one of my favorite releases from last year and judging by the number of listeners on lastfm, not too many people heard this, which is truly a shame. These guys play an old-school form of black metal with epic lead riffs which are inspired by Bathory's "Blood, Fire, Death", but they're no clone. Do yourself a favor and check this out, I urge you to! 

Get!

She- Orion (2009)

Artist: She
Album: Orion
Genre: Electronic/Experimental
Country: Poland

When I first listened to this, I could not stop. It kept me up all night, the thunderous drum machine, the soft acoustic interludes, the serenading keys, all played the background to another night of turmoil in my home. This album represents peace, for me. From the odd beginning, to the calming ending, the music here is slightly cheesy at points (ESPECIALLY with that female singer, ugh) but, if you can stomach that, it's quite great. Anyways, for some awesome non-metal glory, click here.

Darkcreed - Dark Regions (2008)

Artist: Darkcreed
Album: Dark Regions - EP (2008)
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Country: Mexico

Darkcreed, a relatively unknown Death Metal band from Mexico, formed in 1994, their latest offering is this, the Dark Regions Ep.

This Ep sounds really promising, crunchy riffs throughout the album and probably the best part about it, these guys have pulled of a tight record, the production to my surprise is crystal clear, the vocals are unique and pretty different from a standard Death Metal record, 25 minutes of total Death Metal awesomeness, with just 75 odd listeners on Last Fm & just a couple of ratings on RYM, these guys certainly deserve more attention.

Ps. Also for all the motherfuckers who think Death Metal is not a cup of their tea.

Megafuckingupload!

Høst - På Sterke Vinger (1974)

Year: 1974
Country: Norway
Genre: Progressive Rock/Heavy Metal

If you like prog and Iron Maiden, get this.

megaupload

Azarashi - アザラシイズム (2008)

Band: Azarashi
Album: アザラシイズム(Azarashiizumu)
Year: 2006
Country: Japan
Genre: Post-Punk/Crust/Grunge

This all female trio from Japan really knows how to pack a punch. Alongside nearly blazing d-beats, sneakily catchy melodies singe your aural peripheries at every turn.

1. 少女椿 (Girl Camellia)
2. 白痴 (Idiocy)
3. アザラシイズム (Azarashiizumu)
4. アザラシイズム (Imagination Pregnancy)
5. 残刻 (Remaining Carving/Moment)
6. 呪怨ノ唄

Get this album.

Rites of Thy Degringolade - An Ode to Sin (2005)

Band: Rites of Thy Degringolade
Album: An Ode to Sin
Year: 2005
Country: Canada
Genre: Black/Death

Why hello there, lovely grim bros. Today I am here to present you with what I consider to be a fanfuckingtastic piece of black/death of the more chaotic variety. A style I've gotten heavily into in recent times, this would be one of my most favorite albums that I've heard of it. If you're not so familiar with the style, think Blasphemy. And if you haven't heard Blasphemy, then what good are you? Anyway, as I said before this shit is pretty damn chaotic but not to the point of where it gets lost on you. Actually, this one seems to be far more structured than previous albums(which especially makes it a great starting point) yet it still has that chaotic edge which makes it such a badass piece of metal. And, it even slows down the tempo in a few parts. Also, there's some pretty sweet leads that crop up a bit which lends some variety too. As per usual with these type of albums, the drumming is pretty high in the mix. And of course those are pretty fucking crazy too, in an extremely pleasing way without leading to tedium. Clocking in at a little under 30 min, I'd say the length is perfect for this kind of metal. So sit back, let this wonderful music fill your ears, and have the time of your life like the trve metalhead that you are.

PS: If you're left craving more cause the short length. Then definitely move backwards to their album Totality (which I shall include as a bonus because I'm nice like that)for a more chaotic and seemingly less structured affair!

An Ode to Sin
Totality

Trist, "Hin-Fort" (2007)

Band: Trist
Album: Hin-Fort
Year: 2007
Country: Germany
Genre: Ambient Black Metal, Ambient
MySpace

This is a classic ambient-black metal album by the German band Trist (NOT the better known Czech Trist). Trist is the project of Benjamin König, also known as Aran from Lunar Aurora. Quite simply put, this is one of the best albums that I have ever heard, as it entirely transcends anything in the physical or aural realm; it beings me to a place that I can't quite describe. It's not an escapist venture, necessarily, though it certainly functions that way. It's a two-disc set - the first disc contains the hour-long ambient black metal track "Hin," while the second holds another hour of pure ambient bliss. I realize it's a lot to sit through, and it will take up a good deal of your time, but I really do think that it will be worth it. I don't personally like to listen to this as background music while I do other things, but I won't tell anyone else how to listen. Trist has made a bunch of great albums, but this one is certainly Mr. König at the height of his craft.

It's a fairly large file; I apologize for the assault on your hard drives.

Mediafire

Robbed Tomb - The Fall Of Heaven's Realm (1995)

Band: Robbed Tomb
Album: The Fall Of Heaven's Realm
Year: 1995
Genre: Death/Doom Metal

I found this band a couple of weeks ago, and I'm glad I did. Robbed Tomb were a band from Belarus (a kinda weird place to find a something like this, in my opinion). They play a very nice type of Death/Doom, incorporating a lot of synth work, giving this album a very folk-ish feel to it (sometimes it reminds me of Summoning). They also use a lot of clean vocals, wich also gives this a nice melodic and melancholic atmosphere. You know, I was never any good at writing reviews, so I'll just shut up and give you the link. Enjoy!

HERE

Catharsis - Passion (1999)

Band: Catharsis
Album: Passion
Year: 1999
Genre: Hardcore / Metal

Catharsis were an anarchist hardcore band from North Carolina. Heavily influenced by Integrity and Neurosis, they created this strange monster with roaring guitars, pounding rhythms, spoken word passages, and a tormented scream. All of the elements praising and adding an apocalyptic atmosphere. Maybe not the most unique, or unique at all, but it's still some good shit.

Check it

Cold Cave- Love Comes Close (2009)

Cold Cave- Love Comes Close
2009
Synth-pop/Industrial/Darkwave

Where do I start with Cold Cave? I could start by introducing them as a synthy pop band with catchy hooks, industrial soundscapes, almost new-wavey-Tears-for-Fears-esque at times. I could mention they feature members of American Nightmare/Give Up the Ghost, Ash Pool/Prurient and Xiu Xiu! The former hardcore frontman, Wesley Eisold, teams up with noisy motherfucker Dom Fernow and a few others to make tracks of toe tapping synth catchiness. Heavy beats, distorted keys switching off between Ian Curtis-y male vocals and somber female vox.
You can't really say that Cold Cave is completely original, but then again the sound kinda fizzled out in the early 80s. They apparently rejuvenated the interest in synthpop among the hipsters.
I suck at writing reviews, just download


http://www.mediafire.com/?xmnmdqulmzw

Damnation - Rebel Souls (1996)

Most people into death metal nowadays have heard of Poland's Azarath, and if they haven't surely Inferno, Behemoth's drummer, rings a bell. Comparatively few know that, in 1996, when Azarath didn't even exist and Nergal&co were still firmly in the realm of (rather generic if you ask me) black metal, Inferno and Azarath's guitarist Bart were part of not-very-imaginatively-named Damnation. Under that ubiquitous moniker (metal-archives mentions 12 other Damnations) an album called Rebel Souls was released that year.

Of course, with a name like that, one can safely say that Morbid Angel would rank among the leading influences without even listening to the record. And they would be right, but a clone this is not. It doesn't take long to notice that the structure is dynamic, expansive, almost epic rather than thrashy, progressive or deconstructive. Spacey keys and solos with lots of reverb punctuate the dense riffage but what really holds the album together is Inferno's drumming. While there are some slower fills and patterns, "incessant pounding" wouldn't be a very innacurate description, as just a few seconds into the first proper track he's already blasting away as he is in the very last moments of the closer, Might Returns. That's not to say the guitars, bass or vocals come lacking - everything falls well into it's place and the blend of agression and melody (there's not a lot of it, don't worry) works.

Not just that, but Rebel Souls really feels like an album, not a bunch of songs (or worse, an agglomeration of ideas). I would be hard pressed to come up with tracks or parts of them as highlights. Sure, one tends to remember the catchy choruses more because, well, they're catchy but neither them nor the ultra-fast bit of Son of Fire, not even the almost-atmospheric part of the title track would hold any value without the lead-ins. And that brings me to the only possible defect of Rebel Souls - where I see its flowing, homogeneous nature others might see monotony but I guess that depends on what you're actually looking for.
All in all, if you're looking for some Polish death metal released before 90% of it started sounding the same or for a quality slab of the genre in general, this is a safe bet. And if you like it, get the other two full lengths by Damnation, they're both a bit different but well worth it. And get Azarath.

rapidshiz

Univers Zero - Heresie [1979]

Genre: Avant-prog/RIO/zeuhl

Format/bitrate: .mp3 v0

Some of you probably already have this, but those who don't need to be exposed to it.

"La Faulx" opens with a sinister, dissonant drone that establishes the gloomy, vaguely threatening mood that runs throughout the entirety of Heresie. Through Heresie's three, mostly instrumental extended pieces ("La Faulx" incorporates sinister chanting in an apparently unknown language), which run for over fifty minutes, the then-five-piece ensemble, using a mixture of classical and rock instrumentation, explores a substantial variety of different textures and techniques running from drone to technical mayhem, but the overall atmosphere never subsides. Many critics have called this the darkest album ever recorded in any genre; while I can think of a few others that would rival it, it certainly belongs on a list of music's most sinister moments. Fans of more experimental black metal acts such as Deathspell Omega, Blut aus Nord, The Axis of Perdition, and Gnaw Their Tongues may enjoy this, and for fans of avant-garde music and progressive rock this will be essential listening. Strongly recommended.

Posted on Behalf of Cassandra-Leo

Download (Sharebee)

Vediog Svaor - In The Distance (2001)

Vediog Svaor is this one-man psychedelic/progressive/avant-garde/whatever black metal project from France. The whole project surrounds themes such as space, coldness, abstract bullshit and eldritch horrors from the 11th dimension. Actually, I’m not sure about that latter part, but there’s like a multitude of metal bands out their with a hard-on for Cthulhu and the Old Ones, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some sort of reference to Yog-Sothoth in Vediog Svaor’s “In the Distance”. I can’t really tell if there is, because I can’t understand French for the life of me, but man, I am just going to assume this album has something to do with Yog-Sothoth, the Old Ones…and like the coldness of space or something.

Even if it has nothing to do with Lovecraftian horror, it’s still probably my favourite discovery of last year. It’s considered progressive black metal but it has nothing in common with its kin. The album has this sort of retro-ish, melancholic vibe while still maintaining a very bleak yet almost mystical atmosphere. The best way I can describe it is imagine Les Legions Noire, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin all get into this wild free-for-all knife fight and kill each other in a frenzy of blood, guts and inverted crosses; then some insane Lithuanian scientist, with a degree in blowing the fuck out of everything, decides to harvest their corpses and creates some sort of gold-plated omniscient kvlt mecha-god out of their body parts; but of course it rebelled and escaped the insane scientist’s underground lair because it is a whiny bitch who doesn’t want to rule the world with a golden fist but would rather pursue his own ‘creative endeavours’. Yeah, whatever. Anyway, it meets up with Ved Buens Ende in their early days and asks if they want to jam out, but something went very wrong during the jam and it ended up consuming their souls instead.

So yeah, what I’m pretty much trying to say is Vediog Svaor is that gold-plated omniscient kvlt mecha-god…composed entirely out of musicians’ body parts, and it consumes souls and stuff.

Maybe it’s best if you just listened to the damn album.

Gorguts - ...And Then Comes Lividity (1990)

Considering how Gorguts is responsible for four of the greatest death metal records ever and how their debut, Considered Dead, is an OSDM masterpiece it shouldn't come as a surprise that their demo ...And Then Comes Lividity is outrageously awesome. What is surprising, however, is how it has been completely overlooked even by enthusiasts of the group.

While their debut had a very dense and heavy sound this demo is sharp and clear. For a late 80s/early 90s demo the sound quality is great, not perfect but it complements the tracks excellently. As for the songs themselves, holy SHIT. The early Death influence is a bit clearer (though it is still distinctively Gorguts), especially on the three tracks which weren't rerecorded for Considered Dead, but the songwriting is much more impressive. There isn't much else to say, its everything that makes pre-Obscura Gorguts one of the most noteworthy OSDM bands in its earliest and roughest stages, blowing much of what that movement produced out of the water.

herr

Internal Decay - A Forgotten Dream (1993)

Melodic death/doom somewhere between At the Gates (pre-Slaughter) and Phlebotomized, with a haunting atmosphere and some very tasty riffs. You'll catch glimpses of female vocals near the end of the record, and snippets of keyboards are interspersed throughout, but for the most part they manage to pull off the gloominess with traditional metal instrumentation. Songs make the transition from borderline thrash to full-out downtempo doom fairly smoothly, and come right back to hook you in further. Overall this is one hell of a record, and surprisingly under-appreciated.

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The Angels of Light - How I Loved You (2001)

You should all be well familiar with SWANS by now, and if not I'd highly recommend perusing their material before venturing into lead man Michael Gira's extra-curricular works. This happens to be his best in that catagory; down-tempo folk-rock with plenty of other influences seeping in through the dusty cracks. Good music for the end of a long day, when you're tired and broken, but still know there's much more hardship to come.

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Hongo - Demo (2004)

Artist: Hongo
Album: Demo 2004
Genre: Neocrust (Dark Hardcore/Screamo)
Country: Spain

Six tracks of superbly emotional bi-polar devastation.
When I started listening to Hongo a few years ago I had hit a dip in my life. Buncha shit happened but whatever. I listened to them and they were caustic; they made my stomach hurt and physical pain shot through me from their sound. Fucking brutal.
Their sound is chillingly tense and very minor. Slow melodic down tempo parts and furious cathartic explosions mixed in between eachother (Just listen to the first track). Good music for Bad Days.

Get it.

Bardo Pond - Bufo Alvarius, Amen 29:15 (1995)

I don't really know how to classify this album. Drone, shoegaze, noise rock, post rock, space rock, psychedelic rock, or is it some kind of Frankenstein monster made up of all of them? Fuzzy droning guitars build up layers of solid sound and then the band weaves melodies through the wailing wall of sound, whether they are some sort of cosmic blues, meditative chant, or some other remnant of whatever musical influences built this album.

The main portion of the album explores all of the possibilities contained within that collection of influences. The album ends on the collosal "Amen," and while I love the kind of sloppy noisy blues rock that makes up the rest of the album, Amen feels relaxing. It relieves the tension of the album. It is almost a peaceful song, despite the droning guitar. The bells and the female vocalist have a sort of beauty that is lacking in the rest of the album and is a fitting way to end it.

I figured this was the least likely album of my possible choices to have overlap with the group, so hopefully I will be giving some people a new listening experience. DemonCashew is pretty positive about it, so hopefully thats a good sign for the rest of your preferences. (Though he likes Lady Gaga and Animal Collective so I'm not sure if we can trust him.) He says I should mention the vocals, which I guess are kind of weird when they are actually trying to say something. I don't know what that guy is going on about.

the place of sending

post courtesy of Florpy.

Ardavan Kamkar - Darya (1985)

Ardavan Kamkar is an Iranian santur master, and a santur is a Persian dulcimer. This album is solely performed on this instrument, but the melodies are so entrancing and resonant, that it comes off quite full sounding.
His Middle-Eastern traditional stylings blend smoothly with Bach-like adroitness, and the end result is truly haunting.

right here folks


edit: apparently the second track is corrupt, so here's that.

Cult Ritual - Cult Ritual (2009)

If bands that push the envelope are your sort of thing, Cult Ritual is for you. Cleverly structured riffs and sneaky noisy interludes weave this 30 minute experience. Ranging from fast and heavy d-beats to lengthy ambient passages, this album has quite an inventive take on the genre.

Enjoy!

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