Behold ...the Blogtopus

Cawatana - Advocation for Privileges

2011-02-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

An apocalyptic folk band from Hungary, compared to their other material this is more "pop" sounding, in the sense that it's a lot more accessible to anyone who has not really delved into the genre. A lot more ambient and classical influence is evident as well. In terms of sound, think Belborn meets :Of The Wand & The Moon:

Easily one of the (if not the) best neofolk release of 2010.

MF [vbr]

Test, "s/t"

2010-11-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-18T09:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Igor Wakhevitch - Docteur Faust

2010-11-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T11:49:00.001-08:00

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

BlackHolePit - Portals

2010-11-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-11-05T18:58:00.001-07:00

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.

v/a - Vinland vs. Finland

2010-10-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

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"

2010-09-21T20:01:00.001-07:00

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)

2010-09-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-09-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-08-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-15T22:05:00.001-07:00

Fell Voices + Ash Borer = Sleepwalker

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

Sgt. Sunshine - Sgt. Sunshine (2007)

2010-07-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-06-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

"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)

2010-06-12T00:22:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-06-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-06-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-05-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

here

Insepultus - Considerations (1995)

2010-04-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

"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)

2010-04-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-04-01T00:16:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

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]

2010-03-09T02:59:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-03-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-03-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-02-25T16:40:00.000-08:00

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.

Mediafire

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

2010-02-22T06:36:00.000-08:00

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.

Mediafire

Hongo - Demo (2004)

2010-02-14T12:31:00.001-08:00

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)

2010-02-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-02-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-01-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

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!

mediafire

Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell

2010-01-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

Pretty standard Black Metal, decent but raw production. Nothing new brought to the table, but very well done nonetheless. For orthodox black metal, this is one of the better albums of the last few years. Somewhat reminiscent of Marduk but without the blatant emphasis on all-out speed. Nice chainsaw guitar tone. Cool Bathory cover too (Sacrifice).

Rapidshare

Infernal Stronghold - Godless Noise

2010-01-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

This is raw-as-fuck, thrashy BLEEAAYACK METAUUL from America. If you don't like it, fuck off. Or not. It's like the internet, man, I can't really force you to leave. Unless I was like a moderator or something, but I digress. This is some top-fucking-notch blackened thrash right here with a sprinkling of d-beat added in for good measure. It's one of my favourite black metal full-lengths of last year, and I implore each and everyone one of you subhumans to listen to it right-fucking-now. Yeah, that's right, and you should sacrifice a couple of small animals in some Satanic ritual while your at it.

Smashing your car/family's car into a church and slaughtering all the occupants inside with a claymore is also a good idea.

AVE SATAN, AVE LUCIFER

SPK - Leichenschrei (1982)

2010-01-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Seminal Industrial band from the UK. If you're like me and have never delved much into the genre but want to, this is as good a place to start as any. Definitely not casual listening, but not the harshest music I've heard; it's more centered on being subversive than pummeling, so sit back, turn down the lights and get ready to be carried away into a world of madness and death.

Mediafire

Gösta Berlings Saga - Detta Har Hänt (2009)

2010-01-28T01:43:00.000-08:00

Genre: Instrumental Progressive Rock
Country of Origin: Sweden

Carrying a tradition on is sometimes not an easy task. And when prog rock fell into a lull sometime in the 1980s, the odds did not appear to be in its favor. Several groups kept the flame burning, and some lights shone brighter than others. Gösta Berlings Saga is one of those beacons. Pushing the envelope on technicality, while staying true to the eerie, almost dirty sound of their predecessors.

Along with the technicality, there is emotion behind the keys, guitars, bass and drums; working together, even if they are in separate time signatures at times. True musicianship throughout.

Watchtower - Instruments of Random Murder [Demo] (1987)

2010-01-27T23:07:00.001-08:00

Nothing to see here folks. Just a really fucking hard-to-come-by demo by one of the most seminal bands in all of extreme music, featuring a track never again recorded or reissued.

Nope, nothing at all...

Church Of Misery - Houses Of The Unholy (2009)

2010-01-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, so I've had a taste for stoner/doom these past couple of months. I'm not real sure about how I came across this band, so far this album is pretty dope. The vocalist Yoshiaki Negishi was the past vocalist for Coffins (another great doom band), and his vocals are superior to what I've heard from most bands who try to recreate the 70s doom mantra. And although I wouldn't necessarily call this Black Sabbath worship, it definitely has some Sabbath undertones to it. Personally, I like the Sludgy riffage, the groovy melody, the heavy bass licks, and just the whole psychedelic effect of the music's ambience in general. The songs are dedications to some of the sickest known serial killers in history; Albert Fish, Richard Trenton Chase and Richard Speck to name a few. This album pretty much blew me away. I cannot do it's description full justice by trying to explain it to you (as it's hard to describe such the wonderful experience that it gives) so what the hell is there to say? You need to experience this album for yourself, then maybe you'll be more likely to understand exactly what I mean.

Rapid

Mediafuego

Review by Michelle034

Gasp - Drome Triler of the Puzzle Zoo People (1998)

2010-01-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

powerviolence/sludge/noise

Gasp are true crucial heroes. They're one of those hyper underground bands that has experienced somewhat of a resurgence of popularity on the internet (think Demilich or something like that). They were signed to Slap a Ham back in the day so they naturally got mad cred for that, but they seem to be one of those bands that never got the appreciation they deserved.

Honestly by the late 90's the Powerviolence scene had started to breakdown in a big way. Everything had kind of reached it's limit. The whole Crossed Out worship sound had kind of worn out it's welcome by this point. Gasp however took the sound to new places. They stretched the blueprint to the breaking point and shattered all expectations.

Drome Triler of the Puzzle People has the basic fast/slow/fast structure that is the building block of the whole Powerviolence ethos, but they basically threw out the whole standard playbook. Here you've got noise and drone sections. There you've got shoegazing. And over here you've got borderline screamo sections. However at the end of the day they never forget the bottom line, which is power violence brutality. Despite the albums variety it all eventually reels itself into one coherent entity.

Hipsters will especially like the psychedelic middle section.

Recalcitrance - Fragmented Reality [Demo]

2010-01-25T14:57:00.001-08:00

Given the good reception the first Recalcitrance demo got hereabouts, I thought I may as well post their second as well.

"Fragmented Realities" was recorded and released in 1990.
By this time, the band was a three piece, with Mike Smith having left to play in Deceased, bassist Billy Allen having been replaced by Chris Howard, and Mike Klein going off to do whatever it is ex-thrash vocalists do.

With them went the death metal flirtations and typical thrash metal structuring their previous demo, to be replaced with rapid-fire instrumental technicality, fluid, attention-neccessary songwriting, and a flair for experimentation with non-metal sounds.

You can get it here.

If you at all enjoy their material, and would like copy of one of their tapes, or you just would like to send the your regards to the members of the band, you can do so here.
I'm sure they would appreciate it.
- FeatherofHuginn

Kralizec - Origin

2010-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Quirky key-heavy melodically-inclined sometimes-technical death metal with the odd nod to folk metal ala Ensiferum, Brutal Death, and oldschool Gothenburg bands. They also have some of the most blatantly programmed drums I think I've ever heard.

If some of the clean vocal sections sound oddly familiar to you, it's likely because they were contributed by Patrick Loisel (now the frontman of Augury) who also played lead guitar and keys on this album.

This album is ridiculously hard to come by on the interwebs, so I hope you like it.
Get it here.

Sixx - Sister Devil

2010-01-25T13:19:00.001-08:00

Satanic Post-Punk by members of Von.
Needless to say, it rules.

Megaupload

Winterwolf

2010-01-25T12:24:00.000-08:00

Winterwolf was formed in 1997 by a bunch of Bolt Thrower and Celtic Frost obssessed Finns who... just happened to be awesome musicians.

A few years of intensive practicing and a few studio sessions produced two demos of riff-centric somewhat thrashy death metal with underlying Finnish OSDM grooves, deep gutterals, and incredible soloing, all complimented by an awesome oldschool production and Stockholm OSDM chainsaw guitartone.

The second of those demos, titled "Blood For Death" you can (and should) get here (Mediafire, I know, I'm working on it).

Their Guitarist/Vocalist Corpse moved away in 2001, going on to play Bass for the reformed Demilich when they began touring in 2005. The others went on with the band, recruiting new members to fill Corpses position, and decided to change their name to Deathchain.

But, in 2006 Corpse returned, and the band decided to bring back the old Winterwolf name and lineup, recruiting a new vocalist and later Corpse's newfound associate Antti Boman (Demilich, c'mon guys) to play guitar and add the sweet gurgly demon-frog-from-hell vocal style you all know an love to the band.

In 2009 they released a limited vinyl full length last year to be wildly released sometime this year on CD.

The samples they have on their myspace page are beyond fucking awesome- leagues ahead of the already remarkably good material on their early demos, so you all best keep an eye out for it.

Until then, I hope this post tides you over.
- FeatherofHuginn

Welp Folks...

2010-01-25T11:58:00.001-08:00

My hard drive has only 1 gig of free space left. I don't have the cash to buy an external one, so I'm going to fix this problem the cheap way- by uploading a bunch of my music onto a free file hosting site, and, given that I admin for this blog anyway, posting it here.

Expect a ton of rarities and a wide variety of other stuff to be posted by me within the next few weeks, probably with less wordiness than you've come to expect from my posts.

Oh, and I'm going to try to shy away from mediafire this time. That shit has gotten almost as irritating as Rapidshare.

- FeatherofHuginn

Equus - Eutheria (2008)

2010-01-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Genre - post-rock/prog/doom

Genre blending happens everyday, but how often do you hear it done perfectly? Judging by the outrageous number of artists that attempt it, probably fairly seldom. However, 'Eutheria' by Equus is an honest to goodness masterpiece. The listener will notice a full minute of silence, with some nearly inaudible culminations brewing just before the first note. The evil tension that builds in this 30+ minute epic is deceptive, because it is also oddly beautiful.

Now I could go on about this album indefinitely, so lend an ear, and enjoy!

Megaupload

Krzysztof Penderecki - Threnody to The Victims of Hiroshima and Other Classical Works

2010-01-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

Genre - Modern Classical
Requested By - Demoncashew

Here You Are!

Argentum - Mega Post!

2010-01-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

Argentum are a black/death/doom metal band from Mexico. Any avid metal fan who searches his metal vigorously on metal archives must be familiar with "drowned" guy on that site. While, I do agree that I dont go by metal archives reviews, but there are certain users that happen to rate music judiciously and give appropriate scores to the albums on that site. So, dont be surprsed if you see "The 3rd and the Mortal" getting a high average ratings on that site and Asphyx's "The Rack" lagging behind with 75 percent of average scores. Enough of metal-archives talk, lets get down to the real deal. The "Drowned" fella seems to be engrossed in old school death metal and death/doom. Half of the obscurities of the early 90s and late 80s have been added by him. So it was pretty genuine for me to check some of his reviews out. It happened that there was only one album rated with a 100 per cent. What did you expect? diSEMBOWELMENT or Convulse or Winter? Nah, It was Argentum's debut "Ad Interitum Funebrarum". Frankly speaking, that was the only motive behind getting that album because the RYM ratings are rather disappointing for that album. I gave the albums a few listens, and forgot about it and it baffled me why this album was rated so high by that guy? Yesterday, I went to jog and decided to give this album a spin on my ipod. Canalophones do come in handy if you want to fully appreciate the beauty of a rather underproduced album. Bull's eye! It was a chilly and a foggy winter morning and the album worked like a wonder. I couldnt believe that this was the same band I had decided to snub a couple of months earlier.

This album has everything I love to hear in a doom metal record. Sinister use of growls and high pitched howlings, extremely downtuned riffs constantly buzzing in the background, and a thick bass supporting the scary instrumentation. Some of you guys know my love for bands like Faustcoven and Dark Prophecies, But this is beyond everything. The keyboards create a dark atmosphere and are masterfully used here. The second album is equally good with better production but little weaker in songwriting and is way too short and leaves you gasping for more. The two demos are raw and contain faster sections more in the vein of Bathory and early Celtic Frost.

Ad Interitum Funebrarum @ 320 Kbps
Mediafire Guys

Stigma Mortuorum @ Mediafire
The two demos

Mater Misericordiae 1993

Exothaernium 1994

Rabih Abou-Khalil - Roots & Sprouts (1990)

2010-01-20T04:55:00.000-08:00

Country: Lebanon
Genre: Jazz / World Music

Rabih Abou-Khalil is a Lebanese oud player and composer, and "Roots & Sprouts" is one of the most interesting fusions of western jazz and middle eastern music I've ever came across. The album essentially consists of jazz numbers played without traditional western jazz instruments apart from a double bass. The result is impressive, since all the musicians are tight as fuck and pretty versatile, so you can bet that everything is very well composed and improvised. The songs can range from really fun jams (like the excellent opener "Remembering Machghara" and the cover of Duke Ellington's "Caravan") to sparse and hypnotically atmospheric tunes. (like "Walking on Air" and the awe-inspiring closer "Dreams of a Dying City") I also reckon this is really accessible stuff as well, so it should also be suitable for the non-jazz types as well.

Rabih Abou-Khalil - oud
Selim Kasur - nay
Yassin El-Achek - violin
Glen Moore - bass
Glen Velez - frame drums
Mohammad Al-Sous - darabukka

DL LINK

Recommended further listening: Shakti - s/t; Yusef Lateef- Eastern Sounds; John Handy & Ali Akbar Khan - Karuna Surprise; Jonas Hellborg & Shawn Lane - Good People in Times of Evil; Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda

A large classical dump from the necro coming soon.

Bonesaw - Sawtopsy

2010-01-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

Band : Bonesaw
Album : Sawtopsy
Genre : Death Metal

Artwork done by Riefert. The name of the album Sawtopsy. Backing vocals done by Riefert (in some tracks). There's no prizes for guessing what this band's main influence is. Bonesaw from Aberdeen in Scotland has one major influence: Autopsy. On this full-length debut they didn’t try hiding their adoration for this Californian band and fans of this style of death metal will know enough to get an urge to check out Bonesaw.

Taking the filth of Severed Survival and mixing it with the heaviness and atmosphere of Mental Funeral, this band has got to be the best old school death metal revivalist band o one heard or cared about.

DEAD !!!!!!!!

Arvo Pärt - Tabula Rasa

2010-01-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of posting this to the Classical thread, but decided to save it for this occasion (considering more of you would check it out this way ;) ). This is some of the most stirring, beautiful music I've ever laid ears on, and despite the minimalist sections not doing too much for me, the thematic parts outshine any flaws this record may possess.
Click.

Electrozombies & Hellborn Messiah [Split]

2010-01-15T03:16:00.000-08:00

If you don't know Electrozombies yet, this split it's the best way to start. They play a style of primitive death/doom or doom/death (not sure :P) on this split. They used to be more sludgy on their previous album, which also kicked ass, but I think this may be their best work so far! Hellborn Messiah is good, metallic crust from Germany (?), but I've been too hooked on the 'zombies side of the split to get into more detail.

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

Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black (1995)

2010-01-11T23:12:00.000-08:00

Good lord, I fucking love this album. Necromantia is a black metal band, often put in the forefront of the talks of Hellenic Black Metal, and I can understand why. "Scarlet Evil Witching Black" is one of those monumental albums that people should know more about, but simply don't. Ever since I discovered this album, It has been played non-stop!

Necromantia is essentially two guys, "The Magus" (as he's simply called now) handling the 4 stringed bass and vocals, and "Baron Blood" on the 8 string bass. Together, they along with session musicians crank out some of the warmest black metal that'd melt Dissection and Immortal and drown the world. The "whole, yet jagged sound" of the basses shouldn't work, but it does. The melodies and riffs that come out of the instruments have a rough twang and an otherworldly hypnotic feel to them. Songs like "Devilskin", "Pretender To The Throne (Opus 1)", and "Scarlet Witching Dreams" highlight this quality extremely well.

But this album isn't just a one-trick pony with its' rugged 12 string sonic fury. An actual guitar appears here and there, contributing only solos. While you could say the solos "dot the i's", the synths which are prominent throughout, "cross the t's." Both are qualities that enhance the music, giving each song a unique identity. Oh yeah, there is also a saxophone appearance in the fourth track, "The Arcane Light of Hecate." Don't worry though, it doesn't turn into a pretentious jazzy wankfest. The band keeps to their sound and resumes through the album.

The album as a whole is nothing less than stellar. From the furious opener "Devilskin" to the somber closer, and my personal favorite, "Spiritdance", Necromantia dug themselves a hole that they could never equal. If you're looking to explore the Greek Black Metal scene, or any Black Metal in general, you'd be in the wrong not tocheck this album out! It is a true masterpiece, and testament to the mysticism of Hellenic Black Metal!

Observe and Worship!

Abysmal Grief - Abysmal Grief / Mors Eleison (2007)

2010-01-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Supreme occult doom metal from Italy!

Enjoy.

Part 1
Part 2

Deranged (Can)

2010-01-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

Artist - Deranged (Can)
Year of Release - 1988, 1989
Genre - Thrash Metal

Little known about this band, These guys played a style of Thrash Metal which only a few bands did, Yes, there are traces reminiscent to one of my favourite Metal bands of all time, Morbid Saint, Do i need to say anything else ? Get this.

Place of Torment

Premonitory Nightmare

Zenocide - Zenocide (2009)

2010-01-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

Genre - Sludge Metal
Annihilatingly Awesome!

Hmmmm

Atrocity - Todessehnsucht (1992)

2010-01-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Though most noticed for their later albums consisting entirely of 80's cover songs, Germany's Atrocity was at one time a pioneer of technical death metal. Predating Gorguts' tech-death career and much of the work from Monstrosity, Todessehnsucht still managed to create one of the most blasphemously intricate albums of the genre, and still go mostly unnoticed. Even though their previous album, Hallucinations, from 1990 lacked the quality of this release, much of the experimentaion was still there, yet the widespread acclaim garnered by the likes of the aforemention Monstrosity and Gorguts, along with Suffocation, Death, and others eluded them. I'm guessing this was the basis for their unfortunate shift in style towards radio-friendly goth-metal, further cementing this band's story as one of tragedy. But I'm sure you're not here to listen to me whine all day, so listen to the album and have your mind blown.

Megaupload

Vincebuz - La Dimension Desconocida (2009)

2009-12-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

Genre - Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Acid Rock
Review - As you might have guessed by now, this band from Brazil is a Blue Cheer worship band. Now how can that be anything but awesome? Its another one of those gems I stumbled upon while browsing sludge swamp website. Apparently, the band members send their music to the site's admins to be posted on the blogs.
This album contains the compilation of songs from their EPs and few live acts.
"You’ll find heaps of fuzzy, super dense, distorted riffs building up a wall of sound which tastes of trippy desert-space rock and fat, dirty, groovy, doomy tunes that remind me so much of Church of Misery. As a bonus feature, this album possesses the vibe of the live performances but rendered with the high quality of a studio production. Beautiful indeed …"
Mediafire

Adversarial - Thralls (2008)

2009-12-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

Just a demo today, folks, but this is some prime shit. Adversarial are a band I hadn't even heard of until a friend of mine on RYM recommended their first, and only demo, "Thralls." This hit me like a sack of bricks, as it deftly combines practically every awesome element of modern and old school death metal into a three track block of excellency. Tempos shift from groovy midpaced riffs into frantic (but controlled) blasts of semi-melodic frenzy, and then into a fierce whirlwind of dissonance reminiscant of The Chasm or Immolation, two of the most prominant influences here, yet others shine through (evidenced in an homage to Suffocation's "Torn Into Enthrallment" on the second track.). Even the production shines, being incredibly above average for a demo. About the only flaw I see here is that there isn't more from this band, so drink up what you can now.

Karp - Self Titled LP

2009-12-21T23:18:00.000-08:00

Genre : Noise Rock \ Post Hardcore \ Heavy Metal \ Hardcore Punk \ Sludge Metal

Year : 1997

Do you like the Melvins ? Do you worship Black Sabbath ? The in your face attitude of punk ? Follower of High On Fire ? And yet love your metal to be fun and enjoyable ? Them come, grab a chair, sit down and let's have a little chat.

This band, Karp (short for Kill All Redneck Pricks) is one of those indie, never heard of bands that is in fact a sonic sludge assault of sonic brutality , whose only aim was being serious of not being serious. They are nerds, geeks and wear it on their sleeve proudly (the album prior to this was called 'Suplex'). Above all they want to have fun (the lyrics of the 3rd track are AHHHHHHH I'M FUCKING WITH YA HEAD, I'M FUCKING WITH YA HEAD, I'M FUCKING WITH YA HEAD"), and it it is this characteristic of their music that makes them infectious. With the name of the album being "Self Titled LP", the band merged and innovated all of their eclectic influences and spawned this really enjoyable release, which in the core of the all the fun and frolic and nerdiness is actually a really good slab of well constructed metal. It ironic enough to be hip, dedicated enough to be brilliant.

The old Melvins' formula [if a riff is good enough to repeat once, it's good enough to repeat one hundred times] is adhered to, albeit in a punkish form, which in KARP's hands works pure wonders. With the record's economical thirty minute length, everything is condensed, tight and vividly succinct, and all the better for it. Eight sandpaper-raw, bulldozer-heavy and raucous tracks smash, bash, crash and burn through your right ear, and exite through your other one, but it is the impact on the pink squishy mush between those ears that is worth mentioning, leaving a permanent mark. Each piece is centered around one main riff or a riff sequence, which is then tinkered and played around with throughout the track's duration. And boy, do these fellas know their way around their riffs! They turn and twist, change tempos, build up tension, squeezing just about all they can from these chords in the time allotted, while descending into the gluey, sludgy pits of hell and then rising above to gallop through a vast, wide-open faraway.

What a friggin' ride! Get on it!

Interstate Blues - El Diablo (2005)

2009-12-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Genre - Blues Rock, Hard Rock
This is fuckin' KILLER!
I discovered this band while browsing on Sludge Swamp blog (easily my favourite blog for music). Since I am in no mood to write the review myself, I am shamelessly copying the review for this from that site itself.

"El Diablo”, the sixth & best studio disc by Interstate Blues, features 8 trax of killer, bad-ass, straight-ahead, in-your-face, solid bluesy hard rock power trio riffage with powerful rippin’ lead guitar that will rock your world. This is a true bona-fide heavy guitar monster.

California-bred axeripper Jamie Purpora kicks ass on the guitar and leads his power trio through 8 trax of killer heavy guitar riffage. The powerhouse rhythm section of Roger Brown & Jeremy Crowther nails down serious hard-assed heavy power trio grooves for J.P. to “rip it hard” on his guitar. This is definitely their best & heaviest disc to date.

This disc is HIGHLY recommended to fans of killer bluesy heavy guitar power trio riffage complete with bad-ass, heavy-duty, hi-powered rippin’ leads that are worthy of guitar hero status."

We arent friends anymore if you dont like it!

Midnight - Complete and Total Fucking Midnight (2005)

2009-12-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

Here you go motherfuckers, the best goddamn shit you’ll ever hear. I know I’ve introduced a few select members of this group to Midnight, but here’s an open invitation to the rest of you. Unholiness from Cleveland. Simple fucking riffs. Songs about sluts, graves, and other badass shit. One could call this blackened speed metal with some thrashing on the side. What other band has gotten shut down because the singer had his guitar on fire while playing?
Endless sluts and hot graves

ALL HAIL HELL

post courtesy of Drew Wenston-Ball.

Naked City - Leng Tch'e (1992)

2009-12-13T10:57:00.001-08:00

Genre - LENG TCH'E

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_slicing

if drone doom Boris had a lovechild with John Zorn and the offspring was as fucking horrifying of a monster as you could imagine (in a very, very wonderful way).

Super mega essential

its in FLAC because it deserves to be

Twenty Sixty Six and Then - Reflections on the Future (1972)

2009-12-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

Genre - Krautrock, Heavy Psych, Progressive Rock.
Review - According to ProgArchives.com "Krautrock (also called "Kosmische musik") is a German avant-garde / experimental rock movement that emerged at the end of the 1960's. It was intended to go beyond the eccentricities developed by the wild psychedelic rock universe of the US, by giving a special emphasis to electronic treatments, sound manipulation and minimal hypnotic motifs (continuing the style of "musique concrete" and minimalist repetitive music but within a more accessible environment)."

Nevermind the pretentious band name, Twenty Sixty Six and Then play a unique brand of krautrock (but then, Isnt Krautrock all about experimenting with your usual Psychedelic rock sound which was so famous back in the days). THis album will go down the throats of most of you guys here. I know there a lot of hard rock, psychedelic rock (?? Space rock too) loving crowd in this group (I am looking at you feather, ethan, Rectal, Poseidonx, Funeralmass). But this will also find favours with guys who like bands that like to experiment with their music.(I know a lot of you guys hate the experimental tag here). I remember someone posting a Randy Holden album here and it was well received by the truly grim crowd. Well this band is like a few steps of ahead of what Randy Holden did on Population II. The guitar tone is thick and heavy with too many melodic overtones to handle. While you are being bombarded with bluesy Jimmy Hendrixesque riffs, you also find slowly ascending spacey passages ala Nektar (Hey Hawkwind have become a household name in this group yoy know! but seriously this reminds me more of Nektar than Hawkwind). The vocals are husky and raw which will force you think of Garage rock movement of the 60s and is one of the reasons why I like this album so much. So if you love to dig the vocals of Blue Cheer and the legendary "The Electric Prunes", there is no reason why you wont love it. The drumming is immaculate and the fills and rolls along with long guitar leads impart a progressive touch to the music ala King Crimson. The bass is pretty much audible and particularly great on the title track.

The production is kinda poor, but I like it somehow because its the production that imparts an even thicker sound to the guitar tones and makes it sound closer to the garage rock/hard rock than your usual German Krautrockers. Oh and why the heck I was forgetting about incredible flute playing on the albums.

Krautrock was one of the most abused genre in the 70s, Infact the krautrock albums that came in the mid 70s made a mess of the legacy left by the early bands. But this is one of the early gems from a band that had a rather shortlived career.

I absolutely love the song BUTTERKING here, cheesy lyrics with incredible vocals (there are times when all you can hear is the vocals and the vocal tones are matched incredibly by the geeeetars!). I would say that go for this album just for that fuckin' song.

PS - The Link contains 8 tracks, The actual album has 5 tracks only (the first five ones) the rest are BONUS!
Your choice baby!

Palace In Thunderland - Apostles Of Silence

2009-11-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

To dare, to will, to dominate, to demolish.

Little is known about this Stoner \ psychedelic band from the US. The band distinguishes itself from other like-minded bands of the time by incorporating a rapid fire progression of riffs and fuzzed out metal songs backed by long winded psych rock jams all fitting together to form a complex yet beautiful and trippy jigsaw puzzle in the end. The band wanders carefully down the 70's rock road with heavy psych elements tugged deeply into their hands. With influences ranging from Sabbath to Monster Magnet to Floyd, Rush, Zeppelin, Hawkwind and as well as Faith No More the tunes of the band seem to move from a groovy stoner rock song to a slow mo psyched out space psych jam.

It was a long bumpy ride for the band, but the era of Palace has come to a close after seven long years. The singer from this band would eventually move on into Black Pyramid which released their debut album earlier this year, thus garnering some of the much deserved reputation for the band.

Get Pschyed

Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream (1963)

2009-11-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

Thelonious Monk was a jazz pianist born in North Carolina, but know mostly for being a fixture of the New York jazz scene from the 40's until the 70's. He is considered to be one of the inventors of the Bebop style. His trademark was his use of up tempo melodies interspersed with percussive and atonal piano chords and frequent rests and pauses. He would take a basic melody, speed it up and chopped it into pieces.

Monk's Dream is his most well know album, possibly due to its accessibility combined with the fact that it was his Colombia Records debut. This undoubtedly gave it wider exposure than any of his previous efforts. Don't be fooled by into thinking it isn't kvlt or whatever though, this is his best work in my opinion.

This album actually has a special place in my heart though, I've probably listened to this album more than any other album regardless of my charts. When I was a wee little tyke I used to listen to Monk's dream every night before I went to sleep. Along with Sargent Pepper and the Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles I listened to this album daily for years upon years. Unlike the Beatles though, I still have as much appreciation for Monk as I did when I was 6. I guess that I'm lucky to have grown up with Monk intstead of say... The Wiggles.

Just A Gigolo

Gräfenstein – Death Born

2009-11-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

Genre – Black Metal

Country – Germany

Just about when I thought that “Well I had enough of Black Metal” as nothing seemed to click with me from the past few weeks, I gave this band a random try to rejuvenate my love and fondness for this genre which had always amazed me and surprisingly it clicked.

Yes, Gräfenstein is one of those bands who play a rather modern style of Black Metal with a bit of Thrash influences here and there without clinging away from the roots. A bit generic and monotonous (but that’s where my interest in Black Metal lies) so it was never a problem with me.

So what do we expect from Gräfenstein ? These guys play No Nonsense Black Metal and this an out and out 46 minutes of Non-stop Black Metal onslaught, yes the riffs are there and they are right in your face one after another leaving you wanting for more, Very Very Impressive. Talk about the drumming, again very good. I always had this insta-connection with German black metal bands right from mighty Katharsis to Zarathustra, Gräfenstein is the latest addition, so get it here.

Ps. I find it a bit similar to Witchmaster, i don't know how though. =\

Nikolay Karlovich Medtner - Forgotten Melodies

2009-11-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

Requested By - Necrobobsledder
Genre - Classical, Romantic
I am the last person to be recommending classical music since I havent even covered the tip of the iceberg in this immensely vast amount of music out there in the genre. But this is some really great work on piano. Stunningly beautiful and melodic! Check this out!
Megaupload!

Frigid Bich - A&M Promo (1981)

2009-11-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

(No cover art available so here is the logo instead)

This demo is a classic. Well, it would be if more people listened to it. This could be NWoBHM if it wasn't from the US. It also has a bit of that NWoBHM sound, too.

The lyrics are in this demo are about being rebellious and Jack teh Ripper. A good example of this is "We don't care about society. Our long hair and leather stays."

What I like most about this is the audible bass, it really stands out, even when things speed up. All in all, this is a pretty enjoyable, albeit short demo.

Mediafire

Handful Of Hate - You Will Bleed

2009-11-20T21:33:00.001-08:00

If nothing else, Italy's Handful of Hate is a damned consistent band, writing average if aggressive material that echoes the work of the black forces further North. Nicola Bianchi's spiteful snarling, a solid set of bleeding riffs, and a high end production (for the field of black metal) combine to damn their 5th effort, You Will Bleed to the deepest reaches of human suffering.

Handful of Hate might not be quite so aggressive, but they manage to balance tempos well enough that you don't become flaccid through and endless blasting boredom. Enough of the band's diabolic force is used in the creation of cruel, thrashing rhythms as you will find in "The Pest'Son", the drudging "March of Hate" and the horrific glory of "Bliss Between Thorns". The album also ends with a nice pair of extremes, from the pondering evil of "The Fault to Exist" to the carnal, melodic "Extremism Made Fire".

Right on! You Will Bleed is another vibrant, open jugular emptying its essence into the massive cauldron of European black metal. It's not original enough to sate the avant-garde tastel it's not extremely hooky; it's not as violent or brutal as other bands in the field. But Handful of Hate know what they're doing.

Verdict: Win

Witchrist - Curses of Annihilation (2009)

2009-11-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

Artist: Witchrist

Album: Curses of Annihilation

Genre: Death Metal

Country: New Zealand

Not so much a standard album but a compilation of the first two demos with (one unreleased) from this new band from New Zealand, playing primitive Black/Death Metal. Witchrist share members with Diocletian so one would rightly assume there are some comparisons sound-wise, however Witchrist lean further towards Death Metal and have a slightly more plodding/ritualistic atmosphere than the full-on attack of Diocletian. As is usual with this style of Death Metal, riffs are rather straightforward and focus more on pummelling the listener with huge slabs of heaviness and creating an ominous atmosphere than impressing with technical wank. The drumming follows suit, nice solid beats full of conviction, gotta love a drummer that hits hard. Production is rather bottom-end heavy but not too muddy that details get lost as is often the case with this style. Probably not a release for everyone, but check it out if you like Archgoat, Teitanblood, older Bolt Thrower and early Incantation.

Download

Thralldom - A Shaman Sterring The Vessel of Vastness (2006)

2009-11-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Artist: Thralldom

Album: A Shaman Steering The Vessel Of Vastness

Genre: Black Metal

Country: U.S.A.

Since some months ago when I got bored of black metal, s one of the few bands that still manage to catch my attention was Thralldom, as well as the other BM projects by the Unearthly Trance guy Ryan Lipynsky. He has a very distinct style that could be described as noisy and raw in the vein of Darkthrone, only less riff-ridden and with more noise-influenced parts, and more emphasis is placed on the atmosphere, which gets really dark and unsettling in some moments. A Shaman Steering the Vessel of Darkness is the final Thralldom album and also the less conventional where more focus is put on noise than on their previous releases, which doesn't mean there isn't some really cool riffs to be found here. Anyway I suck at writing so here goes the linky:

DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN-NANUNUNUN DAAAH

P.S. Thanks go to Vorephallack. This is his pick, his review and his link. Prizzzops.

Pocahaunted - Passage (2009)

2009-11-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Artist: Pocahaunted

Album: Passage

Genre: Psychedelic/drone/ambient

Country: U.S.A.

Definitely some strange stuff here, this girls are the self-proclaimed 'Olsen twins of blissed out drone' and their music sound as if Nadja were a couple of native american hippies who got lost for five years in a little island in the middle of the Caribbean. I'm not really sure how to further describe this, just download it and relax for half an hour while listening this. I saw them live last July and they put out possibly the most weirdly awesome / awesomely weird shows I've ever seen. And the bassist is hot as hell (looks worth a poke to me)

^^hairsecks

Leech

P.S. the prippity props go to Vorephallack.

After The Bombs - Relentless Onslaught (2007)

2009-11-10T01:53:00.000-08:00

Genre - Crust Punk, Thrash Metal

Well Thrash is dead :( Well apparently Its not!
Apart from a few bands like Fastkill, Sauron and to some extent Heathen, there hasnt been any truly great thrash release in this decade. (I am leaving out the black/thrash bands if you dont mind).

But this album has restored my faith in the genre. They play super heavy thrash laden with extraordinary chunky bass riffs in the background with relentless riffing which will force you to think about Amebix.

Harsh vocals like early sodom, primitive drumming and war themed lyrics add to the whole fun!
Mediafire

Sun of Nothing-...In the Weak and the Wounded(2007)

2009-11-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

Genre:-Experimental Blackened Sludge

Country:-Greece

Flashback:-
Weeks and weeks of searching for Sun of Nothing's debut album,"...And Voices,Words,Faces,Complete The Dream",proved to be futile,as I was just not able to find a link.
Finally one day I got a link at metalarea and checked the debut.Fucking impressive and remarkably unique.So I decided to check out their critically acclaimed masterpiece,''...In the Weak and the Wounded''.

SO.

HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT!!

What we have here is a behemoth of an album.Skull crushing Sludge metal meets the aggressiveness of Black Metal.Right from sections of dark ambient to black metal shrieks to death metal growls to goddamn sludge...fuck this album has it all.Everything's perfect here.Starting with the BASS!It's so damn prominent with orgasmic and catchy as fuck basslines.The basslines form a solid backbone of many of the songs on this album.The vocals vary throughout the album.At times death metallish and other times switching from the necro vocals of grindcore to tortured raspy black metal shrieks.Sometimes they are clean and actually sung.The riffing is awesome and heavy as fuck.Imagine your head being pounded with a maul continuously.Distorted and well structured riffs that never lose their intensity.The tempo of the album is vary varied.The drumming is also very good and doesn't sound sloppy at all.Production-wise the album is also perfect.A very powerful and overwhelming atmosphere.What we have here is a top notch experimental sludge album.Kinda grabs you by the balls and fucks you repeatedly.

I can't recommend this album enough to any fan of metal.

From the band's mouth,

"Somewhere between the esoteric phantasmagoria of The Melvins & the majestic open spaces induced by Hydrahead sound (Pelican, Mare, Isis) & sheer black metal (from Enslaved to Xasthur…), lies the southern hellboy known as Sun Of Nothing."

Part 1(95 mb)

Part 2(7 mb)

Links are Mediafire.

P.S:-For those who care,their debut is equally awesome although the 'power electronics' factor is much more pronounced there.

Skullflower - IIIrd Gatekeeper(1992)

2009-11-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Ok,this one is TxusMx's Album of the week.I'm posting it on his behalf since he hasn't got the blog rights yet.

Genre:Noise/Drone

Country:England

Year:1992

Skullflower is the long running project of Matthew Bower, but in its initial incarnation the band did have other members and was a bit more "rock oriented" than the cacophonous oppression of sound and noise that Skullflower is today with Bower as the (pretty much) sole member and driving force. IIIrd Gatekeeper is a re-release of the extremely difficult to find third record from this seminal band from when it actually was a collaborative group of individuals; this album is also considered a touchstone album from the band's early years that has a lasting effect on the current noise and drone scenes. IIIrd Gatekeeper is an ear opening experience as one can hear where many of the current crop of drone and noise groups find inspiration from, if you like both of these genres you should definitely check this one.

Part 1

Part 2

Harassor - Harassor

2009-11-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Genre – Raw Black Metal / Hardcore Punk

Country – U.S.A.

So GRIM OBSCURE and KVLT, that there isn't an album cover for Harassor, instead there is this

Remember Lord Foul ? A supposed "joke project" by Roach, the guitarist/vocalist for the old underground grindcore band, Son of Dog, the funny part was Kanwulf (Nargaroth) actually covered a song called "I Burn For You" in his Black Metal ist Krieg album from Lord Foul’s Killing, Raping, Burning demo.

Harassor is the project of Roach from Lord Foul along with Pete Majors and Sandor GF, so do we expect another joke over here ? No not at all or wait, Yes! A song titled She Who Makes Dogs Shiver makes you feel that this is where Lord Foul left off and Harassor picked it, but this is rather upto you how you take it, something very original and is a treat especially if you are game for some Raw Aggressive Music.

Talking about the music, it is something in between raw black metal and hardcore punk, the riffs are catchy and the production isn’t too muddy neither clean, the vocals aren’t your trademark Black Metal vocals but the vocalist maintains a raspy sound which goes very well with the music, the drumming is done exceptionally well , especially when you play Raw Black Metal, the drum production in some cases are bound to be sloppy but it is done pretty well over here, right from the intro riff in Marching Abomination to various chaotic and noisy passages this album lives upto my expectations and please don’t let the Hardcore Punk tag bother you, just get it.

Leech

Embers - Embers EP (2007)

2009-11-06T10:58:00.001-08:00

Genre - Black Metal, Doom Metal, Crust, Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Review - This is a truly obscure EP. A mind fucking mix of relentless brutality and beatiful soundscapes. Its as if you are experiencing Agalloch, Dystopia, Bone Awl all together. Vocals are harsh as well as low growls. There are slow doomy/sludgey passages often reminiscent of atmospheric sludge bands like Isis and Neurosis.
Drumming is the highlight here. The drum rolls are magnificent and loud as fuck! And dont forget I mentioned the word CRUST guys, so prepare to get assaulted by incessantly fast and crushing parts in the album.

Absorb!
-EyehateDoG

O.L.D. - Old Lady Drivers (1988)

2009-11-05T01:12:00.000-08:00

Genre - Grindcore, Death/Grind, Crossover Thrash

I thought it would be nice if I got out of the avant-prog hangover and post some kickass metal instead! It was about time guys. It cant get better than some real fast and chaotic old school grindcore.

Let me present to you guys Old Lady Drivers aka O.L.D. Yesterday I finally managed to check out the highly acclaimed Khanate and to tell you the truth the first two songs of the self titled didnt do much for me. But during those 20 minutes I came to realise what a goddamn awesome vocalist Alan Dubin is! That may be the only reason I may think about revisiting Khanate sometime later. Alright, I checked metal archives and came to know that he was a vocalist for a fuckin' GRINDCORE band way back in late 80s. Isnt that a reason enough to check those guys out?

Anyways O.L.D. play a chaotic, super fast grindcore (The way it is meant to be played!) with super cool lyrices throughout. In the later part of their career, they tried experimenting with their music and ended up playing avant-garde/industrial bullshit (going by some of those you tube samples, they were not worth it). James Plotkin has done a great job on guitaring, coming up with catchy riffs throughout. Solos come up for a very small time but they are tasty too. Dont be surprised if you find acoustic parts in between. Alan Dublin has delivered some of the sickest vocals you would have ever heard in grindcore. I always thought Jon Chang (Discordance Axis) was one of the best grind vocalist ever, but I think after listening to the track "Old Ladies Always Break Their Hips" on this record, I am in a fix! He goes from slow low guttural vocals to extremely fast and high pitched screams which will leave you awestruck. This is one of their album that features real drummer. And, He is awesome. Prepare to get assaulted by inhuman blastbeats and snareshots.And before I forget how can you not like a bands that wrote such legendary lyrices

"When we were young - it was only a game
You would win - at everything
Chilhood rivalry - developed and grew
Games became battles - the I would always lose
Now you're a big shot - controlling my life
Causing me nothing - but pain and strife
But I know your weakness - you haven't a friend
Except from your puppy - who soon will be dead

Here is your puppy's head
Your only friend - bloody red
It's all your fault - it is dead
Tides have turned - now you lose
If you want the rest
It's too late - there's nothing left
Mangled poodle - makes good stew
I ruined your life - I laugh as I chew"

This band is like the combination of sheer aggression of Wehrmacht and Cro-Mags with added brutality of Carcass! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnd On!

Guys this came out before Terrorizer's World Downfall,Relusion's Horrified, Carcass' Reek of Putrefaction and Dr. Shrinker's Wedding The Grotesque. Wonder why this is so underrated and not considered the holy grail of grindcore?

According to MA - The band were originally called Regurgitation, and recorded the widely circulated demo tape "Bathrooms Rule" in late 80's. This demo attracted the attention of Earache to their brand of humorous super-fast grind. Too bad, this album has never been released on a CD :(
Mediafire

BONUS - For all you Clapton fans, This one features a kickass COCAINE cover which may seem a little out of place but extremely funny and amazing.

Dark Prophecies - On the Edge of Black Eternity (2000)

2009-11-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

Genre - Death/Doom
This band is really underground, just 8 listeners on Last fm. This band hailing from Poland seems like a long lost brother of diSEMBOWELMENT. They play a crushing death/doom with prominent black metal and grindy passages through out. There are evil use of keyboards, and some painfully slow parts in between. I am looking for their "VERGIL" demo. If anyone has it, Let me know.
This is the only rip I could find, This one is missing the intro track. Sorry for such a pathetic upload, I FAIL :(

Megaupload

Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat - If the Sky Falls, We Shall Catch Larks (2005)

2009-11-04T04:46:00.000-08:00

Genre : NeoFolk \ Apocalyptic Folk \ Drone

Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat. No, it's not a snappy insult. Although it could be. The name is derived from a florid description of part of the instructions that a witch had to perform back in the 1800s. Fun times.

Instead of a one-man bedroom black metal project, Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat is Stef Heeren's (formerly of some unnamed punk band) one-man freak folk solo project; a tribal, ritualistic extravaganza of layers upon layers of folk drone, chanting, bells ringing, whispers and atmosphere. A live band and occasionally full orchestra hits the road alongside him for gigs.

Those of you who enjoy weirdy-beardy freak folk along the lines of Six Organs of Admittance, Espers or even stoner drone like Om, you'll probably dig it. The vocals have a distinct Current 93-esque quality, which is probably why this is labeled as apocalyptic folk; the music does not really bear out that comparison either.

Of this project, Stef Heeren writes:

"Although the songs on this cd are folksongs really and have a structured course, my musical approach and interest goes out to religious and shamanistic music, be it buddhist, krishna or american indian music. Not because of it's contents but because of it's repetitive, mantra, dronelike character. I tried to create this timeless, trancelike atmosphere which you can find in religious music through using non-western instruments such as harmonium, tanpura, bowls and bells and repetitive singing. I very much enjoy their rattling and clanging."

Rejoice, It's Mediafire

Edward Artemiev - Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker (1999)

2009-11-04T01:19:00.000-08:00

Hello. I forgot that I had posting rights on this blog, so I thought I'd go ahead and make a first upload. Just hope I do it correctly~

Artist: Edward Artemiev (Эдуард Артемьев)
Album: Solaris / The Mirror / Stalker - Music From The Motion Pictures
(1972/75/79, re-recorded 1999)
Genre: Ambient / Electronic / OST
Country: Russia

This is a compilation album featuring re-recorded tracks from three of Andrei Tarkovsky's cult sci-fi/dystopian movies, and consists of electronic music which is very daring, meditative and mysterious, much like the movies themselves.

It's actually quite a mixed bag; sometimes it can be reminiscent of Tangerine Dream and the Berlin School, at other times similar to the dark ambient/drone of acts like Robert Rich. (Who, in fact, recorded an album inspired by Stalker in collaboration with Lustmord) Being a soundtrack though, the music is not too obtrusive, rather serving to create atomsphere and evoke feelings. I myself found the album to be rather gentle and dreamlike at times, and rather dark and menacing at others. However, the album does flow really well.

My favourite track is the only song taken from The Mirror (1975), which has a very rough around the edges feel similar to industrial music. Years ahead of its time?
The final song is a close second, a dedication to Andrei Tarkovsky, serving as a wonderful summary of the beautiful yet moody mood of this album.

I would whole heartedly recommend this to anyone regardless of whether they have seen a single minute of the source movies or not. It is certainly a strong enough album to stand up on its own merits.

Megaupload

Retrospection and Inure

2009-11-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

Artist: Inure
Album Name/Year Released: Inure (2004)
Genre: Black Metal/Death Metal/Hardcore Punk
Country: The United States of America

Bring your mind back a couple of Fridays ago to the morning of the 23rd of October. Depending on where you live, you could have been doing anything- You might have been sleeping, prepping for work, or on a commute to college. I found myself embarking on a long trek on foot across my Northern Minnesotan city.

But for the mechanical bustle of morning traffic, the streets were largely devoid of any sort of life, the skies were overcast with a pallor of opressive gray clouds all too commonly cast upon the firmament here in late fall.
I was kept warm only by my thin WitTR shirt, some khaki pants, and a pair of headphones I was using as an improvised set of earmuffs- through which was playing whatever I'd hastily thrown on my tiny 1gb iPod the previous evening before heading out to hang out with my friends. I hadn't slept a wink since then, but a mixture of the gripping cold, and the loud music I was listening to kept me quite alert. Uncommonly alert.

I continued winding on foot through the veritable maze of largely unnecessary pre-winter road-construction (your tax dollars at work, go stimulus!), eventually dropping in and out of a library to warm myself. I passed leaf-shorn trees dotting the corners of sidewalks, people with glazed eyes, long cast in the molds of weary working lives. Kindness made tedium.

Strange waves of lucid introspection.
Extrospection.
The music I was listening to wasn't distracting me from the world, it was allowing me to focus on it. On myself. Away from the grey, meaninglessness of these concrete labyrinths, away from this substantially inert city. This constant slog. This generality.
Not worth attention. Not worth concern...

Dropped into a local organic foods shop, grabbed an application. Worth a shot, even if I'm tired of shooting. Gotta get off the cycle somehow.

Crossing the mainstreet, I found myself walking about with a sense of purpose, so uncommon for me these days.

As I began traversing the bridge connecting downtown Bemidji to the pseudo-suburb of Nymore, my home, and stared out into the brooding, angry, royal blue of Lake Bemidji, the music I was listening to started truly grabbing me, started making me think even more. The album that was by a band from Baltimore, MD. Likely no-one in a hundred mile radius in relation to where I stood had heard of them. And there I was, connecting with their material at the most sincere level. Pounding drumwork offset by mellow acoustics, standout basswork, and multi-person harsh vocals.
Coming to the next song, I instantly recognized the soul-sheering voice of Mis, who after recording with Inure would branch off to front sludge doomsters Moonshine and lend her abilities to the great Wake Up On Fire. There was her characteristic high alto clean voice too...

I was passing the construction sight of the new Bemidji Event's Center to my left, the great hulking skeleton of the thing cutting a huge swath of imposing iron framework into the sky and across the landscape. A monument to fatheaded human impetuousness and indolent, corporate greed. It was an eyesore.

And yet, staring at the glaring visage of the thing I laughed, heartily, and as I did, I was caught by one of the most gorgeous tremelo melodies I'd heard in ages (see the end of "Dos"). I moved on. Pushing forward, through the cold air and empty walkways, accompanied by somber, sober, acoustics, striking vocals, and gripping, layered riffwork; wondering at how odd an occurrence it was that I am so drawn to music like this, how easily I can connect to it, and why it gets through to me.

Enter punkish rhythms, more gorgeous tremelos.

"There's something about underground music, underground extreme music in particular, like this that I just can't help but like. I find it in my tiny local scene too- a mix of artistic integrity, talent, and sincerity. The Baltimore scene has quite apparently had a bigger chance to flourish, and mature, and I see it in the material of bands like these. I love it, and I hope the Bemidji scene someday gets the chance to to progress as much. We're working on setting up the framework. I'll do what I can to make sure it pans out."

Enter more extended acoustics and alto vocals, quick change to furious tremelos...

I was finally passing the last winding stretch of houses before I would reach my own.

A last incredible tremelo, strong riffwork, more vicious vocals...

I found myself within sight of my doorstep. Just as I walked up to it, the album ended. I laughed a last time and walked in, wishing only for the warmth of that house of respite to chase the feeling back into my limbs.

Mediafire

Art Zoyd - Berlin (1987)

2009-11-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Genre - Avant-Prog, Rock In Opposition, Dark Ambient

Listen to this only after you are done with the UZ mega post (at leats the first two of those albums). This French band has an impressive career of almost 40 years. Within this period they released 13 full lengths and a number of live albums. This again relies heavily on minimalism, fratic use of synthesizes and sinister key sounds with added haunting passages of violin and cello. Undoubtedly this is their most underrated yet the greatest piece of work. Reminds me of earliest UZ and Magma.

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