ARTIST: ANTEDILUVIAN/TEMPLE NIGHTSIDE
ALBUM: COGITATING VACUOUS (SPLIT 7")
GENRE: BLACK/DEATH METAL
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Antediluvian / Temple Nightside - Cogitating Vacuous (split 7")
Antediluvian are a black/death metal band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Temple Nightside are an atmospheric black metal band from somewhere in Australia. Both are fantastic bands, and when I heard they did a split together, I couldn't believe it! Unfortunately it's a very short release, clocking in at 11 minutes with both bands doing one track each. Nonetheless both tracks are great, and it's a great little 7". I can't believe you're still reading this, GO LISTEN ALREADY
Black Jesus - Black Jesus Saves [Demo]
Black Jesus is an Australian death/thrash metal band, influenced heavily by 80s rock n' roll and cult 80s death metal (think Autopsy, etc.). Although I would predominately file it under 'death metal, there's LOTS of elements of crust in here as well (most audible on tracks like Dead In Their Tracks). Released on Trench Hell's The Coffin Slave record label and recently released on vinyl by Hells Headbangers -- both of which are good signs.
Anyways, it's a nice, catchy slice of aussie metal, and if you're a fan of HHR stuff/Trench Hell, you'll certainly like this. While this MLP isn't anything ground breaking, it's still really good, and I'm looking forward to future releases by these guys!
Anyways, it's a nice, catchy slice of aussie metal, and if you're a fan of HHR stuff/Trench Hell, you'll certainly like this. While this MLP isn't anything ground breaking, it's still really good, and I'm looking forward to future releases by these guys!
ARTIST: BLACK JESUS
ALBUM: BLACK JESUS SAVES DEMO
GENRE: DEATHRASH
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness
Primordial are a black/folk metal band from Dublin, Ireland. Though a lot of bands that fall into the folk metal genre can be a bit...silly (to put it mildly), Primordial do a fantastic job of incorporating folk elements into amazing atmospheric black metal. The musicianship with this band is amazing, and you'd be hard-pressed to find another black metal band with clean vocals that are as good as Nemtheanga's.
When it comes to Primordial in their prime, it's extremely hard for me to choose just one to upload on here! I mainly picked The Gathering Wilderness, because it was the first album of theirs I heard as a teenager. If you have time, I'd recommend checking out A Journey's End and Spirit the Earth Aflame as well (which I will maybe upload on here as well sometime).
Enjoy!
When it comes to Primordial in their prime, it's extremely hard for me to choose just one to upload on here! I mainly picked The Gathering Wilderness, because it was the first album of theirs I heard as a teenager. If you have time, I'd recommend checking out A Journey's End and Spirit the Earth Aflame as well (which I will maybe upload on here as well sometime).
Enjoy!
ARTIST: PRIMORDIAL
ALBUM: THE GATHERING WILDERNESS
GENRE: BLACK/FOLK METAL
The Howling Wind - Of Babalon
The Howling Wind are a two-piece black/death metal band that's been heavily influenced by sludge/doom metal. This is one of the best 'droning' black metal releases I've heard in years, reminding me of Under a Funeral Moon-era Darkthrone in many places. The other thing this release reminds me of a bit is quality orthodox black metal (kinda like DsO, Portal, Arkhon Infaustus influenced, though not sounding like it necessarily) that was coming out in the early 2000s -- before bestial black metal became the next big thing. The sludge elements come most into play when one notices that while the songs are atmospheric/repetitive, they're surprisingly free of high-pitched guitar leads, opting for more of a "wall of sound" approach over traditional black metal tremolo.
So if you're into atmospheric, guitar-heavy black metal, this is the release for you.
The video below is a cover of good ol' Hellhammer. Download link to the album is below as well. Enjoy!
So if you're into atmospheric, guitar-heavy black metal, this is the release for you.
The video below is a cover of good ol' Hellhammer. Download link to the album is below as well. Enjoy!
ARTIST: THE HOWLING WIND
ALBUM: OF BABALON
GENRE: BLACK METAL/SLUDGE
Ceremony - ZOO
ZOO is the fourth full-length from modern hardcore punk legends Ceremony, and their first release on Matador records. They've certainly evolved a lot over the years (both image and sound wise), and ZOO continues this trend by blending elements of 78' punk and modern rock. Ceremony once cited their influences as being Pink Floyd, Tom Waits, Joy Division, Suicidal Tendencies: this album showcases the former's influences.
This album is probably the most different sounding Ceremony release to date, a lot of it being because of the production. I honestly thought it was someone other than Ross Farrar on vocals when I first heard 'Citizen,' because the production makes his vocals sound THAT different. However, if you YouTube live performances of songs on this album, it sounds more like their older material. Songwriting-wise, it's similar to Rohnert Park, in that you have some fast stuff, but a lot more slower material on here. I haven't listened to the album too many times through yet, but so far, I'm actually not a big fan of the slower songs on the album. The faster tunes (like the aforementioned Citizen) are fantastic, and worth getting the album (or downloading it) for them alone.
While Rohnert Park perhaps hinted at the band one day returning to the hardcore punk sound they first created on Ruined EP, ZOO cements that they're definitely headed in a new direction. The slower material is a bit of a disappointment to me, but if they continue with the classic punk sounding stuff, their fifth album should be amazing!
This album is probably the most different sounding Ceremony release to date, a lot of it being because of the production. I honestly thought it was someone other than Ross Farrar on vocals when I first heard 'Citizen,' because the production makes his vocals sound THAT different. However, if you YouTube live performances of songs on this album, it sounds more like their older material. Songwriting-wise, it's similar to Rohnert Park, in that you have some fast stuff, but a lot more slower material on here. I haven't listened to the album too many times through yet, but so far, I'm actually not a big fan of the slower songs on the album. The faster tunes (like the aforementioned Citizen) are fantastic, and worth getting the album (or downloading it) for them alone.
While Rohnert Park perhaps hinted at the band one day returning to the hardcore punk sound they first created on Ruined EP, ZOO cements that they're definitely headed in a new direction. The slower material is a bit of a disappointment to me, but if they continue with the classic punk sounding stuff, their fifth album should be amazing!
ARTIST: CEREMONY
ALBUM: ZOO
GENRE: HARDCORE PUNK
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A.N.S. - Pressure Cracks
A.N.S. is a crossover thrash band from Irving, Texas, USA. They've been around for quite a while, going through a line-up, name change and several releases before their 2009 full-length, Pressure Cracks. While it doesn't necessarily oush the limits of punk as a genre, it's a great mix of old-school 80s and crossover thrash metal: think early Black Flag, D.R.I., and Poison Idea.
I think my favorite thing about this release is that it manages to both be catchy and fast, as well as build a chilling atmosphere that you generally only hear on older punk records. The other thing I'm fond of here is that even though it has 2000-era production, it doesn't cheapen the sound of the record/music at all/make it sound incredibly fake. Overall, some great music here! Enjoy.
I think my favorite thing about this release is that it manages to both be catchy and fast, as well as build a chilling atmosphere that you generally only hear on older punk records. The other thing I'm fond of here is that even though it has 2000-era production, it doesn't cheapen the sound of the record/music at all/make it sound incredibly fake. Overall, some great music here! Enjoy.
ARTIST: A.N.S.
ALBUM: PRESSURE CRACKS
GENRE: CROSSOVER THRASH
Friday, October 5, 2012
Plasmatics - Wendy O. Williams (WOW)
WOW is technically a Plasmatics record, but due to some licensing issues, it was released under the name Wendy O. Williams - WOW as a 'separate' release. The Plasmatics started out as more of a punk rock band, but their sound gradually progressed into heavy metal. WOW, despite having a lot of ballads/slower songs, is actually a really solid album. It really shows how the band had progressed at this point: able to make more complex, melodic songs without sacrificing any of the power or aggression Wendy/The Plasmatics were known for.
It's both a blessing and a curse that this band was big in the 80s: it seems like the popularity of punk/metal at the time both helped this band rise to fame, but also meant it was far too easy for (the band) to become lost in a sea of talented metal/punk bands. Aside from having a great front[wo]man, The Plasmatics were a truly talented band, and it's a bit of a shame they never achieved a bigger level of success.
It's both a blessing and a curse that this band was big in the 80s: it seems like the popularity of punk/metal at the time both helped this band rise to fame, but also meant it was far too easy for (the band) to become lost in a sea of talented metal/punk bands. Aside from having a great front[wo]man, The Plasmatics were a truly talented band, and it's a bit of a shame they never achieved a bigger level of success.
ARTIST: WENDY O. WILLIAMS/THE PLASMATICS
ALBUM: WOW
GENRE: HEAVY METAL
Blood Ceremony - Living With The Ancients
Blood Ceremony are a doom metal band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They play good ol' doom in the vein of Sabbath, and with a wide array of instruments/musically talented members, they're a great addition to Canada's growing metal scene. Their first self-titled record focuses more on the band's diversity (that comes with having an incredibly talented female vocalist who puts her keyboard and flute skills to good work here), and there's a lot of odd tempo-ed songs on this album. Ultimately, it feels like a bit more of an experimental record, where the band is waffling on whether to be a traditional doom sounding band, or something a bit more ecletic.
Having said that, their next album, Living With The Ancients, is more of a return to classic doom metal. Even though people seem to like this album less, I feel like the band has greatly improved: the band has found where it wants to be with it's music, and the songs generally feel less repetitive/sporadic than they did on their previous album. And the music talent/atmosphere is no less pronounced here: if anything, it's amplified by the cohesiveness of the songwriting here.
In short: traditional sounding doom metal with female vocals and flute solos. Good. Both albums are excellent and worth listening to, so really it's up to what you prefer with your music.
Having said that, their next album, Living With The Ancients, is more of a return to classic doom metal. Even though people seem to like this album less, I feel like the band has greatly improved: the band has found where it wants to be with it's music, and the songs generally feel less repetitive/sporadic than they did on their previous album. And the music talent/atmosphere is no less pronounced here: if anything, it's amplified by the cohesiveness of the songwriting here.
In short: traditional sounding doom metal with female vocals and flute solos. Good. Both albums are excellent and worth listening to, so really it's up to what you prefer with your music.
ARTIST: BLOOD CEREMONY
ALBUM: LIVING WITH THE ANCIENTS
GENRE: DOOM METAL
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