After almost four years since the release of the album Let Me Come Home, Edinburgh’s Broken Records,are now back with their new EP, Toska, and they immediately proof that there was life after their second album, and it was heavenly life at that.

It's interesting to notice that, for this release, the Scottish band decided to collaborate with PledgeMusic and part of the pledges is going to charity associations they care such as Shelter Scotland and The Sick Kids Foundation.

If you don't know who they are, Broken Records are an alternative, indie folk band from Edinburgh, Scotland, that started spreading its music from 2007 with the unmistakable voice of the frontman Jamie Sutherland and a band that swap instruments like kids swap collectible stickers.

The guys of Broken Records are always compared to bands such as Arcade Fire and The National, especially when they turn to be more indie. Even with Toska their formula is still very much in line with those bands: lofty guitar textures, vintage string flourishes, and dour low-end.

Always sung with maximum passion and played with maximum intensity, Toska with its four track, is an EP that will please alternative rock lovers ad it will submerge the listeners in a new fresh world. It's the celebration of the Scottish band's return.

The opening track, 'Toska', with its delicate guitar and drum touches, it's like a fresh water glass after a long day walking in a dry place. And if you focus on the delicate instruments you'll even feel the wind stroking your hair. These guys are very good  in using dense layers of relatively simple instrumentation to complement one another and to create a staggeringly impressive whole. On top of these soundscapes come Sutherland's typically emotive vocals.

'See You On The Way Down' is an example of artistic rock meanwhile 'Ward' is a lovely piece of soft piano and calming violin. Listening to this song is like being back home where you can listen the voices from the outside and you can seat admiring through the window the beauty of the nature. This instrumental track is a matter of intimacy, it's deep and intense, and it can be what you are.

The sound changes completely with the final 'Revival' that it's a sort of celebration. Almost five minutes of pursuing guitar riffs, insistent bass line and drums played so well together that if you focus on one of them you'll notice a sound but, as soon as you focus on another instrument, you'll discover a new sound.
The full orchestra, that is the power of this great band, concludes an album that expresses the passion that Broken Records has for the music.

Toska is an EP that proof the musical talent of these Scottish guys and places Broken Records as stars in the vast alternative rock field.

You are still on time to support the band and to pledge their project by pre-ordering the new album that is going to be released at end of May, the new EP and some other exclusive stuff.

The Broken Records extended family is:

Jamie Sutherland
Rory Sutherland
Ian Turnbull
Andy Keeney
Craig Ross
David Fothergill
Stephen Gillon
Dave Smith
Arne Kolb

Ottawa’s music scene has exploded with sludge/post metal acts that have brought new attention to the phenomenal musical underground there. Alaskan has risen on this wave, along with bands like Biipiigwan and Collider, and slightly older acts like Buried Inside. Alaskan are masters of creating sorrowful, atmospheric music that draws comparisons to Cult of Luna and Isis. The heavy low-end and pounding drums drive the walls of reverb that they throw up around your heart. Every track on Despair, Erosion, Loss builds to a crescendo in the middle, dynamically dropping off to quiet moments of guitar or strings.

The band consists of Cory on bass and vocals, Gary on guitar and vocals, and Scotty on drums. They have figured out how to layer each instrument to create sounds that are much bigger than you would expect from a three piece. The riffs are simple but the songwriting is superb. Each song stands on its own; put together Alaskan has created a breathtaking 37 minute journey.

The second track, ‘Fiend’, absolutely guts you until the 4:16 mark when it falls away to a sweet, sorrowful moment of haunting quiet that builds into a heart-wrenching ending. ‘Inferno’ drifts into an off-tempo interlude and then lifts you back up to a despairing plateau. A moving string section appears during the middle of ‘Guiltless’ that escorts you to the end of the track, working in and out of the bass, drums, and vocals to create layers of feeling, leaving you with spent feedback at the end. The album wraps up with ‘Eternal’. The title is fitting, as that’s exactly how you feel when the last note sounds and the guitar slowly fades away.

The production on Despair, Erosion, Loss is stunning. Each note of each instrumental piece is clear and crisp, even through the atmospheric pressure that your ears are put through. Topon Das from Fuck the Facts produced this album. He’s also done work for Biipiigwan and Lauderdale, among others. The music and vocals on Despair, Erosion, Loss are perfectly layered. Every single moment of fragile noise and every crushing wave of monumental sound is crystal. Each year there are a handful of albums that are absolutely perfectly produced; this is one of them.

Despair, Erosion, Loss is a harrowing, intense musical expedition. Each moment, each note, each riff on the record pushes and pulls you between chaotic anger and breakdown sobbing in the corner. From the songwriting, to the instrumentation and vocals, all the way to the production and mastering, this album truly is a work of art.

You know what? There is psych, then there is heavy psych. There is the stuff that drones, there is the stuff that is lost in a LSD haze and then there is heavy psych. There is a band who play heavy psych and they are one of the best bands you will ever hear. That band is Black Rainbows and they play heavy fuckin' psych...the sort that literally blows your mind.

Alright, let's not get carried away. After all, we have been here before with MC5, Blue Cheer, Hawkwind, even Fuzz. The music is hardly original but that's not the point. When you have music this good, who cares whether it's original or not. This is music to get your head down to, this is rock and roll as Lemmy may say.

So we have blast off with 'Holy Moon', which builds on a motorik Hawkwind riff with its disembodied voice sample filling us in on space launches and the like as the music careens ever so vastly towards the centre of the moon. Yes, the moon, we're not going to the sun here, we're heading to space.

'Monster of the Highway' brings us back down for some dirty rock and roll as the spirit of Blue Cheer is given a fine rebirth and we reach for our hoary old denims and leathers and rev up that Harley or Triumph. Biker music for acid takers, this is one hell of a ride. Just be careful with that acid though as 'Chakra Temple' is quite simply mindblowing without any drugs. A transcendent, undulating riff that never seems to end, it channels the oriental without ever falling into pastiche and displays a vibrant heartbeat to Black Rainbows' music. These are musicians with the confidence to try something like this and not fear anything.

'The Hunter' and 'If I Was A Bird' continue in this vein providing some fast relief before the epic closer 'Black To Comm'. Now, there are album endings and then there is this masterpiece. Its twelve minutes take in everything that has gone before from greasy biker rock, tripped out solos, krautrock, it's the 60's and 70's all rolled into a ball and spat right back at you. Its final edict is to leave you dancing alone by yourself as the impact refuses to wear off long after the song has ended. It is brilliant.

So yes, Black Rainbows are heavy psych and they are also absolutely brilliant. This album is a perfect slice of what they are all about and in a year which is throwing up surprise after surprise, they may just take the trophy at the end. This is an album you will have on repeat for a long time coming and you will still not tire of it. If you like psych and rock and roll then this album is pretty much perfect. Enjoy and spread the word.

There’s something askew about Whitby Bay. Their logo seems to be just right for a black and white, dimly-lit forest scene, and yet it is featured next to a cartoonish wax figure of Vlad Tepes as if he lost his way and found himself out of place in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. There is something undeniably off-center with the music too, of course, and on their debut single Unextinguishable Candle they ride the tension between a band that clearly got all As on their black metal homework, but is just as content to explode the whole scene with unorthodox mayhem.

With the track, 'Unextinguishable Candle', Whitby Bay makes their way fast and loose through a primal, blasting beat as guitars chug along to the properly demented vocals. The checks are all in the right boxes, although the song breaks itself up at first into strange stop-start rhythms that would throw any traditional black metaller into catalepsy. When you note that the band worked with Weasel Walter (of The Flying Luttenbachers fame) and cite the blues-perverting art psychos Harry Pussy as an influence alongside Ulver - it begins to make a lot of sense. It is possible to be reverent and irreverent at the same time.

As flip-side 'Black Cape' stomps into its climax, you’ll be glad to hear that you can indeed learn the black metal formula and break it in some really satisfying ways. The track is always just on the cusp of becoming a joke, and yet it’s also so undeniably crunchy and malevolent as to satisfy the reptilian part of the brain of any open-minded headbanger. It’s hard to pinpoint where the band is coming from, how far in their cheek do they keep their tongues, and that’s part of what makes it such a delicious puzzle of a track. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for the full length.

Peru's Cobra were formed in 2005 and on To Hell, their second release, they play a mix of classic NWOBHM metal ('Rough Riders') with a dash of speed ('Beware My Wrath') and a sprinkling of US style power metal. Firstly, there is absolutely nothing original about Cobra. The songs on To Hell sound like they could have been written by Iron Maiden for the Killers album. The look of band is circa 1983. The production values displayed on this record are only marginally better than you would find on a metal album released by an independent label in the mid-1980s. Even the name of the band isn't all that original. So then is this album terrible? No, it’s completely brilliant! What the lads from Cobra have managed to do is make To Hell feel like a re-release of long forgotten gem. They capture the look, sound, style (and probably smell) of the most brilliant era of heavy metal and bring it bang up to date.

Every track is excellent on this no frills, straightforward, metal album. There are absolutely no pretensions or attempts made at progressive meanderings at all. The galloping riffs, the twin guitars, the metal “help my crotch is on fire” high pitch screams from Harry “El Sucio”, Augusto Morales Steve Harris-like chugging bass, the galloping riffs and pounding drums all go to make one hell of a release. In fact I’d go so far to say that this is in my top five albums of 2014 so far.

It’s beyond me why more bands don’t actually play real heavy metal; I mean traditional heavy metal where the listener is treated to excellent vocals, raw power and amazing guitars. Sure there’s a time and place for other sub-genres and incoherent bellowing but there is a lack of bands who want to emulate the masters of yesteryear.

So in summary, To Hell showcases some quality old school metal and I truly hope they find a bigger audience with this release. And let’s hope that more bands start playing this type of authentic, honest and naturally heavy metal too!

John McClure fancies himself as a bit of a social commentator. His band, Reverend and the Makers, named their debut album bluntly as The State of Things; by album three McClure was still reaching out to those “stuck up into the 9 to 5” and he’s even on TWITTER. Get this: a social commentator that tells things the way they are! A social commentator with four top 20 albums! A social commentator who loves ‘avin it large on a Friday! A social commentator who is ThirtyTwo! A social commentator I’ve grown fucking tired of.

Between you, me and everyone else, I despised the last album they put out. Hated its guts. If John McClure wanted his band to sound like an electro-pop group without a clue between them, he got it bang on. And I mean really bang on. Bulls-fucking-eye: McClure pulled off the most inarticulate impression of Paul Weller possible as his band churned out disposable “anthem” instrumentals behind him. The result? A big load of Nope. Saying the word “Bassline” four times is not a chorus. Over-produced, synthetic, electronics is not good club music. It’s just not. Nope. My entire experience of that album was drowning in Nope.

So why am I here for album four? Because I honestly hoped that if McClure dropped that sneering, whining persona of his, there might be an upward curve on the horizon. And by god, there is! Believe it or not, the tired rhetoric which has plagued McClure’s work recently has evaporated almost completely. Bloody rejoice - he’s sort of accepted his place in the world a little bit! Give him a gold star for his first ever experience of self-awareness. I didn’t hear the phrase “9 to 5” once on ThirtyTwo, so that alone is progress for me. But wait, what’s that? Oh great, one track in and McClure refers to the clitoris as a “detonator”. The sound of laughter erupts from my mouth. He wants to take a girl somewhere and set off her detonator. Lovely. Is ThirtyTwo going to be an entire album of John McClure’s sperm leaking through my headphones? Oh god. Nope. More Nope. Please, John, give me the “b-b-b-basslines” and talk to me some more about that thing Paul Weller told everyone else thirty years ago. I take it all back. I’m almost sorry.

What’s worse is that McClure still can’t use metaphors properly, so when he refers to that girl’s clitoris as a “detonator” in the opening track, it’s just plain fucking creepy. McClure is 32 - the album name tells us so because he’s subtle like that - and he’s calling a clitoris a detonator. Let that sink in. Line up, ladies. Ladies? No ladies? Oh, just one Lady? Oh, no, you’re gone too.

And further into this whirlwind of disappointing sex is ‘I Spy’, which is yet another platform for John McClure’s all too palpable ineptitude with the usage of metaphors. Bad Pulp vibes all over the place. I’m pretty sure we’re spoken to by McClure while he’s on all fours at the feet of a so-called “pussycat” in a dominatrix costume. For god’s sake. My skin really isn’t crawling at all, John. Thanks for that.

Thankfully, for everyone’s sakes, McClure drops the most disturbing act of 2014 so far for the ska-tinged ‘The Devil’s Radio’. And you know what, McClure’s metaphors improve a smidge, but only a smidge. “Gossip is the Devil’s radio” apparently. Oh, and gossip takes place in lots of places apparently. John’s temporarily back on the whole social commentary thing here. The worst thing about McClure’s social commentary is that he thinks talking about really unimportant and relatively harmless topics is interesting. By dropping the desire to be a beacon of representation for the working class public, John McClure has exposed a crippling fact: he’s a boring fuck. Gossip at the school playground is not the best topic McClure could have gone for here, let’s be honest. It’s gossip. In other words: harmless shit made to fill pages of shit magazines made to fill the tables in waiting rooms. And, John, if you care enough about inane gossip to write a whole song about it, at least justify your decision with some power. Don’t just whine through your nose for 8 bars and call it a refrain – you made that mistake last time. Thankfully, ‘The Devil’s Radio’ is the last time we hear that social commentator speak, and we enter the realm of John McClure’s Songs About Nothing. Like Radio 2 on a Sunday lunch time, but with beer and pills. At least it’s better than having his sperm injected into my brain.

And that’s just the problem with the entire album: it doesn’t do anything. It tries hard to stay between the lines of accessibility and appeal that it actually becomes frozen there, like some homogeneous, sickly gloop that can’t move its arms. Seriously, a huge shout out to Reverend and the Makers for making an album that’s managed to be more boring and inoffensive than Susan Boyle’s cover album thingy. This problem really comes to a head on the ironically titled ‘Happy Song’: there’s an instrumental plucked from the back end of a Lily Allen album and McClure’s whining the word “Why” for a second time – it’s out of the right ear before the left ear has processed it. But for the laughter-inducing ‘Detonator’ and the downright disturbing ‘I Spy’, this album got next to no reaction out of me. Not even the tap of a foot. There are five whole brains in Reverend and the Makers and not one of them managed to interest me more than once in about 40 minutes. Five whole people with lives, beliefs, dreams, hopes, tragedies and personal histories to draw from couldn’t make me share their desires. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s just upsetting.

Actually, I may have to row back all the way to the boathouse on that, just. ‘Nostalgia’ is earnest in its message – John wants the past back - but the imagery is simply all wrong. You see, another problem I have is that not one track on this album sounds like five people were involved. The instrumentals are so fucking thin: they’re as robotic as Kraftwerk’s drum tracking on The Man Machine but without the minimal, pioneering edge, and they’re sucked of all life by whoever’s been put in charge of the post-production. If you want to tell everyone you’re yearning for the past then give us a soppy chord with a cement mixer full of reverb poured on it, or at the very least gives us a clip of a crying baby. Don’t open the track up like you’re strutting down the side of the street like a Liam Gallagher parody (because we already know you are one, John).

Okay, okay. Some positives and redeeming features before I go. Don’t want to sound like even more of a prick now, do I? ‘Time’ is the standout. No question. John’s desires to create “anthems” the world can dance around to are half-realised here. “Don’t you wanna go outside in the sunshine sometimes?” Yeah, John, I do. I’ve got a Vitamin D deficiency that needs sorting. Jesus, you’ve actually got me interested in this. The Reverend has a sense of conviction this time, and I like it. ‘Time’ actually has a powerful stomp. Granted, it’s still a bit naff, with most of the individual sections continually fighting against being drowned in yet another mixing mess, but an album full of ‘Time’ would have more than sufficed.

Because of ‘Time’ alone, ThirtyTwo is only a mini-disaster. A burglary and not a murder. It wasn’t @Revernd_Makers either. John is no longer obsessed with being the peoples’ champion. I’ve gone from spitting acid to simply being a little bit bored. It’s impossible for me to truly hate the album because of how much it kills my passion for all things.

So, in a way, you have to hand it to Reverend and the Makers, they sure know how to make albums which slowly blend into uneventful mulch. It’s odd really; even when McClure steps down from his soapbox he always strikes me as a man with an opinion on something. But other than his feelings about inane gossip and other peoples’ relationships (‘Your Girl’) I’m not sure what McClure really wanted to say on ThirtyTwo. Maybe he just struggles to articulate his feelings in more than 140 characters nowadays? Twitter’s a dangerous thing, you know.

It’s perplexing, given the discographies of those involved, and the strength of previous offerings, that Twilight’s third, and final, album isn’t being more hotly anticipated as a holy offering from Satan himself. Twilight has featured an ever changing, but undeniably impressive, cast of American extreme metal figureheads from its inception. Aaron Turner (Isis/Old Man Gloom), Blake Judd (Nachtmystium) and Scott Conner (Xasthur) have all previously been members of the group and, even after their departures over the years, the group still boasts Sanford Parker (Minsk/Nachtmystium), Imperial (Krieg), Stavros Giannopolous (The Atlas Moth) and Wrest (Leviathan/Lurker of Chalice) amongst its ranks.

This quartet are joined, on III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb, by none other than Sonic Youth legend Thurston Moore, which is surprising in the sense that Moore has no extreme metal pedigree as a player, but less so in that he has long harboured a strong interest in the murky black metal underground. Predictably it seems that Moore’s engagement with the group has prompted a good deal of internet messageboard dissent; no doubt because being a member of one of the best, and most significant, experimental rock groups of all time isn’t very kvlt.

What listeners should soon come to realise, however, is that Moore’s involvement makes perfect sense for a group like Twilight. Whilst their self-titled debut was a more straightforward USBM affair, 2010’s Monument to Time End was a record clearly touched by music outside the black metal sphere, with clear influences from the realms of doom, post-rock and sludge. III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb is more concise than its predecessor, continuing for just over forty minutes in comparison to an hour, but its bleeding together of Twilight’s influences from inside and outside black metal circles is more developed than before.

It’s certainly a treat to here some trademark Moore guitar strangulation opening the record on ‘Lungs’, a track which cements the fact that Twilight have experimentation on their mind. It’s a savage start to the album, moving at breakneck pace into the pounding ‘Oh Wretched Son’, a track which features some of the most thunderous drumming that Wrest has yet committed to record. Things get even more intense on ‘Swarming Funeral Mass’, which features subtle industrial elements, assumedly courtesy of Parker, fresh from his involvement in industrial metal collective Corrections House.

The only problem with III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb, in effect, is that the quintet may be guilty of trying to stuff a few too many ideas into this final musical statement of theirs. The disorientating impact of the record as a whole is emphasised most clearly by closer ‘Below Lights’, which ends up careering through territory not a million miles away from the chaos driven noise of legendary post-industrial noise groups such as Skullflower and Wolf Eyes.

Despite the decidedly loose feel to proceedings it would, however, be churlish to criticise Twilight too harshly for their brazen ambition. None of these musicians have ever been known to sit too long on their laurels, and thus it would have been disappointing if III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb saw them sit back and deliver something substandard in that respect. Ultimately, whilst the scenester kvlt rating of Twilight will always remain in doubt, the quality and depth of their music will not.

Whilst worlds turn and empires crumble, it seems that to the Black Lips nothing much has changed since last time they graced us with their presence and once again they bring their 1950's style chic rock back to us for some more fun and frolics. Add in a tinge of switchblade danger and what do you get? Well, an album that falls short on pretty much every part...a slight disappointment and a confusing one too.

Maybe its an unwillingness to change or they feel that a successful formula is enough to keep on trucking but as the opening chords of the 'Tax Man' inspired 'Drive By Buddy' ring out we can fall into a happy moment and enjoy what is a fine song. Throw in a superb down-tuned guitar solo which is accentuated by some fantastic 1950's riffage and you can be certain that Black Lips know exactly what they are doing.

Unfortunately it all seems to fall apart very quick and although there is nothing inherently crap on this album, there seems to be a willingness to just let things go. 'Smiling' glides by on some nice harmonies but it all seems so lacklustre, albeit inoffensive enough, although there is nothing wrong at all with the early Stonesy blues rush of 'Make You Mine'. It just seems that there are not enough moments of taking risks which ultimately betray the album to a wet slap in the face.

'Funny' slows the pace and as such provides a welcome respite from the songs such as the frat rock of 'Dorner Party' or the plain awful 'Do The Vibrate' who's title probably tells you all you need to know. 'Boys In The Wood' stands out too with it's creepy Grinderman feel which is maybe a route the Lips might want to travel a bit more often.

The sleaziness of 'Dandelion Dust' is tempered by the pop of 'Waiting' but its still difficult to get rid of that feeling of being shortchanged. Maybe its the genre that Black Lips are stuck in which was never ripe for experimentation and we can suppose at the end of the day there are enough fans out there who will continue to buy this stuff. Lets hope that next time around Black Lips find a bit more humph in their whistle and bring us an album we all know they can do. Fun in parts but ultimately a let-down.

Check out BUIS' website and aside from some rather colourful background there is scant information apart from a singular declaration. This band declare to be an omnipresent, all permeating resonance of the transdimensional tunnel...or in other words, a four piece stoner/doom band from the Netherlands.

This short burst of literary prowess sums up the music of BUIS completely and all aspersions of pretentiousness should be thrown aside as what we truly have is some rather superior metal played out over four tracks, each of excellent vintage.

Opener 'Shadows in the Glass' soaks itself in doom and brings it's turgid, fuzz filled riff to the fore as belched out vocals dissolve the mood even further. It's grim and deep but a perfect opener in some ways for a band who actually have a lot more under their hood.

After bringing you down with all the doom, BUIS then work on bringing you back up with 'Moloch'. Nothing too quick though and although we are much more upbeat, there is still a large element of fuzz riff in the background. This is a forewarner for what BUIS have up their sleeve though as the music starts to spread out into much more progressive territory.

The tolling guitar of 'Pitch' signals a much cleaner sound as we enter a sound which thrives on atmosphere rather than full on riffage. We can almost taste a dark, folk sound here as an inner progressive rock sound is channelled. When the riff does come its in the manner of something much more magnificent than just another grinding hammer to the head. Slow and considered, it haunts your dreams.

This is then matched by the superb 'Stuck in Three Thousand', which manages to throw in elements of hardcore punk into the stew as we finish on a much more upbeat high. Shades of nu-metal threaten to collapse the whole song but in justice to BUIS, they know exactly when to pull it back to a much more classic sound. hardcore punk doom may not be a genre that popular at the moment but it may just work.

There is little wrong with this 4 track EP apart from the fact that there isn't enough of it. There is more variation on here than your average metal album and bodes well for the band. Where they go next will be interesting and how they may approach an album remains to be seen. BUIS have major promise and will be a name bandied around the metal corner for a long time yet.

A double split 7” release Legendes from Sepulchral Productions is shared between four of the finest exponents of Quebecois black metal, each taking inspiration from a different creature or tale from the Francophone province’s mythical heritage.

Things kick off with a furiously-paced epic, named after the Wendigo, a ravenous, cannibalistic spirit of Algonquin mythology. Forteresse employ their signature sound of rattling drums and raging tremolo-picking that just manage to keep a hectic, blurred rhythm together but threaten to explode into madness, while keyboards sail over the top to provide a grandiose counterpart to the frantic, galloping chaos kept up for all of the first six-and-a-half minute. There’s room to take a breath just once, halfway through, before the tornado rips things up again with even greater force. There’s some nice touches, like the submerged zombie-horde vocals in the latter half of the track, and some creative drum splashes to animate the already breakneck rhythm, then even further amplified by the last part of the keyboard riff, which, already high, launches off up the scale to heighten the energetic drama.

The opening of Chasse-Galerie’s side, ‘Le Bois des Belles’, has a more brooding introduction by comparison, though is soon thundering along in a similar fashion, although approached more through harmonic and structural complexity than all-out fury. Marauding basslines run all over the lower territories, out in front of the haughty guitar line like roving dogs before mounted huntsmen, proving an equal match for Forteresse’s aggressive creature despite the slightly slower pace. In the final section of the song, the guitar leads break out into a twin attack tinged with a hint of folk melodies, before being rejoined by the wandering, bass and rasping but still anthemic vocals.

Next up is Monarque, who take things even further northwards into bleak landscapes with a biting wash of hissing guitar that howls across the front of the track like an icy wind, soon to be joined by vocal shrieks and growls which build up into an uncompromisingly harsh assault. Named ‘La Griffe du Diable’, the Devil’s Claw, the pummeling backbeat rhythm falters halfway through, stumbling in the snow as if having awoken something even more horrifying than expected, before again finding its feet and joining forces with the demon to wreak combined havoc.

Finally, (thankfully), Csjethe provide a step down in pace from what has gone before, at least at first. ‘Murmures Nocturnes’ sets a scene imperiously, with a wash of fuzzed chords which are then sparked to life with a single cymbal ting signalling the return of the thunder. There are a couple of sections where the force is ratcheted up by a see-sawing two note riff used in different ways, before the second half of the track brings in a final atmospheric riff to match the violent grandeur of the previous songs, and to close out the uninterrupted high quality of the release.

It’s a shame that details aren’t provided about the “legends” that form the basis of each track (perhaps they are in the physical release), since the only one easily figured out from the title is the flesh-eating Wendigo. That said, even without the backstory, a strong kindred spirit runs through the whole release, testament to the seemingly close-knit nature of black metal in and around Montreal, Trois-Rivières et al. Where some 7” releases split between just two bands can seem disjointed, here the two records are nicely arranged, with the first two sides providing a faster, vicious stab while the third and fourth give the listener a slightly more expansive, droney pounding. The four bands are united by theme and commitment to relentlessly overpowering black metal, making this an invigorating collection of some of Quebec’s finest. Highly recommended.

When presented with an album which acts as an accompaniment to a role playing game the immediate thought is what the hell have they got to offer here? In some sort of stereotypical viewpoint you might immediately think of really bad heavy metal music and a cursory glance at the song titles and band names do nothing to allay this fear.

So what in the hell has happened here? Basically what we have are 16 songs of some of the best heavy psych that you will ever hear and all from bands who were ploughing their trade back in the 70's but never got anywhere. Each song represents one of the few releases the bands did and were only released in limited quantities (sometimes at only 500 copies) at a regional level.

Taking in a sub-scene of Sabbath/Zeppelin acolytes, these are bands who are completely forgotten today apart from by hardcore record collectors and many of these songs go for big bucks on the collectors market. Let us be grateful then that Numero Records have had the foresight to compile them and give them to us. This may well be one of the most important releases ever and can sit proudly with the Nuggets compilations as providing a snapshot of an era long gone.

So what of the music? Well, there is an awful lot to enjoy here and whilst the basic premise is the blues/stoner sound of Sabbath, there is variety and talent which belies the unknown nature of the bands. A strong independent streak runs through such bands as Wrath, Arrogance, Stone Axe and Wizard as they create tumultuous slabs of noise that encompass raw garage, heavy metal and psych.

There is not much point selecting highlights although Air's 'Twelve O' Clock Satanial', Junction's 'Sorcerer' and Medusa's 'Black Wizard' most readily come to mind. The latter being and extended jam with some of the most fantastic drumming and bass work you will ever hear. It's one to lose your mind to as the circling jams intertwine through your soul.

The upshot of all this is that after hearing all these songs you have an increasing urge to find out more. Numero's website provides fascinating bio's on all the bands and you sort of feel for them in a way. It's a microcosm of a scene which is reflected to a wider one and has special pertinance with todays' scene which has very similar aspects. These bands may be long gone but at least now there music can live on forever with a while new audience. Essential listening.

Napalm Nights has been seven years in the making. The follow-up to Nocturnal Breed’s Fields of Rot, a critical darling at the time (2007), and a highly anticipated album as well. It is interesting to me when a band takes so long to release a new album. I get that the album making process as well as touring demands etc… can take a toll on a band and a rest is usually required. But a seven year rest is odd even for the hardest working bands in the business. The real question at hand is was the seven year hiatus worth it and have Nocturnal Breed kept the magic that followed their previous release? The answer: not really.

Nocturnal Breed have released an ambitious album and they should be given credit for that. But at 64 minutes it is a trying album to get all of the way through and to be quite honest the album itself is pretty boring. Sure there are some highlights in the songs 'The Devil Swept the Ruins', 'Cursed Beyond Recognition', and 'Dragging The Priests', but for the most part the rest of the album just trudges along and is a challenge to get through. I have had this album for review for a while and I have listened to it several times over the past few months but no matter how many times I listened to it the only thing that stood out to me was that most of the songs on this album are boring and repetitive with no real uniqueness to them. I get that when you are working in a genre like thrash the use of the fast chugging rhythm and riffs of the genre are necessary however; a band does have the option to take some liberties and maybe create a bit of variance in what the music is doing. Listening to chug, chug, chug, chug for 64 minutes can become pretty draining on a listener.

A while ago I wrote on my own blog that that I worried that metal music has used up all of the unique riffs over the last 30 years and there was nothing unique for bands to try anymore. That no matter how much a band tries to differentiate from one another they all wind up recycling the same riffs over and over again. For the most part I have been proven wrong. There are plenty of unique bands out there bringing stirring and original music but Nocturnal Breed is not one of them, at least not on this album. As I listened I found that with each song I listened to I felt I had heard it before. Hell, the song 'Under the Whip' has a riff running through it that is straight out of Motley Crue’s 'Looks that Kill'. When this song started I started singing “Now listen up/She's razor sharp/If she don't get her way/She'll slice you apart” I am pretty sure that this association should NEVER happen.

With a lack of highlights and solid songs on this album it is tough for me to recommend you spend your hard earned money on Napalm Nights. With the exception of one or two songs this album is a chore to get through and the payoff isn’t significant enough to waste that time. I wish I could have formed a different opinion but the earworm you get from listening to this album shouldn’t be of another band's song.

Until later, Peace!

I always love to receive an album to review from Fluttery Records, a “bright home of ambient, modern classical and post-rock” music. The latest offer from the "United Nations of Fluttery Records" is the split EP between the post-rockers Neko Nine and the Japanese band The Creator Of.

Meet The Forest – this is the title of the four track EP – is so damn good and it will blow your mind from the very first minute. I didn't expect so much goodness and I was curious to get to know how two bands like Neko Nine and The Creator Of could sound together considering their different style.

This EP consists of two tracks from Neko Nine and two from The Creator Of creating a collection that is very brilliant. In about 25 minutes the two bands involved manage to pack more than several bands can do in a full length album. I find their quality-control very strong, their attention to details definitely notable and they show the unique results of the experimentation to explore new possibilities of post-rock sounds.

Neko Nine is a four-piece band from Yaroslavl, Russian Federation, that plays, as they say, “just beautiful music, sometimes aggressive, sometimes meditative”. Their music style is post-rock and post-metal;  experimental in general. If you don't know them yet, start listening to the album Summer that is very emotional and it's rather post-metal than post-rock. The Creator Of is a quintet from Tokyo, Japan, and together these guys cover a wide range of music genre, from grunge to post-rock, from punk to hardcore, from heavy metal to stoner to doom to psychedelic. In practice they never stop experimenting to deliver a mix of sounds that is really interesting. Light is a great album to get to know them closer.

The melting pot between these two bands is Meet The Forest and diving into it is like walking in a deep forest where there's a lot of light, yes, but also darkness and foggy meditative atmospheres together with large spaces under the brightest sun. It's like having fall, winter and spring seasons mixed together in wonderful composition. 

The EP starts in Japan with 'Black Star (Alt Mix)' and I don't remember I've heard so many albums kick-off like this one. There is so much to listen to: you focus on one instrument and you hear some cool music, and then focus on another instrument and it shimmers into something slightly different. This track is a work of art!

The following 'Acoustic' is not acoustic at all. It comes from the same band but it's completely different proving the versatility of these Japanese guys.  Sometimes the sound is even ethnic.There's a little more depth and it recalls the style of Cloudkicker in its first half and the sound of Tool band in its final part. This song is great ride across the valleys of post-rock, math rock and space rock. The Creator Of is a band that deserves our attention.

'Fireworks Up There' opens up the Russian side of the EP and it's where the album achieves its peak. This track is really a firework : it's cinematic, it's full of light and somewhere it's also heavy, it's filled with pure energetic guitar sound. Neko Nine delivers also the closing track title 'Snowflakes Gone Grey' where the Russian guys use a flute that is really enchanting. It's sound completes the overall composition like the final brush of paint that gives to the paint that nuance that it otherwise wouldn't have. It gives that touch that makes the difference. The song changes towards the end where heavy guitars make it deeper before living the stage to nice handclaps and echoing chorus that seems to celebrate the end of a really good tune.

From the cover art, to the album title, to the song title, to the atmosphere, to the measured anxious melodies mixed with harsh guitar sound of the Japanese band, to the eclectic style and the rock drums which sometimes become folk of the Russian band, Meet The Forest is the proof of a great collaboration.

Highly recommended!

Tracklist:
1. The Creator Of - Black Star (alt mix)
2. The Creator Of - Acoustic (2013 mix)
3. Neko Nine - Fireworks up there
4. Neko Nine - Snowflakes gone grey

HOLY SHIT!!! Where did these guys come from? They’ve never been on my doom radar before and from out of left field they just knocked me out completely. When my Ech(((o)))es and Dust editor-in-chief Dan suggested I should listen to this new release by Monolord, I decided to give it a go and I’m glad I did. As I’m typing this I’m on my third straight listen. And by the end of this week I will be on my tenth listen probably.

So, what made me get blown away so much? On paper this is another heavy doom release, and didn’t we already have some brilliant releases by the likes of Conan, Slomatics and Coltsblood this year? Well, what Monolord manages and the other heavy doom bands don’t, is to use similar heavy low-end rumbling fuzz, whilst adding a huge layer of psychedelic space rock to it, creating a mix of trippy heaviness that is absolutely mindblowing.

Empress Rising is the band’s first full-length release and consists of “only” 5 songs, though the album clocks in an impressive length of over 45 minutes. First track is the title track, which is also the longest track on the album, being just over 12 minutes in length. And the album couldn’t start better. After a gentle opener this track just builds up on the fuzz and heavy low-end riffing and slowly introduces more and more elements to the music. Thomas Jäger’s vocals are very good and perhaps initially a bit surprising on first listen. So many doom bands I’ve listened to lately employ the more heavier grunting or more shouting vocal style, while Jäger’s vocals are very spacey, nicely produced by the use of some echoey effects. It’s giving the music a very hypnotic effect.

Second track ‘Audhumbla’ reaches another low for me. A low in deep heavy fuzz that is. This is really good stuff and the whole track is a beautiful heavy instrumental voyage taking you straight into space. The bass is amazingly clear throughout the record, just sitting on the edge of overpowering the sound in your speakers, and ‘Harbinger of Death’ opens with this amazingly low bass. The vocals are back again, sounding spacey and echoey in in the heavy wall of sound. The musical interplay is brilliant and midway through this track it’s reaching a climax of amazing riffing and jamming. Jäger (also on guitar), Esben Willems on drums and Mika Häkki on bass really complement each other and everything they produce here sounds very natural.

The rest of the album consist of the tracks ‘Icon’ and ‘Watchers of The Waste’, continuing on the same winning formula, creating a sinister atmosphere as well, especially in some of the riffs on ‘Icon’. This album would be best listened to in a very dark room, whilst burning some incense and drinking a nice glass of single malt whisky and perhaps smoking one of those ‘special’ cigarettes. It would certainly create an amazing trip!

I love music, I love heavy doom and what I love most of all is getting blown away by a band with a release I had never heard before and Monolord just did that to me. It is an impressive feat considering the vast output of amazing heavy music that gets released these days. There is only one minor criticism, I wish Empress Rising was even longer than that it already is. Some of the jamming is so good that I just want more of it!

Empress Rising will be released on April 1st through EasyRider Records on various lovely vinyl pressings.

A collaboration between legendary former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and the, equally legendary - at least to those familiar with his work, sound manipulator Helge Sten shouldn’t really come as too much of a surprise. Jones has collaborated live with Supersilent, the ever-shifting Norwegian avant-garde jazz collective that Sten is a crucial part of, and has made no secret of his interest in more experimentally minded music over the years. 

Assumedly his interest in Supersilent has also led to, or developed alongside, an appreciation of Sten’s solo works under the Deathprod moniker. Certainly Minibus Pimps shares certain common ground with the music of Deathprod, although Cloud to Ground lacks much of that project’s darkness in favour of a more soothing approach. There are shades of 70s Deutsche elektronische musik, and especially the mid-period works of Tangerine Dream, all over this four track effort. Then again, Jones has apparently been experimenting with computer music since that time, so this should not be such a surprise. 

Opener ‘Black Aurora, Pt. 1-4’ is the real highlight here, with bubbling synth melting into widescreen drones and crystalline soundscapes. The track’s sixteen minute run time gives it a more expansive air than the three shorter tracks that follow, enabling Eno-esque drapes of ambience to fully accentuate their presence before slipping into the ether. The three tracks that follow come across as mere sketches in comparison, but each has its own merits, providing a seamless collation of Deathprod’s icy dark ambience with retro electronic aural sculpting. 

Ultimately, the flaw with Cloud to Ground is that, for listeners familiar with this style of music, it doesn’t offer anything particularly new or unique. Perhaps Deathprod fans may well find themselves wishing that Sten had finally produced a new solo record to follow up the classic Morals & Dogma, which is now a whole decade old, instead. There’s always the hope that some Led Zeppelin fans may check out Minibus Pimps thanks to the involvement of Jones, and they may well be blown away by what they hear. For ambient music aficionados, however, this is solid without being spectacular.