I remember exactly how this album fell into my hands. Scrolling the list of the album to be reviewed, the title catch my attention and so it happened that I started listening to it.

Very often in music, we forget how incredibly powerful space can be. There are some albums where each song is full of music and noise and, sometimes, those albums turn out absolutely wonderful. But there are albums with so much space to move around and, when they appear, they illuminate. This is the case of Chantal Acda and her début album Let Your Hands Be My Guide.

I have to admit that I didn’t know who she was before picking up her album and just after reading about her previous works I discovered that in reality I knew her, even if not directly. And I’m sure that many of you will found themselves with the same discovery. Before debuting with her solo album, Chantal Acda has worked under the Sleepingdog moniker since 2006 and she has released three albums. In particular for the realization of the last one she worked closely with Adam Wiltzie that is member of both Stars of the Lid and A Winged Victory for the Sullen – two bands I like a lot. After playing with other artists she gave to light her first solo record whom players are really unconventional: Chantal Acda, of course, the German pianist and producer Nils Frahm, the multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick, the extraordinaire cellist Gyda Valtysdottir from the Icelandic band Múm and the composer Shahzad Ismaily.

The outcome of this excellent premises is Let Your Hands Be My Guide, a wonderful album where the five musicians have been able to create soft mood and great peace of mind.

Let Your Hands Be My Guide is a set of nine songs that in almost 45 minutes will make you experience an engaging and enjoyable journey. This album’s main tags are passion, that is the passion that the Belgian artist expresses in each single note, and warm because the warmth coming from her lovely voice is really unique. Let Your Hands Be My Guide is so beautifully crafted that seems that Chantal Acda has fallen in love with all of the possibilities offered by blending instrumental textures like paint on a canvas.

Beautiful album-opener ‘Jason’ is a romantic lullaby that conquered me at the first listening. As soon as it begins you feel its fragile melody and somewhat reflective.It ends with the sweetest chord you will ever hear.

I really like the third track of the album. ‘My Night’ has a melancholic vein, somewhere it’s a sad vein, that leaves me speechless. The most powerful instrument here is definitely her voice. ‘My Night’ is a matter of intimacy, it’s not a simple song.

The mood of the album changes a bit with ‘Arms Up High’ where the collaboration of Nils Frahm and Peter Broderick is notable. It’s again a soft song but joyful and inspiring. The beautiful arpeggio at the beginning of the song is moving and the vocals of Chantal and Peter together are really a gift to our souls. I think that these artists have done something unique here.

'Lost' is a deep drone song that leads us into 'Backdrops', the longest track of the album. In almost eight minutes the the alternation between space and guitar chords create an unbelievable atmosphere. The vocals themselves seem suspended. This is the space I was talking about. This is the space that let you interact with what is happening.

'Wintercoat' is a lovely piano piece that is perfect for a rainy day, when you just want to lay down and get lost in a beautiful sound. 'We Must Hold On' conclude the intimate performance of Let Your Hands Be My Guide and this song is so joyful that plays the role to celebrate the whole album.

There's no doubt that the this music is deep and moving. It arrives directly in your heart and immediately conquers you. If the guest artists have added intimacy and a different tone here and here throughout the album, Chantal Acda has created an entire album of simplistic, beautiful, sometimes melancholic pieces. Let Your Hands Be My Guide is an album of beautiful breaks. Soothing pauses. Wonderful interludes.

Sleazy, violent, dirty and sexually charged, the music of Melbourne foursome Strangers From Now On falls somewhere in that murky area of not quite pub indie rock and not quite burlesque cabaret. At one moment it calls on the bluesy swagger of David Bowie's 'Jean Genie' in opener 'Midnight Town', but slowed right down to sound like 2:00am at The Pony (R.I.P.), while the next track, 'Ugly', borrows the metronomic undercurrent of 'Burrow' by Heirs. Yeah you'll find influences loud and clear as the bass walks hand in hand with the tom-heavy drums while guitar tracks wax and wane with confidence and measured exploration.

But it's the storytelling vocals with improvised delivery of Gabriel Santos that really reach in and grab your attention and emotions. Rather than warbling like so many thousands of poor fucks who think Mariah Carey and Beyonce were onto a good thing not singing actual notes (anyone see Jessica Mauboy at the ARIA's?), Santos uses grace notes, flourishes, and the beautiful tension and restraint in his soft voice to create a unique identity in a world of carbon-copy indie acts. And then there are the screams that provide the contrast that gives the songs their mood swings. The EP is in fact a re-release, and while the instruments were recorded pretty much live, the vocals were added after although the amount of emotion and energy in them suggests otherwise.

I asked guitarist Aidan Kelly what it did for a guitarist to have someone like Santos on vocals: “Well it taught me to be more expressive. One of the things about playing with Strangers is you do have to come up with more weird noises and expressive flourishes and stuff, and I don't think I'd be forced to do that without Gabby”.

The members of Strangers are a busy bunch, with drummer Miranda Holt also playing with The Lost Sunnies and The In The Out, bassist Dan Myles in When Warmth Crashes In and Kelly in Euphoriacs. As he explained, it's not just about having an outlet for other musical taste: “It's really important just to kind of keep your skills up as a musician and if you don't play much with different people, you can't properly progress.” It's also about making sure those other influences don't have too much impact on the band, especially as they all play a part in building the songs from their foundations through jamming; “You don't really want to be forcing your styles onto something that's working well.”

One of the great things about their four-track self-titled EP is that despite the broad influences and variety between songs, there's a clear identity. Then there's the healthy use of contrast, like Santos's angelic voice over the fuzzy, sludgy riffs in 'It's All So Beautiful', and the dynamics throughout. I asked Kelly if there was still hope in the noise wars but he felt it wasn't really the issue people have built it up to be and that there is plenty of dynamic music out there that people appreciate, especially when playing live.

The dark side of life is embraced in the band's songs through every facet - their composition, the playing, production and vocals all add levels of interest and beauty that happy music can't deliver. “It's what everyone really thinks inside really. We're not happy – may as well not pretend. You can't just deny that half of your existence”. The lyrics themselves are pretty dark and disturbing. Take 'Porajmos', which seems to be about one last fuck before being dragged off to be killed as part of the ethnic cleansing alluded to in the title. Was this a metaphor for life, or simply a story about two people? Like you, I'm going to have to use my imagination to work out what Santos is singing about as Kelly was giving nothing away, which is not a bad thing.

And what kind of animal is Strangers? I think I'll defer to a conversation on Twitter later that day:

StrangersFromNowOn: Got asked "if our music was an animal, what would it be" in an interview today. Took me off guard, said penguin.

Honey Badgers: penguins are way too polite. You're more that monkey using a frog to pleasure itself. Rape monkey.

StrangersFromNowOn: yeah and you guys are the frog #bandfeud

Honey Badgers: that's more like it. How do we go from here to Blur/Oasis? #bandfeud

StrangersFromNowOn: arrogant coke binges

Honey Badgers: your shout

The band has just finished recording their follow-up to the EP and they have a couple of dates coming up very soon. Check them out and decide if they're penguins or rape monkeys. I know what I think.

A quiet Sunday morning, cup of coffee, all was still. Time to review this joint 7” release (limited to 500 copies) between Dead Chemists Records and Witch Hunter Records featuring UK sludgemongers Iron Witch and grindcore berserkers The Atrocity Exhibit. This slab of pure audio carnage sees the bands vomiting out one track each of their own particular brand of melancholy wretchedness. Both around six minutes long the charred and desolate apocalyptic noisescapes combine with cruelly refracted feedback to make you question just what goes on in the claustrophobic and twisted minds of the musicians involved?

The guys have managed to create such a bone crushingly harrowing release that it transports you to a forgotten and forsaken planet ravaged by terrible visions made real. As soon as I started to listen then suddenly my Sunday morning became a very noisy doom filled affair indeed, the plants wilted in their pots and the cat ran and hid. ‘Her Cheating Heart’ starts proceedings and is effectively one very deliberate, colossal crunching riff which repetitively permeates the whole track with minimal variation. Down-tuned noise accompanied by harsh, shouted words which genuinely sounds like the vocalist is getting his crotch ironed by one of Lucifer’s evil minions, or similar - well, he certainly doesn't sound happy about life anyway. No guitar breaks to speak of until the last minute or so of the track; and these “breaks” are effectively what clinical depression sounds like when forced through a bank of faulty effects pedals.

Next up is The Atrocity Exhibit with ‘Throne of Bile’. I wondered if this would be a more cheery number? Hmmm….

After a spoken word introduction, accompanied by some screeching feedback which bellowed out of my speakers my mind was made-up; this was actually bleaker than the first song! This blackened number was  the sonic equivalent of the shadowy monsters that lived under your bed when you were a child. But in this case the monsters are horrifically real, will inhabit your nightmares and will ensure that you wet the bed until you’re at least in your mid-40s. Certainly the vocals sounded like Satan, in fact a very pissed off Satan say one which has just has his heating bill, inclusive of the price hikes. No real guitar solos here, just loosely structured noise. The tempo does vary somewhat around three-quarters of the way through but not in a happy, fun way. Rather it moves into another shattering riff designed to make your brain ooze out of your ears. After listening to this I needed to go and have a shower (with bleach) to decontaminate myself.

All in all these bands have combined to create a fatally sinister couple of songs which are specifically designed to stimulate distress in every sinew of your body, trigger an anxiety attack and then crush your very essence and soul. Make no bones about it this is one filthy bastard of a release, perhaps one of the ugliest 7" to make its way out of the UK scene this year. Bring a spare pair of underpants for the many brown notes. Nightmares guaranteed.

Forever.

From the heart of a musician with a “burning desire to fall in love with music again” comes Atlantic, the new installment from this wonderful project that goes under the name of The Echelon Effect.

If you visit the Bandcamp page of the artist you can read the following words: "We leave the south-west coast, into the Atlantic, heading westwards, dreaming of dry land. TO BE CONTINUED....."  Yes, it seems that the journey won’t finish here because Atlantic is the first part of a dual album that will be completed with Pacific. Atlantic has just been released meanwhile Pacific will come up some time in 2014.

If you don't know who or what The Echelon Effect is, you definitely have to dive into his music world and join me as I tell you about the David Walters’ s project . The Echelon Effect is exactly what I’ve just said: a musical project by David Walters from London who makes various and beautiful degrees of ambient and post-rock music.

I have listened to Atlantic again and again before reviewing it, even now meanwhile I’m writing, and I really enjoy it, as I did with the other David's albums. Being the first album of a double collection Atlantic is not supposed to be completed but I find it outstanding on its own. Icy landscapes of ambience, vast and inspiring melodies, deep and light alternations will make you think you’re standing at heaven’s doorstep.

One of the things I like of this album is the sense of the journey that the Londoner artist is able to transmit. Starting from the album titles – from Atlantic to Pacific – to the song titles to the dreaming atmospheres that bring us far away. And The Echelon Effect is great when it comes to atmospheric, calming presences by using reverbs, delays and swells throughout his music.

The album features also the important collaborations of Torsten Kinsella from God Is An Astronaut and Ciaran Morahan from Codes In The Clouds. The premises are great and I think it’s time to start our journey through Atlantic.

The album kicks off with an amazing melody that creates the right suspense. I love the sound beat of this intro and immediately after a shimmering guitar line pounces, as if the closing of the door opens access to a new world. ‘Minack’ and ‘As The Lights Fade Away’ together are a great way to start the album.

The first guest appearance arrives with ‘Hidden Rocks’ where Torsten Kinsella lends echoing vocals that make deeper and deeper an already intense sound. And it’s a deep joy.

The David’s work on atmospheres is evident in ‘Fallen’, maybe my favorite song from Atlantic. The ambience in it is both tense and reserved, as though deep emotions are being forcibly held back. The melancholic vein of this sound conquered me at the first listening. The multitude of sounds creates a warm uplifting atmosphere with its high background tones and distorted keys paving the way to a vertigo of emotions that makes this song very special.

The album proceeds following the same path of the first songs and the mood is not so different from the previous works of David Walter but the atmosphere in Atlantic are deeper and the whole album represents a step ahead in the artist’s music path. And I like where this dreaming, sometimes deep, sometimes syrupy and sometimes mysterious ambient is interrupted by field recordings creating a nice contrast between the dream and the reality, between sky and land. As happens in the best journeys.

And so I like the intro of ‘Dream Of Dry Land’ where the sound of heavy steps bring you in a beautiful green forest so dense that you can only imagine the color of the sky but you cannot see it. But this is not a dangerous walk at all and the sensation of freedom you fell here is immense.

The sunlight arrives with ‘Remember Sennen’ where the guitar of Ciaran Morahan gives the rhythm to your dance and makes me feel in the spring spirit.

As the album progresses, with its mix of guitar, synths and fitful percussion, a paradoxical mood and feel is established – desolate yet comforting, glacial yet warm, remote yet intimate. That’s why Atlantic, with its blend of ambient and post rock aesthetics, is a complete album that will bring you in a beautiful and emotional journey between landscapes and feelings.

I forgot: ‘Panama’ is a work of art!

Atlantic’ is currently available only in digital format on The Echelon Effect Bandcamp site.

“Blazing”, “The Next Level”, “Riff driven excellence”, “Cosmic melodies”, just some impressions that can be found in numerous reviews of the 2nd album Dead Roots Stirring (2011) from Boston-based Elder. So that already indicates that we have to deal with a very talented, young stoner-doom outfit here. Dead Roots Stirring was for me indeed a nice step further after their somewhat adrift debut Elder from 2009.

Now the power-trio is back with a live release recorded earlier this year at their stint on the famous Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands, which was their first time in Europe. For many visitors they were among the highlights of the festival so it was a wise step to use the recordings (mixed and mastered by Marcel van de Vondervoort) for a digital release on Bandcamp (available now as name your price download), but even a physical release (CD and LP) is to be expected in February 2014 through Burning World Records.

After listening to a lot of ‘music for the head’ lately (progressive rock, experimental and avant-garde music etc.) this is a very warm return to the physical body, experiencing the more earthlier energy of the deep, groovy and muddy stoner rock sound. Evidently, the focus of the gig was pointed to their most recent Dead Roots Stirring release featuring four out of five tracks. With the addition of one track from their 2012 Spires Burn/Release EP and one track (the awe-inspiring 'Riddle of Steel pt.1'), from their debut album, Live At Roadburn 2013 is more then just a great introduction for all those not already familiar with this band. This electrifying live set (you can almost feel the sweat coming of the walls!) has absolutely much more to offer than just being a kind of compilation.

With only one track below the 10 minutes mark you know you’re in for a treat: an hour filled with colossal doomy jams. The rhythm section: Jack Donovan on bass and  Matthew Couto on drums, lay down the groove for mesmerising riffs and psychedelic solo’s by guitarist Nicholas DiSalvo. And what’s more, within these instrumental wizardry there is actually a lot of melody which is often a problem in this kind of music. The trio really manages to  enhance the original studio tracks, even the vocals of Nicholas sound much better to me.

Bottomline: Elder delivered a stunning performance here that could be the final breakthrough of this band in the scene. Very recommended.

Being a metal fan and a World War 2 history buff it will be of no surprise to many that I am already familiar with Dutch death metal historians and Rotterdam’s finest Hail of Bullets. Their previous releases covering the Eastern Front (…Of Frost and War) and Pacific (On Devine Winds) and now they are back and this time focusing on one man, the historical legend Field Marshal Erwin Rommel AKA The Desert Fox.

Quick history lesson for the un-initiated read this Wikipedia page.

But don’t worry if you don’t know or don’t like this era of history because what Hail Of Bullets do well is create highly enjoyable and hook laden death metal on its own merit, the lyrical themes merely being an additional layer of depth rather than the central selling point.

So after the brief intro of pre-recorded militaristic singing and mid-paced chug to ‘Swoop Of The Flacon’, the bark of vocalist Martin van Drunen signals the blitzkrieg (not sorry) of high tempo groove laden death metal. Existing fans may as well stop reading now as they haven’t done anything silly like make a prog folk album.

What we do have is ten top quality chunks of “old school” death metal in the vein of Asphyx, Autopsy and the likes, full of fist pumping, headbanging grooves and crunching vicious riffs underpinning the signature vocal growl of Van Drunen.

This is not to suggest it is one dimensional (except the drumming in some places) as style and tempo is mixed up from the satisfying sludge groove of ‘DG-7’, the melodic death metal tendencies of 'To the Last Breath of Man and Beast' to the full on Slayer worship on ‘Tobruk’

The album finishes with the fitting *spoiler alert* funeral march of ‘Death of a Field Marshal’

Now excuse me while I go headbang with a history book

The live album is a strange thing to review. Ultimately it’s usually put out there as either a memento of a tour for the fans or a sort of greatest hits revue, its audience is sort of limited. If you are a fan then you will most certainly go out and buy it, other than that there is minimum impact to be had.

Goat have released this as a thank you for their successful year with World Music and it presents the entire show from the Electric Ballroom in London. Hardly likely to appeal to the greatest hits crowd this is certainly a fan only release but if you are one of them then you are going to love it.

On record Goat may be tied down to studio strictures and as good as they are at producing music there is nothing quite like a live Goat show. That is why Live Ballroom Ritual shines amongst most other live albums as it presents a way for their music to be truly heard in the way it is most definitely intended.

A much looser sound than on World Music, here tracks like 'Diarabi' and 'Goathead' find different avenues as the musicians feel their way into the songs. The production is not the best but it does have that requisite live feel which all great live albums should have and one gets the feeling that this is more of a bootleg than one with overdubs.

To pull in the fans who may only own World Music there are a variety of earlier songs which present a history which you may not be aware of and this is what makes the album more interesting. It is also sort of strange to hear the songs we love out of context of the running order and any aspersions of concepts can be thrown aside as you slink into Goat groove and yah yah along with the singers. It’s invigorating and you can’t help but move your feet along.

So, aside from actually going to see the band, this is the closest you will get to the true sound of Goat. If you are a fan you will love it but beware, you may find it replacing that well worn copy of World Music as you learn to prefer the real sound of Goat.

Long live Goat. 

An album cover can at times be something more than a project of aesthetics. It can be a heartfelt attempt to either reward the artist‘s followers with something nice to give back or to simply give them a clue and let them focus on what is behind that cover. This is the case of Satellites and its meaningful cover.

Before listening to a new album I always look at the album cover and read all the titles, from the main title to each song’s name. Comparing then what those cover and titles inspired with the feeling you have by finally listening the music that brings all those names and images often turns out to be pretty nice. From the cover to the titles Satellites expresses exactly what Exxasens attempts to bring us, which is out of this world, somewhere beyond the universe where each and every boundary is crossed in a unique musical journey.

Exxasens is a post-rock/post-metal instrumental outfit from Barcelona composed by Jordi Ruiz whom influences come mainly from rock and metal. If you have heard at least one of the three previous albums of the band you would have noticed that Jordi does “prefer intensity in a few minutes than an explosion in a lot of minutes” - most post-rock groups play 8-10 minutes long songs, while Exxasens songs end around 5 min. It’s clear then that the post-rock that the Spanish band creates is quite original and Satellites is the new space shuttle for post-rock exploration.

The album starts with ‘The Launching’, ‘Rocket To The Sky’ and ‘Mass Of Pluto’ and in about ten minutes our space shuttle leaves the world we used to live in, faces the sky and revolves around Pluto where music is different from the one we are used to listen to. This is not the classic post-rock, nor classic post-metal and it’s a step ahead from the previous albums Eleven Miles and Beyond The Universe. Artists must evolve and Exxasens do it perfectly. Distorted guitars and wall of sound aren't missing but this time there's a more atmospheric environment where soundscapes win against power. ‘The Launching’ is the kick starter but you have to arrive at ‘Mass Of Pluto’ to read the whole story composed by the three initial songs and to realise that this music is different. Each track grows smoothly and even when explodes there’s a melodic climax.

We meet the title track halfway and it’s the best example of the new Exxasens’ style with its highly atmospheric components blended throughout the whole song. The notable crescendo of ‘Satellites’ keeps you moving and it’s an expression of sonic freedom from start to finish. I particularly like the last part of it – with its 11 minutes is the only song with classic post-rocky length!

Exxasens have moved from post-rock and post-metal to encompass more euphoric electronic sounds on the following ‘Sputnik’ and ‘Arida’ where Jordi Ruiz matches energy and intensity by implementing electronic elements such as sampling, drum machines and synths.

After revolving in this beautiful space of sounds it’s time to come back from the dreaming space and ‘Last Song Over The Horizon’ and ‘The Falling’ are really evocative titles for the soundtrack to our journey back. ‘The Falling’ has more than just a touch of Mogwai and the piano-driven movement from relative serenity to a sonic chasm of swirling synth noise towards the song’s climax is thrilling.

Satellites deploys a cohesive narrative. Don’t shuffle it into an arbitrary track order but experience the journey from the launching to the final falling to understand the big the evolutionary step ahead Exxasens has taken.

It doesn’t take much of a recorded output these days for record labels to whip out the old greatest hits package. This usually seems to coincide with the impending Christmas period as well. Cynical consideration out of the way, it’s now the turn of A Perfect Circle to get the re-release treatment with Three Sixty, a double disc of their singles (didn’t know they had any), some covers, live tracks and a solitary new track to ensnare the completionist out there. There’s also an outrageous box-set which has an additional three live albums and a DVD, but thanks to a laptop breakdown I’m unable to bring you the lowdown on that. If you were fortunate enough to have the necessary greenbacks, the chances are you already have it any!

Like most people, I came to know A Perfect Circle because of the Tool connection. Maynard James Keenan still remains one of my favourite vocalists, a unique voice and style equally at home in the metallic environments of Tool and the poppier stylings of A Perfect Circle. There’s been several line-up changes over the years, but the core of Keenan and ex-guitar tech Billy Howerdel remain, James Iha currently resides in the ranks. To be honest with you, it was their debut Mer de Noms that warranted the most repeated plays and this collection, featuring five tracks from said album, only goes to highlight the fact that it was their finest hour.

Tracks like ‘The Hollow’, ‘Rose’ and ‘Judith’ have a stunning blend of metal attack and intricate melody, superbly sung by the exceptional Keenan. Complimentary guitar work provided by Howerdel and company ensure skyscraping melodies shoot out tangentially from perfect circles. The crossover value from a more commercial enterprise did very well for the band, threatening to eclipse Keenan’s main band.

Following up such a great debut was never going to be easy and A Perfect Circle chose to take the route of a more mellowed and melodic direction for second album Thirteenth Step. Whilst I cherish this album less, the singles ‘Weak and Powerless’, ‘The Outsider’ and ‘Blue’ still have a memorable hue and charm. The latter track proving the equal of anything off the debut, the glorious rush of the chorus is sublime on every listen.

By third album Emotive, Keenan had begun to channel the same ideas of experimentation of his other act Puscifer, ensuring a further wedge of indifference was being driven between the band and my bank account. In actual fact, I’d forgotten about the cover of Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, which offsets the original’s obvious melody with some minor key inflections. I’d rather the song gets this treatment though than some cack handed over the top histrionics. It works, and it works very well. Less can be said of the live cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘People Are People’ which is stripped of pretty much any resemblance to the original, to it’s absolute detriment. Joni Mitchell’s ‘Fiddle and the Drum’ is a folk turn that proves out the fact that Keenan’s vocal characteristics clearly come from that genre. Finally, the blues standard as covered fantastically by Led Zeppelin, ‘When the Levee Breaks’, is given a lounge jazz makeover. I’m too familiar with the Zep version, which swung like a giant wrecking ball, to enjoy this take.

Even interpreting their own songs represents a challenge to A Perfect Circle, the live version of ‘3 libras’ is almost unrecognisable from the recorded one. Which leaves us with the one new song ‘By and Down’, a pleasant enough tune that could easily have fitted on Thirteenth Step. The track is really more of a sound update than showcasing anything particularly new.

I’m not sure who this compilation is really aimed at to be honest. I’m fairly sure most Tool/Keenan fans will know their way round these tunes and will have all of the tracks already, save the new one. So as an entity, the point of its existence isn’t clear, does it just serve as an accompaniment for the arse-rippery of the box set?  For sure, the compilation highlights the fact that these songs have a timeless quality and sound as relevant today as they did on release. If you aren’t familiar with A Perfect Circle, then I’d be more inclined to point you in the direction of Mer de Noms as that record adheres better to the greatest hits ideology.  

While Germany’s Mountain Throne have been around for a few years Stormcoven is their debut album. Released on December 6th 2013 via Cyclone Empire it contains eight songs with a running time of just less than 40 minutes. It’s a must for anyone who likes old school bands from the early 1980s: think Mercyful Fate with the attitude of Venom and a touch of early Manowar. The band clearly loves the classic metal sound albeit with more of a doomier vibe. Each track complements the atmosphere and general feel of the album. Lyrically the themes are timeless and traditionally metal: women, men, life and death.

One minor criticism is that all the tracks are around four to six minutes long. Perhaps if the band wanted to branch out into more of an exploratory nature then longer durations would allow them to open up and be more experimental? That said Mountain Throne are clearly a work in progress and I see them developing their sound and ideas as time goes on. And there’s no arguing that this is a strong debut release which provides a firm foundation for them to build upon.

‘Spirits Of Fate’ kicks off the album: the quiet introduction to the song fades away to be replaced by choppy riffs and a fairly catchy chorus. As the track progresses the pace picks up and it gallops along at a fair old rate. ‘Stormcoven’ is next and this upbeat number sees some of the most tuneful breaks and clean solos on the entire release. ‘Winter’ follows; commencing with an isolated, lonely bass before a substantial slab of doom confronts the listener via the medium of some colossal Sabbath type riffs. Immaculate but frantic solos are sprinkled into the middle of the track which provides a welcome contrast and some degree of musical variation. ‘Morningstar Iconoclast’ has a nice interplay between bass and drum at the start before mixing punk with doom (doom-punk?) to create a strange but enjoyable experience.

‘Priestess Of The Old’ is next and this is a frenetic NWOBHM tune which gallops along with some amusingly chugging riffs and hectic soloing over the top of the vocals. For me this was the standout track of the album. The double bass drums which make an appearance on the last quarter of the track support the riffs and are reminiscent of early Motörhead.

'On the Mountain Throne' is a sinister and ominous doomy number with vocals which sound like James Hetfield gargling broken glass. The last quarter of the song see a shift into a high-octane mode with some energetic riffing before the pace slows again to the end. ‘Where Alchemy Thrived’ follows and has a folk vibe running through it; this is more of a ballad (of sorts). It’s the longest track on the album clocking in at over 6:17 and in my opinion not one of the best, but then again not every song can be a killer. ‘Totem’ ends the album in groovy style with infectious soloing, and some cheeky interplay between drum and bass: a nice track in the old-fashioned epic metal style.

In summary, Stormcoven provides a satisfying classic old-school head banging experience. Pick some obscure bands from the 1980s, perhaps ones which released an album or two of long forgotten gems before disappearing and you won’t be far removed from what’s on offer here. For sure, these guys won’t be winning awards for originality and definitely won’t be carving out any new musical genres but being predictable and generic isn’t always a terrible thing. The band obviously worships at the altar of the some great bands from this awesome era and seem to truly care about their music and also capturing a moment which has long since passed. Pay them a visit on Facebook and do yourself a favour and step back in time to catch what they’ve got to offer.

Stoner rock is probably one of the most accepting scenes going in rock n roll because as long as you can play a southern riff and sing about beer there is a ready-made fan base waiting for you. In fact as a genre it takes an impressive effort to do it badly.

So here we have the debut album Death Valley Duchess from Nottingham mob Widows whose PR press release makes the rather bold claim that they are “Clutch-esque rockers” while the band themselves have the rather more honest mission statement to “make music to raise a fist and swing a beer to, and (they) do it hard, fast, and loud!” whilst being “Influenced by the likes of Down, Kyuss, and Clutch”.

The opening salvo of ‘Green Tsunami’ and ‘Goat Lab’ signpost these influences front and centre with their pure unadulterated Kyuss worship however the enthusiasm and obvious skill of the performance mixed vocalist Adam Jolliffe’s gravelled vocals lift them well above mere tribute act status.

‘Fuck Nuckles’ signifies a stylistic “shift” by kicking up tempo which with a full on southern boogie stomp which is kept going by ‘Truckles’ the latter of which carries an awesome bass riff.

‘Kiss of Failure’ has them channelling the huge grooves of Down for inspiration but a polite message to the vocalist…. Please don’t try growling again…. before the closing shots of ‘Whore of Babylon’ and ‘Something for Deities’ redirect the rumbling groove back to the southern boogie.

As an interesting talking point my colleague in arms Ross Mckendrick opined in his Glacier review that the “Lackluster” production stumped the bands progress. This album demonstrates the flip side of this coin as ‘Fuck Nuckle’, ‘The Kiss of Failure’ and ‘Whores of Babylon’ are all carried over from Widows initial Raise The Monolith EP and its striking how the lo-fi nature of the EP suits these tracks much better than the more polished approach on Death Valley Duchess.

A solid effort with all the right ingredients in place and if they can add in a few lyrical hooks to match the riffs (and maybe revert to the “lo-fi” production) Widows could be on to a winner.

Similar to watching a movie after reading the book it's based on is listening to a record in English after the same in its native language.

I admit that's not a flawless comparsion, but it is how it felt when giving In The Silence the first spin. I discovered Ásgeirs debut Dýrð í dauðaþögn (then released under the artist name Ásgeir Trausti), which is entirely sung in Icelandic, earlier this year. It has kept streaming out of my speakers and earplugs throughout the year without me actually understanding a single word of it. Why? you probably want to know. Two reasons: 1. I'm totally fascinated by the sounds of the Icelandic language. 2. I'm not a lyric person. Interesting lyrics can certainly be a bonus, but can never be a replacement for poor music.

Even though a record like Dýrð í dauðaþögn is heavily dominated by Icelandic lyrics I can enjoy it perfectly fine without understanding them. And to me this proves the true quality of Ásgeir; he's able to hold on to my attention time and time again simply because of his music qualities.

Moving on to In The Silence:

Although his music often reflects his silent and shy personality, there can be an incredible drive in his music. Listen to 'King And Cross'. This is a modern electro pop anthem driven by a beat, a guitar and his singing; all of them perfectly in sync with each other. The energy here is fierce. Now, that might not occur to you at first listen, but start by paying attention to each beat and how his voice keeps on driving the song further and further. It's a song lasting only three and a half minutes, but this loop could go on forever, really.

Then there is the sincerety of Bon Iver in 'On That Day' and 'Was There Nothing', the poppy epicness of Jónsi in 'Torrent' and sometimes even the artsy electro approach of James Blake like in 'Hide Your Head In The Snow'. But most of all there is a silent kind of joyfulness to Ásgeirs music. I love this variation between his different qualities. While one song can be quite silent, the next can dive straight into a joyful climax. And several of his songs actually do both, like 'In Harmony' where the gentle guitar driven song suddenly bursts into a cacaphony of voices, trumpets and drums.

Ásgeir: You know exactly how to transform harmony into music. Please continue.

I have to admit that I didn't know about the existence of From Beneath Billows before finding their new album in my inbox. Discovering new music is always cool and what I like the most is trying to understand what is behind the music. Listening to an album is the final act of a long process where artists put themselves, their stories and visions with the goal to of course please our ears but especially to express their inner passions and feelings. Since an album is not only a mere track-list I started diving into From Beneath Billows's musical world from the beginning and with immense pleasure I discovered a talented band that have put all their devotion in creating their own music and the outcome is a sound that will please in particular sludge and post-metal lovers.

From Beneath Billows is a Norway-based band founded in Oslo in 2005 and from that year to date they never stopped working. In 2006 they released their first album Evolve and with the desire to advance their creative process they spent a lot of time on mixing and working on detailing the layers.

And so Monolith was born.

My journey through their musical world started from Evolve and already from my first listening of Monolith I recognized that these guys have taken a big step ahead. And I love it when a passion for something keeps people pushing them forwards. That's why I like the project of Lars Kristian Jagtøyen, Øyvind Daaland Lesjø, Lars Sundsbø, Lars-Petter Strand and Bjørnar Børja that goes under the name of From Beneath Billows.

So, Monolith is the follow-up to their previous album Evolve and demonstrates an evolution from this previous album. As soon as you'll press play you'll notice a sound that is much deeper and heavier.

'One Death And The King' is the opening song and the chords at the beginning create a tension and suspense that I really like. In a couple of seconds the soft acoustic guitar change the atmosphere bringing some light to the dark intro. Clear and melodic vocals, drum beats and guitar riffs are the undisputed protagonists of this song before dissolving again in the acoustic sound of the beginning.

The first song already is the sign that we have to keep an eye on these guys.

'Verity' has more or less the same structure of the previous track but it appears darker and heavier to me. And that's not a bad thing at all. Something happens with 'Darkens The Will' that is so damn superb. The song stands in between post-rock and metal music but apart from the music genre it has an incredible intensity and it's like if we are experiencing a wonderful crescendo from the first song till here, the aimed peak. The song 'Frontier' is much heavier than the rest of the album, whereas  'Enlivened and Sworn' is much quieter and darker, thereby  bringing the sternest, coldest heart to the brink of tears.

'Monolith' has the honour to conclude the musical journey of From Beneath Billows with a soft intro of acoustic and clean guitar playing before leaving the stage to well crafted post-rock elements. This calm session is only an illusion but it will come back after a wall of sound where heavy guitar riffs and aggressive screams dominate the scene. The end is again soft, it is clean, it is brilliant. 'Monolith' is the summit of the album, with its excellent catchy vocal, guitar work and quirky style of music.

Monolith is an album full of feelings and it is a perfect blend of sludge and post-metal. It is the undeniable proof of the talent these guys have and the big step ahead they made in their musical path.

Even if Monolith is the summit of From Beneath Billows's career I want to look at it as a trampoline towards something even better.

I have many fond memories of France. I grew up in The Netherlands and my parents used to be teachers so they had long summer holidays. During most of my childhood these long holidays were spent on numerous campsites in various parts of France. And now I look back to those years and I think of lovely food, croissants, French fries, baguettes, cheese, picturesque villages, castles, lovely beaches, spectacular sea cliffs, le Tour de France and for some reason Orangina in its original bottle. During those years I never associated France with having a good musical climate. Much later I realised that I was wrong though and I started to discover French music, ranging from Noir Désir to Kickback to Gojira. The latter probably having singlehandedly put the progressive metal genre on the musical map of France.

Where am I going with this? Well, I got sent the new release by French technical progressive metal band Cénesthésie. Their latest release Visceral is not just good, it’s actually amazingly good and it brings me back to those French campsites for some reason. Cénesthésie (meaning “common sensibility”) comes from Bordeaux (lovely city by the way), and has a traditional 5 member line-up. Jan sings, Cédric and Thomas play guitar, Florent plays bass and Karol plays drums (“batterie” in French, which has a much more interesting tone to it!).

If you like Gojira, Dutch metal legends Textures or any progressive technical metal band then I recommend you to listen to Visceral. Actually, buy yourself a physical copy as the artwork by Migwel is pretty stunning. Just listen to those opening seconds of the first track ‘Croisade’ and be prepared to be completely blown away. At least I was! I actually repeated these first seconds a couple of times to get to grips with what is actually happening. A vast arsenal of technicality is thrown at the listener which is jaw-droppingly good. The style is unmistakably hitting the djent metal genre with chugging guitars, heavy riffing and drummer Karol instantly demonstrates his impressive and technical skills behind his batterie.

I don’t think I’ve heard an album opener as impressive since I first listened to Sepultura’s Chaos A.D. 20 years ago now.

This tornado of riffing, extreme technical drumming and aggressive, but quite clear grunting by vocalist Jan continues over the next two tracks ‘Genese’ and ‘Traces’.  Cénesthésie then takes a step back with ‘Treve’ which is sort of an intro track to the long ‘Acedie’, which is an impressive slow headbanger of a track.

‘Crier Pour Survivre’, which is divided in Part 1 and Part 2, throws you back into this technical whirlpool and again demonstrates the impressive technical skills these musicians are displaying here. ‘En Nos Veines’ is another quieter intermezzo on Visceral before the trio of ‘Pour Seule Arme’, ‘Seul’ and ‘A Jamais’ blast towards the end of this pretty impressive piece of work.

This album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Mobo at Conkrete Studio and it was the man himself who contacted me on Twitter about this album. I was already impressed with his recording work on Eryn Non Dae work (we reviewed their latest album Meliora here) and Mobo did another amazing job mixing all the technical ‘chaos’ into a coherent sound with each instrument clearly present and never getting too chaotic or messy. Thank you Mobo for contacting me as I think I have another contender for my Album of the Year list here.

Progressive metalheads unite! Get yourself a copy of Cénesthésie’s Visceral. French progressive metal is not all about Gojira and more and more bands emerge out of Gojira’s shadow to show the world that the French metal scene is alive and kicking!

I’m going to be honest with you all from the start. I have a problem with the vocals on Scarecrown’s album No Time To Retreat. They just don’t work for me. I’m not sure why, perhaps it’s the bombastic delivery that seems at odds with the more meat and potatoes riffing. Perhaps it’s the note choice that feels more designed to hit as many as possible in as short a time as possible. Or perhaps it’s that my only previous experience of female singers in metal bands comes in the form of Tarrie B from Tura Satana which was much more along the lines of screaming than singing. It’s not that I have distaste for female singers; I checked through my eyeTunes and saw Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall, Tori Amos, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Shirley Bassey so it’s not that. Something just doesn’t work here.

The two components of vocals and music are both individually excellent. ‘Welcome The Dragon’ features a riff as bouncy as Pantera’s ‘Walk’. ‘Last Piece of The Path’ has a nice little thrashy vibe going on coupled with the groove of Stuck Mojo and ‘Dirty Mouth’ swaggers like Keith Richards having violent coupling with Stevie Ray Vaughan... but heavier. The bass guitar sound on this album is particularly meaty and dirty. Vocally, Antonella Buosi displays both lower and upper range with impressive fervour. Alternatively soaring through the air and furrowing through the mud. Able to both deliver a line in the vein of Bruce Dickinson/James LaBrie and pepper the album with shades of Alice In Chain/Soundgarden-isms.

So why does it not work for me? Researching the band, the genre tag I kept coming across was “gothic metal”. Now I’ll be the first to say that I have no idea about music tags these days but gothic is not the word I would have used, musically Scarecrown share the same use of groove/swagger that Stuck Mojo used to have. Perhaps it’s the vocal style that earns them that tag. Precisely the one aspect of the band that I feel sits uncomfortably on the more “metal” tracks. When on ‘My Empty Lightness’, Antonella gets a chance to sing over a mid-paced guitar melody it works. Wonderfully so. But elsewhere it feels like Marmite and Nutella, like cake and sausage. On their own tasty morsels but, together, not to my taste.

This is a good band with a good sense of light and shade and there are enough riffs to make you bang your head and tap your foot. But, for me, the combination doesn't work. Then again you might be one of the folks that like that sweet and salted popcorn so you’ll probably like this. Check ‘em out and let me know what you think the in the comments below.