I love most music. Light music, 70s singer songwriter, thrash metal, some hardcore, death metal, older country music…I could keep going. So when fellow writer Mr. Sludge and editor Mr. Van den Boom asked me if I wanted to review this album by Hierophant, I got the hint. But I was reluctant. Metallic Hardcore or whatever the hell you want to call Great Mother : Holy Monster isn’t my normal type of heavy. That isn’t to say this album is bad. Quite the opposite: this album is one heavy sonofabitch!

Great Mother : Holy Monster starts with ‘Son of the New Faith’, a total ugly beginning (compliment boys) just gets me body moving. The drums are forever at 11, and the guitars are played as if life only has an hour left, so they better hurry. In the vocal department it’s not regular hardcore vocals, nor is it metal screams. Its a good mixture of the two, an ugly step-child flipping you off. (Compliment, again.) At just over two minutes, Hierophant waste no time getting things on the road. ‘Son of the Tongue’s Prison’ (all song are “Song of…’ something. They just forgot ‘Son of A Bitch Gunna Leave You Hurtin’) opens wild out of the gate as well. Hits of feedback on the guitars and a HUGE string slide that left me with a grin on my face. I imagine this one gets the crowds involved even more, as I myself wanted to shout along to the chorus and throw this computer at the wall. But I have more to say. Moving on…

‘Son of the Four-Hands Way’ slows things down a tad. A back and forth song filled with feedback and bass shattering waves. When the song hits in the later half I wanted to put a hole in the wall next to me, but I don’t want to have to fix it. ‘Song of Egotistic Love’ is probably my favorite song on this album. Starting out as a building with guitars and a wall of strummed bass mixed with drums…fuck it. It sounds like complete and total destruction. Guitars, drums, bass, vocals, all of them not being played to me but at me. This is an album you put on when the day just didn’t go well or you need to run a mile in under 4 minutes.

‘Son of the Cathartic Cave’ is just a monster. Building with tension all over the guitars and drums then the vocals come in and its just a massive chug and headbang session. Not unlike some Converge songs, really (That’s a big compliment, guys). The bass gets a true spotlight in this song as well, its just so heavy!! Its all you hear at the end of the song with some guitar feedback. Then the closing track ‘Son of the Black Mirror’ opens up with a minute long speaker rumbling drone. And when the song does kick in, the seven songs before this one seem all the more important. It took a lot to get to this song, this building of emotion just pouring out of these guys. This song is just lie getting your ass handed to you, getting up, doing it again and again and again. And eventually winning and walking away while the guitars fade out and the bass just rumbles.

I'm going to go for a walk now for the sake of any household fixtures and because my wife is sleeping and I don’t want to wake her. You, you go buy this album from Bridge Nine Records. You cough up the $10 this album will cost you and you have a nice fucking day. I don’t care what genre you want to call this. Its good. That simple. Ill see you guys later you have a good day ok!!!!

HAIL!!!!!!!!

About this time last year, skip back a month earlier perhaps, New Heavy Sounds came at us with a band that set the tone for the rest of the year: Black Moth. The riff-strong debut album of the Leeds colossus proved in one listen that New Heavy Sounds were onto something good and it seems they've done it again. Enter the sharp-toothed Cut Yourself In Half, with their debut: Mekkanizm - a fast moving, hard hitting powerhouse that will fight you.

Roaring into gear, the first thing that springs to mind is just how LOUD Mekkanizm is; not just musically, but also just LOUD. Compared to any other CD this thing is insane - like a plane taking off overhead (turn the speakers down before playing, kids!). The opening track 'Little Misadventure' not only sets the loudness standard for the record, but also introduces you to the group's sound in a nutshell: imagine Six Shooter from Queens of The Stone Age's opus Songs for The Deaf if it were played in a concrete chamber and you've got Mekkanizm. The song is powerful, with dirty crunched guitars, distorted yet melodic vocals and a sluggish stoner sway. Next up is dance-friendly 'The Song Remains Unnamed', a rapid jam ripe with vocal hooks and 'Comatosed' with the first of many many truly incredible guitar solos on the record.

One thing refreshing about Mekkanizm is its relentless nature and the band's refusal to keep pace. Fans of stoner rock across the globe herald the likes of QOTSA and Sleep as their gods, yet Cut Yourself In Half seem to take influence equally from this and more modern rock-infused groups such as Red Fang or label-mates Black Moth. There are also sonic similarities to Black Moths' The Killing Jar (produced by Dave Sanderson - engineer for Black Moth's debut) in the grit and ballsiness that the record throws around, though it has to be said that the magic touch of [Grinderman's] Jim Sclavunos is not present this time and all the spooky weirdness in The Killing Jar is replaced with Sanderson's klangy dissonance. It does compliment the Bradford 4-piece extremely well, though.

There are further moments of variety to be found on Mekkanizm including the fierce 'Viracocha', which actually sounds a little like a Marilyn Manson song if it didn't have all that glam and diva splutter smeared over everything. So, cool, basically. There are many moments across the record that seem to carry some of that Melvins grunt everybody likes so much and one can only hope that one day these guys get enough attention to convince King Buzzo to sing along - Ipecac would be a good home for the guys alongside the likes of Fantômas and Tomahawk. A particularly enjoyable track that shows off the band's more left-field wandering is 'Spider Legs' - a creepy bit with astounding riffs and numerous motions through behaviours, all of which enjoyable. 'LGRD' follows an equal level of spook and monstrosity that explodes into a grand cacophonous finale that makes it quite clear that we're dealing with a force to be reckoned with here.

Mekkanizm is without a doubt a strong debut if nothing else. Cut Yourself In Half seem to have a knack for grabbing attention by encapsulating all that they are sonically, lyrically and in the namesake of their unit and their music. This record carries ferocity in one hand and melody in the other whilst juggling the two with hooks, riffs, beats and licks. Above all else the group has power and individuality - two things that are often unconvincing or just unattained (especially in new kids). New Heavy Sounds has done it once again by doing what a good label should: they've found an emerging talent and used themselves and their already fine roster as a platform for showcasing the world another rabble of riffmonsters with a huge amount of potential, and I'm excited.

I’m not going to get started on the whole ‘motorik’ versus ‘krautrock’ debate, nor am I going into Phil Manley’s background of bands. If you know the name, you’ll know his history. What I will do is give you a quick synopsis of his new album/project – Life Coach. So – if you like Neu!, CAN and associated acts, read on!

So this album is all one big cliché – but in a good way. There are only so many different ways you can do a 4/4 beat with fuzzy guitars and ‘driving’ drumming but I’ve now listened to this a few times and it manages to skirt right on the edge of boring without falling into the chasm… mostly. The ethnic touches save it a little as the guitar can be a touch same-same in places, but overall it’s solid.

My standout tracks were ‘Alphawaves’ and ‘Mind’s Eye’ – both good efforts with some nice layered guitar, sharp, snappy drumming and some excellent mixing and ethereal effects. It is worth noting that a lot of press for this album mentions it being a ‘seamless whole’, designed to be played from start to finish, not piecemeal. However, while the album opens and closes with the same ethnic chiming bell, calling this a seamless whole seems a bit of a stretch. Take for example the track ‘Into The Unknown’ – a 5 minute 13 second track right smack bang in the middle of the album which ends with a fadeout. And you know what? You can hear that the track isn’t over. There’s a new drumbeat kicking in as it fades out. And then ‘Fireball’ starts up, with a riff and key signature that has really not much in common with the track before – and certainly has precious little to do with the beat your ears had just heard. 

This is an ok album – it’s not quite the “less serious, melancholic version of Mogwai” that some press releases I’ve read extoll, but it’s not bad. Good guitar work, some great drumming in places and if you can look past the vocals (which are blessedly few but when there sound exceptionally cheesy) then it definitely has a reason to exist. And that reason is to rock you… slowly and thoughtfully. With perhaps a gluten free beer, a button down shirt and some thongs.

However, the cover makes me want to cry.

Around 20 years ago I was a budding metalhead, mainly listening to the “big 4” in thrash metal, and a bunch of related bands. I had a friend who was different. He was listening to black metal. Now, this was some time before music was available through the World Wide Web and my friend often showed me letters he exchanged with fellow black metal fans from Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and South America. All the releases he bought were tapes and 7” vinyls. He always wore black t-shirts with bandnames I couldn’t read, how hard I tried. I was intrigued. There was a small but growing global underground black metal community out there and I was impressed by this. My friend ended up in his own one-man black metal band sending his letters and tapes to various parts of the world as he was part of this underground network. I remember taking his band photos on a crappy old camera in the middle of the night in a park somewhere whilst he had his face painted in the now well-known corpse painted black metal tradition and he was holding a sword in one hand and a flail-like weapon in the other. There were 2 lighted candles on sticks to provide some light and create sinister effects. The photos ended up looking very badly but my friend loved them. They covered the inside sleeve of his demo tape and I got credited.

I think that Barshasketh could have started like this, but fast forward roughly 20 years in time from when my friend was making his music back in the days. In 2007 guitarist/vocalist Krigeist started Barshasketh as a one-man band in New Zealand in 2009 he started releasing a couple of demo tapes, which were no doubt sent to Scandinavian, Eastern European and South American black metal fans. In 2010 the first full-length release Defying the Bonds of Cosmic Thraldom was released on tape and Krigeist then moved to Edinburgh, Scotland where he recruited more musicians (GM on guitar/vocals, BH on drums and Σao on bass). In this line-up the band now released their second full-length Sitra Achra on the underground black metal label Todestrieb Records.

I’ve listened to quite a bit of black metal over the last year or so, but these releases were mostly from the atmospheric “post” black metal kind. This release is slightly different. On Sitra Achra we are treated to 7 tracks of the “old-school” or perhaps “traditional” Scandinavian black metal sound. The guitars shred away in that typical treble distorted black metal sound and the drums pound along varying from slower parts to full-speed blast beats. The vocals sound mostly traditionally high shrieking screaming, but at parts lower grunts can be heard. Production wise it still sounds a bit like a demo recording, but this is most likely meant to be as it is basically the traditional black metal sound. However, I think the bass could have been put more forward in the mix a bit more and the drums at times fall behind the wall of guitar sound as well.

Overall, there is plenty of melody as well on this release and plenty of tempo changes, making Sitra Achra a well-achieved release, which should no doubt be greatly received in the underground black metal community. I lost contact with my old friend, but he would have no doubt bought this instantly if this was released 20 years ago.

Sitra Achra is available on CD alone or in a pretty affordable t-shirt + CD combo through the band’s Bigcartel page for only 10 GBP, which is something you don’t see much these days anymore. Support local music and get yourself this amazing combo deal!  

C R O W N are a duo from France who I first heard of last year when the released the excellent The One EP. They've recently signed with Candlelight Records to release their debut full length.

So here it is Psychurgy, ten tracks of intense industrial tinged sludge. And its a gargantuan release. Building on what they've done on The One and a split with STValley, C R O W N make an impression with their debut. Their sound is hard to pin down, but elements of Godflesh and even ISIS merge with more sludge infested metal. It makes for a thick enveloping sound that invites you to listen without distraction. From the opening ambience and abrasive soundscape of 'Kynesyk I' you know this will be a journey. First proper song 'Abyss' combines industrial rhythm with shimmering electronics and dark toned vocals. A looping riff echoes around the track until it shifts into heavier territory.

C R O W N possess a habit of finding a rhythm and synch into it. There's a lot going on at times but seemingly all with the purpose of flooring you with power. 'Blood Runs' is a glorious 8 minutes work out with riffs oozing out over the programmed drum patterns. With more ambient textures and shifts in dynamics its one of many highlights on Pyschurgy. The overpowering guitars around three minutes in are awe inspiring stuff, and again it locks into a tight groove.

I have to say in general I'm not a huge fan normally of groups who don't have a "live drummer". Of course it's not always the case and is possibly short sighted to even highlight it. However C R O W N, create such emotional and captivating music it actually adds to the appeal. Countering the sludge filled riffs and at times harsh vocals, the military-like press ion of the rhythm helps with the overall feel.

Psychurgy is an album to lose yourself in, with tracks at times running to 8 plus minutes. There is plenty of variation as well, from the bass driven 'Empress_Hierophant' to the fury and relentlessness of the opening of 'Alpha_Omega' which spirals out as the album closes.

At times oppressive, with thick riffs, there's also an element of experimental unpredictability. C R O W N have created an album that will ensure their name is one we will be hearing much more of.

A one man band from Canada, Ov Hollowness is two releases deep and going on their third with The World Ends. One man bands have always mystified me in a way. Why not just hire people and tell them what to do? Why not play emperor and be the boss? On the other side of the coin, I completely understand. No one to get in the way of your vision. Do what you want when you want to. It makes sense. Being your own boss can be fun at times. Let's find out how much so.

Opener ‘Abstractive’ starts with static before breaking into a late 90s (black metal) sounding guitar. The arraignments are that of many black metal bands of that time. Conveying certain cold chills and windy vibes, this is from Canada remember. The sorrow in the guitar passages are brought as well, they must not be forgotten. And the vocals are what’s expected from the previously mentioned musical representations.

Song tempos on this album range from fast and fierce (‘Grey’, 'Hollow’) to mid-pace churners (‘Hoarfrost’, ‘Lost Resolve’). And it makes for a nice journey of an album. The clean vocals on the later half of ‘Last Resolve’ are very strong and echoed in my mind for awhile in-between listens to this album. And that’s the key here, always having something for people to remember, something for them to come back to.

‘End in View’ is the final track with vocals on this album, and they're used well. Clean and dirty voices covering a song of sorrow and cold abound. As if I was sitting in a cabin surrounded by 26” of snow. Someone hide the razorblades and stock the vodka, going to be a long couple days. ‘Outro’ leaves the album on a light note. Light orchestrations and weather of the coldest kind, like waking up frozen, have you in their grasps. Someone get me a damn coat!

Ov Hollowness does a great job of presenting a frostbitten, sometimes atmospheric feel to The World Ends. I just hope that this isn’t the soundtrack I have to use in the end times, I hate the cold weather!!! I recommend you go grab this album, and put it in on those dark, beautiful nights as the haunting can be uplifting as well. I suggest you go pick this up from Code666 Records before the winter is gone, you’ll be begging for it by July, trust me.

HAIL!!!!

Increasingly, my listening habits have been edging their way down the side roads of instrumental guitar music. I have my favourites and they serve me very well with their prolific output and releases. Thankfully it’s a genre that supports itself very well, both bands and fans alike often sharing new acts and ensuring the word spreads when something new rolls into view. To some ears, it’s all the same, long tracks that aimlessly shift with varying degrees of heaviness/lightness and intricacy/simplicity. Belgium’s The Tragedy We Live In have many tags on their Bandcamp page where they released their eponymous debut album at the start of March. To be honest, the tags only confuse me as I can’t identify ambient from doom from kraut from sludge. (but I’m learning). What I can identify is that it sounds bloody great.

It only took a few seconds of streaming for me to claim this one for review, instantly appealing, The Tragedy We Live In has a sound that may borrow from many other acts, but they have managed to capture a guitar sound that is both warm, yet cold, heavy, yet melodic and at times, abrasive and raw.

Ably backed by a rhythm section that has bass playing from the Eric Avery School of Excellence and drumming from the John Bonham School of Shudder. Interspersed with samples of dialogue (apologies if this is from a film, I can’t but should be able to identify), a story is being told. Managing to be both tragic and uplifting is a difficult feat, but they pull it off.

Opening (title) track ‘The Tragedy We Live In’ starts off proceedings with pounding toms, all tribal beats and menacing guitar teasing out simplistic melody lines. This neatly sequences into ‘Chains’, which introduces their neat ability to combine fast intense drumming with slow moving slabs of monolithic guitar work.

‘There Must Be A Way Out’ is the centrepiece of the album, a sprawling dense epic 9 minute track that ebbs and flows between moments of dark heaviness and lighter melodic shades. Personal favourite ‘Wahnsinn’ is a perfect grooving beast of a tune that combines a huge snaking bassline with shards of distorted guitar.

The flow of the album is well constructed, the quiet before the storm interlude of ‘Moving Ice’ passes by in a moment before the massive (punk) waves of ‘Artemis’ come crashing down on you. ‘Inside The Demon’s Heart’ is a melodic track that echoes early Explosions In The Sky, or imagine a superheavy version of 90s shoegazers, Ride. Final track ‘Soultaker’ gives our drummer a rest (he needs it!) and ends this excellent album on a quiet reflective note. The clean plucked guitar sounds swelling to a majestic finish, giving the feeling of a massive battle with some fierce creature that now slain, is breathing its final breath. Stunning.

If I have one criticism of this album, it’s that maybe at times, the performance becomes a little cluttered, but this somehow adds to the rawness of sound that I hear. Those of a more technical musical background may be put off by this, but I find imperfection more honest/passionate than some high sheen production of music that has no soul. Another European band that I highly recommend, hopefully we’ll be hearing a lot more from The Tragedy We Live In.

Well hello Zozobra!!! I have missed you, as I’m sure our readers have too. Where have you been? What have you been doing? Oh, Playing in Cave In and Old Man Gloom? Well, I guess I can’t really argue with you there. Fair enough. I see you brought some of your Cave In buddies with you? So it’s you, Caleb Schofield, the master of this whole Savage Masters thing, and your boys Adam McGrath and JR Conners? Alrighty then, no more introductions. Lets see what you’ve brought us…

Six tracks coming in at a total of 14:59. I can dig it, a lot. You aren’t messing around. I can appreciate that. The straight up rocking bass and guitar sound on the opener ‘The Cruelest Cut’ is rather nice. It sounds a little familiar, but I now that sound follows you wherever you go to a certain degree. I won’t fault you for that one bit. I really enjoy how you open up ‘Deathless’ with that distorted suffer slide. Damn man, this whole song is fuzzed the hell out. That bass tone is killin’ it too. Have you been working on your voice, cause it sounds really strong, kinda vicious. I know when your boys are screaming with ya on the chorus too. Diggin it. Shit, ‘A Chorus of War’ and ‘Born In A Blaze’ are a hell of a way to close this thing out. With the sped up sludge you got going on, I can’t stop banging my head. I didn’t think you were going to pound out ‘Born…’ that hard man. I think my necks all messed up man. Someone’s gotta pay for this…

Yeah, ok man, Ill be sure to tell everyone to go pick up your album on April 16th through Brutal Panda Records. For sure. But my neck man….who's paying for this…

….HELP!!.....I mean HAIL!!!!!!!

This is the type of news you’re sometimes waiting for. If you like your music heavy at least. Fuzzy, sludgy, bowel movements inducing heavy. I’m talking about Conan and Bongripper who both won’t need much introduction if you like your music as described above. Conan, probably the heaviest doom band in the UK (and Europe perhaps even the World?) and Bongripper, from Chicago and Conan’s heavy counterpart from across the pond.

If the news that these 2 earthquake inducing Matamp powerhouses are about to tour through the UK together wasn’t enough, they are now also about to release a 12” split with a brand spanking new track from each. Oh boy. For a heavy fuzz fan like yours truly this is simply put fucking brilliant news.

Conan’s track is the A-Side of this split and it’s called ‘Beheaded’. Clocking in at 17 minutes it is the longest piece of music they have ever recorded (as far as I know).  And it is a true masterpiece. This band has been going on a major evolutionary development ever since they released their first demo Battle in the Swamp back in 2007. Their sound has been getting better, their heaviness has been getting heavier, their songs have been getting slower, but also more defined. There are always a lot of little things happening in the background with Conan. Little splash cymbal hits, little drum fills, all little details detail in this huge wall of sound. I don’t think there was a single second among these long and slow 17 minutes that made me look at the clock. It is totally mesmerising stuff. Well-done Conan, I really can’t wait for the new album!

On the B-Side is Bongripper’s track named ‘Zero Talent’. Another heavy wall of sound, though not as slow as Conan’s track and not as long either, as this track is “only” 9 and a bit minutes long.  Bongripper is an instrumental band, and similarly to Conan they have been steadily ploughing away creating their own sound of heavy fuzz. ‘Zero Talent’ starts of slowly and almost mysteriously during the 1 minute intro, but then the sludge/doom riffs are thrown straight in your face over some heavy pounding drums. There are more tempo changes in this track, with a great up-tempo bit towards the end. “Zero Talent” my arse; this is one of the most talented bands on the planet.

Go get this 12” in you NOW, it'll only cost you ten beautiful shiny Great British Pound coins. And then go and see them on this tour, which also has the brilliant prog monsters Humanfly on the bill. I for one can’t fucking wait!

Click on the link to find out more about the UK tour.

It seems to be a good year for bluesy rock bands releasing albums with "Earth" in the title. Earth Rocker, the new album from Clutch, was released on March 15, and has been received very well. And about two weeks from now, on April 15, Spiritual Beggars will release Earth Blues.

I have heard the name Spiritual Beggars many times before. Their lineup contains some very well-respected musicians, with former Carcass guitarist/Arch Enemy co-founder Michael Amott and current Grand Magus drummer Ludwig Witt being their longest running members. Their current incarnation includes former Opeth keyboardist Per Wiberg, Arch Enemy bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, and former Firewind vocalist Apollo Papathanasio. But I skipped over Spiritual Beggars for a long time, partially because of the hit-or-miss nature of supergroups, and partially because my distaste for Arch Enemy leads me to be somewhat skeptical of Michael Amott's work (his time in Carcass notwithstanding). So Earth Blues is my first exposure to the group, and it is a veritable smack-in-the-face to my foolish ignorance. This is a very good album.

Riff-wise, Earth Blues sits somewhere between the bluesy stoner rock of Clutch and the hard-hitting prog of In Absentia/Deadwing-era Porcupine Tree, with the heavier moments adding some Grand Magus/Reverend Bizarre to the equation. That, combined with Wiberg's keyboards, leads to something similar to the harder moments on Riverside's Shrine of New Generation Slaves. Now, my favorite moments on SoNGS were the more atmospheric moments, but Spiritual Beggars just seek to rock hard and they are very successful at that. At times, the songs on the album seem to run together, but I think that's less because they sound the same and more because I'm just too busy getting sucked up in the rock.

The most surprising aspect of the album for me was Apollo Papathanasio's vocal performance. He trades in the smoother, more operatic style from Firewind for a grittier tone that is very similar to Chris Cornell, to the point where someone might confuse the songs on Earth Blues for a Soundgarden or Audioslave offering (seriously, 'Wise as a Serpent' could almost fit right into Out of Exile). Thankfully, he pulls off the new style quite well, and his performance is one of the brightest spots on the album.

If you've yet to listen to Spiritual Beggars, don't make the mistake I did and ignore them. If ass-kicking, hard-rocking riffs are what you seek, Earth Blues delivers in spades and you should check it out as soon as it is available.

Shamanic doomsters I Klatus from Chicago, Illinois have finally recorded the follow up to 2008s Surveillance and Worship. Featuring fellows/ex-fellows from Lair of the Minotaur, Yakuza, and/or Indian, there’s plenty of musical ability to go around. This album also features the final recordings of bassist Tariq Ali, as he is no longer with us. May he rest knowing people will hear this album, and his amazing low end shaking their speakers. There’s also plenty of mind bending stuff on this album. Doom/psychedelia go fairly hand in hand, but this pushes limits at times, and does it successfully so.

Opening up with 'John of the Network' is of fairly epic works. Loud, downtuned guitars and doom abound, only to break into a spaced out interlude mid-song. An awesome song that puts me on mountains and in the air; vast music. Following that is 'Flailtank': one minute burst of upbeat jam then three minutes of a speech mixed through the wires. Again, tripped out stuff, and the album follows suit from here on out.

My favorite moments of this album come right in the middle. Presented as 'Model Prisoner Interlude' then 'Model Prisoner Revolt' and THEN 'Portals (Under The Lake)'. I am left mesmerized by the shifts from sludged out doom to spacey trips in the air. These three songs flow so well together, they could almost be one solid track. Hell, the whole album could be honestly, but someone did that already, and no one will ever smoke it. (See what I did there? No? You shouldn’t be listening to this then.)

The close out one-two punch 'Karma and Forgiveness' and 'Dark Commitment to the Ceaseless NON' is beautiful. I know I use that word a lot when reviewing a record, “beautiful”, even when reviewing friggin’ death metal. It’s an honest use of the word because it is the only word that I can use to describe the feeling I get inside when I hear music that moves me, no matter what direction it does so. So, yes, beautiful ending to a great album.

Spaced-out Doom. Get it right here. And get it while you can on a physical format because only 100 copies of this 2X LP have been pressed. No worries though, you can still grab a digital copy on iTunes if you miss out.

HAIL!!!!!

Our thoughts go out to I Klatus for the loss of their brother in arms, and as well to Tatiq’s friends and family. He has done a fine job here, and everyone should be proud of him. Rest in peace, metal Brother. Tariq Ali - December 15 1980 – September 13 2009.

The man that needs no introductions but who I’m going to introduce anyway: Aidan Baker of Nadja. He’s been doing this for years now, and a quick check of Wiki will show you a massive list. I imagine its still missing a bit, too. Plurals, on the other hand, I have heard of, but never actually heard. So a composition between the two is bound to be interesting, to say the least. Collaborations between artist are always bound to produce a bit of the expected. They can also have surprises hidden inside. Lets have a listen and find out.

Those who are fans of Nadja for their heavy side, won’t be immediately drawn into the first track ‘Dead Foxes In The Street’. What they will find is a nice mix of xylophone in a few places (sampled or not, I’m not sure) synths and our usual drone elements. Listening from start to finish is actually quite pleasant and mind clearing. This is the kind of stuff you listen to during a walk on a rainy day, in the park reading a book or even sitting in your room staring at the ceiling.

Track number two, ‘Turning Children Into Mice’, is the heavier song on this album. Starting out very drone/bass heavy, my ears were vibrating with delight from the start. Hushed whispers and a jagged crackle pop up in the mix early on, setting the base for a little more disturbance in this song. As we progress forward, the sounds become overdriven and really pushed to the max. Also worth mentioning, the beginning five note repetition continues through almost the entire song, sans the last two minutes. At that point it becomes slowly plucked as an overtone to a man asking for help, and the voice of a little girl talking. A really good track, one that feels like a possible soundtrack to the day of red skies and aliens taking over.

A collaboration between two very good artists. I’ll admit, I’m not the most familiar with Plurals. But after hearing this I’m going to seek out all I can find and give them further listens. As far as Mr. Baker goes, I know his works with Nadja, but will now be digging further into his other works. I suggest you do the same for both artists.

This album is a continuation of the Latitudes series from Southern Records, again, something I recommend you seek out further, as I will do the same. Be sure to pick this release up. Support music and artists you love and enjoy.

(((DRONE)))

South American necro Black Metal outfit Patria offer up thirteen gloriously dark tracks on Nihil Est Monastica, the group's third effort for France's Drakkar Productions. The record holds true to the early roots of Black Metal, utilizing low-fi production (which sounds refreshing these days; it even enhances the album's feeling of bleakness). Lo-fi doesn't necessarily mean “cheap” in the blackened metal world. There's lots going on behind the long, dark curtain.

Patria, made up of Triumphsword (vocals) and Mantus (all other instruments), layer ringing chord progressions, melodic aural nuances, and organic environmental noise over hypnotic riffs to create a world of their own with Nihil Est Monastica. Harsh vocals sit perfectly within the mix. On a whole, the record is immersive, quite literally. Infectious, even. Eerily enough, this is its 13th spin on my turntable. It is that good. Songs such as 'Nyctophilia' and 'Sacro Vale dos Encantos' should appease most genre purists. Others, like 'Conquering Death's Palace', take the listener to different places in time/space, and even touch on other genres. That particular track recalls early Coroner, at least to my ears. This is a very good thing. Also included is a great take on a Sarcófago classic, 'Black Vomit'. Patria make the song their own. It fits seamlessly.

The touring/live version the brooding Patria will be rounded out by Igniis Inferniis (Guitar), Stormbringer (Bass), and Abyssius (Drums); a highly recommended show if their path crosses yours at any point in the near future.

Nihil Est Monastica should appear on many top ten lists for 2013. It will most definitely be on mine. Patria's tagline reads: “The Return of the South American Black Metal Mist.” Scandinavia, look out...these guys know what they're doing, and they do it well. Might be time to take things up an evil notch. Enter Patria's dark mist at your own risk. Stay for an eternity... or at least until the album ends. You won't regret it.

Chris Burda, Martin Grimm, Hamburg: three words having one main thing in common called Collapse Under The Empire.

Collapse Under The Empire is a two-piece instrumental post-rock band formed in 2007 that has been very productive since its founding. Their most ambitious work is the two parts concept album Shoulder & Giants and Sacrifice and Isolation that is the proof of their musical growth since their first EP Paintball (released in 2008).

Shoulder & Giants has been released in 2011 and the new 6-track EP The Silent Cry will be officially released on April 19th 2013 therefore shortening the waiting time on the long awaited second part of their work which should be released in fall 2013.

The forthcoming EP deals with the themes of human existence, freedom, isolation and death. All these different themes are reflected in a great mix of styles in the six tracks. The first one 'We Are Close As This', the darkest track of the EP, sounds like the soundtrack to a dark and gloomy science movie with its sinister undertones. The listener feels like being on a trip through an mountainous and icy landscape with no sign of human activity.

Tension and power grow with the second track, 'Stjarna', that is an instrumental cover of Depeche Mode’s song from the B-side of the single “Little 15” from 1988.

'The Silent Cry' is for me the celebration and the elation of post-rock music genre: with its strong outbursts and tones that constantly change it generates its own voice and depth. The first thing I thought when I listened to it was that this song has everything inside including electronic playfulness and provokes an explosions of sensations.

It seems that every track on this EP builds on the next one till the last one that represents the final act, the death, when the listener can finally 'Shut Off The Lights' and find a quiet moment with the exuberance of a great piano track. Absolutely my favorite track.

Enjoying The Silent Cry EP is going to be our focus in the next months whilst Collapse Under The Empire has the assignment to complete the second part of Sacrifice and Isolation to end it as this work deserves.