When you think of how serious black metal morons can be most of the time, wait… all the time, it is safe to say The Beyond really take the piss. Their latest album is titled Frostbitepanzerfuck and yes I am being serious. It is the bands first full-length on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions.

So, this is apparently “black metal with crust influences”, that is a very accurate description when the record rips for the first time. In my honest opinion most genres or sub-genres for that matter can be improved by adding crust to it. Deathcrust, crustcore, blackenedcrust… the possibilities are not exactly endless, but you get the just of it.

I gave this a spin and from the first track titled ‘Roto-Cunt’ the full story isn’t told by just labeling it blackcrust or crusty black metal or whatever. It definitely has a crust influence that is for sure… a very thrash attitude, solos and a kind of d-beat vibe. Don’t worry, I am writing this and it doesn’t make sense, you have to hear these guys, it really does kick-ass.

The lyrics are pretty comical as in they don’t take themselves serious in the least, which is like a breath of fresh air, especially when combined with something labeled black metal. It might not be the most technical gifted band, but it sure has some crushing riffs and a lot of variety right across the album. The lyrics basically consist of zombies, satan, murder and rape references, so sure, you could listen this when you pick your siblings up from a shitty party or taking your kids to school. I mean, who wouldn’t?

This is the bands first full-length and let there be no misconceptions, this is pretty awesome, just not as clean, clear-cut produced as most of the records you’d pick up from your local record store. Who likes that over produced
garbage anyway?

One of the most intriguing things about the record is that it doesn’t seem to conform to one playing style, but a culmination of playing styles. D-Beat, crust, black metal and even some thrashy vibes, which really adds to the variety of the record and you’re not quite sure what to expect. The vocal style also varies between songs, which is pretty awesome.

That most unique thing about this record is the lyrics and as mentioned above, the varying playing styles and vocal styles. I won’t say this is for everyone, but if you like your music harsh, dirty and you don’t mind laughing - this definitely excludes the black metal elite - pick up this record.

The only other band I can think of in terms of making any connection to something that is vaguely similar, I would say Sextrash from Brazil and even to an extent Gama Bomb or a combination of the two, but that is pretty much it.

All round, it is an interesting album with some hilarious lyrics and it’s nice and dirty. So if you don’t mind messing about a bit, pick up The Beyond - Frostbitepanzerfuck.

I had heard Abyssal's first album Denouement before I picked up their surprise (self-released on January 1st this year) second album Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius. So, I somewhat knew what to expect. Pure evil, fire and brimstone (I'm looking at you 'Tchard) and Hades and hellfire!!! Prepare yourself for one hell of a ride.

Musically this album is total mayhem. Mayhem in the best of ways. The drums sit in the middle of a wall of blackened guitars and bass. What may make this album a challenge for some listeners is the vocal mix. The vocals are good, make no mistake. Ranging from earthshaking bellows to whispers and mantras, they're top notch. But they are at times hard to place. They sit in line with the drums, not standing out completely. This, I feel, adds to the ominous tone and feeling of the album. Using the vocals as an instrument on their own to invoke the evil that Abyssal are capable of.

Some people will be quick to judge this album; write it off as a Portal imitation. And while they do share similarities (and a label for physical distribution), Abyssal take more time and sound a bit dirtier to get their point across. Allowing for an epic album experience, entrance music for the fallen angel himself...

Keep an eye out on Profound Lore Records for a limited CD release of 1000 on April 2.

When I first listened to the opening seconds of ‘Refused Recounting Words’, the opening track of The Shipwreck I initially thought I was sent the wrong album and I was listening to an unreleased Neurosis album. But, no, after a quick check I realised I was definitely listening to the right album; it is just that Whales and Aurora sound an awful lot like Neurosis. But don’t get me wrong here, because this is not a bad thing in my opinion.

Whales and Aurora are an Italian 5-piece band from Vicenza and they manage to create that characteristic Neurosis sound, also hitting upon ISIS, Amenra and similar post-metal/sludge bands. Even Alberto Brunello’s vocals remind me of Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till on the one hand and Aaron Turner on the other hand.

But enough comparisons here, as that would undervalue the great album Whales and Aurora have managed to create here. After the already mentioned opening track we hit one of the highlights on The Whipwreck with second track ‘Achieving the Unavoidable’. Clocking at nearly 11 minutes in length, this track is a typical long sludge/post-metal track, building upon slow, but heavy pounding drums and beautifully played, almost post-rock sections, nicely interchanged with those climatic full-blowing distorted guitar parts, where everything hits out at you in full force and Brunello starts grunting his guts out in emotional sounding vocal parts, creating the illusion his last hours on earth are accounted for.

What makes this release stand out a little bit from this huge supply of sludge releases we’ve been facing over the last couple of years is that everything just clicks instantly with this album. There are little instrumental intermezzos, like the tracks ‘The Aground Hard-ship’ and ‘Awakened by the Aurora’, and beautifully played instrumental post-rock like elements, greatly exemplified in the intro of ‘Abandoned Among Echoes’. But then this big sludge machine hits you in the face again and again. I absolutely love it.

The start of ‘A New Awareness’ has Russian Circles and What the Blood Revealed post-metal written all over it, but then these Kelly/Von Till/Turner like deep, emotionally laden grunting vocals kick in again. This track builds up on another huge climax before we leave The Shipwreck with the final track ‘Floating on Calm Waters’, which is another dreamy, non-distorted instrumental composition.

Whales and Aurora, I salute you. Yes, there are comparisons aplenty on The Shipwreck, but I love this sludge/post-metal genre as no other and I love it that another great band can be added to this illustrious list of names. Ay fan of the aforementioned bands would do good to give these guys a go as well. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.

Ever go out drinking with the boys, even though you know you've got plans the next day? It starts out innocent enough; just two beers with lunch. Nothing big right? Next thing you know it's eight in the morning, you have 12 missed calls, 19 text messages condemning you to the flames of hell, you've a splitting headache, gut ache and you can't find your boots. You know what I'm talking about.

Where Headless Kross get involved in these shenanigans is that they were right there with you. Providing a soundtrack for you and the boys to pound the ale, dance around a bonfire half naked, run from the police for taking a piss in someone's yard all while throwing the horns (m/) in the name of the riff. It compels you. You can't not tap your feet to this tune. It just makes your body move!!!

Now, War Iron, they are pointing at you and laughing. They're no rookies, they can handle their spirits like men. They'll gladly remind you of yesterday and last night, pounding it into your mind and body. You're hurting, you gave it your all yesterday. War Iron just don't care, they've done it all before and didn't bat an eye the next morning. Ya sally boy.

Both tracks on this split provide a nice reminder of that one night you let it all go and paid for it the next day. I'm sure you've had a few, and may have more. I know I've got a story or two I could tell you. If only I could remember...

Does this album really come from Sweden? Really? No, REALLY? But you can feel the dust of the desert under the nails of the fingers that strum the guitar that sounds as if it was hand-made, sold and played by a melancholic cowboy.

It’s singer Johan Björklund’s rolled Rs that give away the band’s nationality and this Swedish hallmark provides a real idiosyncrasy to the eleven tracks.

Burning Bridges is Holmes’ third album, and one that if there’s any justice in the world, will see Holmes’ brand of Scandinavian Americana reach radios and stereos across a wider world than they’ve done so far.

It’s wistful from the offset with a slow pace riding alongside a mournful vocal as slide guitars and strings warm the bones of the track. “Cold, don’t let your heart grow cold, there’s warmth out there and love to share” is the opening line of a hugely lyrical album that offers optimism and encouragement to a mind seemingly without either.

The influence of Lambchop is immediately apparent; this is lighter than recent big Americana hitters like Band of Horses. It’s more delicate, poetic. The band hail fromVänersborg, a small town not far from Sweden’s music capital of Gothenburg (indeed the album was recorded here by Per-Ola Eriksson) and the remoteness and somewhat brisk conditions are a running theme throughout: “At times the cold will climb under your ribcage” sings Björklund on the bleak ‘Bells’.

The melodies alone on ‘Night Bright Night’ are worth the money alone. “There is a light in the field, from all the cars in the street and I always come back when I know I’ve strayed too long” is a line that says everything about small time living, the need to escape but the joy of returning, and hearing it built in layers is a joy.

‘I Will Never be Free’ picks the pace up and injects more of a folky influence before ‘All I Had in Store’ brings everything right back down. This pattern continues until the lengthy closer ‘Captain Weakheart’ ends on a folky freakout with instruments fuzzing and dancing around dueling guitar and piano riffs.

Emotionally, the whole album it’s fairy heart-wrenching, but in same uplifting way that Malcolm Middleton can make you feel pretty upbeat about the idea of dying alone. Turn it on, turn down the lights and immerse yourself in the fragility of something utterly beautiful.

George Orwell once said that “in a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act”. Now whether that has anything whatsoever to do with this, the second album by Welsh folk artists Little Arrow is a moot point but there is certainly a truth in the music that they play.

Following on from their debut album Music, Masks and Poems, Wild Wishes is a continuation of that theme and even more so, a vindication for not just Little Arrow but for the whole underground Welsh folk/psych scene that has been bubbling under for the last few years.

Maybe this is best exemplified by ‘State of You and Me’, a song coming a third of the way into the album which envelops you in its rustic charm and then proceeds to take you on an almost progressive rock journey. It is one of those songs where you totally forget about such mundane things as what type of music this is or who is it by. It is a moment of clarity and beauty which unbelievably continues throughout.

Opening with the majestic ‘Our Taste is Violence’, Wild Wishes is folk but not quite how you have heard it before. This comes from a place where few dare to tread and maybe don’t want to after listening to I Man Ogre. It sweeps you along in an unhurried way and you feel the Welsh hills and valleys taking on some sort of weird strangeness. This isn’t the urban oddness of say, Cate Le Bon, but something much more primordial.

It is beguiling, beautiful and heartrending, sometimes in the same song (‘The Ancient’) and deserves to be listened to with an open heart and complete faith in what you are about to hear. There can be no barriers here, this is music from another place, rustic, rootsy but also strangely contemporary. Orwell said truth is revolutionary, maybe Little Arrows truth will revolutionise us. The first great album of 2013.

Lords of Bastard from Edinburgh play bass heavy quirky stoner rock. They are not a traditional stoner rock band by any means and their second full length Cuddles is full of an interesting mix of kick ass styles. There’s anything from noise rock to math like beats going on at times. There are also hints of Big Business, Lords, Kyuss and Jesus Lizard... what more could you possibly need?

The vocals are relaxed but distorted and there’s a keyboard thrown into the mix which hammers out anything from delicate tones to psychedelic madness, Lords of Bastard just do whatever the hell they want. ‘Ghost Time’ combines all aforementioned tantalising ingredients and is a blinding opener.

‘Bloody Hell’ is an absolute cracker, lightning quick drums and just like the entire album, pull off a fine balancing act between the heaviness and mellow vibes. Your brain can focus in on the almost chilled vocals but behind that there’s utter riff devastation pummelling away creating all kinds of carnage.

Lords of Bastard conjure up a consistent yet chaotic flow, if that makes any sense. Delivering fuzzy melodies throughout, but there is complexity and wizardry layered ion which keeps you on your toes. ‘I’m In My Walls’ is a perfect example of this and very much the high point. It boasts catchy yet sludgy riffs with overlaid swirling keys, reminiscent of Astrohenge, which can only be a good thing. The final track ‘Squirrel Mirror’ is an absolute riff monster and the perfect sign off.

As interesting as it is, there’s not quite enough substance or power to elevate Cuddles into a classic and probably won’t make many top 10s come the end of 2013 but it’s a valiant effort. It’s early days for the band with the creativity they possess, I’m looking forward to full on intercourse with Lords of Bastard and not just "Cuddles”.

Further Into Regress is an album with good intentions. The record resembles the post-rock style, but sadly lacks some conviction. More interest is needed with more exploration of ideas and variation in dynamics. Artists such as Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky, have an intensity about them; they use the whole dynamic spectrum available to them to create power beneath their ideas. These influential bands create layers of sound, where actual noise levels are pushed to their limits.

We Can Breathe In Spacehas an amateurish feel; the tools are available to make a great record, but the  artist hasn't quite twigged what's missing. Further problems to the absence of climactic interest and progression in the music, are that some of the actual sounds don't gel. The flat, drum-machine-esque kit used is very mechanical and is an odd choice. In addition, the decision to chuck in voice recordings in part two seems clumsy. Vocals, especially snippets of spoken word can work brilliantly; in the right place, at the right time. For instance, a favourite example would be in Olafur Arnalds extremely moving Variations of Static, where it seems to evoke more emotionality in the music.

The tracks all end with sudden drop-outs, which is almost as immature as the fade-out. This shows the music has no real end-point. (not surprising without any progression or considered structure really aye?.)

This three-part album does contain some hope of something good, the third track providing more optimism. Yet, as a whole there is regrettably a lot missing. Sadly, on Further Into Regress, there is not enough to keep you interested.  

I’m going to give you all a new system for classifying music that will make things a little bit easier. Ready?

Does it rock?

In the case of Empty Lungs the answer is yes. Yes it ruddy well does. Merging the agit-angst of The Almighty circa ‘Crank’ era, the punk shapings of Rocket From The Crypt and the melody (vocally and instrumentally) of Honeycrack and early Wildhearts, Empty Lungs serve up a stunning 6 tracks feast that makes you want to alternately punch the air, punch authority and punch a hole into a keg of good strong booze.

Opener ‘Running In Circles’ cues up the EP wonderfully, displaying it’s melodic and anthemic credentials for all to see. Rattling along with more hooks than a butcher’s fridge and never outstaying its welcome (at just 1:42 it would be hard pushed to). As a side 1, track 1 (as us old folk like to say) it’s hard to beat; deftly and succinctly telling YOU the listener that this is how it’s going to be for the next 20 minutes.

‘Until The Day We Die’ features some fantastic guitar playing from the jagged chords of the intro to the twinkly notes of the verses, it’s a melodic tour de force. But don’t let the upbeat musical nature lull you into thinking that everything is easygoing. Lyrically, (and throughout this whole EP), Empty Lungs rail against losing hope, about fighting the apathy of resistance and a call to arms for the disaffected.

The standout track on this EP as far as I am concerned arrives in the form of ‘Nothing Left to Lose’. Exhorting the listener to “cut loose” and “speak your mind” and laced with “WOAH-UH-OH”s throughout the verses this is a song that just calling out for crowd participation at gigs. A song that you play before you make a stand: politically, emotionally or physically. See the official video here:

Following this was always going to be tricky and ‘Long Road Home’ ably tries but ultimately suffers because of track placement and some hit and miss singing in the verses. That’s not to say this is not a good song, but it’s more restrained playing and structure would have been better suited earlier in the running order.

‘Release The Lifeboats’ is a great mid-paced number that features some wonderfully dual lyrics depending on listener interpretation. They are either an ode to the power of uniting for a cause, of struggling upstream towards an outcome or they concern the struggles of relationships. Either way there is something for everyone to hang their hat on emotionally.

Finally we end with ‘Stand Up’, an ode to the current political and financial climate and the frustrations that seem to be all too prevalent these days - “Stand up, If your pissed off and broke and you feel like you’re just about ready to explode “.

Do yourselves a favour, get this EP. But more importantly play it LOUD. And with a smile of your face of course……

The press release coming with this album opens with the following: “Echtra’s Sky Burial, the first issuance in the triumvirate of the Passage Cycle, is an exploration of the dissolution of our mortal coil. If human consciousness regognizes the inescapability of its own demise, then an essential aspect of becoming truly human is grappling with the inevitability of our own death. This is what Echtra has sought with the Sky Burial project, attempting at the same time to create an aural and visual space in which others may do the same.”

Well, I’m sorry to disappoint Echtra here because I don’t do the same. I’m probably not getting what the band tries to bring or create within me with this 2-track recording. All the pointers, like the artwork, other bits of the press release, were pointing in the direction of another atmospheric black metal recording, but I’m very disappointed this is not the case.

Yes, it has some elements of atmosphere, a lot actually, but the black metal bits are not to be found, with the small exception of the second half of ‘Sky Burial II’, the second track on this album, where the guitars, although sounding quite in the back of the mix, start doing that black metal familiar shredding over some, finally, up-tempo drumming, but it only lasts for a minute or so.

The first track ‘Sky Burial I’ almost needlessly flows into the second track ‘Sky Burial II’, with the use of a very repetitive acoustic guitar part. And with both tracks around or just over the 20 minutes mark, this is a lot of repetition of this acoustic guitar part. The second track definitely has a lot more to offer with drone guitar parts building up over very long minutes, creating nice sounding soundscapes.

Don’t get me wrong, it is not bad what Echtra attempts here, it’s just not my thing. Fans of long-stretched soundscape, drone-like pieces of music will no doubt be happy with this release. I did think it was very relaxing and I listened to it pleasantly whilst doing some work, but I won’t be coming back to this I’m afraid.

Axis Of is a name that’s been popping up more and more in the past year or so. Although releasing very little, their home reputation is unrivalled, especially the live show, which is becoming something akin to legend. This is the same show that they brought around the UK last year, tearing up stages alongside mighty US Punk machine The Bronx. Their first full release, on Derry’s Smalltown America Records, finally harnesses the beast.

Seemingly impossible to classify, the tracks on Finding St. Kilda differ wildly in their style, yet stick rigidly to the core principles of both “loud” and “fucking heavy”. The constantly larger-than-life vocals compliment the music perfectly, aggressive one minute, almost cheeky the next yet with impressive levels of consistency.

Production wizard Rocky O’Reilly has done a great job of capturing the bombast of their live shows perfectly. As always, it’s seriously hard to believe a three piece can make this much noise, leaping from the speakers with their raucous, massive yet surprisingly accessible sound. It’s rare that a band this heavy can deliver so many hooks, but regardless of the style of the track (and there’s quite a range here) Axis Of never cease to entertain.

Their trademark sea shanty approach to song-writing makes for an infectious delivery that, live, audiences can’t help but chant back to the stage. ‘Mendelssohnstrasse’, ‘Stan Winston’s Rough Seas’ and single ‘Lifehammer’ showcase this perfectly; the vocal on ‘…Rough Seas’ in particular penetrates the brain with its triumphant, almost defiant yell. So much so that it’s highly possible that you’ll sing these lyrics loudly on the bus/train/streets without even realising it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

It’s rare to find a band that can take so many influences and meld them together into something so fresh and original. With this album finally on the horizon, I can predict 2013 will be a big year for Axis Of.

Is this Punk? Maybe. Is it Hardcore? I’m not sure, but through the twists an turns from skull-pounding riffs (‘Aung’) through jump-around Punk mentalness (‘The World’s Oldest Computer’, ‘Re-Written In Big Ink’) to straight up fist-pumping head bangers ('Mapping St. Kilda’), this is an album in no way lacking in energy.

Don't let the (drunken sounding) wailing at the start of EP opener 'You Will Fall' put you off, there are some pieces of brilliance on this 4 track set. Sounding like a cross between Iron Maiden and Pantera via Glenn Benton's vocal trainer, Scotland's Winterhold manage to unite a number of styles together most evident in 'Built Upon Deception' showing that vocalist Danny Rudden is more than a one-trick pony as well as demonstrating that the band appreciate dynamics in song writing are more potent than balls-to-the-wall heaviness from start to finish.

In fact I found the songs that stayed with me longest after listening were the ones that featured more singing than growling. To be honest I found the growly vocals detracted from the songs. ‘Cabin Fever’ has some stunning vocal work up until the last line of the chorus which then futures some Dani Filth-esque backing vocals.

To my mind Rudden’s regular singing voice is has much more depth and resonance on it’s own without the gimmicks of growls plastered over it. 'Holding Out For Dawn' (bum notes aside) features an utterly brilliant groove riff and a great use of time changes with melodic guitar melodies that really lifts the song and provides a great way to end the EP.

This is Winterhold’s first offering to the world and it is a fine start that will provide them with solid foundations on which to build. Minor quibbles aside, this is something that most fans of metal will be able to get their teeth into. And with a bit more attention to detail in the studio, Winterhold have a bright future ahead of them and I'll be keeping a very interested ear out for new material in the future.

It's beneficial having friends in high places, something Airick Woodhead AKA Doldrums seems to know - a close friend of Grimes who's been singing praises about his debut for months now. Recorded on a laptop he borrowed from her almost two years ago (and subsequently broke) Doldrums has created an LP that clearly draws strong influences from other bands (I felt Gatekeeper's spirit on this LP a lot) and genres (trip-hop & hip-hop amongst a few) but manages to adopt a melting pot style, liquefying these influences to create a narcotic yet aurally bemusing LP.  

Woodhead opens the LP in sly form, 'Intro' lulls you into a false sense of security - the calm before the storm that is to follow. Before long we've fallen deep into the rabbit hole of 'Anomaly' a bass driven beast underpinned by howls of white noise, soothing bleeps which are soon counteracted by piercing synthesised blasts. The whole thing has a nostalgic feel, as if it should almost burst to life and become a classic pop song you've always known but instead lingers at the forefront of your mind, teasing you.  

But Woodhead doesn't let the sonic blueprint he used to create 'Anomaly' become a formula for the rest of his experiments; that would be too easy. Everything is built on; 'She Is The Wave' escalates fast, becoming a torrent of glitches, beeps layered over the top of each other; desperately scrambling for air. It's disorientating but has such a luminous, dystopian beauty about it becomes a fever dream you wish never ends.

Woodhead's androgynous vocals never become a driving force of the music, instead becoming another chemical added in to the mix. His falsetto is bent nicely out of shape, adding texture to an already vivid soundscape. As Lesser Evils progresses it becomes more and more obvious to hear that Woodhead is having fun, a lot of fun, here. He's experimenting and erasing the line where your comfort zone begins and it's remarkably refreshing to listen to a record that sounds as if it was as fun to make, as it is to listen to. 

There's no denying Lesser Evils isn't an easy listen, but you wouldn't want it any other way. The LP Woodhead has created here sounds otherworldly and surreal but still manages to create a wonderful sense of nostalgia about it. Its sheer brazen nature to experiment with arrangements and production has helped Doldrums' LP carve a niche for itself; it's restless, hyperactive and audacious but give it time and it'll get you hooked like a drug and it'll reward you for your patience.  

What makes ambient appealing? Why this endless thirst for ambient? Why do I keep seeking it? These questions started bouncing back and forth while listening to Benoît Pioulard's newest album Hymnal. Another album dominated heavily by an airy and atmospheric approach where nearly every sound made causes an echo.

A part of the answer may be quite simple and maybe even universally rooted. Ambient music is obviously a very clear parallel to the air and atmospere above us and for many it can represent an open and free space, somewhere the mind can escape into. You only need to think about the last time you travelled in the air to induce this feeling. Many artists creating ambient music seems to know how to take an advantage of this fact, Thomas Meluch being one among this sky-seeking crowd.

Seattle-based Thomas Meluch is the man behind the musical alias Benoît Pioulard and Hymnal is his seventh full length release. On the contrary from what you might've thought while reading the introduction, Hymnal does not lack of structure. Lush dream pop is the key ingredient. Even though this is the dominating approach throughout Hymnal it feels as though his ambient world is where the pop 'comes from'. A distinct airiness permeates Hymnal from start to end.

One of Meluch's strengths I especially appreciate is his ability to make the sophisticated accessible. There's often layer upon layer of dreamy vocals, gentle rhythms and airy guitar soundscapes, very similar to one of my favourites, Eingya by Helios. Another strength is his variation between, and distortion of, instruments and field recordings such as harmonica and clinging church bells which I find more interesting than his somewhat tiresome guitar themes. But to make dream pop which is accessible, pleasant and at the same time interesting enough to give it more than a couple spins is a tough task and it's hard to come by someone who succeeds. I can only imagine the scale of the temptation to fall into the trap of making the dreamy too dreamy, leaving nothing more to it but the gaze. Benoît Pioulard seems to be clearly aware of this.

Pick this up next time you're heading towards the airport. This should suit your trip into the skies just fine.