New Reviews 8/7/2011
Oathbreaker- Maelstrom-CD (Deathwish Inc)
Holy Crushing Post Hardcore Metallic madness all coming from a female vocals inspired by people like Karyn Crisis, Kat of Babes in toyland and Candance of Walls of Jericho. This is a blistering wall of metallic hardcore with some very cool grooves and full on in your face vocals. If Deadguy or Bloodlet were fronted by a female vocalist it would very much sound like this. I can not tell you how powerful of a sound this band has you really just need to hear it. The video for "Origin" really shows you the force of this band and how amazingly huge they can be worldwide not just in europe were they seem have taken the Post Hardcore world by storm... There is such a Crust/ Sludge metal infusion going on through out this album as well. If your a fan of bands like Cavity, Kylesa, Damad, Buzzoven or Eyehategod this will very much move you as well. Remember those old days of Revelation, Victory, Slap a ham, Bacteria Sour and rhetoric records and this will very much bring you into this vibe. Just a better production and a bit more doom metal in the mix. WOW all I can really say is Wow. Deathwish you have a band for years to come to just slay the massive live and on album..
REX MUNDI-IHVH-CD ( Debemur-morti Productions)
Occult Black metal that has very close ties in sound to bands like Absu , Waitan , Urgehel and Gorgoroth to what I hear. It's has blasting moments but as a whole its much more slow and sinister as it build, ebbs and flows out it sickness to the world. The vocals are like a plague upon the world as the music goes more for the Black /Death elements bands like Dissection or Immortal were so good at .. Rex Mundi is a middle finger to the world of conformity and mainstream ideals. With each riff you can hear there is a clear goal to make the world remember at anythine chaos or the apocalypse can be brought forth. The eastern elements work to the advantage of the overall sound as well. Again I will use the term Thinking man's Black metal as this is not for the casual listener it will just be too much for them but the experienced extreme / avant black metal listener this will be just what your looking for .. I hope to see this project live someday as its growing on me by leaps and bounds...
Arkona-Slovo-CD (Napalm Records)
Pagan/Folk Metal plays a major role in the heart and mind of this reviewer as my Asatru Belief this is very very personal release on majestic, class and vibrant Heathen ways. You know what your getting from the moment you hear Arkona. The Symphonic movements, Strings, Acoustic folk sound, Female Battle cries for a world forgotten by most, Chorus vocals and and that wonderful Viking metal sound you get from bands like Falkenbach, Tyr, Thyrfing, Mithotyn etc. That once in your soul can and will never be lost. These are hymns of the wounded, scarred and valiant warrior of old. Classical music mixed with Viking/Black metal is nothing new but does it need to be new to be brilliant and breathtaking I clearly can show you the answer is NO... The Slavic Nations and Germanic Nations hold a very common belief and are Brothers and Sisters eternal. Arkona are one of the hands don best bands on the label of Napalm not or ever. They keep getting stronger and more expressive with each release. Wave you Clan's Banner high and wait for the new age of Respect, Valor and Nature to arrive as Arkona does as well.
http://napalmrecords.com/
An Autumn for Crippled Children- Everything-CD (ATMF)
Orchestral Post Black metal in the way a movie soundtrack would present itself. Everything is just that everything you could want in a band that loves to mix the delicate and fragile with grim, ugly symphonic black metal sound. Imagine just for a moment is Emperor and Mogwai became one band then saw that there were bands like Fen, Code and Alcest out there creating off why bands like Arcturus, Opeth and Mayhem have been doing decades before then you would have it . An Autumn for crippled children have an industrial and dissident feeling going on in the backdrop to all they do are well. They really do love that Alcest and Arcturus created at times I hear so much of both these bands in there style then they get so gritty and blackened its almost like 2 bands in one. ATMF is one of those labels like Prophecy, Ajna Offensive and Code666 that just stay cutting edge by doing what they love nothing more. The beauty lies within the torment of the release as a whole.. Simply wonderful release for the fractured minds out there...
Wolves in the throne room- Celestial Lineage-CD (Southern Lord)
So over the course of 4 albums WITTR have moves from a Occult Black metal band to what I would called a Post Metal Bands with Black and Avant metal elements mixed in. There are many ambient, acoustic , folk and ritualistic ideals going on all the time with each track . Even when it get to full on black metal . Celestial Lineage is a monster in sound as well it a wall of sonic creativity and aggression all in the each track. The female vocals work so well on the intro track it almost sounds like something a band like Dimmu Borgir or Borknagar would have done. WITTR are loving the analog synths and productions all the more again with this release. There is a passion and power to a band like this that is missing unless you goto bands like Neurosis , Godspeed you black emperor or Strapping Young Lad .. WITTR just have that it factor for extreme music and you hear it more and more on each release. This is more an experiance then just a musical release. Its so very layered and majestic in the Doom meet Black meets Post rock sound they create. The isolation living on a farm in the outskirts of the American Northwest really makes the bands a sound all there own. Southern Lord has again allowed this band to be who and what they are. A Darkened musical force for the Nature and Lifeforces around them. You are truly richer for just hearing the music the create. It is just that inspiring..
http://southernlord.com/
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