/r/RABM/

Friday, May 17, 2013

Dark Blasphemer - "Drowning in Depression" (2012)

DARK BLASPHEMER "Drowning In Depression"

Year: 2012
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Argentina

Track List:
  1. Intro
  2. Eternal Sleep
  3. Hate & Spirit
  4. Black Warrior
  5. Blasphemer
  6. Dead Emperor
  7. Suicide My Mind
  8. Tenebris Artium
  9. Devastation World
  10. Drowning in Depression
  11. Dawn of Destruction
  12. Outro
DOWNLOAD

Black metal band from Bahía Blanca (Argentina), formed in December 2011. Their music is more or less standard BM, nothing really groundbreaking here, but at least we can be sure that they're RABM-friendly (according to their guitarist's posts in our facebook group).

facebook

P.S. And finally, some more bad news for you: I'm afraid I can't continue this blog anymore, or at least I'll have to put it on hold for a quite long time. If you wish to help me writing reviews, you can contact me via email, and I'll consider giving you a guest author access to my blog (preferably if you're one of my long-time readers, and your English is better than mine ;)). Either way, don't expect many updates here (at least until the end of the summer. In the meanwhile, you can read the blog of our comrades in Greece, or the Black Spring blog (mostly dedicated to the Berber BM scene, but very RABM-friendly too). Let's hope it won't be the end, stay tuned!

Vestiges - split w/ Panopticon (2012)

VESTIGES / PANOPTICON

Year: 2012
Genre: Black Metal, Post-Metal
Country: USA

The Vestiges/Panopticon split was announced to be released 12 December 2012, but only two tracks are available (for streaming, not for purchase or free download) @ Vestiges' bandcamp so far. However, these tracks sound VERY promising, so I hope the whole split will be amazing. Also, some news from Austin L. of Panopticon:

"Now is as good of a time to announce it officially, yesterday was the first day of drum tracking for the new Panopticon album. The drums are being tracked with Spenser Morris at lundr lodge studio, I will be recording the rest myself and the reamping/mixing and mastering will be handled by Colin Marston again, so expect the most professional sounding Panopticon record so far. The songs have been written since 2011 and represent a well rounded combination of all of the elements I have explored in the past 5 albums and the splits. This album represents the end of an era for this project, with darker, more emotional songs and very personal subject matter rather than history or social commentary, so I plan to make it count. Details of the release(s!), title and artwork will arrive in the coming months. Wish us luck today!"

I wonder what he meant by "the end of an era"... hope he isn't going to close the project. There were some pretty bad news lately (Forge of Customs split up in February, B.D.M. is now defunct too, plus there are no news from the Old Roots New Shoots circle), so I hope at least the most well-known RABM project is going to stay active.

Update: the whole split is officially available for free download, get it HERE!

Skagos - "Anarchic" (2013)

SKAGOS "Anarchic"

Year: 2013
Genre: Cascadian Black Metal, Post-Metal
Country: Canada

Track List:
  1. Anarchic I-III
  2. Anarchic IV-V
  3. Anarchic VI-VII
A long-awaited Skagos' second full-length album is finally released in its entirety. Just like in case with "Terma" by Sadhaka and all the releases of The Flenser Rec., I won't include a download link - better listen it @ bandcamp and buy it if you like it. As for a review - check out this one, it's much more complete than anything I'd ever write (and of course, written in much better English...)

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Mortal Plague - "Omens" (2011)

MORTAL PLAGUE "Omens"

Year: 2011
Genre: Symphonic Black/Death Metal
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. House of the Vengeful Spirits
  2. Misanthropic Enlightenment
  3. I, Destructor
  4. Winter is Neverending
  5. Visage
  6. Cult of the Mourning Sun
  7. Forged for Destruction
  8. Reflections of a Dying Soul
  9. Crushing Ignorance
  10. Bringer of Plagues
  11. Northern Demise
  12. Omens
bandcamp

An apolitical band which I think should be on my blog, because one of their members was very active in our facebook group and invited us to check out their demo "Winter is Neverending" some time ago; plus this album is completely free (released under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license). While they're from the Cascadian region (Hood River, OR), their music bears not much resemblance to Cascadian BM: it's more or less standard death/black metal with some symphonic elements. Their first full-length, "The Ballad of Misanthropy", was said to be just melodic black metal (haven't listened to it yet). As for "Omens", I'd definitely recommend it, even though it's a quite lengthy release and might seem to be too monotonous to some of you. For me, it's a very good album.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Ceaseless Desolation - "Nicość" (2013)

CEASELESS DESOLATION "Nicość"

Year: 2013
Genre: Blackened Crust
Country: Poland

Track List:
  1. Nieustająca Dewastacja / Tyrania Widm
  2. Dwunożna Autodestrukcja
  3. Egzystencjalny Szum
  4. Poroniony Raj
  5. Jutro?
  6. Nicość
  7. Ucieczka
  8. Z Życia Marionetek
  9. Bez Szczęśliwego Zakończenia
  10. Do Zatracenia
bandcamp

Finally, a first full-length album from this Poland-based blackened crustcore band, much better sounding than their debut demo. If I remember all correctly, one of their members was an active RABM supporter from the very beginning (when this blog didn't exist yet), and their ideology is close to anarcho-individualism (Max Stirner's ideas etc.) I think it'd be safe to say they're the best Polish blackened crust so far...

Schattenlicht - "Erinnerung" (2011)

SCHATTENLICHT "Erinnerung"

Year: 2011
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Austria

Track List:
  1. Am Abgrund (Intro)
  2. Ein Blick in die Tiefe
  3. Erinnerung
  4. Verzweifelnd Träumend
  5. Gefangen
  6. Frei
  7. Brücken (Outro)
facebook / bandcamp

This DIY anarchist black metal duo was formed in 2008, but I didn't know anything about them until very recently. Their only release "Erinnerung" is very good, though - nothing out of the ordinary, but still a very promising debut. AFAIK they've just finished a 6-track split w/ Karg and are going to release it this week.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Marnost - "Die Hamletmaschine" (2013)

MARNOST "Die Hamletmaschine"

Year: 2013
Genre: Black Metal, Blackened Hardcore
Country: Czech Republic

bandcamp / official site

The newest single from Marnost - a soundtrack for a movie based on Heiner Müller's 1979 drama "Die Hamletmaschine":

"As we were striked by the message of Müller's play touching issues of totality or abuse of power, and as it seems to us that Müller was a person who understood art as one of the ways to freedom, we decided to take this opportuinity. This song came out of feelings about the recorded scenes and about the play itself. Maybe it's a step off the way that we chose, but it makes sense" 

 As of now, Marnost are focused on making music inspired by Czech anarchist writers, but they find Heiner Müller (a left-wing dissident in former Eastern Germany) an interesting person too. So far they're one of the best "new" RABM projects, so I hope they'll make more music in the future, even though they have a lot of work on their other projects.

ANCST - "The Humane Condition" (2013)

ANCST "The Humane Condition"

Year: 2013
Genre: Black Metal, Blackened Crust/Hardcore
Country: Germany

Track List:
  1. Ascetic
  2. Entropie
bandcamp

This Berlin-based anarcho-BM/crust project returns with a new EP and a slightly different name. Of course the correct spelling is "Angst", but there already are too many bands under this name...

"this was released by Dark Omen Records in an edition of 100 copies. 15 of these will be available as special pre-order with alternativ coloured artwork and an extra patch. Pre-order is available here:  
darkomenrecords.storenvy.com/products/1356455-ancst-the-humane-condition-ep-dor006-preorder-w-patch

please check out Dark Omen Records here:
darkomenrecords.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/darkomenrecords"

Ravensdöm & The Austrasian Goat - split (2012)

RAVENSDOM / THE AUSTRASIAN GOAT & THE VNTRVE ENSEMBLE

Year: 2012
Genre: Raw Black Metal, Blackened Punk
Country: France

Track List:

The Austrasian Goat
  1. Intro
  2. Counterfeit
  3. A Decade in Dust
  4. Shed
  5. The Agonist
  6. The Purity of a Clenched Fist
Ravensdöm
  1. Séculaire
  2. Divisions
  3. La Fille du Diable
  4. Abandon
DOWNLOAD

I think both Ravensdöm and The Austrasian Goat need no introduction, as I already have several their releases posted on my blog. This split, just like the albums of some other French anarchist BM bands, comes as a cassette rip with only 2 long tracks ("Side A" & "Side B"). Thanks to X. for posting this release!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Gukurahundi - "An Apparition in Nocturnal Splendor" (2013)

GUKURAHUNDI "An Apparition in Nocturnal Splendor"

Year: 2013
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Country: USA
Label: Manicidic Records

Track List:
  1. An Apparition in Nocturnal Splendor
  2. Dethroned
  3. The Anarchist
  4. Sombre Dreams to Gaze Upon
  5. The Carcass of Christ
bandcamp / facebook / reverbnation / bigcartel

"A mix of death and black metal with a melodic groove and atmospheric landscapes. Gukurahundi brings an array of styles and genres into their music while maintaining their African roots. From bludgering blast beats to down tempo piano bridges the band brings a fresh new sound to blackened death metal. For fans of Naglfar, Behemoth, Dark Fortress, and Severe Torture"

The EP is surprisingly good, but there's not much information about the band. AFAIK it started in 2008 as an international (American / South African) duo under the name "The Daemon Project". The current name, according to wikipedia, literally means "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains", and refers to the infamous series of massacre in Zimbabwe during the mid-80s.

Witchaven - "Terrorstorm" (2010)

WITCHAVEN "Terrorstorm"

Year: 2010
Genre: Blackened Thrash Metal
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. A.D.D.
  2. Terrorstorm
  3. Black Thrash Assault
  4. Absolute Profit
  5. No End in Sight
  6. Conflagration
  7. Ardent Lust
  8. Dawn of the Unholy
  9. Empty Chasm
  10. Unholy Copulation
bandcamp

I've already introduced Witchaven to you about an year ago, and here's their only full-length release called "Terrorstorm". A good attempt to revive the spirit of the 80s thrash / 1st wave black metal scene, definitely recommended if you want some "old school"-sounding stuff.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

ConsPiracy & Death Courier - "Sharing the Loot / Immune to Burial" (2013)

CONSPIRACY / DEATH COURIER "Sharing the Loot / Immune to Burial"

Year: 2013 
Genre: Thrash Metal (Conspiracy), Old School Death Metal (Death Courier)
Country: Greece

Track List:

ConsPiracy
  1. Sharing The Loot
  2. Genoktonia (Stress cover)
Death Courier
  1. Mindwarp
  2. Relics & Ornaments
DOWNLOAD

 Some more stuff from Greece that's definitely worth checking out. Maybe Conspiracy are simply anarcho-friendly and not much more, but Death Courier surely are a 100% anarcho-death metal band (at least according to the info I received), in addition to being one of the first death metal bands that were ever formed in Greece (1987-1993, reunited in 2010) and became known abroad.

Kil.Disneyland - "Old, Cold, Depressive" (2013)

KIL.DISNEYLAND " Cold, Old, Depressive (demo mini EP)"

Year: 2013
Genre: Raw Black Metal
Country: Greece

Track List:
  1. Fields
  2. Legend of the Drow
  3. Fast Power and Rain
  4. Goatlord
DOWNLOAD

Raw old school black metal from the members of Arxi Tou Telous, Mother Disobedience and several other Greek anarcho/DIY bands. As for the unusual name of the band:

"...we wanted a name to represent our political thoughts, and also to be a little teasy for the rest old school black metal bands... Anyway disneyland is a mark and a symbol of capitalistic way of life (something like coca cola). we are living in a country that everyone was buying and buying and buying, often more than he could ever manage to. It's one of the reasons we end up like this. You know it's like an old way of things going on but there is a moment that those things must stop. So, Kil Disneyland (practically means KILL DISNEYLAND or if you prefer kill the way you used to live. Stop caring only for yourself). We picked up "Kil" instead of "kill" to make it even more difficult to understand"

bandcamp

Saturday, May 11, 2013

The mystery of Dyatlov Pass

I already have mentioned this incident in one of my earlier posts, but I think I shall give this story more coverage, because it's a major source of inspiration for many metal and dark ambient projects from the ex-USSR. In the recent few months, I saw a surge of interest in the Dyatlov Group story among the mainstream public as well; there were 9 TV documentaries about it in last 3 months, not to mention numerous books on the subject.

The Dyatlov Pass incident remains to be one of the world's most bizarre unsolved mysteries, on par with the disappearance of the Norfolk regiment, the 1966 Lead Masks case in Brazil, the Voynich manuscript, and the story of Kaspar Hauser. Unfortunately there's not much reliable info about it in English, not least because of the difficulties of translation (as someone said, "to have the case files translated adequately, we should have a native speaker of Russian that's fluent in English and competent in forensic medicine, sitting next to a native speaker of English that's fluent in Russian"). That's all I could find on youtube:


The article in English wikipedia is pretty bad too. I personally would recommend this article, which was approved by the researchers of the Dyatlov Foundation in Ekaterinburg for telling the truth about the case to the English-speaking audience. And of course this page, which has the most complete English translation of the case files and the group diaries up to date, and a very decent collection of photos. And if you aren't in the mood for reading long texts, you can try this multimedia site. There also are some German and Spanish translations, although I have no idea about its accuracy.

Of course, deaths of alpinist and other extreme tourism groups aren't something uncommon, and the exact circumstances of such incidents very often remain unclear. However, the Dyatlov Pass case really stands out for many reasons:
  • It's still unknown what exactly forced 9 very well-trained and experienced men and women to run from the tent into the cold night without proper clothes and footwear;
  • The tent had been ripped open from within;
  • Traces from the camp showed that all group members left the camp of their own accord, on foot. Their retreat seems to be organized, not caused by a sudden bout of panic;
  • There were only 8 pairs of tracks, not 9. It can suggest that someone of them was badly injured at the very time of the accident and couldn't go on his own feet... or that one of 9 was outside the tent and gave the others an alarm;
  • There were no indications of other people nearby apart from the nine travelers on Kholat Syakhl, nor anyone in the surrounding areas;
  • The name "Kholat-Syakhl" means "The Dead Mountain" or "Mountain of the Dead" in Mansi language, which is close to old Hungarian (in modern Hungarian it's something like "Halott Szikla"). The name "Otorten" ("Vot-Tartan") means "don't go there" (in fact, it originally was a name of an another mountain several miles away from the pass). This could indicate that the whole area is a source of some unknown persistent danger;
  • According to some sources, there's a Mansi legend about a group of 9 hunters that died mysteriously at the very same place. Can't confirm it, because I known very little about their religion and mythology;
  • There's some evidence (very dubious, though) that the tent was searched by someone after the incident;
  • All the diaries of the group were found, except for Kolevatov's one. It's known that he kept his notes in secrecy and never had shown it to anyone;
  • Almost all the experienced outdoorsmen rule out a possibility of an internal conflict or any other kind of unsportive behaviour by the members of Dyatlov group;
  • The nature of injuries found on some bodies is very unusual and resembles those of cattle mutilations. It's actually possible that some of them were caused by a fall into the ravine, but the forensic evidence generally rules out the possibility that it was caused by an another human being;
  • Lyudmila Dubinina's missing tongue - probably the strangest part of the story. It's very unlikely that she had bitten it by herself (because of an avalanche damage, for example). Unfortunately, the forensic report contains only a very brief mention of that detail, and no clues as to how exactly the tongue could be removed from the oral cavity;
  •  Forensic radiation tests had shown the clothes of a few victims to be MILDLY radioactive (not "highly", as it was incorrectly stated by the wiki article), caused by a contamination by some unknown beta emitter (its exact nature and origin remained unknown due to the lack of adequate equipment);
  • There were reports of strange aerial phenomena in 2-4 weeks after the incident (later identified as R-7 rockets);
  • There's one "mysterious" photo found on the group's tapes, presumably taken during the night of the incident. However, it could very well be just an accidental shot, not related to the incident at all:
Currently there are 64 various proposed solutions to the mystery, ranging from completely rational to paranormal/mystical ones. Some of of the most popular ones are:
  • E.Buyanov "avalanche" theory, a very elaborate one, though a lot of facts still suggest against it;
  • S.Ivlev's theory, an enhancement of Buyanov's one. According to him, the tourists were forced out of the tent not by an avalanche, but by a sudden heavy snowstorm, and later some of them fell into the ravine. One of the best explanations so far, but some facts still doesn't fit it;
  • A.Rakitin's "controlled delivery" theory: the trip was actually a part of a covert KGB operation which went wrong, and the group was killed by some foreign spies as a result. It's remarkable because it logically explains ALL the facts present in the case, but in general it's hardly believable and looks more like a plot of an action movie than a real world event;
  • Various conspiracy theories involving military/weapon testings. Way too politicized and highly unlikely in general.
I'm not going to convince you that one or another of these versions is "true". Read the links and decide for yourself. And remember that it's a mystery that is far from solved, so don't go around saying "Well I totally know what happened, it's so simple!" after reading some incomplete info on the subject - it isn't simple at all. However, if you need a translation of some material that's not available in English (only short phrases and texts, not whole books) - ask me, and I'll try to help you.

"The nine victims of the event died miserable, scared and desperate. Regardless of our interest in this mystery – spare a thought for their suffering" (c) 

P.S. Here's an album by Velehentor, a well-known dark ambient project from the Urals, inspired by the Dyatlov Pass tragedy:


Black Vulture - "Depois Disso" (2013)

BLACK VULTURE "Depois Disso"

Year: 2013
Genre: Experimental Metal
Country: Brazil

Track List:
  1. Vahara
  2. Um Clamor Pela Estrela
  3. Joelhos e Um Punhado de Cacos
  4. The Enemy Left a Rose
  5. Men Dirt
  6. You Are Special
DOWNLOAD

I've already mentioned this album on my blog a few months ago, but I forgot to check it out back then. Now I was reminded to do so (thanks Satanic Demolition Corporation), and what can I say? I'd rather call it "experimental metal" than black metal or whatever else, because the band is obviously moving away from black metal to a more avant-garde kind of sound, even with some elements of free jazz in their music. Actually reminds me of some Norwegian bands that initially had roots in black metal, but gradually evoved into something very experimental, closer to jazz-rock than to metal (see the Adversum Records catalogue for some examples). Is it worth listening? Depends on you. I actually liked this album, but many people on metalarea.org and elsewhere (mostly your stereotypical metalheads) complained about it. P.S. A new Black Vulture EP "Melo" is going to be released July this year.

Friday, May 10, 2013

The Meads Of Asphodel - "English Black Punk Metal" (2010)

THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL "English Black Punk Metal"

Year: 2010
Genre: Black Metal
Country: UK

Track List:
  1. The Embalming of Gods (intro)
  2. On the Surface
  3. Same Mind (Doom cover)
  4. Nazi (Hellbastard cover)
  5. Protest and Resist (Conflict cover)
  6. War Drum (Skeptix cover)
  7. You Really Got Me (The Kinks cover)
bandcamp

The Meads Of Asphodel are a well-known British black metal band with Mr.Fog (whom you might know because of his project The Bombs Of Enduring Freedom) among the founding members. However, this release was recorded after Mr.Fog has left the band. It's of interest for my blog because it mostly consists of BM cover versions of classic anarcho-punk and crust songs. Actually, it was released as a split w/ another UKBM band, Old Corpse Road (their side of the split is called "The Bones of This Land Are Not Speechless"; I won't post it because it has not much relevance to the idea of my blog, although it's very good too).

All The Cold - "Heritage" (2013)

ALL THE COLD "Heritage"

Year: 2013
Genre: Post-Metal, Progressive/Industrial Rock
Country: Russia

Track List:
  1. Covered in Dirt
  2. Zhu Zin
  3. Snatcher of Stony Wastelands
  4. Posterity of Homeless Spheres
  5. One Being
DOWNLOAD

You all probably remember this atmospheric BM band from Murmansk who released an excellent LP in 2009. But the thing is, their newest EP "Heritage" doesn't sound like black metal at all - it's post-rock with a lot of electronic and industrial metal elements (which isn't uncommon for Eastern European progressive/"space" rock, though). It's up for you to decide if this change is for better or not, but I'll certainly miss the unique "wintry" atmosphere of their earlier releases, even though this EP is very good too.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Moribund Scum - "Redneck Execution" (2013)

MORIBUND SCUM "Redneck Execution"

Year: 2013
Genre: Old School Thrash/Death Metal/Punk
Country: Germany

Track List:
  1. Wind Of Stench
  2. Do We Deserve To Breathe
  3. The Prophecy
  4. Into The Void
  5. BMI (Body Mass Index)
  6. Sacred Hell
  7. Redneck Execution
facebook / bandcamp

First demo tape from my readers in Braunschweig (Germany), who are playing politically charged old school death/thrash metal with a lot of punk/crust influences in it. For those who enjoy both the sound and the ideology of the 80s' thrash metal/crossover scene.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Zirt - "It Started As A Whisper" (2013)

ZIRT "It Started As A Whisper"

Year: 2013
Genre: Dark Ambient / Instrumental Black Metal
Country: Norway

Track List:
  1. Fantasy
  2. Tales Of Winter
  3. A Long Sad Song
  4. Funeral
  5. As The Leaves Fall
  6. Nocturnal Darkness II
  7. Last Lullaby
DOWNLOAD

Not much is known about Zirt, except it's an one-man project from Bergen, started in 2011. So you can imagine my interest, when I received a message from a project based out of a city so much well-known for its black metal scene. Zirt's music generally receives very positive feedback on youtube, but I'm going to be more reserved in my review. I've listened to Zirt's first album with my friend which has a dark ambient/noise project, and we both agreed that it definitely sounds promising, but the dark ambient/soundtrack-like parts are better than BM ones. Here's the second album by Zirt, "It Started As A Whisper", more darker and heavier than the first one, but still featuring a lot of Burzum-like minimalistic ambient parts. Recommended to those who are interested in DIY atmospheric BM / dark ambient.

Some news from Argentina

Maybe some of you would be interested in Zann's Music, an independent label started by one of the members of Asilo. Among the other free/independent releases by Argentinian artists, they've released the newest tape "The Green Scar" by Anne Des (formerly just Anne), a Buenos Aires-based anarcho-neofolk one-man project. Unfortunately this tape generally sounds like ordinary folk music (without the adjective "dark-", except for a few tracks like "Moonlight Death"), so it probably won't fit in well here. However, you can get it for free off bandcamp, if you wish.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Vow of Thorns - "Forest Dweller" (2013)

VOW OF THORNS "Forest Dweller"

Year: 2013
Genre: Post-Metal, Post-Black Metal
Country: Canada

Track List:
  1. To the Unknown
  2. Forest Dweller
  3. Wood Etched Epitaph
  4. Gold Leaf
bandcamp

Post-black/doom metal from my readers in London (not the capital of UK, but a Canadian city under the same name): "I feel that the energy and feeling that we have created in this EP of ours fits well with the RABM ideology. It has a sort of a "struggle between the mind and depression" sound to it."

Kürsk - demo tracks (2010)

KVRSK "demo tracks"

Year: 2010
Genre: Doom/Post-Metal
Country: Kazakhstan

Track List:
  1. Траур (Mourning)
  2. Траур (instrumental version)
  3. Мятеж (instrumental version)
DOWNLOAD

Kürsk (aka Kvrsk) were an another RABM-friendly post-metal band from Kazakhstan (Astana), formed in 2010. Unfortunately nothing was heard from them since the beginning of 2012, and it looks like they never managed to put out a proper release. It's a pity, since their early material sounded very promising... So far I've found only 3 tracks (which I'm posting here), and a short bio:

"The band Kvrsk was formed in wild steppes of Kazakhstan, and immediately began working on the material for a split with Axidance, Abyssal and Doomsday. (probably this one? -B.K.)

Members:

Ruslan Leshy - Vocal.
Anton Octaavos - Guitar.
Raptor Grim - Guitar.
Victor - Bass.
Dmitry Zhdanov - Drums.

Location: Ass-tana, KZ.
Record Label: Basheeboozook lab"

Шайтанкутак - "Аллах покинул нас" (2012)

ШАЙТАНКУТАК "Аллах покинул нас"

Year: 2012
Genre: Post-Metal, Art-core
Country: Kazakhstan

Track List:
  1. Безысходность
  2. Ажал
  3. Побежденные
  4. Ничтожество
  5. Ненависть
  6. Аллах покинул нас
DOWNLOAD

No idea why this album wasn't posted anywhere yet (except on the Shaytankutak's vk.com page). In comparison with their 2011 release, this album sounds much more "post-rock"-ish, much less BM-influenced. Anyway, Shaytankutak remain to be an unique musical phenomenon in Kazakhstan, and one of the best post-metal bands in ex-USSR. Although not black metal, this album sounds more gloomy and depressing than many so-called "depressive BM" releases. Despair and futility are the main lyrical topics; however, the album also contains some political commentary (mentions of Zhanaozen events in the track #3). The quality of production isn't great, but good enough; it's fascinating to see how their sound has progressed from noisegrind to artcore/post-metal within a few years. Would definitely recommend this album if you're into post-metal/sludge, especially if you liked their previous one.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Kill The Slavemaster - "The Artisans of Dominion: Part I" (1999)

KILLTHESLAVEMASTER "The Artisans of Dominion: Part I"

Year: 1999
Genre: Death Metal / Hardcore
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. The Defeatist's Prayer
  2. Coenobite (of the Abattoir)
  3. The Orchestration of Sodom
  4. The Authors of Genesis and the Artisans of Dominion
DOWNLOAD

Another obscure hardcore/metal band from the 90s, known for their radical anarcho-primitivist views. The music is excellent, but the band itself is somewhat controversial, because they had Andy Hurley (best known as a drummer of Fall Out Boy, now playing in Enabler (or at least he was until September 2012; this site still lists him in Enabler's current lineup), used to play drums in a lot of hardcore and metalcore bands). His views are really questionable, and not only because he played in Fall Out Boy... however, it doesn't nesessary reflect the views of the whole band. Of course I don't agree with some of their views, but I don't fully agree with bands like Gather or Peregrine either, which doesn't stop me from enjoying their music. The current state of the band is unknown, and it looks like part II was never released; however, there are rumors that they've released a new 2-song 7'' in 2010.

Friday, May 3, 2013

R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman

I think most of you already know what happened, and these really sad news don't need any comments. In memory of Jeff Hanneman, here's a song off the 1996 album "Undisputed Attidude" (consisting mostly of metal covers of anarcho-punk & hardcore classics; this particular song is a cover of "Abolish Government" / "Superficial Love" originally by T.S.O.L.):


Goths on Drugs - "Vol.1" (2013)

GOTHS ON DRUGS "Volume 1"

Year: 2013
Genre: Industrial / Psychedelic Noise / Ambient
Country: Australia

Track List:
  1. Temple of Agony
  2. Dream
  3. Ballad
  4. Sweet Suicide
  5. Do You Really Want to Die
  6. Interlude
  7. Despair
  8. Icy Death
  9. Coma
  10. For The Ones That Are Dead
  11. Everyone is Dead
  12. CrazyboiJihad
  13. Demons Are My Friends
  14. Rain
  15. Temple of Despair (Sick Circuit Step Remix)
  16. Everything is Meaningless
bandcamp / facebook

"...It's sort of industial black metal/atmospheric black metal at times, and just generally experimental. I make this music by myself with a few songs based on compositions by my wife Erin. The idea of the music was create something dark and hypnotic at times, focusing on dreams that look into the demons that are within ourselves, and the many emotions of sorrow and loss. At times the music is satrical about the torment this world goes through. I would definitely say I am all for anarchy..."

As for me, it's a very strange release, sort of ambient/noise/darkwave with some elements of industrial metal and BM-type shrieking vocals. Probably only for the fans of old school industrial and noise; if you're unsure whether to download it or not, check out this track: