"Los mapas del fuego" (The maps of fire) is the second release from this amazing three-piece band located in La Plata, Argentina.
They are part of Comunidad del fuego, an independent small label releasing albums with beautiful hand-crafted artwork, poetry books and fanzines. Also, most of them play in different side-projects, such as Emya, Blien Vesne and Los mares en las manos, bands that range from ambient music to post-hardcore/screamo.
The album moves freely in post-rock territory, from calm and clean parts to dramatic crescendos leading into noisy climaxes. Their addition of sparse acoustic guitars, piano, horn and electronics gives the band a distinct feel and sets them apart from others in the genre. Although this isn't a political band, they're strongly involved with their local scene, thus fitting with the philosophy of the blog.
After 2 years in silence, Shyy are back again. They have released 2 songs of their upcoming full-length album which can be heard at their bandcamp in high quality and there you can see the cover art for this demo.
Enjoy!
Madre, llévatelos. Déjame en la tierra. Devuélveme mis muertos
Sobre partos y escapes de la fábrica
bandcamp / facebook Another interesting release made in South America that arrived in my mail just yesterday. Incendiariat are from Bogota, Colombia, and their music can be descibed as "post-metal" - or, more accurately, a mix of BM, sludge, post-rock and screamo. Quite experimental stuff. The lyrics are said to be about the concept of rupture interpreted in diverse forms - from going from one place to another as a refugee, to the confrontation with death in the armed conflict that has beaten Colombia for the last 50 years. Their bandcamp page has a lengthy text in Spanish that probably explains that concept better. At least one of their members has followed this blog for several years, and I think it's a quite good contribution from him.
For a start, here's a new album from a band that's not expliticly political and is relatively far from black metal, but they're my readers and their producer has worked with such Danish acts as Solbrud and Halshug. Very good post-metal, or psych/doom how the band members themselves call it:
A bit off-topic on here, but this is good music, and its creator apparently reads this blog. I don't think it counts as black metal, but the definitely is significant influence of atmospheric BM, and I'd recommend it mostly to those of my readers who are into post-black metal / blackgaze. The album is almost completely instrumental, although there are some voice samples. The general mood of the album is pretty accurately reflected by the cover artwork, I think.
bandcamp
Some more stuff from Olympia, WA. Cedar Dreamer is a non-BM solo project of a member of With The End in Mind; something in between of post-rock and ambient/drone in terms of sound. These who long tracks are the Side B of a split cassette tape (side A by Organelle can be heard here).
"...With The End In Mind has been featured on the RABM blog several times, and although this project has a markedly different sound and feel, it comes from the same intention and inspiration that has created the blackened metallic Cascadian sounds of WTEIM. Cedar Dreamer is focused on reverence and respect for the beauty and raw power of Earth, and a firm resistance towards all who destroy and desecrate it..."
"Gulag is a brazilian band of Red & Anarchist Black Metal, DSBM and Cold metal, founded in 2013 by Mael Haxan and Azel Oliver. After the death of Azel, Morus joined the band in 2014."
I have no idea what they mean by "cold metal", but I'd say this album is a little bit of everything. There are DSBM parts, doom/drone parts (in the vein of In Flagrante Delicto), ambient and purely acoustic parts. The overall quality of production is quite decent, though. A short review in Portuguese >>> bandcamp / facebook
N.Tesla (not to be confused with Nicola Tesla!) is a post-metal band which was initially formed in 2008 in Rostock, Germany and, after some years of incubation period, was transformed into band of six members who met each other in 2011 in Oryol, Russia. Here's their first full-length album "Lux Manifesto" which was released in digital form on 20th of February 2014. Recommended for those who like post-metal with ambient, tribal, jazz, and BM influences.
This band, whose style is somewhere in between of post-rock, funeral doom and depressive BM, was already mentioned in my "post-rock night" entry, and here's the newest EP from them. It had been already reviewed in our Greek comrades' blog, so I have only to post the links to the band's official pages:
I personally don't think it counts as black metal; rather it is instrumental post-rock with some elements of BM and crust/stenchcore. However, ideologically AwAy seems to be quite close to a lot of the green anarchist bands which I've posted here before, so I think many of my readers will find this demo interesting.
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.
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.
facebook / bandcamp
Good post-metal from my readers in Lithuania. The music is mostly instrumental, with some spoken word passages. Here's an official video for the title track:
Instrumental post-metal from my Belgian readers. Maybe it isn't as interesting as some of the post-metal albums I've posted here before, but it's good enough for a first release.
Since I'm receiving a lot of post-rock/metal albums for a review, but my blog isn't exactly for this kind of music (some of these bands are apolitical, some aren't metal at all), I decided to write a single overview post for all of them, like I've done earlier with hardcore.
Let's begin with Бронекот ("Panzercat"), a band from Russia (SPb) which I discovered via gnwp.ru. They've got one of the best band names ever, and the music isn't bad at all too:
- Australasia, an instrumental (blackened) post-rock duo from Italy. Really good stuff, on the level of Alinda.
- Obsidian Kingdom, a band formed in Barcelona in 2005. I won't call their music "post-rock",
all the more so
"black metal" (even though their music was frequently described as such); the band themselves describe their style as "Post-Metal / Progressive Rock / Experimental", which I think is quite accurate. I really liked their latest release, "Mantiis" - it's quite interesting and conceptual stuff (but don't expect it to sound aggressive/brutal, though).
- Anniversary, a blackgaze band from Richmond, VA. There's a lack of such bands in Virginia, so these guys decided to take an initiative to form one of the first in their area. So far they have released only one long track, which is supposed to the the first one off their upcoming EP (which was expected to be released by the end of 2012).
- Yurei, a Norwegian project currently signed to Adversum. It's neither post-rock, nor metal (frankly I think that the only label applicable to Yurei's music is "experimental"), but I think it'd fit well in here. Yurei’s debut album "Working Class Demon" was released via Adversum in 2010, but I haven't listened to it yet. The second album ("Night Vision") is quite interesting, though.
P.S. I also remember an Ukrainian post-rock band called Aitia, which haven't released anything except for a couple of rehearsal tracks, one of which I happened to hear ~5 years ago. It was one of the most interesting pieces of post-rock I've ever heard (even by the standards of Ukrainian post-rock scene, which is world-class), and the band's ideology seemed to be pretty close to my own. Sadly I can't find it on my hard drive, but I definitely will post it if I'll find it.
Exmisja are an anarchist band from Gliwice, Poland, at least one of whose members is a reader of my blog. "Arche" is their third release - a concept album dealing mostly with the usual "black/green" topics. Warning: it doesn't sound like any metal at all, it's rather a mix of crust/hardcore and post-rock. Somewhat strange, but not bad at all. If you're unsure whether to download it or not, check out this video first:
"Bones Of The Sacred Forest" is the first full-length album by Merkaba, released about an year and a half ago. Back then I had an active correspondence both with the band and with the organization they're associated with (RAAN), but completely forgot to post their album when it was finally out. Then again, better late than never, so I hope you'll enjoy some atmospheric, meditative, post-rock'ish BM strongly in vein of my blog's ideology. Like Panopticon, Merkaba are from Kentucky, and participate in a Lexington, KY-based circle of experimental/eco-spiritualist musicians - Concentric Drone Cult.
Some more music from my readers, this time it's post-rock/atmospheric black metal from Germany. Most sites (M-A, last.fm, bandcamp) list their genre as post-black metal, but I personally think it's more post-rock than metal...
Line-up: Brandon Scott Baun- Guitar, Bass Anthony Vaccaro- Drums Matt Hershey- Guitar, Lyrics Matt Scanlon- Vocals Christopher Hartman- Vocals
"Formed by multi-instrumentalist Brandon Scott Baun. CAPA combines elements of black metal, post-rock, ambient, and shoegaze. CAPA's trilogy focuses conceptually on the topics of nihilism, greed, and the relationship between society and the natural world"
They're from Philadelphia, PA, and this EP is the 2nd part of their trilogy (the 3rd part is announced for late 2012-early 2013). Of course it's freely downloadable, and posted here with their permission. Great to know that some of my readers are playing in such good bands... bandcamp
After many years of activity, this blog is now put on hold since the majority of contributors have a lot of other important stuff going on in their lives. New music submissions should go to /r/RABM/ (note that the mods of /r/RABM/ don't have anything to do with this blog).
Most of the uploads here are band sanctioned. Anyway, if you for some reason don't want to see your music here, contact us using rabm (AT) gmx (DOT) com, and we'll consider taking it down.
Bottom note: there's probably a lot of broken English on this blog, since English isn't the first language for many of the contributors.
FAQ
Q.: Which kinds of music are featured on this blog?
A.: - (primarily) RABM or Red & Anarchist Black Metal: all kinds of black metal-related music charged with radical leftist (anarchist, libertarian socialist, eco-anarchist, etc.) political views. Some of the bands featured here may be not openly political, but all of them are RABM-friendly;
- blackened crust/hardcore/punk (only if it's openly RABM-friendly, or if it's just very good music; we have no intention to collect here all the blackened punk in existence);
- other kinds of political (anarchist, socialist, etc.) metal - death, thrash, post-metal, etc.;
- dark ambient, neofolk, industrial, dark electro, etc. - but only if it has some RABM-friendly ideology;
- regular punk/hardcore/crust, post-rock, conscious hip-hop, etc. - but only as a rare exception (so if you want to send us a demo in one of these genres, you're probably in the wrong place).
Q.: What are some RABM/blackened crust bands to start listening from?
A.: Here's an old compilation which I (B.K.) made in late 2009. Doesn't include a lot of good RABM bands that I didn't know of back then, but still recommended if you're new to RABM:
Q.: How can I support a particular RABM band with my money?
A.: Most bands nowadays have a bandcamp page, where you can but their stuff online (usually for an arbitrary price). It's the most convinient way to support the band. If your favourite band don't have a bandcamp or bigcartel page, try to find out in which distro you can find their albums/merch. Of course, go to concerts if you have such opportunity.
Q.: How can I offer my financial support to this blog, or the RABM movement in general?
A.: Unfortunately right we don't have an opportunity to accept donations, but we hope we'll be able to set it up soon.
Q.: What is the connection between black metal and hardcore/punk/crust?
A.: It's a well-established fact that the connection between black metal and punk scenes existed since the early days of BM (think Venom, early Bathory, early Mayhem and early Sodom on one side, and Amebix, Discharge and Axegrinder on another). Recently this mix of BM and hardcore punk got a new life in the form of blackened crust (thanks to Black Kronstadt / Iskra in first place). And don't forget about Cascadian black metal bands with their radical environmentalist ideology, often to the extent of radical eco-anarchism or "pro-nature/anti-humanity" ideas.
Q.: What's your main ideology?
A.: This blog is generally written from a position of anarchism without adjectives; however, the RABM scene is very diverse ideologically. Let us end on this, as this blog isn't quite a right place for purely political debates; if you want to learn or argue about anarchism/other ideologies, there's a lot of specialized FAQs/blogs/forums for you.
Q.: Isn't black metal supposed to be apolitical?
A.: Supposed by whom? I personally don't think so, but if you think that political awareness should have no place in "true" black metal, you can feel free to call the bands featured on here "blackened punk" or whatever you want. It should be noted, though, that a lot of these bands doesn't openly talk about politics in their lyrics, exactly because they think it wouldn't be suitable for black metal. - B.K.
Q.: Isn't RABM just an "answer" to NSBM?
A.: While RABM is definitely against NSBM and any other kind of far-right crap in metal scene, it's most emphatically a self-sufficient movement and not any kind of "answer to NSBM". Similarly, while RABM is 100% pro liberation from any kinds of religious tyranny, it isn't a movement against any particular religion (Christianity, Islam, or any other).
Q.: What's your opinion on Satanism?
A.: The so-called "Hollywood Satanism", which is often found in black metal, is, in our opinion, nothing more than inverted Christianity, so we aren't big on it. Many of us are simply atheists, pagans of all kinds, gnostics, etc. We also don't share the notion that only genuine theistic Satanists / Devil-worshippers can play "real" black metal (this would exclude such bands as Venom, Bathory, Immortal, Summoning, and many many others). Additionally, the very term "Satanism" is quite vague, and can't be narrowed down to LaVeyan Satanism (which is heavily disliked by many black metallers), or whatever else. LaVey had some good points, but in general his philosophy can be described just as "Ayn Rand with some occult tinge".
Q.: What about misanthropy and nihilism?
A.: To put it in short: we don't hate everyone and everything (and we don't think there's anyone who truly does). We just hate these traits of humanity which make true anarchist society most likely infeasible in the foreseeable future.
Q.: Collectivism or individualism?
A.: There actually is no "hard" contradiction between these two terms. Individualism is simply an outlook emphasizes the moral worth of the individual and its right not to be oppressed by the state or some social group. It doesn't contradict at all with standing up for your rights along with a group of like-minded individuals. It also worth noting that the early black metal scene didn't promote individualism that much (see "black metal circles").
Q.: Who coined the term "RABM"?
A.: Hard to say, but there's an apparent similarity to RASH ("Red & Anarchist Skinheads"). Here's the very first mention of "RABM" we could find (August 2005). The term was popularized by our last.fm group (and later - by this blog) since 2009.
Q.: Do you know the ideology of the band X? It isn't obvious if they're NSBM or not...
A.: Sorry, we don't know, do your own research. It's often hard to say anything certain about a band's views, if the members themselves aren't open about it. We also don't advice using various "lists of nazi bands" etc. as a reference, as most of them are full of bullshit. Similarly, forum posts or blog comments (especially anonymous ones) generally aren't a reliable source for anything. In one particular case, we had an anonymous comment claiming that the members of Timebomb are now playing in a fascist band called SPQR. Later it turned out that it were members of a completely other Italian band with a similar name (Timebombs). Hopefully that'd be a good example of how important fact-checking is.
Q.: I've seen some of the albums posted here in the same distro with some albums by right-leaning bands...
A.: Unfortunately it's often the case with distros and labels that distribute stuff regardless of its political affiliation. Even Austin Lunn of Panopticon complained about Pagan Flames (the label which released his "Collapse" and "Social Disservices" LPs) having NSBM in their distro, so things like these are just unavoidable.
Q.: Some bands on this blog have Burzum on their list on influences. Isn't Varg Vikernes a nazi?
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