/r/RABM/

Monday, December 31, 2012

Bandärløg - s/t (2012)

BANDARLOG "Bandärløg"

Year: 2012
Genre: Blackened Hardcore
Country: Russia 

Track List:
  1. Gnidah (29121916)
  2. Ulrika (08051976)
  3. Salò (28041945)
  4. Mexican Sunset (20081940)
  5. Head Of The Last Tsar (17071918)
DOWNLOAD

A new "supergroup" formed by the members of some of the most high-ranked Russian hardcore bands (The Occult, Ray, Argument 5.45, and Flawless Victory). There's not much more info about them, but their debut EP is just AWESOME. Of course it's up for you to decide if you like it or not, but for me it's one of the most promising debuts of 2012. Dark, metallic hardcore, strongly reminding me of Argument 5.45 (they share a vocalist with Bandärløg, if I'm not mistaken) with an obvious influence of black metal and conceptual, history-based lyrics... Recommended!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Wacky B.O. & Со5отох - split (2012)

WACKY B.O. / СО5ОТОХ "split"

Year: 2012
Genre: Thrashcore, Powerviolence (Wacky B.O.) / Blackened Crust, Grindcore (Со5отох)
Country: Russia (Yakutia)
Label: DestroySounds

Track List:

Wacky B.O.

  1. Труд
  2. Дайте Побольше
  3. Право Выбора
  4. Разве это вам нужно?
  5. Нихуя (Сухой Закон)
  6. Без Сомнения 
  7. Не Пизди
  8. Будущее
  9. Мания Величия
  10. Conform (Siege)
  11. Нихуя (Сухой Закон ) (rmx)
  12. Труд (rmx) 
Со5отох
  1. Смерть
  2. Сир Анныгар
  3. Дойдум
  4. Аллараа Дойдуттан
  5. Y8дэн (Zorka - Бездна)
  6. Айах (Zorka - Пасть)
DOWNLOAD

First off - my apologies for not updating this blog due to illness. As for answering my mail, I'll probably leave it for the new year. And right now - let's begin from posting a split album featuring two bands from Yakutia, one playing raw hardcore/thrashcore, and another one - no less raw blackened crust/grind ("pagan crust" probably would be also applicable, although I don't understand their lyrics). I already posted one demo by an Yakut band (Kun Tahsyyta) here, and I think this split will fit in well too.

To be honest, Wacky B.O. aren't playing anything special (leaving aside their experiments with electronic/dubstep remixes of their songs), but if you want to hear some ugly but honest music describing the realities of life in a small dirty town full of alcoholics at the outskirts of the world, then their side of the split is for you. I am personally more interested in Со5отох, a dark metallic crust band singing mostly in Yakut (except for the first track, "Смерть/Death"). AFAIK, they started as a cover band, but 4 of 6 their tracks on this split are original material (the rest two ones were originally performed by the SPb-based political crust/hardcore legends - Zorka). According to them, they are influenced by Заводь, Омут, Zorka, Distress, E123 and many other ex-USSR crust/hardcore/punk bands. Maybe they aren't impressive musically as their Western counterparts, but nevertheless it's a good reminder that Asian punk isn't limited only to Japanese and/or Indonesian scene.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Windmill of Corpses - demo (2012)

WINDMILL OF CORPSES "demo"

Year: 2012
Genre: Blackened Crust/Sludge
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. I Slang Jenkems
  2. Between the Wars
  3. PORKLORD
  4. Caddisfly
DOWNLOAD

A new five-piece crusty sludge band from Prescott, AZ. Here's their debut 4-track demo, which was released a few days ago.

bandcamp

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Motörized - "El Motor" (2012)

MOTORIZED "El Motor"

Year: 2012
Genre: D-Beat, Crust'n'Roll
Country: Mexico 

Track List:
  1. Patria o Muerte
  2. América Respira
  3. Pactando Carreras
  4. Bienvenido a mi Miseria
  5. Los Coleguitas
  6. Señales en el Camino
  7. Asalto al City Bank
  8. Bastardos del D-Beat
  9. Victimas de Guerra
  10.  Cuarto de Milla

Motörized are a band from Ciudad Obregon (Sonora, Mexico), active since 2009. Musically and aesthetically they can be categorized as "motorcharged crust/d-beat" along with such bands as Children of Technology, Bhopal, and Hellcrawler. The archive includes all the album covers and lyrics (which are all in Spanish, and as far as I can understand, generally resemble the lyrics of other "biker punk" bands which I mentioned above).


Monday, December 17, 2012

ITheUnlord - "Praise The Most Dead" (2012)

I THE UNLORD "Praise The Most Dead"

Year: 2012
Genre: Death Metal/Hardcore/Sludge
Country: Germany 

Track List:
  1. Lotus Eaters: The Brotherhood Of Intoxication
  2. Taste Of Dark Matter
  3. 1000 Gallons Of Piss Turn Into Gold
  4. I Am Permanence
  5. Deadwood
  6. Beating A Dead Horse
  7. Wrong-Eyed Sleeper
  8. On Giants Neck
  9. Heretic Nerd
  10. Praise The Most Dead
facebook / bandcamp / myspace

I received this album from MAKIMA, an Irkutsk-based anarcho-punk distro. According to their description, ITheUnlord doesn't have any political-themed lyrics, but they consider themselves a part of Münster hardcore scene (and all that implies). And their music is good, so why not to post it here?.. BTW, they have members of Neaera and Deadlock in their lineup, and they have shared the scene with such bands as HSB and Maroon.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

La Miseria de tu Rostro - "Jauría" (2012)

LA MISERIA DE TU ROSTRO "Jauría"

Year: 2012
Genre: Negative Hardcore/Crust
Country: Chile 

Track List:
  1. Jauría
  2. Bestiario
  3. Girando En El Vacio
  4. Cuervos
  5. Depredación
  6. Rechazar
  7. Ecos De Guerra
  8. XXIII V XI
  9. Laberinto Terrenal
  10. Oscuras Intenciones 
DOWNLOAD

Not black metal, but excellent metallic hardcore from Santiago de Chile. Chilean hardcore scene is generally very good (judging by the bands like Entrefuego, Cenizas, Empatía, etc.), but LMdtR really stand out. + I personally perfer their "negative hardcore" over the regular hardcore that the majority of aforementioned Chilean bands are playing. Recommended!

Pale Prophet - demo (2012)

PALE PROPHET "demo"

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

Track List:
  1. Curse
  2. Waste
  3. Ruins
  4. Harbinger
bandcamp

One more demo from my mail, which I personally didn't find very impressive, but it's just a matter of my preference. I think there are enough fans of this kind of sound among my readers.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Forced - "Accursed Share" (2012)

FORCED "Accursed Share"

Year: 2012
Genre: Black/Doom Metal
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. Accursed Share
  2. At Empire's End
  3. Lost Life
  4. Devours Everything
  5. Partitioning the Sensible
DOWNLOAD

One more band whose members read and enjoy my blog. Forced are from Brooklyn, NY, and they describe their music as: "a riff heavy doom-laden blend of black metal and really fucking pissed off hardcore, with a tendency from time to time to drop tempo into slower paced death metal... I really think our music belongs on your blog as we self identify as anarchist, not in some rebellious teenager sense, but politically and in the way we choose to lead our lives". According to them, they're influenced by such critical thinkers as Jacques Ranciere and Georges Bataille (to my shame, I'm not very familiar with their ideas).

bandcamp / facebook

Monday, December 10, 2012

Svartvit - "Auto​-​da​-​Fé" (2012)

SVARTVIT "Auto​-​da​-​Fé"

Year: 2012
Genre: Anarchist Harsh Noise
Country: Netherlands 

Track List:
  1. Worthless & Miserable
  2. Pseudo-solidarity
DOWNLOAD

"It's a tour-release for a 9-day tour that I'm doing in a few days. It's on tape but I'm sharing the downloads as always. If anyone can pitch in some money that would be great but free downloads rule the world.
...The project has been more and more becoming a political outlet for me next to the personal stuff I put in. These two tracks are focussing on all the unjust that is done to (anarchist) political prisoners and the fake solidarity that a lot of people show with activists, living off the enthousiasm and then backing out when needed. When someone gets imprisoned for their beliefs not only the first few months matter, they need full-time support. These things turn out to be even more important when people get frauded into jail just for owning some anarchist literature"
- Svartvit

facebook / bandcamp / soundcloud / youtube

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Marnost - "Balada o snu (rehearsal demo)" (2012)

MARNOST "Balada o snu"

Year: 2012
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: Czech Republic 

Track List:
  1. Balada o snu (pt.1)
  2. Balada o snu (pt.2)
bandcamp

The newest release from Marnost up to date. It's only a rough rehearsal recording, but I'll post it anyway, because it's not very often when we hear any new stuff from these definitely talented musicians:

"- These songs were recorded live on a morning rehearsal on 2nd December 2012. They are prepared for spring live performances and also they will be re-recorded next year for a regular release"

Friday, December 7, 2012

Circle of Vultures - demo (2012)

CIRCLE OF VULTURES "demo"

Year: 2012
Genre: Raw Black Metal/Sludge
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. Black Skies, Black Mask
  2. Heaven in Flames
  3. Awaiting the Fall
bandcamp

This demo by a Texas-based trio Circle of Vultures was posted in our facebook group a few months ago. While I wasn't very impressed by it, but it certainly will appeal to some USBM fans, as well as some anarcho-punks (judging from Circle of Vultures' facebook page, they have close ties to the anarcho-punk scene).

facebook

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Agowilt - "Clocks Made of Their Own Bones" (2012)

AGOWILT "Clocks Made of Their Own Bones"

Year: 2012
Genre: Raw Black Metal 
Country: USA 

bandcamp / facebook

A single/EP from the Southern California-based anarcho-primitivist black metal band Agowilt, which is a project of one of my longtime readers. Ideologically it's influenced by J.Zerzan, T.Kaczynski, G.Debord, and various insurrectionists. "- Yet, we are not using this band as a tool to merely regurgitate the ideas of others, but as a tool to develop and spread our own unique analysis and critique. I yearn to die UNCIVILIZED. (A)"

Baldaraz - "Die Freiheit der Natur" (2012)

BALDARAZ "Die Freiheit der Natur"

Year: 2012
Genre: Black Metal 
Country: Germany
Label: BFR Records

Track List:
  1. Intro (Baal)
  2. Die Freiheit der Natur
  3. Morgenrøden
  4. Die Freiheit des Windes
  5. Die Freiheit des Sommers
  6. Krig Svart Død
  7. Naturens skönhet
  8. The Ocean
  9. Outro (To the End)
DOWNLOAD

The newest album from Baldaraz, which is about to be released by BFR Records (DIY label). Of course it's free as a digital release, but you can also buy it for 4€ here (or a Baldaraz shirt, if you want). The music is said to be influenced by Ulver, Skitsystem and Silencer. For me it's somewhat simplistic, but I guess it goes well with the ideology of the band (not sure if I can call them primitivists, but they're definitely critical of capitalism and prefer nature over humans and civilization). The lyrics are in German, Norwegian and Swedish.

Mara (US) - "Even Darker Days" (2012)

MARA "Even Darker Days"

Year: 2012
Genre: Dark Ambient / Noise / Atmospheric Black Metal 
Country: USA 

DOWNLOAD

10 untitled tracks from a Detroit-based project Mara (not to be confused with the Swedish one-man band under the same name). Musically it's mostly dark ambient/noise with some elements of BM. It's a quite lengthy release, so I should warn that those of you who aren't that into dark ambient/drone may find it boring:


"Actually, ambient/drone/noise with Black Metal influences (like the vocals). I am not going to deny that it isn't "trve" Black Metal, but I figure that there are thousands of bands like that already. My first release "Sanity Collapsing" was much more of a raw Black Metal sound. However, this was the direction that I ended up taking the project towards the end..."

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

ForestMuse - "The Land Of Tall Trees" (2012)

FORESTMUSE "The Land Of Tall Trees"

Year: 2012
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal 
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. Intro
  2. The End of the Ohlone
  3. Old Ways
  4. The Smell of Night Air
  5. Schlacht im Teutoberger Weld
  6. Nachtmenschen
  7. View Overlooking the Ancestrial Forest
  8. Night Before the Slaughter
  9. The Crimson Light
  10. Leid Van De Mist
  11. Outro
bandcamp

"Forest black metal" from Santa Cruz, CA, sent to me by one of my readers. Not bad for a first release, but nothing special either - personally I prefer the Cascadian scene, but if you're searching for more "southern" stuff in this vein, then this album may be what you wanted.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Harrow & Walden - split (2012)

HARROW / WALDEN "split"

Year: 2012
Genre: Cascadian Black Metal 
Country: Canada 

Track List:
  1. Watcher (Harrow)
  2. Keening (Harrow)
  3. The Grave Weight Of Our Tasks (Walden)
DOWNLOAD

"40 minutes from 2 Victoria black metal bands...   Harrow's side on the actual tape is slightly different from the online release, it has a different version of the second track. All the money from Harrow's copies will be going towards releasing our second full-length, which is almost done" - I.C.

"Harrow (tracks I and II) is Ian Campbell and Kyle Brickell, Chase Hellvomit appears on "Keening" 
Walden (track III) is J.M and E.S 
More Walden can be found here: westshorekult.bandcamp.com"

bandcamp

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Drom - "HECTOP" (2012)

DROM "HECTOP"

Year: 2012
Genre: Post-Metal / Sludge / Post-Black Metal 
Country: Czech Republic 

Track List:
  1. KRUH Z OHNĚ A OCELI
  2. BRATR A SMRT
  3. CESTA, KTERÁ NEVEDE DOMŮ
  4. HROB Z LEDU A KAMENÍ
DOWNLOAD

"The album was recorded in July 2012 in Sonidos Studio and the its main theme is the life of Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Machno (Несtор Іванович Махно).
You can download it for free. If you want to support us, you can name your price for the download, buy it on the show or here on bandcamp. The album will was released on CD, 150 pieces total, 3 x 50 pieces of one limited design. English and Czech lyrics included in the download package"


bandcamp

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Hellships - "Leaden Hum" (2012)

HELLSHIPS "Leaden Hum"

Year: 2012
Genre: Cascadian Psychedelic Doom/Ambient 
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Codeine Dreams
  2. Pernicious Insomnia
  3. Sleep Paralysis
  4. Ambient Napping
  5. Electric Pilgrimage
DOWNLOAD

Another release that may appeal to the fans of doom/sludge/drone ambient - this time from a Cascadian band. If you liked it, you can buy it off bandcamp for only 3$ (the band is  trying to make back some costs of production and also raise some funds for making tapes).

"Though we may not fit neatly into the "anarchist black metal" category, we are heavily influenced by the Cascadian BM scene. (Wolves in the Throne Room are the home-town heroes.) Hellships, to me, is primarily about freedom. Both from the forces of capitalism that all of us struggle with AND the boundaries of what is considered "political" music. we support anarchist organizations throughout Cascadia, and we are firmly in solidarity with the Pacific Northwest Grand Jury Resistors, who are still being detained in Federal prison simply for refusing to cooperate with Federal "authorities."" 


Asilo - "Geografías / Wardance" (2012)

ASILO "Geografías / Wardance"

Year: 2012
Genre: Doom/Sludge
Country: Argentina 

Track List:
  1. Geografías
  2. Wardance (Killing Joke cover)
DOWNLOAD

Line-up:
  • manuel p: vox - bass
  • nacho dp: drums
  • adrian m: keys - fx - ambiance - noise
  • sebaxxxtian: bass - backing vocals
"released 08 November 2012
Recorded and Mixed by Nicolas Trovato, M. Platino and A. Medinas in Estudios MG and Randolph Carter Studios.
Produced by asilo.
Cover art by A. Medinas
Geografías composed by asilo; lyrics by Ignacio Dal Pra.
Wardance composed by Killing Joke"


A new single from a Buenos Aires-based doom/crust band that was already featured on my blog. The first track will be included in their first full-length album, which is expected to be released in early 2013. Won't recommend this single to everyone, but fans of sludge/doom drone may find it interesting.

facebook / bandcamp

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Infinite Design - "Calculating Insanity" (2012)

INFINITE DESIGN "Calculating Insanity"

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

Track List:
  1. Intro
  2. Calculating Insanity
  3. Focus Point
  4. The Book Of Inventing Funerals
DOWNLOAD

I don't know much about this band, except they've sent me this free promo EP about a month and a half ago, and it turned out to be really good and intense technical death metal. Looks like they have close ties to the hardcore/grind scene of Michigan and Indiana.

"For Fans of: Origin, Dying Fetus, Behemoth, Those Who Lie Beneath, Deadwater Drowning, and Between The Buried and Me" (facebook)

facebook / bandcamp



Sunday, November 25, 2012

After The Last Sky - "There's No Light At The End Of This Tunnel" (2011)

AFTER THE LAST SKY "There's No Light At The End Of This Tunnel"

Year: 2011
Genre: Blackened Grindcore
Country: UK 

Track List:
  1. He Is Risen (Apocalypse Part 1)
  2. Our Choices, Our World
  3. Just Press That Red Button and Turn the Fukk Off
  4. The Lie of the Land
  5. The Hives Fell Silent
  6. Yoked, Choked and Quaterpounded
  7. The End of the Line
  8. Open Your Eyes for He Is Here
  9. The End of Seasons
  10. The Betrayal of Freedom
  11. No Light at the End of the Tunnel (The Fall)
DOWNLOAD

Thanks to X. for posting this great album! Unfortunately I still have a persistent problem with my connection which doesn't allow me to upload files larger than ~15-20 MB (therefore no reuploads in the recent few days), so I'll use X.'s link.
If I understood him correctly, ATLS have disbanded just a few days ago. It's a shame that a such interesting project with a more than 10 years long history of musical development remained so underrated. BTW, I remember receiving one or two emails from them an year or two ago, to which I tried to respond, but got no answer whatsoever.

official site

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Haut&Court - "La Vie" (2012)

HAUT&COURT "La Vie"

Year: 2012
Genre: Deathgrind
Country: France 

Track List:
  1. Let it Burst
  2. Krokodil
  3. This Genesis
  4. Collision
  5. Life
  6. Wasted time for wasted minds
DOWNLOAD

Haut&Court (which means "hang them high" or something along these lines) are a 3-piece anarchist grindcore/mathcore band from Strasbourg. This EP is short yet very powerful, I think it's comparable to "Gleichschritt" by Neuron (one of the best crust-influenced death/grind albums, in my opinion). Recommended!

bandcamp / interview 

P.S. There's one more grindcore band from France that deserves your attention. They're called Filthy Charity, and a download link for their split w/ Wardead can be found here. (However, I'm not sure if I correctly understood what they wrote to me in their email, and if they want this split to be posted on my blog too)

Mdzhreni - rehearsal demo (2007?)

MDZHRENI "demo"

Year: unknown (probably 2007)
Genre: Raw Punk/D-Beat
Country: Georgia 

Track List:
  1. Capitalist's Hell
  2. War
  3. Belief
DOWNLOAD

Now it's time for some really - I mean, REALLY - rare and obscure stuff. There's absolutely no info about this band, and even the date of this release is dubious - it's most likely from 2007, but there's a possibility it was recorded during the 08/08/08 war. Google search yields no results for "Mdzhreni", but it's probably because the transcription is wrong - however, I know neither Georgian language (which differs drastically from all the world languages), nor their alphabet, so I have no idea how this band is called correctly. Anyway, this demo consists of 3 tracks of very raw and angry d-beat/punk, all under 1 minute long. Only for fans of primitive/lo-fi stuff.

BTW, I doubt if this band has ever existed (and not a hoax like AAIL) - because there's no punk scene in Georgia, except for a few apolitical punk/alternative bands in Tbilisi. Well, some of them are actually quite good (i.e. Outsider and Butaforia), but it's a separate matter. I seriously doubt if there currently are any dis-, crust, or just anarcho-punk bands in Georgia (or in the whole Caucasus for that matter), and more so - if there were any 5 years ago.

The metal scene there isn't much bigger, consisting of only a handful of bands, all of them from Tbilisi. The situation is slightly better in the neighbouring Armenia - at least there's a sizable amount of alternative rock fans (because of SOAD and Louna), and a growing metal scene. However, the people there are mostly religious to a fault, so at least a half of Armenian bands claiming to play black metal are in fact "unblack". Things are quite hard there for punks too - not so long ago the only DIY club in Yerevan was set on fire by two right wing extremists. Despite all that, Armenia remains the only country in the region to hold an annual metal festival (Highlands Metalfest). Yes, it's mostly used as a "safe haven" for Iranian metal bands, but at last 3 bands from both Georgia and Armenia participate each year too + even some world-class bands (Saturnus, Throes of Dawn, and Horse the Band). Don't know if any Russian bands participated there, though (except for Arkona in 2007).

P.S. Perhaps I should try to contact Darknagar Recs., the only known underground label based out of North Caucasus, and ask if they know anything about Mdzhreni. AFAIK, this label is run by Alextos Georgiadi, a Pontic Greek living in Pyatigorsk, who's playing in a BM band called Atra Hora. Judging from his VK page, politically he resembles me 7-10 years ago ;)

UPD: it turned out that the correct Georgian spelling is "მძღრენი" ("mdzghreni"). Still don't understand what it means, but it's most likely some slang word or curse.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Atomski Rat - "Iluzije Stvarnosti" (2012)

ATOMSKI RAT "Iluzije Stvarnosti"

Year: 2012
Genre: Metallic Hardcore/Crust
Country: Serbia 

Track List:
  1. Agonija
  2. Rekvizitor
  3. Urlik
  4. Masakr
  5. Psiho
  6. Atavizam
  7. Bez Slobode
  8. Veliko Danas
  9. Degradirani
  10. Pretnja
  11. Solidarnost
  12. Sadizam
  13. Prividi
  14. Covek Coveku
  15. Marioneta
  16. Ljustura
  17. Kontrola
  18. Smrt
  19. Go Fucking Nihilist (Agathocles cover)
  20. Huominen (Kuolema cover)
  21. Tornion Kevät (Terveet Kädet cover)
DOWNLOAD

One more band from the Balkans that deserves your attention. Atomski Rat ("Nuclear War") are a 4-piece  band from Serbia (Šid) that was formed with an intention to play punk/thrash, and the end result turned out to be a mix of noisy hardcore, crust/d-beat, and crossover thrash. Looks like the spirit of 80's is still alive in ex-Yugoslavian (especially Serbian) metal scene, punks and metalheads unite!

IAMDISEASE - s/t (2012)

IAMDISEASE "iamdisease"

Year: 2012
Genre: Metallic Hardcore/Crust
Country: Slovenia 

Track List:
  1. Izoliran, varen, varen
  2. Beg iz raja
  3. Diktatura podobe
  4. Želja drugega
  5. Vonj po krvi
  6. Bregovi deroče reke
  7. Urna postavka
  8. Novi Jeruzalem
  9. Korak prezgodaj
  10. Grozote teme in ledu
  11. Pozdrav zahajajočemu soncu
DOWNLOAD

"IAMDISEASE is a Slovenian band playing dark and angry hardcore with strong influences of metal, crust and sludge. Their music deals with the darker sides of human nature and the monstrosities of the information society. However, their message is not surrender and despair, but hope in changes for the better of everyone.
The bandmembers play or used to play in Elodea, Man in the shadow, Kennybal smith, A Murder Theory, The Hoax Program, Low punch, and others. FFO: Integrity, Slayer, His Hero is Gone...
This is our debut album released via Storm Inside Records in October 2012. CD is limited to 100 copies" 


facebook / bandcamp

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Kvlti - "Melasurej" (2012)

KVLTI "Melasurej"

Year: 2012
Genre: Black Metal
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. Blood Fist Victory
  2. Satan's Escape
  3. Valley Of The Shadow Of Death
  4. Dance To The Gods
  5. Nehushtan's Bite
  6. Energy & Reason
bandcamp

"The album is apolitical but I think it goes well with your blog concept because a lot of the concept and lyrics in this EP are influenced by the British poet William Blake who was anti-imperialist"

 Besides this, I have very little info about the project, but the music is interesting, even though the quality of its  production is noticeably amateur. "Dance To The Gods" sounds almost like blackened dark-electro.

downpour. - "Cringe" (2012)

DOWNPOUR. "Cringe"

Year: 2012
Genre: Hardcore/Crust/PV
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. The Deluge (intro)
  2. Temporis Fidelis
  3. Hunger
  4. Hyperthermia
  5. Kinship
  6. Maternal
  7. Police Bastard (Doom cover)
  8. Idle Hands
  9. Going Home (outro)
DOWNLOAD

A new mini album from a Texas-based anarchist DIY band whose music is strongly influenced by the Spanish metallic crust scene (Ictus, Madame Germen, etc.), as well as Gather, 7 Generations, Undying and Crystal Lake. However, I can't say it's metal (and the member of downpour. themselves don't label their music as metal), it's just crust-influenced hardcore/powerviolence with agressive vocals.


facebook / bandcamp

Monday, November 12, 2012

Rifle Diet - split w/ Thrash Compactor (2012)

RIFLE DIET "split 7'' w/ Thrash Compactor"

Year: 2012
Genre: Dark Hardcore/Crust
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. EWDP
  2. Black and Broken
  3. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
DOWNLOAD

Rifle Diet are an anarcho-crustcore band from Minneapolis, MN. They're a part of Minneapolis punk/metal scene along with Bellow, Youwretch and Morality Crisis; their guitarist also plays in Youwretch. Some more info from the band themselves:

"We are ex-members of Garmonbozia (blackened crust) and In Defence (hardcore punk) who got together after our singer Mariko decided to start a band after the demise of Garmonbozia.
We originally started out 5 years ago as a more fastcore style band called Thrash Compactor but after some lineup changes and with our style getting heavier and darker we decided to change our name to Rifle Diet and put out our unreleased Thrash Compactor material as a split with our new stuff. 
Our name comes from a railroad strike during 1877 where the owner of one of the biggest railroads on the East coast of the US recommended giving strikers "a rifle diet for a few days and see how they like that kind of bread".  You can read more about the strike here if you are interested.
Our split record came out in 2012 and is currently available through Profane Existence as 7" vinyl (part of a package deal) and through our bandcamp page as a free download of the Rifle Diet side"


bandcamp

Teenage Suicide - "Volume One" (2012)

TEENAGE SUICIDE "Volume 1"

Year: 2012
Genre: Blackened Hardcore/Grind
Country: Brazil 

Track List:
  1. High morals
  2. The new people
  3. Negative youth
  4. Reappropriating violence
  5. Armed forces
  6. Against normativity
  7. Social anxiety blues
  8. Silence is death
  9. Loveless
  10. Burning churches 
bandcamp

"The band is Teenage Suicide and hails from Brazil (from São Paulo state). It's a relatively new band, functioning so far as a solo project, but it will change in a near future. Volume 1 was released (digitally) in June, this year, and i started making some physical copies last month (October), which are almost all gone. TS takes influences from all kind of classic and modern Crust, Hardcore and Black Metal bands (and a little bit of Noise creeps its way in). As far as ideology goes, TS is far leftist. I don't try to stick solely to Anarchism or Communism, but instead, incorporating every bits i find most accurate, fair, etc. (and you'll also find bits of nihillism and irony/sarcasm)"

Well, I think it isn't great (the album sounds too "digital" and monotonous, and the slow/noisy parts don't help), but it isn't bad either, so if you like DIY cybergrind, you may find "Vol.1" interesting. Looking forward for TS to become a full band.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Maniak Cop - "All Cops Are Maniaks" (2012)

MANIAK COP "All Cops Are Maniaks"

Year: 2012
Genre: Blackened Punk, Crack Rock Steady
Country: Russia 

Track List:
  1. Чёрный Плащ
  2. Ничего Святого
  3. Пассивность
DOWNLOAD

Maniak Cop are a new band from Murmansk (the very north of Russia, beyond the Arctic Circle). Not much is known about them, except they're a part of anarcho-punk/rockabilly scene of Murmansk, but their debut EP "All Cops Are Maniaks" is definitely worth attention. Looks like we've got our first local blackened crust/ska project in the vein of Leper or Dancehall Satan! (and definitely no worse than these bands)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Drukne - s/t (2012)

DRUKNE "Drukne"

Year: 2012
Genre: Raw Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: USA 

Track List:
  1. The Metamorphosis
  2. The Despiser
  3. Buried Ashes
  4. The Overcoming of the Great Void
  5. Aurora Imperium
DOWNLOAD

Drukne (formerly known as The Sons Of Dead Druids) are an atmospheric black metal band from Indiana. The lyrics on this demo are based on Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", and deal primarily with Nietzsche's concept of "Overman", interpreted as a "self-created transcendence" (the spirit that drives man to achieve and to push himself beyond himself, without any metaphysical implications). Yes, I'm aware that concept was used in various kinds of far-right propaganda, and by a lot of NSBM bands, but Drukne is in no way right-wing. As for the music - yes, it's raw, and maybe some of you won't like this kind of "free improvisation black metal" (as it was tagged on last.fm), but i think it's definitely interesting, and if you have listened to the demo by TSODD, then you probably have an idea of what to expect from this one.

facebook / bandcamp

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Printemps Noir - "Front Pour La Libération Des Aliénés" (2012)

PRINTEMPS NOIR "Front Pour La Libération Des Aliénées"

Year: 2012
Genre: Black Noise
Country: UK 

Track List:
  1. Intro (Under The Indifferent Stars)
  2. Rites Of Darkness
  3. To Annihilate The Self-Hood Of Deceit & False Forgiveness
  4. Amor Imprevisto
  5. The Anguish Of No Future

These tracks weren't actually intended for publishing, because X. (the person behind Printemps Noir) considered this demo as a failure, and released it only as a cassette for friends (not for the broad audience). However, a 128kbps rip of the cassette has leaked to metalarea.org. After I stumbled upon it, I contacted X., who sent me a 320kbps version of "Front..." with a permission to do whatever I want with it, and the following release notes:

"I recorded in this Summer in England and France in a particularly fucked-up and angry frame of mind... Anyone who downloads this and complains about how bad it is is stupid and deserves everything they get. This is True Black Metal Outsider Art, only for the fucked-up and hard of hearing. It's not an 'album' and I'm not a 'band'"

Musically, "Front..." contains of roughly equal amount of minimalistic dark ambient and very lo-fi black metal. It's indeed very raw and noisy, but it serves the purpose to reflect the atmosphere of insanity very well. Anyway, this album is actually quite good for its genre, somehow reminding me of Shapeless' demos. Definitely recommened to all the fanatics of primitive black metal and noise punk (BTW, according to X., he was highly inspired by early Siberian punk scene, which always was one of my favourites as well).

P.S. Although X. has no desire for a self-promotion and would prefer to remain anonymous, he's open for doing a split EP with anyone English- or French-speaking who plays BM (no NSBM), dark ambient, punk, grindcore, thrash, etc.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Lagrima - "Hannibal Ad Portas" (2012)

LAGRIMA "Hannibal Ad Portas"


Year: 2012
Genre: Epic Death/Black Metal
Country: Lebanon 

Track List:
  1. Prelude (... To the Gods of War)
  2. Serenade Upon Mount Aryx
  3. Conquest of Iberia
  4. Death of the Father ... Saguntum
  5. Arise and Arrest the Destiny of Rome
  6. Trepia Trazimian Cannie
  7. Abhore the Antagonists
  8. A Final Fight
  9. Sealed With Poison
DOWNLOAD

One more release I received for a review not so long ago, this time from a very unexpected place: Lebanon. Yes, I know there were such great Lebanese bands as Ayat and Damaar, and I already have wrote several posts on the subject of Middle Eastern metal in general, but it's the first time I receive a message from a Lebanese band. The music turned out to be very interesting and well-produced - a kind of melodic death/black metal with epic moments (but not in the "Scandinavian" way). Of course there were some parts which I didn't like, but in general it turned out to be much better than I initially thought it to be. Definitely recommended!

facebook / reverbnation / myspace

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Lamantide - s/t (2011)

LAMANTIDE "Lamantide"

Year: 2011
Genre: Blackened Crust/Hardcore
Country: Italy

Track List:
  1. Invocazione
  2. Adi Shakti
  3. ...e i giorni una maceria
  4. Esistere
  5. Nihil Ergo Sum
  6. Senza Calore
  7. Misero, grido
  8. O' Fortuna
  9. Ultimo Sangue
Lamantide are a left-leaning blackened hardcore band from Cremona (Italy), formed in 2009. I think they're a very good representative of Italian blackened hardcore/crust scene, which seems to be growing fast. Unfortunately I have this album only in 128kbps bitrate, but you can get its shorter version in 320 kbps bitrate off bandcamp, if you wish. And as a final word - their cover of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" "(O Fortuna)" is great:

Kompost - demo (2012)

KOMPOST "demo"

Year: 2012
Genre: Metallic Crust/Hardcore
Country: Italy

Track List:
  1. Vorrei non essere umano
  2. Al patibolo
  3. Psichiatria
  4. Virtual death
  5. Anossia
  6. Fame! (Berserk cover)
  7. Videocrazia
DOWNLOAD

Yet another demo from my mail, this time it is metallic hardcore/d-beat from Treviso (near Venice). On last.fm it was tagged as "grindcore" and "blackened crust"; however, I didn't hear much grindcore or BM influences there.

facebook

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Outer Gods - "Mael Medusa" (2012)

OUTER GODS "Mael Medusa"

Year: 2012
Genre: Dark Ambient / Funeral Doom
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Writ en Dominae
  2. Mael Medusa
bandcamp

Outer Gods are a new experimental drone/doom band from Atlanta who characterise their approach to music as "neofolk-ish / mystical". If I understood them right, they decided to send me their demo "Mael Medusa" because they wanted it to be on a blog that presents some genuinely different music. The demo consists of two long tracks stylistically ranging from dark ambient to funeral doom/drone. It also contains samples from avant-garde/classical works by Iannis Xenakis.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

A Cloud Forest - "October's Overture" (2012)

A CLOUD FOREST "October's Overture"

Year: 2012
Genre: Black Metal (not quite atmospheric or depressive, though)
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Cower Into My Darkness
  2. A Part of My Collapse
  3. Where Shadows Dissolve
DOWNLOAD

Latest up-to-date release from Phoenix (AZ)-based anarcho-BM project of Eric (Contravene). In my opinion, it's a great EP, and the vocal work is noticiably better than on ACF's early releases. However, it isn't as "atmospheric" as I expected it to be.

Release notes:

"Limited to 100 copies on CD and packaged in a 4 panel digipak. Written and recorded from October - December 2011. 3 tracks of depressive and atmospheric black metal. Welcoming the cold, dark days of winter. Physical CD release also includes the 25 minute bonus track "the Widow Ghost". Released by Silence and Solitude Records, available NOW for $6 plus postage worldwide either direct from us by going to the music page or from the Silence and Solitude Records webshop http://silenceandsolitude.storenvy.com/"

bandcamp

Monday, October 15, 2012

Panopticon - "Social Disservices" (2011)

PANOPTICON "Social Disservices"

Year: 2011
Genre: RABM
Country: USA
Label: Flenser Records 

Track List:
  1. Resident
  2. Client
  3. Subject
  4. Patient
DOWNLOAD

Speaking of Panopticon - here's one more album which I forgot to review in time, namely "Social Disservices". Unfortunately, my health condition remains to be not very good, and i'm not in the mood for writing of detailed reviews in English (all the more so, there already is one much better than I'll ever write). I'd say, though, that I personally liked it more than "Kentucky". It's more aggressive and "crusty" than most of the recent releases by Panopticon, sounding even like early 90's industrial metal at times (track #3, for example). Don't know if Flenser Rec. are OK with free distribution of this album (they probably aren't), but Austin himself definitely is, and you easily can buy it online, if you wish.

Merkaba - "Bones Of The Sacred Forest" (2011)

MERKABA "Bones of the Sacred Forest"

Year: 2011
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal, Post-Black Metal
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Faultline
  2. Eyes Lose Focus
  3. We Seem to Pass like Ships in the Night
  4. Continuum
  5. Glacial Fire
DOWNLOAD

"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.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Typhonic Age - "Wrath of a New Dawn" (2012)

TYPHONIC AGE "Wrath Of A New Dawn"

Year: 2012
Genre: USBM
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Procreating the Archetype
  2. Therionic Wolfhowl
  3. Storm the Heavens
  4. Ahriman Ascendent
bandcamp / facebook

This release from Typhonic Age contains songs from their first two demos, but re-recorded by TA as a full band (the demos were recorded by a duo). So you won't find any new material here, but any feedback will be helpful and appreciated by the band anyway. Speaking of their sound, it's still the old school (1st- and early 2nd-wave) black/thrash sound (their list of influences - Bathory, Celtic Frost, Sodom, and Darkthrone - says it all).

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Din of Awakening - "Demo II" (2012)

DIN OF AWAKENING "Demo II"

Year: 2012
Genre: Raw USBM
Country: USA
Label: Fallen Empire 

DOWNLOAD

New short demo from Din of Awakening (3 untitled tracks). I'm not feeling well right now, thus want to avoid writing long texts in English - so I'd just say its sound is indeed very different when compared with the 1st demo. For better or for worse? It's up to you to decide:



"Cast the stones,
Ancient Obsidian,
Altar of Bones,
Let the Ritual Begin

Blessed Tome,
Moonlit Messages,
Chants of Old,
Awaken from Dormancy

We are the Tribes of the Lunar Fires,
Clandestine seers ‘neath the Quickening,
Oracles of Celestial Splendor,
Imbolc bring Snowdrops and Aconite..."

Ivpiter - "IIII" (2012)

IVPITER "IIII"

Year: 2012
Genre: Raw BM / Blackened Crust
Country: Brazil

DOWNLOAD

Ivpiter (pronounced as "Jupiter") is a new anarchist black metal/d-beat project from Curitiba. "IIII" is Ivpiter's debut EP, consisting of 8 short untitled tracks. Recommended to those who like Brazilian noise punk and primitive black metal.

bandcamp