Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Goth Girl Interview



DoC friend Andrew Cleveland has been a fixture of this blog - his bands Pretty Mouth and The Blind Surgeons Operation have been featured multiple times. A little while ago he started a new project called Goth Girl, which raises the misanthropic noise element of his previous bands to the Nth degree. I e-mailed him some questions to find out more about his new music-ish endeavor.

Monday, December 28, 2015

Swedish Death Metal Round Up 2015

2015 marked 20 years since I first embarked down the Left Hand Path (well, I started with Clandestine, but still). Since I first became obsessed with it, Swedish death metal has seen its share of ups and downs - including fickle public tastes turning from one regional scene to another and then back again. But the country remains the most reliable source of high quality heaviosity. And as much as I bemoan the dearth of originality and creativity currently plaguing the scene, I remain quite helplessly drawn to every band that comes out of it.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Avant Noir [Black is the new Prog]


Since the beginning of its Norwegian incarnation, black metal has challenged popular notions of what it means to be a metal band. Euronymous and Fenriz spearheaded a renewed interest in genres not in vogue at the time - roots thrash and NWOBHM being the most obvious. But the second wave of black metal, with its fixation on classical music and classic metal, as well as its rejection of what was popular at the time, soon opened itself up to the encroaching influence of progressive rock. By the end of the 90's, no subgenre of heavy music was more boldly experimental than black metal. Ironically, that meant that black metal bands wandered even further from their tenets than any of the "life metal" bands that the second wave chastised.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Bandcamp Picks - 2015 Stocking Stuffer Edition





The holiday season is upon us; chances are, you're worn out from last minute shopping, grating relatives, and transit fiascos. Never fear, your friends at DoC are here to lift your mood. Pour yourself a stiff one and fortify yourself with these free downloads of the heaviest of heavy metals...

Saturday, December 12, 2015

An Interview with The Communion

NY's The Communion are no strangers to this blog; I discovered them this past May when they played with Antigama and DoC friends Buckshot Facelift, and their split with Helmsplitter was one of my recent Bandcamp Picks. I was immediately impressed with their take on grindcore, which eschews the usual crust and goregrind paradigms, drawing from influences as disparate as black metal and power electronics while retaining the genre's immediacy. Since they seem to enjoy my convoluted pontificating, I hit them up for an interview, which vocalist Nick Cacioppo answered in record time.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Bandcamp Picks - Tod Huetet Uebel, Temple of Evil, Tome of the Unreplenished, Mesarthim



Lisbon's Tod Huetet Uebel aren't fucking around when it comes to unleashing total darkness. Malícia is a vicious assault, reminiscent of Anaal Nathrakh in its unrelenting speed and debauched vocals. Inhuman, all too fucking inhuman. The album is available as a "name your price" download.



If their name or cover art weren't a giveaway, Cyprus' Temple of Evil are dedicated to all that is unholy and blasphemous. The 7th Awakening defers to Necrophobic in making black metal that's both memorable and diabolical. Mediterranean in origin but Scandinavian at heart. The album is available as a "name your price" download.



Meanwhile, fellow Cypriots Tome of the Unreplenished take a more introspective tack. Shoegazing guitar lines, whale songs, and martial drums edge Innerstanding into post/avant garde territory, though the album has enough blastbeats and shredding to keep things from getting too twee. A thoughtful album from a little explored part of the metal map. [€6]



One man band Mesarthim, as the astrological name suggests, is in search of space. Isolate combines tinkly keyboard melodies and minimalist guitars for a take on black(ish) metal that's atmospheric and strangely uplifting. Interstellar in theme and stellar in execution. [$1]