Sunday, November 19, 2017

Bandcamp Picks - Blaze of Perdition, Aosoth, Blut Aus Nord, Imperceptum



Blaze Of Perdition have survived tragedy to become one of the most interesting and intelligent bands to come out of Poland's celebrated metal scene. Abetted by a stellar production, Conscious Darkness uses the band's knack for blasting judiciously, focusing instead on atmosphere to create songs that are nothing less than monumental. Similar to the more restrained moments of the last Behemoth album, Blaze of Perdition have pushed black and death metal past cartoonish posturing and into real auteurship. [$7.90]



Formed by members of Antaeus and Order of Apollyon, Aosoth takes a more restrained and nuanced approach than its parent bands. Impenetrable on first listen, V: The Inside Scriptures isn't afraid of injecting some groove into its monolithic assault, in addition to the occasional noise interlude. Another reason why the French black metal scene is not to be ignored. [$7.90]



Of course, you can't bring up French avant garde black metal without mentioning Blut Aus Nord. Deus Salutis Meae transposes the band's unsettling discordance into industrial territory, upping the aura of bleakness in the process. An assault by machines of loathing disgrace. [€7.77]



Mysterious one man black metal project (is there another kind?) Imperceptum has had a busy year. The fifth release since 2016, Aeons of Saturnine Desolation leaves no question as to its creator's passion for droning ambient epics. Satan's wet/dry vacs gather for attack. The album is available as a "name your price" download.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

An Interview with Squalus

Giant Squid was one of my favourite bands, due to their progressive approach to sludge metal that resulted in some of the most interesting and original albums of the last ten years. Though they called it quits recently, their members are back with a new project called Squalus. Since their Translation Loss debut The Great Fish was one of the albums I looked forward to most in 2017, I was eager to find out more about the band's origins and intentions. Vocalist/bassist A.J. Gregory was kind enough to answer my questions.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Bandcamp Picks - Cannibal Corpse, Exhumed, Daemusinem, THÆTAS/Haagenti



Few things in this world are as reliable as a new Cannibal Corpse album. Red Before Black, their 14th gore-soaked (s)platter, sees them reuniting with fellow death metal OG Erik Rutan, whose production brings an immediacy and clarity to the band's deceptively thoughtful songwriting. The most consistent and prolific of the genre's elder statesmen, at this point "death metal" is as concise a descriptor of  Cannibal Corpse as you'll get - and vice versa. [$9.99]



After the oddly restrained Necrocracy, Exhumed are back with a more recognizable cross section of gore fucking metal. A concept album based on the Burke and Hare murders, Death Returns matches Surgical Steel for riff after NWOBHM inspired riff, with symphonic interludes worthy of a Christopher Young score. The return of original Exhumed vocalist/bassist (and friend of the blog) Ross Sewage is as much of a bonus as the Exodus cover included at the end. [$10]



Comprising members of Putridity, Turin's Daemusinem continue largely in the same (opened) vein. Thy Ungodly Defiance is unbelievably fast, with squealing pinch harmonics punctuating the guttural onslaught, and technical in a way that enhances the brutality rather than detracting from it. There's no need to complain that Cryptopsy have strayed too far from their vile origins when bands like Daemusinem are here to pick up the slack. [$7.99]



With members of Buckshot Facelift, there's no doubt DoC friends THÆTAS are committed to expanding what it means to be a NYDM band while upholding their city's brutal legacy. The three songs on their new split release have enough blastbeats and slam parts to make Suffocation proud grandpas, but vary their attack with skronking guitar noise and changing tempos. On the other side of the split (and the L.I.E.) make progressive metal great again by keeping the blast even through shifting time signatures, with nods to fellow Long Island native Chuck Schuldiner along the way. Both sides of the split are available as "name your price" downloads.