CULT OF RUINS

Gnaw - This Face

2010-08-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Gnaw is an experimental drone / noise band from New York City, New York, United States formed in 2006 by Alan Dubin.

Gnaw is the sawblade-wrapped-in-razorwire brainchild of Alan Dubin. (Khanate, OLD), Carter Thornton. (Enos Slaughter), Jun Mizumachi. (Ike Yard), and Jamie Sykes. (Thorr’s Hammer, Burning Witch). Their 2009 debut for Conspiracy Records “This Face” was further infected and finally delivered by engineer Brian Beatrice before being wrought for stage deployment with additional drummer Eric Neuser. “This Face” has been described as a “genre destroying journey” and utilizes pounding percussion, factory noise, chordal slabs of guitar and bass, as well as homemade electro-acoustic contraptions. Dubin’s unique and legendary shriek delivers vivid portrayals of all things bad.

(from Last.fm)

This is some great droning noise with members of Khanate and Thorr's Hammer. They're on tour this year and I'm really looking forward to see them together with Monno. Enjoy it!

Gnaw - This Face

(Conspiracy Records / 2009 / Experimental Drone/Noise / 192 kbp/s)

Tracklist
1. Haven Vault 2:17
2. Vacant 4:26
3. Talking Mirrors 5:04
4. Feelers 3:46
5. Watcher 7:35
6. Ghosted 7:22
7. Backyard Frontier 4:52
8. Shard 5:13
9. Backyard Frontier (Reprise) 8:47

Mediafire

Yoga - Megafauna

2010-08-04T03:15:00.000-07:00

A psychedelic lo-fi black-metal project that has a passion for Cryptozoology and all things unexplained… “Understand this: Yoga dispenses a sinister frailty of howling swells in hissing static that combusts into crawling shock heaps, to the effect of Mayhem performing Twin Peaks incidentals in a prairie recorded by The KLF. A brief description casts them as black metal’s answer to Throbbing Gristle. The texture-based rendering of their compositions sails them on a strange sea between song and sound effect as it bobs along the waves like a dead man’s bottled message. Aspects of Goblin rehearsals in dead hills is interrupted as Monster Zero carves mountain sides with lightning breath. Oscillating leads pummel into churning riffs as if Caledonia was performed in an echo chamber near Lodi, New Jersey. The extrinsic properties of this work may result in disambiguation.”

project members: Vatten Häst & Eld Anka

(Taken from last.fm)

[ Myspace | Holy Mountain | Ritual Ambient/Drone | CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

1. Seventh Mind
2. Flying Witch
3. Encante
4. Wagion
5. The Hidden People
6. Dreamcast
7. Fourth Eye
8. Black Obelisk
9. Treeman
10. Warrior
11. Haunted Brain
12. Chupacabra's Rotting Flesh

---

42:44

Mediafire

Locrian - Territories

2010-08-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

“…ritual exploration locked in a landscape of left-handed black urbanity…. the sound of jackals seeking prey in abandoned malls. Locrian’s vision is an internalised one, a view that’s expressed through ferocious volume with a finger than remains on the trigger guard.” (Scott McKeating, Rock-a-rolla)

“Looming monoliths of distorted synthesizer erode in slow motion while a brittle, hazy guitar line wavers slowly back and forth like a rusty weathervane creaking in the wind. And then: the voices. Disembodied howls rising from the devil’s asshole.” (J. Niimi, Chicago Reader)

“Like a raven perched on an electrical transformer, Locrian summon elemental human dread, the type hinted at in medieval passion plays and Shakespearean dramatic interludes, but do so electrically, without the pretense of ancient wisdom or nostalgia-laden “spectral folk.” (Chris Sienko, Gapers Block)

” spoon through the night mounted upon a guitar or a synth… the sonic textures are closer to rock (maybe born amidst the debris of a party Killing Joke had just left).” (Byron Coley, The Wire)

(Taken from Last.fm)

Thanks to the band for submitting us this album, we realy appreciate this :) New record from 2010, enjoy!

[ Myspace | At War with False Noise | 2010 | Drone/Noise/Experimental | CBR@192 ]

Tracklist

01. Inverted Ruins (08:27)
02. Between Barrows (05:51)
03. Procession of Ancestral Brutalism (10:18)
04. Ring Road (09:38)
05. Antediluvian Territory (03:57)
06. The Columnless Arcade (08:42)

---

47:50

Mediafire

Minilogue - Animals

2010-07-31T05:04:00.000-07:00

Minilogue are a Swedish Progressive House/Tech-House/Minimal Techno music project of Sebastian Mullaert and Marcus Henriksson. The name is a portmanteau of minimal (the musical style) and dialogue, which refers to music as a form of communication.

Beside their music production as Minilogue, they are both involved in the projects Son Kite and Trimatic, and Sebastian has the soloprojects Kooler, Filur and Ooze.

Sebastian Mullaert and Marcus Henriksson came from opposing backgrounds.

Sebastian was trained as a classical musician playing the organ, piano and the violin among other instruments. He even became involved in teaching them until his coming of age at 18 when he formed a band and began experimenting with the sounds in a more contemporary way.

Marcus lived on a diet of Kraftwerk and the Human League until realising his true calling in the techno parties of the 90s. Through promoting parties he moved on to become one of the bigger DJs in Southern Sweden. It was in a party where they met and decided to combine Sebastian’s musician’s perspective and knowledge with Marcus´ DJ skills and experience from the scene.

They got together in 1996 and after 10 years in the music business under successful guises such as Son Kite and Trimatic, Marcus & Sebastian are now Minilogue - an animalistic music concept without the boundaries of genres.

(from Last.fm)

I stumbled over this one at a minimal party here. This album was visualized by Minilogue and they called it "Animals - The Movie". So if you like the album, buy the DVD and then you can watch the visualizations. It's worth it, they're really great. Some samples to be seen on youtube, vimeo etc.. Enjoy it!

Minilogue - Animals

(Cocoon Recordings / 2008 / Minimal/Techhouse/Ambient / 184 kbp/s)

Tracklist

Dance CD:
01. Yesterday Bells 2:01
02. Cow, Crickets and Clay 7:09
03. Hitchhiker´s Choice 7:20
04. Loud 3:37
05. We All 6:56
06. 33000 Honeybees 8:36
07. Jamaica 9:58
08. View Of A Juggling Ball 3:10
09. Giant Hairy Super Monsters 7:19
10. Hypnotized 8:31
11. Animals 7:15
12. In A Distance 7:49

Ambient CD:
01. Old Water 5:23
02. Windows 4:08
03. City Lights 4:58
04. Six Arms And One Leg 5:54
05. Swamp OP 4:28
06. In The Shade Of The Sun 5:47
07. Stations I 4:26
08. Stations II 4:59
09. Stations III 3:51
10. Even The Wind Seemed In Deep Sleep 6:22
11. Europhonia 8:09
12. Feeling In Spring Beside The Dressing Table 7:42
13. Seconds (Colour & Sound) 6:44
14. Outro 2:15

Mediafire 1/2

Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

2010-07-30T05:12:00.000-07:00

Spiritualized is an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, United Kingdom by Jason Pierce, who often goes by the alias J. Spaceman, after the spectacular demise of the Spacemen 3 outfit. The membership of Spiritualized changes from album to album, with Pierce being the only constant factor.

The style of Spiritualized is perhaps best described as psychedelic rock, especially earlier albums like Lazer Guided Melodies and Pure Phase, which also incorporated elements of the shoegazing style made popular by influential 1991 album Loveless. The landmark Ladies And Gentlement We Are Floating In Space showed influences from African-American gospel and blues beginning to creep in, and wall of sound influences from Phil Spector and Brian Wilson began to predominate, which came to a head on Let It Come Down. Amazing Grace favoured a more stripped down sound with the gospel, blues, and soul influences heavier than ever.

(taken from last.fm)

[ Dedicated | 1997 | Shoegaze/Space Rock | VBR | 1:09:53 ]

Tracklist
1. Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - 3:40
2. Come Together - 4:40
3. I Think I'm In Love - 8:09
4. All Of My Thoughts - 4:36
5. Stay With Me - 5:08
6. Electricity - 3:46
7. Home Of The Brave - 2:22
8. The Individual - 4:15
9. Broken Heart - 6:38
10. No God Only Religion - 4:21
11. Cool Waves - 5:05
12. Cop Shoot Cop... - 17:13

Mediafire

Ringo Deathstarr - Ringo Deathstarr

2010-07-26T04:35:00.000-07:00

Ringo Deathstarr is a shoegaze quartet from Austin, TX. After a couple of years of releasing an EP and a few 7’’ records on various labels like SVC, Vinyl Junkie, and Custom Made Music, and touring Japan and the UK late last year, finally they are finishing that full length record as we speak, followed by more touring all over the place.

(taken from last.fm)

[ self-released | 2007 | Shoegaze | 320kbps | 13:47 ]

Tracklist
1. Swirly - 2:41
2. Starrsha - 2:08
3. Some Kind Of Sad - 2:05
4. Down On You - 3:17
5. Sweet Girl - 3:36

Mediafire

LSD and the Search for God - LSD and the Search for God

2010-07-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

LSD and the Search for God is a shoegaze/noise-rock band from San Francisco, California formed in 2006. They have released one self titled EP. The members of the band include Chris Fifield (guitar), Sophia Campbell (vocals), Caleb Rush (bass), Kevin Crouse (drums), and Andy Liszt (guitar/vocals).

(taken from last.fm)

[ Mind Expansion | 2008 | Psychedelic Shoegaze | 320kbps | 22:01 ]

Tracklist
1. This Time - 3:18
2. I Don't Care - 4:02
3. Backwards - 4:18
4. Starting Over - 5:04
5. Starshine - 5:19

Mediafire

Melvins / ISIS - Split

2010-07-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Melvins are an American band formed in Montesano, Washington in 1982. In the early days of their career their dark, heavy, oppressively slow sound made them innovators of genres like sludge, grunge and doom metal. Melvins’ music is influenced by Flipper, Black Flag’s My War-era hardcore punk and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, but their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka “King Buzzo”) and drummer Dale Crover are constant members while several bass guitarists have cycled through the group. Melvins usually performed as a trio until 2006 when two members of Big Business became permanent members of the band.

The band was named after a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne was employed. Melvin was the most-hated fellow employee and the band felt it to be an appropriate name. Like SF noisenik predecessors Flipper, their love of slow tempos and sludgy sound were a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound.

(Read all here)

Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997. They borrowed from and helped to evolve a sound pioneered by the likes of Neurosis and Godflesh, creating heavy music consisting primarily of lengthy songs that focus on repetition and evolution of structure and texture. As such, a great range of musical labels are used to describe their sound, including sludge metal and post-metal.

The band’s most recent album Wavering Radiant, was released on May 5, 2009.

Several sessions of experimentation in Boston, Massachusetts led friends Aaron Turner (guitar/vocals; also the owner of Hydra Head Records and its subsidiary, HH Noise Industries), Jeff Caxide (bass guitar), Chris Mereschuk (electronics/vocals) and Aaron Harris (drums) to form Isis in late 1997. As Turner states, “Isis formed as a result of the dissatisfaction with past bands of the founding members. None of us were happy with what we were doing musically at the time, two of us lived together, we had similar tastes and similar record collections.”[2] Isis released a demo and their first EP, Mosquito Control, in 1998, with this line-up. After an East Coast tour in the summer of 1998 where they were joined by Randy Larsen of Cable on guitar, Mereschuk left the band. Jay Randall (now of Agoraphobic Nosebleed) soon replaced him, working on Red Sea (1999). However, his stay would not last; this ultimately led to the addition of Bryant Clifford Meyer of The Gersch as well as former Cast Iron Hike guitarist Michael Gallagher in 1999.

(Read all here)

This is it. ISIS disbanded this year, just some weeks ago. On this split with the mighty Melvins we have the last track ever that has been recorded by ISIS. It's released now on this record. Bow down the last time for ISIS. Enjoy folks!

Tracklist

01. Melvins - Pig house (alt. version) (5:17)
02. Melvins - I'll finish you off (alt. version) (5:05)
03. ISIS - Way through woven branches (6:23)
04. ISIS - The pliable foe (7:53)

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24:38

Mediafire

Harvestman / Minsk / US Christmas - Hawkwind Triad

2010-07-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

With all of the amazing underground psychedelic/space rock bands to emerge in the last five years, a proper Hawkwind tribute album is about as overdue as a mainstream “indie” ban on Ivy League educated fag-pop albums. Hey, look at that, I think I just coined a new genre! Call me Simon Reynolds because I’m going to overuse the shit out of that phrase until its Wikipedia page (*snap* get on it, nerds!) credits me with its creation. A few years ago we got that awesome 7″ series with White Hills, Mugstar, Acid Mother’s Temple, Mudhoney, Kinski and Bardo Pond covering tracks for the Trensmat label, but that was a limited edition three-piece set you had to buy separately. Although I’ve never heard of these bands Harvestman and Minsk, I will gladly endure them for a slice of US Christmas. That band is up there with White Hills, Mugstar, Titan and Earthless as the creamiest of the Hawkwind torchbearers.

Fittingly, it is US Christmas that gets the new Hawkwind Triad album rolling with a stunning cover of “Master Of The Universe.” The overdriven guitar riffs are dead-on, sounding identical to those of the of space rock luminaries which inspired this project. Harvestman’s singer sounds a tad bit out of his league with his gravelly delivery. Musically it works, their take on “D Rider” sounds almost minimalist compared to Hawkwind’s original composition. Minsk definitely brings enough psychedelic effects and aggressive rhythms to impress. But it’s US Christmas that steals the show here. Listen to “Orgone Accumulator” and tell me the band couldn’t easily pull off an entire album of Hawkwind covers by themselves.

I’d say the tracks by US Christmas are the least re-imagined efforts on the album, but all three bands realize the importance of approaching a classic sound from a modern perspective. Minsk use their background as a self-described “psychedelic metal” act to add heaviness and a bit more complexity to what was considered at the time to be very progressive music. The best Harvestman contribution, “The Watcher” could just as easily be a cut on a fucked-up swamp blues compilation as it could a newly recorded Hawkwind cover. Maybe it’s related to my not being a huge Neurosis fan, but I found myself enjoying Harvestman the least of the triad. Sorry, Steve Von Till. I still adore Culper Ring!

It can be frustrating at times to describe the sounds of bands of this ilk without invoking the Hawkwind reference. Oftentimes I feel like I’m not giving bands enough credit if I say they’re reminiscent of one of the earliest space/psych bands on the planet. As an obsessive music fan and sometimes music writer I never want to sell a band short by simply comparing one group’s sound to those original trailblazers. I want to get the idea of a sound across to potential new listeners in a creative and unique way. Still, it helps to know that all of these bands are not ashamed of who most-inspired them. That Harvestman, Minsk and US Christmas (plus those Trensmat-recorded bands before them) are more than willing to pridefully record an album of Hawkwind material encapsulates the best possible course of action for bands that might draw easy comparisons: Show you adoration for those who came before you while putting forth something completely your own. My personal thanks to all three of these bands for offering up a fantastic record.

(Taken from here)

[ Neurot Recordings | 2010 | Ambient / Psych / Sludge / Stoner | VBR ]

Tracklist

01 U.S. Christmas - Master of the Universe (05:49)
02 Harvestman - D Rider (06:38)
03 Minsk - 7X7 (07:55)
04 Harvestman - Down Through the Night (03:42)
05 Minsk - Assault and Battery/The Golden Void (12:06)
06 U.S. Christmas - Psychedelic Warlords (06:20)
07 Minsk - Children of the Sun (04:36)
08 U.S. Christmas - Orgone Accumulator (06:51)
09 Harvestman - The Watcher (04:42)
10 U.S. Christmas - You Shouldn't Do That (11:24)
11 Harvestman - Magnu (08:43)

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01:18:51

Mediafire

Nachtmystium - Addicts: Black Meddle Part II

2010-07-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

There are two basic ways of listening to music: “fuck it, it’s good/bad”, and marinating. The latter is how a younger version of myself resolved to listen to all music forever, taking time and peeling back layer after layer of thoughtfully erected sound. I was a music snob. I still am to a degree, but I’ve since realized that life is short, I don’t always have time for marinating, and I can just trust my taste in the moment.

I suspect Blake Judd had a similar moment sometime around the making of his band’s Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1, which, for all the hemming and hawing about its relationship to black metal, is just a damn good collection of songs. (Ed. note: We don’t all agree. See here.) Here was a guy who grew up with heavy metal blinders on, started expanding his palette, and extended that to his band – successfully.

For the most part, that continues on Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. 2 (Century Media, 2010). The psychedelic element is still present, but things have evolved further with a four-on-the-floor dance feel in the rhythm section of certain songs. Synths are more prominent on this album, often as a lead instrument. That’s the big difference between this and Assassins: on most of these songs, the guitar is a texture, not the focus. Vocals come to the foreground as well (more on that later). There are hardly any riffs in sight.

And that’s totally fine with me. If people cringe about the murmurs of a “Wax Trax meets Darkthrone” vibe, they should crank “No Funeral” and “Blood Trance Fusion” and ask themselves if they still care. “Addicts” is another fantastically moody anthem whose chorus should be screamed by a roomful of people for full effect. Sanford Parker’s production is nothing short of stunning. The carefully layered guitars and synths come off clean but not overly-polished, a totally appropriate accommodation for the songwriting evolution. Ultimately, Blake Judd is shifting Nachtmystium from a black metal band to a big rock band with blackened roots. His heroes in Pink Floyd made a similar metamorphosis from art rock band to big rock band with artsy roots. The thing that carried them there? Songs with lyrics that put a lump in your throat.

Here’s where Addicts comes up short. Unfortunately, Judd isn’t a nuanced lyricist, and it shows with the de-emphasized guitar work. He delivers a loosely woven cautionary tale of drug abuse that could soundtrack an addict’s hitting bottom in any number of after-school specials. Perhaps it’s informed by actual experience, but it’s very outside-looking-in (I’m assuming), and it’s not convincing. “Fucked-up/strung-out” – you don’t say. I’m not saying it’s insincere; it’s just heavy-handed and doesn’t match the quality of the music. I’m surprised more reviews of Addicts aren’t evaluating its theme. It is such an explicit aspect of the record, from the cover art to the clear and present vocals. Kudos to Judd all the same for not hiding behind lyrical ambiguities.

Addicts‘ merits more than outweigh these concerns. This is a significant album for Nachtmystium, and the surrounding fanfare does factor into my assessment. You can hear the responsibility they’ve placed into making this release their moment. They were striving for a marinating listen, and they came close, but those heights require something more. For now, I say fuck it, it’s good.

(Taken from here)

FNT release of this album, maybe one of the better ones in 2010. I know, we're late with this one, but hey, I bet some of you guys don't got it yet. Enjoy!

[ Myspace | Century Media | 2010 | Black Metal | VBR]

Tracklist

1. Cry For Help (01:33)
2. High On Hate (03:36)
3. Nightfall (03:21)
4. No Funeral (05:39)
5. Then Fires (05:44)
6. Addicts (04:24)
7. The End Is Eternal (07:03)
8. Blood Trance Fusion (03:30)
9. Ruined Life Continuum (04:41)
10. Every Last Drop (08:30)

---

48:01

Mediafire

Urfaust - Einsiedler

2010-07-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Einsiedler EP from Urfaust displays the latest refinements the Dutch duo have made to their unique approach to black metal. While the two songs on Einsiedler are very similar to the band’s work on recent releases like last year’s Drei Rituale jenseits des Kosmos, Urfaust’s style seems to be less and less identifiable with black metal, instead moving toward more of an abstract, ambient-based approach. Fortunately, this evolution serves to broaden rather than dull the impact of the band’s music.

The two tracks on Einsiedler are rather curiously named for the two members of the band. The lengthier ‘IX: der Einsiedler’ is very much in the vein of the tracks on Drei Rituale…. Guitars and keyboards provide a dense background, while Willem’s typical bizarre wailings give the song a haunting, melancholic atmosphere.

The second track ‘Verderber’ is a bit of a departure, in that it is driven by a very basic, stripped-down, repeated guitar motif, which is supplemented by Willem’s usual unintelligible shrieking. Both tracks are simple yet effective, and while this EP sounds on the whole calmer and less disturbed than Urfaust’s last EP, I found the music to be no less enjoyable.

There’s not much else to say except that Urfaust fans will not be disappointed by this release, and while it’s perhaps not a great starting point for someone who hasn’t heard the band before, it’s definitely one of their most ‘accessible’ releases.

(Taken from here)

Latest EP from Urfaust released in 2009. This release is including scans of the booklet, cover and back in high quality. Enjoy!

[ Myspace | Van23 Records | 2009 | Black Metal | CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. IX - Der Einsiedler (12:07)

02. Verderber (06:50)

---

18:57

Mediafire

Sunn O))) - The Grimmrobe Demos

2010-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Grimmrobe Demos is Sunn O)))'s first recorded album, and is the most direct representation of their self-proclaimed Earth-worship. It was originally limited to 500 copies by Hydra Head Records, but in 2005 Southern Lord Records reissued it on CD and vinyl with a bonus live track, An early rehearsal track titled "Bremerton" was included on the vinyl release.

The album's third track was named after frontman Dylan Carlson of Earth, the band that inspired this album, and the genesis of the band.

The booklet of the second version of the album contains a long passage of apocalyptic writing by Seldon Hunt, written in Melbourne, during October 2004.

On August 8, 2008, Sunn O))) announced that they would do a mini-tour consisting of four concerts to commemorate the 10th anniversary for this album's release

(Taken from Wikipedia)

The first recorded album from Sunn O))), we missed this one when we have been uploading the discography. If you don't have it yet, get it! This is the 2005 re-release on Southern Lord. Enjoy!

[ Myspace | Southern Lord | 2005 | Drone | CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Black Wedding (19:16)

02. Defeating - Earths' Gravity (14:58)

03. Dylan Carlson (21:32)

04. Grimm & Bear it (16:40)

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01:12:27

Mediafire

Ion Dissonance - Cursed

2010-07-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ion Dissonance are a mathcore band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that were formerly known for their chaotically fast-paced and extremely aggressive style but changed to a more heavy, groove based style with the release of their 2007 album Minus The Herd.

Antoine Lussier and Sebastien Chaput formed Ion Dissonance during the late summer of 2001 with the intention of creating metal that was more complex and daring than what they have done before. JF Richard would join shortly after on drums. With these members, their sound started to take shape, but they still required a few more individuals to fill some parts. To that end they recruited Gabriel McCaughry (vocals) and Sebastien Painchaud (bass guitar). Upon completing their first official line-up, the band released a demo CD named .357, which was quickly put together in 2002 for promotional purposes to various zines, labels and individuals around North America. This demo is now out of print but was released on mp3.com. Within no time, they received positive reviews and reactions. In this short time, they had to pick an appropriate label to support them and soon release their first LP. They decided to stay with Willowtip Records (Cacophonous Records in Europe). The line-up was changed when Sebastien Painchaud was replaced by their second bassist, Miguel Valade. With this change, they started playing their first major shows as the opening act for such bands as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, Daughters, Misery Index, The End, and The Black Dahlia Murder.

During April 2003 they started the recording process for their first LP, Breathing is Irrelevant with sound-engineer Yanick St-Amand (Neuraxis, Martyr, In Dying Days), the album was completed in June 2003, and it came out in October 2003. It received many favourable reviews from a number of webzines and magazines including Metal Maniacs, Terrorizer and Unrestrained!.

(Read all here)

New album from this mathcore gods. Enjoy!

[ Myspace | Century Media | 2010 | Mathcore | VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Cursed (00:52)
02. You People Are Messed Up (03:29)
03. The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same (02:32)
04. This Is The Last Time I Repeat Myself (04:36)
05. No Care Ever (02:55)
06. After Everything That's Happened, What Did You Expect (01:52)
07. We Like To Call This One (04:46)
08. Can Someone Please Explain This To Me? (02:41)
09. Disaster In Sight (02:14)
10. This Is Considered Mere Formality (04:25)
11. This Feels Like The End (04:10)
12. They'll Never Know (07:47)
13. Pallor (06:15)

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48:41

Mediafire

Decrepit Birth - Polarity

2010-07-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

Decrepit Birth is a brutal technical death metal band formed in 2001 by Matt Sotelo - guitars, Bill Robinson - vocals, and Derek Boyer – bass. Originally the intention was to play devastating, brutal, technical death metal, mixed with influences from the early 1990’s Florida death metal scene. Since Matt and Derek had at one time both played in Southern California band, Deprecated, it was easy for the two of them to begin collaborating on material for the first full length Decrepit Birth album “…And Time Begins”.

In Fall of 2002, with the help of friend Tim Yeung on session drums, they entered Legion Studios to begin recording. Almost a year later “…And Time Begins” was released on Unique Leader Records, artwork by Dan Seagrave. The album had production issues but still managed to forge a very solid fan base in the death metal scene. The band went through a dry period of playing no shows due to the lack of a drummer. Bassist Derek Boyer got the chance of a lifetime and was offered a full time position with death metal legends Suffocation. That left Decrepit Birth with out a drummer or bassist.

During 2004, bassist Risha Eryavec stepped in and not long after that, drummer KC Howard of Odius Mortem officially joined the band as well. For the next couple years the new lineup played many shows, fests and one North American tour. In 2007 the band took a break and began writing full time for the new album.

(more here)

Now something new from me to the blog. I serve you the newest release of some perfect technical death metal. If you haven't heard this genre yet, check it out. It's worth that. Enjoy it!

Decrepit Birth - Polarity

(Nuclear Blast Records / 2010 / Technical Death Metal / 224 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. (A Departure Of The Sun) Ignite The Tesla Coil 6:35
02. Metatron 4:16
03. Resonance 3:46
04. Polarity 4:29
05. Solar Impulse 2:56
06. Mirroring Dimensions 3:39
07. A Brief Odyssey In Time 1:03
08. The Quickening Of Time 2:44
09. Sea Of Memoties 2:25
10. Symbiosis 4:26
11. Darkness Embrace 2:26

Mediafire

CRC Track 4

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm

2010-07-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Jr. formed as Dinosaur in 1983 in Amherst, Massachusetts by J Mascis (guitar and vocals) and his high school classmate Lou Barlow (bass guitar), following the break-up of their hardcore punk band Deep Wound. Shortly afterwards, Murph (Emmett Patrick Murphy, drums) joined them.

The band changed its name following the release of its debut album Dinosaur in 1985, after a band called Dinosaurs, featuring ex-members of Country Joe and the Fish and Jefferson Airplane, threatened them with legal action. (They still used the name Dinosaur on their albums until 1987 at the latest, and some copies of You’re Living All Over Me still lack the “Jr”).

Despite no gaining much commercial success, the band has enjoyed something of a cult following. The success of singles Freak Scene and Just Like Heaven singles, and recommendations from the likes of Sonic Youth saw them signed by Warner Brothers. The signature Dinosaur Jr. sound is the melodic tunes saturated in layers of guitar noise and punctuated by J Mascis’ elaborate, yet laconic guitar solos. They were a major influence on the up-and-coming band Nirvana.

(taken from last.fm)

My favorite Dinosaur Jr. album and my secret favorite release of 2009. Maybe it's the approx. 1.3 million great riffs on this record or the vocals or the lyrics or how everything fits together, but I can return to this album as often as I want to and it will always sound and feel great.

[ Jagjaguwar | 2009 | Alternative Rock | 320kbps | 1:00:40 ]

Tracklist
1. Pieces - 4:32
2. I Want You To Know - 4:30
3. Ocean In The Way - 4:20
4. Plans - 6:42
5. Your Weather - 3:06
6. Over It - 3:47
7. Friends - 4:32
8. Said The People - 7:41
9. There's No Here - 3:39
10. See You - 5:47
11. I Don't Wanna Go There - 8:43
12. Imagination Blind - 3:21

Mediafire

65daysofstatic - Album Discography

2010-07-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

65daysofstatic began in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 2001 as Iain Armstrong, Paul Wolinski and Joe Shrewsbury. Contrary to popular belief, they did not originally form to try to write music to fit the unreleased and little known John Carpenter film, ‘Stealth Bomber’ (starring Kurt Russell). Instead, they took their name from the 1954 CIA-backed coup d’etat in Guatemala. There, the CIA disabled Guatemalan communication systems while spreading propaganda, leading to the overthrow of the government.

65daysofstatic (also known by the abbreviation 65dos or 65days) are an instrumental electronic post-rock band from Sheffield, UK.

The band intersperses heavy, progressive, guitar-driven instrumental sections with both idm-esque programmed and live drums. Their albums, as a result, maintain a distinctively gritty, almost industrial feel.

(taken from last.fm)

The Fall Of Math
[ Monotreme | 2004 | Post-Rock | VBR | 43:44 ]

Tracklist
1. Another Code Against The Gone - 1:40
2. Install A Beak In The Heart That Clucks Time In Arabic - 4:55
3. Retreat! Retreat! - 4:09
4. Default This - 1:43
5. I Swallowed Hard, Like I Understood - 5:27
6. The Fall Of Math - 3:59
7. This Cat Is A Landmine - 4:45
8. The Last Home Recording - 2:13
9. Hole - 4:33
10. Fix The Sky A Little - 5:29
11. Aren't We All Running? - 4:51

Mediafire

One Time For All Time
[ Monotreme | 2005 | Post-Rock | VBR | 35:12 ]

Tracklist
1. Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here - 4:18
2. Await Rescue - 4:44
3. 23kid - 4:32
4. Welcome To The Times - 3:53
5. Mean Low Water - 4:00
6. Climbing On Roofs (The Desperate Edit) - 2:27
7. The Big Afraid - 2:08
8. 65 Doesn't Understand You - 3:47
9. Radio Protector - 5:26

Mediafire

The Destruction Of Small Ideas
[ Monotreme | 2007 | Post-Rock | VBR | 1:02:16 ]

Tracklist
1. When We Were Younger & Better - 6:54
2. A Failsafe - 4:28
3. Don't Go Down To Sorrow - 6:55
4. Wax Futures - 4:03
5. These Things You Can't Unlearn - 6:27
6. Lyonesse - 3:26
7. Music Is Music As Devices Are Kisses Is Everything - 5:20
8. The Distant & Mechanised Glow Of Eastern European Dance Parties - 3:33
9. Little Victories - 5:14
10. Primer - 4:51
11. White Peak/Dark Peak - 3:57
12. The Conspiracy Of Seeds - 7:08

Mediafire

Escape From New York - Live Album
[ Monotreme | 2009 | Post-Rock | VBR | 45:55 ]

Tracklist
1. Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here - 4:25
2. No Use Crying Over (Some Techno)
3. Retreat! Retreat! - 3:42
4. Await Rescue - 4:50
5. Fix The Sky A Little - 5:06
6. 65 Doesn't Understand You - 6:16
7. Primer - 5:25
8. Radio Protector - 5:16
9. Four Score And (Some Drum N' Bass) - 3:06
10. A Failsafe - 5:37

Mediafire

We Were Exploding Anyway
[ Hassle Records | 2010 | Post-Rock | 320kbps | 51:10 ]

Tracklist
1. Mountainhead - 5:33
2. Crash Tactics - 3:48
3. Dance Dance Dance - 4:02
4. Piano Fights - 3:51
5. Weak4 - 3:54
6. Come To Me (ft. Robert Smith) - 8:00
7. Go Complex - 4:04
8. Debutante - 7:21
9. Tiger Girl - 10:37

Mediafire

Across Tundras - Western Sky Ride

2010-07-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's a relatively rare occurrence in the metal and hardcore world to hear a band that sounds genuinely unique. Brutal death metal gets traced back to Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel. Sludge and doom sounds like Eyehategod and Neurosis. And of course, melodic death triggers an instant At the Gates reference. That's not to say that all forms of heavy music lack innovation and originality; it's just that the relatively tight genre constraints of metal and hardcore often leave little breathing room for these ideas to prosper.

And that's where Denver's Across Tundras fits into the picture. These guys take a strong Neurosis foundation and mix it with Black Sabbath and folk influences to create an interesting mix of what has been appropriately touted as "countrified doom." Sparse instrumentation based around twangy, slightly psychedelic guitar work is combined with prominent low end and meandering vocals, resulting in nine sprawling soundscapes that could only be collected under a title like Western Sky Ride. Across Tundras may not be redefining an entire genre, but their western twist on doom metal will certainly grab the attention of a wide range of listeners.

With Western Sky Ride running nearly 70 minutes in length, Across Tundras has plenty of time in each track to show off their love of everything from Neurosis to Neil Young. The disc's opener, "Carrion Crow," plays around with plodding vintage rock riffs before its midsection locks in a period of metallic riffing accompanied by whistling. "Follow Me to the San Luis" and "Two Black Clouds" both keep the disc firmly rooted in folk influence, with the former displaying subdued female vocal accompaniment and the latter offering substantial guitar twang over noisy ambience and drum rhythms. "Song of the Sullen Plains" displays some of the disc's most abrasive moments, provided by thick guitar riffs and a few stronger vocal lines.

Across Tundras simply does a remarkable job cohesively blending such a wide range of influences on Western Sky Ride. However, the disc's vocal performance leaves a bit to be desired, displaying that the band has not completely fine-tuned their clever combination of genres. Much of Western Sky Ride's singing feels like an afterthought, and since most of the tracks are rich in instrumentation and the vocals are so low in the mix, it appears that the band would also agree. And in order to preserve the folky, vintage feel to Across Tundras' brand of psychedelic, doomy rock, the vocals should, in fact, be buried in the mix. Despite this, it's hard not to notice that much of the singing is all over the place, ranging from apathetic droning to background shouting, ultimately giving the record a bit of an unsure feel at times. Across Tundras' singing is an acquired taste of sorts, but given its place in the mix and the album's instrumental feel, it shouldn't prove to be that great of a barrier to appreciating this interesting take on the doom genre.

Bottom Line: When Across Tundras advertised that they were mixing Neurosis, Black Sabbath and Neil Young, they weren't joking. Western Sky Ride offers sprawling compositions that combine vintage rock, folk, and doom metal and the result is a release that stands out from the pack in terms of ingenuity and originality. If the band gets a stronger vocal performance on their next record, they could be unstoppable.

(Taken from here...)

My most loved album from Across Tundras. Read the review and get the tunes, you won't regret it! Enjoy!

[ Myspace | Saw Her Ghost Records | 2008 | Sludge | CBR @ 320 ]

Tracklist

01. Carrion Crow (08:38)
02. Thunderclap Stomp (07:55)
03. Low the Daystar Hangs (08:56)
04. Badlands Blues (08:12)
05. Follow Me to the San Luis (03:49)
06. Song of the Sullen Plains (08:20)
07. Run With the Wolves (06:21)
08. Two Black Clouds (08:22)
09. Gallows Pole (08:12)

---

68:50

Mediafire

Ufomammut - Idolum

2010-07-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Inspired as much by the space-tinged acid rock of Kyuss and Monster Magnet as by progressive rock icons like Pink Floyd, Blue Cheer and early Black Sabbath, Tortona, Italy’s UFOmammut was formed in 1999 by Urlo (bass/vocals), Poia (guitar/keyboards), Vita (drums) and Alien (synths).

Their fourth album was released in 2008 and is called "Idolum". It was recorded in Milan at the Magnolia Studio. Lento’s Lorenzo Stecconi was the sound engineer for this album. The album has received acclaim all across the world.

Ufomammut’s live show is supported by the internationally acclaimed video and graphic art of Malleus, a rock artists’ collective who conjure the entirety of Ufommamut’s visual impact.

(Taken from last.fm)

Did Ufomammut absolutely fuck with my mind last night? Yes, they did. They delivered one of the best audio-visual performances I ever had the honor to experience, probably second only to Ulver. Ranging from superheavy riffage with added psychedelia to post-rock-ish arrangements, this album (and every other Ufomammut release, really) is a must-have for every music enthusiast.
If you haven't already, also get their latest release "Eve" here.

[ Supernatural Cat | 2008 | Psychedelic Stoner Doom | 192kbps | 1:06:00 ]

Tracklist
1. Stigma - 7:12
2. Stardog - 5:41
3. Hellectric - 6:01
4. Ammonia - 7:10
5. Nero - 8:33
6. Destroyer - 4:03
7. Void / Elephantom - 27:20

Mediafire

Amenra - Discography

2010-07-08T04:24:00.000-07:00

Amenra is a progressive / sludge / post-metal band formed 2003 in Kortrijk, West-Flanders, Belgium.

Amenra delivers dark, heavy and sludgy post-hardcore in the vein of Cult of Luna, Isis and Neurosis. Intense, noisy and gloomy almost spheric at times. Rich and textured riffs. Thunderous low tones. High impact percussion and cutthroat vocals splattered with a healthy dose of religious iconography. Coalesce into a beautiful pitch black collection of staggering proportion.

(from Last.fm)

Amenra - Mass I: Prayer I - VI

(Anvil of Fury / 2003 / Sludge / 192kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Change Is Always (4:23)
02. Dance Of The Dead (5:50)
03. Discrimen (2:05)
04. Hibernate (4:00)
05. Silent Pause (5:32)
06. Ode To A Broken Doll (4:56)

Mediafire

Amenra - Prayers 9 + 10

(Grave Escape Records / 2004 / Sludge / 192kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Prayer 10: From Birth To Grave (5:56)
02. Prayer 09: Ritual (8:02)

Mediafire

Amenra - Mass II: Sermons

(n/a / 2005 / Sludge / 128kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Prayer 8: From Brith To Grave (5:42)
02. Prayer 9: Offerande (3:56)
03. Prayer 10: Ritual (10:32)

Mediafire

Amenra - Mass III

(Fivestar Records / 2005 / Sludge / 192kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. The Pain. It Is Shapeless. We Are Your Shapeless Pain (10:17)
02. Némelèndèlle. Twuhste En Tljihste (7:27)
03. Die Strafe. Am Kreuz. Ich Schreibe Eine Bibel In Blut (7:11)
04. Le Fils Des Faux. Il Fallait Que Je Parte. Pour Que Tu Viennes (7:28)

Mediafire

Amenra - Mass IIII

(Hypertension Records / 2008 / Sludge / 195 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Silver Needle / Golden Nail (8:24)
02. Le Gardien Des Rêves (4:26)
03. De Dodenakker (10:01)
04. Terziele (2:46)
05. Razoreater (6:49)
06. Aorte Nous Sommes Du Même Sang (9:01)
07. Thurifer Et Clamor Ad Te Veniat (6:43)

Mediafire

Splits

Amenra / Hitch - Split

(Vlas Vegas Records / 2007 / Sludge / VBR2 186 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Amenra - Razoreater (5:42)
02. Hitch - Slavonski Brod ( 3:56)

Mediafire

Amenra / Gameness / Amen Ra / Gantz / Vuur - 4 Way Split

(Heart Of Fire Records / 2004 / Sludge / 320 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Gameness – Ressucites et remeurs (5:59)
02. Gameness – Immobile destinée (3:42)
03. Amenra – A Promise to Make (4:16)
04. Amenra – Offerande (This Is the Body of Christ) (4:00)
05. Gantz – Hors conditions (La mélodie du chaos) (7:05)
06. Gantz – Porté par le vide (5:09)
07. Vuur – State One (1:58)
08. Vuur – Dying Breed (3:07)
09. Vuur – Bitter (1:56)

Mediafire

Nadja & Troum - Dominium Visurgis

2010-07-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

Nadja is a Canadian duo featuring multi-instrumentalist Aidan Baker and bassist/vocalist Leah Buckareff. Originally formed in 2003 in Toronto, Canada as a Baker solo project, Buckareff joined in 2005 to bring the project out of the studio and into live settings. The now-duo creates music that has been variously called ambient doom, drone metal.

To date, Nadja has released 14 full-length CDs, in addition to various eps, splits, and collaborations with such artists as Atavist, Black Boned Angel, Fear Falls Burning, A Storm of Light, Pyramids. Nadja works with a variety of labels, including Alien8 Recordings, Important Records, Beta-lactam Ring Records, Crucial Blast, and The End Records.

(from Last.fm)

Another new and delicious release for you. The new Nadja collaboration with Troum. Enjoy it!

Nadja & Troum - Dominium Visurgis

(Transgredient Records / 2010 / Drone/Ambient / VBR2)

Tracklist
01. Part 1 (11:34)
02. Part 2 (12:45)
03. Part 3 (25:12)

Mediafire

Kingdom - Hemeltraan

2010-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

These two underground masters of the head trip combine forces for this lethal long-playing untitled track of subterranean mind games. This collaboration goes through purposefully blurred cycles of calm and anxiety that flow like a well-paced narrative. The beginning of the track is misleading because its drifting guitars, droning electronics, and occasional chimes and rumbles have a near-mystical quality. In fact, as nice as it is, I was initially afraid that an entire album of such a mood might lose its power by the time it finished. Turns out that this was merely a false sense of security because the music suddenly takes a nasty turn after about 13 minutes. What had been calming is now discordant, the tension and volume increasing in equal measure. From there it keeps evolving subtly, coming to a harrowing peak with churning feedback amid crackling distortion. Thankfully, it mellows with a much-needed respite of cleans tones and gentle bursts of bass. This ending isn't quite soothing, but it is still effective at counteracting the gnarled tangles that preceded it. The ever-unfolding nuances of this recording are fascinating whether calm and relaxed or swollen to bewildering heights.

I've been waiting for this record and yeah, it's one of my most favorite records this year. Great mix of sludge, ambient and doom. Get it and love it!

[ Myspace | Conspiracy Records | 2010 | Sludge | VBR ]

Tracklist

1. Bruma 05:19
2. Cendre 04:07
3. Gemis 04:44
4. Wiech .: 03:26
5. Throne 05:38
6. Altema 08:28
7. Ruina.Where Men Go to Die 04:00
8. A Quiet 07:53
9. Rivers Rage 05:12
10. Elude .: 06:58

---

55:44

Mediafire

Ultralord - We hate you and hope you die

2010-07-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

With Fistula members Corey Bing and Bahb Branca at the wheel of this ridiculously negatory, gutter trawling sludgecore outfit, it’s not too much of a surprise that Ultralord brandishes a similiar sound as the speedier, more crossover-thrash style songs by Fistula. “We Hate You And Hope You Die”, the band’s only album so far, is one hell of a gnarly thrashcore assault that has a nasty habit of dropping massive slow motion sludge metal riffs in the middle of most of the songs, and just like with Fistula, these guys are masters at creating some of the heaviest riffs you’ve ever heard. It’s like they tap into everything great about Age Of Quarrel and the way that Eyehategod can vomit endless feedback out of their amplifiers for eons. Ultralord also includes Scott Stearns on guitar, and if you’ve been following the Ohio/Shifty Records sludge scene at all, you’ll probably recognize him as the artist behind a lot of the album covers on Shifty; his hyperdetailed sketch style of illustration has singlehandedly elevated the teenage hesher ritual of scrawling demons and thrash metal logos on notebooks into a higher art form. We’ve been digging his stuff for awhile, and it’s cool to hear him in action here as one of the band’s two guitarists; the wicked solos are ripped out like Greg Ginn gone speedmetal and they get downright psychedelic at times, especially when they start shredding over one of Ultralord’s grinding sludge dirges.

(Taken from Last.fm)

It's hot outside these days and what is more chilling then a good, southern style sludge album? Ultralord is a sideproject done by two guys from Fistula. Enjoy!

[ This Dark Reign Recordings | 2006 | Sludge | CBR@192 ]

Tracklist

01. Wizard Pimp (04:57)

02. Pussy Witch (06:58)

03. Black Maggot (04:37)

04. Blood Sinner (05:32)

05. Negative D (04:26)

06. Don't fear the Reefer (06:44)

07. Roach Detector (02:49)

08. Dirty Living (05:47)

---

41:53

Mediafire

Alpinist - Demo

2010-07-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Alpinist is a Neocrust four-piece band from Münster, GERMANY.

They exist since winter 2006 and live from the experiences their members made playing in bands from death metal to punkrock.

alpinist is meant to be understood by
those who are sick of people following musical trends
those who wanna live out music with dedication
and those who believe in expressing their own ideals with their own art.

(Taken from Last.fm)

We had their first full length "Minus Mensch" allready on our blog. Now you get some more tracks, this is the first demo these guys recorded, enjoy the crusty ride on your stereo!

[ Myspace / Phobiac Records / 2007 / Crust / CBR @ 128 ]

Tracklist

01. Totgelaufen (02:04)

02. Freighter (02:21)

03. Freiheitszäune (02:50)

04. Listen! (00:53)

05. Abgeschaltet (05:17)

06. Old Habbits vs. Daily Struggle (03:55)

07. 33-45 (03:37)

08. Eiche Rustikal (03:05)

09. Despair (04:23)

10. Restausverkauf (05:59)

---

34:27

Mediafire

Ellen Allien - Berlinette

2010-07-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ellen Allien (born Ellen Fraatz) is a successful electronic musician, music producer and music label owner (BPitch Control). She lives in Berlin, Germany, but travels extensively. She sings in both German and English. She has said that one of the main inspirations for her music is the culture of reunified Berlin; her album “Stadtkind” was dedicated to the city.

(taken from last.fm)

Back from Bulgaria, with some real "intelligent dance music" (needed by me to contrast all that shitty music I had to endure in Bulgarian clubs). Once again, this is great urban minimal techno.

[ BPitch Control | 2003 | Minimal Techno | 192kbps | 49:22 |

Tracklist
1. Alles Sehen - 3:52
2. Sehnsucht - 6:20
3. Trash Scapes Voc - 1:00
4. Push - 4:19
5. Trash Scapes - 4:43
6. Augenblick - 4:42
7. Wish - 4:49
8. Abstract Pictures - 4:57
9. Erdbeermund - 4:16
10. Secret - 4:11
11. Open - 6:13

Mediafire

Celan - Halo

2010-07-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Celan is the brainchild of Ari Benjamin Meyers (Einsturzende Neubauten, Redux Orchestra) and Chris Spencer (of Unsane fame). They met in Berlin during an Unsane tour and immediately got interest in creating a project to combine and melt their completely different backgrounds (classical, avantgarde, industrial, noise and hardcore). Phil Roeder, Franz Xavier (ex-members of flu. ID) and Niko Wenner (guitarist extraordinaire from OXBOW) completed the line-up that recorded the debut album Halo in 2009.

(Taken from Last.fm)

This was one of the top releases in 2009! If you don't have it, grab it, I bet you will enjoy it!

[ Exile on Mainstream / 2009 / Hardcore / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Safety Recall Notice (00:45)

02. A Thousand Charms (04:28)

03. All this and Everything (04:30)

04. One Minute (03:37)

05. Sinking (04:44)

06. Weigh Tag (03:06)

07. Washing Machine (04:21)

08. Train of Thought (04:21)

09. It's Low (03:58)

10. Wait and see (03:41)

11. Lunchbox (12:41)

---

50:16

Mediafire

Track One (fixed)

A Forest of Stars - Opportunistic Thieves of Spring

2010-07-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

Experimental black metal is A Forest of Stars’ M.O. on “Opportunistic Thieves of Spring.” Long compositions are wrapped around a hodgepodge of musical ideas that ranges from peaceful violin solos to mind-numbing brutality, all usually within the span of a few minutes. This premise was put to solid effects on debut album “The Corpse of Rebirth” and “Opportunistic Thieves of Spring” continues in this direction. The band’s sophomore effort is tighter and more fluid, which is surprising considering it is longer than their first record. The lines between black metal and progressive/experimental are blurred even further, signifying an unpredictable sound that can shift gears at a moment’s notice.

With the majority of the songs over the ten-minute mark, there is no rush in getting to the aggressive sections. The band seems content with sticking to calm passages for extended periods of time with little recourse. Ambience plays a role in the later tracks, which is the main offense against “Opportunistic Thieves of Spring.” While it can be used to enhance a mood or build towards a rousing finish, A Forest of Stars uses ambience to pad out the song lengths. This is most evident in “Starfire's Memory”; a wonderful song that should have ended five minutes earlier than it did. The overindulgent instrumental outro isn’t poorly performed, but seems unnecessary after the band seemed to end things on a strong note before going into the outro.

The rest of the album avoids this pratfall by switching between soft and heavy moments with relative ease. The shifts are sudden, keeping things moving at a steady clip. The momentum is always at a peak position, avoiding long stretches of tedious songwriting. Closer “Delay's Progression” is the perfect representation of this motif. An early synth piece leads into female whispers and acoustic guitars before maintaining a mid-tempo pace built upon lush violin lines and vocoder work. The blast beats and tremolo riffs don’t come in until the last third, making their appearance more effective.

Black metal is a small part of the album, as opener “Sorrow's Impetus” is the only track fully immersed in this sound. The other songs are craftier in their approach, keeping it to short bursts evenly spread out. This is a brilliant decision on the part of A Forest of Stars, as it keeps the intensity given off by the black metal onslaught from getting dull or repetitive, as can be the case with many bands in the genre. When the album picks up and things start to get crazy, a refresh feeling sweeps through.

Beneath the murkiness lies vivid beauty that peers out of the shadows at select moments to show a different side of the band. The majestic violin solo that begins “Thunder's Cannonade” is masterfully executed, while the backwoods acoustic feel of “Raven's Eye View” is highly unique. The cabaret/saloon piano on “Summertide’s Approach” is also another noteworthy oddity in an album stacked to the brim with them. The lyrics have a haunting beauty to them, with sharp imagery and poetic quips like “Soul starved bodies crushed, throats stuffed with my falling angels” and “She cleanses these gutters with her utmost purity. Onrushing dark leaves your false light lonely.”

The release of “Opportunistic Thieves of Spring” was quite low-key, a shame since this is a thrilling black metal album that deserves way more attention than it has been receiving. Some have said that A Forest of Stars is the UK’s answer to Wolves in the Throne Room, but other than both bands having lengthy epics, the two really don’t have much in common. A Forest of Stars is its own entity, one that is easily recognizable among the crop of bands in the genre. When you hear a song from A Forest of Stars, you are hearing something distinct and fresh; a twist on an ancient formula. When the dust settles at the end of 2010, “Opportunistic Thieves of Spring” could be the sleeper hit of the year.

(more here)

Great to be here again! Computer was crashed, now he is alive again and now I'll spent you a great and brand new release. Enjoy it!

A Forest of Stars - Opportunistic Thieves of Spring

(Transcendental Creations / 2010 / Psychedelic Black Metal/Experimental / VBR2 202 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Sorrow’s Impetus 13:02
02. Raven’s Eye View 9:24
03. Summertide’s Approach 13:29
04. Thunder’s Cannonade 8:02
05. Starfire’s Memory 11:51
06. Delay’s Progression 16:29

Mediafire

Between Silence and Sound

2010-07-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

long time no see, eh? I bet you are wondering why we haven't posted anything in the last weeks. I was at the hellfest (still trying to get in shape again), fullmoonstruck blew up his computer and our friend q_uiz is on holiday in bulgaria after finishing his grammar school. We got the world cup on the television right now, too. And as you know, we European guys prefer soccer instead of football and spend most of the day sitting in the sun to watch the games.

But be prepared, on sunday we hit the spot again with some nice releases.

Cheers and thanks for all the support,

CultOfRuins Team

Set Fire To Flames - Sings Reign Rebuilder

2010-06-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Set Fire To Flames is a post-rock band of thirteen musicians from Montreal, Canada, formed in 1999, who have released two albums on Alien8 Recordings or FatCat Recordings depending on where you live.

Both albums were recorded “in states of little or no sleep, in varying levels of intoxication, and in physical confinement,” with the result being brooding, eerie music. The material for their first album Signs Reign Rebuilder was created over five days in a dilapidated old apartment in Montreal and is a mixture of improvisation, composition, and environment noises. Their sophomore double album Telegraphs in Negative / Mouths Trapped In Static was recorded in a barn in rural Ontario; the sounds of the creaking doors and other background noise are heard in the songs.

Many of their tracks are very minimalist in nature, filled with ambient noise and various other non-musical sound effects, juxtaposed or combined with instrumental music.

The band is often considered a side-project of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and the two musical ensembles share several members.

(taken from last.fm)

[ Alien8 Recordings/FatCat Recordings | 2001 | Post-Rock | 320kbps | 1:13:17 ]

Tracklist
1. I Will Be True - 2:39
2. Vienna Arcweld - 13:45
3. Steal Compass - 6:12
4. Wild Dogs Of The Thunderbolt - 4:54
5. Omaha - 6:16
6. There Is No Dance In Frequency - 4:16
7. Cote D'Abrahams Room Tone - 4:35
8. Love Song For 15 Ontario - 3:19
9. Injur- Gutted Two-Track - 2:49
10. When I First Get To Phoenix - 3:12
11. Shit-Heap-Gloria Of The New Town Planning... - 10:50
12. Jesus, Pop - 1:42
13. Esquimalt Harbour - 2:16
14. Two Years In A Bucket - 3:43

Mediafire

Clann Zú - Rua

2010-06-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Clann Zú was an Australian band that formed in Melbourne in 1999. The forming members drew inspiration from an eclectic mix of musical styles, such as punk, rock, folk, electronic & classical. Their fusion of Celtic folk, electronic music and rock has created a unique epic soundscape full of powerful atmospheric sounds and off-beat instrumentation. Their songs are bilingual, utilising both Irish and English lyrics.

They were with G7 Welcoming Committee Records, an independent record label established by Chris Hannah and Jordan Samoleski - of labelmates Propagandhi - and Regal in 1997.

(taken from last.fm)

Download this if you liked Crippled Black Phoenix, this is somewhat similar in the mood they create and the musical means they use.

[ G7 Welcoming Committee | 2003 | Folk Rock/Post-Rock/Indie/Celtic Folk | 256kbps | 48:12 ]

Tracklist
1. Words For Snow - 4:35
2. Five Thousand More - 4:12
3. Hope This Day - 3:15
4. All That You've Ever Known - 5:33
5. Everyday - 4:02
6. All The People Now - 6:30
7. Ri Rá - 3:20
8. Lights Below - 6:09
9. Crashing to the Floor - 3:44
10. You're Listening to a Dead Man Speak - 6:52

Mediafire
+ Track 8

Arms And Sleepers - Matador Remixed

2010-06-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers began one night in the back of an ambulance in Cambridge. In an alleyway a man was bleeding with a cassette player in hand, the play button still on. What sounded like recordings of a gospel choir blared from the tin speaker, while down the street a jazz band could be heard.

The man was dying. He dropped the cassette player on the cement and closed his eyes, the sound carrying through the air into his ears for one last time. Though this moment in time died with him, his cassette lived on — and Arms and Sleepers were born.

Persistent international touring and constant dissemination of their sounds makes Arms and Sleepers a worthy opponent for the typical temporal constraints that can befall a band. Having issued a series of limited edition releases and the well-received Bliss Was it in That Dawn to be Alive EP (Fake Chapter) in 2007, Black Paris 86 is their debut full-length on Expect Candy Records (DE).

A tight and intense record, listening to it feels like sitting in a cinema, watching landscapes, beauty and tragedy - feeling warm and safe while a hint of mystery seems to whisper that not everything is ok out there.

(from Last.fm)

The brand new release of this great band. Remixes of their album "Matador" from other bands and themselves. Enjoy it!

Arms And Sleepers - Matador Remixed

(Expect Candy / 2010 / Trip Hop/Electronic/Ambient / 256 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Matador (Uzi & Ari remix) 5:42
02. The Architekt (Lymbyc Systym remix) 4:40
03. Twentynine Palms (Nolens Volens remix) 4:57
04. Simone (Amanda Rogers remix) 3:25
05. Helvetica (The American Dollar remix) 3:17
06. The Architekt (The Consulate General vs. Boy In Static remix) 4:32
07. The International (Arms and Sleepers remix) 5:38
08. Kino (Thisquietarmy remix) 5:31
09. The Architekt (Bigadiga remix) 4:03
10. The Paramour (Elika remix) 3:03

Mediafire

y lime? - Hunan Garden

2010-06-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Y Lime? is a brother sister duo from Chicago. Emily sings and plays guitar, while Zak plays bass. They sing songs about zombies, veganism, and friends.

(taken from last.fm)

There's really nothing more to say. Beautiful folk with extremely cute lyrics sung by a girl, what's more to life?

[ probably self-released | 2008 | Folk | 128kbps | 19:56 ]

Tracklist
1. Not Ass Like Donkey, Ass Like Your Butt - 3:20
2. Nostalgia - 3:43
3. Animal Testing 2:48
4. Zom-bees 3:11
5. Corey 3:46
6. 4131 (apples) - 2:11
7. Springs 3:15
8. Copper Harbor - 2:23
9. Casper - 2:51
10. Leaving Isolation Station - 2:28

Mediafire

Nucleus Torn - Knell

2010-05-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Is it probably their most enigmatic album? An answer is not important n here but the word “enigmatic” stuck into my mind by the first time I heard this for a strange and unknown reason. Probably due to the fact that every time I hear the album I discover something new. Probably due to the fact that it is obviously enigmatic to me how they have managed to bring the musical harmony between their sad, deep and emotional acoustic melodies and themes combining them with those electric breakings that are coming almost from nowhere like a storm…

And even in those breakings the music still sounds so natural and smooth but at the same time it hides an unknown wild force. From storm back to calm as the acoustic musical rivers will carry the listener far away, until the next storm. Strange the game that they play but I would be a part of it anytime.

This is the second release by this Swiss musical act. If you are aware of their 2006 debut “Nihil” you could probably form a general idea of what is to follow in here but even in that case you would find extremely difficult to form your feelings in words if you want to describe what you are hearing, yes the same is happening to me now. The fact is that there are negative feelings buried under their classical music oriented acoustic parts, feelings of sadness, sorrow and melancholy. But the question comes straight ahead: “Can we point those fallings as negative?” It depends… but this is another topic out of here… And yes there is a mysterious strength on their electric breakings thanks to the slow riffing and the esoteric electric guitar themes, bringing in my mind the most clever guitar moments of the Scandinavian post Black Metal scene. And the vocals male or female… they are putting their own trademark into the final musical piece of art…

A strange kind of whispering, esoteric and dark musical beauty: this is what it is all about. I have placed the album on my CD player at about 7 o clock in the afternoon and it is five o clock in the morning now that I am writing those lines… and its music still fills the air, it is obvious it has managed to overtake me… And you know something? This happens not quite often…

(from here)

Those who like dark music will love this album. It is covered with beautiful and depressing acoustic melodies and some outbursts you will definitely love. Enjoy it!

Nucleus Torn - Knell

(Prophecy Productions / 2008 / Avantgarde/Progressive Metal/Folk / VBR2 189 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. I 8:05
02. II 14:29
03. III 29:14
04. IV 4:16

Mediafire

Menace Ruine - Union of Irreconcilables

2010-05-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

Menace Ruine came together in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in autumn 2006, when they began composing the songs that would form their debut recording, In Vulva Infernum.

While the debut album Cult Of Ruins, took its starting point in fast black metal and noise, the follow-up, The Die is Cast stays true to the metal sound. The tempo has been slowed down, and could be described as heavy down-tempo drone with martial rhythms.

(from Last.fm)

The new Menace Ruine for everyone who's interested in drone, black metal and dark folk or not. Enjoy it!

Menace Ruine - Union of Irreconcilables

(Aurora Borealis / 2010 / Avantgarde Drone/Black Metal/Dark Folk / 256 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. ...Collapse 9:01
02. The Upper Hand 6:22
03. Not Only A Break In The Clouds But A Permanent Clearing Of The Sky 10:48
04. Corrido De Perdition 3:06
05. There Will be Blood 5:55
06. Nothing Above Or Below 8:49
07. Primal Waters In Bed 15:39

Mediafire | RGhost

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side

2010-05-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness are an indie rock band formed in 2002, based out of Austin, Texas, United States. I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness is often associated with the band Spoon, and Spoon’s lead singer, Britt Daniel, even produced their first album. The resulting EP, I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, was a 5-song EP released under Emperor Jones Records in 2003. This was followed with a 2-song 12” EP in 2005.

The band consists of Ernest Salaz, Christian Goyer, Edward Robert, Tim White, with the addition of guitarist Daniel Del Favero after the release of their debut EP.

In March 2006 the band released their full-length debut Fear Is on Our Side on Secretly Canadian, based out of Bloomington, IN.

(from Last.fm)

Another Indie classic for you. Mixed with post-punk and some post-rock elements. Very dark and melancholic. Enjoy it!

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side

(Secretly Canadian / 2006 / Indie/Post-Punk / 192 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. The Ghost 4:50
02. According to Plan 4:37
03. Lights 4:08
04. The Owl 2:30
005. Today 2:03
06. We Choose Faces 6:09
07. Last Ride Together 4:30
08. At Last Is All 5:35
09. Long Walk 4:22
10. Fear Is on Our Side 4:05
11. Untitled 2:06
12. If It Was Me 6:38

Mediafire

Bliss - Quiet Letters

2010-05-31T04:24:00.000-07:00

BLISS with founding members DJ Steffen Aaskoven and Marc-George Andersen, and with Alexandra (vocals) and Tchando (vocals) is an international chill out pop music collective from Denmark, Sweden and Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, Since 2001, they have become one of the true chill-out underground acts. releasing material on the Danish label, music for dreams, appearing on more than 60 compilations worldwide and in such tv shows as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

(from Last.fm)

I especially like the trip hop songs on this one like "Sleep Will Come" or "Evening Sun". But in anyway this is a fantastic album with a fantastic atmosphere to zone out to. Enjoy it!

Bliss - Quiet Letters

(Music for Dreams / 2003 / Ambient/Electronic/Downtempo / 192 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01 Sleep Will Come 5:59
02 Breathe 4:48
03 Right Here 5:03
04 Dunia 6:51
05 Song For Olabi 6:18
06 Wish U Were There 1:51
07 Kissing 6:10
08 Evening Sun 4:20
09 Manvantara 11:12
10 Wish U Were Here 6:17
11 Don\'t Look Back 5:25
12 Quiet Letter 4:22

Mediafire

Current 93 - Baalstorm, Sing Omega

2010-05-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

Current 93 is a British experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet (né David Michael Bunting, renamed ‘Tibet’ by Genesis P-Orridge) in United Kingdom.

Much of Current 93’s early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet’s distorted, ranting vocals. Later works found Tibet mostly casting off such trappings in favor of a more organic sound, labeled by some as “apocalyptic folk”, occasionally featuring his sinister nursery rhyme-influenced singing and primarily acoustic folk-styled music. Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Wound) has appeared on nearly every Current 93 release and Michael Cashmore is another frequent collaborator.

Current 93 have released some twenty albums and many singles.

Tibet’s lyrics have been fairly consistent, regardless of delivery: The earlier recordings reflect his preoccupation with death, Christ, mysticism, Aleister Crowley, Tibetan Buddhism, Gnosticism, Weltschmerz, nihilism, Noddy, and a variety of occult notions. The later to present-day period of Current 93’s recordings increasingly reflect Tibet’s interest in Christian mysticism.

(from Last.fm)

The new Current 93 is finally out! What a long waiting time... Enjoy it!

Current 93 - Baalstorm, Sing Omega

(Coptic Cat / 2010 / Dark Folk/Apocalyptic Folk/Neofolk/Experimental/Psychedelic / 320 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. I Dreamt I Was Aeon 6:52
02. With Flowers in the Garden of Fires 4:08
03. December 1971 4:35
04. Baalstorm ! Baalstorm ! 6:27
05. Passenger Aleph in Name 4:40
06. Tanks of Flies 3:18
07. The Nudes Lift Shields for War 5:31
08. Night ! Death ! Storm ! Omega ! 3:49
09. I Dance Narcoleptic 10:36

Taken down by request

Arms And Sleepers - Arms And Sleepers

2010-05-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers began one night in the back of an ambulance in Cambridge. In an alleyway a man was bleeding with a cassette player in hand, the play button still on. What sounded like recordings of a gospel choir blared from the tin speaker, while down the street a jazz band could be heard.

The man was dying. He dropped the cassette player on the cement and closed his eyes, the sound carrying through the air into his ears for one last time. Though this moment in time died with him, his cassette lived on — and Arms and Sleepers were born.

Persistent international touring and constant dissemination of their sounds makes Arms and Sleepers a worthy opponent for the typical temporal constraints that can befall a band. Having issued a series of limited edition releases and the well-received Bliss Was it in That Dawn to be Alive EP (Fake Chapter) in 2007, Black Paris 86 is their debut full-length on Expect Candy Records (DE).

A tight and intense record, listening to it feels like sitting in a cinema, watching landscapes, beauty and tragedy - feeling warm and safe while a hint of mystery seems to whisper that not everything is ok out there.

(from Last.fm)

Arms And Sleepers - Arms And Sleepers

(Milkweed Records / 2007 / Trip Hop/Post-Rock/Ambient / VBR2 268 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. We’re All Paris Now (Pt. 1) 2:52
02. Runner Misplaced 4:54
03. By My Bones 2:10
04. Red Light Pipe Dreams 3:50
05. Winter Is Coming 2:12
06. Lights & Alarms 7:24

Mediafire

Arms And Sleepers - Lautlos

2010-05-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers began one night in the back of an ambulance in Cambridge. In an alleyway a man was bleeding with a cassette player in hand, the play button still on. What sounded like recordings of a gospel choir blared from the tin speaker, while down the street a jazz band could be heard.

The man was dying. He dropped the cassette player on the cement and closed his eyes, the sound carrying through the air into his ears for one last time. Though this moment in time died with him, his cassette lived on — and Arms and Sleepers were born.

Persistent international touring and constant dissemination of their sounds makes Arms and Sleepers a worthy opponent for the typical temporal constraints that can befall a band. Having issued a series of limited edition releases and the well-received Bliss Was it in That Dawn to be Alive EP (Fake Chapter) in 2007, Black Paris 86 is their debut full-length on Expect Candy Records (DE).

A tight and intense record, listening to it feels like sitting in a cinema, watching landscapes, beauty and tragedy - feeling warm and safe while a hint of mystery seems to whisper that not everything is ok out there.

(from Last.fm)

Lautlos means "silent" or "noiseless" in English.

Arms And Sleepers - Lautlos

(Self Released / 2007 / Trip Hop/Post-Rock/Ambient / VBR2 254 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Lautlos 4:22
02. Cinemas For Marseille 2:09
03. From Under The Floor Boards 2:43
04. Se Vende Limber 4:08
05. Found In Manhattan 3:05

Mediafire

Arms And Sleepers - Cinématique

2010-05-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers began one night in the back of an ambulance in Cambridge. In an alleyway a man was bleeding with a cassette player in hand, the play button still on. What sounded like recordings of a gospel choir blared from the tin speaker, while down the street a jazz band could be heard.

The man was dying. He dropped the cassette player on the cement and closed his eyes, the sound carrying through the air into his ears for one last time. Though this moment in time died with him, his cassette lived on — and Arms and Sleepers were born.

Persistent international touring and constant dissemination of their sounds makes Arms and Sleepers a worthy opponent for the typical temporal constraints that can befall a band. Having issued a series of limited edition releases and the well-received Bliss Was it in That Dawn to be Alive EP (Fake Chapter) in 2007, Black Paris 86 is their debut full-length on Expect Candy Records (DE).

A tight and intense record, listening to it feels like sitting in a cinema, watching landscapes, beauty and tragedy - feeling warm and safe while a hint of mystery seems to whisper that not everything is ok out there.

(from Last.fm)

This release is a bit outstanding in the discography of Arms and Sleepers. It's more electronic/ambient based than on trip hop, but anyway outstanding and great to hear. Enjoy it!

Arms And Sleepers - Cinématique

(Self Released / 2007 / Electronic/Post-Rock/Ambient / VBR2 249 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Mimema 4:10
02. Embassy Theme 1:43
03. By The Harbor 3:07
04. Ankara (A Memory) 1:18
05. Potsdam Voltaire 3:48
06. Guests & Ghosts 1:28
07. Embassy Theme II 4:09
08. Tram 11 2:13
09. Pfarrstrasse 1:25
10. This Place Was My Home… 2:28
11. So Why Pause 4:34

Mediafire

Arms And Sleepers - The Motorist

2010-05-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers began one night in the back of an ambulance in Cambridge. In an alleyway a man was bleeding with a cassette player in hand, the play button still on. What sounded like recordings of a gospel choir blared from the tin speaker, while down the street a jazz band could be heard.

The man was dying. He dropped the cassette player on the cement and closed his eyes, the sound carrying through the air into his ears for one last time. Though this moment in time died with him, his cassette lived on — and Arms and Sleepers were born.

Persistent international touring and constant dissemination of their sounds makes Arms and Sleepers a worthy opponent for the typical temporal constraints that can befall a band. Having issued a series of limited edition releases and the well-received Bliss Was it in That Dawn to be Alive EP (Fake Chapter) in 2007, Black Paris 86 is their debut full-length on Expect Candy Records (DE).

A tight and intense record, listening to it feels like sitting in a cinema, watching landscapes, beauty and tragedy - feeling warm and safe while a hint of mystery seems to whisper that not everything is ok out there.

(from Last.fm)

Arms And Sleepers - The Motorist

(Self Released / 2009 / Trip Hop/Post-Rock/Ambient / VBR2 186 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Dear Charles, My Muse, Asleep or Dead 2:11
02. The Motorist 4:48
03. Jetty 4:22
04. Algiers Point 1:28
05. In The Empire of Builders 2:30

Mediafire

Arms And Sleepers - Matador Alternate Versions/B-Sides

2010-05-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers began one night in the back of an ambulance in Cambridge. In an alleyway a man was bleeding with a cassette player in hand, the play button still on. What sounded like recordings of a gospel choir blared from the tin speaker, while down the street a jazz band could be heard.

The man was dying. He dropped the cassette player on the cement and closed his eyes, the sound carrying through the air into his ears for one last time. Though this moment in time died with him, his cassette lived on — and Arms and Sleepers were born.

Persistent international touring and constant dissemination of their sounds makes Arms and Sleepers a worthy opponent for the typical temporal constraints that can befall a band. Having issued a series of limited edition releases and the well-received Bliss Was it in That Dawn to be Alive EP (Fake Chapter) in 2007, Black Paris 86 is their debut full-length on Expect Candy Records (DE).

A tight and intense record, listening to it feels like sitting in a cinema, watching landscapes, beauty and tragedy - feeling warm and safe while a hint of mystery seems to whisper that not everything is ok out there.

(from Last.fm)

Another release of this band, alternate versions and b-sides of their greatest album "Matador". Highly recommended!

Arms And Sleepers - Matador Alternate Versions/B-Sides

(Self Released / 2009 / Trip Hop/Post-Rock/Ambient / v0)

Tracklist
01. Matador (Bedside Version) 5:14
02. Armes 2:58
03. Leon (Instrumental Version) 5:44
04. Still 4:38
05. Kino (PV Version) 2:24
06. Simone (Alternate Version) 3:50
07. Kino (Airport Mix) 3:52

Mediafire

Arms And Sleepers - Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive

2010-05-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers began one night in the back of an ambulance in Cambridge. In an alleyway a man was bleeding with a cassette player in hand, the play button still on. What sounded like recordings of a gospel choir blared from the tin speaker, while down the street a jazz band could be heard.

The man was dying. He dropped the cassette player on the cement and closed his eyes, the sound carrying through the air into his ears for one last time. Though this moment in time died with him, his cassette lived on — and Arms and Sleepers were born.

Persistent international touring and constant dissemination of their sounds makes Arms and Sleepers a worthy opponent for the typical temporal constraints that can befall a band. Having issued a series of limited edition releases and the well-received Bliss Was it in That Dawn to be Alive EP (Fake Chapter) in 2007, Black Paris 86 is their debut full-length on Expect Candy Records (DE).

A tight and intense record, listening to it feels like sitting in a cinema, watching landscapes, beauty and tragedy - feeling warm and safe while a hint of mystery seems to whisper that not everything is ok out there.

(from Last.fm)

The debut release of one of my most favorite bands out there. Enjoy it!

Arms And Sleepers - Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive

(Fake Chapter Records / 2006 / Trip Hop/Post-Rock/Ambient / 128 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Beneath Bricks And Books 3:05
02. A Mission To Prague 5:49
03. Arms/Sleepers 5:10
04. Warm 4:07
05. A Girl Named Clive 3:37
06. Moscow Pop 4:38
07. (Untitled) 6:47

Mediafire

Trentemøller - Into The Great Wide Yonder

2010-05-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Anders Trentemøller is a Danish electronic musician from Copenhagen.

Trentemøller made his debut in 1997 together with DJ T.O.M. when they formed the first live-house act in Denmark, Trigbag, and started playing concerts all over the globe. Trigbag’s single “Showtime” was played by international DJs such as Alex Gopher, Laurent Garnier and Etienne de Crécy. Trigbag dissolved in 2000.

Trentemøller returned on Naked Music in 2003 with his The Trentemøller EP including the tracks “Le Champagne” and “Work in Progress”. Trentemøller received the award “Up Front Release of the Year” at the Danish DJ Awards in February 2004 for the Track “Le Champagne”.

In late 2004 he and his friend and partner, DJ Buda, issued a white label remix of Aphex Twin’s “Windowlicker”, under the name “Run Jeremy”. Together they’ve also made other great tracks such as “Gamma” and “25 Timer”. Furthermore, Trentemøller has worked together with DJ Buda and DJ T.O.M. on another track on the upcoming and much anticipated Lulu Rouge album entitled “Bless You” which was released in May 2008.

In February 2005 Steve Bug released the renowned Trentemøller EP “Physical Fraction” on his label Audiomatique. This release put Trentemøller on the map of internationally successful producers, and was followed by three releases on Bug’s main label Poker Flat: Polar Shift, Sunstroke and the Nam Nam EP. Many reader polls awarded him as the Best Newcomer of the year 2005.

(from Last.fm)

The brand new Trentemøller for you! Enjoy it!

Trentemøller - Into The Great Wide Yonder

(In My Room / 2010 / Electronic/Minimal / VBR2 190kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. The Mash And The Fury 7:00
02. Sycamore Feeling 6:06
03. Past The Beginning Of The End 6:19
04. Shades Of Marble 5:53
05. ... Even Though You‘re With Another Girl 4:52
06. Häxan 5:11
07. Metamorphosis 2:05
08. Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!! 4:23
09. Neverglade 4:33
10. Tide 7:45

Taken down by request

Leger Des Heils - ... Über Liebe, Leben und Tod ...

2010-05-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Leger Des Heils takes their moniker from the Dutch Salvation Army. They are a mysterious neofolk project which is closely connected to classical music for well over a decade.

Although Leger Des Heils started off as a purely electronic project, they are including more guitars and other acoustic instruments in later recordings.

Many of the lyrics are taken from poems by renown German poets, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Ernst Moritz Arndt.

Founded in 2000 by Mario Ansinn, Leger Des Heils released quite a number of released, mostly on the German label Eis & Licht.

(from Last.fm)

Time for some new neofolk/neoclassic stuff for you. 4 new songs of this band and some rare songs/other versions. Enjoy it.

Leger Des Heils - ... Über Liebe, Leben und Tod ...

(Eis & Licht / 2010 / Neofolk/Neoclassic / VBR2 171kbp/s)

Tracklist
01 Dies Ist Der Tag 4:46
02 Verbrannte Erde 4:28
03 Geweihte Einigkeit 3:58
04 Über Liebe, Leben, Tod 4:30
05 Sängerfahrt (Placatio Version) 5:07
06 The Strength Of Will (Vividus Version) 3:16
07 Wie Am Ersten Tag (Gratia Version) 4:08
08 Voran! 3:17
09 Geistesmahnung (Gloria Version) 4:00
10 Ewige Gegenwart (Instrumental) 3:33

Mediafire

Kakophonus - Ater

2010-05-29T03:35:00.000-07:00

Hailing from the dark bavarian forest, Kakophonus was formed in ca. 2002 and released some highly acclaimed and lofi underground releases on their own. It is not easy to construate a fluid band biography, due to the fact that there is little known about this black metal outfit.
They startet with orthodox black metal, nowadays their sound is forged with influences from funeral doom and even drone and dark ambient found their way into the hateful sound.
Their songs deal with predominantly martial topics, death, roman history.

Discography:

Demo I Cassette (Lost), 2002
Demo II Cassette (lost), 2003
Pure War, 2005
Ater, 2007

Members:

Count K.: Bass, Drum Programming, Vocals
H. Moerser: Vocals, Lyrics, Bass

(Taken from Last.fm)

This is true underground doomish black metal from the dark forests of bavaria. 23 minutes full of raw produced and recorded material. We bring you the album Ater. Maybe there will be more. Digg it folks!

[ Self-Released / 2007 / Black Metal / CBR ]

Tracklist

01. Black Frost (04:41)

02. Black Iron (01:54)

03. Black Chaos (03:52)

04. Black Blood (02:38)

05. Black Maximum (04:13)

06. Black Stone (05:42)

---

23:02

Sendspace

Camerata Mediolanense - Pankration

2010-05-29T01:15:00.000-07:00

The project Camerata Mediolanense took concrete form in 1994. It gathered some friends in Milan, Italy (Mediolanense = from Mediolanum, the ancient name for Milan), who were all involved in the underground music scene. It was conceived as a real musical “camerata,” which casts a look at the Italian past and at the same time is deeply rooted in today’s European reality. In fact, the main feature of Camerata Mediolanense’s musical language is a percussive background, particularly evident during their live performances, which comes out thanks to the use of an unconventional set of instruments. In parallel, the band is researching pure melody, in part thanks to the academic studies of some of its members.

The female members of Camerata Mediolanense are performing live under the name Dame Mediolanense.

(Taken from Last.fm)

This is my favorite album by the Italians from Camerata Mediolanense. Classical chamber music with neofolkish parts. The mixture just fits perfectly. Enjoy!

[ Twilight / 2006 / Neofolk/Classical / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Salve, mundi Domine, Caesar noster, Ave (04:58)

02. L'homme arme (04:36)

03. Balcani in Fiamme (04:41)

04. Rappresentazione (06:15)

05. La magnifica Aurora (02:59)

06. La madre Cattiva (05:13)

07. Madrigale (04:22)

08. La grande Corsa (03:47)

09. Il Trionfo de Bacco e Arianna (02:54)

10. Der Tod (03:48)

---

43:39

Cobalt - War Metal

2010-05-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

Ever since their inception in the late nineties, Colorado’s (sometimes controversial) Cobalt have slowly, and slyly, made a reputation within the underground black metal scene, more or less amongst the “war metal” sphere of the scene…

Their debut album (which followed their awesome “Hammerfight” EP), aptly titled “War Metal” (released on Displeased Records) showed Cobalt’s creative prowess within the genre by offering a shape-shifting dose of war metal brutality and black metal rawness that made them one of the more unique and underrated acts within the scene.

With the band’s surging new epic, “Eater of Birds”, Cobalt are pretty much destined to set a new standard as Cobalt have taken an immense leap forward, tenfold, from their debut. But that’s just only scratching the surface…

Recorded at Flatline Audio and produced by Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage) “Eater of Birds” not only embraces the band’s vicious take on chaotic brutal avant-garde black/war metal and blackthrash, but take things to a new artistic level in every possible manner. By incorporating the epic crushing monolithicism of Neurosis and Swans, and taking blackened war metal to new unconventional brutally warped levels, amongst ritualistic shaman-like rhythms and pulsations, through its 70-plus minute pillage, “Eater of Birds” is an unforgettable audial scourge through vast bizarre landscapes and ocean-like terrain.

And speaking of Swans, “Eater of Birds” features a guest appearance by none other than Jarboe on the tracks “Invincible Sun” and a moving appearance on “Androids, Automatons, And Nihilists”, her first official foray into extreme metal.

(Taken from Last.fm)

We're missing some black metal here these days so I thought I'm going to put up the first album from Cobalt, some war metal never sucks! Enjoy.

[ Displeased Records / 2005 / Black Metal / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Hammerfight (04:44)

02. Angelfangs (06:25)

03. Raise the Hammer of War (04:56)

04. World on its Knees (04:34)

05. Summoning of Napalm Mists (05:23)

06. Lunar Warface (05:10)

07. Empire of the Moth (08:39)

---

39:54

Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

2010-05-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Atheist is a progressive death metal band from Sarasota, Florida, USA and regarded as one of the main developers of Floridian death metal. Their music is highly technical and sometimes reminiscent of jazz, combining brutal riffs with subtle latin music arrangements. They were founded in 1984 under the name Oblivion by guitarist (and later vocalist) Kelly Shaefer and drummer Mark. Mark was later replaced by drummer Steve Flynn because Kelly and Steve had similar musical tastes. Roger Patterson would later join as their bassist.

They released a couple of demos, Hell Hath No Mercy in 1987 and Beyond in 1988. They recorded their debut album, Piece of Time, in 1988 and it was to be released on the label Mean Machine, but the record label later went bankrupt. Piece of Time thus not released until 1990 on Active. In 1989, another demo was released. In 1991, bassist Roger Patterson died in a car accident and Atheist recruited Tony Choy to record their second album, the now classic Unquestionable Presence. Atheist disbanded for the first time in 1992, reuniting in 1993 and recording their last album Elements before disbanding for the second time.

(taken from last.fm)

[ Death Records | 1991 | Progressive Death Metal | VBR | 32:25 ]

Tracklist
1. Mother Man - 4:33
2. Unquestionable Presence - 4:06
3. Retribution - 3:17
4. Enthralled In Essence - 3:37
5. An Incarnations Dream - 4:52
6. The Formative Years - 3:30
7. Brains - 3:41
8. And The Psychic Saw - 4:49

Mediafire

Death - Human

2010-05-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Death is widely considered one of the most influential bands in death metal. The band’s debut, “Scream Bloody Gore”, has been described as “death metal’s first archetypal document,” and Schuldiner himself as the “father of death metal”. However, Schuldiner dismissed such attributions in an interview with Metal-Rules.com, stating, “I don’t think I should take the credit for this death metal stuff. I’m just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band.”

As of 2008, Death has sold over 1.5 million albums worldwide, with 368,184 albums having been sold in the US alone (not counting sales prior to the Soundscan era), making them one of the top-selling death metal bands of all time. Their best-selling album, “Human”, was released in 1991 and is considered by many to be the band in top-form. Their last album, “The Sound of Perseverance”, was released in 1998.

(taken from last.fm)

[ Relativity | 1991 | Progressive Death Metal | 320kbps | 34:01 ]

Tracklist
1. Flattening Of Emotions - 4:30
2. Suicide Machine - 4:22
3. Together As One - 4:09
4. Secret Face - 4:36
5. Lack Of Comprehension - 3:43
6. See Through Dreams - 4:25
7. Cosmic Sea - 4:27
8. Vacant Planets - 3:49

Mediafire

October Falls - A Collapse of Faith

2010-05-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

October Falls was formed in 2001 in Finland and recorded the first demos later at the same year, although that demo was sent only to a few individuals.
After the recordings and a small break, new music was composed and the whole material slowly turned from melodic Dark Metal to all acoustic, that later was released as a part of October Falls “Tuoni”. After releasing another album in the vein of “Tuoni”, the style changed to folk based Black Metal with the EP “The Streams of the End”.

The current releases are the EP “Sarastus”, another all acoustic Neofolk work, and “The Womb of Primordial Nature”, a Folk Black Metal album following the emotional feeling pioneered by bands like Ulver in their early years…

(from Last.fm)

The new release of this great Black Metal Band with (neo)folk influences. Great Black Metal parts with acoustic parts in-between. For fans of bands like Agalloch, Tenhi, Empyrium and old Ulver (Bergtatt Era).

October Falls - A Collapse of Faith

(Debemur Morti / 2010 / Black Metal/Neofolk / VBR2 223kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. A Collapse of Faith Part I 18:49
02. A Collapse of Faith Part II 17:42
03. A Collapse of Faith Part III 5:28

Mediafire

Oliver Koletzki - Großstadtmärchen

2010-05-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Oliver Koletzki first started producing music in the eighties with a Commodore 64. At aged 13, he started taking guitar and piano lessons. His inspirations were breakdance and hip hop music of the early nineties.
Since passing his A-levels, he has been studying music at the Berlin Humboldt University. Occasionally he also does sound design for films for the University of Arts in Berlin.

In 2005, Oliver scored a huge hit with his track "Der Mückenschwarm" which was signed to Sven Väth’s Cocoon label, remixed by Dominik Eulberg and appeared on Pete Tong’s ‘Essential Selection’ compilation. The track was subsequently voted Best Track in Germany’s Groove Magazine’s Readers Poll 2005.

(taken from last.fm)

Großstadtmärchen ("city tales") is some very nice, laid-back minimal techno with mostly German vocals - city music to the core. Enjoy!

[ Stil vor Talent | 2009 | Minimal Techno | VBR | 51:38 ]

Tracklist
1. This Is Leisure (ft. Mieze Katz) - 3:65
2. Zuckerwatte (ft. Juli Holz) - 5:43
3. U-Bahn (ft. Axel Bosse) - 4:43
4. Kusskompatibel - 5:52
5. Warschauer Strasse - 6:12
6. Hypnotized (ft. Fran) - 5:42
7. Kleines Zwischenspiel - 3:19
8. Headshaped Box (ft. Kate Mosh) - 6:47
9. These Habbits (ft. Pyur) - 4:15
10. Nimm Mich Mit (Oliver Koletzki Remix) - 5:09

Mediafire

Arms and Sleepers & The American Dollar - From The Inland Sea

2010-05-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

Arms and Sleepers is Max Lewis (Boston, MA) and Mirza Ramic (Portland, ME). The band was formed in 2006 and has since released a handful of albums and EPs. Arms and Sleepers have extensively toured North America, Europe, and the UK. Upcoming releases include “Matador” (2nd full-length) and “From The Inland Sea” (split with The American Dollar)

(from Last.fm)

Started by high school friends John Emanuele and Richard Cupolo from Queens, NY in 2005, The American Dollar creates cinematic, electronica-tinged instrumental rock. The duo fuses processed drums, spacious keyboards and powerful organ swells with electric guitar and bass, creating deep sonic textures while maintaining the passion and energy of a live band. The swirling soundscapes build and swell, punctuated by glitchy beats, breathing and expanding into crashing guitars and soaring leads: precisely constructed symphonies for a new era.

(from Last.fm)

This is my favorite Arms and Sleepers release, a split with The American Dollar. Delicious Trip Hop with Ambient and Post-Rock influence and some nice Instrumental Post-Rock for you. Enjoy it!

Arms and Sleepers & The American Dollar - From The Inland Sea

(Self Released / 2009 / Ambient Trip Hop/Post-Rock/Instrumental Post-Rock / 320 kbp/s)

Tracklist
The American Dollar
01. Landing 3:33
02. Schipol 3:54
03. Where We Are 4:21

Arms & Sleepers
04. The Catcher Elsewhere 4:56
05. Van Buren 5:06
06. The Inland Sea 6:56

Mediafire

Clubroot - II - MMX

2010-05-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

A St. Alban’s resident, Dan Richmond cut his teeth in the early part of this decade with material bearing a likeness to the futurist ideals of drum and bass producers like Optical, Ed Rush, and Nico. As dubstep began to develop its own musical language, its emerging low end sonic tropes and freedom from rhythmic clutter acted as the catalyst for Clubroot.

(taken from last.fm)

Probably the best dubstep record since Untrue, at least out of the ones I've listened to. Highly recommended.

[ Lo Dubs | 2010 | Dubstep | VBR | 53:06 ]

Tracklist
1. Orbiting - 5:03
2. Waterways - 5:02
3. Dry Cured - 5:21
4. Sjambok - 1:47
5. Toe To Toe - 4:40
6. Whistles & Horns - 4:41
7. Running On Empty - 5:01
8. Physically - 5:21
9. Dust Storm - 3:47
10. Closure - 7:08
11. Cherubs Cry - 5:15

Taken down by request

Hooded Menace & Anima Morte - Split EP

2010-05-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hooded Menace is a Doom/Death Metal band formed in Finland (Joensuu) in 2007.

It all started in June of 2007 when three doom/death -loving freaks got together to jam some Candlemass cover songs but using old school death metal style vocals instead. They were having so much fun that they decided to start writing their own material, very much influenced by the first Cathedral album, Winter, and Asphyx. They wanted to do play really doom-laden death metal that combined crushing and somber riffs with just a slight hint of melody that comes from their love for the early Candlemass albums from the 80’s.

The band continued to jam but still didn’t have a band name yet. The guitarist and vocalist Lasse (also known from the cult Finnish death metal band Phlegethon and death/grinders Vacant Coffin) was a big fan of the Blind Dead zombies from the classic 70’s Spanish horror series that included the films “Tombs of the Blind Dead”, “Return of the Evil Dead”, “Horror of the Zombies”, and “Night of the Seagulls”. The rotting, eyeless Templar knights who rode on horses and drank the blood of their victims had a big influence on the music. The name HOODED MENACE was chosen by Billy Nocera of Razorback Records and the band was now officially born!

(more on Last.fm)

Anima Morte is a progressive rock band coming from Sweden. It is a collaboration of four musicians: Fredrik Klingwall (a member of progressive metal act Loch Vostok, thrash/heavy-metal act Machinery and death metal band Flagellation), Daniel Cannerfelt (a member of death metal band Flagellation), Stefan Granberg and Teddy Mцller (the frontman of progressive metal band Loch Vostok, drummer of defunct progressive metal band Mayadome, a member of death metal act Flagellation, horror-thrashers F.K.Ь. and Danish power metal band Wuthering Heights). The band has a discography that apart from “Face the Sea of Darkness” includes one promo-CD and 7” vinyl both titled “Viva Morte!”. “Face the Sea of Darkness” is the first CD issued on American label Dead Beat Media, a sublabel of Razorback Records, focused on metal releases, inspired by horror and 70s.

(more on Last.fm)

Time for some new delicious Death Doom! Hooded Menace covered the instrumental rock band Anima Morte and Anima Morte covered Hooded Menace. You all surely know, what it sounds like... fucking great! Enjoy it!

Hooded Menace & Anima Morte - Split EP

(Doomentia / 2010 / Doom Death/Instrumental Rock / VBR2 206 kbp/s)

Tracklist
Hooded Menace
01. A Decay Of Mind And Flesh (Anima Morte Cover) 5:11
Anima Morte
02. Grasp of the Beastwoman (Hooded Menace Cover) 6:54

Mediafire

Omega Massif - Kalt

2010-05-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

Omega Massif is an instrumental post-metal band from Würzburg, Germany and were formed in 2005 by Andreas Schmittfull (guitar), Michael Melchers (guitar), Boris Bilic (bass) and Christof Rath (drums). They recorded their demo “Kalt” in 2005 and began playing shows with bands like Knut, Taint and Tephra among others.

In 2007, Omega Massif released their first full-length album “Geisterstadt” (which means “Ghost Town” in German). The album weaves a tale of ancient abandoned silver mines, treks through deep mountain tunnels, and forsaken boom towns illustrated through Omega Massif’s massive instrumental post-metal. The vocaless nature of the music turns the focus on pure atmosphere, and Omega Massif deliver, layering the pulverizing repetitive metalchug with a sense of gloom and longing that becomes near-suffocating at times, but there are also lots of gorgeous ethereal melodies throughout.

(Taken from Last.fm)

Omega Massif - Kalt

(Self-Released / 2005 / Instrumental Sludge/Post-Rock / 192kbp/s)

Tracklist

01. Unter Null 8:05
02. Murgang 14:50

03. Eiswüste 9:28
04. Schacht 13:00

Mediafire

Omega Massif - Geisterstadt

2010-05-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Omega Massif is an instrumental post-metal band from Würzburg, Germany and were formed in 2005 by Andreas Schmittfull (guitar), Michael Melchers (guitar), Boris Bilic (bass) and Christof Rath (drums). They recorded their demo “Kalt” in 2005 and began playing shows with bands like Knut, Taint and Tephra among others.

In 2007, Omega Massif released their first full-length album “Geisterstadt” (which means “Ghost Town” in German). The album weaves a tale of ancient abandoned silver mines, treks through deep mountain tunnels, and forsaken boom towns illustrated through Omega Massif’s massive instrumental post-metal. The vocaless nature of the music turns the focus on pure atmosphere, and Omega Massif deliver, layering the pulverizing repetitive metalchug with a sense of gloom and longing that becomes near-suffocating at times, but there are also lots of gorgeous ethereal melodies throughout.

(Taken from Last.fm)

You all know it, you all love it (i hope so!) Here it is, Geisterstadt from Omega Massif to those who don't have it.

Omega Massif - Geisterstadt

(Radar Swarm / 2007 / Instrumental Sludge/Post-Rock / 320kbp/s)

Tracklist

01. In der Mine 8:39
02. Geisterstadt 2:26
03. Nebelwand 10:10
04. Unter Null 8:00
05. Arcanum 9:09
06. Exodus 5:37

Mediafire

Before the Rain - ...And With the Day Dying Light

2010-05-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Before The Rain was first shaped in 1997 in Setúbal, Portugal, when vocalist Carlos D’Agua and guitar player Valter Cunha began to share musical ideas that ended as acoustic songs. As time passed by, the acoustic sounds weren’t enough to express the emotions and feelings unleashed by Valter and Carlos, and in 1998 they decided to seek the remaining members for the band. But it wasn’t until 2001 that a stable line-up was found: Carlos: voice; Valter: guitar; Tiago Ferreira: guitar; Andre Vasconcelos: bass; Goncalo Brito: drums.

With this line-up, the band recorded two songs in December 2001: “Be Mine” and “You … My Ruin”. This recording was entitled “…and with the day dying light”, and was never properly distributed, except for a strict number of individuals, somehow close to the band.

In August 2003 the band records a new song called “The Swansong”. At this stage, Tiago and Andre are no longer in the line-up and Hugo Santos joins the fold as new guitar player. Shortly after “The Swansong” studio session, the band parts ways with drummer Goncalo Brito. Then came long time friend and gifted bass player Pedro Daniel and drummer Goncalo Correia to complete what’s the strongest line-up to date. The band then enters studio to record what will turn out to be their debut album, entitled “One Day Less”.

The album “One Day Less” is out on July 30th 2007 through Major Label Industries

(more on Last.fm)

This is the 2002 demo of this nice band. It wasn't released through a label and only some individuals got it on tape. Enjoy it. Sorry for the bad cover quality.

Before The Rain - ...And With The Day Dying Light

(n/a / 2002 / Death Doom / 152 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Be Mine 12:48

02. You... My Ruin 06:02
03. The Swansong 06:39

Mediafire

The Field - Yesterday And Today

2010-05-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Field is a minimal techno artist, based in Stockholm, Sweden.

His music comes from tiny loops of pop history. It might actually be an older brother to the Cologne movement Pop Ambient - the sentimental brother who is never content with being in the background, the one with the heart on his sleeve. To clarify: The Field makes dance music. The edges are soft, the mood often romantic, the sounds moving up, up from the ground. As ”minimal” as a sunset, as ”banging” as a pillow.

In 2005, Willner submitted a demo tape to the German indie label Kompakt and was subsequently signed. He released his first 12”, a demo mixtape of Norwegian singer Annie’s “Heartbeat”, as well as the track “Things Keep Falling Down”.

In 2006, “Sun & Ice” 12” was released. Later in 2007, Wilner became the first musician to take part in the Nordic Light Hotel’s “Sound of Light” concept. After staying at the hotel, Wilner used the experience as the basis for his EP of the same name. His 2007 album “From Here We Go Sublime” has met high critical acclaim.

(more on Last.fm)

The Field - Yesterday and Today

(Kompakt / 2009 / Minimal Techno/Electronic / 320 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. I Have the Moon, You Have the Internet 8:00
02. Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime 6:47
03. Leave It 11:34
04. Yesterday and Today 10:04
05. The More That I Do 8:32
06. Sequenced 15:41

Mediafire

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

2010-05-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

The Field is a minimal techno artist, based in Stockholm, Sweden.

His music comes from tiny loops of pop history. It might actually be an older brother to the Cologne movement Pop Ambient - the sentimental brother who is never content with being in the background, the one with the heart on his sleeve. To clarify: The Field makes dance music. The edges are soft, the mood often romantic, the sounds moving up, up from the ground. As ”minimal” as a sunset, as ”banging” as a pillow.

In 2005, Willner submitted a demo tape to the German indie label Kompakt and was subsequently signed. He released his first 12”, a demo mixtape of Norwegian singer Annie’s “Heartbeat”, as well as the track “Things Keep Falling Down”.

In 2006, “Sun & Ice” 12” was released. Later in 2007, Wilner became the first musician to take part in the Nordic Light Hotel’s “Sound of Light” concept. After staying at the hotel, Wilner used the experience as the basis for his EP of the same name. His 2007 album “From Here We Go Sublime” has met high critical acclaim.

(more on Last.fm)

Just stumbled across this really nice Ambient-based Minimal Techno, you surely have to check it out if you're into electronic music.

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

(Kompakt / 2007 / Minimal Techno/Electronic / VBR2 168 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Over the Ice 6:56
02. A Paw in My Face 5:25
03. Good Things End 6:09
04. The Little Heart Beats So Fast 5:26
05. Everyday 6:59
06. Silent 7:35
07. The Deal 10:03
08. Sun & Ice 6:34
09. Mobilia 6:28
10. From Here We Go Sublime 4:10

Mediafire

Worship - Last CD Before Doomsday

2010-05-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

One of the best known extreme doom metal bands in the underground. Founded by “Fucked Up Mad” Max Varnier from France and Daniel “The Doommonger” from Germany in the late 1990’s, Worship entered the scene with their Last Tape Before Doomsday (MC 1999).

That album contained four songs of minimalistic slow doom metal, driven by the tortured vocals of Mad Max and the mournful guitar solo’s by The Doommonger. Several splits were released on vinyl after that.

Worship was put on ice after the tragic suicide of Max in 2001. But, in 2003, Daniel decided that Worship would go on, and preparations were made for the finishing of the second full length (DOOOM), which was released in 2007.

In 2004, two new members (Kuolema and Satachrist) joined the band, and new recordings were made, which led to the release of the split with Loss in 2005. Worship has played live several times in the autumn of 2005.

(more on Last.fm)

I think I'll play this one at the 21th December 2012...

Worship - Last CD Before Doomsday

(Weird Truth Productions / 2004 / Extreme Funeral Doom / 256 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Whispering Gloom 11:49
02. Solicide And The Dawning Of The Moonkult 11:00
03. Eclipse Of Sorrow 8:21
04. Worship 15:23
05. Keep On Selling Cocaine To Angels 8:33

Mediafire

Worship - Dooom

2010-05-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

One of the best known extreme doom metal bands in the underground. Founded by “Fucked Up Mad” Max Varnier from France and Daniel “The Doommonger” from Germany in the late 1990’s, Worship entered the scene with their Last Tape Before Doomsday (MC 1999).

That album contained four songs of minimalistic slow doom metal, driven by the tortured vocals of Mad Max and the mournful guitar solo’s by The Doommonger. Several splits were released on vinyl after that.

Worship was put on ice after the tragic suicide of Max in 2001. But, in 2003, Daniel decided that Worship would go on, and preparations were made for the finishing of the second full length (DOOOM), which was released in 2007.

In 2004, two new members (Kuolema and Satachrist) joined the band, and new recordings were made, which led to the release of the split with Loss in 2005. Worship has played live several times in the autumn of 2005.

(more on Last.fm)

I think, the album name does represent this album best. Fucking extreme dooooom, slow and heavy as it should be.

Worship - Dooom

(Endzeit Elegies / 2007 / Extreme Funeral Doom / 320 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Endzeit Elegy 8:38
02. All I Ever Knew Lie Dead 8:25
03. The Altar and the Choir of the Moonkult 8:12
04. Graveyard Horizon 9:42
05. Zorn A Rust-Red Scythe 8:06
06. Devived 8:17
07. Mirror of Sorrow (Solitude Aeturnus Cover) 9:44
08. I Am the End - Crucifixion Part II 11:51

Mediafire

Torche - Meanderthal

2010-05-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, United States, they play a distinctive style of stoner/ sludge metal. The band categorizes their music as ‘’stoner pop’‘.

The group was formed in 2004 by Steve Brooks (ex-Floor), Juan Montoya (ex-Floor, ex-Cavity, ex-Ed Matus’ Struggle), Jonathan Nuñez and Rick Smith (who also played in the grindcore bands Shitstorm and Tyranny of Shaw, and the screamo band Tunes for Bears to Dance To). According to MTracks.com: “Their music has a unique, hard-hitting sound that provokes a wide range of emotions, and they have a large fan base throughout the world. ” They have toured with Mogwai, Isis, Pelican, Black Cobra, Baroness, Jesu, The Sword, Stinking Lizaveta, Harvey Milk and Boris. Steve Brooks, however, has said that they don’t consider themselves a metal band. In describing the band’s sound, Smith said in an interview: “To me it’s mostly a combination of everything we listen to collectively as a band. We take what we like from what we grew up on and use it as creatively as we can. I think the meshing of different sounds comes naturally just because we all have different musical backgrounds yet have a ton of common interests.” In terms of touring, Brooks said Torche is getting more of a young crowd.

On April 8, 2008, the band released their second full-length, entitled Meanderthal. It was produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Genghis Tron). It was met with critical acclaim, including that from Decibel Magazine who ranked Meanderthal #1 on their list of the Top 40 Extreme Albums of 2008 as well as an 8.2/10 by Pitchfork Media. In an interview, Brooks said the band themselves came up with the album’s concept in terms of artwork and packaging.

(more on Last.fm)

The so-called "Foo Fighters" of Sludge! Check them out if you don't know them.

Torche - Meanderthal

(Hydrahead Records / 2008 / Sludge/Stoner Pop / 192 kbp/s)

Tracklist

01. Triumph of Venus 1.44
02. Grenades 2.53
03. Piranha 1.32
04. Sandstorm 2.19
05. Speed of the Nail 1.41
06. Healer 2.07
07. Across the Shields 3.03
08. Sundown 3.17
09. Little Champion .34
10. Without A Sound 2.06
11. Fat Waves 4.32
12. Amnesian 6.25
13. Meanderthal 4.00

Mediafire

UFO Gestapo - UFO Gestapo / Vatepenor

2010-05-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Man,
I feel spoiled right about now. A matter of months after I reviewed and
was mercilessly savaged by France’s UFO Gestapo and their EP debut, I’m
getting run through the meatgrinder by their second release of sloppy,
grime smattered sludge/crust.

Opting strictly for the vinyl format, Vatependr! lays waste
to mangled crust tempos, lazily drifts through lo-fi psychedelic
texturing, stomps upon the corpses of sludge’s most notorious
troublemakers and occasionally sends infected riffs to rest in an Iommi
infirmary! Even KKK’s vocals are sporting a brand new coat of anguish;
sounding akin to Jon Cox (Seven Foot Spleen, Hanging Rotten) with his
balls stuck in a vice grip. The whole affair is rendered heavier than a
ten ton tub of lard, despite the obvious lack of bass. Don’t really
matter as KKK and Sinapati tune their axes so low, it fills out any
possible empty spaces that could appear sans low-end. Finally, the now
infamous UFO microkorg and the brazen acid trip guitar soloing give
their landfill lumber an unusually, experimental edge. All cut
brilliantly to tape by UFO ally Anders Billion and his self-created
recording compound the Wasting Machine!

Take one gander at the title track and you’ll see that this isn’t your
ordinary set of riff churners. Getting us started on the same note as
the EP with an instrumental, a feeling of Among the Missing covering a
Lucio Fulci soundtrack comes to mind. Hope decayed doom/crust emits its
alien signal from some God forsaken abyss. The stew-y, twin guitar
riffage packs the gooey thickness of a three year neglected septic tank
build-up; leaving drummer Johnny UFO to wade through the stench of
dirty, d-beat pummeling. He brings those unhinged punk chops to the
forefront of the band’s snakelike riffs, as the ominous hum of alien,
microkorg noise catapults this instrumental piece into the realm of a
dingy, doom-oriented, horror film score. If slice n’ dice filmmaking
incorporated UFO Gestapo instrumental pieces into their backgrounds,
audiences would have a whole new reason to jump out of their seats.
Seriously, these dudes should contribute one of their vocal deprived
cuts to some indie filmmakers; guaranteed they’d get a lot of mileage
out of the strategy. Freaky doesn’t even describe this shit;
nightmarish is more like it.

So, now the mood has been set. The Gestapo are all about building
tension and heightening suspense before the screaming starts, making it
all the more harrowing when “Abyssopelagic Zone” hurls its bile
spitting sludge straight at your face. It’s a midnight fright fest of
unrivaled magnitude, rendering EHG virtually tame by comparison. Toxic,
slo-mo crust staggers through a landfill of forgotten riffs that have
been weathered by years of buzzing flies and pounding rain. KKK and
Sinapti mine Iommi’s magnificent simplicity, but distance themselves
from anything directly Sabbath related. The riffs are thundering and
doom-smoked for damn certain but the walls of distortion wreak of dank,
moldy basements the world over. If Dystopia were of a much, much slower
doom descent, you’ll have an idea of what to expect with the Gestapo.
KKK’s phlegm-y shrieks are about as evil as it gets for this kind of
music. Record the sound of a bag of kittens getting run over by a semi,
then increase the pitch in the studio and that’s what this motherfucker
sounds like. There’s disease and pain in his delivery unlike anything
I’ve heard in quite sometime. Flying us home on crippled wings, the
Gestapo juggernaut piles on a syrupy ooze of snail riffs and horrendous
sound effects, creating a uniformly creep-out ending.

At this point, it’s time to flip sides. You may be experiencing
symptoms of alien infestation, thus far. A well deserved trip to the
medicine cabinet might be the only break you’re up for. Grabbing a
mixed assortment of pill bottles, you empty the contents into your gut
and take a refreshing slug of your favorite hooch. Disoriented, but
slightly numb you should be ready to approach the second half of this
audio air raid. “Assault 2” is the successor of the almighty “Mercy’s
Hole” from their introductory EP. Succinct, in your fucking mug
doom/punk fills your head with dark, anti-matter particles; erasing
happy memories with an unholy level of unadulterated volume. The
grooving swagger of the riffs lacerates like a finely dulled knife
repeatedly trying to draw blood from flesh; creating just enough of a
hook to keep heads nodding in approval, but keeping far removed from
anything with a traditional boogie. In the end, the result is anything
but a clean cut, instead morphing into a festering wound seeping with
rust shavings and curdled blood! Those who even vaguely remember Seven
Foot Spleen’s Enter Therapy and its “punk on downers blues” will totally have their appetites satiated with this broken down trudge of a track.

(Read all here)

I discovered this french madmen through the last year and had a real blast with their two first records. Waiting for new stuff to come I thought I'm going to introude you to one of the craziest and best sludge bands that we have around Europe for the moment. Enjoy!

UFO Gestapo - UFO Gestapo

[ Calculon Records / 2008 / Sludge / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Landing Above (03:56)

02. UFO Gestapo (06:29)

03. Fear Weed (05:12)

04. Mercy's Hole (01:50)

05. Peace Crap (03:46)

06. Commander Mindfuck (08:31)

---

29:46

UFO Gestapo - Vatepenor

[ Streaks Records / 2008 / Sludge / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Vatepenor (05:01)

02. Abyssopelagic Zone (09:27)

03. Assault (Phase II) (01:38)

04. USO (05:49)

05. Scavanger of Death (06:15)

---

28:13

Weakling - Dead as Dreams

2010-05-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Grim, trance-like black metal from San Francisco. Features a member of genius instrumental math-metallers
and Drag City recording artists, The Fucking Champs as well as The Gault and Asunder. - tUMULt Records

The band had one long play, ‘Dead as Dreams’ released by Tumult in 2000 (a year after it was recorded) and two demos, both released in 1998 and (both) with no vocals

(Taken from Last.fm)

As the character of Norwegian black metal continues to metamorphose, many enthusiasts of the image and sound that originated in Scandinavia are turning their disappointed attention to the rapidly growing and improving US scene. Tumult's release of Bay Area group Weakling's debut (and final) opus is undoubtedly leading the charge.

Transcending the image of corpsepaint and empty Satanic rhetoric that has become so banal and quotidian in its overuse, Weakling captures the essence of what black metal was about while simultaneously giving it an original flavor.

The band's musical exercises in never-ending nihilistic hatred (5 songs, 76 minutes) certainly borrow from many pioneering black metal outfits, the most obvious of which are Burzum, Emperor, and Immortal. Despite drawing influence from these oft-copied bands, Weakling is unarguably unique in their style. Track two, "Dead as Dreams," is a perfect example.

The song fades in with a looping guitar tone, leading to a deeply emotive melodic section whose painfully melancholic notes are heavily soaked in scratchy reverb. Then, three minutes later, the dark riffing and vocal agony begins. Throughout the track, Weakling present multi-layered music played by bass, drums, keyboards, and two guitars which play different melodies. The layering takes a pause occasionally to make way for a fuzzy keyboard interlude - a sort of soothing lull - as if you have briefly entered the eye of Weakling's hurricane, only to be launched back in as the buzzsaw guitars kick in again, and the blast beat reaches its most intense point.

After exploring cavernous passages, the song ends with three minutes of guitar feedback, which is looped for the last minute as it slowly fades out, releasing you from the 20 minutes of depressive evil which you have been listening to, leaving you with a crushed yet soothingly sober spirit.

The music tugs at your heart throughout, not in a cheesy doom way, but rather in a melancholically majestic black metal way. At the forefront of the similarity to Burzum are the vocals of (singer/guitarist) J. Gossard, who is one of the worst vocalists of any genre, ever. Imagine what Varg Vikerenes sounds like on the first three Burzum albums, but then think of what it would sound like if he used more range and variety, and if his voice cracked every now and again. Vikernes style conveys strong misanthropic and alien feeling. Gossard's are this but also send forth morbid vibes of self-loathing and utter despair. Whereas the vocals strike you as atrocious even for black metal standards, as you get a feel for the album you realize that in fact they give Weakling so much of their mood altering, demented power, ironically making Gossard's vocals brilliant in the end.

Weakling also draws heavy influence from cult duo The Swans (especially circa Soundtracks for the Blind); the name Weakling itself having been inspired by a Swans' song. If you're at all familiar with this band you'll understand what kind of depressive feel is borrowed on Dead as Dreams.

From the unearthly trance-like drumming to the churning black metal passages peppered with agonizing doom crawls and psychadelic noise, listening to Dead as Dreams is indeed a plunge into the abyss. The best black metal album of the year. Buy or cry.

(Taken from here)

One of the most popular and best usbm bands. They only released this album and some demos in 1998, what is in fact very sad. If you haven't heard of them before just try some. You will like it.

[ tUMULt Records / 2000 / Black Metal / CBR@192 ]

Tracklist

01. Cut their Grain and place Fire therein (10:28)

02. Dead as Dreams (20:39)

03. This Entire Fucking Battlefield (14:47)

04. No one can be called as a Man while he'll die (13:11)

05. Disasters in the Sun (17:04)

---

76:11

An Autumn For Crippled Children - Lost

2010-05-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

Glorious cascades of melancholy wash down upon you, cathedrals built from bittersweet tears pierce the rain-choked sky: indeed, this is an autumn for cripple children. Such is the sound of An Autumn for Cripple Children and their highly anticipated debut album, Lost. Literally wearing their hearts on their sleeves, AAFCC weave emotionally gripping, sonically gorgeous tapestries that canvass black metal, doom, and post-rock. However epic Lost may be in part and whole, the band moves naturally, effortlessly, between these sound palettes, never forcing the point nor evincing cloying “schizophrenia. ” This is pure catharsis, and you will get Lost within it.

(Taken from Last.fm)

An Autumn For Crippled Children is an interesting mixture of depressive, atmospheric black metal and some doom and post rock elements. With great recent releases by Svarti Loghin, Semen Datura and now these guys, the ATMF label seems to have a knack for finding creative and unique black metal bands that push the boundaries of the genre.

The music on Lost is all about creating a bleak, mournful atmosphere, but with some warmth injected here and there in the form of vibrant, reverb-laden doomy leads. The band mostly sticks to a very fuzzy and distorted black metal sound, much like Xasthur or Velvet Cacoon, but the difference between An Autumn For Crippled Children and other similar acts is the prevalence of sorrowful, doomy minor key harmonies that give the music an additional poignancy. Agalloch and older Katatonia are good reference points, not necessarily for how the album sounds but for the mood it creates.

It takes awhile for the songs on this album to begin to differentiate themselves and make an impression, but gradually you begin to notice all the elements that make up Lost. An Autumn For Crippled Children will often abruptly transition from densely atmospheric black metal to quieter sections and all-out doom passages reminiscent of bands like Daylight Dies. It may seem a bit jolting at first, but the two genres are perfect complements for one another and just add to the bleak atmosphere of this album.

Fans of depressive, atmospheric black metal and especially Agalloch fans should definitely give this album a listen. With the odd band name and the interesting, creepy cover art I wasn’t sure quite what to expect out of these guys, but their first album is certainly an enjoyable one and one of the more surprising albums I’ve encountered this year.

(Taken from here)

This one came out from nowhere and just hit my record player with such a heaviness. Creating great, dark and creepy atmosphere this album is worth more then just one listen. Watch out for these guys!

[ ATMF Records / 2010 / Black Metal / VBR ]

Tracklist

1. To Set Sails to the Ends of the Earth (05:42)
2. Tragedy Bleeds All Over the Lost (04:56)
3. A Dire Faith (08:10)
4. In Moonlight Blood is Black (04:05)
5. Ghost Light (04:34)
6. An Autumn for Crippled Children (06:20)
7. I Beg Thee Not to Spare me (04:57)
8. Gaping Void of Silence (04:52)
9. Never Shall Be Again (06:48)

---

50:24

Wooden Shjips - Vol. 2

2010-05-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Wooden Shjips (sic) is a vital and refreshingly inspired quartet from San Francisco playing loud rock ‘n’ roll in a style heavily influenced by the experimentalism of psychedelia, classical minimalism and garage rock excess. Started as an experiment in rhythmic primitivism and group improvisation, the current lineup brings a more structured rock approach to its performances, utilizing a traditional lineup of drums (Omar Ahsanuddin), bass (Dusty Jermier), organ (Nash Whalen), guitar (Erik “Ripley” Johnson) and vocals.

Its songs sound something akin to the icy garage rock of early Echo & The Bunnymen crossed with the sun-bleached tremolo-punk of The Scientists. There are hints of krautrock, the trance-inducing organ haze of Suicide, Deerhunter style dance-drone, classic desert-fried garage psych and the mysterious, obscure Japanese lysergic-rock band Les Rallizes Denudes all mixed into one explosive whole on Wooden Shjips self-titled Holy Mountain debut.

The experience of Wooden Shjips has been equated to that of the Japanese phenomenon called maboroshi, which is somewhat similar to seeing a mirage or hallucinating in time. In the context of imagination/dreams, maboroshi is attributed to past occurrences and can take on a meaning like “phantoms.” The group’s songs seem to exist in a dream state in which anything is possible.

Wooden Shjips released two acclaimed records in 2006, beginning early in the year with the self-released 10” EP Shrinking Moon for You.

(Read all at Last.fm)

Hell yeah some psyched out experimental rock for you. This is their 2010 album which has been released earlier this year. Enjoy!

[ Midheaven / 2010 / Experimental/Psychedelic / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Loose Lips (06:40)

02. Start to Dreaming (04:38)

03. Vampire Blues (04:37)

04. Death's not your Friend (Live) (06:57)

05. Contact (08:22)

06. I hear the Vibrations (E-Z Version) (07:20)

07. Outta my Head (04:31)

---

43:08

Monarch - Mer Morte

2010-05-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hailing from the picturesque Northern Basque Country of France, MONARCH! unleash a slow motion avalanche of impossibly glacial, blackened sludge and hypnotic feedback, each song a series of epic tarpit riffage stretched out eternally over lumbering drums and the cavernous rumble of speaker cabinets. Over these yawning expanses of black void appears the demonic, throat-shredding shrieks and ghostly singing of Emilie, whose petite appearance belies one of the harshest throats in the underground Doom spectrum. Beyond heavy. MONARCH!’s mega-crawling ambient doom/drone/sludge follows in the grand tradition of fellow tarpit adventurers Melvins, Corrupted, Noothgrush, and Black Sabbath, and accompany their music with an iconoclastic design style that decorates their material with deceptively cute imagery drawing from the collective influence of Sanrio, Japanese animation, European graffiti, weirdo hardcore, and skateboard culture.

(Taken from Last.fm)

Friday. Time to get some music for the long weekend. Monarch should ring a bell for the most of you, if you haven't heard from them get this two song ep full of doom, sludge and drone. Enjoy!

[ Throne Records / 2008 / Doom/Sludge / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Mer (16:06)

02. Morte (17:24)

---

33:30

Blutch - Fra Diavolo

2010-05-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there, we are BLUTCH from Mons, Belgium. We released two demo-CDs on our own before we had two full-length albums out on Delboy records, called Enjoy Your Flight (2001) & Fra Diavolo (2003). The critics loved it, so it seems. Read all about it! The audience (the ones who didn’t know us), most of the times, didn’t know what came over them. Some were even scared shitless. Some ran away, with their hands over their ears. Ha! They said we were too heavy, too slow, too loud, too unconventional… Whatever! In our book, all those descriptions lead to good music. It was hard, but we made a steady fanbase. Mostly beyond the Belgian borders, of course. We try to tour as much as possible. We did tours with Black Cobra (USA), Knut (CH), Acid King (USA), Penthouse (UK), American Heritage (USA), Gone Bald (NL) and Sleepers (F) amongst others. Played with Queens of the Stone Age (USA), Melvins (USA), The Residents, The Young Gods (CH), Napalm Death (USA), The Dickies (USA), doa (USA), Nebula (USA), Bongzilla (USA) , Hitch (B), Millionaire (B), Amenra (B) and many like-minded musicians. We even opened up for the Sisters of Mercy. I mean, they asked us, so we did it and left 2000 scared Mercy fans shitting themselves! Oh, the smell!
So, we just released our brand new album Materia, again on Delboy and At A Loss Recordings for the USA. We’re on tour again! Love us! ha ha ha…

(Taken from Last.fm)

Sludge from Belgium mixed with down-tempo doom. If you don't know this three piece get ready to check them out. For all fans of bands like Loinen, Black Cobra or Amenra. But maybe a little bit weirder. Enjoy!

[ Delboy Records / 2003 / Sludge / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Introitus (02:01)

02. Chromatic Thoughts (05:29)

03. Broken Breath (02:03)

04. Bound (04:28)

05. Light ass an Eliphant (01:30)

06. Orchid (13:11)

07. Into the Pinball (01:05)

08. Pedrigee (09:03)

09. A few Seconds (00:36)

10. Requiem (10:11)

---

49:42

Nadja - Ruins Of Mourning

2010-05-20T03:39:00.000-07:00

Nadja is a Canadian duo featuring multi-instrumentalist Aidan Baker and bassist/vocalist Leah Buckareff. Originally formed in 2003 in Toronto, Canada as a Baker solo project, Buckareff joined in 2005 to bring the project out of the studio and into live settings.

To date, Nadja has released over 10 full-length albums, in addition to various EPs, splits, and collaborations with such artists as Atavist, Black Boned Angel, Fear Falls Burning, A Storm of Light, and Pyramids. Nadja has worked with a variety of labels, including Alien8 Recordings, Important Records, Beta-lactam Ring Records, Crucial Blast, and The End Records.

(Taken from Last.fm)

[ Substantia Innominata / 2010 / Drone / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Part-1 (20:48)
02. Part-2 (19:29)

---

40:17

Jarboe & Justin Broadrick - J2

2010-05-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

J2 is the result of Justin Broadrick and Jarboe being stripped and filtered out into their purest forms; an exhibition of their respective artistic perceptions, and a demonstration of the musical connection between them. With both musicians sharing a strong affiliation with self-expression, as well as boasting a colossal impact on the industrial genre with Godflesh and Swans, it’s surprising that they haven’t put their reclusive heads together up until now.

Considering the direction these artists have taken with other projects, first track “Decay” is fairly unexpected. Jarboe’s disconcerting falsetto loop opens the piece, and is gradually swallowed up by Broadrick’s rising tide of dissonance over the course of seven minutes. As with the other compositions on J2, it’s not until the third or fourth listen that you begin to “get” the appeal here. And although you may not be able to instantly empathize with what’s being created, it’s a joy to know that, in amongst the recent infatuation with the melodic, neither of these musicians are afraid to exorcise the industrial menaces of their past. Judging by the end result here, it was certainly a good move to do so.

Yet aside from this brief exploration into common ground, the remaining tracks on J2 give the strong impression that Jarboe and Broadrick need their own creative space in order to produce anything of worth. This is something particularly noticeable in the production; a majority of the time, the dry, overpowering vocals hover awkwardly over the music as opposed to striking up a connection. It’s the sound of a very tentative embrace of two introverts, each unwilling to conform their sonic persona enough to collaborate properly, and it ends up being J2’s major downfall.

That’s not to say that a fair amount of enjoyment can’t be drawn out of this release. Jarboe delivers her highlight performance on “Magick Girl”; a two-note repeated lyric drenched in desperate melancholy, crying out above a crushing dose of tension-through-monotony, with a synth bassline and programmed beat pushing the piece forward. The effect of vocal simplicity like this is astounding – why she feels the need to resort to the painfully forced vibrato tacked on to tracks such as the closing "8mmsweetbitter” is completely beyond me.

All in all, J2 certainly isn’t the glorious record it could have been. Although it’s fascinating to see the fragility of these experimental pioneers thrust into the spotlight (particularly because it gives way to some of Broadrick’s most immersive melodies to date), it feels as though Jarboe and Justin are slightly uncomfortable forcing their creative minds into one. Perhaps not the collaboration people will be hoping for, but it’s an album that offers up enough to hold your intrigue for a few listens at least, as well as keeping the reputation of both artists just about intact.

(Taken from here)

[ The End / 2008 / Avantgarde/Experimental/Ambient / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Decay (07:31)

02. Let Go (06:27)

03. Magick Girl (08:41)

04. Romp (05:13)

05. Tribal Limo (07:16)

06. 8mmsweetbitter (06:00)

---

41:10

Church of Misery - Live at Roadburn Festival 2009

2010-05-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Church Of Misery (チャーチ・オブ・ミザリ) is a japanese doom metal band with a specific extra-groovy sound that is often described as “stoner doom” but the band tends to snub this term saying ”We hate trend. We hate corporate attitude. We hate the word ‘stoner’. Death to false stoners!! Let there be DOOM!!” (citation from the Master of Brutality album cover artwork notes).
Band was formed in 1996 in Tokyo by bassist Tatsu Mikami (ex-Salem) and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, line-up was completed with singer Nobukazu Chow and drummer Hideki Shimizu. Band’s raw and groovy style of doom metal rooted in 70s heavy rock with psychedelic feel and their notable lyrics mostly based on the famous serial killers’ characters soon founded out the way into the hearts of the underground metal fans all over the world even though the band didn’t played anywhere outside Japan until 2005. Band recorded first album entitled “Volume 1” at their live performance in Tokyo in 1996 for the Doom Records planning to release it in 1997 but the record company cancelled it fooling people who pre-ordered this album, and then released it as a rare unofficial bootleg. Next 1998 year three songs by Church Of Misery appeared on “Doomsday Recitation” compilation, soon this was followed by “Born Too Late” - the split record with canadian band sHEAVY which included Saint Vitus’ War Is Our Destiny song cover version. Band participated in the Doomsday Recitation tour and their live performance at Nanba Rockets Osaka venue on 13th of March was filmed, two songs from this footage appeared on a split video-tape with japanese doom metal band Millarca. Same year the Bad Acid Records released band’s “Taste The Pain” EP which included Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida song cover version along with their own material. In 1999 Church Of Misery released the split record with british sludge doom legends Iron Monkey via the cult Man’s Ruin label, also this year two new songs were released on 10 inch EP “Murder Company” by the Man label. During this period band is working actively recording a bunch of cover versions of the bands’ like Death SS, Trouble and Black Widow songs for tribute compilations.
Southern Lord Records signed the band in 2001 and released their first official full-length album
“Master of Brutality” that was featuring new vocalist Yoshiaki Negishi and drummer Junji Narita in February of the same year. Traditionally this release includes cover version of 70s rock legends’ Blue Öyster Cult song “Cities on Flame” and the rest of the songs is devoted to mass murderers. Year later Kult Of Nihilow label released “Boston Strangler” EP both on 12 inch vinyl and mini-CD with quite different tracklists (vinyl version is lacking Candy Man (Dean Corll), CD-only bonus track). The Game Two label collected some of archive Church Of Misery songs and put them on a split album shared with british psychedelic/stoner doom band Acrimony in 2003. On 9th of June, 2004, band’s second full-length The Second Coming saw the light of day being released via DiwPhalanx Records. This time “One Way… Or Another” song by Cactus was covered by the band, and the rest of material narrates about five new serial killers. This record also featured band’s two new members: vocalist Hideki Fukasawa, also on synthesizers and guitarist Takenori Hoshi. Month later, on 28th of July, Leaf Hound Records released double CD entitled simply “Early Works Compilation” consisting of pre-“Master of Brutality” songs with the addition of previously unreleased “Retal (Howard Unruh)” track. In late 2005 Church Of Misery first toured Europe supporting the European version of “The Second Coming” from Salvation Records.

(Read all at Last.fm)

A goodie for you guys while it's sunday. We had the 2008 bootleg on here and this is the release put out on Roadburn Records. If you haven't had the chance to see the folks live get an idea what this fantastic live band can deliver when it comes up to it. Enjoy!

[ Roadburn Records / 2010 / Psych-Doom/Sludge / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

1. El Padrino (08:35)
2. I, Motherfucker (05:05)
3. Shotgun Boogie (04:36 )
4. Red Ripper Blues (09:59)
5. Taste The Pain (06:21)
6. Candy Man (07:09)
7. Killifornia (07:59)
8. For Mad Man Only (10:31)

---

60:19

Tartar Lamb - Sixty Metonymies

2010-05-16T04:11:00.000-07:00

Tartar Lamb is the duo of Toby Driver and Mia Matsumiya (of avant-garde rock group Kayo Dot), put together specifically to perform and record Toby’s long-form violin and electric guitar duet, “60 Metonymies,” and with the potential to move on to other pieces in the future. Tartar Lamb was augmented by the participation of Tim Byrnes (trumpet) and Andrew Greenwald (drums) of The Friendly Bears for the recording.

This self-released, full-length CD package features the title piece, a modern electroacoustic quartet exquisitely recorded by Randall Dunn (Sunn0))), Earth, Kinski, etc) and beautiful hand-painted artwork by Toby printed in a high-quality parchment insert and contained in a classy fiberboard jacket.

(Taken from Last.fm)

If you are into this neoclassical stuff this should fit in for your needs. Four tracks with nice arrangements of the violin and trumpet along with drums and guitars. Check them out and enjoy!

[ Self-Released / 2007 / Classical/Avantgarde / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Incensing the Malediction is a Lamb (11:47)

02. A Lamb in Hand's worth two in the Ewe (03:12)

03. Trumpet twine the Lamb unhyne (09:35)

04. The Lamb, the Ma'am and the holy Shim-Sham (16:38)

---

41:13

Locrian - Drenched Lands

2010-05-16T03:58:00.000-07:00

Locrian is a really prolific band, just this year the band has issued nine releases independently and on different labels and with each album the band has expanded its experimental direction. Retrospectively the band has evolved a lot also, from the simpler methods of feedback annihilation present on their first records where the guitar was implemented as the principal meridian to develop sounds to the expansion experienced on Drone and Noise in records like “Rhetoric of surfaces” released last year and reviewed here at Heathen Harvest to the present, Locrian’s sound has maturated a lot for good, its not that rutilant nor simpler adorer of Noise for the sake of it, it is now more adventurous and intrepid and dare to dig it more deeply into the dark side of ambience with style and even to share a dime or two on metal sensibilities and some atmospheric guitar fogs taken from post rock in order to vaporize all the guitar heaviness that the work is drenched with. With a nice folded slipcase limited to just 1000 copies and deluxe minimal presentation this may be an album candidate for heavy guitar drone of the year.

The elongated riff, akin with metal is more evident on “drenched lands”, an elemental influx from Doom metal is present, but the direction is not exclusively related to this genre, as usual in Locrian its predilection for noise is present, but this time the walls of noise and feedback interplay juxtapose the luscious drone layers and fluctuating bass lines leaving a clear indication on post metal flirts. Ethereal barriers of glassy frequencies are muddled in the slow temper from the heavy and slow riffs. Incidentally the album is more defined by atmosphere and it does construct a really dense atmosphere with obscure undertones, siding with Dark ambient influences. Additionally the guitar deploys potent reverbs and brings incandescent tremolo picking in tracks like “Ghost repeater”. The company of ominous guitar feedback and waves of engulfing guitar deformations made into cascades of drone layers slowly develops the form of the Noise territory but with a definitive aspect that shares at least two grounds the Black metal and crepitant guitar noise where atmospherics are indispensable but above all well achieved. The subtle darkened tone and the evolving patterns of the drone layers are now more discernible and temporary, the brutal harshness is now appeased by contours and semi melodic structures, aside from that subtle details come to play, such as a gong and other special effects. “Barren temple obscured by contaminated fogs” displays a more defined shoegaze influx with its etherized melody later contrasted by the shrieking voice as vocals that imbues the work with an aura of mystery and obscurity. Lacking any sort of percussion the track is all about of contrasting atmospherics with some psychedelic contours product of the amalgam of incandescent drones, the reverb and a minimal guitar sequence.

“Epicedium” is probably the most powerful track from the album, more tranquil and full of guitar minutiae accompanied by elegant layers of ever morphing acoustics, it evokes a really subtle and infectious darkness that later deforms in a bleak melancholia made of chopped guitar melodies. Opposite to this is “Obsolete elegy” that uses the power that comes from a frenzy riff and excellently added effects such as the creepy clock at the start of the track or the mysterious bells that mark the rhythmic average for the most part of the track. The main structure of the track is associated with Black metal but it is totally excoriated in a minimal unfold seconded by reverb lashings, mysterious samplers and lots of echo effect, very somber and moody, this is drone gone right.

More mysterious and dark ambient induced; “Drenched Lands” is an album that steps into dark territory with decision and attitude and completely redesigns the previous Drone usage given by the band. Locrian now presents more defined structures, subtletly and dynamic accompaniments, diversifies the use of guitar and drone layers with a multitude of side effects and textures that prolifically enrich their sonic palette. Good album, interesting progression evidenced, to keep an eye on it.

(Taken from here)

[ At War with False Noise / 2009 / Drone/Dark-Ambient / CBR@192 ]

Tracklist

01.Obsolete elegy in effluvia and dross (02:09)
02.Ghost repeater (10:35)
03.Barren temple obscured by contaminated fogs (06:10)
04.Epicedium (08:30)
05.Obsolete elegy (06:50)
06.Greyfield shrines (30:09)

---

64:25

Faust - Faust Is Last

2010-05-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Faust is a German krautrock band, originally composed of Werner “Zappi” Diermaier, Hans Joachim Irmler, Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron, Rudolf Sosna and Gunter Wüsthoff, working with producer Uwe Nettelbeck and engineer Kurt Graupner. The group formed in Wümme in 1971 and soon began recording their debut, "Faust”, which sold poorly, but established a devoted fanbase. With a series of early 1970s releases, Faust became one of the most significant bands in the genre that would eventually be known as krautrock.

Faust were arguably the most radical of the groups of their era, using advanced studio techniques and electronics in a way that opened up new possibilities for studio composition. At the time they may not have appeared to have had the same impact as a number of their German peers (notably Kraftwerk, Can and Tangerine Dream), but they are increasingly recognised as the most far-sighted of the German groups of that era.

(Taken from last.fm)

Their new and presumably last album. Enjoy!

[ Klangbad | 2010 | Krautrock | VBR | 1:33:51 ]

Tracklist
1. Brumm und Blech - 2:24
2. Imperial Lover - 4:21
3. Feed the Greed - 5:04
4. Chrome - 2:46
5. Soft Prunes - 2:41
6. Nachtfahrt - 2:21
7. Hit Me - 3:40
8. Dolls and Brawls - 1:37
9. Drug Wipe - 5:21
10. Steinbrand - 5:21
11. I Don't Buy Your Shit No More - 2:00
12. Babylon - 4:22
13. X-Ray - 3:33
14. Cluster für Cluster - 0:29
15. Day Out - 2:45
16. Karneval - 7:30
17. Ozean - 5:17
18. SofTone - 5:08
19. In But Out - 7:47
20. GhosTrain - 4:33
21. Vorübergehen - 7:55
22. Primitivelona - 6:56

Mediafire

Silvester Anfang - Damnation on tweede Kerstdag

2010-05-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Silvester Anfang is the Funeral Folk collective gathered in a free folk droneband. The band started as a three-piece of Per, Edgar and Hellvete, but now the line-up depends on who’s available to record/perform. Together with Ignatius Van Kempenhof and PI666 (who now became a vulcanologist in Switzerland) Silvester Anfang started searching for a sound that might be something called Pagan Belgopsych. The compositions are mostly non-musical offertories to worship their almighty overlord Brohll, but every now and then things just work out as free psychedelic improvisations.

(Taken from Last.fm)

More to come, more to come.....(:

[ Funeral Folk / 2004 / Funeral Folk / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Damnation on tweede Kerstdag (11:08)

---

11:08

Moss - Eternal Return

2010-05-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

On December 25, 2005 the band released its debut album Cthonic Rites on cd via Aurora Borealis Records. Cthonic Rites was produced/recorded in early 2005 at Chuckalumba Studio by Jus Oborn of veteran UK doom metal band Electric Wizard. The first press was available with a live cdr limited to 115 copies, recorded on 20 August 2005 at the Camden Underworld on the 115th birthday of H. P. Lovecraft.

In March 2007 a split 7" single with the French band Monarch was issued on the British doom/psychedelic/punk label Rise Above Records in an edition of 550 copies. On this release, Moss covers the track 'Maimed & Slaughtered' by the British d-beat punk band Discharge. Plans for another split 7", with Japanese d-beaters Disclose, were cancelled with the death of Disclose frontman Kawakami on 5 June. Moss' track 'Crawl (Scrape)' was recorded during the Cthonic Rites sessions and will remain unreleased.

The long delayed expanded vinyl version of Cthonic Rites was released on October 12, 2007 and limited to 1000 copies, 375 of which are a triple vinyl set consisting of the previously self-released extremely limited ep Live Burial. The package featured gatefold and poster artwork by American illustrator Justin Bartlett: http://www.vberkvlt.com. An announcement was also made on the bands' official myspace page that their second album will be recorded in January 2008 and released on Rise Above Records. In addition was the announcement of two shows, which were played in December.

(Read all at Wiki)

It's a vinyl single that is missing on the discography here. About ten minutes full of unholy occultism driven doom metal for you. Enjoy!

Myspace

[ Fuck Yoga/ Superfi Records / 2009 / Doom / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. Eternal Return (09:42)

---

09:42

Mediafire

Rome - Nos Chants Perdus

2010-05-13T02:51:00.000-07:00

ROME is a Luxembourgish dark folk/martial act founded in late 2005 as the main output for the songs of Jerome Reuter and was joined by co-producer Patrick Damiani as official member in early 2008. ROME signed to the Swedish label CMI in 2006 to release an E.P. entitled Berlin (June 2006) and the albums Nera (November 2006), Confessions d’Un Voleur d’Ames (April 2007), Masse Mensch Material (March 2008). In 2009 ROME got signed to the german label Trisol and released the EP To Die Among Strangers (May 2009) and the album Flowers From Exile (June 2009).
In their earlier work ROME mixes influences of Industrial and Post- Folk with Experimental and Electronic Pop. The traditions of (French) Chanson and (American) Folk are becoming more and more influential in their current work. In 2009 violin player Nikos Mavridis officially joined the band to further contribute to the creation of their unique sound, which they themselves refer to as Chanson Noir.

(Taken from Last.fm)

New record from this neofolk gem coming straight outta Luxembourg. Enjoy!

Homepage

[ Trisol / 2010 / Neofolk/Martial-Industrial / VBR ]

Tracklist

01. L'Homme Revolte (01:07)
02. Les Deracines (04:09)
03. Le Chatiment du Traitre (03:44)
04. L'Assassin (04:08)
05. Le Vertige du Vide (03:40)
06. Les Exigences de la Foi (01:57)
07. La Commune (03:12)
08. Sous la Dague (04:17)
09. Les Isles Noires (03:42)
10. Un Adieu a la Folie (03:53)
11. La Rose et la Hache (04:02)
12. Chanson de Gestes (06:02)

---

43:52

Mediafire

Silvester Anfang - We creep within dark Places

2010-05-12T03:59:00.000-07:00

It's somehow appropriate that the CDr of Funeral Folk's Silvester Anfang on 'We creep within dark places' shows medieval demons being cast out. This is a demo CDr of improvised free folk. It's like the soundtrack to a witch purging horror film, tense strings and drunken brass parading with acoustic guitar and hand drums. Often though the music has a doomed beauty about it, on the second track light seems to shine on their funeral coffins through unopened windows. This may be the music of the undead, but they aspire to life. Theirs is a simple music, reduced down to the essentials where child like melodies play over stumbling rhythms. But it is effective, when they collapse into a moment of cohesive harmony, you smile.
It seems genuinely to take them by surprise, they do not know where it will go. Somehow the music is old, yellowed pages in leather bound books. It hangs in the air, like the musty smell in old libraries, familiar and not unwelcome, but out of place. This is muysic for silent films never made of the creeping uneasiness of Ambrose Bierce and Sheridan Le Fanu, masters of the gothic with their crumbling manors of romance beyond death. For the brave in heart and those who say their prayers by night, we cautiously recommend this and all Funeral Folk releases. Toxis lullabies for the buried alive......

(Taken from here)

Third strike in a row now from the evil satanic nihilists hailing from Belgium....

Funeral Folk

[ Funeral Folk / 2005 / Funeral-Folk / CBR@192 ]

Tracklist

01. Silvester Anfang Evokatie (02:01)

02. Man met de Bokkepoot (09:56)

03. Obscure Goat Workship (02:58)

04. Troops of Silvester (08:37)

05. De Verderfzaaier (03:01)

06. Bukkake Ritual (06:12)

07. The End of Tape (02:07)

08. Nachtschade (05:33)

09. Morbid Missions (04:55)

10. Moorderijen der Uhland (03:57)

---

49:23

Mediafire

Silvester Anfang - Heidense Maagden

2010-05-12T03:15:00.000-07:00

Silvester Anfang is the Funeral Folk collective gathered in a free folk droneband. The band started as a three-piece of Per, Edgar and Hellvete, but now the line-up depends on who’s available to record/perform. Together with Ignatius Van Kempenhof and PI666 (who now became a vulcanologist in Switzerland) Silvester Anfang started searching for a sound that might be something called Pagan Belgopsych. The compositions are mostly non-musical offertories to worship their almighty overlord Brohll, but every now and then things just work out as free psychedelic improvisations.

(Taken from Last.fm)

I was looking for a detailed review for this one (just like on the other two records) but this time I didn't find even one, but after listenning to the last two records of Silvester Anfang which I've posted you should know what you're getting. Enjoy!

Funeral Folk

[ Funeral Folk / 2006 / Funeral-Folk / VBR ]

Tracklist

Disc I

01. Introductie (01:50)

02. Orthodoxe Sthapen (28:02)

03. Berhoert int Foreest (08:37)

04. Demonarchie (07:31)

Disc II

05. Wolven (00:36)

06. Geitekeutel (12:22)

07. Zwart (08:22)

08. Ongetiteld (25:02)

---

92:26

Mediafire

Silvester Anfang - Satanische Vrede

2010-05-12T02:52:00.000-07:00

(K-RAA-K) release cloven-hoofed misanthropes Silvester Anfang?s first proper release on thick black wax. And it?s about time. These guys have been spitting out blackened CDRs and cassettes as the Funeral Folk Collective like the San Fernando Valley produces porn and I?m very thankful for one. On the cover the group stand in lush woods, shirtless, their heads covered in white hoods, holding two white goats tethered on ropes, a couple of members holding wooden staffs, and what an impression it makes, but not surprisingly really, what else would you expect from a collective that has band names like Jesus Balls and Chainsaw Gutsfuck.

Anyway, it?s an impressive image and really it does do well in giving an idea of what lays wait inside the recordings. Where in Belgium?s blackest take bells, acoustic strings, electric guitars, flutes, cassettes, melodica, shambolic drumming and who knows what else and making them metal, black metal, blacker than the blackest black times infinity. With ney a power chord in sight this revolving cast of satanic contributors create the soundtrack to mysterious rituals, conjuring the deepest darkest hippie nightmares you?ve never been able to imagine. The first track, "Kraaien op het veld (Demonic Agricultuur II)" opens the LP by building aforementioned shambolic percussion, plucked strings and feedback into a hypnotic thudding raag and chant, until eventually a totally menacing blues guitar punctuates the darkness, leaving you haunted with the ghosts of every blues man that ever sold their soul to old Beelzebub. The rest of the album basically follows suit; slowly developing improvisations that eventually take flight into heavily blackened acoustic jams of the finest order.

This is really a beautiful record, and that?s what makes it menacing in my book. If your reading the pages of this website chances are you probably don?t need to be convinced, but fuck it, I?ll say it anyway, you need this. You know that emptiness you feel inside? This will fix that for a second. Even if the music sucked (which it definitely doesn?t) I?d keep it just for the cover.

(Taken from here)

I mentioned Silvester Anfang some weeks ago, here we go now with more obscure stuff from this weird collective. Enjoy!

Funeral Folk

[ K-RAA-K / 2007 / Funeral-Folk / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Kraaien op het Veld (Demonische Agricultuur II) (13:23)

02. De Vuylaerdt (01:43)

03. Verkraacht door Demonen (07:30)

04. De Gal komt in mijn Mond (03:41)

05. Eenich haijr in de Beutere (04:15)

---

30:34

Mediafire

Venetian Snares - Winnipeg Is A Frozen Shithole

2010-05-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Nine Straight to the floor hardcore gabber tracks on CD format. Likely
the most dance oriented release by Venetian Snares to date!

"Things will be much better for me once I move to Vancouver." Everyone
here in Winnipeg is born with these words ready to launch out off their
tongues from the first -50° school recess they get that very tongue
stuck to the zipper of their parka. This is my tribute to those people!
My love for their hate, this is Winnipeg science gabber! Is Winnipeg
really that shitty a place to live? Yes, it likely is. It's really
fucking cold and people still seem upset about Eric's Trip breaking up.
Sometimes I like to go out and listen to the Sisters of Mercy with like
5 other people that are scared to talk to each other. Mostly we stay
inside, sometimes go to Safeway and get some stuff, I like fruit salad
and cigarettes, but I can't smoke here anymore anywhere and not much
fruit grows here in the warm season, maybe crab apples or something.
Never really liked those and Al hates rhubarb with a passion. I hope to
die here under the wheels of a transit bus with a picture of Randy
Bachman on the side."

This is maybe his harshest and roughes album since today. It's more gabber and hardcore techno then breakcore or idm, but it has it's moment. If you're into Venetian Snares and want to see the dark side, come on over and take a peek.

Myspace

[ Sublight Records / 2005 / Gabber/Hardcore / CBR@320 ]

Tracklist

01. Winnipeg is Frozen Shithole (04:32)

02. Winnipeg is a Dogshit Dildo (03:53)

03. Winnipeg is Fucking over (06:25)

04. Winnipeg is Steven Stapleton's Armpit (02:52)

05. Die Winnipeg Die Die Die Fuckers Die (07:01)

06. Winniped is a mandatory Scat Feed (06:49)

07. Winnie the Dog Pooh (Not half Remix) (04:07)

08. Winnipeg is a boiling Pot of Cranberries (Fanny Remix) (04:21)

09. Die Winnipeg Die Die Die Fuckers Die (Spreading the Hepatitis Skm-Etr Style) (05:17)

---

45:21

Mediafire

Sun City Girls - Dante's Disney Land Inferno

2010-05-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Sun City Girls were an American experimental rock band, formed in 1979 in Phoenix, Arizona. From 1981 the group consisted of Alan Bishop (bass guitar, vocals), his brother Richard Bishop (guitar, piano, vocals), and the late Charles Gocher (drums, vocals). Their name was inspired by Sun City, Arizona, an Arizona retirement community. Charles Gocher died after a long battle with cancer on February 19, 2007, bringing an end to the group.

They found little mainstream success, but they continue to inspire a devoted following and have recorded numerous critically acclaimed albums, released in small editions by labels like Placebo, Majora, Eclipse Records, Amarillo Records, and their own Abduction Records. Their music was hugely varied, spreading across genres such as spoken word, free improvisation, jazz and rock. Their records typically incorporated lyrics that rely heavily on their interests in mysticism, paranormal topics (especially UFOs), religious cults and other esoterica, often also manifested in their song titles, lyrics and album art. Performances by the group were often wildly unpredictable, sometimes verging on performance art, with elaborate costumes, kabuki-inspired makeup, and the creation of a festive, ritualistic atmosphere with audience participation.

Critic Steve Leggett writes, "Throughout its history SCG has remained a challenging, unpredictable, and eclectic musical unit, operating outside the commercially driven aspirations of the mainstream recording industry, and the group has become somewhat of a beacon to independent musicians and artists everywhere." Writing in the Village Voice, Ted Hendrickson argues, "They've never made any sense, conventionally speaking, and that's what makes them fun."

The Sun City Girls should ring a bell in your ears. The Bishop brother's going on a roadtrip here, mixing avantgarde with experimental, psych with freak folk. It's like a melting pot of diverse styles but onto two discs. If you don't have it or don't know them yet, get it.

SunCitySpace

[ Abduction / 1996 / Avantgarde / VBR ]

Tracklist

Disc I

01. Sexy Graveyard (11:51)

02. Hector and Chino (04:32)

03. Soft fragile Eggshell Minds (02:43)

04. A Bad Dream (01:23)

05. The Geography of the Swastika (11:11)

06. Flesh Balloons of Tibet (01:20)

07. Pay the Fiddler (01:54)

08. The Brothers unconnected (03:06)

09. Hippie Conglomerate (00:52)

10. Five Minutes (01:08)

11. Charles Gocher Sr. (07:16)

12. A Man is an Insect is a Flame (02:05)

13. Jack the Ripper (04:43)

14. Persistence of Vision (01:18)

15. Dear Anybody (03:05)

16. A Secret revealed unwittingly (02:35)

17. Helen Waite (04:11)

18. Jessup's Diary (08:34)

---

73:55

Disc II

01. The Ballad of (D)Anger (01:43)

02. Bitter cold Countryside (04:29)

03. Ruby on the ferris Wheel (06:29)

04. The Ballad of Co-Dependency (01:39)

05. Joan of Arc (03:20)

06. Holiday for Shakespeare (02:47)

07. The Harley of Horror (08:42)

08. Let's Pretend (02:02)

09. Floppy Pus (01:09)

10. Bloody Zipper (01:30)

11. Family of Nails (02:22)

12. Fourteen (07:29)

13. Sal Manilla (02:57)

14. Six Kids of mine (03:34)

15. Dan and Ross (01:46)

16. Book of Revelations (06:56)

17. Bird of Prey (06:21)

---

65:23

Mediafire

Pasteboard - Glitter

2010-05-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

pasteboard is a guitar pop and shoegaze project by roly poly rag bear members 田之上美穂子 (Mihoko Tanoue) and 五十嵐誠 (Makoto Igarashi) formed in 2001. In 2002, pasteboard was ranked #1 on the Japanese music website MUSIC Watch. They made their debut in 2005 with the release of their album “glitter”, but have since put their activities on pause to focus on roly poly rag bear.

(more on Last.fm)

This is some nice shoegaze/dream pop for fans of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. Check it out!

Pasteboard - Glitter

(abcdefg*record / 2005 / Shoegaze/Dream Pop / V0)

Tracklist

01. Breakbeats 3:10
02. Cacao 2:50
03. Flipper 4:01
04. Freesoul 4:38
05. Nowhere 2:27
06. Shoegazer 2:29
07. Slowdive 4:49
08. Squall 3:37
09. Starchart 2:23

Mediafire

Thisquietarmy - Aftermath

2010-05-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Eric Quach is a guitarist and sound engineer who performs under the name thisquietarmy. He is also the guitarist and founding member of the Montreal-based instrumental rock band Destroyalldreamers (Where Are My Records, Claire’s Echo).

As thisquietarmy, a one-man solo drone/ambient project, Quach composes visual guitar-based soundscapes and experimental music that goes beyond the typical song structure. By exploring his guitar as a tone generator, he furthers the boundaries of his instrument with the use of multiple effect processors & real-time loop-samplers, alternating the guitar signal’s shape and tone, blending textures over textures, merging a wide combination of sounds together and developing the melodies hidden in these walls of sound. Concrete musical ideas are often generated by the re-interpretation, the decomposition and the reconstruction of its own improvisations.

thisquietarmy has released two albums « Unconquered » and « Blackhaunter » in 2008, respectively on Poland’s Foreshadow Productions and USA’s Elevation Recordings. He has also released several EPs including: « Wintersleeper » (2005) and « Orange » (2006), both on his own imprint TQA Records, « Echotone » (2007) on Canada’s Chat Blanc Records.

In 2009, thisquietarmy brought his music across the ocean with an extensive European tour in Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Czech Republic and Poland, with Nadja.

(more on Last.fm)

This is the new release of this really nice drone/ambient/shoegaze band, which has also released some collaborations with Aidan Baker. For fans of drony soundscapes. Enjoy it!

Thisquietarmy - Aftermath

(Basses Frequences / 2010 / Drone/Post-Rock/Shoegaze/Ambient / VBR 247 kbp/s)

Tracklist

01. The Hierarchy of Angels 8:03
02. Heaven and Earth 6:11
03. The Iron Harvest 5:11
04. Melted Lead on Ashen Fields 9:41
05. Finding the Fallen 11:05
06. Unearthing the Past 6:49

Mediafire

Before the Rain - ...One Day Less

2010-05-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Before The Rain was first shaped in 1997 in Setúbal, Portugal, when vocalist Carlos D’Agua and guitar player Valter Cunha began to share musical ideas that ended as acoustic songs. As time passed by, the acoustic sounds weren’t enough to express the emotions and feelings unleashed by Valter and Carlos, and in 1998 they decided to seek the remaining members for the band. But it wasn’t until 2001 that a stable line-up was found: Carlos: voice; Valter: guitar; Tiago Ferreira: guitar; Andre Vasconcelos: bass; Goncalo Brito: drums.

With this line-up, the band recorded two songs in December 2001: “Be Mine” and “You … My Ruin”. This recording was entitled “…and with the day dying light”, and was never properly distributed, except for a strict number of individuals, somehow close to the band.

In August 2003 the band records a new song called “The Swansong”. At this stage, Tiago and Andre are no longer in the line-up and Hugo Santos joins the fold as new guitar player. Shortly after “The Swansong” studio session, the band parts ways with drummer Goncalo Brito. Then came long time friend and gifted bass player Pedro Daniel and drummer Goncalo Correia to complete what’s the strongest line-up to date. The band then enters studio to record what will turn out to be their debut album, entitled “One Day Less”.

The album “One Day Less” is out on July 30th 2007 through Major Label Industries

(more on Last.fm)

I found this release when it was released in 2007, I was just getting into Doom Metal, especially Death Doom and until today, this is one of my favorite albums in this genre. I hope you enjoy it like me!

Before the Rain - ...One Day Less

(Major Label Industries / 2007 / Death Doom / 320 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Wounds of Rejection 12:10
02. You... My Ruin 06:41
03. Paragraph 03:33
04. Frameless 09:54
05. Be Mine 16:01
06. One Day Less 17:57

Mediafire

Warning - Discography

2010-05-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

Warning was a doom metal band formed in Harlow, Essex (England, UK).

The band was formed in 1994 by Patrick Walker and Stuart Springthorpe. They were notable for their downtempo, progressive, melodic, heavy and doom-laden sound; the idiosyncratic and poignant vocals of Patrick Walker; and his introspective, darkly confessional lyrical themes.

The band released two demo tapes, Revelation Looms in February 1996 and Blessed By The Sabbath in March 1997 which led them to gain underground metal press attention and label interest.

Warning’s debut album The Strength To Dream was released in 1999 via The Miskatonic Foundation (owned and run by Richard M. Walker of Solstice). With this album Warning gained a cult status within doom metal circles, but they soon disbanded after their 2001 European tour with Jack Frost. They regrouped in 2004 to write new songs and to perform at The Doom Shall Rise festival (Germany) in 2005, and released a second album Watching From A Distance (also via The Miskatonic Foundation) in 2006 to wide acclaim.

Both albums were re-issued on CD in 2008 by the label Cyclone Empire, The Strength To Dream being re-packaged in new sleeve artwork. Similarly the albums were released by the Metal Supremacy label as gatefold double-vinyl editions limited to 500 copies each, 125 of each pressed on coloured vinyl.

(more on Last.fm)

Myspace

Regular Studio Albums

Warning - The Strength to Dream

(The Miskatonic Foundation / 1999 / Traditional Funeral Doom / 194 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. The Return 11:42
02. The Face That Never Dies 7:12
03. Something Hurts 7:48
04. How Can it Happen? 10:10
05. The Strength to Dream 13:30

Mediafire

Warning - Watching From A Distance

(The Miskatonic Foundation / 2006 / Traditional Funeral Doom / VBR2 214 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Watching From a Distance 12:06
02. Footprints 7:31
03. Bridges 11:30
04. Faces 8:31
05. Echoes 10:16

Mediafire

Demos

Warning - Revelation Looms

(Independent / 1996 / Traditional Funeral Doom / 128 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Witches Kiss 6:31
02. Revelation Looms 9:07
03. Born as One 4:20

Mediafire

Warning - Blessed By The Sabbath

(Independent / 1997 / Traditional Funeral Doom / 128 kbp/s)

Tracklist
01. Cemetary Eyes 7:23
02. The Raven 7:50
03. Nightmare Bride 9:13

Mediafire

Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder

2010-05-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Melvins are an American band formed in Montesano, Washington in 1982. In the early days of their career their dark, heavy, oppressively slow sound made them innovators of genres like sludge, grunge and doom metal. Melvins’ music is influenced by Flipper, Black Flag’s My War-era hardcore punk and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, but their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka “King Buzzo”) and drummer Dale Crover are constant members while several bass guitarists have cycled through the group. Melvins usually performed as a trio until 2006 when two members of Big Business became permanent members of the band.

The band was named after a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne was employed. Melvin was the most-hated fellow employee and the band felt it to be an appropriate name. Like SF noisenik predecessors Flipper, their love of slow tempos and sludgy sound were a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound.

(more on Last.fm)

Here it is, the new album of Melvins! Enjoy it!

Myspace

(Ipecac Recordings / 2010 / Sludge/Stoner/Grunge / VBR2 208 kbp/s)

Tracklist

01. The Water Glass (4:16)
02. Evil New War God (4:48)
03. Pig House (5:29)
04. I'll Finish You Off (4:57)
05. Electric Flower (3:27)
06. Hospital Up (5:38)
07. Inhumanity And Death (3:03)
08. My Generation (7:39)
09. P.G. x 3 (6:20)

Mediafire