Nucleus Torn - Knell

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

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Devin Townsend Project - Addicted!

Devin Townsend Project begins where Ziltoid the Omniscient left off, with Devin Townsend at the helm. The project is a planned four-album series. Rather than a specific line-up of musicians, as he utilized in The Devin Townsend Band, and rather than performing the entirety of the music himself, as in Ziltoid the Omniscient, the Devin Townsend Project will feature a number of different musicians for each album.

The first release, Ki, is set to be available for purchase by late May and early June 2009. For Ki, Townsend recruited veteran jazz drummer Duris Maxwell, local bassist Jean Savoie, and the former keyboardist for The Devin Townsend Band, Dave Young. Devin has also recruited Ché Dorval as an additional vocalist.

The second release is titled Addicted. Planned to be a heavy, simplistic, and straightforward rock album, it serves as the bridge from the quieter Ki to the expected zany metal tones of the album following it. The line-up thus far confirmed is Ryan Van Poederooyen (also a veteran of The Devin Townsend Band) on the drums, another member of the DTB Brian Waddell on the bass, and Anneke van Giersbergen (notable from The Gathering, Agua de Annique and Ayreon) on an unspecified amount of vocals.

The third and fourth albums are called Deconstruction and Ghost, with further concrete details forthcoming.

(more on Last.fm)

Myspace

(HevyDevy Records / 2009 / Ambient/Progressive Metal/Rock / 320kbp/s)

Tracklist
1. Addicted! 5:37
2. Universe In A Ball! 4:09
3. Bend It Like Bender! 3:37
4. Supercrush! 5:13
5. Hyperdrive! 3:36
6. Resolve! 3:12
7. Ih-Ah! 3:45
8. The Way Home! 3:14
9. Numbered! 4:55
10. Awake! 9:44

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Devin Townsend Project - Ki

Devin Townsend Project begins where Ziltoid the Omniscient left off, with Devin Townsend at the helm. The project is a planned four-album series. Rather than a specific line-up of musicians, as he utilized in The Devin Townsend Band, and rather than performing the entirety of the music himself, as in Ziltoid the Omniscient, the Devin Townsend Project will feature a number of different musicians for each album.

The first release, Ki, is set to be available for purchase by late May and early June 2009. For Ki, Townsend recruited veteran jazz drummer Duris Maxwell, local bassist Jean Savoie, and the former keyboardist for The Devin Townsend Band, Dave Young. Devin has also recruited Ché Dorval as an additional vocalist.

The second release is titled Addicted. Planned to be a heavy, simplistic, and straightforward rock album, it serves as the bridge from the quieter Ki to the expected zany metal tones of the album following it. The line-up thus far confirmed is Ryan Van Poederooyen (also a veteran of The Devin Townsend Band) on the drums, another member of the DTB Brian Waddell on the bass, and Anneke van Giersbergen (notable from The Gathering, Agua de Annique and Ayreon) on an unspecified amount of vocals.

The third and fourth albums are called Deconstruction and Ghost, with further concrete details forthcoming.

(more on Last.fm)

Myspace

(HevyDevy Records / 2008 / Ambient/Progressive Metal/Rock / 320kbp/s)

Tracklist

1. A Monday 1:43
2. Coast 4:36
3. Disruptr 5:49
4. Gato 5:23
5. Terminal 6:58
6. Heaven Send 8:54
7. Ain't Never Gonna Win 3:17
8. Winter 4:48
9. Trainfire 5:59
10. Lady Helen 6:05
11. Ki 7:21
12. Quiet Riot 3:02
13. Demon League 2:55

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Ikuinen Kaamos - Fall Of Icons

Ikuinen Kaamos are a metal band from Joensuu, Finland. Formed in 1997, they released four demos in the years 1997 - 2004 which are mainly directed to the underground black metal scene. The bands current style begins to take shape in the later demos as Ikuinen Kaamos start to soak up influences from death, doom and progressive metal.

In 2005, Ikuinen Kaamos signed a record deal with the Dutch label Descent Productions and as a result, release their debut album “The Forlorn” in 2006. It is an ambitious release that captures the passion and creativity of Ikuinen Kaamos. The lyrical concept is based upon the story of an old man who murdered his wife and child decades ago, and who now struggles with faith and guilt. Spiraling riffs and progressive rhythms alternating from high-speed passages to acoustic interludes merge with a sepulchral voice to drown the listener deeper and deeper into a timeless emotional abyss. “The Forlorn” is a unique album that captivates from the beginning to the end.

In 2007, Ikuinen Kaamos record their sophomore album which is due to be released in January 2008. After repeated delays in releasing the album, their old label informs the band of their eventual inability to release it due to financial issues. Fed up and tired of letting their impatient fans wait for new musical outputs, the band decides to release three songs from the album as a free downloadable EP entitled “Closure”. It incorporates more progressive elements while maintaining the utterly melancholic atmosphere for which Ikuinen Kaamos are known for. The EP introduces clean vocals which support a wider range of extreme vocals in their lament.

(more on Last.fm)

Myspace

Tracklist
1. Indoctrination Of The Lost
2. Statues
3. In Ruins
4. Condemned
5. Apart

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Borknagar - Universal

Borknagar is a band from Bergen, Norway founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band began as a black/viking metal band and quickly adopted a more progressive metal style after their first album.

As such, the band’s most known style would be that of progressive black metal, with most of their albums taking from this style. Borknagar’s lyrics often deal with philosophy, paganism, nature, and the cosmos. Øystein Brun stated once that the name was inspired by a Scottish legend about a man who climbed Lochnagar, a mountain in Scotland.

Borknagar rose out of the ashes of the Norwegian death metal band Molested when then-member Øystein G. Brun became tired of the brutal aspects of the band’s music. Øystein formed Borknagar to explore a more melodic outlet of expression; he wrote all of the music and lyrics and gathered together an all-star group of black metal musicians to play in his band. Well-known musicians of the black metal scene (such as Infernus of Gorgoroth, Grim of Immortal and Gorgoroth, Ivar Bjørnson from Enslaved, Garm of Ulver, Head Control System, and ex-Arcturus) joined the project, bringing immediate attention to Borknagar. The band never even recorded a demo – they simply asked for a record contract on Malicious Records and were granted their request. Borknagar’s majestic, melodic sound was instantly liked by many and received positive press attention.

(more on Last.fm)

Myspace

Tracklist
1. Havoc
2. Reason
3. The Stir of Seasons
4. For a Thousand Years to Come
5. Abrasion Tide
6. Fleshflower
7. Worldwide
8. My Domain (feat. guest vocals by I.C.S Vortex)
9. Coalition of the Elements (Bonus)
10. Loci (Bonus)

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Psychotic Waltz - Bleeding

Psychotic Waltz is a progressive-hippie (!) metal band from San Diego, California. They were formed in 1986 and recorded four studio albums in ninetees. Original line-up included Buddy Lackey on vocals, Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin on guitars, Ward Evans (Slojkowski) on bass and Norman Leggio on drums. In 1994 Ward was replaced by Phil Cuttino, and in 1996 Brian decided to quit the band, giving the place to Steve Cox.

(Taken from last.fm)

Tracklist
1. Faded
2. Locust
3. Morbid
4. Bleeding
5. Need
6. Drift
7. Northern Lights
8. Sleep
9. My Grave
10. Skeleton
11. Freedom?

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Yakuza - Transmutations

With high praise from the metal press, local and national newspapers, and highbrow publications alike, Chicago’s Yakuza has succeeded in garnering attention of all kinds, all the while not compromising the band’s free-flowing and spontaneous musical integrity. Yakuza stays deeply rooted in a genre all its own: a metal base with progressive flair, while incorporating elements of jazz, world beat, and post-rock ambience. Picture (if you can) a mixture of King Crimson, all periods of John Coltrane’s career, Tortoise, and Napalm Death. The end result is captivating, a sound that Rolling Stone, Revolver, Alternative Press, the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Tribune, All That Jazz and countless others all agree is refreshingly original and technically proficient, all the while still staying very metal.

Yakuza has always fundamentally been about bending the rules of preconceived musical limitations without ever having to utter a word about it, the Yakuza sound speaks for itself. Samsara, the new record and ensuing journey, is full of peaks and valleys, overtly harsh and aggressive at points, yet mind-trippingly mellow at others. The contrasting soundscapes collide together in an effective symbiosis, creating one of the most all-inclusive albums since Pink Floyds The Wall. Skillfully weaving saxophone melodies and eerie musical landscapes alongside scathing metal riffs and screams alongside an intensely musical rhythm section, Yakuza cannot be considered an acquired taste - it is taste.

(Taken from Last.fm)

Myspace

Tracklist

1. Meat Curtains

2. Egocide

3. Congestive Art Failure

4. Praying for Asteroids

5. Raus

6. Steal the Fire

7. The Blinding

8. Existence into Oblivion

9. Perception Management

10. Black Market Liver

11. Zombies

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Baroness - Blue Record

Baroness plays an eclectic brand of heavy metal, embracing the ferocity and sharp technique of new-millennium metal but with melodic accents and intelligent guitar work that suggests the influence of sludge and post-punk bands.

The four members of Baroness — John Baizley on guitar and vocals, Pete Adams on guitar, Summer Welch on bass, and Allen Blickle on drums — are all originally from Lexington, VA, but they pulled up stakes and relocated to Savannah, GA, when they formed the band in mid-2003.

Baroness made their recording debut in 2005 with First, a three-song EP released through Savannah-based indie label Hyperrealist Records. A second EP from Baroness, simply called Second, appeared in stores later the same year. In 2006, Baroness teamed up with another offbeat but powerful band from Savannah, Unpersons, for a split EP entitled A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk released through At a Loss Records.
In 2007, Baroness signed with the well-respected independent metal label Relapse Records, and in the fall of 2007 they issued their first full-length disc, The Red Album, followed by extensive touring. They have since also released the Blue Record.

BARONESS is:

Allen Blickle- drums
Summer Welch – bass
John Baizley – guitars, vocals
Pete Adams – guitars, vocals

(from Last.fm)

This is their second Full-Length output from 2009! Another sludge masterpiece! Enjoy!

Myspace

Tracklist
1. Bullhead's Psalm
2. The Sweetest Curse
3. Jake Leg
4. Steel That Sleeps The Eye
5. Swollen And Halo
6. Ogeechee Hymnal
7. A Horse Called Golgotha
8. O'er Hell And Hide
9. War, Wisdom And Rhyme
10. Blackpowder Orchard
11. The Gnashing
12. Bullhead's Lament

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Baroness - Red Album

Baroness plays an eclectic brand of heavy metal, embracing the ferocity and sharp technique of new-millennium metal but with melodic accents and intelligent guitar work that suggests the influence of sludge and post-punk bands.

The four members of Baroness — John Baizley on guitar and vocals, Pete Adams on guitar, Summer Welch on bass, and Allen Blickle on drums — are all originally from Lexington, VA, but they pulled up stakes and relocated to Savannah, GA, when they formed the band in mid-2003.

Baroness made their recording debut in 2005 with First, a three-song EP released through Savannah-based indie label Hyperrealist Records. A second EP from Baroness, simply called Second, appeared in stores later the same year. In 2006, Baroness teamed up with another offbeat but powerful band from Savannah, Unpersons, for a split EP entitled A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk released through At a Loss Records.
In 2007, Baroness signed with the well-respected independent metal label Relapse Records, and in the fall of 2007 they issued their first full-length disc, The Red Album, followed by extensive touring. They have since also released the Blue Record.

BARONESS is:

Allen Blickle- drums
Summer Welch – bass
John Baizley – guitars, vocals
Pete Adams – guitars, vocals

(from Last.fm)

This is their first Full-Length output! A sludge masterpiece! Enjoy!

Myspace

Tracklist
1. Rays On Pinion
2. The Birthing
3. Isak
4. Wailing Wintry Wind
5. Cockroach En Fleur
6. Wanderlust
7. Aleph
8. Teeth Of A Cogwheel
9. Grad
10. O’Appalachia
11. Untitled

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