In 2010,
Anathema released album of the year in We’re Here Because We’re Here, now just
less than two years on, its follow-up Weather Systems has arrived, an uncharacteristically
short space of time for the band to release a new record. But how does it fare
against its monumental predecessor? Click HERE for the full review.
Good Friday
Massacre takes place next week on…. well, Good Friday at Subground Fortythree,
on 43 Gardiner Lane. A fundraiser gig for the establishment of an independent
DIY venue in the Dublin, the bill includes noise punks Contort, the ferocious
Disguise, Fag Enablerz and one of those so very unique cover sets from Complan
Complan. Also, there’s Guerrilla Trash Disaster – a slot dedicated to those to
form a band for the night. Following all that, there’ll be DJs into the night.
Suggested
donations are €8, and if you’re feeling generous to give more, you’ll surely
not be refused. Food at 7.30 with bands kicking of 8.30 and of course it’s BYOB
and remember to pick up your fine beverages on Thursday as no alcohol can sold
on Good Friday. Thanks, Intoxicating Liquor Act 1962.
Wolfbrigade
have posted another new song. The first taster was released a few weeks ago and
this time around we’re treated to ‘Feed The Flames’, which Blow The Scene are
streaming right now. Taken from their Southern Lord debut, Damned, ‘Feed the
Flames’ has all the hallmarks of the band’s searing d-beat with Micke Dahl
sounding utterly pissed off, spitting out his corrosive vocals. Just what you
want from a Wolfbrigade song really.
The latest
filth ridden spawn from Dublin’s hardcore scene Disguise, featuring members of
Crowd Control and ZOM, have posted a two song demo online. They made their live
debut back in January with an utterly ferocious and hostile set and this demo
is just that. Grimy riffs and fierce reverb drenched vocals are all in tow, all
with a nod to noisy Japanese hardcore punk. The two, as expected, short songs
can be streamed below. There’s still no news on a physical release of the demo
or any other tracks yet.
It’s been
nearly four years since Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, Sigur Rós’
last album. Where does the time go? Well, finally the band is set to release
their new album, Valtari, in May and have been so kind as to post a new song
online – ‘Ekki Múkk’. Supposedly this album will be even more electronics and
strings based. This new song is littered with affecting strings and synths all
accentuated by Jónsi’s instantly
recognisable soft croon. It’s beautifully minimalist; a sound that often sees
Sigur Rós at their finest. Have a listen.
Valtari
tracklisting
1 Êg Anda
2 Ekki Múkk
3 Varúð
4 Rembihnûtur
5 Dauðalogn
6 Varðeldur
7 Valtari
8 Fjögur Píanó
…and it’s a doozy.
Pig Destroyer will play the festival in Leeds on November 3rd, their first UK
show in eight years. The grindcore legends are the first of what is sure to be
another stellar bill for Damnation. Click HERE for more info.
I’m a little
bit late getting on this, but last week was pretty hectic. But the wonderfully
weird Horseback posted a new song, ‘Ahriman’, from their new album, Half Blood,
their first album with Relapse Records, after the label re-released some of
their older records last year. If you’re unfamiliar with Horseback… where to
start?
‘Ahriman’ is
just hypnotic with sleek, meandering guitars, which are met by harsh, corrosive
vocals. This is a band that can be beautifully atmospheric and ambient but
strangely, get into your face at the same time. It’s psychedelic and strangely
meditative. There really aren’t that many other bands that sound like Horseback.
Pelican have
been a little quiet for a while now, especially after the touring ended in
support of last album, 2009’s What We All Come To Need. In that time, the
instrumental outfit regrouped and prepared for a new chapter to open, and now
with a new EP due for release on April 10th, entitled Ataraxia/Taraxis, the
band is fully back in our consciousness. Guitarist, Trevor de Brauw speaks
about how the EP came together and where Pelican stand in the future.
First of all, what is the meaning behind
the title of the new EP, Ataraxia/Taraxis?
Like all
things, title wise, it’s sort of a nebulous concept. It’s not meant to mean
anything specific and meant to be open to a range of interpretations. Ataraxia
and Taraxis are more or less of contradictory meaning. Ataraxia is one of the
basic elements of the Epicurean philosophy, one of the Ancient Greek schools of
thought. Ataraxia is to be free from fear or anxiety. Taraxis is more like its
opposite.
For all of
us, there’s this mounting anxiety in the world that’s come on from over
exposure to information, not that that’s a bad thing but that in the
post-information age, there’s such an overwhelming sense of information coming
at you that’s too fast to process. In a way, the title is a yearning for something
a little more simplistic. That impulse is not always a good thing because you
may shut yourself from the wave of information coming over you. [It’s] an
anti-progressive stance. The title is supposed to be a philosophical conundrum
of sorts.
When did you start writing for this EP? Was
it a long process?
Yeah, I
would say so. Some of the songs have their basis in stuff we were working on
when we were writing the last album [What We All Come To Need], but we didn’t
start initiating anything until really recently. After the last album came out,
we reached a wall in terms of touring and we all needed to step away and take a
break and take stock of what was going on, not only with the band, but with our
personal lives because touring continuously for the better of seven years had
taken its toll on us, psychologically.
The band is
not all located in the same city. During the writing of this EP, Bryan [Herweg,
bass] and Larry [Herweg, drums] both lived in California and Laurent
[Schroeder-Lebec, guitars] and myself live in Chicago. Since we weren’t
touring, we didn’t see each other as much. In the past, on tour, we would find
time to write, or before and after the tour. With this outing, it was less
centralised. It did take quite a while to figure out what a new writing process
could look like in this band. With the aid of technology and file trading,
everybody had access to it, and we have some sort of home recording set up, we
were able to piece together [the songs].
Former Isis drummer Aaron Harris was involved
in the recording of the EP. How did you come about working with him and what
was he like to work with?
That’s
what’s interesting about this EP; I actually never worked with Aaron. The
recording of this EP was very fragmented and it was very different from
anything we’ve done in the past. We’ve had elements of trading files back and
forth to learn each other’s parts and we’d always have moments where we learned
the songs together and play in a room together and then go to a studio, but
with this recording, it wasn’t like that at all. Larry literally went to the
studio with Aaron Harris and recorded his drum parts and sent them to us and
then we recorded our parts in Chicago. We never entered a studio with Aaron or
Larry at all. We’ve known Aaron for a really long time and he has done live
sounds for us in LA on a couple of occasions, so Larry and him are really close
friends. It really made sense to do the drums with him because we needed the
sound to be good.
You released an EP called Ephemeral in
early 2009 and followed it with an album later in the year. Is something
similar planned for 2012?
We
definitely had a sense that we wanted to precede the next album with an EP,
which is something we’ve done on all of our albums except for City of Echoes.
In this case, unlike the other times, we don’t have a recording date set up for
the next record. We aren’t done writing the new album. In some ways it’s meant
to set up the next record but in other ways it’s meant as a standalone piece
because we’re not exactly sure when the next record is going to happen.
Just how much of the next album is written?
We have a
couple of songs done and many other things that we’re hashing out. It’s coming
together in pieces, but it’s starting to have some form to it.
You’ve got some European touring coming up
soon, including a set at Roadburn. What will be your touring plans for the rest
of the year?
Not that
much, honestly. When we hit our wall with touring, all of us had to go and get
jobs [laughs], because there was no other way to sustain ourselves. It’s harder
to make time for touring than it used to be. We can’t really get out on the
road for several months of the year. So this European tour is rather brief,
it’s two weeks, which is one of our shortest journeys over there. We’ll try to
do something else; we’re trying to find means to go back to other places, like
Japan and Australia. Obviously, we would like to play in the States as well. In
terms of longer tours, it’s not as possible as it used to be.
You’re currently running a contest for a
fan to create a music video for the track ‘Lathe Biosas’, which is open until
April 3rd. Why did you decide to open up the making of the video to fans?
People are
always coming to us with their art and suggesting that we work with them. More
often than not, it’s visual art for record sleeves or t-shirts. With regards to
those things, we have a very tight knit network of people to work with. Whereas
with the videos, we know a few people that do that. We wanted to open it up to
people and see what they had, because we know that we have so many creative
fans. It just seemed like an interesting idea and something that would engage
our fan base. We wanted to see what was possible. People always offer their
services for things that we don’t really have an opening for, so maybe we could
make an opening available.
Have you seen any of the entries yet?
I haven’t
had a chance to see any yet but I’m looking forward to looking over everything.
Regarding the cover of Ataraxia/Taraxis,
who did the artwork for this release?
We went back
to the same guy who did the photography for What We All Come To Need, a friend
of ours from Arizona, Andrew Weiss. The photography was strong so we just had
Aaron [Edge] from Southern Lord do the whole layout over the photography
untouched. It was supposed to tie back to the Ephemeral EP; it was also just
photos that were relatively untampered with. We kind of wanted to develop an
untampered with photography theme for our Southern Lord EPs, where in some of
our other artwork there’s a lot more affecting the photography.
Outside of Pelican, some of you are
involved in other projects. Larry is also in Aeges who have a new record out
next month too. Do you or the rest of the band have other projects that you’re
working on?
Bryan and Laurent,
not much. I have an ambient group called Chord, we’ve done a couple of records
and we have more records coming out in the spring on a UK label called MIEMusic. Then I have a band that’s kind of hard to classify that I play in bass
in. They’re kind of a gothy pop band called Let’s Pet. We’re actually recording
but I don’t know what we’re going to do with the recordings.
Ataraxia/Taraxis
is released April 10th on Southern Lord. Click HERE for Pelican’s full European
tour dates for next month.
You’ve all
heard those albums that straight away exude a certain feeling, often the most
palpable being the most negative like hopelessness and nihilism. Arms of Ra’s
Unnamed is an album that portrays a lot of this. The Parisians’ first album is
an incredibly bleak work of sludge, branded by a blackened drape over the short
31 minute running time. For the most part, Unnamed is agonisingly slow and
pummelling, but can take in moments of pace, drawing from the band’s hardcore
tendencies. It’s the perfect complement to the album’s doomiest elements.
It’s a
record that sounds possessed, all attributed to vocalist Mathieu. His searing
screech is the record’s focal point and commands the listener’s attention as he
draws you into Arms of Ra’s harrowingly desolate world.
A concept
album, Unnamed features six “independent” songs that converge for one grander
scheme, detailing the “story of a man trying to deconstruct himself and
disappear from society”. The vague plot of this tale actually goes a long way
in capturing the essence of this album’s sound. Each of the six songs has their
own unique edge, but this is still an album that requires you listen through,
with undivided attention.
Unnamed may
conjure up a lot of emotion and vitriol, but that’s not to say that it is not
without its flaws. Firstly, at only 31 minutes, the album is criminally short,
leaving behind a feeling of vacancy after the agonisingly slow doom of closer,
‘To Be Acknowledged is to Exist’. In that time though, Arms of Ra accomplish
quite a bit. ‘Personnalite décharnee’ cascades with dissonant vibes throughout
giving way to the short title track and the wounding passages of ‘Write My Name
and Forget It’.
Definitely
some interesting things afoot with this band, it’s nothing to stop the press
for yet but most certainly one to keep an eye on in the future.
California’s
blackened d-beat outfit, Black Monolith will release a new EP called Passenger
later this year, with no release date confirmed yet. However, the band is
streaming a new song now called ‘Adhere’. What’s different straight away from
the demo released last year is the length of this new song. It’s over eight
minutes long, quite a breakaway from the one and a half minute or four minute bursts of fury
on the demo. The track is a rumbling mammoth of dissonance from start to end,
very much in the same vein as the demo but of course elongated, but not losing
anyone’s interest in the slightest.
Black
Monolith released their three track demo last year to much praise. Its
devastating and caustic tracks were a crushing delight, and was definitely one
of the most austere and belligerent hardcore demos released in 2011, up there
with Hexis and Crows. The demo is still available for free download HERE.
Scion A/V
are streaming a new Meshuggah song right now, the opening track off their
stunning new record, Koloss. ‘I Am Colossus’ is also available for free
download so by all means, check out this crushing, slow burning number from the
influential Swedes and read what drummer, Tomas Haake had to say about the
song below. My full review and thoughts on the record will be in the next issue
of Molten Magazine.It
appears that this download was hurriedly made available in response to the
record leaking online this week. Perhaps this will sate the people that are still
waiting for their copy to arrive in the mail or whatever but realistically,
they’re a tiny minority. Regardless, Koloss is monumental record for Meshuggah
in a time where they needed to reassert their greatness and it may be an album
that kickstarts a new era for the band as a creative entity.
“'I Am
Colossus' is way more straightforward than the thrash metal we grew up with. At
the same time, it does pose its own difficulties for us as players. It will
probably be one of the first songs we attempt to play on tour. The solo - which
is basically two long notes that are slow bends - just turned out beautiful.
Such an understatement as a guitar solo. Sometimes a slow song is just as
aggressive as a fast one.”
Old Man
Gloom, the ‘supergroup’ of sorts featuring Aaron Turner of Isis, Nate Newton of
Converge and Cave In’s Caleb Scofield amongst others, are back, with a short
string of shows confirmed for May in the US, including dates in Boston, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, Hamden, CT and Brooklyn. The band has been inactive, and sorely missed,
for some time now. There is no news beyond this run of shows but Old Man Gloom’s
re-emergence is something to celebrate. Will there be a new album? Who knows.
For now, reacquaint yourself with this song.
Cattle
Decapitation are streaming a new song now called ‘A Living, Breathing
Defecating Piece of Meat’, and it’s taken from their new album, Monolith of
Inhumanity, coming out in May. The band played this song live last Friday in
Dublin during their ferocious set, which included plenty of new songs and this
was one vicious example, and the recording here now only reinforces that. The
band’s brand of deathgrind is firmly intact with the rich production that has featured
on their most recent output, but it serves the song well, which also sees
vocalist Travis Ryan utilise his manic, almost (I said almost) clean vocal
style in the chorus. Check it out below.
Yes, you
read that right. Former Death members Paul Masvidal, Shannon Hamm, Bobby
Koelble, Steve DiGiorgio, Scott Clendenin, Gene Hoglan and Sean Reinert will
play five exclusive shows to celebrate the life of legendary Death founder
Chuck Schuldiner and raise funds for Sweet Relief, a charity that helps
musicians with no insurance to get the medical help and care they may need.
This once in
a lifetime tour will take in five shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago,
New York and Orlando. Check out the teaser video below. More names and bands
are expected to be announced. Whatever way you look at it this is a good cause,
even if only 20% of ticket sales are going to the charity when they perhaps should
be getting a bigger slice of the cake.
Since Chuck’s
passing, Death’s legacy has lived on triumphantly but has been abused from time
to time with shameless reissues. This however is something I can get behind.
Nick
Dellacroce from Bongripper has a new powerviolence band called Consent and they’ve
released an EP called Conception. Check it out by clicking HERE for the review.
French tech
death metallers Gorod are preparing the release of their new album, A Perfect
Absolution and are currently streaming a new song, ‘Carved In The Wind’. The
storming track is just one of the ludicrously technical barrages that feature
on the record. Have a listen to it below. There’ll be a full review of the
record in the next issue of Molten Magazine. This album is tight and as hell
definitely one of the best tech death records of recent years.
Last week, I
had the pleasure of interviewing Earth’s Dylan Carlson again. Having just
released the new Earth album Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II and
commenced touring, Dylan spoke quite a bit about the album and how it relates
to part one, and playing it all live. Most interestingly though, he gives some
insight into the work he begins soon on his first solo record as well as
confirmed collaborators. Click HERE to read the full interview feature.
Yesterday’s
serving of new Irish black metal from Eternal Helcaraxe just wasn’t enough because
Sodb have premiered a new song now too. The still relatively new black metal
outfit, featuring Altar of Plagues drummer Johnny King as well as former and
current members of The Dagda and Fuck You Written in Shit, are preparing the
release of their first demo and have debuted this new song, ‘Old and Withered
Form’. With some pretty impressive gigs under their belt over the last year, this
demo has to be a rather anticipated one. It is for me anyway. Of all the times
I caught them live they were just killer. This razor sharp offering is a beast
from start to finish, doing them some justice both in brutality and the eerie
shades of melody that scamper underneath. The four track cassette will be
available soon and the band is playing at The Siege of Limerick.
Cavan black
metallers Eternal Helcaraxe will release their first full-length album, Against
All Odds, in the coming months on US label Abyss Records. Currently, the band
is streaming two new songs from the record, which you can hear below. The
first, ‘Invictus’, is an epic in every sense of word, its true meaning that is.
With beautifully lush string arrangements, the whole orchestral feel to this
song is its greatest strength alongside the searing riffs and towering vocals.
‘Shadow of
the Wolf’ is much more on the brutal end of things with a pummelling drum sound, the
song is shorter and more focused on belligerent riffage than ‘Invictus’. It’s
definitely not as gripping as ‘Invictus’, but nonetheless a powerful song.
Finally,
after some delays, issue seven of Molten magazine is on sale now, with cover
stars Cannibal Corpse. This issue features my five-page special on the Hail the
Gods of Winter show back in late January. On the record reviews front, from me,
there’s Soulfly, Goatwhore, Chimp Spanner, Terrorizer, Desaster and The Last
Twilight. Pick up your copy in Eason.
The Grind That Annoys is jumping on the bandwagon of regular posts on underrated records. Hell, why not? Unsung will take a look at those albums, EPs, demos or whatever that are largely overlooked, whether it’s a discarded gem in the catalogues of legends or the finest hour of an underground band with a fan base countable on one hand. This instalment looks at…
Daturah - Reverie
Back in June of last year, German post rock band Daturah announced their split, thus putting an end to any hopes of a follow-up coming to their last album, 2008’s Reverie. It’s a crying shame really; Daturah’s swansong record was a stunning, grandiose piece of instrumental post rock, heavy in both sound and atmosphere.
Opener, ‘Ghost Track’ instigates with a series of odd, almost nonsensical spoken word passages. The topic is physics but several different sound bites have been clipped together to create a mire of voices overlapping each other at various points, making it hard to follow. It sets such an eerie tone only for the absolute avalanche of massive guitars to come crashing in.
Typically, all the tracks are lengthy arrangements and, for some, follow a trusty “post rock formula” – big crescendos preceded and followed by long meandering and hypnotic passages. The band has no fear of exploiting this formula to benefit them greatly. Sure, they didn’t reinvent the wheel or do anything particularly innovative but Reverie is a gripping, captivating album. Five songs but with an hour running time, this record has a lot going on within its vast boundaries.
The sleek, mellow guitar tones wash over the listener with such beauty while the cavernous, distorted riffs drag you away from serenity into a harrowing space, even if only for a brief moment. The darker moments briefly combat the mostly charming feel to Reverie and it’s this spanner in the works, if you will, that keeps you on your toes.
Closer, ‘Vertex’ is the stunning highlight though. The near 13 minute epic opens so calmly and building so very slowly, scales and scales to that all-important crescendo to pull the curtains on this record.
Supposedly the members of Daturah are all involved in various other projects since their split, but there’s been little or no news on that front since last summer.
Kólga is the
raw atmospheric black metal band featuring members of Panopticon and Seidr, who
recently released this, their first demo, on a very limited run of 50 CDrs,
which unsurprisingly sold out quite rapidly. Released by The Flenser and Lundr Records, the former
also offers the demo for free download via their bandcamp.
The demo
consists of three lengthy tracks. The production is, as one would expect,
steeped in the mire with a coarse guitar tone and vocals submerged deep in the
mix. The raw sound serves the overall delivery of the demo quite well; demonstrated
by Seidr’s Jack Hannert and his deathly screeches and howls. Meanwhile, Austin
Lunn gifts this demo with dashes of beautifully implemented clean vocals that
complement the wounded shrieks that dominate the demo, vocally. He has spent
years crafting a reputation for himself for poignant and melancholic
atmospheric black metal under the guise of Panopticon and he certainly brings
that element to the forefront in Kólga.
‘Fires on
the Shoreline’ instigates with a haze of distortion and a wash of ambient
atmospherics gleaned over it. The melancholic vibe is dripping with desolation
and despair, a theme that repeats all throughout this demo and it’s all
accentuated by the distant pained shrieks all buried beneath the morass,
crafting a feeling of hopelessness.
‘Out of the
Wood’ then strangely combats the despondency prior with affecting clean guitar
work. Meanwhile, ‘Sky Wheel’ utilises the hypnotic clean vocals to superb
effect once again, after the heaving intro of near catchy riffs. Like the distant
howls, they complement the desperate, emotive feel of the demo without ever
dampening the raw aggression of the pummelling drums.
Kólga’s demo
is such seething hail of discord for the most parts that’s opposed several
times by moments of eerie, creepy melody. This dichotomy is what makes Kólga so
utterly enthralling and even menacing, and whatever they have planned, album
wise, couldn’t come around sooner.
Californian
grinders Wage Slave have been quiet for some time but that silence has been
broken tonight. The band will release their first full-length later this year,
entitled Career Suicide, the follow-up to 2010’s self-released EP. Currently,
they are streaming two new pre-productions songs.
The EP was
an average listen at best. It just didn’t alight like these new songs because these
two tracks just slay. It’s strange to think that these are the pre-production
offerings as their delivery is unavoidably slick and avoiding the grimy
production that often typifies grindcore. The two songs, ‘Ninety Nine to One’
and ‘Everyone’s Always Dying On Mondays (A Tale of Privatized Healthcare)’ can
be streamed below and here’s hoping that the post-production versions don’t suck
them of an vitality as often the studio sheen can do. The LP will be released
by Cult of Melancholia.
Protest the Hero played their first Irish headlining set last Tuesday in Whelan's, only their second time having supported Propagandhi a few years ago. This time around, they brought a full touring line-up, which included Long Distance Calling, Blood Command and Uneven Structure. Click HERE for the review.
Earth
returned to Ireland last Monday on their current tour with a show at The Button
Factory alongside tour support, Mt. Eerie and O Paon. Click HERE for the live review
now on Drop-d.ie. Once again, it was another splendid show.
OSI, the
prog rock duo of Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore, are preparing the release of
their new album, Fire Make Thunder and are now streaming a new song from the
album, the seven minute powerhouse, ‘Cold Call’. With big imposing riffs and
Moore’s chilling, eerie singing the song is the usual brooding air that
characterises OSI. Have a listen to the song over at Decibel now for a taster of the new record.
Yes, another
new Anathema song. ‘The Beginning and the End’ was released a few weeks ago and
simply delighted. Now, PopMatters are streaming another new song from Weather
Systems called ‘Untouchable Pt.1’, listen below. Simply put, this grabs you
right away. Those dancing acoustic guitars greeted by Vincent Cavanagh’s always
affecting vocals are just stunning. When the distortion begins to kick in along
with ethereal vocal textures from Lee Douglas, you know something special is
unravelling. Weather Systems has a huge task ahead of it in trying to top We’re
Here Because We’re Here, but things look beautiful on the horizon.
Long-time
guitarist, Christopher Amott has left Arch Enemy. The band has swiftly
replaced him with former Arsis member, Nick Cordle. The split was amicable
according to a joint statement from the band and Amott, saying “Thankfully,
there is no drama behind the scenes here. This is the best way forward for all
involved. Christopher simply isn't into playing extreme metal anymore.”
Arch Enemy
are still touring in support of last year’s Khaos Legions record.
Today is The
Grind That Annoys’ third birthday. It’s kind of weird to think I’ve been
rambling on here for that long, it doesn’t feel like three years, but then
again from others’ perspectives, three years probably isn’t that long at all.
Anyway, if you’ve read this far into the post, then thank you. You’re all
right. Cheers also for reading any ol’ post that gets thrown up on here. I’m
back to regular posting tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Liverpool’s
sludgy doom band, Conan, is streaming a new song right now, which you can check
out below. ‘Hawk as Weapon’ is taken from their next album, Monnos, coming on
April 2nd, via Burning World. Simply put, Conan is loud. Last August, I saw
them in the tiny confines of The Lower Deck, where frankly, ears were
devastated. Their droning doom is simply a crushing listen and ‘Hawk as Weapon’
is no different. Their split with Belfast’s Slomatics last year was a
magnificent release too so expectations are high for Monnos. Check out the song
now.
Scottish post rock band, What The Blood Revealed, will soon release their first full-length album Harbour of Devils. Click HERE for the full review now.
Swedish
crust veterans, Wolfbrigade, who recently signed to Southern Lord has posted a
new song online from their next album Damned. ‘Peace of Mind’ is streaming on
Southern Lord’s website HERE or can be heard below. The band signed a three
album deal, so two more records are too far off in the distance. It’s going to
be relentless, much like this song. The strong, sleek production sounds on
paper like it wouldn’t work at all but the very opposite is true.
High on Fire
are back this year with a new album, De Vermis Mysteriis, the follow-up to
2010’s gem Snakes for the Divine. The stoner metal three-piece, led by Matt
Pike are teasing us with this new number ‘Fertile Green’. Straight after the
drum intro, the track hits you like a ton of bricks with rumbling bass guitars
and Pike sounding like a haunted Lemmy while he peels off some dirty, powerful
riffs and a shredding solo. This song is pretty killer, top to bottom and with
Converge’s Kurt Ballou at the mixing desk for this one, the production is
suitably gritty.
You’ve all
heard those albums that straight away exude a certain feeling, often the most
palpable being the most negative like hopelessness and nihilism. Arms of Ra’s
Unnamed is an album that portrays a lot of this. The Parisians’ first album is
an incredibly bleak work of sludge, branded by a blackened drape over the short
31 minute running time. For the most part, Unnamed is agonisingly slow and
pummelling, but can take in moments of pace, drawing from the band’s hardcore
tendencies. It’s the perfect complement to the album’s doomiest elements.
Kólga is the
raw atmospheric black metal band featuring members of Panopticon and Seidr, who
recently released this, their first demo, on a very limited run of 50 CDrs,
which unsurprisingly sold out quite rapidly. Released by The Flenser and Lundr Records, the former
also offers the demo for free download via their bandcamp. 
Long-time
guitarist, Christopher Amott has left Arch Enemy. The band has swiftly
replaced him with former Arsis member, Nick Cordle. The split was amicable
according to a joint statement from the band and Amott, saying “Thankfully,
there is no drama behind the scenes here. This is the best way forward for all
involved. Christopher simply isn't into playing extreme metal anymore.”
