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This Week's Recommended New Releases...

12/30/2014

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This week's recommended new releases (12/30/14):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]

Anguish - Mountain (Dark Descent)

Second album from Swedish doom metal quartet.

Sans Soleil - A Holy Land Beneath a Godless Sky (Tofu Carnage)

Debut LP from Austin, TX instru- mental doom outfit.

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This Week's Recommended New Release...

12/23/2014

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This week's recommended new release (12/23/14):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]

Woebegone Obscured - Deathscape MMXIV (Solitude Productions)

Another week, another fantastic release from Solitude Productions. This one comes via a Danish quartet featuring three members with the surname Woe. While technically an EP, the Danes' third release clocks in at 42 minutes and those minutes are filled with some serious skull crushing blackened funeral doom and death metal. That's a lot of genres to cram into one release, but they do it surprisingly well. There's atmosphere galore, courtesy of the majestic guitar work and when the vocals morph from black rasps to clean, all bets are off. It's a shame that this was released so late in the year, because I think it's a strong contender for all of those year-end lists that came out 3 weeks ago.

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This Week's Recommended New Releases...

12/16/2014

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This week's recommended new releases (12/16/14):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]

Astrakhan - A Tapestry of Scabs and Skin (War On Music)

The Vancouver Sludge/Doom/Stoner quartet unleashes a 4 track album featuring two new songs and two songs from their previous EP. If you want riffs, you got riffs. Killer, fuzzy riffs that take on a progressive feel throughout much of the record. I imagine these guys get a lot of Mastodon comparisons and that’s fair. There’s definitely a Southeastern US sludge element to the sound, but this feels fresh, not just a rehash of the mid-2000’s scene. Kind of a bummer that it’s only 4 songs.

Oktor - Another Dimension of Pain (Solitude Productions)

You know you’re getting a quality doom record from Solitude Productions, and this Polish trio delivers and then some. After plying their trade for 11 years, Oktor has finally issued their debut album. Featuring four main tracks interspersed with reflective piano interludes, the debut is a strong slab of doom/death with crushing riffs and stunning, emotional lead work. Also, that album cover is pretty fantastic. Another dimension of pain, indeed.

Solitvdo - Immerso in un Bosco di Querce (Naturmacht)

The debut album from this Italian one-man project is difficult to classify, but let’s go with atmospheric black metal with doom and folk tendencies. It pretty much covers all the bases. The title translates to “Surrounded by a forest of oaks”, which is pretty apt. You don’t hear classic metal solos in black metal very often, so that was a cool surprise. Meanwhile, the main riffage is pretty crushing and the vocals are a bit sparse. It’s pretty easy to get lost in this album.

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Unsigned Bands of the Month - December, 2014...

12/12/2014

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Hypnochron - Herbs for the Altar
Chicago, IL

Band members:
Troy- Guitar/Samples
Chris-Bass
Kenny-Drums

Influences:
Black Sabbath, Bongzilla, Weedeater, Sleep, Electric Wizard, 70's porn, Drug Use

Describe your sound:
Stoner Doom/Sludge mixed with porn and drugs.

What's next for Hypnochron?
Play as many shows as possible, do a new release with the new live line-up.

http://hypnocron.bandcamp.com/

Lying Figures - A World of My Own
France

Band members:
Vocals: Thibault Robardey (also in OCTAVION, DUNGORTHEB)
Guitars: Matthieu Burgaud
Guitars: Mehdi Rouyer
Bass: Frédéric Simon (ex- INBORN SUFFERING, DROWNING, MARTHYR)
Drums: Charles Pierron (also in ATARAXIS)

Influences:
Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema, Daylight Dies, Woods Of Ypres, Cult of Luna, Long Distance Calling, Novembers Doom, Saturnus…

Describe your sound:
Sometimes melodic, sometimes brutal but always heavy and oppressive, Lying Figures sound is inspired by tortured art as well in music, cinema or literature. From Saturnus to Katatonia, from David Lynch to John Carpenter, Edgar Allan Poe to Lovecraft and through Silent Hill or Alice in Wonderland, the band deploys a universe in which madness and melancholy are dancing together.

What's next for Lying Figures?
We actually work on news songs to record our first full-length before the end of the year 2015, then play live as much as possible to share our darkness.

http://lyingfigures.bandcamp.com/

Old Thunder – Slings & Arrows
Maysville, KY

Band members:
Just me, Dustin Grooms. No drum machines here, either!

Influences:
Katatonia, Amebix, Celtic Frost/Triptykon, Ahab, Joy Division, Swedish d-beat/crust punk

Describe your sound:
Without getting too wordy, the rawness of sludge and crust punk meets the darkness of death/doom or funeral doom. And sometimes some pretty ambient moments that aren't quite shoegaze. Then, add in a heavy dose of Faulkner and McCarthy-influenced lyrics about Appalachian life.

What's next for Old Thunder?
There will be a split release with Twilight Fauna in early 2015 through Into the Night Records, entitled Bloodlines, and then potentially another split with another artist later in the spring. Beyond that, I'm hoping to record the first full-length in either summer or fall of next year.

http://oldthundermetal.bandcamp.com/

Teeth – Unremittance
Los Angeles, CA

Band members:
Erol Ulug - guitar/vocals
Justin Moore - guitar/vocals
Peter King - bass
Tim Gaskin - drums

Influences:
The more obvious influences would be Gorguts, ulcerate, death spell omega, pig destroyer, the less obvious influences extend to wayne shorter, Oliver messian, and Alexander Scriabin.

Describe your sound:
Some believe in this concept of "wrong notes," we don't. Teeth's sound is made up of mostly unresolved dissonances and headbang-able grooves.

What's next for Teeth?
The order for the first pressing of our record has been sent to the plant, so a physical release is on the horizon for early 2015. In support of its release, we plan to tour the west coast in the spring. We have already begun writing for our next release which is looking like it will be a split release with 1 or 2 other bands.

http://teethband.bandcamp.com/

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This Week's Recommended New Releases...

12/9/2014

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This week's recommended new releases (12/09/14):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]

Crossed Fire - Life's A Gamble (Hellxis)

The Portuguese quintet dives right into some solid Crowbar/Down worship on their debut album. The Phil Anselmo influence is most apparent in the vocals, but overall it’s not just a rip-off album. Taking cues from the NOLA scene and putting a few European touches on it, this is a just a straightforward, no frills metal album.

Cruachan - Blood for the Blood God (Trollzorn)

The seventh release from this Irish 6-piece is a pretty standard Folk/Celtic Metal affair. These guys stick mainly to the tried-and-true folk melodies and while they aren’t breaking any new ground, they do everything quite well. This is an enjoyable listen and if you’re already into Folk Metal, it should be right up your alley.

Mesmur - Mesmur (Code666)

The North Carolina quartet serves up some punishing Funeral Doom on their debut album, with five tracks clocking in at just under an hour. The riffs are monstrous and frigid, reminiscent of Eastern European doom rather than the Appalachian strain. If you like your doom slow and heavy on the atmosphere, this is a good bet.

Stormcast - Frame of Mind (Pitch Black)

Another solid debut album this week, this one coming all the way from Cyprus. The 5-man Black Metal crew delivers some killer tracks full of melody and atmosphere, with fantastic riffage and vocals. It took these guys 7 years to crank out a full-length. Let's hope the next one comes much sooner.

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This Week's Recommended New Releases...

12/4/2014

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This week's recommended new releases (12/02/14):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]

Bhleg - Draumr Ást (Bindrune)

The debut album from this Gothenburg duo consists of raw, yet atmospheric, black metal. This is the strain of black metal that sounds like it was recorded with a 20-watt Crate amp, but the riffs and song structures are interesting and the vocals don’t detract from the proceedings. That’s pretty much all I ask for from a black metal album. There are also some nature sounds and synth passages, if that kind of thing floats your boat.

Bog Oak - A Treatise on Resurrection and The Afterlife (Svart)

The California trio serves up some crushing doom on their debut EP, with the female vocals alternating between blackened rasps and haunting cleans. Despite having only 4 tracks and 20 minutes of play time, the band has definitely established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the doom/sludge scene. Personally, I’d like to see them explore the clean vocal side a bit more, but either way I’m looking forward to a full-length release.

The Flight of Sleipnir - V (Napalm)

When a band is described as stoner/doom/folk metal, there’s a pretty good chance their going to end up in my recommendations column. Fortunately, the Arvada, CO duo doesn’t disappoint with their 5th album. The riffs are definitely in the doom sphere, while the vocals meander between harsh and mellow. The usual folk elements are largely absent, aside from a keyboard flute part in one track, but the overall album has a definite folk feel to it.

Mors Principium Est - Dawn of the 5th Era (AFM)

There’s not a whole lot of unexplored territory in the melodic death genre, but if you can take the tried and true sound and deliver a solid album, I’m going to listen to it. That’s exactly what this Finnish quintet accomplished on their 5th album. This record is up there with anything that came out of Sweden in the 90’s. There are plenty of face-melting riffs and melodic leads and the vocals are top-notch for the genre. Also, apparently these guys don’t know they’re from Finland because they didn’t ruin the whole thing with over-the-top keyboards like all of their fellow countrymen.

My Shameful - Hollow (Moscow Funeral League)

Shifting seamlessly between funeral-paced doom and neck-breaking death metal, this Finnish/German trio delivers a stunning record with their sixth release. Even while the drums are going crazy, the melodies remain slow and creepy. I’m especially fond of the single note guitar parts that ring over top of the fuzz throughout the album. All of the tracks clock in over 6:30, but the riffs remain stuck in your head for days. Further proof that the best doom is coming out of Russia these days, even if it’s just the location of the label.

Obscurity - Vintar (Trollzorn)

The German quintet deals out some nasty Viking metal on their 7th release. Alternating between huge, Amon Amarth-style riffs and black metal tremolo picking, these dudes create a solid balance without ever sounding derivative. I believe all of the lyrics are in German, but I assume they’re telling tales of Vikings laying waste to inferior foes, and that’s always fantastic. The guitars are the star of the show here, though. This is the week’s top straightforward headbanger.

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This Week's Recommended New Releases...

This Week's Recommended New Release...

This Week's Recommended New Releases...

Unsigned Bands of the Month - December, 2014...

This Week's Recommended New Releases...

This Week's Recommended New Releases...

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