ALBUM REVIEW: Greyfell - "Horsepower"

By: John Reppion

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 12/01/2018

Label: Argonauta Records |

Atypeek Music

“Horsepower” is an interesting and accomplished album – a wonderful piece of doomy, gloomy, ritual rock – which should please fans of Greyfell’s previous work, and no doubt introduce many new listeners to the band.

“Horsepower” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). The People's Temple

2). Horses

3). No Love

4). Spirit of the Bear

5). King of Xenophobia

The Review:

Normandy's Greyfell are in their sixth year of existence, and 2018's “Horsepower” is their second full length release (following 2015's “Vol. 1: I Got the Silver”). The entirely non-cheesy, yet nevertheless somehow retro rock-swagger of the first album endures, but the production and atmosphere of “Horsepower” are quite different to those of its predecessor; there’s something darker, bleaker, yet more polished and deliberate about this record, something that calls to mind the ambience, if not the actual sounds, of chilly1980s post-punk and pre-industrial.

“People’s Temple’s” droning gothy keyboard sounds are, fittingly, our introduction to “Horsepower”. Greyfell’s riffs are still big and fuzzed out with that same subtle eastern influence, but the desolate reverb soaked vocals, and the ever present whistle and wheeze of those keys set the scene – the agenda, really – for the rest of the record. They are the aural equivalent of the murk from a fog machine; adding intrigue and atmosphere to the phantom stage on which “Horsepower” is performed.

“Horses” starts out sparse and slow - fuzzy feedback and warping keys behind diving yet simple bass and drums – but gets progressively more aggressive and noisy. “No Love’s” Killing Joke-eque reverb bass intro becomes something much more bludgeoning. The dynamics remain the same – wide open echoing choruses and bigger, heavier verses. It works well, and it’s the template for the album.

Almost from its first note “Spirit of the Bear” proclaims itself to be the hugest, heaviest, most epic thing on “Horsepower”. Vocally, at times, it’s a bit like Simon Le Bon joined Godflesh. But in a good way. “King of Xenophobia” is doomier than all that’s gone before. The track feels like its about to go “full goth” somewhere around mid-way, but canters back around to its big riff which is eventually swallowed whole in the hungry fog of the ever-present keys.

“Horsepower” feels a lot like a first album and, while it’s not a gigantic departure, it’s oddly hard (for me, at least) to reconcile it with what Greyfell have released previously. It is not a direction I would have anticipated the band going in, but that’s surely no bad thing.

While the album has a very deliberate, well crafted atmosphere of its own, I feel like there are times when it robs individual tracks of their identity – the sounds and dynamics of “Horsepower” are so consistent throughout that there is a very real danger of the dreaded spectre of “samey-ness” rearing its head. That said, “Horsepower” is an interesting and accomplished album – a wonderful piece of doomy, gloomy, ritual rock – which should please fans of Greyfell’s previous work, and no doubt introduce many new listeners to the band. 

“Horsepower” is available to buy on CD via here and LP via here

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE: Portland hxc/sludge/crust band Year of the Coyote share "State of Nature"

Inspired by acts like Seven Sisters of Sleep, His Hero Is Gone, Torch Runner, and Coalesce, Year of The Coyote is a 3-piece DIY outfit from Portland, OR making music that's as visceral and grinding as it is lurching and rhythmic. On Feb 16^th the band are set to release their debut album “Siege” and today you can check out the track “State of Nature” below.  

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

REVIEW: Neverending Winter - ‘Сеногной’

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: EP
Date Released: 28/01/2018
Label: Independent

Their riffs burrow their way into a listener’s soul and take up permanent residence. It’s definitely ugly and miserable, but it’s also memorable to a degree of which few other bands in the style are capable.  My hopes were high for this new EP and I will state unequivocally that there is no band in the underground I feel more strongly about right now than Neverending Winter. The musical pieces are all in place, all that needs to happen from here are people taking notice. 

‘Сеногной’ DD track listing:

1. Новый рассвет (New Dawn)

2. Frost Leash

3. Сеногной (Drizzle-drozzle)

The Review:

Neverending Winter’s previous release, last year’s ‘Хиус’ was an absolute revelation. Its blend of black metal crust and folk made such an impact with me that it ended up on my best of 2017 list. To say that my hopes were high for this new EP would be an understatement, and to say that ‘Сеногной’ exceeds those hopes would be an understatement as well.

An all-too-brief experience at just over 14 minutes, what we have here is masterpiece-level material. Sub-three minute opener “Новый рассвет” builds upon a folkier theme adding heaviness as it goes until it’s blasting climax, the fallout of which blends directly into “Frost Leash”, which takes a different tone altogether.

Equal parts dissonant d-beat thrill ride and decimating breakdowns, the song is a goddamned masterpiece. What makes Neverending Winter so remarkable is their ability to take a style that typically favors nasty production and emotional tone over songwriting and evens the scales. Their riffs burrow their way into a listener’s soul and take up permanent residence. It’s definitely ugly and miserable, but it’s also memorable to a degree of which few other bands in the style are capable.

The second half of ‘Сеногной’ is comprised entirely of the EP’s title track, which takes a more experimental tact, taking the feel of “ Новый рассвет” and putting it in both a more aggressive and progressive context. The song rages and stomps, and then recedes and recuperates. The final minute of the song fades into a reflective and delicate folk, which ends on a strangely calming note for such a tempestuous release.

By all rights, Neverending Winter should be on any compatible label’s radar. Sure the band might be an unknown quantity from a sales standpoint, but from a quality side of the coin, there’s no reason this band shouldn’t be among the most hyped bands in the underground. They’re simply too damned good to be left to the side any longer. If you’re reading this, I’m virtually begging you to give this band a shot. I can’t guarantee you’ll love it as much as I do because nobody can ever guarantee something like that. But I will state unequivocally that there is no band in the underground I feel more strongly about right now than Neverending Winter. The musical pieces are all in place, all that needs to happen from here are people taking notice.

‘Сеногной’ is available here  

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: SLOW - “V – Oceans”

By Marika Zorzi

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/01/2018

Label: Code666  Records

“V – Oceans”  crushingly heavy climaxes and reprieves alike hold many wonderful nuances and hidden melodic flourishes that deepen its sense of reverence and measureless pulchritude.

“V – Oceans” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Aurore
2. Ténèbres
3. Déluge
4. Néant

5. Mort

The Review:

It isn’t often that you come across a project that has the disarming intensity of “V-Oceans”.  Its creator is SLOW (which stands for Silence Lives Out/Over Whirlpool), a one-man band founded in 2007 by Déhà (We All Die [Laughing], Imber Luminis, Clouds, Cult of Erinyes, Merda Mundi, Vaer, etc.). In 2017, he joined forces with lyricist Lore B (Ter Ziele) to complete this incredible record.

“V – Oceans” is an atmospheric funeral doom album in which anxiety and dull pain leave no hope. “V – Oceans” comes about as close to capturing the unimaginable depths of the abyss as the human imagination is capable of. SLOW has succeeded in anchoring us to the deepest parts of our planet's marine biosphere with almost an hour of brooding funeral doom that conjures stark panoramas of dimly lit seascapes and the slow undulations of rolling swells. Much of “V – Oceans”' success in this regard lies in its masterful production values that paint a stunning aquatic landscape resplendent with a gradient shaft of sunlight far above the trenches of the ocean floor. The graceful portraits of horizonless views give us so much more than that, and the crushingly heavy climaxes and reprieves alike hold many wonderful nuances and hidden melodic flourishes that deepen its sense of reverence and measureless pulchritude.

“V – Oceans” keeps returning to the more dramatic sounds, hitting the melodic peaks that Déhà has accustomed us to over the years. The album flows like a liquid, without breaks between the long numbers, taking us from the first to the last note in close contact with the musical trademark that unites a powerful genre like funeral doom.

Originally published last year by GS Productions in Russia and now reissued on Jan 26^th via Code666 Records, the five tracks created for the SLOW project provide us with one of the most successful albums in the European funeral doom scene, creating a fifty-minute dive into the depths of an abyss where escape seems impossible, never mind managing to discern any glimmer of light.

A visceral sound that, playing with an aquatic atmosphere, moves slowly in multiple directions, drawing in the listener with ambiances rich in ripples and details. A prominent melodic inspiration is the inner force that drives all of “V – Oceans”, accompanied by a cavernous growling that gives full expression to the sentiments conveyed by the instrumental side.

For everyone who loves funeral doom. You must not miss this album.

“V – Oceans” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: Riffs of Canada with Greber [Cambridge, Ontario]

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/02/2018

Label: Pink Lemonade Records (CD) |

Hibernation Release (CS) |

Ancient Temple Recordings  |

D7I Records | No Way Records (LP)

Greber’s pursuit of intricate heavy music pays off immensely, creating a consuming sonic experience. “Cemetery Preston” will be one of the most unique and layered experiences of this year.

“Cemetery Preston” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Backhanded Interest
2. The Wreckers
3. Prophetic
4. By Any Other Way
5. Overdraft
6. Our Burnt Treasures
7. Grave Plot
8. No One But You
9. The Closer We Got

The Review:

The sludge/grind two-piece Greber return with their new record “Cemetery Preston” and the long awaited follow up to “Kiln Hardened Psalms” showcases that the band has not lost any of its aggression with heavy music. Bassist Marc Bourgon’s tone has a chainsaw like quality to it. This tone, when mixed with drummer Steve Vargas’s unorthodox style of drumming, creates a consuming sonic experience not easily replicated.

This album flexes its efficiency through a variety of dynamics and stylistic elements; never relying on the same methods to get their point across. From the isolated bass tracks on “Prophetic” and “Overdraft”, to sequences where the drums carry the melody in “Grave Plot” and “Wreckers”, Greber have a variety of tools at their disposal. This keeps the listener engaged as the album goes through these continual peaks and valleys of emotion. It would be very easy for the band to become a plodding doom band, but have instead chosen a more nuanced approach regardless of the few elements at their disposal.

Greber’s pursuit of intricate heavy music pays off immensely. “Cemetery Preston” will be one of the most unique and layered experiences of this year.

“Cemetery Preston” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Owl Maker deliver high powered, hard rocking "Lady Stoneheart"

Owl Maker swirls out of the darkness like the stuff of legend, reflecting the power of their namesake Hihankara, a Lakota goddess who acted as the gatekeeper to the afterlife. Don’t think for a minute though that this southern Connecticut trio is lost in esoterica – their unique brand of hard hitting rock and roll is fiendishly addictive and representative of a group who strive for greater things with every successive show, driven by an unmatched hunger to succeed. We sit now on the eve of their first musical utterance, “Paths Of The Slain” -- six tracks of high powered, hard rocking triumph -- and realize that things may not all be as they seem.

With the world in their sights and all the raw talent needed to take it by storm, Owl Maker’s potent live shows have thrilled audiences across the region. Now, “Paths Of The Slain” stands to bring the band to the next level. Mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Code Orange, Power Trip), even upon first listen it’s easy to see why these guys have won the hearts of movers and shakers within the scene. Suffice to say, with their reputation for dynamic stage shows and hard work, Owl Maker must be making Hihankara proud.  “Paths Of The Slain” will be released on March 16 2018 and you can check out a new track “Lady Stoneheart” below.

Band info: facebook



Dan Hamilton (c)





REVIEW: Hundred Year Old Man - "Rei" [EP]

By: Jay Hampshire

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 26/01/2018

Label: Gizeh Records

For fans of expansive, unhurried post-metal that explores both softness and bleakness, Hundred Year Old Man serve up a three track taster that will whet the appetite.  This is an atmospheric and well executed record that will have fans hungry for their debut full-length to come later this year.

“Rei” LP/DD track listing

1). Sun & Moon (6:26)

2). A Year In The North Sea (2:34)

3). Rei (9:00)

The Review:

Some people would scoff at the idea of ordering an appetiser as a standalone meal. Surely a starter can only ever act as a warm up for a larger dish, something to take the edge off a yawning hunger before fully satiating it with the main course. For some, Leeds based post-metal sextet Hundred Year Old Man have provided just this with their three track ‘Rei’ EP. But for the more discerning audio gourmand, ‘Rei’ can be fully digested and appreciated as a stand-alone release.

Opener ‘Sun & Moon’ begins slowly, distant guitar fading in like an intensifying ethereal wind as samples echo and shimmer. Densely reverbed drums begin a slow, stately report as droning chords grind in like stone moving on stone. The wearied pace continues as Paul Broughton’s crowing vocals erupt, before the track fades into mere guitar motes and sibilant cymbals. Reigned back in by a plodding bass undertow, things bloom out into a thick haze of instrumentation, smooth as silk.

‘A Year In The North Sea’ is a caesura of sorts, a building wall of noise and sumptuous choral vocals that warp and twist, buffeted by rising guitar feedback and distant shrieks, ending in a thicket of birdcall based noise.

The title track itself jams in with tolling, brooding bass and lances of guitar, expanding to fill a vast space, winding and lurching towards a heavy, doom centric riff. They slowly revolve around this theme, instruments dropping in and out, vocals echoing into the distance, building dread before the track ends abruptly, forming into a screeching noise scape and then a creaking synth loop.

For fans of expansive, unhurried post-metal that explores both softness and bleakness, Hundred Year Old Man serve up a three track taster that will whet the appetite. Despite a slightly ropey mix leaving ‘Sun & Moon’ a little too vocal heavy and that shuns the traditional heavy/light dynamics integral to true post metal effectiveness in favour of embracing sprawling expanse, this is an atmospheric and well executed record that will have fans hungry for their debut full-length to come later this year.

“Rei” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Bible Black Tyrant deliver sonic oppression with "Wilderness of Steel and Stone"

By: Aaron Pickford

There is a great deal of division when the topic of the royal family is discussed.  Some people feel it it’s part of our rich heritage  and an establishment we should be proud of, indeed without it, the economy of this country would suffer a great deal without the tourism they bring and yet others, feel that the very idea of another person bending the knee in the presence of royalty as absurd and demeaning, after all we’re all equal.  You may be asking what the fuck has this to do with doom, but bear with me.  The Royal Warrant is regarded as the ultimate seal of approval and appears on a number of popular food and drink products, to certify quality and so when we’re thinking doom releases, I’m thinking there should also be Royal Warrant, only the monarch of this Royal Warrant would be certificated with the seal of approval by the hand of doom himself Toni Iommi, and the first of the new releases of 2018 to be inducted is BIBLE BLACK TYRANT. 

An oppressive and suffocating sonic endeavour that features Tyler Smith, Aaron D.C. Edge and David S. Fylstra (members of Eagle Twin, Lumbar, KVØID), BIBLE BLACK TYRANT are set to debut their majestic doom debut entitled "Regret Beyond Death" on 16^th February 2018 via Argonauta Records, an album of such crushing density, it resembles the method of torture known as Peine forte et dure,  in which a defendant who refused to plead ("stood mute") would be subjected to having heavier and heavier stones placed upon his or her chest until a plea was entered or until they died.  So sit back, bite your tongue and prepare to be crushed as we debut all 11min s of the track “Wilderness of Steel and Stone”.  Failure to enter your plea, results in death.  Preorders are being taken here

 Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Entheogen - "Without Veil, Nor Self"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 08/01/2018

Label: Fallen Empire Records

Each member is so proficient, so confident, and so merciless in their drive to push beyond limits that “Without Veil, Nor Self” stands apart as a truly uncanny, terrifying listen.

“Without Veil, Nor Self” CD//CS//CD//LP track listing

1. Desolation Lyre

2. Sol Genesis

3. Sol Knell

4. Without Veil, Nor Self

5. Lethean Throat

6. Pall

The Review:

Whenever listening to high quality black metal, I keep returning to the classic idea of confrontations with the uncanny: if human beings are presented with something beyond reckoning, they will react with abject terror or sublime astonishment.  While any genre can be loaded with garbage, the glut of mid-tier metal can be disheartening.  And yet I’m consistently confronted by sublime, terrifying new material by masters like Entheogen, who epitomize the uncanny on their debut LP, “Without Veil, Nor Self”.  While the album largely treads in the terrifying, the prowess and ferocity of each member is truly remarkable.

Jack Blackburn’s drumming is, even by black metal standards, mind bending.  The speed and complexity throughout “Without Veil…” is almost incomprehensible, and made my jaw drop more than once, staring at my speakers like they were producing something outside my reckoning of time and space.  On the relatively short “Sol Knell”, Blackburn hammers ferocious double bass blasts that hammers like Gatling gun fire.  Steven Blackburn constructs a symphony of dissonant, layered rhythm guitar, then allows haunting, shimmering leads to glide over the chaos.  Bassist Tiffin cements the whole monstrous endeavor with simple but palpable low end.  On the title track, the gut churning heft of the bass, coupled with Jack’s inhuman drumming and Steven’s chiming, agonized guitars, coalesces until you feel adrift in a churning maelstrom, clinging desperately to life while sinking inexorably towards doom.

Vocalist Alex Poole inhabits a variety of personas on “Without Veil…”, though all of them seem driven by agony, or about to inflict some brutal violence.  Whether a dry, low, ghostly howl like in “Desolation Lyre”, the grim, even intonations of “Sol Knell”, or the piercing, haunted shriek of “Lethean Throat”, each delivery feels intentional.  This consistent element of defying expectation, of allowing beauty to shine through and be instantly eclipsed by brutal pounding mayhem that is what is so exciting about Entheogen.  Each member is so proficient, so confident, and so merciless in their drive to push beyond limits that “Without Veil, Nor Self” stands apart as a truly uncanny, terrifying listen.

“Without Veil, Nor Self” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Nest - "Metempsychosis"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 03/03/2018

Label: Independent

The thick distortion-encrusted tones are riddled with a nasty evil buzz that brings to mind a union of Unearthly Trance and Unsane that sometimes veers into psychedelic realms worthy of Yob. “Metempsychosis” is an awesome offering from Nest that demonstrates their startling power and a terrifying amount of potential for the future.

“Metempsychosis” DD track listing:

1. - (00:31)
2. The Cowardice And Rashness Of Courage (03:52)
3. Gallows Of Forever (03:16)
4. Heretic (02:38)
5. Divining By The Entrails Of Sheep (05:06)
6. Jewel Of Iniquity (03:59)
7. From The Darkness In Me, Illuminate (04:09)
8. Life's Grief (09:50)
9. - (00:27)

The Review:

2018 is still only a few weeks old but Nest are already making a strong play for end of year lists with new LP “Metempsychosis”. The Kentucky duo make a huge spaced-out sludge racket delivered with an aggressive noise rock attitude that really hits hard here.

Although there are many two pieces throughout the heavy underground that create a massive sound from minimal resources, Nest manage to construct a particularly impressive wall of noise from a single guitar, drums and vocals. I don’t know what set-up Kyle Keener is running his guitar through but it makes the crushing riffs that open up the likes of “The Cowardice And The Rashness Of Courage” and “Jewel oF Iniquity” register high on the Richter scale. The thick distortion-encrusted tones are riddled with a nasty evil buzz that brings to mind a union of Unearthly Trance and Unsane that sometimes veers into psychedelic realms worthy of Yob.

“From The Darkness In Me, Illuminate” is a mini-epic that covers the full width of Nest’s sonic spectrum in four minutes. Pummelling blast beats and lumbering doom riffs emerge from a cloud of menacing noise that brings an air of black metal mystery to the track. The second half of the track shows that the band are equally as captivating when they dial back the distortion to craft a hypnotic passage from minimal guitar picking and distant violin. This works as suitable preparation for the monstrous finale of “Life’s Grief”. Nest take everything that has come before and blow it up on a grand scale. Huge reverb-laden melodies pave the way for one final punishing riff that can only be silenced by a rising tide of harsh static and sonic manipulations.

“Metempsychosis” is an awesome offering from Nest that demonstrates their startling power and a terrifying amount of potential for the future.

“Metempsychosis” is available to preorder here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook