ALBUM REVIEW: Harakiri for the Sky - "Arson"

By: Brandon Green

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 16/02/2018

Label: AOP Records

“Arson” is a massive achievement for Harakiri for the Sky. They took everything that was amazing about “III: Trauma”, and turned up the intensity even higher. If you’re a fan of post-black metal, atmospheric black metal, or introspective music in general, this album is perfect for you.

“Arson” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1). “Fire, Walk With Me”
2). “The Graves We’ve Dug”
3). “You Are The Scars”
4). “Heroin Waltz”
5). “Tomb Omnia”
6). “Stillborn”
7). “Voidgazer”
8). “Manifesto” (Graveyard Lovers cover)

The Review:  

An impressive follow-up to “III: Trauma” back in 2016, “Arson” wastes very little time throwing the listener into an aggressive, melodic, and atmospheric black metal bliss. With most of the songs clocking in over 8 minutes, Harakiri for the Sky do a wonderful job creating soundscapes that take the listener from crushingly heavy melodic sections to shoegazey piano-laden clean parts that often stick in your head for days. This album is absolutely worth spending over an hour hiking in the woods with headphones on, or staring at the ceiling. Easily contender for album of the year for me and its only February.

“Fire Walk with Me” is the first glimpse of the album. It gives the listener a medley of what we can anticipate from 2018’s “Arson”, and includes some of the best moments of what the album offers.  The track begins with an airy, beautiful keyboard intro following immediately into driving guitars.  Throughout the song there are frequent changes and pauses, which are an opportunity for us to gaze into the musical craftsmanship HKFTS want us to see. The deliberate stops in the track give the listener an opportunity to really appreciate when all of the layers merge and we experience the masterful musicianship in its entirety. Energetic guitar leads meet with passionate harsh vocals which are more of a shout than the traditional black metal scream heard in other modern black metal acts.  The vocals really give this band an extremely memorable sound in what seems to be a flooded genre these days.

“You Are the Scars” starts with a beautiful intro reminiscent of early HIM / goth rock records. Big hitting drums and guitar chords with washy shoegaze-like melodies in the background break into a beautiful clean section mid-way through the track with a “holy shit” moment as the distortion kicks back in with soaring leads and vocals. As the song builds up to its conclusion, epic blast beats push us into even more emotionally intense moments making this track one of the more special ones on “Arson”.

“Heroin Waltz” was the single I first heard before this album dropped, and it got me beyond excited for this release. As track 4 on the album, it fits perfectly. Despite the 100 times I’ve already listened to it, I couldn’t help but crank the volume again in the albums context for the 101th listen. The gorgeous clean intro with ebow guitar leads slamming into punishing blast beat drums and amazing chord structures immediately had me hooked.  The fact this song feels like a waltz with the memorable guitar melodies and 3 / 4 time signatures make this not only tragically melodic, its beyond addicting to listen to. The clean middle section and guitar leads that develop are revisited throughout song and are still constantly stuck in my head. This track really shows off what the band can do as musicians and has me coming back for more. The drumming is absolutely insane on this one.

“Tomb Omnia” was another extremely memorable track from “Arson”. As one of the shorter tracks on the album, this song does not disappoint with its heavy hitting melodic intro cutting into folky black metal blast beats and soaring screams. As another single released before the album, it’s a fantastic song placed well on the track listing. It almost feels like part 2 of “Heroin Waltz”, and this is a welcomed thing.

“Arson” is a massive achievement for Harakiri for the Sky. They took everything that was amazing about “III: Trauma”, and turned up the intensity even higher. If I were to nitpick, I would say the album does feel a little long at 1 hour and 11 minutes. Coming in around the 50-minute mark, I think “Arson” would be perfect.  Make no mistakes, the production is top notch, and the song crafting is masterful. This new release reminds me of all of the reasons I fell in love with Agalloch and Alcest separately, but combined into a powerfully emotional and personal experience. Their own interpretation of these styles fits almost too well, and they’ve invented their own sound with it that’s beyond satisfying to listen to. If you’re a fan of post-black metal, atmospheric black metal, or introspective music in general, this album is perfect for you.

“Arson” is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Extremity - "Extremely Fucking Dead"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 07/04/2017

Label: 20 Buck Spin

In this first release by the group, you have what sounds like an incredibly promising start. The playing is top-shelf vicious. Carpet bombed in a death metal growl, the songs are forceful in delivery and unyielding in lyrics.

"Extremely Fucking Dead" CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1. Intro (Mortuus est Valde)

2. Crepuscular Crescend

3. Bestial Destiny

4. Chalice of Pus

5. Fatal Immortality

6. Extremely Fucking Dead

The Review:

Yelp is truly eBay for reviews. You can discover the most random stuff assessed by a less-than-forgiving public. There, you can even find a list of the best San Francisco bars that play death metal. Yes, it is a real list and is a testament to how much the Bay Area, for all its contradictions, tourists and big red hop-on-and-off buses, loves extreme music.

Beyond that, Northern California has been an epicenter of sorts for metal for going on 30 years or more. With the debut of the Oakland-based Extremity, you have a group that is reflective of such history. This is not the first band for its members by any stretch.

From Agalloch to Vastum, Cretin to Necrosic, among others, the experience that makes up Extremity is sure to prompt attention. Impressive acts, no doubt. In this first release by the group, you have what sounds like an incredibly promising start. The playing is top-shelf vicious. Carpet bombed in a death metal growl, the songs are forceful in delivery and unyielding in lyrics. Herein tracks like "Bestial Destiny" are impressive, with traces of grind undercutting a faithful death blueprint. Throughout the debut, there is ample space for all-star drummer Aesop Dekker, who counts Ludicra and Worm Ouroboros among his work, to ballast the carnage.

What makes Extremity such a fascinating addition to death metal, beyond its collective resumes and membership, is its potential. For instance, its similarity to Scolex, bassist Erika Osterhout’s other death/doom project, is glancing at best. As such, Extremity melds some of the exceptional qualities of what its members bring. Osterhout’s contributions on songs like "Chalice of Pus" are as you might expect, searing. In fact, the whole team has it’s A-game on for all six tracks.

If you love the style, Extremity does it in a fashion you’re sure to enjoy. Haters might call it a touch of playing it safe. A longer listen reveals how complex the songs really are. "Extremely Fucking Dead" isn’t the 99-cent-bin death metal, because its collaborators are far from it. Together, the group hints that their best is yet to come.

"Extremely Fucking Dead" is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Fen - "Winter"

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 10/03/2017
Label: Code666 Records

When this album is on fire, which is often, it’s absolutely some of the best atmospheric black metal you’ll hear this year. While the build to those big moments can be over-stretched, the payoff is absolutely worth the wait.  But even when accounting for its biggest flaw, I believe that ‘Winter’ will end up as one of the year's best albums. There’s simply too much fantastic material here to be denied.  

‘Winter’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. I (Pathway)

2. II (Penance)

3. III (Fear)

4. IV (Interment)

5. V (Death)

6. VI (Sight)

The Review:

I hate to start on a dour note for an album I really enjoy, but let’s get this out of the way: 75 minutes is too long for an album by any artist. That goes for my favorite bands of all time too. You can say that opinion owes to a lack of an attention span, or that I don’t respect the album format or whatever you’d like. But even a band like Enslaved, who work in a similar soundscape in balancing progressive and black metal components, generally keep their albums between 50 and 60 minutes. I would go so far as to say that there hasn’t ever been an album this long that wouldn’t be well-served by being made shorter.

With all of that said, while there is definitely some filler here, the majority of ‘Winter’ is made up of stunning, vital, and beautiful music. That the album is hurt slightly by its runtime shouldn’t dissuade you from giving it a fair shot as it does more than earn it. When this album is on fire, which is often, it’s absolutely some of the best atmospheric black metal you’ll hear this year. While the build to those big moments can be over-stretched, the payoff is absolutely worth the wait.

In what is something of a funny coincidence, the most well-paced song on the album may be the 17 minute opening track; the longest on the album. The longer build works here at the introduction, with reverb-drenched guitars building to beautiful clean guitar work and dreary but well-suited singing. Finally the song gets its first proper big moment as the guitars explode and the toms are pounded thunderously setting the tone for the next several minutes. Over time, the song ebbs and flows between heavy atmosphere, reserved and tasteful technical displays and bleaker delicate moments. ‘Winter’ is an album of emotional peaks and valleys, and Fen excels on both of those levels.

This brings us to another point worth exploring: Fen’s use of prog elements throughout the album. This is a difficult mix to pull off in an extreme metal context, or at least it’s difficult to do in an interesting way. All too frequently, bands will throw those elements into a song without considering the emotional tone of the rest of the music, which means there can be a major disconnect during those prog-centric moments. Fen does this better than anyone outside of maybe Enslaved on “Mardraum”, and even then it’s close. The band have such a firm sense of self and musical identity that their need to explore new sounds never comes at the cost of consistency.

While I do believe Fen have indulged themselves a bit too much here, and I believe the album would benefit from a harsher editing process, there’s no denying that Fen are at their absolute best on ‘Winter’. There is no such thing as a flawless album, and this one is no exception. But even when accounting for its biggest flaw, I believe that ‘Winter’ will end up as one of the year's best albums. There’s simply too much fantastic material here to be denied.

“Winter” is available on CD/LP copy here and digitally here

FFO: Agalloch, Alcest, Altar of Plagues, Drudkh

Band info: Facebook || bandcamp

Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere (Album Review)

Album Type : Full Length

Date Released : 13/5/2014

Label : Profound Lore / Eisenwald Tonschmiede

The Serpent & The Sphere track listing :

1). Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation 10:28

2). (serpens caput)  03:06

3). The Astral Dialogue 05:11

4). Dark Matter Gods 08:36
5). Celestial Effigy  06:59

6). Cor Serpentis (the sphere) 02:58

7). Vales Beyond Dimension  06:48

8). Plateau of the Ages 12:26

9). (serpens cauda) 03:12

Bio :

For sixteen years the Pacific Northwest group Agalloch has defined what it means to combine influences from a variety of musical genres into one brooding, colossal, and cinematic sound that provides the soundtrack to existential themes concerning man, nature, loss, and death.

After two demo releases in the late 90s the band released three full-length albums: “Pale Folklore” (1999), “The Mantle” (2002), and “Ashes Against the Grain” (2006). “The Mantle” has since been heralded as a classic for having been one of the first albums to combine elements from black metal, neo-folk, progressive rock, post-rock, and ambient music. The influence of this record can be seen in many so-called “post-black metal” bands today.

In 2008 Agalloch began re-releasing their demos, B-sides, and EPs under their own Dammerung Arthouse label. In 2010 their fourth album “Marrow of the Spirit” made number one on numerous critic’s top ten lists. In between each of these full-lengths the band pushed on the flexible boundaries they had developed around themselves through a series of EPs that found the band experimenting with post-rock/instrumental rock (“The Grey,” 2004), neo-folk/psychedelic folk (“The White,” 2008) and most recently a mammoth twenty-minute epic work entitled “Faustian Echoes” (2012) released through Dammerung Arts.

Agalloch has earned a reputation for explosive and emotional live performances. They have sold out tours across Europe and the US and have played a variety of major festivals including: Roadburn, Inferno, and Scion among others. The band takes special care constructing the environment of each and every show with wood, incense, and imagery taken directly from their home in the Northwest. Such care makes an Agalloch show more than just a typical heavy metal concert.

The Band :

John Haughm | Guitars, Vocals, percussion

Don Ansderson | Guitars, piano, keyboards

Jason William Walton | Bass

Aesop Dekker | Drums

Review :

Agalloch have been honing their craft for nigh on two decades. The Oregon based band have produced possibly their finest work to date on their fifth full length player; The Serpent & The Sphere.

The album opens in tender fashion before ‘Birth & Death of the Pillars of Creation’ is built layer by layer and allowed to cook slowly for its ten minute plus duration. Melancholy acoustic chords, choral choirs and earthy guitar tones help to build a vast and cinematic opening track.  The vocals on this track and throughout borrow heavily from the snarled, black metal style. When all of these things are put together with a beautifully sombre solo, the outcome is emotional, sparse and affecting. An acoustic interlude heralds the end of the epic opening and leads into the heavier sound of ‘The Astral Dialogue.’

Immediately, the guitars are dense and the drums are pounding. The bass guitar rumbles around in a menacing fashion before the track settles into a more orthodox black metal track. Blast beats, and suitably grimacing vocals propel the track.

‘Dark Matter Gods’ follows, and with it puts its name in the hat for the albums highpoint. Another tender and serene introduction adorns the introduction before a shrill wall of guitars crashes into the mix. The centrepiece of the track here is definitely the vocal. Whilst similar motifs are applied from previous tracks, the way that the vocals are delivered through the verses of the track shows the diversity that Agalloch offer. As the track progresses, the bass powers the song in the latter sections; as the guitars rise and fall in epic fashion. ‘Celestial Energy’ continues the track in the same vein, which puts this brace of tracks at the centrepiece of the album, and effectively ends the second part of the album as the second of three acoustic interludes punctuates this from the final salvo.

‘Vales Beyond Dimension’ sees an opening that uses chugging guitars and slower work on the kick drums. The tempo remain the same, however again, the track is layered perfectly. The mix of acoustic guitars, lead guitar and rhythm guitar is a joy to listen to, as sombre as it is. The ending of the song is again vast in expanse and leads into the last track of the album, and the longest composition here; ‘Plateau of the Ages.’

Again, the way the song is constructed and executed is a master class of production and playing. The musicianship is second to none. An ethereal opening builds and builds with grace and power. The middle of the track has some spine tingling guitar work in one of the most harmonic sections of the album. The drumming towards the end of the track is pounding and emphatic; the track builds to a head and just keeps exploding into life over and over again.

Overall, this album is superb. After reviewing Behemoth’s latest opus earlier this year, I didn’t think anything would touch it in terms of really great records for 2014. Agalloch have certainly set the bar here for the folkier side of metal, where Behemoth set the bar for their brand of extreme metal. The Serpent & The Sphere is a genuine musical journey. The flow and construction of the album is peerless and if you set off on the journey, you will be fascinated throughout.

Words by : Dominic Walsh

You can get it here (USA & Canada) and here (Europe)

For more information :

http://www.agalloch.org/

http://agalloch.bandcamp.com/album/the-serpent-the-sphere