Showing posts with label Alerta Antifascista Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alerta Antifascista Records. Show all posts

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Norilsk - 'The Idea of North' (Album Review)


Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 10/3/2015
Label: Hypnotic Dirge, Dwyer Records,
Alerta Antifascista

‘The Idea of North’ CS/CD//DD//LP track lisitng:

1). Japetus
2). Planète heurt
3). Throa
4). La liberté aux ailes brisées
5). Nature morte
6). Potsdam Glo
7). La Grande Noirceur
8). The Idea of North
9). Coeur de Loup (*exclusive to the CD)

Norilsk is:

Nicolas Miquelon | All instruments, vocals
Nick Richer | Drums, Vocals (backing)

Review

Taking their name from a remote Siberian city, home to a renowned heavy metal smelting complex, Canada's Norilsk have a name to live up to and with their latest offering, 'The Idea Of North', they offer up a chilling slice of doom that does the job with gusto.

Things get off to an ominous start with 'Japetus', a crunching riff interlaced with a piercing melodic line and vocals that reach a depth and grimness I've rarely heard. It's all set at a punishingly slow pace that intensifies the malice and creates that very special sinking feeling that doom fans have become addicted to. Moving on with 'Planète Heurt' the band ensure we sink ever further, as the pace is reduced to an agonising crawl and the vocals shift to a more melodic feel that's more disconcerting than pleasant and with a rousing guitar solo midway through, you get the feeling that there's beauty among the bleakness.

It's not all in slow motion however, as with 'La Liberté aux ailes brisées' the catchy mid pace riff snarls under a surprisingly catchy lead guitar line with those grim vocals sitting comfortably atop it all, showcasing that the band aren't just a one trick pony. The albums penultimate track, 'La grande noirceur' is a short, haunting instrumental and one that sets up the albums closer, the title track, quite spectacularly. A heroic lead guitar line accompanied by a hypnotic black metal style riff that's led by a simple, sparse drum track. It's a suitably devastating way to end, as by the time it's over, you'll have sank to the very bottom.

'The Idea of North' is absolutely everything you need or want from a doom album. Norilsk are a rare band in that they manage to punish you with pace but add enough melody and style to keep you captivated. This album is the soundtrack to a grim fate, layered with atmosphere and a truly ferocious vocal performance, it may be slow but it makes for an exhilarating listen.

Words by: Rhys Miles

‘The Idea of North’ is available on CD here, DD here, CS here and LP soon via Alerta Antifascista

For more information:



Friday, 6 March 2015

The Sludgelord Presents: THE PREMIERE OF NORILSK MUSIC VIDEO ‘JAPETUS’


The doom-death/sludge entity Norilsk unveils “Japetus”, first music video off their forthcoming album “The Idea of North”, out March 10, 2015 on Hypnotic Dirge Records and Dwyer Records, and later this year on vinyl via Alerta Antifascista Records.

Named after Siberia’s northernmost city, home of a famous heavy metal smelting complex, Norilsk is a doom-death band from Gatineau (Québec), Canada. Norilsk released a 20-minute EP in 2014, which was well received and laid the groundwork for the 2015 opus.

“The Idea of North” is a doom-death album crafted for the winter season: it has slow and crushing riffs, death growls, and atmospheric arrangements. An evocation of an ominous presence over a vast wasteland, “The Idea of North” is a massive offering that triggers the imagination. Its music draws comparison with doom-death bands such as My Dying Bride, Morgion and Ablaze in Hatred, but it also has a few atmospheric sludge/post metal elements reminiscent of Isis and Morne.

The band comments: “The Japetus music video is an artistic collaboration between Norilsk and film producer Petr Maur, from Ottawa. Petr used our drummer Nick Richer as the main character for his movie Horsehead, and our music as soundtrack. In exchange, he generously offered to do a short version of his movie, and to adapt it as a music video for us”.

With stunning pictures and a twisted darker-than-Alice-in-Uglyland universe, Petr Maur began creating a short surrealist film using dreamlike visual elements and experimental soundscapes. Linked together, these create a coherent but still highly interpretive film. No part of the film was created using digital SFX thus deepening the films already twisted realism.

With that in mind, it gives us great pleasure to be able to premiere the video here, at Sludgelord Headquarters. 





Petr is an accomplished photographer and a multimedia artist who has worked on numerous creative projects including photography, graphic design and independent film work. These experiences have inspired Petr to create several music videos as well as his own short film.

Petr Maur Productions 2015

Norilsk’s new record “The Idea of North”, will be available from March 10th, so make sure you pick up a copy and watch out for our forthcoming review.

For more information:

Sunday, 2 February 2014

Serpent Eater - HYENA - Album Review

AA95. Serpent Eater - Hyena LP cover art

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: Dec 15th 2013
Label: Alerta Antifascista Records (LP)/Hammerheart Records (CD) 

Opening track listing:

1.Ebola 05:38
2.Last Cold Word 06:00
3.In The Wall 04:42
4.Hyena 05:19
5.Leitmotif 02:53
6.Trepanation Nation 04:00

Bio:

SERPENT EATER, based out of Cologne, Germany, has been plodding forward with its current lineup since early 2012. With members hailing from HAMMERHEAD (Ger), TUMULT (Ger), DASKRILL (Ger) and THROATS (UK), SERPENT EATER has been well rooted in the DIY Hardcore Punk scene for ages. Living on anger, SERPENT EATER is fuelled, not dispirited, by life’s experiences and struggles.

As such, the lyrical concepts employed in their work mainly focus on the weirdness and deformations of the psyche as well as the emotions of a violated mankind in modern society.

SERPENT EATER creates its signature dark sound to emphasise this lyrical approach by mixing elements of death and black metal to (post) hardcore, crust, heavy and dark 70s rock, and doom to create sludgy, heavy and somber atmospheres of despair and hopelessness infused with moments of calm, sadness and melodic doldrums – only to be interrupted by sudden outbursts of sheer fury.

The Band Members

DW, GR, CM, DS, RGD

Review:

Serpent Eater are here to destroy your entire world with their brilliant new album – HYENA. A stunning 30 minute blast of filth ridden Death Blackened Sludge Hardcore brutality that will shake you to the core.

Serpent Eater are mega-pissed and they stay that way through out. First track – Ebola – is aptly named as this song spreads like the legendary disease it was named after. Brutal riffs will soon take over your body and there is no escaping the inevitable outcome. Devastation at every corner. Vocals and riffs are played loud and mean through out. Death and destruction is lurking through out this album. There is no cure and there is no escape. It's best to comply with these dark overlords of noise. As it's pretty meaningless to escape.

Serpent Eater are very hard to describe. They play a mixture of Death Metal, Doom, Sludge Metal, Black Metal and Hardcore but they don't play to one specific genre. The band play a brutal mix of all these great genres and the results are equally electrifying as your worst nightmares come to life.

Tracks such as Last Cold World, In The Wall and Hyena fully embrace the dark visions that the band will soon have you looking over your shoulder. As the band have written some horrific lyrics to match the constant onslaught of dangerous vocals and music through out. And I loved every filth ridden second of it.

Serpent Eater are another great band coming from the German Sludge/Doom Metal scene. It was my good friend Michael from German Doom-Sludge-Popsters – WALL – who first recommended this band to me. And boy was I hooked. So Michael – I thank you for the recommendation my friend.

This album does have a great hard-rocking vibe despite the dark lyrical content. I even started to head-bang to this album the more times I listened to it. It's a dark and mysterious vision that will have you begging for more. Serpent Eater is an album that will go down a storm with the hardcore moshpit crew as it embraces the dark and dangerous side of Sludge Metal that we all need to hear now and again.

All in all, Hyena is a stunning release that you all need to check out now.

Brilliant and Highly Recommended.

Hyena is now available to buy Digital Download, Vinyl from Alerta Antifascista Records and CD through Hammerheart Records

Check The Band From Links Below


Written by Steve Howe