ALBUM REVIEW: Lethvm, "Acedia"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 10/10/2019

Label: Dunk! Records

“Acedia” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Fatigue

2). Ananke

3). Grey

4). Podavlennost

5). Oratio

6). Schisme

7). Acedia

The Review:

I think that many times, in the world of heavy music, anger and aggression take center stage. The power and force behind our beloved genre is taken for machismo and bravado. We are a misunderstood bunch, us metal fans. But we know the truth. We can hear between those notes and get to the raw emotion that this music is trying to convey. What's more, when done right, we can feel that emotion.

Lethvm's sound on “Acedia” is complex. There is a lot going on, to say the absolute least. Upon first listen, I knew that I liked it, but it took many more to feel that I truly got it. A wide array of clashing genres are at play here, ranging from grinding sludge to haunting ambience, with a folk influence poking its head in at times in harsh contrast to an overarching post hardcore. It's a complicated mix, but one that is very worth the listener's time to sort through and decipher.

The guitar sound on this album is crisp and driving, cutting through the mix like a well sharpened blade. The low end is hard yet elegant, never overstepping its bounds, never becoming overbearing. The drums are skull crushing, the piano and synthesizers are dreamy, but the standout sound you are about to hear is the vocals.

While at times settling into the commonplace bark and growl of hardcore and death metal, the main sound showcased on this album is the anguished wail that floats atop the better part of the album. I won't lie; these vocals won't be for everyone. But I think they provide something more than a guttural shout can, emotionally. These are primal. The cries of the damned. They don't sound cool and no one is trying to make them. These are real. Every time the voice cracks and breaks, it can be felt deep within the soul. A recently defunct Edmonton Screamo outfit called I Hate Sex utilized this same technique to great effect. Maybe my previous acclimation to them primed me for Lethvm, maybe I have acquired the necessary taste. But please, dear reader, do not let this difficulty turn you away. Take the time to listen. In time their purpose will become clear, and you will love it.

With their fourth album, “Acedia”, this Belgian four piece takes us on an emotional journey. This music does not convey anguish, but embodies it fully. Every labored scream pull firmly on the listener's heartstrings, creating a shared experience that cannot be overvalued in an increasingly impersonal world. This band does not tell you. They show you, and show you well.

“Acedia” is available HERE

Band info: Bandcamp || Facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: Belgian doom duo SLOW debut re-recorded remastered version of "The Break of Dawn"

On January 25th 2019 code666 will release a re-recorded, remastered and remixed version of “IV – Mythologiae” by Belgian doom duo SLOW. The album will be released on vinyl, CD and as a digital download.

The album was previously released in 2015 in very small quantities and sold out quickly. Now, due to a data loss the album has now been completely re-recorded, remastered and remixed and includes a never before released bonus track "At The Break of Dawn", as well as new artwork.  Today ahead of the release which is a couple of week from now, we can present an exclusive premiere of a track lifted from this massive slab, entitled “The Break of Dawn” which you can check out in full below. 

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Barst, "The Endeavour"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 18/05/2018

Label: Consouling Sounds

‘The Endeavour” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Endeavour

The Review:

Boy! Barst has done it again. On their 2016 outing, “Western Lands,” Barst yielded stunning results when they combined post metal aggression with claustrophobic psychedelia. This Friday, Barst is going to hit the scene with a new offering, “The Endeavour.” In doing so, this Belgian band is taking their sound to unexplored territories.

“The Endeavour” is presented as one, 42 minute song. Whether “The Endeavour” actually is one, single song is up for debate. I’d go so far as to say the album is three of four movements, all tied together by way of smooth transitions. But presentation counts for a lot, and if Barst wants us to take this album in as one song, then that’s what we’ll do. Either way, the band implores the listener to give the music full and undivided attention.

As far as genre is concerned, “The Endeavour” is hard to pin down. There’s definitely a dark element to the music, and it’s heavy in its own way. Is it metal? Yeah. Industrial? Check. Psychedelic? No doubt. Heavy doom? Uh-huh. And those are just a few of the genres that Barst brings to the table.

Throughout, the guitars are laden with a variety of distortion effects. None of the guitars are ever overpowering, but they sure do set the mood. So there’s still a subtlety in the music that holds the band back from diving head first into mindless riffing. “The Endeavour” continues its foray into the unknown by introducing programmed percussion and other electronics, giving way to a rather palpable industrial influence. Sometimes an Ufomammut tint springs to mind and at other times the music gets psychedelic enough to wonder if it’s still Barst that we’re listening to.

Then there’s the emotional palette that Barst paints from. It’s probably even more varied than the musical palette. Barst spends these 42 minutes intently dipping their proverbial paintbrush in the darkest of blacks as well as the brightest of colors. The resulting painting is one that grabs attention of both its somber tone as well as its shades of hope and elation.

Despite the sprawling nature of the music on “The Endeavour,” the album is still a very concise listen. Barst’s plan of attack is based on a clear vision, so much so that every note and chord and melody played is as intentional as the last. Barst’s vision is so sound that they don’t get caught up in themselves, but instead are able to translate what was in their mind to a recorded format without coming across as self-indulgent.

“The Endeavour” is available digitally, on CD and LP here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Hemelbestormer, "A Ring Of Blue Light"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 02/03/2018

Label: Van Records

“Hemelbestormer's musicianship is excellent, and signals a new maturity in the band's evolution.”

"A Ring Of Blue Light" track listing

1. Eight Billion Stars

2. Clusters

3. Towards the Nebula

4. Redshift

5. Blue Light

6. The Serpent Bearer

The Review:

Crafting heavy music that is at once original, attention getting and accessible is no simple task. There are absolutely many bands who skillfully offer fantastic albums with a lot to offer in terms of creativity. For Belgian quartet Hemelbestormer, however, the feat of doing something especially different comes through a non-denominational approach to metal, winging elements of doom, progressive and sludge into its second album.

"A Ring of Blue Light" is one of the more interesting releases of the young year simply for the fact that, rather than embracing or promoting the shopworn notion of defying categories, Hemelbestormer features music that reflects a range of influences that come together within every track, rather than standing as is typically done: 'here's the fast song,' 'here's the contemplative song," and so forth.

"Eight Billion Stars" begins the recording with an atmospheric pacing that melds well with "Clusters." The lolling chords here crest into a thicker river of sludge. Hemelbestormer took some criticism early in its arc for taking too liberally from its inspirations. What comes across from the start of "A Ring Of Blue Light" is more of a desire to take that feedback to heart and forge something new. The guitars of Jo Driesmans and Filip Dupont carry the day on "Towards the Nebula," as the band hits its midpoint, while Frederik Cosemans' drumwork and synths represent well elsewhere

The 14-minute-plus "Redshift" seems intended to be the zenith for this album, and it is in fact a really promising song that might have possibly benefitted from tighter editing, since, about 11 minutes in, the switch in pacing feels forced in an otherwise sturdy doom-influenced song. At other turns, there are moments when spot trims could have improved the overall composition – brief cuts like "Blue Light" underscore this, with the reliance of short songs that feel like there's more there, and long tracks that could use a firmer approach. Regardless, Hemelbestormer's musicianship is excellent, and signals a new maturity in the band's evolution.

With the closing notes of "The Serpent Bearer," a showcase for the band's heavy music potential and its willingness to push some boundaries, you leave "A Ring Of Blue Light" with a great deal of hope for what this invigorating four-piece can come up with next.

"A Ring Of Blue Light" is available here

Band info: facebook