ALBUM REVIEW: 11Paranoias, “Asterismal”

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 15/03/2019

Label: Ritual Productions

“Asterismal” is a powerful distillation of 11Paranoias strengths that results in their heaviest and most hallucinogenic release to date. It is another fine addition to a mighty discography that makes most other doom bands feel tame and grounded in comparison.

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

1). Loss Portal

2). Bloodless Crush

3). Vitrified Galaxy

4). Prelude

5). Slow Moon

6). Quantitative Immortalities  

7). Chambers of Stars

8). Acoustic Mirror II

The Review:

11Paranoias continue their voyage to the outer limits of heaviness with new LP “Asterismal”. The UK trio have developed their distinct brand of mind-expanding doom over a number of killer releases and this latest collection finds them reaching new heights of crushing hypnotic wonder. 

“Loss Portal” opens proceedings in punishing style with the band lurching straight into a mesmerising slow-motion riff. Once 11Paranoias raise the tempo around the mid-point and Mike Vest's smouldering guitar sets a course into the stratosphere there is no resisting the sensory overload of their full sonic onslaught. 

While there is no doubting the bands mastery of dark, spacey doom it is their unexpected left turns into uncharted waters that really elevate them above their peers. “Bloodless Crush” is a relentless heavy garage rock attack cloaked in a cloud of fuzzed-out solos and swirling vocals. Imagine the Stooges playing through Electric Wizard's backline and you have a good idea of the joys on offer here. 

Adam Richardson's trademark roar is still present but this time around it is projected further into psychedelic territory, cloaked in layers of smoky reverb and delay. There are also instances of him employing a more melodic approach to great effect, adding a haunting, mournful edge to album highlight “Slow Moon”. The hulking, funereal first half of the track gives way to a propulsive second section that launches into oblivion like Earthless having a bad trip with Joy Division. “Quantitative Immortalities” takes a similar slow / fast split approach but this time the high octane finale powers into the heart of the sun like an armour-plated Hawkwind on one final flight into the beyond. “Chamber Of Stars” offers an initially subdued finale with waves of hazy wah guitar conjuring up the bleary, blissed out haze of Bardo Pond before one last glorious wave of noise engulfs all.

“Asterismal” is a powerful distillation of 11Paranoias strengths that results in their heaviest and most hallucinogenic release to date. It is another fine addition to a mighty discography that makes most other doom bands feel tame and grounded in comparison.

“Asterismal” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Fange, "Punir"

By: Charlie Butler


Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 01/03/2019
Label: Throatruiner

The spite of Fange's aural barrage is both terrifying and exhilarating, enhanced by an oppressive, ominous atmosphere and is highly recommended for anyone who wants to hear crusty sludge being twisted into weird new forms.

“Punir” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Ceinturon
2. Chien De Sang
3. Les Boyaux De La Princesse
4. Opinel
5. Il Reconnaîtra Les Siens
6. Maintien De L'Ordre
7. Second Soleil

The Review:

Fange are setting the bar high for filthy heaviness in 2019 with new LP “Punir”. Familiar elements can be detected within the Rennes quartet’s sonic onslaught but they bring them together to create their own unique brand of horrible noise. 

“Ceinturon” rips into life with a cloud of buzzing evil riffage that sets expectations for a no-nonsense crusty death metal hellride. While a lot of “Punir” delivers on these expectations, there is a whole lot of other unexpected nastiness going on too. The previously mentioned opener and “Les Boyaux De La Princesse” take the listener on intense journeys into the heart of darkness, melding punk metal filth with lumbering weighty sludge. The spite of Fange's aural barrage is both terrifying and exhilarating, enhanced by an oppressive, ominous atmosphere. The ever-present cloud of reverb that cloaks proceedings and the heavy use of chorus-laden lead guitar creates an awkward, uneasy feel that sits somewhere between gothy post-punk, black metal and noise rock. This strangeness serves to intensify and amplify the surrounding carnage and lends “Punir” a very distinctive sound.

“Opinel” and “Maintien De L'Ordre” offer two brief left turns into pure noise, agonised howls and programmed beats. Although short, these tracks demonstrate the full breadth of Fange's sonic arsenal and could easily support an album of their own. The pay-off of “Opinel” in particular begs for more material like this, coming across like Death Grips being played through a stereo that has been thrown down a flight of stairs, then set on fire. The climax of closer “Second Soleil” utilises these noisy electronic elements within the context of their more metallic material to great effect. The unexpectedly subdued finale creates a hypnotic air of dread by opting for a slow floor tom heavy thud which soon becomes swamped by distorted beats and rising tides of hissing static. 

“Punir” is a punishing release from Fange, highly recommended for anyone who wants to hear crusty sludge being twisted into weird new forms.

“Punir” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Erlen Meyer, “Sang et Or”

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/01/2019

Label: Argonauta Records

 

Erlen Meyer's fusion of intense post-hardcore and lumbering post-metal is like Will Haven screaming into Cult of Luna's wall of sound or the heaviest moments of the much-missed Kruger.

“Sang et Or” CD//DD track listing:

1. Coton Cardé
2. Rouge Cardinal
3. Vipères
4. Grand Duc
5. Re Ar Fi La
6. Le Chant de l’Hydre
7. Enfer Forgé
8. Trompe l’Oeil

The Review:

Erlen Meyer's “Sang et Or” has been a long time coming. It's been six years since the Limoges quintet released their debut LP and three years since their fearsome Damnation Festival performance left a smoking crater in the centre of Leeds. Thankfully this new collection is worth the wait.

“Coton Cardé” immediately creates an air of dark mystery with a series of sparse, clanging chords. This atmosphere is soon dispelled by the weight of the band rumbling into high gear. Erlen Meyer's fusion of intense post-hardcore and lumbering post-metal is an intoxicating brew, like Will Haven screaming into Cult of Luna's wall of sound or the heaviest moments of the much-missed Kruger.

What separates Erlen Meyer from the legion of acts with similar influences is their execution. Instead of focusing on obvious quiet / loud and build / release dynamics the band yield maximum heaviness via subtle changes to their relentless single-minded onslaught. This is most evident on the mighty “Re Ar Fi La” where chiming melodies snake their way through shifting tempos against a smoky, ghostly backdrop. Elsewhere, unexpected eruptions of blastbeats in “Enfer Forgé” and “Rouge Cardinal” shift the tracks into black metal territory. This fits perfectly with the eerie atmosphere that hangs over the whole album like a dense fog. This mood is enhanced by the spooky Theremin-like keyboards at the end of “Rouge Cardinal” and the restrained bombast of spoken-word closer “Trompe I'Oeil” that highlight the influence of Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock's work on “Sang et Or”.

“Sang et Or” is an impressive offering from Erlen Meyer that shows post-metal can still sound crushing and vital. Hopefully it won't be another six years until the next time.

“Sang et Or” is available HERE

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Great Falls, "A Sense Of Rest"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/12/2018

Label: Corpse Flower Records |

Throatruiner Records |

Init Records

 

…the band have expanded their sonic horizons to cover new levels of punishing heaviness.  Jagged shards of damaged post-hardcore now give way to crushing low-end riffs like a collision between KEN Mode and “Remission” era Mastodon

 

“A Sense Of Rest” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Accelerationist
2. Not-For-Sale Bodies
3. Kettle Logic
4. We Speak In Lowercase
5. Thousands Every Hour
6. Baldessari Height
7. I Go To Glory
8. Scratched Off The Canvas

The Review:

Great Falls decided to throw Album of 2018 lists into disarray with the late December release of the monstrous “A Sense Of Rest”. The Seattle trios last LP “The Fever Shed” was a taut thirty minutes of barbed noise rock fury. In the three years since its release, the band have taken their furious back catalogue as a foundation and crafted an expansive beast of an album.

“The Accelerationist” wastes no time introducing the listener to Great Falls in full flow with an onslaught of razor sharp guitar, pounding drums and churning bass. It soon becomes apparent that the band have expanded their sonic horizons to cover new levels of punishing heaviness.  Jagged shards of damaged post-hardcore now give way to crushing low-end riffs like a collision between KEN Mode and “Remission” era Mastodon. “Not-For-Sale Bodies” continues the barrage, culminating in a lumbering finale that demonstrates how much weightier “A Sense Of Rest” is compared to previous offerings. 

The highlight here is the monumental fifteen minute centrepiece, “We Speak In Lowercase”. It feels simultaneously like Great Falls unleashing all they have achieved to this point in one slow-burning epic and a huge leap into the unknown. The opening sections are unexpectedly melodic, delivered with a restraint and vulnerability that bring to mind Kowloon Walled City's amazing “Grievances” LP. Demian Johnston's vocals are at their most affecting here, from an exposed despairing howl at the beginning of the track building to an imploring scream at its climax. As the band dynamics move between quiet and loud, the tempos shift accordingly leading to a stirring slow-motion coda of shimmering reverb-heavy distortion.

It's as if Great Falls anticipated the state of awe the mind-expanding “We Speak In Lowercase” would leave the listener in by following it with “Thousands Every Hour”. The opening minute or so of screeching feedback followed by a skipped groove, one chord riff brings you back down to earth with a dose of punk rock urgency.

“A Sense Of Rest” is an incredible release from Great Falls. A perfect blend of ragged noise rock, devastating riffs, dark melody and ambitious songwriting, this LP should earn them some well-deserved attention.  

“A Sense Of Rest” is available (LP USA) HERE, (LP Europe) HERE and CD HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Daughters, “You Won’t Get What You Want”

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/10/2018

Label: Ipecac Recordings

Daughters are making noise rock that sounds like it has been beamed back to the present from a million years in the future. "You Won't Get What You Want" is an incredible album that casually destroys all peers and reminds everyone who is in charge.

“You Won’t Get What You Want” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1. City Song
2. Long Road No Turns
3. Satan In The Wait
4. The Flammable Man
5. The Lords Song
6. Less Sex
7. Daughter
8. The Reason They Hate Me
9. Ocean Song
10. Guest House

The Review:

The mere existence of a new LP from notorious Rhode Island miscreants Daughters in 2018 is cause for celebration. The fact that "You Won't Get What You Want" is the quartet's first album since 2010 yet somehow manages to continue the band's wildly chaotic tradition of reinvention and innovation is nothing short of a miracle. 

The record kicks off deep in alien territory with the unsettling claustrophobia of "City Song". The ominous thud of sparse drums, a wash of crackling low-end fuzz and Alexis Marshall's spooked drawl combine to create an air of inescapable anxiety that sounds more like “Liars” than anything from the Hydra Head catalogue. As the dread builds, guitars create a sharp, piercing squall akin to being attacked with a dentist's drill. It's devastating start to a wild and tense ride through constantly shifting sonic terrain. 

Following this storming entrance it's obvious that Daughters have maintained their uncompromising approach but found new ways to torment the listener. "Ocean Song" takes the template of "City Song" and draws it out into a relentless pound that builds in volume in intensity to its savage conclusion. The dustbowl twang of "Daughter" builds up to a climax of twinkling synths that could almost be described as pretty while "Satan In The Wait" manages to combine uneasy tension with bursts of hypnotic melody.

Every track on "You Won't Get What You Want" seems to demonstrate that Daughters have an almost bottomless pit of inspiration to draw upon. Even songs like the weirdly funky "Less Sex" which sounds like sinister minimal r'n'b being mauled by HEALTH work and feel totally at home on this record next to the more gnarly, frenetic moments. "The Flammable Man" is a whirlwind two minute reminder of the bands hyperactive past while the menacing churn of "Long Road No Turns" acts as the conduit from their back catalogue to their current incarnation. "The Lords Song" and "The Reason They Hate Me" even come close to resembling something like conventional punk rock, albeit a queasy, shambling repetitive thrash like Pissed Jeans at their most unkempt.

There are many bands out there making noise rock that take influence from the past and bend it into weird new forms. Daughters are making noise rock that sounds like it has been beamed back to the present from a million years in the future. "You Won't Get What You Want" is an incredible album that casually destroys all peers and reminds everyone who is in charge.

“You Won’t Get What You Want” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Sumac. "Love In Shadow"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/09/2018

Label: Thrill Jockey Records

With “Love In Shadow” Sumac take further giant steps into the heavy unknown with glorious results. No-one else comes close to achieving the balance of razor-sharp precision and intoxicating chaos on display here which edges the band closer to being the finest project in these incredible musicians’ illustrious careers.

“Love In Shadow” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1). The Task

2). Attis’ Blade

3). Arcing Silver

4). Ecstasy of Unbecoming

The Review:   

The dust has barely settled from the sensory overload of Sumac’s intense improv blow-out with Keiji Haino earlier in 2018. Now the fearsome trio are back with their third proper full-length “Love In Shadow”. 

This is a dense and initially daunting record. Comprised of four mind-boggling complex tracks, ranging from the relatively brisk twelve minutes of “Arcing Silver” to the massive opening statement of “The Task” which slowly unfurls over twenty-two hypnotic minutes, “Love In Shadow” is not an easy ride but hugely rewarding. Every listen reveals new details of these mammoth compositions and it is easy to imagine more coming to light countless spins down the line.

“The Task” immediately finds Sumac in full flow, negotiating a tumbling noise rock landscape, crushingly heavy with a coarse serrated edge. The track evolves reverse to expectations, beginning with a clanging cacophony then slowly getting quieter and quieter until it reaches its conclusion. This makes for an intriguing journey and finds the band breaking exciting new sonic ground. As the volume and complexity dwindles, the music becomes more captivating as it moves into a sparse one note dirge, led first by Aaron Turner’s crackling guitar then by Brian Cook’s seismic bass. This acts as a backdrop for Turner to take an extended, improvised clean solo that has a disorientating jazz feel reminiscent of the weirder moments of their collaboration with Haino. This is the first instance of Sumac allowing their growing power as an improvisational force come to the fore on “Love In Shadow” to great effect. Just when you think “The Task” has nothing left to give, it moves into a haunting end section comprised of just keyboards and Turner’s lone wounded bark. It is the most affecting moment on the record and brings to mind Harvey Milk at their bleakest.

“Attis’ Blade” kicks off in classic Sumac fashion with Turner clanging out a driving one chord attack that sets the tone for a pummelling rhythm section accompaniment. The band’s focused onslaught is interrupted by a shift into a passage of electrifying free-form molten improvisation. Throughout all of their albums to date, the superhumanly tight musicianship of Sumac as they navigate labyrinthine riff constructions has been almost terrifying to behold. This is still evident throughout “Love In Shadow” but it is the uncanny almost telepathic connection between these three players as they destroy conventional forms that yields the records highlights. Nick Yacyshyn somehow manages to lay down rhythms that work as a solid foundation for Aaron Turner’s wild unhinged guitar outbursts while simultaneously shifting and lurching to their own unpredictable tempo. Brian Cook operates in the middle ground between these two mighty forces, relishing the freedom to lay down a thick layer of restless low-end carnage. The track shifts back into a menacing noise rock grind as it winds its way to its conclusion, all the more effective in contrast to the roiling din from which it was born.

Cook’s relentless one note riff jerks “Arcing Silver” into life, an uneasy, menacing groove that somehow manages to keep building up tension throughout the majority of its duration. When it finally breaks into furious blastbeats and feral roars at its climax, the effect is exhilarating. This demonstrates Sumac’s ability to judge when it is best to take a direct, bludgeoning path rather than opt for the more torturous route. Another example of this is in “Ecstasy of Unbecoming” when Turner’s searing solo fretboard meltdown is mowed down by the band ripping into their approximation of driving dumb punk rock. 

With “Love In Shadow” Sumac take further giant steps into the heavy unknown with glorious results. No-one else comes close to achieving the balance of razor-sharp precision and intoxicating chaos on display here which edges the band closer to being the finest project in these incredible musicians’ illustrious careers. 

“Love In Shadow” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Forming The Void, "Rift"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/08/2018

Label: Kozmik Artifactz

Forming The Void channel the best of Monster Magnet through a heavy psychedelic doom filter, alternating between massive riffs and passages of cosmic grandeur

“Rift” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Extinction Event

2). On We Sail

3). Arcane Mystic

4). Transient

5). Arrival

6). Ark Debris

7). Shrine

The Review:

It’s hard not to get excited by an album cover that depicts a woolly mammoth jumping over a mountain in space. Fortunately the contents of Forming The Void’s new LP “Rift” deliver on these weighty cosmic expectations.

The Louisiana quartet waste no time getting down to business with the crushing groove of “Extinction Event’. The track channels the best of Monster Magnet through a heavy psychedelic doom filter, alternating between massive riffs and passages of cosmic grandeur.  This is a trick Forming The Void hone to perfection over the course of “Rift”. The middle section of the album finds the band recreating the thunderous majesty of self-titled LP era Torche, particularly the monstrous opening to “Arrival” and the smouldering sky-kissing solo that rounds off “Transient”.

“Ark Debris” and “Shrine” provide a powerful end to the album with Forming The Void at their slowest and most hypnotic. The former is a particularly absorbing slow-motion voyage into the beyond with huge, lush layers of sound giving way to bursts of triumphant doom. These tracks particularly highlight the importance the production plays in the success of this record. Chris Munson’s recording has captured the interstellar scale of these compositions with the smoothness of a classic rock or prog album but with more than enough dirt that no-one forgets this is a doom album at heart. 

“Rift” is a strong collection from Forming The Void. These massive tracks sound like they could take the band to a wider audience while maintaining enough low end crunch to satisfy underground riff aficionados.

“Rift” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: KEN mode, "Loved"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/08/2018

Label: Season of Mist |

New Damage Records

Few records will match the sheer rage and intensity of “Loved” this year. Almost 20 years into their existence, KEN mode have released their finest work that sets the bar for riff-heavy noise rock in 2018.

“Loved” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Doesn't Feel Pain Like He Should

2. The Illusion Of Dignity

3. Feathers & Lips

4. Learning To Be Too Cold

5. Not Soulmates

6. Very Small Men

7. This Is A Love Test

8. Fractures In Adults

9. No Gentle Art

The Review:

Winnipeg trio KEN mode make a welcome return with new LP “Loved”. It is by far the nastiest entry in their impressive body of work and all the better for it.

The album screams into life with “Doesn’t Feel Pain Like He Should”, a feral burst of sludged up noise rock that sounds like Unsane plugged into the mains. KEN mode have always dealt in a potent blend of churning low-end rumble, razor wire guitar lines and frantic vocals but they have never sounded as livid and visceral as they do on “Loved”. “The Illusion Of Dignity” continues the carnage, this time raising the intensity levels with furious squalls of saxophone at the track’s climax. Somehow the band manage to maintain this frightening level of ferocity through “Not Soulmates” and “Very Small Men” while introducing some touches of Botch style math rock into the fray.

“This Is A Love Test” provides some welcome respite with passages of quiet restrained menace bolstered by more saxophone, this time providing unsettling melody. These periods of calm only serve to emphasise the abrasive attack when the band kick back into high gear.

After eight tracks of seething rage, KEN mode somehow manage to save their hardest hitting track for last. “No Gentle Art” is a masterclass in slow-burn build and release dynamics, rising from a barely audible bass pulse and muttered threats into an utterly devastating one chord onslaught riddled with screams, feedback and wild saxophone noise. The music is the perfect match for Jesse Matthewson’s repeated howls of “STOP GIVING ME HOPE”, the sound of all dreams being ground into dust.    

Few records will match the sheer rage and intensity of “Loved” this year. Almost 20 years into their existence, KEN mode have released their finest work that sets the bar for riff-heavy noise rock in 2018.

“Loved” is available to preorder/buy here & here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Lord, "Desperation Finds Hunger in All Men"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/08/2018

Label: Heavy Hound Records

“Desperation Finds Hunger In All Men” takes the thrash infused sludge of last years “Blacklisted” record and blows it up on a grand scale to deliver the Virginia quintet’s finest work to date.

“Desperation Finds Hunger In All Men” CD//DD track listing:

1). No Sunrise on the Third

2). Scorched

3). Nature Knows No Kings

4). At First I Didn’t Believe It

5). La Fleur du Cobalt

6). August 11, 2017

7). Whispering Snakes

8). Mutilation Rites

9). Have A Look For Yourself

10). This Lonesome Linger

The Review:

The joyous news of the arrival of a new Lord album is tempered by the fact it will be their last. “Desperation Finds Hunger In All Men” takes the thrash infused sludge of last years “Blacklisted” record and blows it up on a grand scale to deliver the Virginia quintet’s finest work to date.

It is not certain whether or not this release was created knowing it was to be Lord’s swansong. Either way, it is brimming with a fearless urgency and restless urge to experiment that feels born of a band determined to go down swinging. “No Sunrise On The Third” wastes no time in getting things moving with a rumbling Soundgarden style riff. Lord soon introduces a healthy dose of southern sludge Down would be proud of and some surprisingly melodic vocals which contrast well with the surrounding heaviness.

From here, “Desperation Finds Hunger In All Men” charts a journey through concise, fist-pumping stoner anthems like “At First I didn’t Believe It” and “Whispering Snakes” and massive, slowly-unfolding epics. “Scorched” comes across like Crowbar branching out into progressive territory while “La Fleur Da Cobalt” finds the band at their most passionate and enraged. Most devastating of all is the monstrous “Nature Knows No Kings”. It begins with what feels like the cacophonous climax of a punishing doom track and proceeds to drive a single ominous riff further and further into the depths of despair. Over the course of eight and a half minutes, Lord create a broiling cauldron of crushing sludge, squalling feedback, unhinged lead guitar and desperate vocals that makes for a unique ride into the beyond.

Just when you thought there were no more twists and turns to negotiate on this LP, Lord sign off with “This Lonesome Linger”, a twelve minute acoustic piece. The style really suits the band with their complex compositions working equally as well with the volume down, embellished with string arrangements.

Lord can be proud that they have gone out on a high with “Desperation Finds Hunger In All Men”. Hopefully this album will inspire others to follow their path into uncharted waters of doom and sludge.

“Desperation Finds Hunter In All Men” is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook