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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
Low Flying Hawks
come at you with a chugging, thick mélange of sound you will not soon forget, there's
an aesthetic through this release that makes their second foray sound quite breathtaking.
"Genkaku"
CD//DD//LP track listing:
1.)
Smile
2.)
Uncool
3.)
Virgin Witch
4.)
Space Wizard
5.)
Hallucination
6.)
Twilight
7.)
Sinister Waves
The Review:
Sporting
a bond to sludge metal icons the Melvins is never a bad thing. And such a
relationship is all the more noteworthy when your bag is self described as
ambient metal, known otherwise depending on who you ask as drone metal. In the
case of Low
Flying Hawks, they're even closer to the WashingtonState
legends than throwaway words in a press kit. As Low Flying Hawks features Crover's peerless stylings as well as Melvins'
producer Toshi Kasai and guest
vocals from King Buzzo himself.
Do
not come to the recording expecting the Melvins' crunch, though. On its successor to
the 2016 debut “Kōfuku”, Low Flying
Hawks instead come at you with a chugging, thick mélange of sound
you will not soon forget.
"Genkaku" (Japanese for
“hallucination” or illusion”) is a mind-bending journey. The swirling guitars
and indecipherable words in "Uncool"
are indicative of that trip – dreamlike, or nightmarish, paths lain bare with Crover's pensive drum duties. A song
such as "Hallucination"
has almost a shoegaze feel to it, even though it is most decidedly doom in
nature. The discerning listener will find a bit of a psychedelic rock influence
in several tracks. Although you may hear such especially in our sludge metal
friends, prototypical notions of 'Melvins side project' this is not. Rather,
there's an aesthetic through this release that makes Low Flying Hawks' second foray
sound quite breathtaking.
At
the same time, the release is punishing when it needs to be. As in “Kōfuku”, the sophomore recording takes
plenty of toilsome turns. The big sound is present and accounted for, complete
with multilayered instrumentation and riffs that build to impressive arcs
throughout. You have to appreciate the King
Buzzo-fronted track "Space
Wizard" for its pacing in this regard, as well as that of "Virgin Witch," which is one
of the most Melvins
sounding songs, in all of the best ways, on this recording. All in all, Low Flying
Hawks exceeds the anticipation one might have about its members'
histories. The band also gets you thinking about how they can expand past that.
This is another thrilling blend of jarring styles
that Human Future bring together in seamless fashion.Although it is a shame to lose such a
distinctive voice in the UK
heavy underground, the band can be proud that they went out with a bang.
“Flat Earth Blues” CD//DD track
listing:
1). IV
2). Swine
3). Axiom
4). None
Shall Survive Through The Churn
5). V
The Review:
Human Future’s new EP “Flat Earth Blues” is a bitter-sweet
affair due to the band’s announcement of their untimely demise shortly after
its release. The UK
quintet’s swansong is an ambitious and exhilarating listen tinged with sadness
that the potential displayed on this brief but beguiling release will go
unfulfilled.
Bookended by
two atmospheric keyboard soundscapes, “Flat
Earth Blues” is a captivating journey through wild shifts in mood and
genre. “Swine” begins in dark
post-hardcore territory, an urgent razor-edged groove that comes across like a
heavier Self
Defense Family. The volume and intensity increases until the music
drops away to an ambient cloud of hypnotic repetition and slow-burning
psychedelic lead guitar. This soon erupts into a searing solo as the band
strike into an epic finale that feels like the perfect meeting point between
post-rock and prog.
The other
main attraction here is nine-minute behemoth “None Shall Survive Through The Churn”. This is another thrilling
blend of potentially jarring styles that Human Future bring together in seamless
fashion. The first half of the track shifts between blissed-out choral passages
and huge slabs of widescreen slide-guitar assisted heaviness that come across
like a combination of Envy and Earth. The second half sees
proceedings collapse into glorious controlled chaos, fuelled by some impressive
drumming that teeters on the edge between mathcore complexity and all-out
grindcore fury
“Flat Earth Blues” is a fine parting
gesture from Human
Future. Although it is a shame to lose such a distinctive voice in
the UK
heavy underground, the band can be proud that they went out with a bang.
Today's guests released one of the albums of the
year in 2014 with the brilliant “12
Areas”, indeed Colchester-based instrumental sludge/post-metal band Telepathy are one of the underground's best
kept secrets. They play unique and ambitious music, not so much songs,
rather complex compositions, music to get lost in, the perfect juxtaposition of
beautifully mellow and hideously brutal passages which they execute with
remarkable intelligence. Telepathy are
musical conjurors, employing masterful tricks within the construct of their
music, which they deploy in unpredictable ways throughout their art and that is
indeed what they create, art in the truest sense, you never know what’s coming
around the corner but you can’t wait to find out.
With each release their raw, voracious and vicious
sound has gained more and more clarity, their ideas more expansive and forward
thinking. Now, with Jaime Gomez Arellano at the helm, their new album “Tempest” is a different beast entirely.
The producer, who can boast Ghost, Opeth and Paradise
Lost as notches on his bedpost, is exactly what the band needed at
this point in time, and it will surely propel them to greater, more luxurious
stratospheres.Subscribing to their own
rules, the band are in a unique position of being embraced by fans of
post-metal, hardcore, sludge and progressive music alike, which is testament to
the bands imaginative, off-kilter and ambitious musical expressionism
“Tempest”,
their second full length for all intents and purposes, is better experienced
than anything. Be that in the flesh or sat in the dark with their immersive
compositions blaring through your headphones, painting vibrant images in your
imagination as they do, a
monsoon of riffs, from slow, knuckle-dragging doom moments to the calculated
chaos of Mastodon,
spinning on a huge axis with their long, winding loops, this album hits you
like a drug, freewheeling into your body.
Safe
to say then, that THE SLUDGELORD are massive fans and ardent
followers of their instrumental musical expressionism, so today it gives us
great pleasure to have invited Telepathy to talk us through their top 5 instrumental
albums, as we take our weekly trip into the extreme and turn
the volume all the way up to 11. Why do we go to 11, because its
one louder.
Earth – “Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull” (By: Teddy James Driscoll)
This
album is like a wander through the PalmDesert on peyote. The
instrumentation and minimalist approach is both sonically rich and wonderfully
bleak at the same time and you can almost feel the dry air dancing past your
cracked lips as you journey through the barren landscape. All in all, it is
just fucking great album!
Vangelis – “Blade Runner OST” (By: Piotr Turek)
First
of all, I must say that I love synths. This soundtrack is both complex and
spacious. I love the fact that although it is very ambient, there is enough
depth to the music to allow a variety of instrumentation and sound. At the same
time there are moments, like in the track "Rachel's
Song", where a melody is sung without words, adding a human element
whilst retaining its instrumental core. It's the whole climax up until the
final moments, and my love of 80's electronic music, that makes it my favourite
album to listen to. It contains all the best things from its period.
Bohren &
Der Club of Gore
– “Sunset Mission” (By: Richard Powley)
This
was my first introduction to the band, and is still one of my favourite
instrumental records to this day. Sometimes referred to as doom or noir jazz, Bohren &
Der Club of Gore trade in an incredibly slow and ambient take on
jazz soundtrack work. “Sunset Mission” perfectly
encapsulates their smoky, dystopian brand of after-hours city jazz and never
once lets you break from its grimy charms. Despite it's slow pace, the album is
incredibly gripping and every shift, every change in each track is perfectly
timed to make the greatest impact. Minimal, atmospheric and incredibly well played;
“Sunset Mission” is an escapist soundtrack to the
detective story that lives in your head.
Hans Zimmer – “King Arthur OST” (By: Albert Turek)
I
think the layering/production/composition is one of the standout points for
this Hans
Zimmer score. It sounds like he used mostly orchestral musicians for
this score, unlike some newer ones, which use electronic libraries of
orchestral samples he’s collected over the years. I feel like this is fairly
close to the type of music we write and it truly tells a story and fits the
film beautifully - in fact I can't imagine the film without it - 50% of the
film is that score for me. It says just as much as the picture does. The drums
sound amazing and it's the kind of drum sound and playing I am leaning towards
in the next Telepathy
album, a big orchestral sound - epic and powerful. It's inspired me a lot.
Compositions are super intricate and beautiful. Some of the harsh and heavy
sections on drums, brass and other rhythmic ensembles are brutal and hit harder
than a lot of metal records I've listened to recently.
Miles Davis – “Bitches Brew” (By: Piotr Turek)
The
instrumental album that has had the most impact on myself would be “Bitches Brew” by Miles Davis. Its was the first
time I heard someone using a guitar so well in jazz music, and the experimental
nature of this Miles Davis period made it easy to fall in love with.
Honourable
mentions:
Bongripper – “Miserable”
Mogwai – “Happy Songs for Happy People”
Burial – “Street Dealer”
Lustmord – “Purifying Fire”
Don
Cabellero
– “American Don”
Telepathy’s latest album “Tempest” is available here
“Ain-Soph
Aur” is a heavy experience on all levels. The band have dialled back the volume
and slowed the tempo from previous releases which has unexpectedly resulted in
increased impact. This album is towering
achievement from In The Company Of Serpents. It is a fine addition to an
already distinguished discography and an inspiring work that sets the standard
for heavy music in 2017.
“Ain-Soph Aur” DD//LP track listing:
1). Middle
Pillar
2).
Nothingness
3). Crucible
4). Merkabah
5).
Limitless Nothingness
6).
Limitless Light
The Review:
Denver doom duo In The Company
Of Serpents’ new LP “Ain-Soph Aur” is a heavy experience
on all levels. The band have dialled back the volume and slowed the tempo from
previous releases which has unexpectedly resulted in increased impact. Coupled
with some weighty thematic and lyrical content that draws on Qabalah philosophy
(“Ain-Soph
Aur” means limitless or eternal light) and Jewish mysticism, this album
hits hard.
“Middle
Pillar”
opens the album in punishing fashion, a relentless steamroller that destroys all
in its path. This track acts a meeting point between the bands aggressive
sludge roots and the grandiose widescreen destruction embraced over the course
of this record.
There are
many bands that employ quiet/loud dynamics, maximum reverb usage and crushing
doom riffage. In
The Company of Serpents employ all of these elements here but their
attention to detail and method of delivery have resulted in a completely
absorbing and unique sounding record. The fact that this dense, multi-faceted
music is the work of only two people is even more mind-boggling and impressive.
The key to
this record’s distinct atmosphere is the dark country influence that runs
through its veins. On paper, the combination of doom and country doesn’t sound
like a winner. However, In The Company Of Serpents recognise the
common ground between these two disparate genres and bring them together to
create a glorious noise. “Ain-Soph Aur” brings to mind Panopticon’s
similarly unlikely black metal/bluegrass classic “Kentucky”, particularly during the
cold acoustic ballad “Merkabah”.
“Crucible”
and “Limitless
Light” demonstrate the band fully embracing their new sound to create
epic, awe-inspiring journeys into uncharted heavy territory. The former is
particularly striking when the brooding dustbowl menace of the song’s first
half is shattered by an onslaught of devastating sludge. Imagine Earth
and Neurosis
joining forces to provide the soundtrack for True Detective and you have an
idea of the eerie heaviness to be found here.
In The Company Of Serpents’ massive riff explorations
are obviously their main strength but the shorter acoustic tracks are just as
effective and integral to the flow of the album. The sparse minimalism of “Nothingness”
and “Limitless
Nothingness” provide periods of bleak calm that are as hypnotic as the
explosions of volume that surround.
“Ain-Soph Aur” is a towering achievement from In The Company
Of Serpents. It is a fine addition to an already distinguished
discography and an inspiring work that sets the standard for heavy music in
2017.
Date
Released:
03/02/2017 Label: Sentient Ruin
Laboratories
I hate to sound melodramatic or
overstated but this was a completely other-worldly experience ... the
likes of which I'm still recovering from.
“Scriptures
of Grief” CS//DD track listing:
1).
I
2).
II
3).
III
The Review:
It
can be said that in this modern age we all have a sense of universal gateways.
Instant paths to information, shared experience and ideologies - for better or
worse. The beckoning, albeit distracting handheld glow of our portable gateway
devices. The altar of research and interaction that takes form as a desktop
battle station or a convenient laptop. Your path to these gateways is not beset
on all sides with a burden of gnosis, or a life resolute on mastering the
arcane mysteries of the universe. The gateway is the path, and the path is the
gateway. Sorry, I just got done listening to "Scriptures of Grief"
by Gateway.
Having
emerged from the alternate plane that this Gateway release puts you - it's sort of
difficult not to look at things a bit differently. Sure, blackened death doom
is a thing and those words in conjunction sort of let you know what you're in
for when you hear them - but this is something else. I hate to sound melodramatic
or overstated but this was a completely other-worldly experience ... the
likes of which I'm still recovering from.
Three
tracks, titled as simple numerals - "I-II-III" comprise this
album as ways to delineate three concise movements or phases. So for the sake
of coherency I'll just refer to them as "parts". Part one is a
telling display of this one man's death doom dealing abilities overall. The
knack for creating atmosphere and laying a formidable track for you to attach
yourself to. Clocking in at almost twelve and half minutes long it takes you
through gravity questioning swirls and sweeps of low-end frequency annihilation
and eerie distant digital percussion. A rare instance where mechanical drums
actually fit to serve the experience. The guitar tone is for me,
more reminiscent of early 90's drone distortion - a la early Earth
with sort of a destructive industrial warmth but sterility that beckons you
near whilst burning and semi-sizzling your ear drums. In terms of vocal
performance, it's more of a production than an outright telling. Deep, guttural
bellows soaked in reverb so wet it glistens and drips. I'm reminded of
bio-mechanic landscapes in the latest Doom video game and the sounds they would
make when no one was fighting on them.
Part
two further delves into a more scientific and somewhat industrial conjuring of
textures with the seamless transition from the first part. Marked by an
increase in mechanical drum excellence, this part of the album wants to take
you for a ride. Big breaks, followed by cliff-drops and more trudging with
hypnotic guitar work and those calculated machinations that are the drums
culminate to make this 8 and a half minute affair stand out resolute as a
different phase of the album. Probably a deliberate notion to give the entire
journey its height in intensity and callousness. Not a guitar solo in sight
here - nor anywhere on this entire landscape. The guitar serves as solid slabs
of gristle and glacial meat for the rest of the aural participants to feed from.
Part
three folds in organically at the brief respite that marks the transition. From
there it’s an inevitable downhill affair with a final surge of tempo and
intensity which disassembles and deconstructs to sub-sonic ruminations and
rumblings encapsulated in yet another 8 and half minute dirge. Kind of like the
slow motion death rattles of a wounded elder god - the dying breaths of a world
destroyer. At somewhere around the 6 minute mark the song releases its final
frustration in tempo and intensity to fall to the ground, awash in a fuzz tide
and crispy wizard whispers. The gateway has closed and the scriptures have been
read aloud. Time for you to return to the plane of the mundane mortal.
“Scriptures
of Grief”
is available Europehere
and USA/ROTW here
“Diablo, Con Amor…Dios” is a relentless dose of irresistibly
gruelling metallic hardcore. Xibalba have crafted a flawless shot of misery
that will keep you coming back for more until you have been beaten into
submission.
“Diablo, Con Amor…Dios” DD//7inch track listing:
1.
Diablo
2.
Con Amor
3.
Adios
The Review:
California
quintet Xibalbahave built up a formidable
reputation for crushing brutality. New EP “Diablo,
Con Amor…Dios” is a succinct yet terrifying reminder of the bands fearsome
power.
Few
bands manage to convey the constant atmosphere of threatening menace that
pervade these three tracks. “Diablo” opens proceedings like a
kick in the gut, an evil blend of sludge-encrusted doom and chug-heavy
hardcore. “Adios” shares a similar sound but drags the punishment out
over five grimly-compelling minutes, like Crowbarbeing dragged
into the moshpit by Integrityand Earth Crisis.
“Con
Amor” acts as a relative breather between these two
slabs of dense heaviness. The band let their death metal tendencies rise to the
fore, furious blastbeats and straight-ahead punk rhythms intertwining to create
a dark adrenaline rush.
“Diablo, Con Amor…Dios”
is a relentless dose of irresistibly gruelling metallic hardcore. Xibalba have
crafted a flawless shot of misery that will keep you coming back for more until
you have been beaten into submission.
“Diablo, Con Amor…Dios”
is available to preorder/buy here
By: Charlie Butler Album Type: Full Length Date Released: 14/10/2016 Label: Golden Antenna Records | The Native
Sound
“Wounds” is a
captivating set of songs that are simultaneously heavy and delicate. FVNERALS
unique brand of doom-filtered slowcore creates a powerful feeling that stays with
the listener long after the final note has rung out.
This is the
perfect time of year for the music of FVNERALS. The bleak and desolate atmosphere of
new LP “Wounds” completely captures
the feel of days when you leave and arrive home in cold darkness.
The Glasgow trio’s distinct
sound does not fit the standard mould of metal but it hits harder than the
heaviest of doom bands. An intoxicating blend of Earth’s dustbowl minimalism, the
spiky dissonance of Slint and the hushed intimacy of Grouper,
FVNERALS
power comes from hypnotic simplicity and restraint. Sparse guitar lines, deep
drones and ominous drums make an ideal backdrop for Tiffany’s haunting vocals,
a key element to the weighty emotional punch of this album. The climax of the
title track is all the more affecting when wordless howls wash over the
crushing distortion that breaks the rising tension of the quiet build-up. The
mid-section of “Shiver” provides one
of the albums hardest hitting moments when the track falls away to just organ
and hushed vocals.
Although the
moments when the band cut loose on the volume front are few, when it happens
they make it count. The snail-paced riff that brings nine minute finale “Where” to a close is a stark contrast
to the surrounding taut menace, its impact amplified via glorious repetition.
“Wounds” is a captivating set of songs
that are simultaneously heavy and delicate. FVNERALS unique brand of
doom-filtered slowcore creates a powerful feeling that stays with the listener
long after the final note has rung out.
“Wounds” is available in the US
on vinyl (here)
and in Europe on CD//LP (here)
I’m
a bit obsessed with Neurosis. I was given the “Souls at Zero/Enemy of the Sun” bundled
digipack on release about 20 years ago (by my Gran, of all people) and have
been a fan ever since. In all that time I’ve never managed to catch them
live, so when they announced two shows at Koko to celebrate 30 years as a band
- supported by instrumental US
drone-mongers Earth
on the Monday night and British anarcho-punks Subhumans and Discharge
on the Tuesday - I snapped up tickets immediately and have spent the last few
months salivating in excitement.
Having
initially bought tickets for the Tuesday show I was pretty disappointed when
work got in the way and I had to switch to going on the Monday night – I’ve
been a Discharge
fan for yonks but had never really listened to Earth past a cursory spin of “The
Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull”which left me a bit unsure what
all the fuss was about. Turns out I was wrong.
After
a few pints over the road, we arrived a couple of minutes before Earth
came on and just had time for a run to the merch stand and the bar before Dylan
Carlson and co wandered onto the stage of Koko. Their set was hypnotic ally brilliant,
as Carlson - backed by Adrienne Davies on drums and a baritone guitarist whose
name I’m not sure of – ground out a succession of long, mesmerising
instrumental pieces full of ultra-slow, head-nodding grooves and bluesy guitar
riffs that were big, slow and heavy enough to have been written by dinosaurs.
Music I’d found difficult to pay attention to on record was suddenly
all-encompassing and completely gripping. I’m sure a proper fan could give you
a much more thorough review, but I’ll just say that I was grinning from ear to
ear by the end of the set and leave it at that.
And
so, having been thoroughly re-educated about Earth, it was time for one of
the most influential acts in modern heavy music to unleash the apocalypse on Camden. What followed
wasn’t quite what I was expecting. In an interview with Overblown in the run-up
to these shows, Steve
Von Till mentioned that Neurosis“[wanted]
to celebrate our 30th anniversary by going back in the catalogue, trying to
find some songs that would work, and trying to acknowledge each phase of our
band” and that comment had me excited about the possibility of them
raiding “Souls at Zero”, “Enemy of the Sun”, “Through Silver in Blood” and “Times of Grace”, in turn bringing out a
crowd-pleasing set of classics. In the end the set list leans much more heavily
on recent albums than I was hoping. “Lost”,
from “Enemy of the Sun”, gets a huge
cheer from the crowd about halfway through and they close with the incomparable
“Locust Star”, which is one of my
all-time favourite songs by any artist, but the rest of the ten-song set is
drawn from their last four albums, including three of the five tracks on new
release “Fires Within Fires.”
But
if that sounds like a complaint, it isn’t. Neurosis are majestic. They don’t chat. The
visuals are long gone. What we get is visceral, intense, totally alive heavy
music, and the fact that I don’t know the new stuff that well doesn’t get in
the way at all. There aren’t many bands who can take music that didn’t really
set the world on fire for you on record and make it feel like a vital listening
experience live, but Neurosis does precisely that. They pound out
almost two hours of non-stop riffage, load it with waves of electronica from
Noah Landis's sample/keyboard/theremin station on the side of the stage and
offer more dynamics and subtlety in ten songs than many modern metal acts
manage in an entire career. 30 years of making music hasn't slowed the
juggernaut of sludge that is Neurosis down one iota and on this form you
wouldn't bet against seeing the 40th anniversary shows come around. Maybe
they'll finally cave in and play the greatest hits set in 2026.
Setlist:
1).
Stones from the Sky
2). Given to the Rising
3). Bending Light
4). Lost
5). Broken Ground
6). Casting of the Ages
7). Fire is the End Lesson
8). Distill (Watching The Swarm)
9). At the Well
10). Locust Star
Album Type: Full Length Date Released: 24/10/2016 Label: I Hate Records
“What makes Zaum’s
music so intoxicating is the sheer density of their sound. Layers of synths,
sitars, flutes and who knows what else, build up to create a foundation of
all-encompassing drone for the bands epic compositions.Prepare to be transported to a higher realm.”
“Eidolon” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Influence of the Magi
2). The
Enlightenment
The Review:
“Eidolon” is a term from ancient Greek
literature that refers to a spirit-image of a living or dead person. It is an
appropriate title for Zaum’s new album given the ageless, haunted
soundscapes contained within.
Few bands
can touch the New Brunswick
doom duo in terms of sheer hypnotic atmosphere. “Eidolon” sees them raise their game once more with two 20 minute
behemoths, “Influence of the Magi”
and “The Enlightenment” that build
on their impressive previous releases. Imagine the relentless riff onslaught of
Om circa “Conference of the Birds” combined with the wider sonic palette of
their later work and blown up to symphonic scale. This will give you a good
impression of Zaum’s
mind-expanding, heavy grandeur.
What makes Zaum’s
music so intoxicating is the sheer density of their sound. Layers of synths,
sitars, flutes and who knows what else, build up to create a foundation of
all-encompassing drone for the bands epic compositions. Chris Lewis’ drumming
provides a solid backbone for these mammoth voyages into the beyond but Kyle
McDonald’s bass is the key ingredient to Zaum’s success. From spacious, ghostly chords
to crushing distorted riffs, he utilises an arsenal of
effects to give the impression of the band being a mighty legion rather than a
mere duo. There is a wide spectrum of vocals on display here too, switching
from spectral chants to throaty roars and everything in between to meet the
demands of these complex journeys.
“Eidolon” is another transcendent
release from Zaum
that sees them go further down their singular path into the heavy unknown.
Prepare to be transported to a higher realm.
