Goatsnake and Pelican Live at Columbus Ohio's Ace of Cups

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Funny thing about being a metal blogger in Seattle: you receive a tremendous amount of promotional material from bands that claim to sound like or draw influence from the grunge scene. Never mind that grunge was more defined by aesthetics than sound, or that Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden have relatively few sound-alike bands in the city anymore. Doubly never mind that just because I live here doesn’t mean I’m a huge fan of the sound (Alice in Chains tickle my fancy, so does earlier Soundgarden, but past that I’m disinterested). Parisians Abrahma are touted as successors to those two bands in particular (though they're a better fit on this site than many other bands who claim the same), but I’m not so sure of the similarity. Not that it matters, because they’re quite good in their own right on their upcoming sophomore LP, Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird. While Abrahma’s sound is psychedelic in the sense that the band creates immersive layers of sound that work in counterpoint to one another, their approach to songwriting is more direct than the average psychedelic band. Their 90’s Seattle influences show more in their marriage of impassioned vocal delivery (albeit kind of buried in the mix, which is nice) with a heavy metal rhythm section—the drums are loud and attention-grabbing, and the riffs often chug on the downbeat. The band played Roadburn this year, and they certainly fit in with that festival's expanding focus. In their more delicate moments, Abrahma also remind me of heavy progressive groups with a knack for catchy vocals, like Porcupine Tree or maybe Klone. It’s not the single heaviest thing I’ve ever heard, but I revisited Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird to contemplate its balance of songcraft and tone, which is much more exciting than just another band that got into metal through grunge.

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Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird drops May 12, but you can pre-order it via Small Stone Records. Follow Abrahma on Facebook, or on Twitter at @ABRAHMAMUSIC.

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April 2015 seems like the most tragic month in recent metal history, not in terms of disappointing releases, but in terms of something far more important: human life. Sure, it’s sad that In Solitude called it quits, but other bands will take their place and those boys will go on to make more music. But we’ll never hear another inventive guitar line from Drew Cook or mighty groove from Craig Gruber again. I don’t keep any sort of record of the number of metal musicians who pass before their time, but April just felt as though it carried a hefty cost. Hell, the month began in tragedy when three members of Khaotika and Wormreich perished in a deadly bus crash. Shortly thereafter, three metalheads lost their lives and several more were injured in Chile when a venue collapsed during a concert by legendary UK crust band Doom. This past weekend marked the two year anniversary of Jeff Hanneman of Slayer’s passing, as well, and while that band is trying to honor his legacy, something about Slayer continuing without him just tastes bad. That taste carries over into their first post-Hanneman music, which did not make my choices this month. Even the dearly deceased don’t seem safe, as Dave Brockie of GWAR’s former bandmates and family literally quibble over his ashes. But for all that, the metal community at large seemed more interested in throwing a hissy fit over Mobb Deep playing Maryland Deathfest, or in worrying whether that fest will happen at all. Newsflash: it’s Maryland Deathfest, not Maryland Metalfest, and being open-minded will only benefit us as concertgoers and a community (I bet that set will be an absolute blast). And either way, the social upheaval in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray is far more important than patch-jacket spring break. I’m salivating over my chance to see Triptykon as much as the next guy (OK, probably more), but a little perspective is always in order. Still, some tragedies have a flipside. April showers bring May flowers or so they say, and if I can pinpoint a single blooming daisy it is the groundswell of support for IO contributor, Steel for Brains editor and writer extraordinaire (not to mention excellent human being ) Jonathan Dick and his daughter, who spent much of the month in a hospital. So often writing about this music over a medium as anonymous as the internet can feel like skipping rocks over an infinite pond—even with comment threads, email and social media, it’s easy to feel isolated in this line of work. However, a gofundme account created by former IO scribe and fellow metal writer of import Kim Kelly became something of a rallying point for admirers of Jon’s writing and the music we share a love for. We, meaning not just metal bloggers and readers of metal blogs, but people who approach this music as the tent pole of a lifestyle, people who love the art form, are at our best when we’re a community working toward a common goal. Sometimes it takes death, or at least a little brush with it, to get us there. But what we have in common is appreciating the art, so let’s get on with it.

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La Nueva Sangre are a metalcore band who, despite hailing from Colombia, don’t sound too far off from the kinds of bands that were the commercial face of metal in America in the '00s. However, La Nueva Sangre present a more burly and aggressive approach that eschews a lot of the showy solos and awful clean singing that wound up sinking Killswitch Engage. It’s not the most obscure thing I’ve ever heard, but something about the energetic drive of “Latinoamerica Ruge” is infectious on a level than transcends aesthetic taste. Espresso is good in the morning no matter what kind of cup you put it in. -Discovered via email from the band itself.

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Besides having an oddly spelled name, Nocternity are a long-running black metal band from Greece, and while I’m aware that the Aegean sea has a reputation for ferocious black metal, few groups from the region have wound up sticking in my library, aside from the ubiquitous Rotting Christ and the always-odd Zemial. Nocternity play is way straighter than both of those bands, but still manage to work in a great balance between melody and aggression on Harps of the Ancient Temples. This record took 12 years to create and was, according to the band’s press sheet, recorded twice with different members, one analog one digital. The analog version is now available from Iron Bonehead which, like Greece, tends to put out scores of excellent black metal releases that nevertheless does not always capture my imagination, but this one is a hit. I have no idea how main man K. D. hopes to recoup the investment of recording the same album twice, but I’m guessing he doesn’t care. By all accounts Harps of the Ancient Temples is a worthy successor to his last full length, Onyx, which I’ve decided to pick up based on this album’s strength alone. -Discovered via CVLT Nation.

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Bands who want to be featured on Invisible Oranges, take note: this is how you get my attention. Gloaming, a death/doom band from Baltimore, sent me a cheery personalized email with a link to their Bandcamp and a brief rundown of what exactly makes their band unique: lyrics based off Maryland folklore. “My family has lived in Maryland for hundreds of years, so stories just sort of trickle down through history. Visiting a lot of old historical sites and the like has also exposed me to a lot of folklore/mythology that's passed around but not often written about,” guitarist/lyricist J.C. explained in an email. I decided to check the record out, even though I prefer my death metal fast, and was not disappointed. Keep Close the Watchfires is a mature and nuanced work with hints of later Chuck Schuldiner in the vocals, occasional bursts of speed reminiscent of Asphyx, and a genuinely creepy vibe. The riff on “Curse of the Frozen Witch” in particular kills. It turns out that, like many death doom bands, Gloaming is a long-distance collaboration, with members in Finland, Australia and South Korea (right?) in addition to the United States. They’ve probably never played in a room together, but they know how to close an album; “Dwayyo” is fucking killer, even if it does resort to a rock and roll fadeout. In addition the album kind of lags in the middle, but whatever, room for improvement on album #2. -Discovered via email from the band itself.

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Speaking of little bands with can-do attitude and great outreach skills, Canada’s Vile Creature hit me up with something unique to bring to the funereal blackened doom table. All their lyrics are centered around queer and animal rights. From a two-piece doom band? Didn’t see that coming. For what it’s worth, I’m not enough of a socially inclined person to include them based on that alone. The music is great, chilling with a powerful haze around the guitar tone, as if the microphones and amplifiers were dripping with Vaseline during the recording sessions which, by the way took place in a public school basement. If you’re interested, the album is free to download, but to get a physical copy you’ll need to catch the guys on tour. -Discovered via email from the band itself. Here’s tour dates: 07 May - Toronto, ON @ D-Beatstro 08 May - Montreal, ON @ Squalor Collective 09 May - Boston, MA @ O'Brien's Pub 10 May - Providence, RI @ Psychic Readings 11 May - New Brunswick, NJ @ Circuit City 12 May - Richmond, VA @ Church of Abe 13 May - Virginia Beach, VA @ TBA 14 May - Washington DC @ Hot Tub House 15 May - TBA 16 May - Philadelphia, PA 18 May - Allentown, PA @ Alternative Gallery 19 May - TBA 20 May - Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar 21 May - Buffalo NY @ Sugar City 22 May - St. Catharines, ON @ the Temple 23 May - Kitchener-Waterloo, ON @ TBA

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Now to pick up the pace a bit, Portland, Oregon’s Pressing On features guitarist John Wilkerson of legendary West Coast hardcore outfit From Ashes Rise. Either that’s enough to get you to jam the play button as fast as you can, like me, or it’s going to keep you from ever listening. For those of you who are uninformed, From Ashes Rise played an impassioned style of metallic hardcore that featured both shredding leads and beatdown segments, not to mention sometimes gorgeous melodies. Tragedy and His Hero Is Gone are perhaps more well-known in this milieu, but From Ashes Rise was a significant contributor as well, and that’s due in no small part to Wilkerson’s quirks. There was a minute in time when every new hardcore band seemed determined to crib that band’s style, so it’s nice to have Wilkerson back in action. Pressing On might not make it past this demo. Hell, most hardcore bands don’t make it this far. Still, I’m digging it. -Discovered via Facebook.

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Last month I passed on featuring a new song by Miami’s Maruta, so I’m rectifying that now. This technical grind outfit used their last album, forward into Regression to create a sonic labyrinth, full of twists turns and dead ends but invariably leading in a single direction—lethally forward. They broke up shortly thereafter, but are now about to return with Remain Dystopian, another entry in what’s turning out to be a strong year for technical death-grind (there’s a reason we streamed Antigama and Theories). The first single, “Stand in Defeat,” was pretty good, but “Hope Smasher” might be my favorite thing I’ve heard from them, all dizzying jazz-inflected guitar runs culminating in a punishing groove and a strong vocal hook. -Discovered via Lambgoat.

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Another lesson I learned in April: a crop of current artists in Australia that understand tension and fear with an almost supernatural acuity. I was made aware of it first through two stunning films, the crime thriller/family drama Animal Kingdom, and the indie horror phenomenon The Babadook. They’re both must-views, films that grip viewers early with high stakes and intimate discomfort and then ratchet up the tension. Australian blackened death metal band Dead River Runs Dry sounds as though they’ve been pulling from the same well as those films. Too often blackened death metal becomes shorthand for “Behemoth clone,” spooky-but-tough young men trying to both frighten and intimidate (different things) at once, with songcraft and variety as distant third and fourth priorities (Note: the Behemoth formula is to put songwriting first, while the intimidation springs naturally from Orion’s topknot). On Heirophants of the Storm, however, Dead River Runs Dry have crafted a solid and varied release that raises stakes as it goes. Their flirtations with crust and rock and roll give way to sudden, brief Deathspell Omega-isms on “Bow Your Head, Scum,” while “For the Fallen” has more of a melodic Dissection vibe to it. And holy crap, “Hyperic Vortex” packs one hell of a main riff. Polyglot and promising music awaits in Australia. -Discovered via email from the band itself.

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However, when it comes to my in-general gloomy disposition regarding April of 2015, perhaps Paradise Lost, one of my favorite bands in any genre, summed things up best with the song “No Hope In Sight,” the first taste of their upcoming album The Plague Within. In some ways it’s typical Paradise Lost: mid-tempo and almost incredulous in its portension, with a vocal hook from singer Nick Holmes consisting of him saying the title of the song in the chorus quite loudly. In some ways it’s a huge shift: Holmes growls alongside his melodic singing. To some people this is a very big deal. In the earliest bit of their career, Paradise Lost (alongside My Dying Bride, Katatonia and Anathema) pioneered a still-popular brand of gothic doom metal before, like all three of their fellow innovators, abandoning the sound in favor of pop music. To a subset of listeners, this was reason enough to abandon the band outright, and I’m guessing this subset of listeners are mostly American since Paradise Lost are a genuinely large band in Europe. The Plague Within is a kind of olive branch, albeit one some of us saw coming, since Paradise Lost guitarist Greg Mackintosh has been exploring death-doom and crust in his side project Vallenfyre, and Nick Holmes returned to growing as Mikael Akerfeldt’s replacement in Bloodbath. Further playing the return-to-form up, Paradise Lost have released a video for “Beneath Broken Earth,” which would have made this list had it been released in April proper. That video is a bit of a feint: “Beneath Broken Earth” is all slow and gravel-throated, but it’s the only song of its kind on The Plague Within. The rest of the album is more in line with “No Hope In Sight,” marrying Holmes’s new harsh singing with the pop metal style that the band has perfected in the last decade. In a way this move seems as much a cynical pursuit of American money as much as an offer of reconciliation, but at least it’s the start of a new era for a group who deserves the second chance they’re asking for, and if throwing a few growls into the recipe is what it takes, so be it. -Discovered via Press Release.

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this article has been corrected to accurately reflect the spelling of Colombia.

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When Apocalyptica first emerged from the Finnish capital in 1996 with an album of Metallica songs played on cellos, the band almost seemed doomed from the get-go. Sure, it was a clever gimmick, but how could they turn it into a career? Plays Metallica by Four Cellos came at a time when metal—at least popular metal—was struggling to overcome a decade-long period of public badmouthing, starting with the Parents Music Resource Center’s ill-informed attack on metal’s messaging to teen listeners and ending with the genre having been rendered seemingly irrelevant by a glut of grunge bands. Hardcore metal fans have never particularly felt the need to have the genre legitimized by outsiders, but let’s face it, hearing Apocalyptica play a dozen well-known and beloved thrash songs on classical instruments helped prove something fans had suspected for a long time: there’s never been much of a division between metal’s layered virtuosity and baroque compositions of yore. Yngwie Malmsteen and Eddie Van Halen touched on it earlier, but Apocalyptica drove the point home.

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Fortunately, Apocalyptica’s longstanding members, Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen and Perttu Kivilaakso, had some serious chops, having studied at Helsinki’s esteemed Sibelius Academy. With each subsequent album they drifted further away from the concept of covering other metal musicians’ work and got better at composing cello-metal compositions of their own. Early original tracks like “Toreador” and “Harmageddon” were a little rough around the edges but showed plenty of promise; by the songs on Apocalyptica’s third album, Cult, the band had created the breathtaking “Hyperventilation” and “Kaamos,” demonstrating what appeared to be a clear and singular voice in the annals of classical-metal crossovers. (Apocalyptica’s cover of Edvard Greig’s “In The Hall of the Mountain King” also demonstrated just how heavy some of the old classical tunes really are). For a moment, it looked as though Apocalyptica might offer a fresh take on metal, one that fused classical instruments, Scandinavian heritage and heavy-metal prowess, akin to Amorphis or Wintersun. That didn’t happen. Cult was also when Apocalyptica tilted in an overtly pop direction by introducing a rotating cast of guest vocalists, some of which worked much better than others. When they’ve chosen singers with character-rich, unique voices — Gojira’s Joe Duplantier or Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia, for example — the vocals have elevated Apocalyptica’s instrumentation, lifting the whole thing up. But when they’ve worked with generic-voiced singers, such as Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace or Brent Smith of Shinedown, Apocalyptica has descended into a land of mediocrity where the cellos don’t even sound like cellos anymore. They resemble guitars and bass and maybe some synth. What’s the point? On Apocalyptica’s latest album, Shadowmaker, they have at least made an effort for consistency by sticking to a single vocalist throughout the entire album—a first for the group. Unfortunately, on they’ve chosen one of those average-voiced singers, Franky Perez, to front the affair. Perez’s voice has a Nickelback-ian quality, capable of that sort of fuzzed-out tunefulness that’s pleasant but never dares challenge you or make you feel anything. Their instrumentation follows suit, rarely rising to the progressive, flamboyant dynamism Apocalyptica has proven it’s capable of. That’s not to say that Shadowmaker is without its moments. Parts of the title track romp through Kirk Hammet-esque solos, tense Vivaldi plucking and horror-pop moments reminiscent of Ghost (B.C.), but all the best bits are the ones in which Perez isn’t singing. The album’s other high points are its instrumentals, particularly “Riot Lights,” an electro-metal frenzy of relentless cellos that’s thrilling on CD and will undoubtedly be a blast live. I’m not saying Apocalyptica — or any other metal band, for that matter — should have to choose between walking a line of innovation that could lead to potential obscurity and making a career out of crafting listenable cello-rock anthems. I’m saying that for Apocalyptica, the latter path is strewn with significant tradeoffs. It isn’t what these Finns do best. Deciding to populate Shadowmaker largely with garden-variety pop songs seems like a betrayal of one of metal’s more unusual offerings in the past 20 years. It seems like a waste.

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Shadowmaker is available now via Eleven Seven Music. Follow Apocalyptica on Facebook, or on Twitter at @apocalypticafi.

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It’s been a lengthy waiting game for stateside fans of Electric Wizard. Barring a one-off set at Maryland Deathfest in 2012, the Dorset, England overlords of smoke-shrouded psychedelic doom haven’t toured the U.S. in well over a decade. They’ve doubtless spent much of that time atop many a metalhead’s “must-see” list, as they’ve only grown in stature and international popularity in the interim. Thusly, the announcement earlier this year of a proper run of North American gigs was met with enthusiasm--and quickly sold-out venues. A line at the entrance of Boston’s Royale Nightclub that stretched well past the end of the block on a Friday evening in early April, the third to be exact, was a living, breathing testament to that. The Royale is an actual nightclub in the most common sense of the word, meaning that it was set to fill up with well-manicured people who were definitely not going to the Electric Wizard show by 10 o’clock. An early curfew was in store, but it was of no consequence to a sold-out crowd who likely would’ve put up with just about anything to catch this show. Openers Satan’s Satyrs, fronted by current Electric Wizard bassist Clayton Burgess, took the stage by 7 pm and offered up an enjoyably breathless set of throwback heavy metal. They played it loose and jam-y, perhaps a bit too loose at times, but functioned as a lighter counterpoint to the crushing set to come that left the bill feeling balanced. Excitement was palpable in the room by the time Electric Wizard hit the stage, which was naturally engulfed in as much fog as the state of Massachusetts would legally allow. The band’s signature projections of vintage exploitation films further set the scene, and with the title track from 2007’s Witchcult Today, they were off. Mastermind Jus Oborn led the ritual, wielding his guitar like a dangerous riff-dispensing weapon. Fellow guitarist Liz Buckingham shredded with a zen sense of calm at stage left, while Burgess and recently added drummer Simon Poole admirably held down the slow and pummeling rhythm section. Though the band was technically touring in support of 2014’s Time to Die, the setlist drew from both their storied classics (Dopethrone and Come My Fanatics...) and each of their recent full-lengths in relatively equal measure. It was a wise choice, considering that most North American audiences hadn’t seen them tour an LP since 2002’s Let Us Prey. Electric Wizard are nothing if not reliable, and much like their last few records, their live show delivers pretty much exactly what you’d expect. Thankfully, what you both expect and receive are awesome. The band sounded absolutely massive; a low-end-heavy fuzz-soaked barrage of unstoppable riffs and Oborn’s distorted tales of death, destruction, Satanism and Lovecraftian horrors. They ripped through nine songs that whipped the crowd into a sweaty frenzy, and led to some actual bloodletting courtesy of one fan who either got punched or headbanged a little too enthusiastically but refused to leave the front row, before closing with an impossibly heavy “Funeralopolis.” It may have taken a decade, but Electric Wizard made the wait feel worth it.

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Photos taken in New York City by Greg Cristman

Satan's Satyrs

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Click through for Electric Wizard photos

Electric Wizard

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So here are a handful of new albums which are coming out this calendar week (that means between 5/10 and 5/16 if you don't have a calendar handy). I can't begin to tell you how excited I've been for a few of these to come out. Anticipation is the mind killer, especially for albums you've been awaiting for, I don't know, three years? However, some of the discoveries I've made over these past few weeks as this sort of...I don't know, “Amalgamator” has proven that, once again, the excitement of new discovery somehow always ends up trumping the excitement of anticipation. Am I missing anything? Do you want to tell me I'm pretty? Did Euronymous have it coming? Am I so wrong that the world is going to end? Let us know in the comments and I'll probably respond!

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ANTICIPATED RELEASES

Obsequiae - Aria of Vernal Tombs | 20 Buck Spin | “Castle Metal” | United States The anticipation I was just speaking of in my little fancy introduction? That was all about this. “Blondel del Nesle”'s music career has been dear to me since his days in Autumnal Winds (which eventually turned into Obsequiae in 2007), and watching his musicianship blossom has been a satisfying experience, to say the least. What we have here is a forty-five minute foray into what Blondel del Nesle's world of “Castle Metal” - an extraordinarily catchy, Medieval-y inclined throwback to the days of Non Serviam-era Rotting Christ and the first two Fall of the Leafe albums. This isn't your dad's Medieval metal – you won't hear the all-too-saccharine folk caricatures of Subway to Sally anywhere in this album, just triumphant, well-crafted guitar work and a “fist raised to the sky” sense of immediacy and power. The sense of intricacy found in its predecessor, the mighty Suspended in the Brume of Eos, is only furthered here, with Blondel del Nesle's effortlessly smooth guitar playing as stately as it is impressive. For those who are interested in looking deeper into legitimate Medieval music, Vicente La Camera Mariño's harp is in fact true to the era, and he is an immense talent Void Paradigm - Earth's Disease | Apathia Records | Progressive Black Metal | France Every once in a while you will get to see me flex my brain muscle...this is one of them. Void Paradigm classifies themselves as “hypnotic dodecatonic black metal.” This (though the terminology is incorrect: dodecatonic isn't really a music term—it's “dodecaphonic.” Sorry, guys!) alludes to the now-infamous twelve-tone composition style pioneered by Arnold Schoenberg. I go into detail concerning twelve-tone technique in an article I wrote for Backlit Zine a few years ago, but, needless to say, it is 1) based in math and charts and 2) unlike anything the untrained ear has ever heard. French modernist black metallers Void Paradigm might not follow the “atonal” style to a T, relying on lyrical melodies and harmoniousness from time to time (the music nerd in me would go as far as to say they should call themselves hypnotic panchromatic black metal, which doesn't have the same sort of ring to it), but man, what a great album. Chock full of big, gross harmonies and loud, almost hardcore-esque barked vocals, this almost reminds me of ATMF's Haar, who I covered in a previous column, but with a much more fearless foray into even-more-than-Deathspell Omega dissonance (can you believe I have to make such a distinction). The title track veers off into a very nicely composed string quartet. Again, maybe not as dissonant as they might want to say, but still very enjoyable as a whole. Stream the full album Earth's Disease via VS Webzine here.

Hypothermia - Svartkonst | Agonia Records | Black Metal/Post-Rock I feel very conflicted about this release (this happens a lot). On one hand, this is a new, proper Hypothermia album. Hypothermia, the band whose initial releases (everything up to the massive Rakbladsvalsen, really) led to immense catharsis throughout the early-to-mid “depressive black metal” boom. Then came sole-member-turned-frontman Kim Karlsson's “improvised” era, including releases such as Kaffe & Blod and Gråtoner, which I felt held merit, but, as a whole, did not live up to the intense, enveloping atmosphere held within previous albums. I felt that a proper album as opposed to a demo or an EP would bring about that old, nostalgic feeling. You know, like the one you get when listening to Bergtatt or Det Som Engang Var. That inescapable, detached feeling of youth, formative depression, and separation. I really, really wanted Svartkonst to be that...and I guess at times I felt that, but an instrumental “post-rock” album doesn't quite cut it. I know Kim has it in him – I can hear it in the album...it's just not quite there yet. Maybe some day.

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OF NOTE

Antlers - A Gaze Into The Abyss | Vendetta Records | Black Metal | Germany If you had told me Pablo Ursusson from Sangre de Muerdago re-entered the world of extreme music (he used to be in extremely awesome crust band Ekkaia), I would have laughed in your face. Ursusson had really calmed down over the past few years, existing almost solely in the neofolk scene. I suppose it would make sense that he would re-emerge in a folk-tinged, atmospheric black metal band like Antlers. It is almost exactly what you'd expect from someone who emerged from the folk scene to make black metal, and that is totally okay in my book. Big, autumnal sadness which got a Spring release for some reason. Related to: Sangre de Muerdago Orakle - Éclats | Apathia Records | Progressive Extreme Metal | France Every mention of French metal band Orakle showcases two things: 1) they're black metal and 2) they've been around since 1994. What does that tell me? I should expect some cold, Vlad Tepes-style riffing, right? Wrong, this is a strange bout of twisting, turning progressive metal, running the gamut from your saxophone-driven avant-jazz to the blistering cold of the early French black metal scene. Maybe a little too disjointed at times, and they definitely approach the “circus avant-garde” I so despise on more than one occasion...but, I have to say, I really do enjoy this album. Related to: Diapsiquir (at least at one point) Valborg - Romantik | Temple of Torturous | Death/Doom Metal | Germany I can't imagine a few months going by without a Christian Kolff-related release I end up absolutely loving. Valborg's unique, oddly-goth rock-tinged (The Cure, not Nightwish. Sheesh) brand of death/doom is as crushing and majestic as it is catchy and memorable. Kolff might be known more for his odd, avant-garde works in Woburn House, Owl, and Island, but Romantik shows Kolff's keen ear for solid songwriting, as the rest of the Valborg discography does. Related to: Owl, Klabautamann, Island, Woburn House Abrahma - Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird | Small Stone Records | Progressive Rock/Grunge | France My taste in grunge is pretty limited – I like Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees, and the like, but I can't say I'm super well versed in the genre. I must admit, I approached writing about this release with hesitance, but, since we premiered a stream of the album, it's only fair that I give my two cents, too. Right? This has some nice, heavy riffing, definitely akin to Soundgarden's BadMotorFinger but through a much denser THC crystal prism. And hey, they played Roadburn, so people are certainly paying attention! Stream Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird here.

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FOR THE ADVENTUROUS

that means things which aren't metal

Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls | Profound Lore Records | Industrial | United States So I'm not going to lie and say I always liked Prurient – in fact, it was quite the opposite. I'd tried and tried for a long time but couldn't find myself getting into Prurient, or power electronics in general. Even the more adventurous and pop-minded Time's Arrow and most of Bermuda Drain was lost on me. However, I could tell in recent years the sole member Dominic Fernow was on to something, reaching further and further into the depths of industrial music, beyond his more traditional noise and power electronics scope, to create something interesting. The mammoth Frozen Niagara Falls double album was the first Prurient album to really make me say “oh wow, I get it now.” Maybe it was his time as a member in Cold Cave, maybe it was the (mostly) demise of his label Hospital Productions (which still puts out releases from time to time), or maybe it was all that Muslimgauze he had been listening to. Whatever it was, Frozen Niagara Falls is quite a grand statement, running the gamut from the most traditional to the most extreme ends of industrial music. Yes, from conservative, Intrinsic Action-esque power electronics to entirely acoustic neofolk (which is an extension of industrial music, to the surprise of most), Frozen Niagara Falls acts sort of like a survey of the industrial genre, taking pristine snapshots of different eras, different places, different people, and bringing them together into a single, ninety-two minute presentation.

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FROM THE GRAVE

Goatlord - Sodomize the Goat | Nuclear War Now! Productions | Death/Doom Metal | United States Goatlord - Demo '87/Reh '88 | Nuclear War Now! Productions | Death/Doom Metal | United States Goatlord - Reflections of the Solstice | Nuclear War Now! Productions | Death/Doom Metal | United States These three are all bundled together because madman Yosuke Konishi from Nuclear War Now! Productions took it upon himself to re-issue almost the entirety of Goatlord's back-catalog on vinyl (save the Promo from 1991, but Demo '87/Reh '88 contains a mostly unreleased rehearsal from 1988, of which two tracks were featured on a split with Nunslaughter in 2004). Why? Goatlord is one of the more important band's you have yet to hear. With recordings which date back to 1985, Goatlord is one of the earliest known death/doom band. Irreverent, brutal, and absolutely disgusting death metal. Though these particularly recordings date from 1987 to 1991, they are just as refreshing now as they probably were back then (Admittedly, I'm a little too young to be nostalgic about them). A big selling point is the super primitive (and rather humorous) Sodomize the Goat artwork. You can even get it on a t-shirt if you really, really want it. Doom Snake Cult - Love, Sorrow, Doom | Death/Doom Metal | United States After the demise of Goatlord, vocalist Ace Still lent his signature throat to Doom Snake Cult, who might be known to most as that band whose debut tape, originally released on JL America, was randomly placed in orders by NWN! proprietor Yosuke Konishi. Their sole album, the death/doom oddity Love, Sorrow, Doom, is a hazy adventure into drugged psychedelia and rather surprising lyrical content (“Carnival Freak Show” deals with the mistreatment of sideshow attractions and the sympathy felt by an onlooker). Ten years after the initial, long-sold out re-release, Nuclear War Now! is at it again, this time with an altered track listing, new cover art, and the label's signature, extremely decadent packaging. Alda - Alda | SickManGettingSick Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | United States After a few home-dubbed tape and CD editions, “Cascadian” (ugh) black metal band Alda's first full-length finally gets the vinyl treatment. I like to think of this as a nice teaser to their upcoming full-length on Bindrune Recordings. Mantar - Death By Burning | Brutal Panda Records | Sludge Metal | Germany I've lost count how many times Mantar's sole full-length to date has been released and re-released. This will be the first time Mantar's aggressive brand of bass-less, punky sludge metal will be available domestically on vinyl.

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OTHER RELEASES Metsatöll - Pummelung | Napalm Records | Folk Metal | Estonia Armed with beer and kanteles, the prodigal sons of traditional Estonian folk metal return. Hoist your beer (I did). King Parrot - Dead Set | Housecore Records/Agonia Records | Thrash Metal/Grindcore | Australia Angry, thrashy grind from Down Under. Did I mention it was angry? They're angry. Valkyrie - Shadows | Relapse Records | Doom Metal/Hard Rock | United States A retro-sounding doom metal/hard rock band which rides on good vibes, cold pop tops of Old Style, and many hazy nights of listening to Spirit Caravan and Mountain...man... Fistfuck/Fuck the Facts - Fuck the Facts/Fistfuck | PRC Music | Grindcore/Grindcore | Canada/Canada A fucky split between two fucky bands. In all seriousness, new Fuck the Facts is always welcome. Entrails - Obiliteration | Metal Blade Records | Death Metal | Sweden A squeaky clean, modernized version of the classic “SweDeath” sound made by someone who supposedly was there for its impetus. Apparently there is a bit of controversy surrounding whether or not Entrails actually existed between 1990 and 1998. You decide. Hackneyed - Inhabitants of Carcosa | Silverdust Records | Germany | Death Metal It was only a matter of time until a death metal album based on the mythos utilized in True Detective happened. Luciferian Rites - When The Light Dies | Moribund Cult | Black Metal | Mexico Black metal done in the old way defined by Strid's End of Life demo almost twenty-five years ago. This happens to feature some especially messed up vocals, but not too over the top. Surprisingly nice, especially if you love the more aggressive side of “depressive black metal” as much as I do.

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WHAT WE MISSED

Eigenlicht - Sacral Regicide | Independent | Black Metal Ray Hawes of Skagos has been sort of silent for a while, touring with his mostly live folk band Ekstasis (whose fellow member Johnny Delacey [of Fauna] is also in Eigenlicht) but otherwise distanced from the black metal underground. If you're familiar with Skagos, you should know what to expect: stately, powerful black metal, but this time in a much more stripped down fashion and featuring some prominent, not-cheesy keyboards. Dendritic Arbor - Romantic Love | Grimoire Records | Black Metal/Hardcore Ripping black metal which has just as much to do with Will Killingsworth's career in Orchid as it does Varg's in Burzum. Big and chaotic. Not sure what warrants the Romantic Love title, though. Herbarium - Shepherd of Winds | Razed Soul | Black Metal | Ukraine A surprise discovery – if this isn't a new project of Roman Saenko's in which he attempts to reclaim the grand throne of Drudkh's early discography, then this duo is doing a great impression. Striborg - This Suffocating Existence | Razed Soul | Ambient Black Metal | Australia The long-awaited resurgence of the reclusive Tasmanian legend, and a pleasant return to his Southwest Passage sound.

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