Creeping - Order of Snakes (2011)

Band: Creeping
Country: Auckland, New Zealand
Style: Blackened Sludge Metal
Label: Swamps of One Tree Hill

I love me some blackened sludge, and I'm sure long time readers of this blog probably already know that, but I can't help but express it now and again. The shear crusty vibe that sounds so twisted and crushing, at the same time, is what I long for in bands within this genre. Creeping is a relatively new name for me, having only found out about them through Glorior Belli.
I have to say that, despite doing a solid job at coming both the sludge and black metal, this leaves much to be desired in terms of production. For me, like I just mentioned, I love this sort of style because of the crusty nature that it should naturally give off, for some reason that dirty, filthy sound just doesn't come up all that often on here. The production is technically good, everything can be heard well, but that just doesn't do it for me in this style. In my opinion, this album just sounds a bit too polished for my liking, it doesn't really have the right amount of grime and dirt for me to really sink my teeth into it, like some of their peers do.
Now, I'm not going to say that this album is a total failure simply because it doesn't sound like what I would want it to, no, there's still plenty of good stuff on here. A track like The Cavernous Light recalls some Black Sabbath-esque riffery while the title-track, Order of Snakes, and Pestilential Rain display the band's love for all things black metal, in essence, they hit all the right spots and strike the right cues. I would have to say that there are better moments on this album than songs; and I've found moments like the beginning and ending of Crawling Into Hell to be better than half of what's on here, but the rest of the song doesn't really hold up to that opening, and closing. I also found that I enjoyed songs more when the band were going at a mid-to-slow tempo, a more doomy side if you will, which for some reason just really had a good vibe to it, compared to the black metal parts anyway.
Overall, it's an alright release, but like I've said, it just didn't hit me the way I would have liked it to. I feel that these guys write some cool parts, but have a problem with songwriting, as much as production in this case, which is holding them back. If you're already into this band, check them out, but you could find better albums than this one within the same sub-genre if you look.
Overall Score: 5
Highlights: The Cavernous Light, Temple of Graves

Embers - Shadows (2011)

Band: Embers
Country: Oakland, California
Style: Blackened Doom/Crust
Label: Independent

Crust is the stuff that makes sludge worth listening to, in my opinion, the grime and filth covered riffs just pollute your eardrums. For me, polishing sludge is like polishing a rock, sure it might be shiny in the end, but you've really taken away what made it interesting. This five piece has ties to the Bay Area punk scene, so I'm expecting some good stuff.
After the obvious opening of, Drone Intro, this band surprised me with what they actually had to offer. Instead of some hulking doomy/sludge song, I found the ten minute Eucharist to contain a very atmospheric black metal sound to it, but in a good way. In how atmospheric it was, I almost expected it to be more monotonous or dreary, in a depressive sort of way, but instead, this album has a great sense of melody and progression, playing riffs long enough to be catchy, but not overuse them. There are parts where this band are amazing and go through some excellent songs, but I have to say that there are times on here where their sound becomes a bit derivative, hear Malediction.
The band certainly do have a sludge/doom side to them though, so don't expect this whole thing to have black metal tremolo picking or shrieked vocals. While songs like the title-track, Shadows, and Dreams have slower sections, this album doesn't really ever go full-on sludge. One thing that stood out on here, to me, was the drumming, because for black metal, and this could very well have come from the punk influence, it wasn't always going double-bass heavy on me, there were sections of more intricate playing, hear a track like Resurrection.
Overall this was a really solid album with some great tracks on it. While some parts did seem a bit too overused, for black metal in general, or derivative, most of it was very good. If you're into more atmospheric based black metal with some doomy passages, definitely check this out.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: Eucharist, Shadows, Awakening

Pantheist - Pantheist (2011)

Band: Pantheist
Country: Antwerp, Belgium (now London, England)
Style: Funeral Doom/Atmospheric Rock
Label: Grau Records

Throughout the course of their three previous full-lengths, and demo and EPs, Pantheist has been through quite a ride. Since their inception, their style has grown from the droning funeral doom into what it is now, slowly incorporating more elements and leaving out others. This new album seems to have sparked some mixed reactions, with some fans not really getting it while others find it some of their best.
If you're expecting this to sound like anything the band have done in the past, you might be disappointed, because besides the opening instrumental, One of These Funerals, this album does not retain that brooding doom metal sound. Instead, what you'll find on here is a softer, more atmospheric, I guess you could say it's rock, style that has a lot more focus on the piano and vocals than crushing guitar riffs. In comparison to their other works, this is much more melodic and a lot less heavy, though there are still plenty of heavy moments, you'll find that atmosphere is a lot "heavier" on here than guitars. In a way, the layers of synthe really just fill the void left by the guitars and brings in a cloud that just covers the album in this haze. Most of the growling has also been left out on here, with clean vocals taking their place, and
The inclusion more atmospheric, think Katatonia or Anathema, both I've been seeing comparisons for on here, the band have also gone out of their way to include some other things that definitely stick out. Walking bass lines and a saxophone solo are included in The Storm, darkwave-esque doom for Be Here, and an almost hymnal, in the beginning, and psychedelic use of keys on Brighter Days. While most of these songs carry something from the band's past, whether it be a certain mood or heaviness, album closer Live Through Me feels more like a power-ballad than anything the band has ever done, it's really something you have to hear to really get what I mean. I'm not sure how newer fans will respond to this, as this album does differ from their other material, I'd be interested in seeing how people react to some of these songs live, because most of these songs aren't super heavy, headbangable, or even trance inducing ones.
Overall, this is a departure, and I do understand how some are put off by the change in style, though not so radical as what I've heard. There are definitely still some good songs on here, at least for me anyway, that rank among some of the band's best material. If you're interested in a band that seems to be following the same path as groups like Katatonia and Anathema, from doom to atmospheric proggy rock, this is something you should consider looking into.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: The Storm, Be Here, Brighter Days

Iroha - Iroha (2011)

Band: Iroha
Country: Birmingham, UK
Style: Doom Metal/Shoegaze
Label: Invada Records/Denovali Records

I can still remember the first time I heard Justin K. Broadrick's work with Jesu, I was blown away. His work blended just the right elements to be really crushing and hypnotic but also very melodic and catchy. I'm aware that this project is that of Andy Swan, but I couldn't help but mention the obvious comparison.
I guess the comparison to Broadrick's project Jesu is inevitable, as the two do share a similar take on sound. The very industrial drum machine, loads of guitar layers, soft, nearly whispered, vocals that just float on top of the music, the two are similar. For me at least, the most distinguishable feature, besides the vocals themselves, would have to be the take on atmosphere, both are pretty dark and melancholic, no doubt, but I find that the sound on this record has more synthetic, I guess you could call it, kind of atmosphere, what with tracks like Dreams and Drifted really having this sort of atmosphere that feels so electronic. In a way, I almost hear an 80s and early 90s vibe going on throughout the album, that might just be me though.
Yet, despite all the similarities, I still have to say that Broadrick is the better songwriter. For me, Jesu still has the ups, and it might just be an experience thing, seeing as Jesu has been around for about five years longer and has had plenty of time to craft it's own sound and hone it's songwriting. While tracks like Last Days of Summer and Autumn Leaves have some good moments and such, they don't leave the lasting impact I wished they would. The songs are all good, but after they end, it's hard to really remember what you just heard, unfortunately.
In all honesty, I really wish I could have gotten more out of this record than I did. This just didn't do much for me that I couldn't get from Jesu, so I feel like I have to apologize to people that actually like this record. It's not bad, but it's just not for me, check it out though, you might get something out of it.
Overall Score: 5.5
Highlights: Reminisce, Dreams, Eternal

Njiqahdda - The Path of Liberation From Birth and Death (2011)

Band: Njiqahdda
Country: Illinois
Style: Progressive/Atmospheric Black Metal
Label: Pagan Flames Productions

I'd say that it was probably around the end of last year that I finally wound up checking out the duo known as Njiqahdda and was able to grasp what it was I was actually hearing. I remember first hearing of them on an obscure compilation that someone on youtube had made and it contained a sample from one of their more widely acclaimed releases, 2009's "Yrg Alms," and I was pretty impressed by it. I do have to admit that upon seeing their extensive discography I was turned off as I had no idea where to start.
While I have to say that people should really check out their other releases, especially the full-lengths, I will say that this new album is by no means similar to what you will find on the past work. While atmosphere has been the common thread through most of their discography, more recent releases have broadened their sound by including a much more progressive element into their sound. This album really reverses their format, with technical and progressive riffs and song structures really being at the forefront of their sound. Honestly, I would like to tell you that this would be a great place to start your listening with the band, but this is by far one of their most experimental albums, as it is a more obvious complex record where ten-plus minutes songs encompass the album, though that's not a new thing for this band, there are easier records to start with.
In terms of an impression, I can safely say that this album does leave a mark on you after you've listened to it. After a track like Attaining The Confidential Supreme Absolute, the band decide to bring things back to a, I guess what could be called, manageable level by bringing a more melodic and mid-paced section into the epic Universal Form Replaced With Despondent Chaos. It's a hard album to really get into, as it's always changing and shifting, never staying in one place, but once you do, you can actually feel as though you've gone through some sort of life-changing event. There are times on here where it almost feels like the music is taking you on an out-of-body experience, a track like The Opulent Throne felt a little hazy at times and really brought out that sort of feeling, to me at least.
Overall, it's a uniquely great album with almost nothing to compare it to, band wise. The boys in Njiqahdda have really outdone themselves with this, crafting one of the year's most intriguing and cerebral albums so far. Definitely look for this if you want to get something unique and difficult, but if you're new to the band, I'd still suggest starting on another full-length before diving into this one.
Overall Score: 9
Highlights: Universal Form Replaced With Despondent Chaos, Sky and Earth Remembered Only As Blood

Oaks of Bethel - The Ghosts That We Are (2011)

Band: Oaks of Bethel
Country: Illinois
Style: Atmospheric Black Metal/Drone
Label: EEE Recordings

Here we have another project form the two productive men in Njiqahdda, and this is probably their most creative outlet besides their main project. I've read some things that some fans put more stock in this project than Njiqahdda. This new double release contains some of the project's most creative moments yet.
The sound of Oaks of Bethel is one that's hard to describe, as it's really something unique and is really only similar to what the duo do in Njiqahdda. Stylistically, elements of atmospheric black metal, drone, ambient music, and funeral doom are all sort of thrown together under some more raw production to create a dense sounding atmosphere that can sometimes overwhelms the metal aspects of the band. Now, I'll be honest and say that not every release I've listened to from this project has amazed me the way Njiqahdda has, as some seem just a bit too drawn out or don't really go anywhere for me, but others are really high quality stuff, one of my favorites being their "From Midnight Sun to Burning Wheel" album.
Where this album differs from it's predecessors is in that, maybe it's just that I've built up a tollerance to it but, this album feels a lot more complete and well rounded. Where some of the other releases have felt more like epic journeys more than songs, it could at times become a little monotonous, but this album never falls into that realm, some even having quite memorable riffs in them, hear Cyclic, or a catchy melody, hear Shed Tears For Thirsting Lakes, which is something the duo really haven't had on previous albums. Tracks are a little bit shorter, with only the final track, the epic fourty-six minute Anthelion, going over twenty minutes making, in my opinion, this album a bit more digestable and easier to wrap your head around. I also have to say that the three interludes on here really are well placed and used to full effect, as they do break up the lengthier tracks and give you a minute or two to catch your breath before the next track starts.
Overall, I think it's safe to say that this is the projects crowning achievement right now, as it contains some of their best material yet, while by no means being any more accessable. Unlike some of the more epic EPs and albums they've released before hand, the shorter tracks really make this a more graspable album, which works to its advantage, even though both records top two hours in total. Definitely take the time to check this album out, it's really freaking good.
Overall Score: 9
Highlights: The Ghosts That We Are, Cyclic, Anthelion

Afekth - Ancient Faith - The Introduction - EP (2011)

Band: Afekth
Country: Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland
Style: Djent/Progressive Metal
Label: Independent

Back when I first heard about the scene, and the word itself, djent, Afekth were one of the first groups I found. I don't know what or why they attracted me, but their debut EP sort of defined the genre for me. Since then I have, obviously, been reviewing quite a few other bands from within that scene, so it's time to talk about these guys.
The three songs on here definitely contain that djent sound, but there's some little quirks on here that definitely reminded me why I started listening to these guys. The first thing that really stuck out to me, both about the band and this EP, was the presence that the bass guitar had, not only was it clearly audible, but it's role was not to just bridge the gap between the low-end guitars and the drums, hear opener Particular Senses. The guitars actually switch it up from time to time, interspersing bits of more technical and melodic moments in between djenty grooves. Probably the thing that did kind of lack on here were the clean vocals, which felt a bit flat and out of place in the band's sound to me.
Overall, this was a decent EP, though it's only a prelude to what the album will be, so I'm hoping for some more good stuff. These guys are still very much doing something other groups aren't doing and hopefully some people begin to take notice of that. Definitely look out for these guys if you're into the djenty stuff.
Overall Score: 6.5
Highlights: My Reality