Deep-Pression - Postmortem EP (2011)

Band: Deep-Pression
Country: Koszalin, Poland
Style: Dark Ambient/Drone
Label: Valse Sinistre

When I went through a bit of a depressive black metal phase a few years ago I remember first finding Deep-Pression. Along with groups/projects like Trist, Hypothermia, Silencer, and Make A Change... Kill Yourself, I had stumbled across the rather mysterious Deep-Pression. The project had released numerous splits, EPs, singles, and full-lengths of ranging degrees of quality with members ranging from the likes of Trist himself to more unknown characters, thus making the project a bit more enigmatic.
In all honesty and complete seriousness, though sarcasm doesn't really translate into written reviews all that well anyway, I've never been a fan of what this project has produced over their five or so years of existence. Their black metal stuff was, at best, passable, and some of the dark ambient stuff is just boring. So what does this new EP bring to the table? Well, at this point, it's pretty safe to assume that the guys who are involved at the moment have no intention on returning to a black metal sound at any time, because from this, and the little bit I've heard from the releases from last year, they seem a lot more invested in the area of ambiance. This four song release really doesn't explore all that much new ground for the project. Very slow and mournful melodies, buzzing guitars in the background, spoken word verses, and a sobering effect that will definitely get you out of a mood to rock out.
In my opinion, this project has not yet released anything worthy of merit, but this is the best thing they've released thus far. This album features some well crafted ambient pieces that don't feel nearly as long as they are. If you want to hear some well crafted dark ambient songs, check this one out.
Overall Score: 6.5
Highlights: Marche Funebre

Lost Sphere Project - 3rd Level to Internal Failure (2011)

Band: Lost Sphere Project
Country: Geneva, Switzerland
Style: Grindcore
Label: Division Records

I was emailed a file containing this album by someone from Division records. I'm not one to usually turn away free music, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Along with doom metal, I honestly feel like the grindcore albums that I've heard so far have been pretty good for the most part.
No build ups, Paradoxal Sights opens up with straight ahead mathcore-esque riffing and being done in an almost sludge metal fashion. Being under twenty-five minutes in total, I guess you can't waste much time, but still, this thing just doesn't let up. When I first got this, they were described as grindcore, and while that is certainly still a portion of the band's sound, Post Tenebra Chao, maybe it was more prominent on their debut, but there's a lot of sludge metal and mathcore, maybe even technical death metal as well, in here that it's a little bit of a let down for me personally. Granted, their take on electronic music with grindcore in closer, Cetaceans Rippers, is pretty lame and cringe-worthy.
What I find the most interesting about this album is how memorable it turned out to be. Riffs in Devotees and Apathy are just nice little bits that stuck with me even after the album was all finished. Despite how frenetic this thing can be at times, shifting time-signatures like no body's business, Infinite Necropolis being a prime example of it, there's just nothing like having a good riff or melody in a song to make it stick with you. Be as off the wall as you can, just write a good song. I think it's a bit of a shame actually that all but one of these tracks are under three minutes, because Ice Mike, which just tops four minutes, is probably the best song on here, it's filled with a nice stuttered vibe to it, but keeps things on a more melodic route than other tracks on here.
I honestly enjoyed this album quite a bit, it's a really solid slab of mathcore/grindcore, and it has a decent personality to it as well. Perhaps a bit more melodic than a lot of other bands who are put into this genre, that might be why I wound up liking this thing. If you're into grindcore, mathcore, math rock, and the more technical side of death metal, I urge you to give this a moment of your time.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Devotees, Ice Mike, Vultures of Conscience

Lock Up - Necropolis Transparent (2011)

Band: Lock Up
Country: Birmingham, UK
Style: Grindcore/Deathgrind
Label: Nuclear Blast

Lock Up has been a pretty well acclaimed grindcore act in my experiences with the group, though I'm sure there are plenty of negative reviews out there, I just haven't read any for the first two discs. This third album is the first in about nine years. Returning with this album, once again with what could be termed as a super-group, I'm just not sure about it, because from what I've seen so far, it looks as if it's nothing special.
This album certainly doesn't hold as much of a grindcore element as I expected, recalling a lot more of an old-school thrash, black, and death metal sound, mixed with a lot of crust punk and hardcore. I don't know, it's really aggressive, no doubt about it, and Tomas Lindberg sounds extremely pissed off, but there's just something about this that just doesn't feel the same. I don't even doubt the emotional quality of the music, if only because I believe Lindberg is one of the few death metal, whatever, vocalists that legitimately sounds angry and pissed about what's he's singing. There isn't that chaotic atmosphere that was present on "Pleasures Pave Sewers." The cleaner production doesn't do much for me either, I think grindcore works best when it's a little more rough around the edges. It's not even that I think this record is bad, I just feel like something is missing.
Tracks like the blistering Anvil of Flesh or the thrashy Roar of A Thousand Throats are intense and maybe enough to get me riled up, but not enough to really grab me with any sort of emotion. A lot of this just leaves me feeling empty, it really isn't anything all that special. A lot of this just blurred together way too easily, it became difficult to really tell where I was in the album at some points, I know grindcore has never really been a genre known for it's variety, but I wish there was at least some more variation within these tracks to really make it feel like different tracks. Every song basically contains the same sounds, you have a thrash riff here, a grinding or more punk based moment in the middle, a nice black metal sounding riff thrown in for good measure, then back to the main riff, it's gets old pretty damn quick, at least for me, just listen to Accelerated Mutation and Through The Eyes of My Shadow Self to test it out. Not even Peter Tägtgren and Jeff Walker, two of my favorite death metal vocalists, can make this album sound better with their appearances.
In the end, this just didn't do a whole lot for me, it really wasn't anything all that special. I wish it gave me the same sort of headbanging, fist raising energy that some other grind albums have given me, but it just didn't, unfortunately. Check it out if you're into grindcore, but otherwise, try their first two albums before you get this one.
Overall Score: 6
Highlights: Necropolis Transparent, Rage Incarnate Reborn, Roar of A Thousand Throats, Vomiting Evil

Black Oath - The Third Aeon (2011)

Band: Black Oath
Country: Milan, Italy
Style: Doom Metal
Label: I Hate

I am a big fan of doom metal, as well as obvious other genres and sub-genres of metal but that's beside the point. It's fine with all these sub-genre bands popping up, but it's great to hear a band that can pull off the old-school sound well. Black Oath is one of those groups, though I didn't know that until after I had listened to the album.
If you're looking for a fix of some modern doom metal in the vein of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Black Widow, or Candlemass, this is where you should look. Bluesy guitar licks, slow-going drums, a good woody sounding bass, and a nice clear vocal that just soars over the rest of it. This is the stuff that makes metal music fun to reminisce about, the good ol' days when bands knew how to write songs and riffs and not just play fast and technical. A lot of these riffs also have that very triumphant feel to them, though I wouldn't put them in the same category as the whole Manowar true metal thing, this is real. In a way though, this is just another band in the whole traditional heavy metal revival, if you think about it, even if they are better songwriters than a lot of other bands. I couldn't help but throw that in, sorry if I've offended anyone with that last comment.
I love how on a track like Growth of A Star Within, the bass just pops out of the mix and just feels as important as the guitar is. It really feels like the bass isn't just something that needs to be there, but belongs there, it has a role in the band besides playing along with the drums. The use of organ on some of these songs is also great, it really has that rich tone that made it so great in the early days, hear Evil Sorcerer. The Black Oath also brings the epic nature that made lengthier tracks back in the day so great, it wasn't just seeing how long you could make a song, but about what makes up that song, justifying it's length.
If you're an old-school heavy metal fan, I don't see any reason why you should look into this album. It really has everything you could love about those early doom metal bands, but with a modern production. Definitely look into it if you like heavy and doom metal.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Evil Sorcerer, The Black Oath

Aseethe - Reverent Burden (2011)

Band: Aseethe
Country: Iowa City, Iowa
Style: Doom/Sludge Metal
Label: Independent

Aseethe is a new name for me, I actually hadn't heard of them before Drew, the bassist told me about them. After listening to a couple of songs from the splits they had done so far, I knew that I had to hear their new album. Apparently not even released on a label yet, which I'm sure will happen soon since listening to their material, I consider myself quite lucky to have heard this album.
Being a trio, these guys have a very, I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it distinct, but experimental view of doom and sludge metal. Heavy influences coming in from drone and ambient music practically transform this record into a completely different entity all together. Surrounded by a deeply haunting ambiance that just covers enough of the brooding instrumentation to clearly have a part in the sound while not engulfing the it. It's an interesting mix, though I'm quite sure that James Plotkin mastering this thing has more than a fare share of credit due as well. Now, I can't say that the instrumentation really differs all that much from the tried and true standards of doom and sludge metal, but it's rather the backdrop and soundscapes that breathe a much more haunting air into this recording. While sideA had a more persistent use of atmosphere throughout the entire track, you'll find that sideB builds drones and atmosphere as the track moves along, which was a nice surprise because I didn't really expect that the first time I listened to this thing.
In complete honesty, I feel like without these odd drones and ambiances and noises being used in conjunction with the slow-mo playing, this wouldn't be nearly as effective as it is. But that isn't to the fault of the musicianship or songwriting, cause both tracks on here are well written and constructed songs with some nice grooves that prove to be memorable enough to withstand criticism, it's more the style in general. The vocals, by both Drew and Brian, have a nice tone to them, it's a rough and raspy style of screaming that is used here and there throughout the both tracks. Personally, I would have liked to have heard these guys go further into drone territory, because the little nuggets of drone and feedback on here are good and interesting, and I feel like sideB was kind of interrupted because once the feedback started, the track ended, which was a little disappointing.
In the end I enjoyed this release, it's a good and solid slab of doom metal, hints of sludge here and there, that's well worth looking into. While I did enjoy the first half of the album more simply because of the heavier atmosphere, sideB was certainly not a let down. Definitely check this album, and band out for a great helping of experimental doom.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: SideA (Reverent)

Heinali & Matt Finney - Ain't No Night (2011)

Band: Heinali & Matt Finney
Country: Ukraine/Alabama
Style: Atmospheric Doom/Ambient
Label: Paradigms Recordings

I guess by now, some people maybe have noticed, my taste in ambient and the softer side of the musical spectrum has grown. Now, I won't say that I'm the biggest expert on the genre, but it's nice to have something to just cool down to every once in a while. I've only listened to a few releases from this duo, but they have grown into quite a unique entity.
I'm not sure how many people have actually heard of this duo, and I'm not sure many really get the idea of poetry melding with music, so I feel that this project could be misinterpreted. I've always found the idea of spoken word and poetry melding with music and sound to be fascinating, and though I can't say that I've ever taken much time in looking for artists that did that, it was something that I can say I've had an interest in. For as long as I can remember, I've always enjoyed poetry, and I can't say that that enjoyment has wavered as I've become older, so the darker lines that Matt Finney speaks really connect with me on a deeper level than a lot of lyricists. The words of what could perhaps only be described as the thoughts of a disassociated youth frustrated with what they see in the disgusting and collapsing world they live in, perfect for someone like me.
Musically, you'll hear a pretty wide range of styles used on these four songs. The music Heinali creates is definitely fitting to the lyrics that Finney speaks over them, you'll hear elements of minimalistic ambient, trip-hop, noise, shoegaze, dream pop, country, and even hints of doom metal on occasion. Each track is a new expressive vision, from the much more distorted side of the title-track, Ain't No Night, to the the softer and much more melancholic side of Hallelujah, each track is really very expressive and expansive in it's composition. This is the soundtrack to some sort of David Lynch-meets-Alfred Hitchcock, with the trippy worldview of the former and the disturbing nature of the latter.
I can't say that I didn't enjoy any part of these four tracks, each provided a very unique perspective into the the minds of both artists. This is easily one of the most expressive albums I've heard all year, and is also one of the albums I have been able to connect with on a deeper level than just enjoying the music. Although I'm sure the whole spoken word thing isn't what gets a lot of people excited, those of you who are into more experimental music should most definitely check this duo out.
Overall Score: 9
Highlights: Tinderbox, Ain't No Night

Life In The Dark - The Sunya Is Rising/Limbs In Gloom

Band: Life In The Dark
Country: London, UK
Style: Dark Ambient/Drone
Label: Music Ruins Lives

Z. Zsigo is a busy guy, a lot busier in fact than I probably gave him credit for. Already known for his work in screamo group Maths, he actually works in quite a few projects ranging from black metal to dark ambient. Despite all the good things I've heard about Maths, I've heard just as much about Life In The Dark.
The first album of this set is "The Sunya Is Rising." This album is really a two track affair, with the title-track, The Sunya Is Rising, and Sunshine Feels Alien providing more of a drone based sound. The rest of this album is made up of four remixes of the title-track from the likes of Njiqahdda, Planning For Burial, Greys, and Sequences. In regards to the main title-track, it's possibly one of the best drone songs I've ever heard, to be honest, I love how you have these giant sounding guitars in the background with very mechanical drums and a great piano melody moving it forward. It's not a one-dimensional track, which is great to hear. The latter track is a much more pensive listen, not going nearly as far into the realms of industrial melancholy, choosing to favor a very stark atmosphere instead. Each of the remixes brings a very different sense to the title-track, some are better than others, obviously, but I found that each artist's take on the track wasn't really all that different from each other. Personally, while none of these are really bad, they all tread on similar ground, not really taking the track anywhere new, which is a bit disappointing.
The second album, "Limbs In Gloom," is a much shorter affair, as well as perhaps a bit more bright in comparison. A lot of the songs on here don't even reach the three minute mark, though they are able to capture a very calming mood and atmosphere. It's obviously a more dark ambient album, with all of these songs flowing together in the same sort of floating way, if that makes any sense. Tracks like Deathlife or SP just have this very minimal sense of composition that makes them feel huge and spacey. I don't really know how else to really put it, I'm personally a big fan of this sort of atmosphere, so I really enjoyed this release.
In terms of how well this thing does, I can imagine some people taking to this rather well, if you're into the whole drone and dark ambient thing that is, but beyond that I'm not really sure. I really liked "Limbs In Gloom," but I felt like "The Sunya Is Rising" was bogged down by some of the remixes. Like I said though, if you're into the drone and dark ambient stuff, have at this.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: The Sunya Is Rising, Deathlife, Lates