A Winged Victory For The Sullen - A Winged Victory For The Sullen (2011)

Band: A Winged Victory For The Sullen
Country: New York City, New York/Los Angeles, California
Style: Modern Classical/Ambient
Label: Erased Tapes

This year I've found some really good drone and ambient records, which have subsequently not been reviewed, but none the less been living with me. This is a collaboration between Stars of the Lid member Adam Wiltzie and Dustin O’Halloran. Last year Ólafur Arnalds gave me one of my favorite records of that year, I was curious if these two would perform similarly.
Whether or not it comes as a surprise to you or not, I am a fan of classical and orchestral music and an even bigger fan of piano based music. This album, which focuses on the piano and other ambiances created around it is the type of stuff I absolutely love to hear. In addition to that, the somber atmospheres on here accompanied with strings turns out to be some of the most moving musical effects out there for me. I know it sounds odd coming from someone who listens to as much dark and heavy music as I do but I find music that is perhaps softer and more simplistic to often contain even more emotional depth than a lot of metal records for example. Now, this album varies a lot in song lengths, ranging from one to twelve minutes, but one thing remains the same throughout, they are all good. It's consistent from one track to the next, which is good for a record like this, which remains engaging with it's listener, me in this case, for it's entire length.
This is a very cold and dark record, there isn't a whole lot of light, but there is beauty. In my head, while I was listening to this, I just pictured arctic landscapes at different points in the day. With a track like the opener, We Played Some Open Chords and Rejoiced, For The Earth Had Circled The Sun Yet Again, bringing to mind the sun rising over the barren and icy landscapes of the arctic while Steep Hills of Vicodin Tearstrack feels much closer to the sun setting and I just picture the cold ocean below the ice-caps and the life underneath the water. In a sense, this does recalls a bit of that post-rock vibe that Ólafur Arnalds gave with his last album, but this album is not nearly as repetitive and minimal as that one was. If there's a flaw to be found on here it would have to be that these tracks can blend together at times, which isn't necessarily a negative depending on who you are, but I kind of wished that each track was a little more separate from the others.
This record blew me away, it's the type of music that just struck me as the perfect soundtrack to a rainy day, which it happens to be while I was writing this. Like I said above, I'm a big fan of this sort of stuff, I love ambient based piano music and this is totally up my alley. Definitely check it out if you're into piano based music, somber orchestral music, ambient, or even post-rock, I think you'd be able to get a lot from this record.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Minuet For A Cheap Piano, A Symphony Pathetique, All Farewells Are Sudden

Dream Affair - Endless Days (2011)

Band: Dream Affair
Country: Philadelphia, Pensylvania
Style: Post-Punk/Darkwave
Label: AVANT!

When I was first notified of this album, and band for that matter, I think it was my first encounter with the group. For some reason I think I might have heard the name through last.fm on the Cold Cave page, but I'm not certain. But, as for the album, I was certainly not expecting what I got.
I'll readily admit that when it comes to post-punk, I'm nowhere near being an expert, being a casual listener, though it has been a style that's been more prominent in my rotations that usual in the last several months. But when I first skimmed through this album, I was very impressed. The hints of the likes of The Cure and early Death In June can be found throughout this album, which I really enjoyed, but this group really has it's own take on the genre, in my opinion. The melodies are very simplistic and most songs retain a pretty up-tempo style that make these songs very anthemic, but it's still quite dark and melancholic. This still makes plenty of reference to gothic and synthe-pop, but I kind of expect that in bands of this nature.
While most of the songs, vocally, are performed by Hayden Payne, the founder of the band, occasionally keyboardist Abby Echiverri will step up to the mic and add her voice into the picture, Lucid, creating a nice contrast between her very and Payne's punkish baritone style of singing, Drifting. A lot of these songs are really nice and catchy, as I said above, a lot of them feature quite bit and singable choruses, and I feel that that is ultimately what sets this apart from some other records, and bands, that focus more on mood and look rather than songwriting. I really have to compliment Frank Deserto for his bass-lines which really hold the songs together, even though I kind of wish they were just a little bit louder in the mix. Now, this isn't a perfect album, I did feel that some songs were just average and not that extraordinary in comparison to others. I also would have wished there was a bit more guitar leads on here, when they're done well, they just make the track so much better and effectively more memorable, in my opinion, hear tracks like Silent Story and Parting for good examples of what I'm referring to here.
Overall, I really enjoyed this album, it's just got some really great songs and a nice personality. I look forward to hearing what this trio does in the future and hope that their songwriting is honed to a fine precision in the future. Definitely check this out if you're into the whole 80's sort of gothic and post-punk movements.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Endless Days, No Use Hiding, Parting

King Dude - Tonight's Special Death (2011)

Band: King Dude
Country: Seattle, Washington
Style: Neo-Folk/Martial Industrial
Label: AVANT!

When I first saw this album, I had no idea what to expect, I mean the cover screams one thing while the music itself is another. Sole member Thomas Jefferson Cowgill comes from blackened death metal group Book of The Black Earth, which he is apparently no longer a part of, but he demonstrates something much different in this project. I was actually quite excited to listen to be honest because I wasn't sure what to expect going in.
Unlike his previous band, which I never cared for to be honest, the now solo Cowgill is able to craft some rather haunting songs. These are some reverb-drenched folk songs that recall elements of country and martial industrial styles from time to time and influences from the likes of Death In June and Current 93 seeping through as well. Cowgill has a good grasp on making songs that reflect different sides of emotions, there are more upbeat tracks, River of Gold, as well as more down tempo ones, No One Is Here. Despite there being ten songs, this entire release is just under twenty-five minutes, which should tell you how brief these songs are. In addition to that, the production is also pretty raw, giving these songs that lo-fi sort of quality that makes so much indie folk praised over, but makes it interesting with various atmospheres coming in and out.
I wasn't sure what to expect upon first listen, but with each and every listen it just grows on me. It's a very enjoyable experience that I expect to be headed for my end of the year EPs if even more listens bring a similar sense of fulfilment through listening. Definitely look into this if you like more neo-folk/martial industrial sort of stuff, you won't be disappointed.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Witches Hammer, White Hands, Love All Around You

Folkstorm - Valavond (2011)

Band: Folkstorm
Country: Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands
Style: Atmospheric Black Metal/Blackgaze
Label: Independent

Folkstorm is one of these bands that I was intrigued by because of the comparisons made to other bands. The comparison to greats like Agalloch and Falls of Rauros really interested me, as I'd imagine most people who have heard those bands before as well. Hence, the mystery as to what this would sound like is kind of ruined for me.
When you come into this record you have to keep in mind that these guys are not from America, they are from the Netherlands, and I say this because there will be parts of this album that will remind you of more than a few groups from the states. It wasn't uncommon that while I was listening through this, I heard elements that made me think of groups like Falls of Rauros, for sure, but also the likes of Wolves In The Throne Room, Alda, and Ash Borer. The whole atmosphere and riffing patterns really recall bands like those, among others, who are lumped into the whole Cascadian scene, whether or not they're actually a part of it or not. For some reason, I kind of imagine these guys actually wishing they lived over on the Western side of the states so they could be a part of this scene, cause their music certainly fits it. In a way, the comparison was actually aptly made because there are similarities between Folkstorm and the above bands. The band make use of well crafted folk melodies and interludes throughout the album with near Cascadian atmospheres surrounding acoustic guitar passages.
But then there's even a bit of that blackgaze sound thrown in there for additional melancholy, and to fuel all the hater's rage out there. I mean, in all honesty, this band is just the type of group that haters love because their sound is everything they are predominantly against, post-rock melded with brutal black metal and acoustic passages with almost a rainy atmosphere surrounding them, I don't blame the haters really. Tracks like Nachtlied and Mijn Eenzaamheid are pretty much just begging to be pounced upon by people who hate blackgaze and all that it's associated with.That's not to say the album is bad though, it has plenty of good points, but the rest is just pretty average for this style.
Overall, this is about average, if not just better than average, in my opinion, nothing really stuck out on here for me. This is just one of those records that has sounds that make me want to listen to bands that helped create that sound or just plainly do it better. If you like either of those movements check this out but otherwise it's pretty irrelevant.
Overall Score: 6
Highlights: Tussen De Vallende Bladeren, Nachtlied, Zonder Hoop

Bosse-de-Nage - ii (2011)

Band: Bosse-de-Nage
Country: Bay Area, California
Style: Atmospheric Black Metal
Label: Flenser

Initially, I wasn't going to cover this album because I had read and been told some things about their debut and how it was less than stellar. A good friend of mine, Jon, happened to review the album and tell me that pretty much all the prior information was given was utterly wrong and that the album was really good. So, disregarding all my prior ideas of what the band was, I came into, or at least I tried to come into, this trying to stay open minded.
As far as modern black metal goes, this is one of the weirder ones I've heard this year, and that's saying something. What's even weirder is that the music itself isn't really all that strange, you get you're tremolo picked riffs, shrieked vocals, and blasting drums, but it all just sounds a little off. Maybe it's the fact that the lyrics are done in more of an abstract form of poetry or that the music itself is just naturally a bit off, but this does differ from the regular black metal. While the most, let's say, average track on here in terms of style would have to be The Lampless Hours, I would say that the best example of the oddness that exudes from this album might best be on track four, The Death Posture. It's on this track that the band channel an almost doom-esque atmosphere without ever slowing down from a frantic black metal pace until it's closing minute.
In terms of production, this thing kind of reminded me of Deafheaven, where it's a pretty guitar and drum based mix with the bass coming through nicely and vocals kind of just remaining somewhere among the three, but not on top of them. At times, the guitars do recall elements of post-rock, which do add some variety to the otherwise straightforward black metal riffing. It should also be mentioned that with the term "post-rock" being attached to the album, as I just did, does not mean that you'll find comparisons to all the blackgaze bands popping up. In terms of post-rock elements, they're there, but they're minimal and lack the dreamy atmospheres that one will usually associate with those sounds. That's not to say there isn't atmosphere, but keep in mind that it's the kind that the band creates through repetitive riffing patterns and cycles, not the kind created with loads of reverb. Clean guitar is also rarely used, in favor of the usual distorted black metal variety.
All in all, it's a nice and solid album that I'm still kind of getting adjusted to. Frankly, it is different than what I had imagined it being based on the first couple of "reviews" I was presented with, it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong or given bad info. Check it out if you'd like to hear some weird sounding black metal with hints of post-rock thrown in there.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Marie In A Cage, Why Am I So Lovely? Because My Master Washes Me

Mare Cognitum - The Sea Which Has Become Known (2011)

Band: Mare Cognitum
Country: Santa Ana, California
Style: Atmospheric Black Metal
Label: Severed Limb

Now, I know what you're probably thinking when you see this album, "Drawing Down The Moon," right? That's what I thought when I first saw this cover, and that, coupled with a nice little review I had read about this got me interested in what this was. Based on what various sources described this as and what the initial review had me thinking of were very different so I came into this a bit uneasy.
What the initial review of this album, the one that first let me know about this album, had told me was that this was some pretty atmospheric, semi-progressive black metal that drew a bit of influence from the whole Cascadian scene. The other sources had informed me that this was an atmospheric, but more depressive black metal album. Now, those two are still pretty similar, but the divide between Cascadian and dsbm scenes is pretty far out in terms of the instrumentation and occasionally performance, especially if it was going to be progressive in some way, so I wasn't sure as to what I was going to get. Thankfully, this album leans a lot heavier on the former. It's interesting that the this thing was labeled as depressive, because, really, it has almost nothing to do with that scene at all, drawing a little bit more from the likes of the whole post-black metal/blackgaze scene.
Now, for the most part, this album does tend to dwell within the really atmospheric and progressive realm of black metal, with obvious hints towards other sub-sub-genres thrown in as well, and like most bands that try and be varied, some work more so than others. Personally, the more traditional approach taken on Vehement Coalescence felt a little forced and out of place when put between two more melodic and atmosphere based tracks. It's not to say it's a bad song, but it feels rather out of place with it's more traditional sort of riffing style and blast-beat ridden drumming amongst more mid-tempo atmosphere based tracks. Even the closer, The Immortal Plague, has some of that more traditional vibe, but it's much more even handed with the progressive side of the band, trading in brute force and chainsaw tremolo picking for more abrasive sounding discordance. With that being said, the rest of the album is pretty consistent, bringing in a bit of clean guitar occasionally, that blackgaze influence, to really spice up the air behind the electric guitar or to just introduce a more melancholic melody into the song. Personally, I tended to favor more of the melancholic dirges over the faster and more technical tracks, but that's just me, I'm sure for some it'll be the other way around.
It's a pretty solid debut with a lot of potential for future expansion if they continue on this path. The traces of blackgaze may throw some people off, but those elements aren't a huge part of the album so any qualms about that should hopefully be cleared. Check it out if you like really atmospheric, semi-prog black metal, chances are you'll find a really cool band here.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Internal Deliquescence, Lustrate

Midnight Odyssey - Funerals From The Astral Sphere (2011)

Band: Midnight Odyssey
Country: Brisbane, Australia
Style: Dark Ambient/Atmospheric Black Metal
Label: I, Voidhanger

Ok, this is one of those albums where I'm pretty late getting to it, due to many reasons. I've known about this project for what's been a few years now, though I'll admit that I haven't really paid too much attention to it. After reading a review for this album, which at the time I wasn't sure if it was this band or not, I checked it out and became very interested in hearing what it had to offer.
Ok, I'll start off with the main reason it's taken me so long to finally get around to reviewing this, it's over two hours long. This double-disc full-length debut, if I've been told correctly that this is the first release that isn't a demo, features all manner of ambient and atmosphere black metal styles that runs the gambit of pure ambient and near synthe-pop to blazingly bleak burst of black metal. With a running time of over two hours, if you're anything like me, you probably thought, "There better be some diversity," and luckily the variety on here was enough to maintain my attention. Throughout the entirety of these two discs, you'd expect there to be some filler, and of course there is some on here, Journey Across The Stars, but I was surprised with how little of what's on here I considered to be filler. Considering that most of the songs on here between seven and nine minutes long, for the most part, none on them ever felt like they were too long. I totally understand why people wouldn't be too keen on saying this is a great album, the length of the entire album can detract from the impact of the whole thing, as in, while certain spots in the album may hit you as great, the entire album may not retain that same level as that one track, or it may be too consistent for some people. I agree with what some have said in that I think that this could have been a better album if it was condensed into maybe one disc, but the entire journey is worth taking, at least that's how I felt about it anyway.
This is a record that, I was quite surprised by, has a very even mix to it. While the synthes and keyboards are certainly, in my mind, the most important instrument in Dis Pater's arsenal for this project, the other instruments are not lost among them. The guitars retain that very fuzzy and distorted quality to them that, at times, do recall a bit of the depressive black metal sort of tone, but manage to have a lot more interesting riffs than those bands and actually help in creating atmospheres more than detract from them. Even the drums, which are programmed, are surprisingly well done, they aren't too loud, being in a very nice place in the mix allows them to be audible as well as provide near post-punk-esque beats once in a while, A Death So Pure. I even found the vocals, which are further back in the mix, to be well done, ranging from typical screams to chanting and singing. In terms of performances, I really think that Pater did a great job because this doesn't come off as amateurish in the slightest, with pretty much every song on here being well rounded and interesting. The compositions each song contains, stylistically varied as I mentioned above, a wide assortment of soundscapes that are easy to get lost in, A Midnight Odyssey being a prime example where the metal element of the band is cast aside in favor of lush layers of synthes with more orchestral keys leading the listener along.
This is an overall solid album, very good, it has it's weaker moments, but for the most part it's very well written and constructed. I think by the end you should certainly feel accomplished and like you experienced something while listening to this. I certainly recommend you check this out if you're into more of the ambient and atmospheric sides of black metal, cause this'll be a real treat for you.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Against The Moonlight, When Death Comes Crawling, From A Celestial Throne, Those Who Linger At Night