I just stumbled into this and it’s just such a nice surprise. Soviet Soviet are an Italian trio from Pesara and their music is a quite catchy mixture of garage and industrial rock noises with the bitter-sweet echoes of Joy Division and the straightness and healthy arrogance of The Clash. This 6 track CD was released by Tannen Records in June 2011 and it’s a quality post-punk product. The strong, pumping bass lines and the tasty guitar riffs are the strongest points of this material, these guys create dark atmosphere, have some good grooves and a few strong passages/themes. Maybe it’s not outstanding, but definitely worth to listen it.
Read more Soviet Soviet – Summer, Jesus (2011)
The Amenta – V01D (2011)
Although it contains 16 tracks, the band consider it an EP and it’s available only in digital format as free download at the band’s official web site. And you can grab also some videos as well – 4 tracks live from Sydney and the video of “Vermin”, a film clip, never released before. , Over their career their musical style has shifted from blackened death metal to industrialized extreme/death metal.
“Vo1d”, with guest appearances by “Occasus†era vocalist Mark “Cesium 137†Bevan and former bass player Dale Harrison and incorporating a new song, re-records, an Armored Angel cover, electronic experiments, remixes professional video and mastered by Alan Douches (Hate Eternal, The Dillinger Escape Plan), “V01D†is The Amenta’s response to download culture. Read more The Amenta – V01D (2011)
Screaming Trees – Last Words, The Final Recordings (2011)
This album should be released eleven years ago, but in 2000 not one record label was interested in Screaming Trees. Nowadays the world – and economy – falling apart, everything worth a try, the record labels would release even their neighbor grandma’s singing in the bath if there’s the smallest chance to cash-in a few cents. Don’t ask me what happened with the idea that music should be fun and joy… But back in 2000 Screaming Trees was fired by the industry, now they thought it’s time to deliver to their fans their last songs and it’s quite alright.
Back then, Mark Lanegan joined Queens of the Stone Age, Barrett Martin has been a touring member for several bands and worked with Stone Temple Pilots and R.E.M. along others and Gary Lee Conner started the bands The Purple Outside and Amanita Caterpillar in which he is the vocalist.
“Last Word” the eight album by Screaming Trees, released on August 2, 2011. Read more Screaming Trees – Last Words, The Final Recordings (2011)
Eyes Set To Kill – White Lotus (2011)
Not a goddamn day without (at least) one (thousand) new metalcore release. Today’s review winner is Eyes Set to Kill from Tempe, Arizona.
Formed in 2003 by the Rodriguez sisters – Alexia (clean vocals, lead guitar, piano) and Anissa (bass, backing vocals), Eyes Set To Kill became one of MySpace.com’s top unsigned screamo bands in 2006. The group signed with BreakSilence/Suburban Noize Records the following year and release three critically acclaimed studio efforts – 2008’s “Reach”, 2009’s “The World Outside” and 2010’s “Broken Frames”. Frustrated with the label politics, and pressure to withhold their identity, Eyes Set To Kill decided to break away and release independently “White Lotus”, their fifth studio album through a joint venture between their own imprint Forsee Records and Maphia Entertainment. Read more Eyes Set To Kill – White Lotus (2011)
NeWBReeD – NeWBReeD (2011)
NeWBReeD was founded in 1999 and they’re coming from Bielsko-Biala, Poland. “NeWBReeD” is their fifth studio release and they play a mixture of complex, technical, modern metal with progressive and avant-garde elements.
This is a quite intense and unique blending of styles and elements, NeWBReeD delivered a kind of psychotic, contorted, but colourful metal, technical, but still soulful, complex, but well structured and not airless, suffocating.
10 songs, “NeWBReeD” is a quite exciting trip to take. Slow, sometimes smooth, sometimes mysterious passages and intense, twisted moments are perfectly build into a modern, breathing and heavy – metal experiment.
Read more NeWBReeD – NeWBReeD (2011)
Malakwa – Street Preacher (2011)
As a new member of the Alfa-Matrix family, Malakwa strikes with their angry, psychotic EBM/industrial, cyber punk from Marseille, South of France. After the tempestuous “Feed the Machine” released in 2008, their second installment, “Street Preacher” erupt more intensely and electrifying.
This version comes as a carton box limited edition of “Street Preacher” and holds a bonus disc with 2 exclusive songs – “Too Young to Die” and “Gimme Danger” – and 9 remixes of “Monster” by label mates: Kant Kino, Implant, Amgod, Psy’Aviah, Ambassador 21, Essence Of Mind, Leg Lifters, Temple Of Nemesys and ESB.
Read more Malakwa – Street Preacher (2011)
Fuseboxx – Animated (2011)
Quality progressive metal/rock from this Manila, Philippines band. Formed in 2001 by Abby Clutario – vocals/Chapman Stick/Keyboards, Mico Ong – 6 and 7 String guitars, Eric Tubon – synthesizers/keyboards/Keytar and Lester Banzuelo – drums/V drums, Fuseboxx delivered a quite exciting blending of traditional and modern progressive metal/rock, but sometimes building in smooth pop or jazz constructions and textures or explode in intense metal hurricanes.
Read more Fuseboxx – Animated (2011)
Combat Astronomy – Flak Planet (2011)
I stumbled into Combat Astronomy last year on their Bandcam page. It worth to check out their page, there you can get all their previous releases, some of them are still for free (and donation based) as their latest EP “Barricades” released in July 2011.
Mastermind, composer – and project manager 😀 – James Huggett explore the interference area of post-rock, doom and industrial with the outbursts of free jazz and avant-garde music. Space rock elements and dirty stoner rock riffs are melting down in the contorted noises and explosive outbreaks of horns. Freaky and heavy, cutting and exciting, in a fair world Combat Astronomy should be far better known as they are. But this isn’t a fair world, Britney Spears and Take That are famous and popular and I can’t blame them, not even the industry, the subordinated media, but I blame ourselves, the undefined, comfortable, predictable, lazy, fat and careless consumer. Nobody would be able to sell us shit if we wouldn’t bought it. Read more Combat Astronomy – Flak Planet (2011)
Fen – Epoch (2011)
The second first full length album by British Fen, “Epoch” was launched at the Bull & Gate venue in London with support from the old Corpse Road on the 11th of February 2011 and already gaining positive reviews in most of the magazines. “Epoch” was released in a standard jewel CD case and as a strictly limited – 999 copies – artbook edition with 40, and two exclusive & unreleased bonus tracks, “The Wind Whispers of Loss” and “…From the Mists”.
Following the acclaimed debut, “The Malediction Fields” from 2009, “Epoch” merging black metal, post-rock and shoegaze to express loss, sorrow, exaltation and a sense of ancient pride through music.
The band is named after a region of Eastern England called The Fens. The Fens have very flat and mysterious landscapes, with many marshes and wetlands. The band members grew up in this area, and find much of the inspiration for their music and themes from the atmosphere of this area. Read more Fen – Epoch (2011)
Sun Caged – The Lotus Effect (2011)
Queensryche/Dream Theater fans will definitively enjoy this third installment of this progressive metal band from Netherlands. Paul Adrian Villarreal – vocals & acoustic guitar, Marcel Coenen – lead & rhythm guitar, Rene Kroon – keyboards, Daniel Kohn – bass and Roel Van Helden – drums delivering a nice mixture of classic, traditional progressive rock/metal with heavy, powerful, strong modern metal infusions. Influences from Yes, Styx, Saga, Marillion and Kansas are present just like sounds of Fates Warning, VandenPlas, Dream Theater and Queensryche.
Formed by ex-Lemur Voice guitarist Marcel Coenen and drummer Dennis Leeflang in the spring of 1999, the style stated by the band on their 2000 demo was rather experimental, with the use of female vocals, death growls, with some melodic vocals and a touch of groove metal rawness. After the release of their 2003’s debut album the line up of Sun Caged changed considerably, Coenen being the only band member left from the original line up and the music grow into the more larger progressive area of metal. Read more Sun Caged – The Lotus Effect (2011)
