Simultaneously avant-garde and extreme, Meshuggah not only rocked our world, but tear it down to pieces. Formed in 1987, in Umeå, Sweden, they became world wide famous with the 1995 release “Destroy Erase Improve” and for its fusion of brutal, fast-tempo Death Metal, contorted Thrash Metal and Dark, Progressive Metal, and Industrial build-ups with Jazz Fusion elements. They were labeled as one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands by Rolling Stone and as the most important band in metal by Alternative Press. They 2002’s album “Nothing” and the albums that followed have all charted on the Billboard 200, although Meshuggah has found little mainstream success, but staying a significant and influential act in extreme underground music. Meshuggah’s most commercially successful album, the previous 2008’s “obZen”, peaked at No. 59 and sold 11,400 copies in the first week and 50,000 copies six months after its release in the United States. In Sweden, the album entered the official album chart at number 16, and in the UK at number 151.
“Koloss”, the upcoming seventh album is set to be released on March 23, 2012 in Germany, on March 26 in the rest of Europe, and March 27 in North America via Nuclear Blast. We’ve got 54 minutes of sonic slaughter and as drummer Tomas Haake stated: “best avoided by the faint of heart!” Read more Meshuggah – Koloss (2012)
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Overkill – The Electric Age (2012)
Although everybody seems to have a different account of who came first in the world of New York/New Jersey area Thrash Metal, it seems certain that New Jersey’s Overkill have stayed around the longest, and have never let their fans down by remaining musically consistent and true to their roots for over 30 years and an unprecedented 16 full length albums and it seems we have the certain answer who’s banging till the end. Evil never dies? Who knows, but Overkill seems and sounds unstoppable. By 1987’s “Taking Over”, the band had worked their way up to a deal with the major label Atlantic Records. This relationship would last another 7 years based on the strength and consistency of Overkill’s music. 1989’s “The Years Of Decay” marked Overkill as one of the most murderous Thrash bands of the decade and one of the leading forces of the genre. Read more Overkill – The Electric Age (2012)
M. Fallan – Contagious (2011)
This is the debut album by Parisian M. Fallan. His music reminds me of Sigur Rós, but also some veterans as Tuxedomoon. Taking off from gentle acoustic up to noise explosions right in your face, M. Fallen delivering a tumultuous, contorted trip, still subtle and beautifully layered.
It’s the kind of music which hypnotize you slowly, tie you down and eventually never release you again.
10 tracks, a joyful and gentle, but simultaneously dark and sometimes furiously raging search for answers, feelings, for light, for escape and not at least for ourselves. If you like pianos and screaming guitars, minimalist arrangement, acoustic moments, but also noisy eruptions and contorted grooves, M. Fallan will deliver all his feelings and thoughts merged into this collection of colorful songs and definitively will charm you. This is quite…. contagious. Read more M. Fallan – Contagious (2011)
Ministry – Relapse (2012)
Few words worth more then a couple of fancy, but meaningless phrases, so, Al Jourgensen – age fiftyfuckingthree years – is back with the twelfth studio album of Ministry and they are simply and straightly louder, faster and angrier then ever. And Mr. Jourgensen is not alone, he’s got serious back up from Mike Scaccia and Casey Orr of Rigor Mortis, Tommy Victor of Prong and Tony Campos of Static X. This time eventually they aren’t pushing the musical boundaries further, they doesn’t break any new ground, but definitively they delivered again the most murderous sonic sledgehammer and you can bang your head to it, get wasted or waste someone, or occupy the streets and markets of your city. Politically correct? The ulcers are gone and Bush is gone, the shit stays the same, the price of the gas goes upper everyday, but let’s stick for now to the music and to this 10 tracks and just bang on this for a while! Read more Ministry – Relapse (2012)
The Stranglers – Giants (2012)
Much more alive then most of the more or less musical products delivered by the nowadays not even fifteen minutes superstar kids, The Stranglers are kicking like a mule with their 17th studio album delivered in their 38 years of “constant success”. Just read it somewhere that the combined age of their current line-up totals 242 years, while Baz Warne (guitars, vocals) who joined the band in 2000 with his springing 47 years is the youngest of the band, while founder member, drummer Jet Black (born Brian John Duffy) is 73. And still, just as I said, this “old dudes” are fresher then many of plastic s*its the industry delivers on fake golden plates tagged and labeled as “best” of something. There is no auto-tuned screaming, no wobbling basses, no frequency oscillations, there is no make-up and no self-pity post-emo painted in black emotions, just four guys playing music. Simply, straight and for real. Read more The Stranglers – Giants (2012)
Poets Of The Fall – Temple Of Thought (2012)
Marko Saaresto sounds just like a fresh and young Ozzy Osbourne, while his band, Poets Of The Fall merging classic values of Rock and Metal with sometimes Pop-like melodies, some typical Scandinavian vibes and a very clean, stripped to the bone, but modern sound.
While the opening “Running Out of Time” is an almost classic Rock/Metal song, the following “Temple of Thought” is more a Nordic Pop song with guitars and hidden Symphonic Metal layers in the background. And Poets Of The Fall juggling through the album between being radio-friendly and staying Rock. This is – generally – a quite hazardous game because you might ended up falling between the two chairs. While “Cradled in Love” reminds me of the score of the Twin Peaks or a possible runner for Eurovision, on “The Distance” they bring back some riffs merged with modern electronic layers. Read more Poets Of The Fall – Temple Of Thought (2012)
Adrenaline Mob – Omerta (2012)
This album is more like Pantera Groove Metal rather then Dream Theater Progressive Rock/Metal. Singer Russell Allen (Symphony X) and his (super) band mates delivered a quite heavy album full of nervous guitar riffs and raging grooves, classic, but biting and looking forward kind of, hate to say this, but no other proper word, True Metal. Progressive, Groove and some Southern taste like elements are merging perfectly here. Russell Allen had some royal partners in this project: drummer Mike Portnoy (Ex-Dream Theater), guitarist Mike Orlando (previously worked with Zakk Wylde and Bumblefoot), bass player Paul DiLeo (Fozzy), and rhythm guitarist Rich Ward (Stuck Mojo/Fozzy). Meanwhile DiLeo and Ward left the project due to scheduling conflicts with their other bands and on February 8, 2012, John Moyer (Disturbed) became Adrenaline Mob’s new bass player. Read more Adrenaline Mob – Omerta (2012)
Elizabeth – Where Vultures Land, EP (2012) – free download!
This is the debut EP of this brutally brilliant Swiss band delivered – once again – in its digital format and even FOR FREE by Throatruinner Records and its fully devoted “driver”, Matthias Jungbluth. He’s fan-friendly approach, he’s support of those bands deserves our support and every and each penny counts!
Elizabeth reminds me of Celtic Frost in the best possible sense, actually sounds pretty as a modern, and even future Celtic Frost incorporating along the traditional Black and Thrash Metal heritage all the post-scremo, post-hardcore, post-punk, and post (modern) whatevers, everything what can make the music more louder, more stronger, more extreme. And Elizabeth seems to find just the right path of merging past and future into their own cutting edge Metal. Read more Elizabeth – Where Vultures Land, EP (2012) – free download!
Soulfly – Enslaved (2012)
Another Soulfly release it’s a strong reason for celebration, but when David Kinkade describe this is gonna sound-like “Arise on crack”, the excitement and expectations are rising even higher. The 8th studio album by Max Cavalera’s Soulfly will definitively satisfy all the band’s fans and eventually will bring a few new ones. Max seems unstoppable and restless. Hopefully not because of the….. crack. 🙂
With artwork from Marcelo Vasco, who has designed album artwork for bands such as Borknagar, Obituary, and Dimmu Borgir and co-produced along max by Zeuss (previously worked with bands like Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Bleeding Through, Throwdown, Chimaira, etc), “Enslaved” featuring for the first time new drummer David Kinkade (ex-Borknagar), and Tony Campos (former of Static-X, Prong, and Ministry) on bass, along guitarist Marc Rizzo and Max Cavalera on vocals, guitar, and berimbau.
Guests appearances on the album include Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber and DevilDriver and Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation, and on “Revengeance” feataturing Richie Cavalera of Incite, Zyon and Igor Cavalera Jr. of Lody Kong.
The album was recorded in late 2011 in Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and it will be officially released by Roadrunner on March 13. On January 25, 2012 the lead single, “World Scum”, became available as a free download for 48 hours, with a video released on February 16. Read more Soulfly – Enslaved (2012)
Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise (2010)
Nicolas Jaar released his debut album, “Space Is Only Noise” in May of 2010 to critical acclaim, receiving a score of 8.4 “Best New Music” from Pitchfork and four stars from The Guardian. It was ranked #1 album of the year by Resident Advisor, Mixmag, Crack Mag, #2 by DJ Mag and #20 by Pitchfork. His track “Don’t Break My Love” also received BNM by Pitchfork in late 2011.
Probably I would never heard of if Justin Nozuka at the remix contest of “How Low” would not mention that he is looking for a remix in a deeper, ambient vein of James Blake’s “Klavierwerke” or Nicolas Jaar’s “Space Is Only Noise”. Read more Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise (2010)
