When the mainstream becomes extremely boring – just like eating margarine each and every day -, everybody try too hard to fit into all the generally accepted patterns, boxes, labels and genres and even the so-called “alternative” scene is nothing, but a cliche, still, the underground may bring salvation. Quite sadly, even the avant-garde scene and improvised music sometimes becomes predictable and boring…
I’m not a Black Metal consumer, but from time to time I find myself enjoying some Black Metal products. And well, not exclusively the traditional Scandinavian scene delivering quite exciting surprises.
Kyle Coughran – rhythm guitar/vocals, Shane Dawson – percussion, Alphonso Jimenez: bass guitar, Rhiis D. Lopez – lead vocals/keys and Brendan Moore – lead guitar/vocals/saxophone bring to the surface an extremely colourful, intense and exciting album. Black Metal roots are merged with Folk and Progressive Rock/Metal elements, complex structures, grinding Metal constructions are filled with style and inspiration with condiments from Folk to Jazz, from classy epic construction to spacy cinematic soundscapes. Read more Ana Kefr – The Burial Tree II (2011)
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Splinn – Becoming Ourselves (2011)
Indie is a shortform of “independence”. Someway, independence means to be yourself as well.
Music of any genre can be labeled “indie” considering that is independent of major producers and record labels. Indie rock – for instance – is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, grunge, riot grrl, emo,shoegaze, etc, being a sub-genre of alternative rock. Looking back to the bands originally labeled alternative rock we find artist such as R.E.M., The Cure, Jane’s Addiction, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Muse, etc, bands with their own style, sound and character. Even if we’re looking back to the dawn of the grunge era, the first bands of breakthrough – Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden – were totally different. Nowadays, unfortunately, indie became synonym with faceless, tasteless, undefined, radio-friendly music. Music? Well, I don’t think so… On the other hand I strongly believe: everybody singing, nobody listening (care and buy). The major labels try to exploit every cash-in possibilities, and while the market visibly restraining, they still over bidding with dumping politics. A Dead Kennedys lyrics from 1985 still haunting me: “The joy and hope of an alternative / Have become its own cliche / A hairstyle’s not a lifestyle / Imagine Sid Vicious at 35 / Who needs a scene / Scared to love and to feel / Judging everything / By loud fast rules appeal / Who played last night? / “I don’t know, I forgot. / But diving off the stage Was a lot of fun.” – and the conclusion is obvious: :”Harder core than thou for a year or two / Then it’s time to get a real job”… Read more Splinn – Becoming Ourselves (2011)
Tyrant Of Death – Generation Bliss (2011)
Another free release (Megaupload link) from this very productive Canadian Industrial prodigy. Alex – Drums/Guitars/Bass/Programs and Omar – vocals brings to the surface contorted and neurotic tracks filled with crushing noises, complex structures and murderous riffs, juggling between Death Metal roots and psychotic electronic layers.
As the guys warning us: “if a site is selling this music, they’re ripping you off for their own profit. All these albums are for free” – and well, as I said, they are pretty productive, you also can download “Blood Lust (Re Issued)”, “Digital Injection”, “Year One (Compilation Of 7 Albums)”, as well as all their previous album releases: “Dark Space”, “Parasite”, “The Forthcoming”, “BloodLust”, “CONNECT”, and their first two EPs – First EP and Second EP. Read more Tyrant Of Death – Generation Bliss (2011)
The Project Hate MCMXCIX – Bleeding The New Apocalypse (2011)
Classy, quality, stainless, Swedish Metal flavored, textured with Industrial and Progressive elements, balanced between Death Metal and Neo-Progressive/Symphonic Metal. Quite colourful and unique formula, technical and powerful, epic and still cutting, melodious and brutal, absolutely heavy-weight category in the finest league.
Lord K. Philipson – guitars, (de)composer, keyboards, programmings, serpents, backing vocals, bass, lyrics – formerly God Among Insects, Leukemia, House of Usher, Lame and the editor of legendary early 90’s fanzine Hypnosia Magazine, ex-touring bassist/guitarist for bands such as Dark Funeral/Vomitory/Grave and playing also in Torture Division -, Jörgen Sandström – vocals – vocalist on first 3 classic albums by Grave and bass and backing vocal in Entombed, playing also in Vicious Art,Krux and Torture Division, Ruby Roque – vocals – ex-Extreme Attitude, and Tobben Gustafsson – drums, find the perfect balance between heavy and rawness and epic, progressive smoothness. Read more The Project Hate MCMXCIX – Bleeding The New Apocalypse (2011)
Ringworm – Scars (2011)
Formed in Cleveland, Ohio, back in 1991, Ringworm delivering powerful, straight, good-old-fashioned Hardcore with scratching (Thrash) Metal inputs, reminding me the classy sound of Biohazard up-lifted with some tasty Pantera strength, being classy and modern, cutting simultaneously. “Scars” is filled up with powerful riffs, pounding drums, anger and murderous grooves. The current line up consist of Human Furnace – vocals, Matt Sorg and John Comprix – guitars, Danny Zink – drums and Mike Lare – bass/vocals while vocalist Human Furnace also plays in Gluttons, and his solo project Holyghost.
Released on July 19, 2011 “Scars” is their third product for Victory Records and already seems to be a classic, all those straight and strong, groovy and cutting riffs and pumping basses, crushing drums have both in their vein that retro taste, but still sounds fresh, electrifying. Read more Ringworm – Scars (2011)
OneLegMan – The Crack (2011)
OneLegMan works almost surgically clean with pounding drums, pumping basses, cutting edge riffs and powerful vocals delivering straight, striking at first, extremely groovy rock/metal. “The Crack” reminds me of Helmet back in 1992 when they released “Meantime”, while OneLegMan sounds fresh and powerful, precise and catchy. Their nine songs juggling smoothly between approaches and genres, from Southern Rock to Groove Metal and from classy Heavy Metal to Post Hardcore and Grunge, but staying focused always to being hard as rock and groovy. It’s almost like a costume ball, which every song they dressed up differently, but there’s all along something very OneLegMan, they managed to leave their own trademark all over.
The band was formed in 2003 in Reggio, Italy, by four talented musicians using alias: CHUPACABRA – vocals, CHICKEN BREAST – guitars, LOW PRESSURE – bass and DR. MASTERMIND – drums. They released a highly acclaimed self-produced demo album in 2007 and they was the opening act for Deep Purple in Italy. Read more OneLegMan – The Crack (2011)
Baring Teeth – Atrophy (2011)
This is a quite impressing trio from Dallas, Texas, formed in 2007 by Scott Addison – bass/vocals, Jason Roe – drums and Andrew Hawkins – guitar/vocals and “Atrophy” is their debut full-length album.
This is not a conventional death metal album, Baring Teeth combine very inspired technical death metal with experimental/dark and post-metal colours, they coming on a path of modern metal without being trendy, there’s nothing about matchcore and (fake) post-hardcore, but about contorted, dark and extremely heavy exploration of the borders of metal. This may take you out of the conventional – comfortable – area of (metal) music, but reveals another dimension, perspective of it. Read more Baring Teeth – Atrophy (2011)
Army of the Universe – Mother Ignorance (2011)
Juggling between the 80s glam and dark electro/dark wave sounds and the 90s minimalist industrial demolitions with influences from acts such Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, 16 Volt, Filter, Front Line Assembly, etc, Army of the Universe arise from Milan, Italy delivered a quite refreshing blending of electronica and trance elements with anthematic rock.
On this mission Lord K (Vocals) and Trebla (production) benefits from the mixing and production assistance by the Grammy-award winning drummer for Nine Inch Nails, keyboardist for Marilyn Manson, and multi-gold record producer/engineer for Rasmus, Megadeth, Slipknot and Metallica, and founder of Tweaker, Chris Vrenna. Read more Army of the Universe – Mother Ignorance (2011)
Rorcal – Heliogabalus (2010)
74 minutes and 13 seconds, “Heliogabalus” it’s the single track of Geneva’s (Switzerland) experimental black/doom/drone metal band Rocal formed in 2006.
The band’s members Junior, Bruno, Diogo, JP and Ron exploring the darkest side of the post/experimental-metal, a quite painful journey through some deep dark moments, sometimes quite mysterious ones, soundtrack-like shady, minimalist construnctions, contra-balanced by raw black metal explosions, noisy metal grindings.
Be prepared for suffering and torture… Read more Rorcal – Heliogabalus (2010)
Dewey – Self Titled (2011)
The complete name of the genius American jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis, actually was Miles Dewey Davis III. Dewey is a name chosen by several artists for their bands, some in its simple form, others as Dewey Band, and many more, just like Miles, born with this name. The French band made of Edouard – guitar, Seb – bass, Tony – guitar, Ben – vocals and Guillaume – drums recorded their debut effort between May and June 2010 by them self and released it on their Bandcamp page on 20 May 2011.
Dewey delivering a gloomy mixture of post-metal with roots back to black, death and crust metal, slow, crushing moments are combined with grinding, fast passages, they songs are filled with dark atmosphere, expressive, sometimes quite cinematic elements, but still, very intense, disturbing metal.
It’s a dark, but interesting journey coloured with exciting twists, turns, breaks, changing of tempos and approaches while Ben delivering exclusively raw, howling vocals. Read more Dewey – Self Titled (2011)
