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!
avant-garde
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)
The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet (2012)
Mentioned The Mars Volta not so long ago because Adrián Terrazas-González, a past member and collaborator of the band because of his involved in the T.R.A.M. project.
The sixth full-length studio album of The Mars Volta is scheduled for release on March 27th, 2012. It is the first studio album to feature drummer Deantoni Parks, and the first not to feature contributions from both long-time keyboardist Isaiah “Ikey” Owens (De Facto, Look Daggers, Free Moral Agents, etc) and guitarist John Frusciante (ormer lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers). Cedric Bixler-Zavala – vocals, Omar Rodríguez-López – guitar, Marcel Rodríguez-López – keyboards and synths, Juan Alderete – bass and Deantoni Parks – drums delivered another colorful journey into the deep space of Progressive Rock having roots back to the 70’s psychedelia, but simultaneously looking into the big wide future. Lars Stalfors was in charge for engineer, mixing, but also for some additional synths, while Sonny Kay took care of the artwork and layout. Read more The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet (2012)
Paal Nilssen-Love, Mesele Asmamaw and Mats Gustafsson – Baro 101 (2012)
What’s the connection between two members of the avant-garde group The Thing (Paal Nilssen-Love – drums and Mats Gustafsson – saxophone), Ethiopian musician Mesele Asmamaw and the legendary Dutch post rock/avant-garde outfit The Ex? Room 101 of the Baro Hotel, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia on February 27th 2010.
The Ex has been going to Ethiopia for quite a while. The first tour, with Han Bennink, in the north, was in 2002. The next one, in the south, during 2004. Through all the new and improvised music festivals they play, The Ex has connection with many adventurous musicians. So they started a series of projects in Ethiopia. With breakcore pop duo Zea in May 2008, followed by Silent Block from France (tables full of self-made instruments, experimental electronica and much more), in May 2009. And then two projects with “Saxophone”. Not only they bring Friso Heidinga from the saxophone repair-shop Amsterdam Winds, who fixed dozens of instruments, but also great players like Ken Vandermark, Ab Baars, Mats Gustafsson, who performed in combination with The Ex members and Norwegian free jazz drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. And all cooperated with many amazing Ethiopian musicians and dancers. Like Getatchew Mekuria, Melaku Belay, Indriss Hassen, Misale Legesse and krar-player Mesele Asmamaw (who we knew before from the Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed Trio). Read more Paal Nilssen-Love, Mesele Asmamaw and Mats Gustafsson – Baro 101 (2012)
Skafandr – Glaz (2012)
Labeled “dub metal” and delivered directly from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, “Glaz” it’s an absolutely refrashing mixture of metal and dub, one of the most efficient and criminal combination of this genres far as I heard. We’ve got 10 perfectly groovy and killer tracks.Evgenii Rybnikov – guitar, Igor Rusinovich – guitar, Yuri Vitel – bass-guitar, and Kirill Soloviev – drums find not only the perfect balance between styles, but actually write a couple of great songs, which, we have to admit it, it’s kind of rare thing in the nowadays excessively patternized music… industry. In other words, Skafandr have soul. Read more Skafandr – Glaz (2012)
Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes (2012)
Some conservative death metal fans definitively hated “Illud Divinum Insanus”, the last year released Morbid Angel album because Mr. Vincent and his band mates delivered also some industrial and modern metal sounds and fans considered this an act of betray. Those fans definitively should stay away from this double remix album set to be released on 28th February. Although, “Illud Divinum Insanus” made it to my favorite 150 albums of 2011, so I was quite excited about this remix project.
On this compilation featuring 39 artists and they pushing the butchery even further, twisting Morbid Angel into the more noisier, electronic, but quite sick area of music. From contorted industrial remixes to wobbling dubstep out-takes, “Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes” it’s definitively the ultimate trip to hell and back. Read more Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus – The Remixes (2012)
T.R.A.M. – Lingua Franca (2012)
Although “Lingua Franca” is their debut album, it would be a mistake to think this is a new band. True, the project were started last summer when Adrián Terrazas-González was introduced to Tosin Abasi, but a band made of exclusively well knowned and appreciated musicians like this definitively exclude the suspicion of some beginners. Terrazas (Saxophone, Flute, Bass Clarinet, Percussion) might be familiar from bands such as The Mars Volta, Omar Rodríguez-López, Troker, etc. Javier Reyes and Tosin Abasi both are famous by their leading progressive metal band Animals As Leaders, while Eric Moore since 2008 is the drummer both for Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves. Read more T.R.A.M. – Lingua Franca (2012)
Venetian Snares – Affectionate (2012)
Four tracks, five bucks, more than fair enough, released on 11 January 2012, on Aaron’s birthday, now 37 years old, Happy Birthday dude, job well done!
More mature, still glitching and delivering noises, but building up intelligent layers and creating moods by melodies and harmonics, Aaron Funk – aka. Venetian Snares – now seems to focusing more on expression then instinct, relaying more on subtle structures then raging noises.
Funk debuted on a record label in 1999 with the 12″ vinyl EP, “Greg Hates Car Culture” and up until 2007, he was very prolific, releasing as many as eight recordings a year. Prefer to call his own style “Surrealism” rather then “eclecticism” – regarding the mixture of different genres, Aaron’s music evolved and the IDM, EBM elements seems to gain lately dominant position while the Drum & Bass, Noise and Breakcore elements are still present and giving life and cutting edge to his creations. Read more Venetian Snares – Affectionate (2012)
Love Sex Machine – Love Sex Machine (2012)
The official promo says this is “ultra crushing sludgecore” and make no mistake, this is definitively one of the heaviest s*it you can listen to. As usually, Throatruinner offering this release as a digital download for free – in the very noble “name your price” mode or the posted Medifire link. Go and grab it, this guys brings the apocalypse through their grinding, murderous tracks!
And well, if the band’s General Manager is the Satan himself and their Facebook address is 666doom666, nothing is quite surprising anymore. Read more Love Sex Machine – Love Sex Machine (2012)
Kayo Dot – Gamma Knife (2012)
Kayo Dot, the brainchild of Toby Driver is a quite different musical project then most of the nowadays trendy runners. It’s an everchanging mixture of rock, jazz, metal and avant-garde elements, it’s definitively not a common, usual, easy to label and listen kind of music. But it’s much more alive.
A partial live recording with overdubs added in the studio, they delivered 25 minutes of their usually unusual music, this time kind of saxophone fueled noise metal, a quite contorted trip, eventually with the exception of the title track which it’s an almost classical track with chamber and (possible) Gregorian aromas and offers a chill exit for the listener. Read more Kayo Dot – Gamma Knife (2012)
