Toral plays experimental electronic instruments like electrode oscillator, modified MS-2 pocket amplifier feedback, glove-controlled computer bass sinewaves, filtered feedback circuit, modified MT-10 portable amplifier, modulated noise, modular synthesizer and tamtam. Sometimes it sounds like R2D2 are talking to you. Strongly interested in phrasing, he calls his style “post-free jazz electronic musicâ€, described as “a brand of electronic music far more visceral and emotive than that of his cerebral peersâ€. His music actually it’s kind of abstract, but interesting, you never really know what to expect in the next moment. And some of these experiments are quit exciting. The music is not congested, it’s airy, Toral know to use the silence and he’s colored it with interesting noises and all sort of elements to create atmosphere without being overwhelming. Read more Rafael Toral – Space Elements Vol. III (2011)
experimental
Between The Buried And Me – The Parallax Hypersleep Dialogues (2011)
Expected to be released on April 12, 2011, through the band’s new label, Metal Blade Records, “The Parallax Hypersleep Dialogues” consist of three brand new songs and the material is over 30 minutes, so this extended play will mainly satisfy all the band’s fans for the two years of waiting. It’s true, meanwhile Tommy Giles Rogers Jr.- the lead singer and founder – of the band released his brilliant second solo album “Pulse” earlier this year, in February, also through Metal Blade.
Thomas and his band mates – Dan Briggs – bass guitar, Blake Richardson – drums, percussion, Paul Waggoner – lead guitars and Dustie Waring – rhythm guitars – made the conscious decision to preclude a studio album with an extended play in addition to being part of a concept album series, so probably we will hear other new materials from them pretty soon. Read more Between The Buried And Me – The Parallax Hypersleep Dialogues (2011)
Thomas Giles – Pulse (2011)
“Pulse” is one of the most wonderful and exciting records I had the pleasure to listen this year and I admit it, it was a huge surprise. Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. is the lead singer and founder of the band Between the Buried and Me, one of the leaders of the new – twisted – metal wave, a powerful and extremely creative band wich show a new direction and proved once again: metal is not dead.
“Pulse” is actually the second solo album by Tommy, the first was released back in 2004 under the name Giles. The new material is extremely colorful, impossible to label, crammed in some particular box. And about the influences and different musical roots of Tommy we can get an idea by listening the cover collection released in 2006 under the title “The Anatomy of” by Between the Buried and Me where we have songs by Metallica, Sepultura, Depeche Mode , Queen, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Earth Crises, Blind Melon, Counting Crows, Soundgarden, Faith No More, Motley Crue, Pantera, and Smashing Pumpkins. Read more Thomas Giles – Pulse (2011)
MindFlow – With Bare Hands (2011)
The voice of Danilo Herbert reminds me somehow of John Bush (ex-Armored Saint, ex-Anthrax). It’s powerful and classy. MindFlow was founded in 2003 in Brazil and they play a color and powerful kind of modern, progressive metal. Quality stuff, a rare feature now days. You can attach to them a few labels, mostly using the fancy “post” attribute, but actually you can not put them in a specific box and – I believe – it’s another absolutely positive characteristic. In one moment they sound like Anthrax, next minute they sound like Tool or some post-grunge band and they shifting from one thing to another very naturally, it’s enough to listen the title track of this new album and you will understand exactly what I’m talking about. Read more MindFlow – With Bare Hands (2011)
Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels (2011)
A tenebrous album by Terra Tenebrosa from Stockholm, Sweden. Build on the ruins of Breach, Terra Tenebrosa is a new band on the metal scene and “The Tunnels” is they debut effort wich contains 7 twisted and gloomy tracks. Since Terra Tenebrosa is a brand new brand, their biography is more or less a blank page, I found them only on MySpace and Facebook, but not any useful background info, so all I have are their songs. And as I said, their are deeply heavy and dark ones, not an easy listening for sure, but still, Terra Tenebrosa navigate on some troubled, but intense and interesting “waters”. Read more Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels (2011)
New track – I Hate the Blues, London’s Calling Version
I was busy with lot of other things – mainly with putting this site on wheels and make it running – so, I had to delay the release of the album “The Ghost of the Absent Father”. But I worked on some new songs and I send this one – recorded originally with the boys from Oedip Piaf on 24 February 2011 – to Mr. Winteller to London and once again he came up with some interesting adds on, write and perform some guitar, bass and additional sampler and effect tracks for my tunes. Nice job, thanks a lot!
I still have some technical difficulties with the platform of my site, so, you can listen the new track HERE. I hope you will enjoy it much as I do!
Current 93 – HoneySuckle Aeons (2011)
Labeled apocalyptic folk, experimental music, dark ambient, neofolk, even post-industrial and musical influences include religious chants, traditional folk music, but also some progressive bands such as Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Current 93 it’s hell of a trip musically and literally. David Michael Bunting aka David Tibet renamed “Tibet” by Genesis P-Orridge are what we usually called a weirdo. He took off from preoccupation with mysticism, mostly influenced by the works of Aleister Crowley and ended up stating that he now identifies himself as a Christian. Kind of backward trip of Crowley. 😀 Still, he kept in he’s project name the number “93”, number of great significance in Thelema, the religious philosophy founded by Crowley. (The central philosophy of Thelema is in two phrases from Liber AL: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” and “Love is the law, love under will.” The two primary terms in these statements are “Will” and “Love”, respectively. In the Greek language, they are Thelema (Will) and Agape (Love). Using the Greek technique of isopsephy, which applies a numerical value to letters, the letters of both of these words when added together equal 93). Read more Current 93 – HoneySuckle Aeons (2011)
Flaming Lips and Neon Indian (2011)
“Is David Bowie Dead?” (or “dying” – it’s still unclear…) it’s a huge song. It’s so David Bowie. 6 minutes and 45 seconds of pure stardust. I can play this single track for a whole day. At least. Maybe even backward. The over 8 minutes of “Alan’s Theremin” is more Neon Indian than Flaming Lips, it sounds like a psychedelic puzzle torn off from the 70s and striped to the bones now days. It’s like a carousel, floats and waving around. “You Don’t Respond” returns with a twisted guitar riff and gloomy electronics and sounds exactly like a broken answering machine. Finally “Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth Part 2” seems like a rehearsal recording, kind of “work in progress” stuff. And that’s all, this is the long expected collaborative project of Flaming Lips with Neon Indian, this 12″ EP. Read more Flaming Lips and Neon Indian (2011)
Boris – New Album (2011)
It’s pretty strange listening with one ear the loudspeaker and the new album by Boris and with one eye looking over the shoulder to the tv set, watching what’s going on in Japan, especially at the Fukushima Daiichi site. Boris planning to release three new albums this year, “New Album” was released on March 16, 2011, on CD through Tearbridge – an imprint of major label Avex, and on double LP through Daymare. The album is not planned to be released outside of Japan and the CD and LP feature different versions of several tracks. “Heavy Rocks” and “Attention Please” are expected to be released in April and on the same day. And all this after in January we had a nice piece of work, the collaboration between Boris with Merzbow and the brilliant album “Klatter”.
The fifteenth studio album by Boris contains 10 brand new songs and this Japanese guys know how to rock. Read more Boris – New Album (2011)
Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
A nice piece of post-rock/noise album from Belgium. Steak Number Eight was formed back in 2007 and won the local rock contest Westtalent. Only a few months later they became the youngest winners ever of the biggest Belgian rock contest, Humo’s Rock Rally (former winners: Deus, Goose, etc). After that they released their first demo album entitled “When The Candle Dies Out†in self-production. They played at the biggest Belgian festivals, a.o. Graspop Metal Meeting, Dour, Marktrock and also supported bands like Pelican, Torche, Deftones, etc. Planned to be released in the winter of 2010, “All in Chaos” is the new material of the band consist in 10 brand new contorted songs, and the album is produced by Matt Bayles (Isis, Neurosis, etc).
Brent Vanneste – vocals and guitar, Joris Casier – drums, Jesse Surmont – bass, and Cis Deman – guitar claim their roots in the sound of bands such Neurosis, Tool, Deftones, Pelican and Isis, and they managed to blend smoothly the dark and gloomy post-rock/noise elements – mostly very heavy and slow stuffs – with a few nice harmonies and calm moments. Read more Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
