Built upon post-rock/post-hardcore structures, Stellardrive juggling between heavy and noisy elements and quieter, smoother, but pretty gloomy moments. If life is a labyrinth and we should have a musical background for it, well, this might be one of the proper options.
Stellardrive is an instrumental quintet from from Besançon, France created in 2005. The band initiated the ERS series in 2005, with two EPs “ERS-1” in 2005 and “ERS-2” in 2007 (digital releases), grouped on their first physical release “Omega Point” (Le Sonotone Rec., Impure Muzik, Inter-Over, Believe) in 2007. The third EP “ERS-3: ECOTONE”, both physical and digital released, was out in 2008. “ERS-4 Speak, Memory” was released in September 2010 and continue the exploration of the boundaries of the music delivering another beautiful piece of their music puzzle. Read more Stellardrive – ERS-4 Speak, Memory (2010)
Metal
Necrodeath – The Age Of Fear (2011)
The band was formed in 1984 under the name Ghostrider by Claudio (guitars) and Peso (drums) right after they saw Venom in concert. Under the influence of bands such as Slayer, Possessed, Kreator, Celtic Frost and Bathory, Necrodeath released a cult-demo tape titled “The Shining Pentagram” and obtained an incredible success through the underground. Tons of tributes in major magazines, fanzines and other underground features highlighted the release of the first two legendary albums “Into The Macabre” (1987) and “Fragments Of Insanity” (1989). “The Age of Fear” is a collection of some of their most powerful songs: it contains 15 tracks, the first 12 of which are taken from the band’s past eight albums, arranged chronologically and the previously unreleased “onyric” version of the song “Queen Of Desire”, featuring guest appearances by Giorgia Gueglio (Mastercastle) on vocals and Botys Beezard (Godyva) on piano, and also the killer cover version of Slayer’s classic “Black Magic” and the live version of the band’s own “The Theory”. The album’s artwork was made by French artist Pierre-Alain D. Read more Necrodeath – The Age Of Fear (2011)
Jungle Rot – Kill On Command (2011)
Hailed by many as the metal release of the year, “Kill On Command” is classy, traditional and absolutely old-school as it is. Fans disappointed by the quite modern approach of Morbid Angel on “Illud Divinum Insanus”, will be pleased by the thrash/death grindings of Jungle Rot.
The Midwest based quartet have garnered a large and loyal following within the last 10 years due in large part to having a style more similar to acts such as Slayer and Sodom, rather than the typical Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation rip-offs. Read more Jungle Rot – Kill On Command (2011)
Awake in Sleep – Awake in Sleep (2011)
Free release (name your price), available for download on their Bandcamp page, “Awake In Sleep” is a gloomy, turbulent sludge/post-rock/post-metal release in the classic vain of Neurosis, Isis, Cult of Luna, etc from a young band from Nantes, France.
Andrey Kalinovsky Рguitar and vocals, Fran̤ois Cl̩zio Рguitar, David Roger Рbass and backing vocals and drummer Maxime Guerreiro delivered an EP filled with four epic, dark and noise compositions, coloured with noises, creepy textures, cutting edge riffs and raw vocals. Contorted, dirty and heavy moments are interrelated with smoother, quite moments, nice musical contemplations, this material is pretty intense, but also interesting and nicely balanced between heaviness and musicality. Excellent debut, looking further for more! Read more Awake in Sleep РAwake in Sleep (2011)
Dirge – Elysian Magnetic Fields (2011)
Dark and atmospheric, slow and fearful, heavy and mysterious, Dirge comes on a long way of explorations and experiments, started from industrial roots they grow into the sludge/doom area of experimental/avant-garde metal, incorporate both classic rock instruments and samplers/machines into their own flavored dark metal fulfilled with progressive rock and cinematic elements.
If something actually is dark and heavy, definitively Dirge is. Merging classic approaches with modern structures, sounds and elements, they delivering their own epic, tortured and contorted metal, absolutely heavy and dark as a starless night. Still, their music contains melodies, quite musical themes which gave them a mysterious sparkling. Gave to the guys from Crowbar some old Pink Floyd themes to jam with and you’re almost there where Dirge starts their path of exploration and creation. Read more Dirge – Elysian Magnetic Fields (2011)
6h33 – Orphan of Good Manners (2011)
The way out is through… together in sickness and filth… as long as somebody can really explain me what “weirdo” means, what is actually sick or filthy. It’s quite small chances to let myself tied up as it’s just don’t seems an option to torture somebody for my own pleasure, but that really don’t make me healthier as those who doing this kind of “kinky” stuffs are not by default sicker then me. Still, there’s always a first time for everything and… never say never because as a joke of life, when you refuse something it will comes down on you crushing. Differences make us unique, and right or wrong is just a matter of perception.
And 6:33 is quite an unique and intense blending of music including metal rawness, electro/jazz/funk vibe, industrial shapes, darkwave and pop like melodies and… maladies and… lot of healthy sickness. So, where did you put those handcuffs and that whip? Read more 6h33 – Orphan of Good Manners (2011)
Intensus – Intensus (2011)
This is the one-man project from Knife the Glitter/Burden/Normal Love/Inzinzac/Gun Muffs/(and a few more), drummer Eli Litwin, but featuring some brilliant guest stars: Between The Buried And Me’s Tommy Rogers, Chris Alfano of East Of The Wall/Postman Syndrome, Robert Meadows of A Life Once Lost, Jesse Korman of The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Jerry Jones of Trophy Scars, Travis Weinand of Burden/Tetsuo, Evan Moore of Gypsy Wig/Birth Screams and Ruston Grosse.
Eli Litwin was born in 1983 in Morristown, NJ. He began playing drums at the age of 9 and started his first rock band at age 11. Through high school he continued to play in a variety of rock bands as well as the high school jazz band. Eli chose to attend the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University where he studied drum set with Erik Johnson. Since graduating with his Bachelors of Music in Jazz Performance, Eli has remained in Philadelphia to pursue music on both the performing and teaching ends. Though his area of expertise began largely in metal, Eli has gained significant experience playing in jazz, rock & avant-garde idioms as well. Read more Intensus – Intensus (2011)
Eight of Spades – Driven by Hate
If somebody have no clue what Eight of Spades might be, please, just leave and forget about rock’n’roll.
I was ten years old when my mom bought “Ace Of Spades” – along Judas Priest’s “British Steel” – and Lemmy soon became my favorite and if a few years later it just happened to end up at the microphone in a rock band, well, it was mainly Lemmy’s fault. At the end of the 90s I managed to drink a beer with Mr. Kilmister after a Motörhead concert, but this is one of the cases when journalists have sometimes some privileges…
Eight Of Spades was formed in March 2004 by the meeting of 4 musicians playing for over ten years in various Parisian bands and from the beginning, the essence of 8oS was “speed-rock” music at the crossroads of punk, hardcore, metal and at least but not last rock’n’roll. Read more Eight of Spades – Driven by Hate
Doctor Midnight and The Mercy Cult – I Declare: Treason (2011)
When Hank von Helvete – vocals (Turbonegro), Tim Sköld – bass (Kingpin, Shotgun Messiah, Skold, KMFDM, MDFMK, The Newlydeads, Ohgr, Marilyn Manson), guitarist Anders Odden – guitars (Cadaver, Satyricon, Celtic Frost, Apoptygma Berzerk, Magenta) and Audun Stengel – guitars (Apoptygma Berzerk, The Kovenant) and drummer David Husvik – drums (Extol) decide it to play together in 2009, it was obvious we’ve got our self another supergroup. The band made its live debut in Helsinki, Finland on May 11th, 2011 at club DOM and released on May 9th, 2011 their debut single “(Don’t) Waste It” followed by the released of their first full-length album, “I Declare: Treason” on June 6th, 2011.
This is a very classy, old-school like, but extremely breathing heavy/speed metal product, reminds me somehow of Sanctuary and their 1988’s “Refuge Denied” and Alice Cooper’s “Brutal Planet” from 2000, but DMTMC have some catchy modern up-dates, bring some good tricks out of their magic hats, actually, it’s been a while since I didn’t heard so many taste riffs gathered together on a single album, they wrote some pretty dark themes and a few very good songs. Read more Doctor Midnight and The Mercy Cult – I Declare: Treason (2011)
Voice Of Ruin – Self Titled (2011)
Honestly, what would be your first thoughts if I say France? Obviously Paris. Champs-Elyses, The Arc de Triomphe, perhaps Montparnasse, champagne, sophisticated food – well, I’m not so sure what to think of onion soup, but I’m nothing but a peasant 😀 -, chansons – Edith Piaf, glamour and only now we’re getting to the point: women and sex. This was brutal? What about a blowjob for a call girl? “But let’s be frank, NOBODY GIVES A FUCK. The public only cares about sex and money. And it’s for this reason that VOICE OF RUIN is brutal and sexual, and that we band members enjoy drinking beer. That’s knowing how to sell yourself and when you sell, you make dough and with that dough you get more beer, bitches and drugs” – says the guys from Voice Of Ruin and well, what the hell, probably they’re right. Read more Voice Of Ruin – Self Titled (2011)
