While there are not too many woman fronted Rock/Metal bands, it’s pretty hard not to compare those bands to each other. This Parisian band reminds me mostly of the Göttingen based Guano Apes and Sandra Nasić got a serious competitor in Vanessa. Although, she’s got also something from Amy Lee of Evanescence as well, but they also reach out for some of the Portishead’s tumultuous sensuality sometimes. The music of Serments it’s a solid blending of Rock and Metal, a smartly textured braiding of electronic and acoustic elements where heavy riffs and spacious synth layers are efficiently assembled together. Sometimes Pop and Trip-Hop flavored, melodious elements are smartly sneaked into the gloomy and twisted atmospheric trips of the band adding a glamorous, smooth touch to their mainly dark and heavy tones. Also, the band introduced several Metalcore inspired, modern sounds in their mostly 90’s flavored Rock/Metal sound which gives to their rides a further intense and fresh breath.
Formed in 2005, they draw serious attention among the Parisian scene starting with 2007. Read more Serments – Erotic Drive (2012)
Metal
Illogistical Resource Dept. – Catharsis (2012)
The apocalypse comes from San Francisco. Or just the catharsis. The nature try to get back at us? Eventually. God knows…. 😆 But wont save us from ourselves.
Dan Menapace – Bass and Synths, Jim Harris – Guitar, and Noa Appleton – Drums are explorers, soundonauts. “Speak” it’s a modern, reiterated “Astronomy Domine”, a tasty and gloomy evoking of past values, but also a brave step into the unknown and the future.
This is a groovy, sometimes blowing in your face, but mainly gloomy and atmospheric Rock machinery build to explore the universe of sounds and find new paths for creativity and expression.
Released on 14 November 2012, the 8 tracks of “Catharsis” lead us into the dark world of our worst fears and subconscious.
“When Frogs Attack” starts menacing, the Primus taste is definitively there, but Illogistical Resource Dept. add their own flavor as well. Wicked riffs and spicy grooves are blending into a powerful, catchy song, an excellent “door opener” for an album full of different blends and flavors.
“The Secret Box” it’s a more Psychedelic flavored trip with a charming, mysterious aroma. What Forrest Gump’s mom said about life, it’s go to “Catharsis” as well: “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Read more Illogistical Resource Dept. – Catharsis (2012)
Motionless In White – Infamous (2012)
Who wants to look like Marilyn Manson? Chris Cerulli, Motionless in White founder member and lead singer might be one of the right answers. “The Divine Infection” sounds just like a filthy Manson anthem picking up from where they left off with their 2003’s “The Golden Age of Grotesque”. “A-M-E-R-I-C-A” it’s fueled by the same fury, although some nowadays fancy Metalcore infusions are making room here and there like the worm eating up an apple from the inside. “Sinematic” it’s another quite Mansonish track; for a change, it’s a sick ballad. “Hatefuck” sounds like a murderous mixture of Manson and Killswitch Engage. The title traack, “Infamous” it’s another 100% Mansonish Industrial Rock sickness.
“Puppets 2 (The Rain)” – featuring Bjorn Speed Strid of Soilwork – sounds like a collision of Cradle of Filth with Bullet for My Valentine; a brutal mixture of Death and Extreme Metal with Metalcore, death-growling vocals and melodious choruses. They smartly incorporated blast beats and breakdowns in their Gothic perfumed atmosphere and Death Metal fueled massacres.
“Infamous” it’s like a constant race between good and evil. It’s like the beauty and the beast, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were not three, but one single person. And obviously, a headbanger!! Read more Motionless In White – Infamous (2012)
ASIDEFROMADAY – Chasing Shadows (2012)
This is the third album for the French Post-Metal/Sludge band and they deliver a disturbing and noisy mixture of heaviness and gloominess. With roots back both to Sepultura/Soulfly and Kyuss/Monster Magnet, but emerging a Post-Rock/Post-Metal edge and exploring the darkest corners of soul and contorted music, ASIDEFROMADAY merged the vibe of Depressive (Black) Metal with the energy, noisiness and strength of Modern Metal while the seven epic tracks of “Chasing Shadows” it’s a fearful voyage colored with complexity, flavored with raw aggression and twisted ambiance.
This is definitively not an easy-listening, but darkness has its own beauty and ASIDEFROMADAY explore and reveals those aspects step by step. Read more ASIDEFROMADAY – Chasing Shadows (2012)
Slut Machine – From Blind to Blue, EP (2012)
With traces back to Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Corrosion Of Conformity, gathering inspiration through Queens Of the Stone Age from Kyuss and related to Soundgarden and Down, Slut Machine blends perfectly Stoner Rock and Sludge Metal.
“From Blind to Blue” it’s the band third EP and we’ve got four heavy weight Stoner/Sludge hurricanes. Released on 14 April 2012, the EP it’s available for FREE DOWNLOAD.
“Collapse”, the opener track, it’s powerful and pounding, will grind you into the ground with it’s strong riffs and thundering drums. “Cosmic Monster” have some strong Soundgarden resonances and roots back to Heavy Metal. Once you hear it, it’s hard to get rid of it. “(Ain’t) No Way Out” have more heaviness, it roots lead us back to Black Sabbath. The closing “Tornado” it’s a Mississippi flavoured, slow grinding epic. Heavy as the elephant shit, a classic monster build upon bone cutter riffs and pounding drums and an intense, gloomy vibe. Read more Slut Machine – From Blind to Blue, EP (2012)
Rolo Tomassi – Astrea (2012)
To be brutally honest, at the first two or three listening, I wasn’t quite impressed by this third installment of this tumultuous, but brilliant, experimental, whatever-core band from Sheffield, England. While their debut, 2008’s “Hysterics” shake my world and blew me away, the following, 2010’s “Cosmology” was a fair, but less shocking follow-up.
After the 2011’s departure of two of their founding members, bassist Joseph Thorpe and guitarist Joe Nicholson, Rolo Tomassi bring two new spirits into the band, guitarist Chris Cayford (current vocalist/former guitarist of No Coast) and bassist Nathan Fairweather (who plays in Brontide); and band leader James Spence stating that the new members “breathed new life” in the band, while the music was already 70% complete when they had come.
Ethereal, chill and large spaces are nicely interlaced with the bands disturbing and brutal grindings – and this seems to be the key to decoding “Astrea”. Very groovy, extremely smartly build-up and throughout tensioned, the 10 tracks of “Astrea” will keep you focused and connected. Read more Rolo Tomassi – Astrea (2012)
Birds In Row – You, Me, and The Violence (2012)
Chaotic, contorted and extremely noisy, Birds In Row sounds to me like a desperate protest. Listen throughout several times this “You, Me, and The Violence” and – honestly – still don’t came through anything else then anger and – eventually – bitterness. Without reading the printed lyrics, this raw fury seems lost in the hurricane of the noise.
The first three tracks are running through like a night train, “Guillotine” it’s their first track where they leave the tempo slower and the riffs with the screaming vocals finally making some – but not too much – sense. The following “Walter Freeman” is also a slower, but still weighty enough chaotic Hardcore piece while surprisingly, the very next “Last Last Chance” it’s an experimental dark Blues, in a very post-everything sense which blows directly into the explosive title track. One of their best butcheries throughout.
And like in a nightmare or a loop, everything comes back to rape your ears all over again starting with the slow grinding “Grey Hair”, through the fastest “The Illusionist” and the almost anthematic “Police & Thieves” (The Clash [dis]connection?). Then again, the closing “Lovers Have Their Say” it’s an escapade into smooth chords, acoustic teasing, counselor softness, being humanly gentle even when things are getting a little bit rough. It’s an almost 13 minutes long trip, a Shoegaze kind of closing with large, foggy spaces for a brutally disturbing material. Read more Birds In Row – You, Me, and The Violence (2012)
Promethee – Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes (2012)
Growing up from the solid ground of Technical Death Metal and from the sonic neighborhood of murderous bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge, Promethee is a five-piece Metal band from Geneva, the heart of the Swiss metal scene.
Founded in the spring of 2008, and after only a few months of writing their first songs, the band started to play as many shows as they could, gaining quickly loads of local support from bands, friends and promoters.
Gathering experience, the band found it’s own personal sound in order to record a full-length album. Promethee doesn’t have a particular political, religious, philosophical message of any kind, but writes about the things that touches and effects them in this world and through their lives with the music they create.
Recorded at Conatus Studios, mixed by Vladimir Cochet and released on October 13th, 2012 through Bad Mood Records, the 10 tracks of “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes” will grind you into the ground without mercy. Read more Promethee – Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes (2012)
Tiamat – The Scarred People (2012)
After a quite long break and the announcement of Thomas Wyreson quitting the band back in 2008, Tiamant’s tenth full-length studio album, “The Scarred People”, is expected to be released on November 2, 2012 through Napalm Records.
The current line-up consist of Johan Edlund – vocals and guitar; Anders Iwers – bass, Roger Öjersson – guitars; and Lars Sköld – drums.
Formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1987, Tiamat initially played straightforward Black Metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat. “The Sumerian Cry” album included re-recorded Treblinka songs and was released in June 1990. Edlund changed the band’s style incorporated colourful influences from different bands such as Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, Pink Floyd and King Crimson, and with Sumerian lyrical themes.
Their 1994’s critically acclaimed “Wildhoney” led to the band’s appearances at the Dynamo and Wacken Open Air heavy metal festivals in 1995. The band mixed raw and clean vocals, slow guitar riffs and synthesizer, their sound moved gradually into the area of Gothic Rock. Read more Tiamat – The Scarred People (2012)
Direwolves – Me From Myself, To Banish (2012)
In this age of communication and comfort, when public relation it’s more important then content and conformity killed creativity, art is an act of suicide. So, you must be crazy if you’re starting a band, if you start painting or writing poetry these days.
On the other hand, returning to the music now, any genre it’s commercial while appealing to a particular audience interested in that genre. Definitively Black Metal have less fans then Pop music, still, Black Metal generally speaking have a serious, conservator – almost orthodox, fan base you can always count on. Playing Black Metal and targeting that fan base might be considered quite commercial, isn’t it?
Direwoves. The dire wolf (Canis dirus) is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the genus Canis related to the smaller extant gray wolf. It was most common in North America and South America from the Irvingtonian stage to the Rancholabrean stage of the Pleistocene epoch, living 1.80 Ma—10,000 years ago, persisting for approximately 1.79 million years. At a first fast search, only on MySpace are two bands, one Blues/Country/Folk band from East Van, British Columbia, Canada called The Dire Wolves , then another, more relevant, a Black Metal/Metal/Progressive band called similarly Direwolves from Brooklyn, New York, US. And googleing “Direwoves” you will find a few more bands across the world.
Once again, if somebody it’s not so inspired to came up with an original band name, what do I can expect from their music? Read more Direwolves – Me From Myself, To Banish (2012)
