Gregor Samsa wakes up to find that he has been transformed into a giant insect-like creature. This is the starting point of the novella “The Metamorphosis” (Die Verwandlung) by Franz Kafka which inspired Alexander Kaschte to use “Samsa’s Dream” as name for his project. Formed in 1996, after Alexander performed as vocalist and guitarist in several Black, Death, Doom and Melodic Metal bands before, he decided to step forward into the wider fields of darker electronic and neoclassical music, including both elements of elements of Neue Deutsche Härte and cantastoria.
Three years after the release of the first solo tape, the project became a group of three, and their official debut “Die Liebe Gottes – Eine märchenhafte black metal Operette” (“The Love of God – a black metal fairytale-like Operetta”) divided the scene: some people considered that Samsas Traum was the best newcomer band of the year, others started hate them, mainly because of some provocative statements of Alexander Kaschte. The band relocate from Germany to Austria.
If I count correctly, “Anleitung zum Totsein” is the 17th album by Samsas Traum. Read more Samsas Traum – Anleitung zum Totsein (2011)
post metal
Wistful – Wistful (2011)
I saw the cover and I find it interesting. In this era with trillion releases at day, judging a record by its cover sometimes might help to narrow down the list of what worth a try and what seems to be just waste of time. Blackgaze? For those who love (to collect) boxes, labels, this seems to be a new one. Not so hard to figure out, merging Black Metal with Shoegaze and here we go!
From the sunny Portugal, Wistful is a dark, one-man project grow up from “the hands and mind of A.” as “a second incarnation, or as an evolution of his former project Arges, breaking farther away from typical black metal.”
Born in late April 2010, the self-titled debut album came alive this year and we’ve got 7 gloomy, atmospheric tracks where Black Metal rawness and beautiful, spacy and hazy passages and themes are completing and overlapping each other. Read more Wistful – Wistful (2011)
Attila – Outlawed (2011)
The self-proclaimed “party death metal”band, ATTILA is back after the outstanding previous effort, “Rage” released on Artery Recordings one year ago. Available as pre order, leaked out, “Outlawed” will be released on 16th August and these five kids from Atlanta delivered another set of 10 striking and merciless tracks.
Party Metal? I don’t know, but listening to the killer songs from “Outlawed” it’s impossible not to feel the explosive vibe, can’t stay away, must jump up and scream, bang your head till wreck your neck and it’s mandatory to wave your air guitar instantly.
I loved “Rage”, but “Outlawed” is one thousand times louder and stronger. This isn’t music, this is murder. Read more Attila – Outlawed (2011)
GWEX – Debaucherous Adventure (2011)
Reminds me of Frank Zappa and Mr. Bungle, but also of Green Jelly and eatmewhileimhot!, The Global Warming Extravaganza comes between parody and insanity, chaos and music, and as always, it’s quite impossible to draw the line between genius and madness. Mark A. Shredmurder and Christopher T. (“The T is for Teriffic”) Bottomsworth supposed to form a band back in 2007, but the other guys didn’t showed up, so… they had to struggle through all the Budweiser and Jack Daniels bought for the party and the result is this monster-brain-child abbreviated GWEX.
And as any good thing in life, “Debaucherous Adventure” can be downloaded for free (“name your price” = donate much as you want/can) from their Bandcamp page.
Be prepared for anything – good and bad – you can think on/of because there will be more. Welcome to the “mEatrix”. This is fuckin’ unbelievable. But brilliant. 😀 Read more GWEX – Debaucherous Adventure (2011)
The Amenta – V01D (2011)
Although it contains 16 tracks, the band consider it an EP and it’s available only in digital format as free download at the band’s official web site. And you can grab also some videos as well – 4 tracks live from Sydney and the video of “Vermin”, a film clip, never released before. , Over their career their musical style has shifted from blackened death metal to industrialized extreme/death metal.
“Vo1d”, with guest appearances by “Occasus†era vocalist Mark “Cesium 137†Bevan and former bass player Dale Harrison and incorporating a new song, re-records, an Armored Angel cover, electronic experiments, remixes professional video and mastered by Alan Douches (Hate Eternal, The Dillinger Escape Plan), “V01D†is The Amenta’s response to download culture. Read more The Amenta – V01D (2011)
Eyes Set To Kill – White Lotus (2011)
Not a goddamn day without (at least) one (thousand) new metalcore release. Today’s review winner is Eyes Set to Kill from Tempe, Arizona.
Formed in 2003 by the Rodriguez sisters – Alexia (clean vocals, lead guitar, piano) and Anissa (bass, backing vocals), Eyes Set To Kill became one of MySpace.com’s top unsigned screamo bands in 2006. The group signed with BreakSilence/Suburban Noize Records the following year and release three critically acclaimed studio efforts – 2008’s “Reach”, 2009’s “The World Outside” and 2010’s “Broken Frames”. Frustrated with the label politics, and pressure to withhold their identity, Eyes Set To Kill decided to break away and release independently “White Lotus”, their fifth studio album through a joint venture between their own imprint Forsee Records and Maphia Entertainment. Read more Eyes Set To Kill – White Lotus (2011)
NeWBReeD – NeWBReeD (2011)
NeWBReeD was founded in 1999 and they’re coming from Bielsko-Biala, Poland. “NeWBReeD” is their fifth studio release and they play a mixture of complex, technical, modern metal with progressive and avant-garde elements.
This is a quite intense and unique blending of styles and elements, NeWBReeD delivered a kind of psychotic, contorted, but colourful metal, technical, but still soulful, complex, but well structured and not airless, suffocating.
10 songs, “NeWBReeD” is a quite exciting trip to take. Slow, sometimes smooth, sometimes mysterious passages and intense, twisted moments are perfectly build into a modern, breathing and heavy – metal experiment.
Read more NeWBReeD – NeWBReeD (2011)
Fuseboxx – Animated (2011)
Quality progressive metal/rock from this Manila, Philippines band. Formed in 2001 by Abby Clutario – vocals/Chapman Stick/Keyboards, Mico Ong – 6 and 7 String guitars, Eric Tubon – synthesizers/keyboards/Keytar and Lester Banzuelo – drums/V drums, Fuseboxx delivered a quite exciting blending of traditional and modern progressive metal/rock, but sometimes building in smooth pop or jazz constructions and textures or explode in intense metal hurricanes.
Read more Fuseboxx – Animated (2011)
Combat Astronomy – Flak Planet (2011)
I stumbled into Combat Astronomy last year on their Bandcam page. It worth to check out their page, there you can get all their previous releases, some of them are still for free (and donation based) as their latest EP “Barricades” released in July 2011.
Mastermind, composer – and project manager 😀 – James Huggett explore the interference area of post-rock, doom and industrial with the outbursts of free jazz and avant-garde music. Space rock elements and dirty stoner rock riffs are melting down in the contorted noises and explosive outbreaks of horns. Freaky and heavy, cutting and exciting, in a fair world Combat Astronomy should be far better known as they are. But this isn’t a fair world, Britney Spears and Take That are famous and popular and I can’t blame them, not even the industry, the subordinated media, but I blame ourselves, the undefined, comfortable, predictable, lazy, fat and careless consumer. Nobody would be able to sell us shit if we wouldn’t bought it. Read more Combat Astronomy – Flak Planet (2011)
Fen – Epoch (2011)
The second first full length album by British Fen, “Epoch” was launched at the Bull & Gate venue in London with support from the old Corpse Road on the 11th of February 2011 and already gaining positive reviews in most of the magazines. “Epoch” was released in a standard jewel CD case and as a strictly limited – 999 copies – artbook edition with 40, and two exclusive & unreleased bonus tracks, “The Wind Whispers of Loss” and “…From the Mists”.
Following the acclaimed debut, “The Malediction Fields” from 2009, “Epoch” merging black metal, post-rock and shoegaze to express loss, sorrow, exaltation and a sense of ancient pride through music.
The band is named after a region of Eastern England called The Fens. The Fens have very flat and mysterious landscapes, with many marshes and wetlands. The band members grew up in this area, and find much of the inspiration for their music and themes from the atmosphere of this area. Read more Fen – Epoch (2011)
