If you’re familiar – and in love – with tumultuous, turbulent musical project such as Fantômas, Tomahawk, Moonchild Trio and Mr. Bungle, generally speaking, if you like the mainly twisted and contorted avant-garde experiments of Mr. Mike Patton, Krakatau might just fit your taste and extremely important: this self-titled full-length debut album is available for FREE DOWNLOAD at the band’s official web site.
This is metal only if you’re not committed to Iron Maiden or Metallica, don’t think that “progressive metal” means exclusively Dream Theater. Say (vocals/guitar), Muz! (bass/vocals), Max (lead guitar) and Mark (drums) expands the horizons and sometimes construct music by demolition. Sometimes hypnotic, other times quite schizophrenic, Krakatau is actually an explosive music volcano, this might not be a safe trip, but eventually an exciting one.
Read more Krakatau – Krakatau (2011)
progressive metal
Crushing Axes – Ascension Of Ules (2011)
Crushing Axes actually it’s the one-man-band of Alexandre Rodrigues from São José dos Campos, Brazil.
He make annual virtual releases and the albums are always available for download. The lyrics explore themes like Norse mythology and the dark side of the human mind and soul while the music is a mixture of heavy, black, doom and death metal elements with many different other artifacts from folk to traditional and classic music. It’s an interesting and exciting blending of musics and elements, quite unique in a particular sense, Alexandre managed to create his own style and atmosphere.
Read more Crushing Axes – Ascension Of Ules (2011)
Gevolt – AlefBase (2011)
Yiddish Metal? Yes! Taste quite like Rammstein, still it has its own perfume and aroma, Gevolt on their second full-length album delivering a powerful blending of classic and modern metal with traditional Yiddish and Russian musical textures, strong riffs and hypnotizing violins. “AlefBase” it’s available as digital release at their official site for FREE DOWNLOAD. Still, you can donate some through PayPal or can buy the physical release for only 12.90 USD (shipping included).
After the international break-through of Orphaned Land, the Israeli heavy metal scene delivered another exciting progressive metal act.
Read more Gevolt – AlefBase (2011)
Sicfaist – Road Unknown (2011)
Bill Friese – vocals, Eric Britt – guitar, Ken Campbell – drums and Darren McClelland – bass bring to the surface pieces from a shattered universe, while their music have roots back to bands such as Deftones, Tool, System Of A Down and Korn. Actually, they name as their influences bands such as Mudvayne, Tool, Killswitch Engage, Incubus, Gojira, Deftones, Lamb of god, Sevendust, 40 Below Summer, Meshuggah, Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Anyway, these American guys from St. Louis, Missouri, delivering some dark, contorted and sometimes quite strange, but sparkling and beautiful, still heavy enough, modern metal. Read more Sicfaist – Road Unknown (2011)
Shadowcast – Space Age Revolution (2011)
Back in 1999 Clemens Mayr of black metal outfit Amortis decided to put together something different, the project originally entitled Project Judgement. Using some heavy riffs delivered by his band mates, guitarist Lukas Lindenberger and Simon Mayr and some electronic textures and layers, the style of the new band was set. The debut album, “Desperate Accuse Dimension” was released in 2002, featuring Roman Lindenberger – guitar and Lukas Lindenberger – drum programming. Mayr later considered this album too Gothic oriented and not enough experimental, so only one year later they released their second full-length album called “The Near Life Experience” which was much better produced and sound closer to the original ideas of Mayr. Read more Shadowcast – Space Age Revolution (2011)
Ana Kefr – The Burial Tree II (2011)
When the mainstream becomes extremely boring – just like eating margarine each and every day -, everybody try too hard to fit into all the generally accepted patterns, boxes, labels and genres and even the so-called “alternative” scene is nothing, but a cliche, still, the underground may bring salvation. Quite sadly, even the avant-garde scene and improvised music sometimes becomes predictable and boring…
I’m not a Black Metal consumer, but from time to time I find myself enjoying some Black Metal products. And well, not exclusively the traditional Scandinavian scene delivering quite exciting surprises.
Kyle Coughran – rhythm guitar/vocals, Shane Dawson – percussion, Alphonso Jimenez: bass guitar, Rhiis D. Lopez – lead vocals/keys and Brendan Moore – lead guitar/vocals/saxophone bring to the surface an extremely colourful, intense and exciting album. Black Metal roots are merged with Folk and Progressive Rock/Metal elements, complex structures, grinding Metal constructions are filled with style and inspiration with condiments from Folk to Jazz, from classy epic construction to spacy cinematic soundscapes. Read more Ana Kefr – The Burial Tree II (2011)
The Project Hate MCMXCIX – Bleeding The New Apocalypse (2011)
Classy, quality, stainless, Swedish Metal flavored, textured with Industrial and Progressive elements, balanced between Death Metal and Neo-Progressive/Symphonic Metal. Quite colourful and unique formula, technical and powerful, epic and still cutting, melodious and brutal, absolutely heavy-weight category in the finest league.
Lord K. Philipson – guitars, (de)composer, keyboards, programmings, serpents, backing vocals, bass, lyrics – formerly God Among Insects, Leukemia, House of Usher, Lame and the editor of legendary early 90’s fanzine Hypnosia Magazine, ex-touring bassist/guitarist for bands such as Dark Funeral/Vomitory/Grave and playing also in Torture Division -, Jörgen Sandström – vocals – vocalist on first 3 classic albums by Grave and bass and backing vocal in Entombed, playing also in Vicious Art,Krux and Torture Division, Ruby Roque – vocals – ex-Extreme Attitude, and Tobben Gustafsson – drums, find the perfect balance between heavy and rawness and epic, progressive smoothness. Read more The Project Hate MCMXCIX – Bleeding The New Apocalypse (2011)
Dot Three – Antithesis (2011)
For ₤1 (or more) you can have this 12 track release via Bandcamp. Or go there and just listen it, you will not be dissapointed. For the music, imagine a collision between Annihilator and Pantera. Joe Newham seems to be a pretty good guitar player, the songs are filled with excellent riff works and some interesting themes, but honestly, this sounds more than a pretty good demo, rather than an album. But definitively there’s potential in it, if Joe will find the proper band mates, and especially a powerful, charismatic lead singer, this project might become the real thing. “Superimposed” for instance is a quite interesting experiment and it’s not the only one. Still, despite a few very good themes, the strong riffs and complex, technical constructions, the good groove and atmosphere, still, somehow this work seems not completely finished. Read more Dot Three – Antithesis (2011)
Naisian – Mammalian (2011)
Far off from the Brit scene and tends, Naisian from Sheffield, brings to the surface a tumultuous, contorted metal with roots back both to the classic Black Sabbath sound and the mixture of sludge and post-hardcore riffs, in their music is a perfect balance between dark and noisy elements and sometimes psychedelic, other time warm and calm, spacy moments. James Borrowdale – guitar and vocals, Adam Zejma – guitar and vocals, Micheal Aitken – bass and vocals and Jordan Garlick – (only 🙂 ) drums, create a quite exciting and unique blending of intense metal and avantgardist surfing. “Mammalian” can be listen and downloaded (“name your price”) from the band’s Bandcamp page. It worth every minute and every penny. Read more Naisian – Mammalian (2011)
Coerce – Ethereal Surrogate Saviour (2011)
Coerce was formed in late 1999 in Deal, Kent, UK by Adam Smart – Vocals, James Wells – Guitars, Chris Williams – Bass and Liam Foy – drums and hey registered the name Coerce with The Worldwide Band Name Registry, still, there’s a band using the same name from Australia… a band split between Adelaide and Melbourne formed in 2008 by Mike Deslandes, Matt Adey, Karl Roberts and Justin Bond. The Brits declare on their MySpace page that they are playing Alternative / Hardcore / Metal while the Australians defined them self playing Big Beat/German pop/Tropical…
While there’s quite much confusion – an lack of information – on both bands pages and once again, somebody chosen a name before checking out if the name is available, I take no responsibilities for any further misunderstanding.
“Ethereal Surrogate Saviour” it’s quite off of Tropical/Big Beat, actually its bring to the surface a contorted, crushy and sometimes quite chaotic and gloomy post/experimental metal with roots back to hardcore but flavored with psychedelic and progressive spices being inspired by different bands from King Crimson to Tool and Pantera. find an unique path between progressive rock and metal and the noisy, stoner/doom infiltrated post-hardcore and merging these different styles into one they came up with something quite special and exciting.
It’s not an easy listening, but life it ain’t easy and in times when almost everybody is nothing but “a copy of an imitation”, Coerce sounds absolutely refreshing, they comes like a salvation against monotony and uniformity. Read more Coerce – Ethereal Surrogate Saviour (2011)
