The twelve studio album by Enslaved was declared both by most of the fans and critics “a classic” and a “masterpiece” even before some of them had the chance to listen it. It’s kind of comfortable and alarming simultaneously, on the other hand, yes, Enslaved is one of those bands you always can relay on, they are constantly there “to pushing the envelope” and “cutting the edge”, breaking down walls and wider the horizon. And yes, “RIITIIR” picking up from where they left off with “Axioma Ethica Odini” in 2010 and pushing things further. Some things are stay the same, this is Enslaved 100%, as well as they are still capable to generate new ideas and explore new possibilities, but staying in their own backyard, giving their fans the comfort of the modern Enslaved sounds and trademarks.
Between ferocious growls, deadly screams and cleanly sung choruses Grutle Kjellson find the perfect proportions and balance; Black and Death metal fueled riffs are switched to smooth acoustic moments; Enslaved seems to be still on a perpetual journey and not getting yet to destination and this make this journey exciting, fresh and surprising. Read more Enslaved – RIITIIR (2012)
Reviews
Ribozyme – Presenting The Problem (2012)
Ribozyme means ribonucleic acid enzyme. A ribozyme is an RNA molecule with a well defined tertiary structure that enables it to perform a chemical reaction. Many ribozymes are catalytic, but some such as self-cleaving ribozymes are consumed by their reactions. It may also be called an RNA enzyme or catalytic RNA. Investigators studying the origin of life have produced ribozymes in the laboratory that are capable of catalyzing their own synthesis under very specific conditions, such as an RNA polymerase ribozyme. Ribozymes may play an important role as therapeutic agents, as enzymes which tailor defined RNA sequences, as biosensors, and for applications in functional genomics and gene discovery.
Since forming in Bergen, Norway, in June 1998, Ribozyme have toured extensively in Norway and throughout Europe, while producing a total of four full length albums. They has signed to Indie Recordings for their new album which was released in Europe on the 10th of February 2012, and in North America on the 14th of February 2012. Moving step by step away from their Hard Rock roots and incorporating modern Rock and Metal influences, but also electronics and Industrial elements, their 5th album, “Presenting The Problem” it’s a colorful, intense and exciting trip to the outer limits of modern/post Rock and Metal boundaries merging genres, styles and influences. Think of something between Tool, Prong and Alice In Chains.
If you enjoyed the Brit Slunq a few weeks back, this new Ribozyme will definitively hit you. Their “Spoiled Portion” and Ribozyme’s “Presenting The Problem” are pushing the Post-Rock envelope at the same spot with pretty same results. Read more Ribozyme – Presenting The Problem (2012)
DaCast – Dedale (2012)
Free stuffs are good stuffs? Not always, trust me, but this one is one of those really murderous shits you must definitively grab it and share it! DaCast coming on the wave of bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Between the Buried and Me, Meshuggah, The Shining, Tomahawk, and they are contemporaries to other edge-cutter French bands such as The Phantom Carriage, merging Extreme Metal with Post-Rock rawness, Jazz aromas and Industrial fueled Hardcore contortions. Where “no boundaries” are the limit, generally there are good chances for creativity and the unique results. And DaCast will satisfy any high demands and expectations. And well, once again, can grab for free “Dédale”, their latest album from their Bandcamp page.
This 35 minutes album split into two sides are the result of almost 2 years of work and recordings, merging improvised and written passages/moments. The material was recorded live them mixed by Francis Caste at The Sainte-Marthe Studio. Read more DaCast – Dedale (2012)
Yoko Ono, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore – Yokokimthurston (2012)
Bored of predictable, tasteless, prefabricated products of the music industry? You are one of those people who swear that the music was last time alive in the 70s? Well, this is definitively for you!! The Witch (Yoko) is back ( 😆 ) and she’s diving into the wildness of experimental avant-gardism along with Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. Some will consider this the highest manifestation of Art Rock, some will call it a Mother’s play with her progenies, or this might be just a simple session of couple and/or group therapy revealed in public now – considering this is the first Moore and Gordon’s musical release together since announcing their separation after 27 years of marriage. Any of this actually do not really matter, Yoko was always a case of love or hate, Sonic Youth probably as well, everybody have a different and pregnant opinion about all of them and that impression will definitively not gonna change after listening “Yokokimthurston”.
The record starts with “I Missed You Listening”, an almost 10 minute of “100% Yoko” and Yoko throw her everything in from baby-cute cooing through demon-possessed laughter through hysterical yelling to orgasmic ecstasy and mystic whispers and it’s also a clear and loud statement of who’s the leader, the driving force of this project. This is not “Double Fantasy”, but more like Diamanda Galás’ “The Litanies of Satan”. Read more Yoko Ono, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore – Yokokimthurston (2012)
Bagheera – Drift (2012)
Vulgar Metal? More specifically, it probably means related to Pantera’s 1992’s album, “Vulgar Display Of Power” – I guess. And this combo from Lausanne, Switzerland definitively learned that lesson of riffing and brutal (sonic) aggression. Coming out on 5th October 2012, Bagheera’s debut album, “Drift” it’s filled with 10 groovy, intense, energy and anger fueled, classy Groove Metal tracks. This is not about “reinventing the steel”, but delivering flesh tearing and bone cutting riffs, head banger beats, and pogo starter grooves. Merging and invoking sounds and influences from Prong to Pantera and from Corrosion Of Conformity to Pro-Pain, Bagheera find the balance between Thrash roots and Hardcore intensity, Southern flavor and unleashed aggression. Read more Bagheera – Drift (2012)
For You.Earth – The Deathsongs (2012)
Contorted and blunt, dark, but intense, For You.Earth saluting us from Nizhni, Novgorod, Russia.
Formed in 2006 by school friends Victor Murzaev -vocals and Andrey Prokofiev – guitars, and with Sergey Tokarev on drums and Maxim Malygin on bass they record their first demo in 2007. At the end of the same year Dima Lobachev became the new drum player and the band played on “Murder By Carrot” festival. In January 2008 they recorded “Traces Of Alarm Rockets” the song which featured on “Screaming Nation”, the first Russian compilation of independent heavy music which included also other friendly bands such as: .crrust, Follow The White Rabbit, Maria:Abort Chosen, Equal Minds Theory, etc.
Based exclusively on the DIY principles and practices, the band started recording their debut album in the rehearsal room with a mobile studio. The album, entitled “The Oldest Songs” was released on September 5th 2009. The songs on album were written between 2006 and 2009 and recorded between 2008 and 2009, including some re-recoded versions of lost tracks from the band’s very first demo. Having faced the problem of releasing the album, guys established their own independent label Opposing Music. Read more For You.Earth – The Deathsongs (2012)
Aoria – The Constant (2012)
Doom and gloom flavored, overwhelming, heavy and cinematic simultaneously, Aoria merging frozen Nordic melancholy with the strength of modern (post) Metal, building bridges between The Cure, Sigur Rós and the raw power and energy of Tool. We’re entering a realm of shadows, haze and dark despair, but Aoria’s music will lead us through and at the end, possibly, there is a crack of light and hope.
In July 2011, after four years of silence, Erik Nilsson of A Swarm of the Sun – vocals and guitars; Robin Bergh of October Tide – drums and Niklas Sandin of Katatonia – bass; began recording Aoria’s debut album. The album will be released October 10th on LP and CD, and is distributed world-wide through Sound Pollution. The album is recorded at Garaget Studio and produced by band member Erik Nilsson. It is mixed at Studio Riddarborgen by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Khoma) who, with his uncompromising sound, has intensified what has become “The Constant”. The result, six complex, epic, disturbing songs, a doorway into a still fully unexplored, scary, but simultaneously tempting, hypnotizing world. Read more Aoria – The Constant (2012)
Muse – The 2nd Law (2012)
The waiting – and unfortunately the resistance – it’s over, the upcoming sixth studio album by Muse it’s set to be released on 1st October 2012, respectively on 2nd October 2012 in the USA.
The expectations are pretty high, “The Resistance” was a brilliantly super album which also put one Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in their pocket, although they were nominated in three categories. Along the way, Muse have won several music awards including five MTV Europe Music Awards, five Q Awards, eight NME Awards, two Brit Awards—winning “Best British Live Act” twice, an MTV Video Music Award, four Kerrang! Awards and an American Music Award. In a digital era with serious piracy issues, they still managed to sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
The album title refers to the second law of thermodynamics. The music it’s a colorful mixture of old and new, merging sounds and genres from roots back to traditional Brit Rock, invoicing mainly Queen, up to contorted, so-called “Dubstep” influences from American producer Skrillex. Read more Muse – The 2nd Law (2012)
Between the Buried and Me – The Parallax II, Future Sequence (2012)
This is definitively “Future Metal” with some very “alien” perfumed “Scifi” taste. These guys eventually are form out of space. Offspring s of some killer breed.
After five albums, for for Victory, the debut for Lifeforce, BTBAM singed in 2011 to Metal Blade and shortly after released an EP entitled ” The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues”. Set to release on October 9, 2012, originally planned to be another EP, “The Parallax II, Future Sequence” consist of 11 tracks, an extremely contorted, but colorful, spectacular journey over the edge, behind the explored territories of the conventional Metal and the “comfort zone” of most of the people. Think of a musical blender where you can throw in King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Rush and Yes with VoiVod, Pantera, Metallica and Earth Crisis, but came out with an extremely compact, consolidated musical result. Although, they have some extremely biting Metal riffs and intense, brutal grindings, they shifting quite smoothly from extreme, Death flavored Metal to Jazz, Progressive Rock or simple, quiet, acoustic moments. Read more Between the Buried and Me – The Parallax II, Future Sequence (2012)
Steve Harris – British Lion (2012)
“This is a big hearted and ferocious triumph” – declared Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer, while Nick Ruskell of Kerrang! go even further and proclaim: “British Lion is a brilliant album”. Well, it have its moments, but far not so brilliant as the media (and EMI) try to sell it to us. I can understand and generally I appreciate the British proud and the unconditional support for their own artists, and if not Steve Harris, the former and leader of one of the most famous and influential Heavy Metal bands of all time – talking about Iron Maiden, obviously – then don’t know who else might be called a “Rock icon”, but still, these 10 tracks are not so thundering and lightning Metal masterpieces as they are advertised. Actually singer Richard Taylor is another pale and weak copy of Ian Gillan mixed up with Bruce Dickinson, fortunately 100 better then poor Blaze Bayley, but not even close to the almighty Dickinson. This album with Dickinson, well, then, maybe, this could come closer to the praises. But Richard Taylor’s voice is smooth, but completely powerless.
On the other hand David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie delivered some excellent guitar parts while Steve Harris, surprisingly, managed to play his bass more colorful as he regularly does it in Maiden. Worth to highlight it, there are a couple of actually brilliant guitar solos on the album.
And strangely, the album here and there reminds me more of some Dickinson’s solo work from the 90’s, rather then sounding as a 2012 Metal album. And for God’s sake, the lyrics, who was interested in another song about Judas??! Read more Steve Harris – British Lion (2012)
