Back to Bandcamp: November 21, 2015

Here's your weekly roundup of indie releases:

Turia - Dor
(http://montturia.bandcamp.com/releases)

It speaks volumes for the integrity of these Netherlanders that they opted not to market Dor under the much maligned (and frankly, deeply cynical) female-fronted label. I supposed I've just ruined that for them by mentioning it, but it's the thought that counts.

There are no frills or gimmicks on this atmospheric black metal debut. Frantic blast beats and dense, repetitive riffs drive most of the record, uniting with vocalist T's harsh screams for a bleak and gloomy listening experience. While Turia's raw and earnest performance sets Dor apart from other atmospheric projects on tracks like "Ascese," it's also the band's greatest weakness: Dor lacks variety. Apart from the ambient ending of "Halsstarig de Dood Tegemoet," every track on the record follows essentially the same style and structure—slight variations to a melancholy progression over rapid and cacophonous percussion. Otherwise, its a strong debut, and certainly a worthwhile listen for atmospheric black metal fans.

Recommended.

møl - II
(https://moeldk.bandcamp.com/album/ii)

The term "hipster metal" probably gets tossed around a bit too much. That said, møl's II is triumphant, shoegazy Deafheaven worship of the most unabashed kind. There's not the slightest hint of grimness on this EP; these five Danes play high-energy glasses-and-short-sleeves black metal of the most egregious kind, and they're damn good at it. If huge, soaring melodies and bright, clean production are your thing, you can't do much better than møl's hum-along choruses. If uplifting progressions and bassists wearing baha hoodies make you run for your treasured 1996 cassette of Filosofem, you'll probably hate this slightly less than you hate Hunter Hunt-Hendrix. To each their own.

Recommended.

Akvan - بلک متال آریایی
(https://akvan.bandcamp.com/album/-)

Ready for this?

Akvan play True Ayran black metal; that is, black metal inspired by the music and culture of Iran. If you like your black metal subversive, you can't do much better than this middle finger to racism and Islamaphobia. If you like your black metal folksy, then you'll enjoy Akvan's masterful incorporation of Iranian instruments and scales into traditional black metal aggression, especially on the second track. بلک متال آریایی  runs less than 15 minutes, but it's a quality EP hinting at even greater things to come from this Persian solo project. Good luck telling your friends what your favorite track is.

Recommended.

The Thurible Reviews: Spectral Lore - "Gnosis"

When a black metal band announces a couple of experimental projects before their next album, the fans usually start sweating. Not that anyone thinks that Greece's Spectral Lore, one of the most revered and beloved artists in the scene, is going to go full Mortiis, but fans of Wolves in the Throne Room are still nervous after Celestite, and as Alcest's recent transformation into pure shoegaze demonstrates, there's always the risk that a black metal band flirting with cross-genre influences will fall in love with them.

Fortunately, despite being experimental in concept, Gnosis isn't particularly avant-garde or conceited in execution.

In fact, as a flirtation with eastern folk influences and melodic black metal of the Obsequiae variety (may the gods of metal ever bless their harpstrings), Gnosis holds up exceptionally well. It's very different music from the cold, atmospheric progressive black metal of Spectral Lore's last studio album, and even more different from the instrumental space ambiance of Voyager, the band's last experimental project, yet it lacks the amateurish quality of a band merely "trying on" another style. According the bandcamp blurb, Ayloss deliberately avoided looking too deeply into the eastern influences he channels on Gnosis, hoping to leave himself unencumbered to organically blend black metal and the transcendental quality of oriental spirituality. Or something like that. The songwriting tools Ayloss uses on Gnosis are his own, and while he borrows a few eastern instruments and scales, there's no attempt at cultural authenticity getting in the way of his musical instincts, even on acoustic folk numbers "Averroes' Search" and "For Aleppo."

On the more straightforward black metal tracks, Ayloss builds complex melodies around intertwining guitar and bass riffing, mesmerizing the listener as the various elements dance around each other, fading in and out. While tracks like "Gnosis' Voyage Through the Ages" do include shredding, the melodies on Gnosis are usually subtle and difficult to isolate, partially because of Ayloss' prominent use of dynamic bass guitar harmonies. The drumming, on the other hand, tends to the unobtrusive. Even the more lively drums in the opening of "A God Made Flesh and Consciousness," arguably the heaviest track, remain solidly in the background.

Ayloss made a deliberate decision to bury his screams deep in the mix on Gnosis. For a less meticulous artist and a less competent producer, this decision could have sabotaged the whole record. But Gnosis' dense layers of interweaving guitars, light orchestral elements, traditional eastern instruments, and distant screams are perfectly balanced throughout the record, thanks in part to excellent mastering by Krallice's Collin Marston. The solid production and delicate mix brings Ayloss' mastery as a composer to the forefront, allowing the progressive leanings of the record to shine.

If the record has a weakness, it's closer "For Aleppo," which lacks the engaging quality found on the other tracks. While the song isn't a bad piece of folk ambient, it tests the listener's patience with nine minutes of meandering tanbur arpeggios over an unvarying synth pad. Perhaps the same concept should have been executed in half the time. Overall, however, Gnosis is an excellent piece of melodic black metal that should please Spectral Lore fans and leave them pleasantly engaged until the arrival of Ayloss' next full length release.

But seriously, hurry up.

Highly Recommended.

The Thurible Reviews: UltraSuicide/Mire of Despondency - "Loch of the Degenerate Realm"

God knows what the point of the digital split is, but UltraSuicide and Mire of Despodency, two relative newcomers to the depressive black metal scene, decided the world needs another.

Loch of the Degenerate Realm begins with "Abyssal Depravity," the only collaborative track in the split. Thane of UltraSuicide, who produced the entire effort, captures the traditional black metal rawness effectively on this track with his frenetic drumming and heavily distorted riffs. Thane's screams are harsh and throaty, contrasting with Nokturnus of Mire of Despondency's plaintive shrieks. The mix on "Abyssal Depravity" tends to the cacophonous, and the song's meandering structure starts a trend that continues with the next five tracks. On "Axis of Mind," Thane's clumsy, frantic drumming augments the rawness he's trying to convey, but just as often its first-take quality proves merely distracting. "Seeing Misery" presents a slower and more accessible version of UltraSuicide's sound while still embodying Thane's loosely structured and aggressive style of depressive black metal. The final track on UltraSuicide's half of the split, "Dying Mental Dream," includes an unexpected atmospheric passage before returning abruptly to screeching raw black metal riffs and Thane's discordant howls.

Mire of Despondency's debut album, Sorrow Is A Void, hit all the worst bedroom black metal notes with its shoddy production, synthesized guitars, ambient meandering, and general amateurism. Nokturnus' second stab at black metal benefits from Thane's more competent mixing and a more straightforward songwriting approach, but it still feels green and still suffers from repetitive, manifestly artificial guitar riffs. Nokturnus' shrieks, which have improved significantly, compete with the music on "Apnea," and the problem continues throughout her half of the split. The drums, which often consist of a single kick or snare looped for the entire song, never fit well into the mix, especially on tracks like "Reaping Moon." Nearly every transition includes a jarring shift in production style and quality.

The final three songs of the split measure up much better. Nokturnus can write haunting, beautiful black metal melodies when she doesn't ruin them with artificial guitars and excessive reverb. The keys that drive "Lorn Path" and "Tenebrous Void" communicate Mire of Despondency's potential more effectively than the guitars of "Apnea" or "Pennsylvanian Winter," but there are glimmers of genuinely poignant black metal music on every track. Closer "Celestia" thankfully dispenses with the most aggravating elements of Mire of Despondency's sound in favor of a lone echoing strum to complement Nokturnus' mournful shrieks.

Genre fans of raw depressive black metal might find UltraSuicide's contribution to the split a worthwhile listen. Mire of Despondency's half is more frustrating. Nokturnus has talent as a songwriter, a pretty good shriek, and she composes what could be excellent atmospheric black metal if she could only dispense with the irritating midi guitar riffs, balance the mix, and make better use of synths and keys. As it is, Loch of the Degenerate Realm is a deeply imperfect record, a baffling mix good to average songwriting and very poor production and mixing decisions.

Not Recommended.

The Thurible Reviews: Hegemon - "The Hierarch"

Black metal always leans dangerously on the ridiculous. In a genre where corpse paint and songs about Cthulhu are the norm, orchestral elements (horns, choirs, strings) are the sort of thing that push what's meant to be dark fantasy into the realm of black comedy (see: Cradle of Filth), especially if the record isn't properly mixed. Symphonic black metal isn't easy to get right, and very easy to get hideously wrong.

That's what makes France's Hegemon so exceptional.

Hegemon write great symphonic black metal. Songs like "Interpreting Signs for War: Auspices" and "Elysean Expectations, Earthly Deceptions" combine the band's knack for beautiful guitar darkness with soaring choirs and acoustic arpeggios, creating thick atmospheres of war-hungry malice. The Hierarch is full of exultant choruses and traditional black metal riffs. The orchestral elements always augment the album's aggressive black metal core, complimenting Hegemon's songwriting rather than compensating for the lack of it.

There's nothing shocking on The Hierarch. This is triumphant, symphonic black metal without twists or gimmicks. Vocalist N delivers a dynamic and engrossing performance, ranging from chants to growls to shrieks in the opening of "Atomos: Seed of the Quantic Gods" alone. Varied song structure keeps the familiar black metal tools Hegemon rely on (blast beats, tremolo riffs, menacing chugs) from wearing out their welcome, as does the occasional ethereal interlude on tracks like "Credo Quia Absurdum." On the album closer "Hierarch: The Empire of Zero," Hegemon demonstrate the same masterful amalgamation of growls, chants, foreboding riffs and haunting orchestral keys they did on the opening track. The perfect balance the band achieves between symphonic and black metal elements never falters.

Highly Recommended. 

The Thurible Reviews: Moloken - "All Is Left to See"

(Judging by the fustian and stiff English description on their bandcamp page, Moloken's third album is meant to be titled something closer to All That's Left Is To See. Don't name your album in a foreign language without consulting a native speaker, kids.)

Sweden's Moloken have grand ambitions. You can tell by the fact that they use the phrase "genre-fascism" unironically in the bandcamp blurb for their latest effort.

The post-metal/sludge foursome's third album, All Is Left To See, is a concept album (the first in a planned trilogy on human darkness ) packed with nontraditional song structures, ambient interludes, and crunchy prog riffs. It's often a little overambitious; a curious characteristic for a half-hour-long release that feels even shorter. Moloken eagerly experiment with wildly varied song lengths ("Burst" lasts barely over a minute. while "Seventh Circle" last seven) and unusual instruments (mallets on "Wreckage"), but never inspire the pleased incredulity that good experimental metal should.

Moloken hit their stride on the heavier songs. The soaring middle of "Seventh Circle" captures the despairing, visceral earnestness the band seems to be chasing, as does the first half of "I Dig Deeper." When All Is Left To See works, the jagged, hardcore-inspired vocals combine with sludgy riffs to deliver an emotional and punchy listening experience. When it doesn't—mostly during the album's numerous experimentalish instrumental passages—the band feels like they're stalling for time, building to a crescendo that never comes, or perhaps trying to obfuscate the fact that All Is Left To See is essentially a glorified extended play rather than a full-length release.

While All Is Left To See works better as a cry of hopelessness than brooding introspection—and Moloken seem to want it to be both—the success of the former on tracks like "Subliminal Hymns" and "All Is Left To See" makes up for the questionable merit of the latter. It's certainly not a career-making release, but a good release. Moloken can do progressive atmospheric sludge well when they're not preoccupied with being existential and experimental.

Recommended.

Back to Bandcamp: November 13, 2015

Back to BandCamp is The Great Thurible of Darkness' weekly spotlight on indie releases.

Hallowed Hands - Hallowed Hands
(http://bluebedroomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hallowed-hands)

Anyone up for video game-themed black metal?

Hallowed Hands debut is charmingly atypical. A weirdly listenable mix of solid depressive black metal with touches of classic video game music held together by an ominous gaming theme, Hallowed Hands are one of those bands that keep you wondering if their whole shtick is just a sick joke or if they're really into this bizarre concoction they're serving you. If the whole thing is a joke, it's a good one. If not, it's still enjoyable DSBM with great riffs and a fun gimmick to keep you interested.

Recommended.

BARUS - EP
(http://ladlo.bandcamp.com/album/ep)

French death metallers BARUS deliver crunchy riffs and wonky time signatures on their debut EP, along with a few surprises. This is progressive death metal you can bob your head to, but it also has a mystical quality: the EP is littered with chanted invocations and biblical references, as well as acoustic interludes soaked in dread. There are even a few near sing-along moments evocative of Opeth, and vocalist Keithan plays crooner and growler with equal mastery. May the French ever curse us with such delightful death.

Recommended.

Battle Path - Ambedo
(https://battlepath.bandcamp.com/album/ambedo)

Tennessee's Battle Path play woodlands doom metal with atmospheric black metal frills. On Ambedo, they wander through synth-infused post-metal soundscapes with lumbering chugs, only occasionally interrupted by black metal ferocity. This is doom metal of the melancholy variety: more dedicated to building morose atmospheres than memorable riffs. And that's fine. Battle Path inject just enough aggression to keep Ambedo interesting, while still giving keyboardist Christopher Davis space and time to build haunting melodies and ominous echoes. The band also avoids the cardinal vice of atmospheric metal: lack of variety. Every track brings a new twist on the band's atmospheric doom/black formula.

Highly Recommended.

The Thurible Reviews: Dead to a Dying World - "Litany"

It's clear from the credits alone that Litany is a special album. You don't come across many blackish doom bands with violins, three different kinds of acoustic guitar, orchestra bells, brass and a hammered dulcimer; not to mention guest appearances from members of Sabbath Assembly and Pallbearer. Dead to a Dying World's sophomore effort is, therefore, unsurprisingly difficult to classify. There's plodding, doomy guitars, ominous chanting, gorgeously interwoven violin and guitar melodies, and extended instrumental movements—yet Litany never feels incongruous the way that, say, Kayo Dot's incorporation of jazz and chamber music into black metal does. This isn't experimental music in the Deathspell Omega or even Menace Ruine sense, but it's nevertheless groundbreaking and highly original.

Considering "atmospheric" has been essentially reduced to another genre tag, it doesn't capture what Dead to a Dying World have achieved here. Litany feels carefully crafted in a way extreme metal rarely does, and perfect balance every song strikes between doom and classical elements captures the mournful spirit that bands that label themselves "atmospheric" wish they could emulate. Dead to a Dying World call their music "apocalyptic," and the musical nihilism that implies perhaps comes closest to conveying the terrible beauty of Litany's six movements.

It's difficult to evaluate the songs on Litany individually, as the album flows seamlessly from track to track. That's not say each song doesn't have a unique character—"Beneath the Loam" is a very different song from "Cicatrix"—but rather that Litany is such a holistic enterprise that to divorce any part from the musical narrative of the whole would be disservice to the band and the listener. It's an album to get lost in. Music this masterfully composed and passionately performed deserves an unbroken hour of your time.

Highly recommended.