Hell- Hell I (2009)

Holy fuck. I would love to say I slept on this band, but I really didn't. I downloaded a copy of this record sometime in 2010 and it just didn't grab me. As I said in the Gilead Media Fest review post, it might have been due to the extremely poor quality vinyl rip I had at the time (a much, much better rip is linked below) or maybe I just didn't give it a fair shake. Either way, now I see the light. The ugly, ugly light. Sludge isn't exactly a genre for the faint of heart or the causal music listener, but Hell are really on another level. I don't usually key in on vocals in metal music, it's a riff driven genre so that tends to be what I latch on to, but Hell I boasts some of the most torturous, inhuman vocals I've ever heard. Black metal dudes who think they're the bee's knees need to listen to this and have their egos stepped on a bit. But like I said, metal is riff driven music, so how 'bout them gits? Well, they're fucking huge. Imagine Thou at their most pummeling, like that riff in "Fucking Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean," but ALL OF THE TIME and you'll get the idea. Can't get enough of this record, listen to to goddamnit.

Get it here.

Unfortunately, this is currently out of print and not available digitally other than the above vinyl rip.

Mutilation Rites- I Am Legion (2012)

I've been hesitant to post this since I think you should be giving Gilead Media all of your money every paycheck and I don't want anybody to think that just downloading this (or any album) is acceptable, but I suppose that if you're like me you like to hear things before spending your grocery money on records. Mutilation Rites is the best black metal band in the United States right now. I'm not stating that as my opinion, I'm stating that as a fact. I Am Legion features three tracks from early Mutilation Rites demos that have been re-tooled and re-recorded with the new lineup. The result fucking rules. Despite hailing from one of the five boroughs, the widely acknowledged epicenter of much of the post-black or "hipster" black metal happening these days (fuck I hate the word hipster, but I'll save that rant for another time), Mutilation Rites share little in common with their Empire State brethren. On I Am Legion you'll find fairly traditional sounding black metal with touches of thrash and maybe a little crust thrown in the mix. Mutilation Rites aren't breaking down any genre barriers, pushing the black metal envelope or showing you what black metal could be, but rather are reminding you of just how goddamn good black metal can be. I should also note how much I enjoy the production on this album. Everything comes through nicely in the mix and you can even hear the...wait for it....wait for it...bass! I need me some low end. Tinny sounding guitars that sound like they were recorded in a trashcan pushed to the front of the mix bore me, so kudos to Mutilation Rites.

Try it:

Get it here. 

Buy it:

Digital  

Vinyl 

Black Clouds- Everything Is Not Going To Be OK (2012)

I had never heard of Black Clouds before I saw them open the DC date for the Alcest/Deafheaven tour. I'm not sure they really fit on that bill (actually, Auroboros, the other opener didn't exactly either), but I was way fucking impressed. Looking back on that show it was their set, not Alcest or Deafheaven, that left the greatest impression on me. Since then I've been looking forward to some recorded material and Everything Is Not Going To Be OK does not disappoint. I've been trying to think of bands with whom I can compare Black Clouds for the last week or so, but haven't found any of the comparisons to be satisfactory. But that might just be because I don't really listen to enough post-rock anymore. I think the best I can come up with would be a less mathy, more sinister The Cancer Conspiracy. Think post-rock with a little ambient thrown in the mix, but not of the triumphant, makes you feel like taking on the world variety, as you probably gathered from the album title.While the drumming and guitar are both totally excellent, what really stands out on this album is the bass. The bass tones aren't exactly standard fare for post-rock, it's more Godflesh than Explosions In The Sky, which I think plays a big part in why I enjoy this so much (referencing The Big Lebowski in a song title doesn't hurt either, he was a man who loved the outdoors...and bowling). I don't know how long these guys have been around, but for an initial release this is surprisingly well fleshed out and sounds much more like a band in their prime than one working to attain their own identity. Looking forward to hearing more from Black Clouds, hopefully in the near future.

Right now you can name your own price for Everything Is Not Going to Be OK over at bandcamp. Do it.

 bandcamp

H.B.B.R.

Definitely more awesome than Band of Susans!

No Sir- Holy Land (2012)

It's been a while folks. "I've been busy" gets thrown around in situations like this. Generally, it's to deflect from the fact that, in all likelihood, they're just being lazy pieces of shit. Yep, that last part sounds about right. So you have my apologies. Moving on. No Sir's e.p. Holy Land is a collection of noisy rotten punk violence. In other words, it's fantastic! Discharge full frontal assault and Graf Orlocks snotty unhinged delivery come to mind immediately while listening to Holy Land. Oh and with just a dash of Kiss It Goodbye for extra tension. Comprised of members from a bunch of Southern Californian bands I've never heard of, No Sir appears to be just a side project. I hope that changes. I'm still reeling from the overwhelmingly disappointing release of an album that Pat and I were eagerly awaiting. So stumbling across this caustic little ball of confrontation was very welcome indeed and has somewhat filled that void. Kudos boys.

Try it

Buy It

Digital

Physical

Wolfbrigade- Damned (2012)

 Conversation with a wall:

...

"Yeah, I heard it."

...

"It's rather disappointing."

...

"I can't say I was a huge fan of Nerve Damage either, so it wasn't entirely unexpected."

...

"I'm not sure what they were thinking. It's more Amebix than Discharge, which would be totally cool if it were well done."

...

"And what's with the production, it sounds super thin and shitty."

...

"Yeah."

...

"Well, at least Wolfbrigade still rules."

Get it here.

Buy the LP here.

StarGazer- A Great Work of Ages (2010)

Do you like the IDEA of progressive death metal but hate the fact that it usually entails incredibly cheesy guitar guitar solos, lame clean vocals, synth and other silly bullshit? Well, then Australia's StarGazer might just be the band for you. Featuring ex-members of Portal and a current member of Mournful Congregation, StarGazer play progressive death metal that harkens back to the days when "death metal" was the operative term in progressive death metal.Think Atheist, later era Death and (lame clean vocal having) Cynic with a touch of blackness and you should have a pretty good idea of what's in store for you. Not unnecessarily wanky or throw-as-many-riffs-together-as-possible-without-transitions sounding, which is a fucking achievement for a progressive death metal record these days. Highly recommended. 

 

Try it:

Here.

Buy it:

Get the 2xLP here (20 Buck Spin).

Digital (Profound Lore bandcamp)