#44

The Hare and The Moon – The Grey Malkin c41

I'm not particularly well versed in folk music and what's in my record collection is all stuff from this side of the Atlantic. So, I had a little trepidation about snagging a copy of The Grey Malkin, unsure as to how much I'd like contemporary British folk. It turns out that fear was completely unfounded; The Hare and The Moon is fucking incredible. Dark, doomy, and vaguely psychedelic, I'm loving everything about this album. The ghostly female vocals are the icing on the cake, creating a completely forlorn and haunting ambiance. This is one of those releases that no amount of my babbling will do it justice, you've got to hear it for yourself. Highly recommended.  

Haute Magie

i AM esper/Synkretismos Mutare – Astral Dream of Nature's Ashes cd-r

You get used to split albums having each artist's tracks grouped by themselves, so to hear them juxtaposed like they are on Astral Dream of Nature's Ashes shakes you up a bit. Add to this i AM esper is guitar driven drone, while Synkretismos Mutare crafts bass & beat heavy soundscapes and you've got the recipe for some interesting sonic interplay. Top notch drone from two impressive acts, presented in a way that keeps you on your toes...Why haven't you snagged a copy yet?

Bosque Produções

Obscurer – Shining Arbors cd-r

So, I can't really decide if I'm on board or not with Obscurer. A single track that is broken down into three movements, Shining Arbors is a strange beast. Wailing theremins, undulating electronics, distant guitars, and spectral vocalizations mingle together to create an album in a constant state of flux. Where Obscurer is going, who knows? You're just along for the ride. There's no way to just passively listen to this, as it demands your undivided attention. Like I said, I'm not sure about Shining Arbors, but if you like things a little more unusual, it'll be right up your alley.  

House of Alchemy

Occult Vomit – Anti-Human Devotion c90

Playing “black n' roll,” Occult Vomit is raw, blackened thrash style stuff, with the addition of southern fried, 70's rock guitar riffs and a lot of that buzzsaw bass sound. I'm honestly less than impressed with Anti-Human Devotion, but maybe I'm just not kvlt enough. It's not terrible or anything, but the album starts to drag and the songs begin to sound interchangeable with one another. It is what it is, and if you're a fanatic for thrash-y black metal, you'll dig it.   

Smell the Stench

Panopticon – Kentucky lp x2

Wait...Appalachian black metal? Yeap, thou it's not quite what you might be expecting. Kentucky is split pretty evenly between tracks of atmospheric black metal and bluegrass. So, if you were hoping for banjos and fiddles in your black metal, you're out of luck. About as folksy as the black metal stuff gets is the inclusion of some flute action. I actually found myself liking bluegrass songs the best, though the black metal tracks were highly enjoyable as well. Honestly, this isn't an album for everybody. In fact, I suspect many people will actively dislike it, but whatever, I can't get enough of it.

Handmade Birds Records

Twin Polygamists/Pacific Mausoleum – Split c8

This little split kicks off with a sidelong burner of mechanized drone and rhythmic pulsations from Twin Polygamists. It's dark and menacing with kind of a space-y feel, like the soundtrack to exploring a mysteriously abandoned spaceship adrift in the Kuiper belt. On the flip Pacific Mausoleum lets loose with a track of soft, rumbling electronics that suddenly morphs into low frequency squeals. Not bad, but it doesn't really stack up against the Twin Polygamists track.   

A Beard of Snails

#43

1%er – Tomorrow Will be Worse c32

A live recording consisting of a malfunctioning synthesizer, tape noise, and what I assume is someone dragging around heavy furniture (there are a lot of *thuds* and scraping noises), Tomorrow Will be Worse is a colossal yawn inducer. I get the feeling that 1%er consists of arty types who would just argue that I can't appreciate their creation and entirely missed the “metamorphosis of sound” on the album. Nah, I got it dudes; it started off with a bunch of blip sounds and ended with rumbling noises. Freakin' sonic wizards, right here...

Green Records and Tapes

Black Velvet Stereo – Destroy This Town cd-r

I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for Black Velvet Stereo to release a full length album. BVS has quickly risen to be one of my favorite groups and Destroy This Town does not disappoint. The dark, harsher drones of Iron Trees are not as prevalent here, with most of the tracks being crisp ambient waves that evolved out of Metal Rain Machine. It's incredible. There's a massive sci-fi vibe throughout the album, like it's the soundtrack to a Philip K. Dick novel. Unfortunately physical copies of this were limited to some ridiculously small number like 15 or 20, but luckily for you Black Velvet Stereo has made the album available digitally on it's bandcamp. This is a must have.

A Beard of Snails

Nyx – Obnubilato Incesto Semen cd-r

Damn, Obnubilato Incesto Semen is going to plow into you like a bulldozer. Playing fast, thrashy black metal, I'm digging what Nyx has to offer. Surprisingly, they incorporate the occasional melodic breakdown in a song or two, but it actually works really well, adding some complexity to their sound. The skilled level of musicianship and good production makes this feel like a professional label album rather then a demo release. Keep an eye out for these guys, I have a feeling they're gonna be making a name for themselves real fast.

Bosque Produções

Pizza Hi-Five/Powercup – Split 10'' 

Fuck yeeeees! First up is Pizza Hi-Five who rip through 12 tracks of blistering grindcore. I wont play the “reminded me a little Agathocles” card, but there's definitely some mincecore influence in there. I'm diggin everything about Pizza Hi-Five, right down to the song that has goofball hand clap solos. On the flip is Powercup, who is apparently all about power tools, home improvement, and contractors. Yea, like all 13 of their songs mention those topics. Their sound is a little more simplistic, straight forward style of grind, but it's just as fast and sick. You like grind? Then why haven't you snagged a copy of this already?

Hurts To Hear