Format: Digital album, jewel case CD, standard black vinyl, transparent milky clear vinyl, solid white/black galaxy vinyl
Label: Immortal Frost Productions (Belgium)
Release date: September 24, 2021
‘What an interesting album’ is my quote of the day because that’s what was going through my mind listening to this latest 5 track effort by this band.
You know, you can scope the globe and find plenty of artists in the sea who try to combine various sounds together either on individual tracks or throughout the album as a whole and I’ll be the first to tell you, not all work out. In fact I’d say MOST fail at the execution because there is such a factor of ‘balance’ that most bands don’t have the sense to understand.
For example let’s use Led Zeppelin in my opinion (next to Black Sabbath) the greatest band in music history and they flawlessly combined sounds of
-Country, Rock and Roll, Blues, Gospel, Folk they all had the mutual understanding of how much of each to utilize and where exactly to include the elements (this is excluding Robert Plant’s god level vocal variety) but beside the point, that’s a band that gets it.
This band is the same, each song has a nice hint of something different.
-Black Metal
-Ambient
-Sludge
-Death there’s so many unique and powerhouse sounds all coexisting together on one album and yet flow seemingly perfectly, there’s never any awkward and forced genre and sound transitions or a genre switch so sharp and sudden it threw off the whole balance of the album, it was all in harmony.
Even though these are two different sounding albums, creatively speaking this album reminded me a lot of the band Black Country, New Road and their 2021 album ‘For The First Time’ in how diverse and colourful the production and aesthetics are on this record.
All the instrumentation from the guitar patterns to the methodical drums and bass to the amazing vocal work by the singer, it’s all done with precision, care and power and I love every track!
SO
Without any more hesitation Relentless Family! Come join me in celebrating this effort of greatness and help share this album along! Trust me you won’t regret it! –Corban Skipwith
Honestly, I don’t even know how to feel about this one.
I read the description for this absolute monolith of a song but to me not of the tags do it justice. This is truly one of the most bizarre, unique and introspective pieces of overture that I’ve ever heard (let alone this year).
If you read the description of this song you’ll find a story about a man ‘William Hope’ who was a con artist who manipulated photographs of the recently dead to show them included in later family photographs he had taken portraying them as ghosts.
I’m not really sure what that has to do with the song but I’m going to assume it lent the inspiration for the tracks eerie and unsettling nature.
This is the kind of track that invokes the spirit of ‘Patience’ as this song goes for a whopping 44 minutes+ and unless you have a strong clear ear for music shifts and switches you may not hear much change over that near hour but trust me it’s there, just done as swiftly and subtlety as possible.
If I could compare this to anything I would have to lend it to the work of Godspeed You! Black Emperor in its divine and cynical nature of production and presentation although I feel even this track serves more on the darker side then even them but that’s the closet I could find to a match up.
It’s like a piece of dark, ambient classical music hence the term used above ‘overture’ because that’s what comes to mind when I hear it.
If you have the time, go check it out. It’s monstrous in power, subtle by nature and brooding in spirit and soul.
This won’t be for everyone but I ask all of you to step outside of your comfort zone and give this an honest try, who knows! You might end up enjoying it and discover a new love for a new style! –Corban Skipwith
Talk about a ‘Jolly’ time of the year, can you get any more of a badass mashup?
-SLEIGHER ‘Seasons Greetings In The Abyss’
So, what is this wonderful song you may be asking? Well allow me to explain.
What we have here is a special cover of Slayer’s infamous song ‘Seasons In The Abyss’ but remixed and covered by members of such iconic bands as
-Haken
-Dream Theater
-Protest The Hero
-Cradle Of Filth
And Inhuman Condition to help create this holiday banger the likes the world has never seen before!
I mean, look it’s one thing to make a complicated album full of Christmas covers (which is still badass) but to get together a supergroup of musicians like this just to make a Xmas rendition of one of the most hardcore thrash songs of all time? That’s some serious creativity and I love every second of it!
It combines the Christmas cheer with equal parts kick ass metal with newly rendered ‘festive’ lyrics to match! It’s as if these bands came together and said to each other.
'You know what? We all love Slayer here, but I wish there was a way we could play their music in front of our family and children without traumatizing them completely’ and then all of a sudden one of those cartoony light bulbs lit up on top of a person’s head and boom we have this song!'
It’s the definition of a novelty track but one the likes of this I’ve never seen done before. The most shocked and surprised I’ve ever been with a metal-influenced swerve to this magnitude was when Cradle Of Filth released that EP ‘Evermore Darkly’ back in 2007 which featured TECHNO remixes of certain songs, that blew me away (for better or for worse) and on the same level of shock comes this interesting mask up!
So, fill your bellies full of food, neglect that Christmas clean up that no one ever talks about and play this over your speakers and have the joy of knowing you can rock out while the family air guitars in blissful ignorance of the origins! (But don’t worry metalheads, we will know) -Corban Skipwith
I personally can’t think of a better time than now to post a review about this, as it is Christmas I’d like to wish everyone happy holidays and a thank you to all the Relentless Family for sticking with me over the years!
Orion’s Reign with Carols of Chaos
So this right here is an 8 song complication album of famous Christmas songs that have been given the good old ‘metal remakes’ and turned into little pieces of head banging goodness just in time for the holiday season.
See, when it comes to albums like these (as in cover albums, remix albums etc) the most I ever got into that was the ‘Punk Goes Pop’ series and even then I only really enjoyed the 4th and 5th installations and of course with these things there is a stigma of ‘novelty’ behind them because of the fact that it is an album of covers and remakes that it can be hard to judge them and ultimately critic them as you would a regular album with a collection of original tracks.
But look, for what it’s worth I think this is a dope interpretation of the Christmas Carols, I love the fast guitar and those banging drums! This sounds like a Prog Metal’s best attempt at a mash up as it does well in keeping that ‘grand, larger than life’ feel most Christmas songs have but by replacing it with the classic Prog Metal elements that the Subgenre itself does in making its own music ‘unique and larger than life’.
I know this is a bit of a shorter and less descriptive review but I’m kind of at a loss for words, you’ve all heard these songs thousands of times before it’s just now you’re hearing it with a metal twist! I can guarantee there will be fans of this type of novelty out there and for those who are seeking an album like this but worried about the overall quality then this is the one for you!
Its production is top notch, the instrumentation is fire and the overall aesthetic is still Christmas related and it does a nice job and keeping the spirit of that special holiday alive!
If you think this is for you, go check it out now! What better time or day than now? –Corban Skipwith
Hypocrisy has FINALLY returned to grace us all with cosmic meaning beyond the stars. It may have been a long time…but was worth the wait. Time for some alien stuff!
The style is as present here heavily as the sound of ripping titanium steel along layers of the space shuttle that they have arrived in after entering our atmosphere for their landing into the desert of Egypt by the pyramids of Giza. That is where they show us with a spear that radiates green pulsating light of fire that destroys anything from its radiating spear wielded tip that THEY were given by ones beyond that honored them as the rulers of the ancient alien METAL race.
While in their past material when they were also exposing modern alien encounters in many ways to us which we all have experienced and dwelled in. Well most of us.
This version of Hypocrisy is a band that makes it simplistic to place them in their own genre now…as I coin as ANCIENT ALIEN BLACKENED DEATH METAL that makes them recognizable for their audience now because all their albums transcend to dates, times, places, moments where we as a human species come to learn that we truly are uh…as scary as that may be…get used to it.
Where we all are now?
That’s all that matters.
Peter does not care WHERE we are all from…he is just here to guide us to go beyond this damn galaxy that holds us all back. We need Andromeda more than anything right now for our civilization.
They are THE current death metal band with this flag that is the BEST presentation of them and sometimes they offer the listener light melodic telekinetic touches that touch each brain cell in a metal fans minds if they have one left after hearing Worship for the very 1st time.
I lived to tell the tale seeing them live with Roswell 47 in my face then high above a balcony at the Chance Theatre in Poughkeepsie around the early 2000s with songs from The Arrival so I can safely say that Hypocrisy is a band that also had to, reintroduce themselves…to me & to us in a way where they feel most on point in their darkest form of alluring art they recently created.
It will have you wanting more and more after every listen.
Lots of replay value to be found here.
Beyond the album here & there in the past…there WAS moments in time in which Hypocrisy does disappear for a long time when it comes to offering a new album but in the case of Peter being he is the brains of this sadistic maximum abduction of an operation that is a level you can only find in movies such as Stargate & Fire In The Sky, it is known NOW that he is the man with many versatile, fulfilling and satisfying outputs amongst multiple projects.
To tours and his own recording studio which essentially in times can delay what he has going on when he knows the true main focus or main goal he always has at hand…his band.
Hypocrisy, with their album here…Worship…however it seems that these eons of stasis people always critique Peter about since they are all blind to the main objective here…they really have helped old & new fans seek or sought out more for themselves to desire for more and a lot to look forward to in their new material with Worship and after all is said for it with all the well constructed themes it offers in lyrical form and musical form.
In a time now where we all can identify in which we can only hear it as Peter speaks it in many volumes as only we are able to as we are all now the children of the gray.
So we perceive what we have heard in Hypocrisy in their latest opus to not only expect what will happen for the most part… but since their album Virus which is reminiscent of its killer sound here and the belief that there is a REAL very REAL species of alien out there.
Possibly one with the same hive set and order of acid spitting raptor like instincts as Ridley Scott brought to life with the help of Deutschland comrade HR. Giger in the Alien movie franchise.
Predator movie franchise?
Parts of it…in this album…tribal but not as ancient as Predator. Ancient like Alien but not as old or barbaric as Predator since they are the true hunters and stronger of the latter.
An album after Worship can touch on aspects like that. With those aspects or aesthetic.
Regarding the production values here throughout this overwhelming masterpiece that touches each alien base all over this world that is carefully hidden…it is a sound they created to perfection more so since they already consolidated since the powerhouse that is Virus.
It was unleashed years ago with a very wide range of sounds within what Worship gives us now in these tracks of terror that are recorded to present more driven drums that are something to be cherished since drums by these guys these days are still very underrated by them.
Every time, I hear this…
Furthermore when I know listeners know them more for their work on guitars that they dominate in riffs hitting walls of green bloodied xenoplasm mess…dripping an aggressive but ever so in the background strong bass lines that pushes itself out from the mix to grab you into your face. Only when it’s needed for a few valuable moments.
Since the ethereal ritualistic sounds blend in the madness does just that. The well known Hypocrisy guitars that hypnotically & sonically capture us at all times perfectly when properly mastered. While they give us the choice, the listeners…to get exactly what we want from this band.
Also and in the process of recording it all through many different techniques through various rehearsals / outtakes to make it all come together to be balanced out for us all to dive into fluidly. And happen.
Right in between brutality and melody reaching an all time peak in decibel greatness that is always in its perfect subtle ness to be able to lay down, close your eyes, relax & enjoy the execution of all the instruments which capture all the sounds bouncing off each other.
That reach to alternate dimensions in your mind when played in the right medium (iPhone 6s + plus / Sony classic headphones MDR-ZK100) in the scheme of things that hit edges in the universal astral dark matter…from where the sound eminently comes from.
Now, we never lose track because they make it all possible.
Without ever losing any detail to how they make it all into a grand time for us in zero gravity after the airlock is sealed.
Do you want me to hit the button to let the outer space vacuum sequence commence? No?
Ok.
Now launch the proton lasers at the nearest dead planet that spins barren so we can watch it EXPLODE.
Don’t worry, Peter made sure we have a shield around the USS Cygnus that not even a powerful black hole can eviscerate.
With gravity gripping light speed pressures he designed something to withstand even the solar flares and supernovas around us.
The blueprints of the ones he gained them from will be in play here. He knows of the flash so he knows it’s going to be time where there will be a time to…
Worship. Peter has the plan!
An uncompromising & punishing compressed waveform of sound hitting into the core of our dying planet… that has now fixed itself partly with the plague humanity created, and in terms of its lyrical content they dive into deeply.
With an inclination towards solid facts and inhuman themes. Where in time it became a more wiser & mature Hypocrisy while directing us to with the minds of this music involved here to embrace it towards a well known leap they promise but also a particular triumphant in a victory sound just for us.
Finally leaving all behind the ones that lose traction with their music to leave them to be used as the mere experiments from the ancient otherworldly ones that fallen before as it was mentioned after hearing it after a few listens the transition from the very sought after album that is, The Arrival.
In terms of Hypocrisy with their bludgeoning composition here with more to offer soon.
Taking us to their levels, many levels in the songs that take up passages that can be heard from the cocoons of the very real albums that touch on many hints from the Abducted to End of Disclosure, while mixing various instruments that are required of them in discovery of this well bred sound in alluring musical elements from all their albums combined.
Willing to offer what we all enjoy by them in a theme of extra terrestrial encounters.
I do gather this all, personally…although it is something innovative on their part, whereas it may be something that will keep others less attentive at all times.
Where us deeper fans of Hypocrisy during this crisis will do what we can to get a physical or digital play of this album by any means especially due to the changes of rhythm section parts in it here to which we are accustomed to know best from our saviors, Hypocrisy.
The main features that stand out most of Hypocrisy, rightfully as always, in this stellar album are the fast tremolos throughout, with intense well paced and menacing changes from slow to fast alien structures rising and falling, with noticeable gilled neck guttering sounds that breathe short solos to release watery moments of tension in the songs on say a watery and icy Europa.
With that Peter shows us creatures that remain present of bends on the guitars that wail their mating calls, harmonies in fourths they speak while they penetrate themselves to their pleasures, to give birth to the harmonics accompanied by a great knee bending backwards to the other sides of their legs to swim at faster speeds with a discreet bass filled bellow…and a forceful fucking pounding on drums that is their unified sound from submarine levels with slight moments of blast fucking beats that hit all the rocks and debris around Saturn’s rings knocking them off course into planets around it.
Here in which a medium tempo screams for a whirlpool spin inside a collapsing star that predominates on the snare its deafening unshakable end and fast lightning speeds on the pedals that generate a rain of red diamonds.
To introduce its breathable atmosphere of the unnamed planet the hypnotic rhythms it generates that characterizes its making in only their compositions and terraforming features that are precise moments to include into the toms.
About the voice here that screams for us, the ones that we have yet to reach…unless through himself…we can hear that the years that pass through Peter are better to his voice now since he has recorded in this tongue that speaks not solely for us because his voice is slightly more brutal here but also ahead of the game in recording than in previous albums.
So there is no complaints by anyone to be had about it. He continues to always handle a deep and high voice impeccably that wakes whatever is buried under the ice in our southern pole on this world leaning a little more towards the low language of the deep venomous serpents.
Hitting the highs to release the moments of when dragons with ancient form that shake the skies that they open their wings with superb musical tension while carrying the serpents to the war ensemble.
Clearly here…only with a slight decrease in light speed, however it is not always something that is where it can be reproached to this production already, since the mars like atmosphere here it handles is perceived more hypnotic in its substance from its carbon emissions and gloomy like rainy days on Venus than in other previous works.
With this in quite noticeable times in songs here like that which hit us in acid burning form of watery waves like ocean on songs We're the Walking Dead, Chemical Whore, Brotherhood of the Serpent (a personal favorite) and Children of the Gray. Feeling not one loss of fit musicianship.
On this album here I come to find that the song that could stand out for a single as the most innovative they have created from their timeless catalogue in recent years here is in Gods of the Underground!
In which a slightly ballsier approach & different throaty approach is heard that calls upon nests of serpents at the beginning, and a tempo that burns the fires that are worthy of an excellent temple of wisdom found in this ground breaking Hypocrisy song.
Other than excluding this song for some people, there's nothing new out now from anyone else as such but that doesn't mean it's bad to our human ears as it's not a band that needs to redo things for us humans to confirm the legacy they've built already that is forever. It is something a fan will grow a huge connection with to, in the way they mix elements here from previous installments throughout this whole time they put out albums in the process with fresh ideas here is pretty fluid like blood and veins that pump everything in unity.
From my time listening it does not sound exactly like a derelict ship that is in stagnation because from the beginning here with Worship we hear ultimately a classic opening of true value always in Hypocrisy as always.
By that I mean a slow continuous force driven change in mankind and mysterious door opening introduction as it has done moments slightly in End of Disclosure, after the entire mystery a brutal roar of its entrance into this existence is unleashed in a very ancient alien style of the Virus, but with bone crushing elements of The Arrival in many certain parts of the song that are reminiscent of others is felt in those soul destroying tremolos so marked that it rips everything wide open with those characteristic riffs of Catch 22 that are remembered in songs here.
A very forward & faster drumming standing out for light years hitting places we can only dream of just as the song We're the Walking Dead has pulverizing tendencies of Abducted with a tempo slightly similar to When the Candle Fades in a new flavor and finally Bug in the Red takes us back to the iconic moments we all remember after hearing the twilight that glows within The Final Chapter, to songs just like The Final Chapter.
That destroyed a constellation of stars that are burning out to inwardly suck us in to bring us all to this light or to explode to burn us to ashes of nothing so we notice here that by now it is eminent that Hypocrisy has worked to be what they seek the most in their careers as solid musicians by being here.
Especially Peter now being his own musical influence and the essence of many damn years of hard work out in as it still is present in this very focused and eye opening album.
The album always maintains a good balance for fans here between fast songs in the display of parts that they gathered of humans that are kept by the ones that did not survive their tests and those that are atmospherically hypnotic tranced into a state to keep you in its hypnosis to understand the meaning of this album to its full extent.
To keep you always aware of what is inevitably going to come to the human race without adding more to explain further by Hypocrisy that it is now a band that will never disappoint you by teaching you that this is what we have to do now since it is in the works and has been in its works for a very long time…
Ones able to hear it will reap the rewards since it does not lose its purest mind expanding essence and always it will make you want to find the time to move your head with extreme pleasure that is only found here because it was created within the realm of Peter's creative imagination that tells…us the TRUTH about all of us and all of this…that WE want to hear THEM more. –Daniel S. Crane
Lineup:
Peter Tägtgren: Guitars, vocals, bass, songwriting, lyrics
Damn, I haven’t felt or heard something this vile in a long time. This is the kind of Demo that will melt your body down from the outside in!
VULNIFICUS with INNOMINATION
So this is the debut demo by the band featuring three songs
-Scraped and Scattered
-Induced Rampage
-Innomination
With just over eleven minutes in run time this thing wastes NO TIME in being one of the most disgusting, brutal and most devastating metal demos you’ll ever hear (not just this year, but period!)
On the description on Bandcamp the lists of genres they claim to me are
-Brutal Death Metal
-Metal
But to me this is straight up Grindcore territory! Hell even Deathened Grindcore if that exists? Honestly this demo is just 11 minutes of grimy, unforgiving and punishing noise on a silver platter!
The vocals are low and distorted, almost sounding like Lo Fi pig squeals! The guitar work is monstrous in size as well as those luring drums ever so sinister in motion as they guide the three tracks right to the deepest depths of hell.
I’m really finding a hard time describing this demo any further then just some of the most demonic and hate filled metal I’ve heard in quite a while, these guys make a band like Dying Fetus sound soft in comparison! It’s absolutely ridiculous and I would challenge any ‘real metalhead’ to give this a try and see how they fair up!
It’s nasty, despicable and heavier than a heavy thing and I’m sure all you brutal metalheads will love this thing through and through! –Corban Skipwith
Lineup:
E. Browne: Vocals (Abolishing the Ignominious)
W. Sherels: All Instruments (Urotherapy, Epidermolysis)
Format: Digital album, limited edition digipack CD
Label: Independent
Release Date: September 29, 2021
Wow, just wow.
You know, you think you’ve heard it all? That’s the narcissist in me thinking in my tiny 27 years alive that I’ve discovered all that music can throw at me, that I’ve ‘heard it all’ as the expression goes. This album is the righteous kick in the face I needed to remind me that no matter how much I uncover the ‘undiscovered’ will always reign supreme.
SANATANA -PREMADHANA
So, this is the latest album by the Ukrainian band! Featuring five (I assume) brand new tracks.
Look, I’ll play devil’s advocate here and say that I know absolutely nothing about Ukraine or their music but after today I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more because this is one of the most interesting albums I’ve heard all year!
This thing is an interesting combination of Folk, Metal, spiritual meditation? Seriously this thing is a bizarre fusion of sounds that make me want to meditate while simultaneously rocking my head back and forth at the vibes this thing is giving off, I mean as stated above ‘wow’.
There’s something very ‘spiritual’ about this album as I stated already, it’s the way the folk-like dreamy instrumentation and production go hand in hand with the very surreal and overwhelming vocal performances which complement the sonic aesthetic beautifully.
I love how ambient this album sounds and feels without having much associated with that genre at all, they utilize the attributes of folk, indie and metal to create this ‘experience’ that can only be described as ‘heavenly’.
Now keep in mind, I don’t understand the lyrics at all so I have no idea what message they are sending to the audience, for all I know they could have had no intention at all of spirituality or meditation or anything like that, this is just how it is perceived to me and I can only be honest with how I hear it and to me it sounds like a reinterpretation of what I would expect to hear at a mosque or holy ground in different countries around the world.
I know I say this a lot on here but this five-song tracklist will definitely not be for everyone but I say ‘why not?’ That’s how I approach music and that’s how and why I discover so much interesting and unique sounds!
Don’t get me wrong, not every band or artist I discovered is good but it’s the journey of just saying why not and taking a chance to try something new and see if you like it!
I ask you all, give this album a try and let me know what you think! I guarantee you, you won’t find another album like this possibly in your lifetime! –Corban Skipwith
I spent some time searching for some goregrind worthy of review, and I eventually came to the 2021 demo by the three piece band Organ Failure. Now, this is not the best goregrind I have ever heard, and I do wish that that the demo was a bit longer, but all in all the sounds and musicianship of the demo are on point…and the vocals are pretty decent too.
The best way I can explain this band is if Necro Tampon and Autophagia had a baby. The drum work and guitars are very reminiscent of Autophagia, and the vocals sound as if they were pulled directly from the old Necro Tampon recordings that were on Myspace way back in the day.
Again, this is an insanely short demo and I had to listen to it a handful of times for it to sink in properly, but yes, this is some pretty good stuff. Due to the length of the demo I won’t go into too much detail, and I will just suggest giving it a listen for yourself. Fans of goregrind new and old are sure to dig this stuff, and if not, you didn’t waste much time finding out. Solid! –Devin Joseph Meaney
From the full length “Harlequin”, released independently November 11, 2021
Format: Streaming
Release date: December 11, 2021
You know what’s ironic? Literally not even 24 hours ago I was banned and had the GUILLOTINE dropped on my head but being the quick headed serpent tongue I came back within the hour and now I’m back with a single that will blow away your
-IN SOMNIA (Guillotine)
So what he have here is a single that dropped 5 days ago and just like the swift and precise blade of the guillotine drop they come in hard, bloody and decisively devastating when they fall upon the head of the listeners!
What I love if this song is the combination of technicality and brutality. You can tell this band has the genius and talent to pull of those intricate guitar work and those rhythmical drum patterns, I meant that’s not easy! Sure to someone who doesn’t have a love and passion for music or more specifically metal I’m sure all songs sound the same just ‘noise’ as they will say but for those who know their stuff you can hear how fluent they are and how they utilize that advanced instrumentation to their benefit and showcase just how masterful they are in production and individual instrument skills.
Over this 4:39 song I love how they also put care and effort into the lyrical side of things as it is noted in the YouTube description that they are comparing modern society and the guillotine and I think that’s again another sign of how relentless and smart this band is to focus on all aspects of the music and highlight their brains.
If you want to hear something special, something that you don’t listen to or see every day then look no further than right here! It’s got everything you could want in a song and it doesn’t overstay its welcome in length! It knows what it wants to be and fulfills all it needs to in the time frame it has! Love it! –Corban Skipwith
Once again I was exploring Youtube and found a video that opened with a tattooed woman with a patched vest reading “Svetlanas” on the back. She looked pissed off, but as I watched the entire clip (about a minute and a half) it became clear she was pissed off for a reason. A brief aside, the video is streaming at Blank TV along with “I Must Break You” and other videos. To date they have a single, three EPs and five full lengths out. “Go Fuck You Self” is from their third full length “Naked Horse Rider” from 2015.
The woman we see in the beginning of the video is Svetlana’s frontwoman Olga, who takes on the riot grrll angst we’re all familiar with if we’re punk fans from the old school. However in contrast to Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers, her girl power is much rawer and overt without the need for symbolism or double entendre. As I read in an interview, since they spit similar venom toward their home country’s government they’ve been exiled from Russia since September 2014 and sale of their music there is illegal.
Keeping in mind that it’s harder to be a punk in Russia than it is in the US and UK, the controversy surrounding Svetlanas is causing them to become more well known in the rest of the world. Because their music is now unlawful and they can be arrested for going against Putin and the Duma elections, punks elsewhere are more than happy to give them a platform to air their views. Their rising popularity in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and Slovenia shows how much more people are hearing about them than before.
Their lack of fear about speaking against what Olga describes as corrupt rule in Russia is the reason punks in any country can relate to their sense of rebellion against the governmental and social atmospheres surrounding them and pressing them down. “Go fuck you self!” is a simple directive from a badass woman who expresses herself through the medium of punk and refuses to be victimized by male perceptions of female punks. Perceptions that have basically been outdated for more than thirty years.
Svetlana’s music is acute, masticating punk with a street style attitude that has endured since the 1990s, and Olga’s voice is a razor sharp equivalent to a high heeled shoe driven into the scrotum of toxic masculinity, to draw a crude comparison. So raw and stripped to the bone, the song evokes Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Discharge, Lydia Lunch and even GG Allin to a certain point. Not just in musical terms but in terms of the bombardment of blazing agitation those bands brought in a time before punk and hardcore bands were introduced on national talk shows and featured in national magazines.
From what I’ve been reading about them Olga and the band bring their energy to the stage wherever they play. They’re also getting their shit together as they have several endorsements, streaming channels and two booking agencies in Europe and the US. Be sure to check out their official site for news and streams of all their full length releases, including their latest “Disco Sucks” released in 2020. –Dave Wolff
Format: Limited edition digipak compact disc, digital album
Label: Independent
Release date: November 12, 2021
Sometimes when a band tries to ‘experiment’ with a various combination of sounds it can be almost like a game of Russian Roulette because your ambition could either be the death of you or soar you to new heights! And I think on this album the latter was true!
Damned To Downfall -Embrace Your Extinction
So this is a 9 track album that was released in November of 2021 and as many bands go for me this is the first time hearing about this band but after today you can believe me when I say it won’t be the last!
This band combines a few styles that although are you would say are (adjacent) to each other aren’t normally seen hand to hand but that all changes with this as we hear the combination of
-Black Metal
-Death Metal
-Industrial all come together on one stage and fuse pretty nicely!
Production wise I like how they use a very minimalist approach to the ‘industrial’ side of things, although there is that influence heard in almost every track it’s done in only a small dose per song that it gives you that ‘teaser’ if you will of Industrial before ultimately setting its sights on the alternation of ‘Black/Death’ metal throughout the remainder of the track/s.
Also, regarding the ‘Black/Death’ metal it’s not often that you hear a band so fluently go between the two very different styles and sounds and do so without any obvious bumps in the song to make it sound choppy or screwed no they know exactly how much of each sub-genre to use and utilize within each track and that takes some really smart thinking to pull off!
Look, if you’re looking for an album that is
-Heavy
-Extreme
-Stylish
-Nicely Polished then this is the album for you!
They know how to utilize each sound and they have the genius to make a nice, balanced sounding experience despite the use of so many different types of music thrown in! Great band and great album! –Corban Skipwith
Lineup:
Martin Eriksson: Vocals, drums
Marcus Dahl: Vocals, guitars, bass, drums, programming
I Wish I Could Clean
These Streets Up
You Are Only As
Healthy As You Feel
Why Have I
Been Able To
Call You Once
And Never Get
Your Calls Back?
You Are All
The Same
Cold And Distant
(I Still Think I am Sick)
Do You Think
I am Sick?
You Don't
Have To
Answer Me...
Look At
The Woman
In The Window
You're Driving Past
The Place
You Know
Where Your
Love Is
You Think
I Don't Know
Where You Are
You Must Think
I am Really
Sick
I am God's
Lonely Man
A Lone Man
In A Long
Continuous Change
And Now
There
Is
A Change
.44 Magnum
In My Pocket
Do You Know
What It Could
Do To A...
*Bang!*
6pm to 6am
Every Night
Every Day
I Have a Healthy Conscience
Real Clean
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I look into the meadow; and see you lying in the shadow
Among wild-flowers gently blowing in the breeze.
Sunlight kisses your face; you greet her warm embrace,
Morning awakens with you, with such delicate ease.
There in tall grasses, dew-drops upon your lashes
Sparkling like diamonds on a bride's wedding day.
The robin and the wren, their harmonies melting within,
The air, serenading the flop-earred rabbits as they play.
I take so much delight in this fairy-tale sight
It brings me joy and pause for a giggle or two.
Then suddenly you're gone; the dream has passed on
Into the silence; in the moment I start missing you.
Homeless and on the streets
To beg, borrow, and steal.
Passersbys gawk and squawk
All the while you pretend it’s no big deal.
Leaving a can out for people to drop a dime
One, two, three go by
None of them have the time.
Either you do or you don’t.
Either you will or you won’t.
No one should be left in the cold.
Either you can or you can’t.
Either you want or you don’t.
Why should someone have to sell their soul?
Day after day, hoping and waiting
Fading and feeling like a ghost
My breath abating
Everlasting days and nights
One, two, three
Numbers so high it leaves its bite.
Either you do or you don’t.
Either you will or you won’t.
No one should be left in the cold.
Either you can or you can’t.
Either you want or you don’t.
Why should someone have to sell their soul?
Necromatic Leviathon soaring ghoslty o'er head
Xenomorphic horror scouring the city of dead.
This necrotic wasteland is all but still.
It turns everything it touches crimsonly ill.
Viral weeds sprout and plague the land;
Death from above bleeding deadly sand.
Yet another nightmare waiting to blume
Under this place's gruesome gloom.
Nothing is alive here but death:
And all share one stagnant breath.
They hijacked your name and made you human
A world without light is no world at all
Humble gaze at the sight of fire
Endless energies drawn
The out of reach still eludes me
My mind grows wings for elevation
Sometimes towards the skies at dawn
When lost in realms of imagination
Close the distance if the body's gone
Blind and skewed in captivation
Lock eyes with your voiceless God
When darkness reigns
Your projection muted
Seep on through the darkened song
Dusk's retreat is not surrender
Days are gears in Grandfather's clock
Conceptualize these human concepts
Not untrue just calculated
Measured in relentless seconds
Time is always working hard
Revolutions 'round the centre figure
Bow your head for grander psalms
Upon the surface of the waters
Will to make your presence known
Reflective like divinity's mirror
Wilted roses will hold on
Through the nights that deplete my being
Breathe is scarce, but spirit strong
I know you’re somewhere
Crying
I hope you’re out there
Dying
Fallen down
Alices rabbit hole
Never to be seen again
All your stories
Left untold
Your wishes dreams and hopes
Gone cold
Who cares
You were born
To die alone
Whispers once spoken
...within America's valleys...(STOP)
Now scream... bellow from
...every mountaintop
As lies tally
...idiocrocy volleys..(STOP)-
When will stupidity
..irreverent ideology...(STOP)-
End this stupidity...(STOP)-
...of debaucherous clown
Send this hellish demon
Back to his lair...(STOP)-
Into a Hell designed
For petulant child
...reviled by majority rules...(STOP)-
Olden bastard
Drowning within it's own drool...(STOP)-
Malignant cells
Wallowing in this benign
Banality...(STOP)-
Stop right there
...For truth be told
We need to (STOP)-
Stop..drop and roll on...
and under the carpet baggers
Baguettes... (STOP)...Please STOP
We head towards the light,
On a rattling train
Craning our necks,
Our heads out the windows
Like children on a day trip,
Curious tourists, a discovery,
Holding hands like young lovers,
Through tunnels
Awash with graffiti,
That reminds us of brighter days.
Below us tainted tracks,
The lost souls remembered,
By flowers, destroyed, discarded,
In memory of those who searched,
But just couldn't find.
Behind us is the past,
Left like discarded litter
Ahead is the future, unravelling,
The light comes into our view,
Like the new sun rising,
A startling light burning,
Our tear ducts, opening,
Happiness, descending,
We let them travel,
Into our smiling mouths.
I’m in hiding
Biding my time
Praying these words of mine
Will not fall upon deaf ears.
My messages define fears
And grind gears.
Each stroke of my pen
Blends heartache and danger
To the point my hand shakes with anger
I have filled a garbage can
With broken pens!
When I sit down to write
I commit to a fight:
The page is my adversary
My vocabulary and weaponry
But take heed my adversary
I wish NOT to be legendary!
I simply have comments to be made
A small boat in an ocean I wade
Weaving and leaning a perfect meaning
I am constructing a structure
To resist your construct of destruction
And as Cedar burns evoking and summoning dieties.. from beyond the veil of a virtuous nature ,it's smoke prances ,dancing around us creating images of ancestry as guardian angels are sent in and called up from higher spiritual realms guiding us.. guiding us and giving us their hand.. their hands, that stretch forth onto our paths journey,bringing us forth a purification
a cleansing a purging of our soul has been set forth upon us,as a bright light within us burst through our spirited soul our spirited soul's crown chakra violet in color with feelings of an emergence of our pineal gland awakening, grounding us into our root ,opening our heart and centering us as an explosion of our sacral opens ...opens us to an experience and an existence of a creative nature,evoking the most passionate states of mind .
Man, it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a Punk track and what a track to continue the vibe with! We have legendary Canadian Punk rockers
Dayglo Abortions and their latest single “What_s For Breakfast”
I really like this track, it’s short and brutal just like the way classic Punk songs use to be! Remember back in the day banging some Black Flag or some spooky Misfits? Hell if you want to go to a more fun route what about banging Devin Townsend’s debut saturated tongue and checking the punk album “Punky Bruster- Cooked On Phonics”.
My point being, back in the day when Punk Rock was fast, edgy, fun and violent! And this is where this track stands!
For a song that’s barely over 1:40 this track really slaps, the vocals are scattered and frantic! The instrumentation has that nostalgia feel of the classic 80’s and early 90’s of Punk which makes that bittersweet feel that much more sweet!
Please, please please go check this track out! –Corban Skipwith
Last single review of the night! And today marks the second single by the band Eternal Moon that I’ve covered this week and as it's a few hours away from sundown it’s only fitting this is the band I close my work with tonight!
Eternal Moon -Cursed In Black
This is a track that runs for 3:08 with pure, untampered with Black Metal. This is the kind of track for those who like things kept original and deadly the way the Godfathers of Black Metal ’Mayhem’ wanted it!
On this track you can hear the relentless guitar, those brutal drum work alongside those absolutely blood curdling vocal work that would make you scared to sleep at night, the type of death growls that redefine ‘fear’ and implement nothing but dread, worry and panic inside the listeners head.
For a track that’s only barely over three minutes long this track really does pack a sadistic punch! Every time I listen to it, I discover new methods and more of a crunch behind the instrumentation and find more to peel back with that raw, unmastered production giving that lo aesthetic that normally comes with Black Metal territory.
I’ll say this much, if you aren’t a fan of Black Metal then maybe this isn’t for you. This track will definitely separate the ‘real’ Black Metal fans from those who claim to be fans, listen at your own risk! –Corban Skipwith
I must speak on this a lot but sometimes ‘patience’ can be the most powerful virtue in music when done correctly and I think I’ve found one of the strongest in metal of the year!
Anatomy of Habit -Even If It Takes A Lifetime
I must say, amongst these three tracks this album title is quite relevant to the aesthetic they build for themselves because with ‘PATIENCE’ they had a lifetime of time to create the perfect sonic utopia.
What we have here is a three track ‘experience’ similar to how various streams can all lead to the same river.
Every song has this elegant beauty to it that only comes with the gift of composure, diligence and endurance. As far as the sound and production of this album this to me feels like what would happen if the band Anathema tried to create an album similar to what Swans would do. All the tracks are long and drawn out but have that uncanny tranquil and relaxing quality to them that Anathema is perfect for capturing.
They aren’t worried about ‘bangers’ or ‘Hit songs’ more they are about keeping the EP consist and flowing properly into each other.
The final track on this album ‘Now We Finally Know Ourselves’ is a 19:14 minute extravaganza that ends things in the most ‘Progressive Metal’ way possible with extensive guitar work, harmonious vocal performances and an overall feeling of euphoria.
I’ll be honest, this album probably isn’t for everyone. It’s a very ‘soft’ album so to speak, it’s not the kind of album you’d play if you were trying to get pumped up or when you need energy but if you’re looking for an ‘experience’ and have enough time on your hands to really isolate yourself and immerse in this sonic world created then I feel there’s lot to enjoy and plenty to dissect and discover upon many re-listens.
Who’s ready for some ‘Midnight Marauders’ (since it’s 1am here in Australia and I’m about to hijack your ears!) {Also a play on A Tribe Called Quest)?
But anyway! Let’s go with another singles review!
The Ghost of Fu Kang Walker -Where Wolves And Wiccans Roam
So this is a single that was released in October of this year and I have to say for a song that’s just under 4:50 I had so much fun with it!
Firstly, the vocals were top notch! Amazing! Had that real old school 80’s metal vibe the likes of
-Dio
-Whitesnake
-Van Halen
-Iron Maiden etc, such powerful and strong vocals you can feel the passion and energy in each word and sentence sang! It’s absolutely incredible!
Secondly the whole sonic aesthetic was really neat too! Gives you this Progressive Metal feel with a sprinkle of ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ incorporated in to give it that extra pump on the track!
I love everything about this track, it’s mysterious, kick ass, elegant and unique all in one! You’ve got those mastery old school vocals mixed with that classic Prog Metal production and it all fits in so perfectly that you really can’t ask for anything more!
