Wolves in the Throne Room - "Celestial Lineage" (2011) [Southern Lord Records]

I told myself I wasn't going to review this, but...screw it. Those of you who know me (or have read into my clues in various reviews) know that I absolutely loathe this band. Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. I've been accused of "trolling" or "being contrarian" whenever I air my thoughts on this "Cascadian" (*gag*) black metal duo, but there was a time when I actually enjoyed Wolves in the Throne Room. I still have fond memories of listening to Diadem of Twelve Stars and Two Hunters, which are two albums that definitely solidified my thoughts on black metal, but things always change. Being the nerd I am, I found myself coming across new bands on a daily basis, and, suddenly, I found myself thinking that the band I once loved was just...another black metal band. I still listened to them from time to time, but I never felt the same way about them I once did.

Then drummer (and now synth player) Aaron Weaver opened his mouth...and that really was the last nail in the coffin. It is very difficult to hear new players in the game of black metal to go about trying to redefine what the genre has been for the past almost-30 years so that only they would be the "true black metal band." It was ...it was really crappy. I mean, I myself am in a few black metal bands, but I do not know what wildflowers are in bloom or what phase the moon is in like Aaron Weaver does, but does that mean I've failed, like he so blatantly put it? No, that's silly. This outspoken ideology surrounding music suddenly permeated the normally quiet, locally established "Cascadian" scene and, being the stubborn ass I am, I found myself being rather...outspoken against that scene. Who are they to say what is acceptable overall and what isn't? It seemed all too similar to the "No Girls Allowed" sign comic book characters Calvin and Hobbes brandished oh so proudly on their treehouse door. Now, of course, what sort of journalist would I be if I ignored the "clubhouse" mentality found throughout black metal? Yes, the whole of that phenomena is rather obnoxious, but was never a part of my personal life, making it impossible to really get annoyed with. No, out here in suburban Chicago you see more people turning towards the more "aggro" philosophy spouted by Wolves in the Throne Room. At first I catered to that sort of thought, too, but as the years went by I found myself becoming increasingly...distant to that sort of thought, but instead of dwindling, people became more outspoken. In the end, maybe I "grew up," but in the end I found it kind of stupid that a bunch of twentysomethings who all moved to downtown Chicago would still go on and on about trees, mountains and the like. Maybe all my frustrations concerning their fans ended up being taken out on the band, but that frustration was real to me, like the clash between punks and nazi punks or the Westboro Baptist Church and...everyone else. I hated Wolves in the Throne Room because of what they had done to the new metal population. It would have been entirely different if the music they had released could back up people's hero worship, but, in the end, what they had produced was just more of the same.

THAT BEING SAID, Celestial Lineage is probably one of the most enjoyable Wolves in the Throne Room listens I've had in the past few years. Of course, this listen comes with a mixed bag of feelings. Remember my review of Masakari's The Prophet Feeds, in which I discussed how I was going to try and listen to music as objectively as I could? Well, I tried it out with this album, and I didn't end up hating it.

What we have here is Wolves in the Throne Room experimenting with the sound with which they found themselves comfortable on Two Hunters, ending up much more atmospheric and arguably personal than before. Back when I was a fanboy of sorts, I found myself very disappointed with Black Cascade, hoping that they had instead gone forward with the sound that everyone fell in love with on the album before. This is what should have been their first album, at least in my eyes.

So let's start off with the good. First things first, I like the synthesizers on this album quite a bit. They are prominent without getting too far in the way and do create an atmosphere that could bring up comparisons to Locrian, Popol Vuh or Tangerine Dream. Aaron Weaver's decision to utilize the synthesizer on this album was definitely a smart one. The Dea Artio track that opened Two Hunters is still, in my opinion, the best thing this band has done, but with these lush synthesizers they are able to reach such heights yet again.

Along with the synthesizers, I found myself enjoying the more tribal, ambient "instrumental" tracks (there are voices on these songs, so it's difficult to call them instrumentals) found on this album. I, personally, am a sucker for the voices of Jessica Kinney and Faith Coloccia (of Mamiffer), who are both featured on Celestial Lineage. Again, these tracks can be likened to krautrock, which is fine by me. I would much rather see Wolves in the Throne Room stick with music more like this rather than black metal for future albums.

Now, what didn't I like? The black metal. Though we have the new elements, which I admit to enjoying, Wolves in the Throne Room still haven't grown as a metal band. No matter how many times you embed jewels into a rough, unfinished piece of wood, people are still going to comment that you wasted your time adorning a board, and that's what we have here. If you were to take the synthesizers and pretty voices from these songs and left Nathan and Aaron's initial black metal compositions, you wouldn't really hear any sort of change from their previous styles, which is a little disheartening from a band who is being hailed as one of the great innovators of modern black metal. We still have the long bouts of unchanged blasting with melodies which end up obscured with awkward harmonies that ultimately end up a not-very-memorable blur that moves a rather linear path, going into halftime, "rocky" parts right when one would expect it before picking up right when the listener snaps his or her fingers. Sadly, but as I had expected, the meat of these songs isn't really anything new.

Ultimately, after sitting through this album a bit, I can definitely say I enjoyed some of Wolves in the Throne Room's additions to their music, but, in the end, the music itself is still lackluster, with the bad ultimately outweighing the good. Don't get me wrong, people will still love this, as they have for the past five years or so, but I probably won't listen to this album any further. Celestial Lineage will be available from Southern Lord on September 13th.

-Jon

LIVE REVIEW: Metz, Anatomy of Habit and Iceage at the Empty Bottle; August 6, 2011

So, as after parties go, choosing this concert as an official Lollapalooza after party was definitely a poor decision. To have a bunch of people who normally aren't concert goers go from seeing Lady GaGa, Noah and the Whale, and the Foo Fighters to a noisy hardcore and doom show could only spell for disaster and, at times, it did. No, I don't mean to criticize the Empty Bottle, who put on some of the best shows of all genres in Chicago, for making this decision, as the show happened to be scheduled the same weekend as Lollapalooza and was a means of getting people to attend and make them money (shut up, they're a business and need to survive), but I can't help but feel like this show was a little...tainted by what was mostly an uninterested, already drunk crowd. Yes, some of these bands have qualities that could very well appeal to most of the crowd that came straight from Lollapalooza, but at the same time Iceage did play an apartment show the night before. Show promotion is a peculiar beast. I definitely enjoyed the show, though.

Live videos and set reviews after the jump.

Aphrenous - "Ravaged By The Incessant Scourge Of Deception" (2011) [Self-Released]

True black metal. Cult black metal. Both are terms that have more or less become a joke and/or a way to insult those who see progression as a problem within black metal. Anything that is different from the first and second waves of black metal, sonically (and chronologically, seeing as though the first and second waves are the ONLY true or cult black metal recordings ever created) is not true to the original black metal form. They are denounced as such; NOT TRVE NOT KVLT. The internet has made these concepts into a meme of sorts, but there is a certain amount of truth to them. Black metal, at its core, is nothing more than an extension of 80s metal, but more minimal and dabbles in the occult (paganism, satanism, etc.), when you start adding 'new-age' influences (post-punk, shoegaze, etc.) it is no longer real black metal. It may be influenced by black metal, but declassifies itself as such by its ability to progress the standard template of black metal. There are tons of Translyvanian Hunger rip-off bands that have emerged, but none of them are true or cult. They are merely carbon-copies of a long gone era of pure emotional catharsis, express through the blackest of metals.

Aphrenous; a band I am not wholly familiar with as far as backgrounds go, but could honestly care less. "Ravaged By The Incessant Scourge Of Deception" is a lesson in old-school black metal worship done right. Truthfully, if I had not known this album was released this year, I would have truly believed it was some obscure gem unearthed from the mid 90s. Scathing, hateful black metal with an incredibly cold production. This album is raw, but not in an un-listenable way, every instrument is clearly heard (the bass gets buried a bit, big surprise) but for a sound like this, no other production could suit. 3 loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong songs of razor sharp riffing, minimalistic drumming and hateful vocals. There are times that the music has an almost folk-y feel, but more in melody than instrumentation. This album continually reminds me of the first Borknagar record, both in production, but also in the way they perform the music. Icy eruptions of black hate emerge from every note, every drum hit and vocal line.

Honestly, I cannot stop listening to this album. It creates a weird kind of nostalgia for me, thinking back to my early/mid teens (which was quite sometime ago) of black devotion. The newest release from Aphrenous is neither true nor cult (although it certainly sounds so) but has an unnerving sense of purity that has not been heard by these ears in quite sometime. I really hope they continue to make music in the future, because I will be a follower for many moons to come. Hail Aphrenous!

-E.

Djevel - "Dodssanger" (2011) [Aftermath Recordings]

Norway: the epicenter of all that is black. Forever cemented into the annals of history, black metal and Norway are synonymous. Granted there have been just as many exemplary as dubious acts to emerge from the country, the fact remains the same. So what happens when you get a 'supergroup' of Norwegian metallers together? Well, you get Djevel, who contains members of the bands Lja, Kvelertak, Koldbrann and Urgehal. But that is the last you will hear of that in this review, mainly because when those things are mentioned, they are merely a selling point for the record label.

Djevel present a frozen blast of Nordic hell, via audio. Raw, aggressive and devoted to all that is dead, Djevel unload a torrent of sonic hatred cloaked in black. A raw production (no doubt recorded in a studio) that remains clear throughout (the bass is also audible!). Icy guitar tones, minimalist drumming and throat searing vocals are all the order of the day here. There is a thick black cloud that envelopes 'Dossanger', it is unrelenting and dark as can possibly be. Oddly enough, there is almost a rock-ish vibe on some of the songs, not in a black n' roll kind of way, but in the way that the songs are very (ahem, VERY) catchy. Dossanger is deeply steeped in the old-school black metal sound, but refined through the filter of the new school. There are no nods to shoegaze, post-punk or anything else the new kids have soiled black metal with. There is only unrelenting hate and darkness to be found here. For whatever reason, parts of this album remind me of Craft, maybe in their almost rock-ish tendencies.

Either way, if you are looking for an album of pure darkness and hate, in the form of black metal...look no further than Djevel. Feel your soul leaving your body and entering the hands of the Great Dragon.


-E.

Balaclava - "Crimes of Faith" (2011) [Southern Lord/Forcefield Records]

New-age hardcore is something that is very hit or miss for my taste. I grew up on old-school punk and hardcore, so it is something near and dear to my heart. Considering the drove of absolutely awful bands to emerge from the hardcore community in the past ten years, I have developed a love/hate relationship with the style. Very few bands are creating brilliant hardcore or punk these days, but they certainly do exist. It all depends on how much trash you want to weed through to find them, me...not so much. Sometimes I get really lucky and score a big winner from and for the zine, something I am very thankful for. Balaclava is definitely in the group of winners.

Balaclava present a hybrid mish-mash of crust, tough-guy hardcore, noise-core and metal. Everything is seemless and organic, which is no easy feat. I would be quick to call this band metallic hardcore (don't you dare say metalcore) since the sound is very metallic, but the hardcore aura is undeniable. Dissonant chords clang out, chugs appear (not breakdowns) and the vocals are of the white-hot scathing quality. There are moments of Converge-esque atmosphere that serve as a vehicle to crush someone. There are also nods to the old-school (especially The Geometer's Hand) brand of hardcore with brief flairs of math-y intensity.

Needless to say this album encompasses all that hardcore is supposed to have: emotion, aggressiveness and over-the-top intensity. A true gem of hardcore brilliance. If Balaclava keeps up this kind of work, it is only a matter of time before they reach the upper echelon of hardcore greats. An absolutely recommended album, in every sense of the word. Outstanding!


-E.

Lost Inside - "Mourning Wept Beside Me" (2011) [Dusktone Records]

Depressive, suicidal black metal. Hearing this tag gives me the same physical reaction as hearing 'post-black metal' or 'blackgaze'...I vomit violently, crap my pants and punch myself in the mouth repeatedly. Well, none of this really happens, but hearing these tags make my stomach churn with violent loathing. I hate them. I instantly know what the sound, subject matter and artwork will be like. This is NOT GOOD for any band or genre. It makes it predictable and easily judged. So what happens when you mix 'blackgaze' AND 'dsbm'? You get Lost Inside.

First off, allow me to say this is bad. Really, really bad. Tinny clean guitars, designed-to-be-emotional-but-are-not distorted riffs, awfully programmed drum machines, howled pseudo-angsty vocals and a muffled production make this album an absolute atrocity. Every second of every minute, every riff, every drum beat is a nightmare of musical ability. So incredibly bad. One of the worst albums I have heard in quite sometime.

Lost Inside should just stop making music altogether. These dsbm kids need to stop talking about suicide and depression. Just do the entire world a favor and kill yourself. My ears have been raped to the point, by this album, that I may need counseling...


-E.

Sutekh Hexen - "Luciform" (2011) [Wands Records]

2011 is truly the year of Sutekh Hexen. The raw black metal duo of Kevin Gan Yuen and Scott Miller have spent the past months churning sold-out release after sold-out release, currently totaling three separate 7" EPs and a triple cassette box, carefully tuning their sound. After so many successful recordings, it was only a matter of time until Sutekh Hexen released a full-length and, after many months of anticipation, Wands Records presents to the public this California duo's mighty Luciform.

Luciform is defined as "of or pertaining to the qualities of light," which is a perfect description of Sutekh Hexen's shining demonstration of their mastery of the "black noise" style, but I can assure you there is no light here. The six disturbed hymns that comprise this twisted, churning, blackened mass  lurch forward like a searing wind, slowly wearing away at everything in sight. This blistering album, while boasting some of Sutekh Hexen's "cleanest" and most recognizable guitar work, is still masked by Sutekh Hexen's signature, Xenakis-esque walls of horrific, incomprehensible noise. A maddening struggle through pure inorganic sound and disembodied shrieks, this is the perfect balance between black metal and noise that experimental musicians have been desperately seeking from the days of Exmortes and Abruptum. When this album destroys the walls that surround you, lay back and prepare to be obliterated yourself and become one with the noise.

Though Sutekh Hexen hasn't really shown any real "change" or "evolution" in style aside from some sound quality shifts, I still found myself enjoying Luciform, as I expected I would. Sutekh Hexen doesn't need to change to be awesome - Sutekh Hexen just...is awesome, and in the truest sense of the word. It is awe inspiring how raw and fierce one recording can be, and to be consistently as such is mind-altering. Interesting story: while listening to this album I found that the extremely loud hiss being emitted from the needle hitting the record itself (this is a LOUD album, guys) ended up being more prominent than the black metal being emitted from my speakers, so I ended up sitting between the two sound sources and had a unique "stereo" Luciform listen. I'd recommend trying it at least once.

Supply is dwindling, so be sure to pick up one of the LPs (limited to 350) NOW before Luciform goes the way of every other Sutekh Hexen release.

-Jon

Jute Gyte - "Verstiegenheit" (2011) [Jeshimoth Entertainment]

Like every other Jute Gyte review on the internet has stated, Adam Kalmbach is a busy man. Within the past three years this Springfield, Missouri, native has released five full-length recordings ranging from the strangest of black metal to cold, lifeless ambiance and noise under the name Jute Gyte. It really seems that once every fifteen reviews or so I end up referencing some prolific American black metal band, which has very much become a sort of norm in the "underground," so to speak and, while Jute Gyte might not release as much as your average Njiqahdda or Benighted in Sodom, averaging over one full length a year is pretty impressive, especially to someone who has never been able to finish a full length recording...ever (read as: me).

Verstiegenheit is German for "extravagance." At face value, one wouldn't really think of Jute Gyte as "extravagant." Underground American black metal bands with German album titles and artwork by Kittel are a "dime a dozen" and, without really listening into the music, one could almost write Jute Gyte off as a Darkthrone clone. Of course, one would pretty much have to not listen to write off Jute Gyte as your average black metal band. Progressive in every sense of the word, Verstiegenheit's extravagance lies within Kalmbach's genius musicianship. Using second wave black metal as a sort of base, Verstiegenheit boasts strange time signatures, polytonality, and even atonality as a means of making Jute Gyte it's own peculiar entity. The subtlety of Kalmbach's composition is absolute genius, enough for me to tilt my head at times after trying to comprehend what might otherwise sound like something ordinary, only to realize that there were actually four guitars playing leads in different keys, creating a Bartok-esque sort of atmosphere. Through echoing modern classical music's composition qualities, Jute Gyte has definitely set itself apart from the rest of the experimental black metal scene yet again.

The extravagance of Jute Gyte's performance on Verstiegenheit perfectly echo its given title. Between the crushing black metal riffs, peculiar counterpoint and unpredictable beat changes, it will take one who is new to experimental music a tad longer to get into Jute Gyte, but the outcome is definitely rewarding. Adam Kalmbach is one hell of a musician.

All of Jute Gyte's albums are available as "pay what you want" downloads from Kalmbach's BandCamp, but you should definitely look into buying at least one disc, as they are all housed in handsome deluxe DVD packages complete with lyric sheets. Support brilliant music.

-Jon

False - "Untitled EP" (2011) [Gilead Media]

So I'm going to come right out and say it - I giggle like an idiot whenever I see this band's name. I'm caught between thinking they either thought FALSE was a cool word and stuck with it, or they knew entirely what they were doing and went for a tongue-in-cheek sort of approach, laying waste to Sarcofago's preceding notion that "if you are a false, do not entry." In this new era of people getting into black metal fairly recently and diving headfirst into the scene, it is hard to tell if they're aware of word connotations...all I know is that being a black metal band and calling yourself "false" is either the result of poor research or a genius social commentary on conservative, angry, "trve" black metal nerds like myself. Little did I know that this album would be just as confusing as my mental dichotomy surrounding the band name...

Like every new American black metal band, I approached them with caution, half-expecting some sort of watered down Wolves in the Throne Room clone, but that is pretty far from the truth. False is...weird, for lack of a better word. Each side of this EP is like a different face, "The Key of Passive Suffering" and "Sleepmaker" sort of echoing the "dramatic masks," though instead of "comedy and tragedy," Untitled is more aptly represented by "rage and remorse." "The Key..." is a thrashing black metal epic with keyboards that remind me a bit of Castlevania's gothic swagger, sometimes reminding me a bit of Master's Hammer, early Cradle of Filth (not necessarily a bad thing), or even Ceremonial Castings. There are constant key changes, headbanging rhythms and peculiar interplay between the guitars and keyboards. Definitely a different take on the American black metal scene that concentrates more on either being horrendously raw or magnificently smooth and introspective.

Side B, "Sleepmaker," acts as the calming aftermath of the raging "The Key..."; a much more melodic, lulling way for the listener to "catch one's breath." Of course, False cannot remain quiet and calm for too long, and the track climaxes with a heavy, hardcore punk-esque romp that ultimately closes the song. Aside from a few timing slip-ups here and there, it is nice to see that False is able to show a degree of variability within their music, and, while both of these songs are unique in sound to False, I really wish there was a sort of middle ground between these songs to smooth out the "schizophrenic" sort of feel that plagues this EP. These two songs end up much too different from each other to create a solid sonic identity for False that I sincerely hope they fix in the future.

Though I cannot deny that these two songs are good, it is sad to say that there aren't really any memorable melodies that truly catch me like other bands do so well. I know that sounds strange, but with every song that I ultimately want to revisit, there is that one melody or that one riff that I wait for so that I can reach a sort of fulfillment with each listen. I understand what False is ultimately trying to do with their experimental flair, but I feel they almost cover too much ground with this EP, which takes away from their ability to concentrate on a really cool idea and flesh it out to create something memorable. Of course, that's just me being nitpicky. False is still good and is definitely worth at least a handful of listens at the Gilead Media bandcamp (choose your own price, too!) and, if you like it enough, it is sold at a reasonable price for rather handsomely packaged LP. I see bright things in False's future if they make the right decisions. Here's hoping they do.

-Jon

Masakari - "The Prophet Feeds" (2010) [Halo Of Flies Records]

Crust punk bands always remind me that I'm sort of a hypocrite. For those of you who don't know, one of my biggest pet peeves happens to be punk bands with super, super liberal political agendas. You know, "dismantle the war machine," "veganism for life," and conspiracy theories left and right. For some odd reason I can't stand it, and I lean pretty far to the left as far as my own political standings. I wouldn't feel so stupid if I also defended the fact that I sometimes listen to bands with National Socialist leanings because "I don't listen to the lyrics, just the music." It's the same thing with religion, I'm not really one for religion but if the music is good enough I'll just ignore whatever the band is saying and enjoy the music. Either way, whenever I listen to crust punk, it is a constant reminder that while I might hold my opinions in high enough esteem that I publish them on a website, I am still a hypocritical moron.

The first time I listened to Masakari's The Prophet Feeds sometime last summer, I put myself to the test and actively pinched myself whenever I found myself annoyed with politics. No really, I pinched myself on the soft meat of my forearm; the part that annoyingly stings...and you know what? I found myself enjoying this album quite a bit. Falling into the "neocrust" category pioneered by the infamous Tragedy, Masakari takes the classic crust punk sound and throws a healthy amount of post-hardcore, doom metal, metalcore (the good kind that sounds like Integrity), and even elements of post-rock's "hellbent for epic climaxes" approach into the mix. To fans of neocrust, this really does sound like "just another neocrust band" and, to an extent, it is sort of true. Neocrust has sort of turned into a blur of similar sounding artists, but that doesn't mean Masakari is bad or mediocre by any means. The Prophet Feeds is a passionate work and, while I get peeved with extreme political leanings, I cannot deny the strength of what they feel and how it is reflected upon their music. It is obvious that their politics are important to them and, if that passion is something upon which they draw to add that connection to the artist, so be it. This is strong, passionate, angry, and resolute music, so who am I to get annoyed with their politics?

Why can't I ignore far-left leaning punk politics? Maybe because it's all too real to me. I mean, this is something that I readily see in the suburbs with 13 year old kids donning the "anarchist A" or spending ridiculous amounts of money for that god-awful Che Guevara t-shirt with the sole purpose of annoying adults. As I don't know Masakari personally, I can't condemn them the same way I condemn silly kids in affluent white suburbia, but I cannot ignore my experience with those kids nonetheless. What bothers me the most is the fact that the most I do to the (much more dangerous) other side is simply ignore their ideology but openly listen to their music. Maybe it's time I grow up and quit complaining about something so superficial as politics. Masakari makes awesome music and that's that.

-Jon

Northless - "Clandestine Abuse" (2011) [Halo Of Flies Records/Gilead Media]

Alright, so by now you have all heard my rants about "post-metal," what with everyone concentrating more on how to sound the most like ISIS as opposed to making their own music. It really is a bummer, because you know that most of these bands have talent, especially at creating attention-grabbing textures, but in the end they are just another clone. The polarization of this subgenre was so one-sided that it was making me a bummer of a person to be around. A whisper of "Oh man, did you hear *such and such*'s new album" would grace my ears and I would groan. "Dear God," I thought, "I am becoming more of a music opinion asshole." ...And I was. Who would stunt my horrific metamorphosis? Well, it turns out the cure to my ailment resided a mere 2 hours' drive north.

Milwaukee 3-piece DOOM band Northless really take the cake with their second full-length, the massive Clandestine Abuse. I mean, while this is "atmospheric" at times, the pretty, shiny stuff mostly takes a back seat to extraordinarily heavy sludge/doom riffing, which is an approach that hasn't really been taken since the advent of this style. This "throwback," so to speak, is a refreshing break from a style that is otherwise moving more towards a "heavy Explosions in the Sky" sort of direction as opposed to its original, much more aggressive and somewhat "artsy" existence. The sheer knuckle-dragging heaviness of Clandestine Abuse comes down like a sledgehammer, yet through the horrendous pain of being beaten into the ground, there is a sort of euphoria brought on by the light atmospheric backing. Beauty through horror...or is it horror through beauty? Either way, it is nice to see people doing something different (read as: "old school"...ha) with this combination.

I know I'm going to hear quite a few complaints about the vocals and, yes, they are strange for this sort of music. Instead of mimicking a lumbering giant, here we have something that hardcore punk fans lovingly call "lunch lady vocals." Yes, they're weird, but, as a BIG fan of classic powerviolence band Infest, it is nice to hear even the artsiest bands making nods towards their masterful No Man's Slave album, whose strongpoint happens to be these bellowing, low, primal shouts. This vocal style adds loads to the overall intensity to the already crushing Clandestine Abuse, and, while others might leave confused or even annoyed, this album left a lasting mark on me. Other bands, take note: you don't have to sacrifice the "heavy" once you pull out your reverb and delay pedals. Just saying.

Get this from Halo Of Flies or Gilead Media. Seriously.

-Jon

Aseethe - "Reverent Burden" (2011) [Floating Cave Records]

After countless trips between my house in the Chicagoland area and that of my grandparents in Omaha, Nebraska, I was pretty much certain that, aside from Slipknot, there was no music scene in Iowa. In my mind it was absolutely impossible; Iowa is just one big cornfield punctuated by farmhouses and outlet malls, right? Well, I happen to be wrong, at least, according to a few knowledgeable friends of mine. Turns out the small city of Dubuque boasts a tiny but formidable experimental scene, with projects ranging from Boar's off-kilter harsh noise to our featured band Aseethe's atmospheric but damaged doom metal. Who knew? I certainly didn't, but I certainly am glad I do now.

With their debut full-length, Reverent Burden, Aseethe pummels the listener with an intricate mix of noise, drone, sludge, and disturbed ambiance to create a perturbing final product, at times almost having more to do with ambient music than metal, but still an overall doom metal experience. These two giant tracks, Reverent and Burden, tread a fine line between funeral-paced doom metal and thick but quiet drone. It is heavy, but mostly in a subtle, shifting fashion, drawing upon the volume dichotomy between the two styles. Deep, bellowing voices can bring about a Neurosis comparison and, yes, both bands carry a post-apocalyptic chip on their shoulders, but Aseethe isn't as much brutal and majestic as Neurosis as it is creeping and unsettling.

My one complaint? The mix is rather quiet. I know an argument can be made that they aren't following the "loudness war" that plagues most metal, but, for this sort of music, I do sort of expect my ears to be pummeled, or at least punched a few times. However, this was mastered for vinyl and all I'm going off of are digital masters, so maybe the magic of these songs on wax will change my mind. Only time will tell.

Aseethe's Reverent Burden was definitely a surprise. Who knew Iowa could churn out cool music? Next time I find myself driving through The Hawkeye State I'll be sure to look extra hard between the rows of corn.

-Jon

Power of the Riff Part 2

Alright, after hours of post processing and sifting through hundreds and hundreds of photos, I'm done, and here are the results.

Click to read more to see shots of the following (and a humble apology to any bands which I did not manage to shoot):

Trap Them
Skin Like Iron
Baptists
All Pigs Must Die
Black Cobra
Acephalix
Early Graves
Harassor
Plagues
Aeges
Slave
Seven Sisters of Sleep

Crooked Necks - "Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't" (2011) [Handmade Birds Records]

As most of my friends know, I normally harbor a bit of hatred towards post-rock or "shoegaze"-infused black metal, or, as most people like to call it these days, "post-black metal" (though it ISN'T - listen to Solefald). I don't know, I guess there's something about it that doesn't really rub me the right way. I like post-rock, I obviously like black metal, but the two together, at least in my point of view, ends up diluting both otherwise powerful styles of music into a mush of non-directional sound. I'm fully aware that legions of Alcest and Lantlos fans are reading this with increasing anger and bulging forehead veins, but I'm not dismissing the whole genre, not with gems like Crooked Necks.

For a little background, I've been a fan of the various incarnations of Crooked Necks since 2007, back when they went by the name Frail. Their Brilliant Darkness demo, which is also getting the remaster-and-re-release treatment from Handmade Birds, absolutely floored me, who had only otherwise heard this style of music from bands like Amesoeurs. Of course, like many fantastic bands before them, I didn't hear anything more from them for a few years. From my understanding, they released a super-limited cassette of Joy Division covers (protip: Something Must Break is also set to be released from Handmade Birds as well, joy!), but it never received any real attention or the standard "rip the cassette and post to blogs" that the previous release and the band remained silent...until last year. After the announcement of their name change to Crooked Necks, from their song "Crooked Necks and Uneven Strides," they released an impressive split with none other than Circle of Ouroborus, one of my favorites, and now, after years of anticipation, Handmade Birds brings us this trio's first full-length recording, aptly titled Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't.

In a sea of bands who try to sound like the "next big thing," Crooked Necks truly sets themselves apart with Alright. For one thing, though this description is found throughout the subgenre, it is absolutely gorgeous. The subtle, bittersweet textures built by wayward, meandering guitars bring about mental pictures of fading memories of road trips with friends, sunsets with loved ones, happy times that one might look upon when one is sad. The fragility of quiet, clean guitars, smooth bass and subdued drums beneath shrieking voices (quite the striking contrast) brings to mind that something is definitely wrong, because, after all Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't. The subdued, repressed emotion found throughout the album can be represented by a man on the brink, covering up his rage and self-hatred with a facade but slowly teetering towards the inevitable emotional breakdown. When "Every Step Feels Backwards," he will ultimately break and he very well knows it, but will try his hardest to retain his composure; an empathetic exercise in daily life.

It is rather difficult to call Crooked Necks a "black metal" band at this point, in fact they're far from it. The swirling psychedelia is reminiscent moreso of bands like Hammock or Disintegration-era The Cure than bands like Alcest or Lantlos, who still retain black metal's dynamic qualities that normally overshadow the subtleties found within post-rock or shoegaze. In the end I might end up calling this a "blackened post-punk/slowcore" album, as stupid as that sounds, but I find this acting as a mirror opposite to what the rest of the "post-black metal" scene is doing - using gloomy, ethereal post-punk as a base and drawing slight influence, in this case the shrieking melodrama of the vocals, from black metal. It is definitely interesting to hear this sort of attempt from the other side and I feel, at a point in time where the alternative has been done to death in such a short period of time, that an album such as this is necessary to "liven" the genre up a bit. Don't approach Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't as if it was a black metal album, that wouldn't do it justice. Just approach it for what it is: beautiful.

If you're up for it, preorder this brilliant album from the Handmade Birds store, where you can either get the LP by itself or, if you're feeling generous, you can buy it along with the Something Must Break LP I mentioned above and the Hostage Pageant cassette, a side project of one of the guys in Crooked Necks.

-Jon

Power of the Riff Review Part 1: Pentagram, Eyehategod, Winter and Pelican at the Echoplex

When I woke up on Saturday morning, my ears were still ringing from the Alpinist and Masakari show in Vegas this past Wednesday, and I had worn earphones most of the time too. I wasn’t sure if I should be excited based on that, or perhaps worried that my face would proceed to melt off while my ears exploded in aural intensity. Fast forward to now – ears ringing, neck sore, body exhausted, and I have now witnessed Pentagram, Eyehategod, Winter, Pelican, and a slew of other bands live.

Shortly after Trap Them finished on the Echoplex stage, the majority of the crowd headed up stairs to catch the end of Alpinist’s set, and then see Black Breath. As much as I wanted to see Black Breath (Razor to Oblivion is pretty great!), I really needed to secure a decent spot in front of the stage for the rest of the night (there was a barrier in front, but it was very narrow, and being tall, I would get in the way of people as well, and didn’t want to crouch the whole time). Soon thereafter, sludgy post-metal instrumentalists Pelican began. Compared to the earlier bands, which were primarily various offshoots of hardcore, this was a bit of a change, though I suppose most of the people at Power of the Riff just for hardcore were upstairs anyhow. Anyways, Pelican were pretty great live, and the atmosphere of the music went over well, it seemed, with most.



Winter was one of the bands I was most excited to see. Into Darkness is one, I believe, the first death doom albums, and the intro “Oppression Freedom” is a monolithic slab of crushing doom, as is the whole album. Winter took the stage, the lights turned low, and the doom began, and they proceed to play the entire album of Into Darkness (which, for those who don’t know, is their only full length). A surprising amount of people seemed to yell/sing/growl along to John Alman’s “RISE!” at the beginning of “Servants of the Warsmen” and then headbang along (at times, very very slowly).



After Winter finished up was Louisiana’s sludge masters Eyehategod, though for some reason the set change was a bit delayed, and as a result, EHG’s set cut short by a little bit. Anyways, as soon as the band (including a very drunken Mike Williams) got on stage the crowd immediately closed in as the band started with the Take As Needed for Pain opener Blank. It really became a hassle to photograph the band as the entire crowd was pushing up towards the front, with the occasional crowd surfer and stage diver nearing where I was, but despite that, Eyehategod were fucking awesome. Mike’s tortured wails, Bower and Patton’s thick and heavy riffs, along with everything else combined to be what would be a hellish nightmare for the average person, but something much different to a metalhead.



And then there was one of the most classic heavy metal bands around: Pentagram. People kept yelling out for frontman Bobby Liebling, and when he, as well the rest of the band, hit the stage, there was not one person disappointed. The band opened with Treat Me Right off of the new album, which sounds like it came straight out of Pentagram’s past, filled with delicious guitar solos, played ever so awesomely-yet-nonchalantly by guitarist Victor Griffin, matched with Bobby’s classic vocals. Then, when one might have thought the crowd couldn’t have gotten more excited, Pentagram began Forever My Queen. One of the best parts of the performance was just watching Bobby, with his at times crazy expressions. As you can soon see from the pictures, it was awesome.



There are still three more nights of Power of the Riff left, in San Francisco and Seattle. If you’re near them, you better go.

Check below for more pictures of the bands, and check back in a couple days for the second part of the review which covers most of the other bands that played the fest.

Devin Townsend Project – Ghost [HevyDevy Records] (2011)

Devin Townsend is back at it once more and he now as much before brings us two new albums for 2011, namely Ghost and Deconstruction. These two new albums are very much in the same vein as previous albums Ki and Addicted. Ghost behaves much like Ki in the form of very laid back and ambient "chill out" music, if you will, and Deconstruction more like Addicted; very heavy and extreme while having all kinds of progressive elements.

I thought of writing a double review for both Ghost and Deconstruction, as they are companion pieces to each other, but I will save my Deconstruction review for a later date.

This album was pretty impressive. Not only do I like my Funeral doom, Black, Death, Doom, Progressive metal and other forms of extreme music but I do enjoy the more esoteric non-metal forms of music, namely progressive rock, ambient, Jazz fusion, new age music, and more. These genres, above all, emulate emotion, which is showcased in Ghost's ability to capture the childlike, nostalgic bittersweet that is wholly present in Devin Townsend's music and is representative of his own struggles with emotion.
Influence from progressive rock greats Mike Oldfield and Alan Holdsworth are highly prevalent throughout Ghost. Echoes of Oldfield's classic Tubular Bells surface in the form of soft, acoustic guitars and melancholic, folky melodies, while the Alan Holdsworth influences are much more in the progressive rock-tinged ambiance that he has claimed his own, but without the odd open chord structures. With those two influences, Devin blends in all kinds of "chill out," Zen, soothing, dreamy, flowing, electronics, acoustic music and new age types of styles. This is a very relaxing album; Townsend does do a good job of drawing upon his signature "wall of sound" style but in a more quiet, subdued manner, creating a monstrous, hour and 13 minute long album.
If you are expecting another metal album from the Devin Townsend camp, prepare to be shocked. Strict metalheads might want to stick to Deconstruction and pretend Ghost never happened but, if you need something to break away from metal for an hour or two, then this is your album. Sit back, drink some beer or something hard, and think. For the hardcore Devin Townsend fan this is a must have for you ! Because if you really do feel the way I do about this style of music then you will keep coming back to this album much like I have.

-Bjørn

Zweizz & Joey Hopkins - "Zweizz & Joey Hopkins" (2011) [Jester Records]

RIP Joey Hopkins (1982-2008)

I still remember when this album was announced a few years ago. Yes, two of the underground avantgarde/metal scene's most formidable of juggernauts, Norway's Svein Egil Hatlevik (also known as Zweizz, formerly of Fleurety, DHG, et cetera) and the United States' own up-and-coming Joey Hopkins (Midget Factory, Alien Syndrome 777) had begun collaborating on a new project. Having heard Hopkins's music on the massive, free Ulver tribute, My Own Wolf, released in 2007, I was more than excited to hear his thoughts collide with Zweizz's irreverent chaos.

Sadly, tragedy struck on December 31, 2008, when Hopkins was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning. He was 26. Not wanting Hopkins' talent and vast imagination to go to waste, Zweizz marched forward with having the album completed and released nearly two and a half years after Hopkins's death, resulting in this all-too-fitting posthumous testament in his honor.

Looking back on Hopkins and Zweizz's own projects prior to this release, what has been presented is exactly what I had expected (which is a good thing). A cornucopia of strange sounds, digital, analog, alien, explode forth from every open pore; tumbled together and set forth into the void so that they may manifest in the perceptible sphere. A heaving mass of blackened electronica, IDM, circus music, various world musics, soul, jazz, and some sounds that could be original to this very recording, this is without a doubt one of the strangest but most intimate listens I've ever had. Though most bands who go about the whole "tortured sound circus" sound (I'm looking at you, Mike Patton) have an air of "trying too hard" surrounding their recordings, what we have here, while broken, difficult, and obscure, flows without seams in a manner that could only work on this recording. With guest slots on nearly every song, including a rather memorable appearance by none other than Jester Records labelhead Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg on the track "Goat," it is blatantly obvious that this was a labor of love between two close friends and collaborators, willing to "pull out all the stops" to create something so fresh, mind-bendingly original and new.

Though I found myself enjoying this album, I did state earlier that it was a difficult listen. Zweizz and Joey Hopkins together touch on some heady, obscure areas that might confuse the average music fan but, in the end, it wasn't made for the average music fan. Though Zweizz and Joey Hopkins will be their one and only collaboration, this brilliant album is a monument to Joey Hopkins's career, imagination, and life, ended much too soon. Do yourself a favor and buy this from Neuropa Records as soon as you can.

-Jon

LIVE REVIEW: GridLink, Phobia and Maruta; August 13, 2011

(Pictures are coming soon)

Scion’s Metal Matinee shows have become a permanent fixture in Chicago.  Magrudergrind and Gaza, among others, have taken stage at no cost to fans.  That no cost part proves especially vital given that America is in the midst of a recession and metal fans, mostly comprised of the working class, are among the hardest hit.

This somewhat paradoxical marriage of band and brand, clashing the DIY aesthetic so beholden to punk with what amounts to car advertisements, helps to ensure that poor and unemployed fans have a much better chance at seeing high-quality grindcore bands from across the nation outside their audio players.

Even if the bands suck (and they haven’t so far), a free show is a free show, and most of the attendees I spoke to acknowledged that they were only present due to it costing nothing.

In the past these events have taken long past the posted time to begin, leaving fans standing outside smoking cigarettes, drumming their fingers against the stage and drinking the minutes away.  Indeed, it was a blessing that it even started at 4:45 p.m., when Maruta took the stage.

Maruta, Phobia and GridLink all played with the kind of wham factor that fans of the genre have delighted in.

Maruta, who hails from Orlando, took the longer approach, letting their songs build up with Danny Morris’ bursting, calculating drum assault and technical guitar fret fest by Eduardo Borja, held together with the adhesive of Mitchell Luna’s vocals.

More than any other band that played, Maruta’s sonic waves awakened the primal berserkers of the circle pit, and they wasted no time in flying their bodies at the front of the crowd as much as possible.  The band in turn fed off the crowd, playing with mounting delight and even exchanging banter with the crowd in a dance of sound and fury that the madness-inducing wine god Dionysus would smile on.

After a smoke break, I stepped in to watch Phobia.

For its part, Orange County natives Phobia took the well-traveled path, sticking to their guns with the typical yet satisfying elements of grindcore – short burst of masculinity powered by unintelligible words, lightning fingers and rattling drums.

Nonetheless, despite their sound performance, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat underwhelmed given the excellent performance by Maruta beforehand.

Apparently the crowd felt that way as well – there was less moshing and a more tepid, almost quaint mood throughout their act.  Their set finished as fast as their songs did, and took off to kind applause, though it was not as unrelenting as I’d hoped. 

I was surprised to find GridLink headlining, for by all accounts Phobia is the more established, veteran band.  I hadn’t even heard of GridLink before I saw the Scion poster for it.  Yet I found myself quite satisfied.

GridLink’s entire set was the aural equivalent of jungle juice – Jon Chang’s breathes of rage, Takafumi Matsubara’s ear violating riffs and Teddy Patterson and Brian Fajardo’s primitive rhythm foundation fit ill together to my ears.

Yet defying all that I hold holy on music structure, they managed to emerge from the chaos into a cohesive polymerization of raw bliss. They brought forth energy from boundless reserves and not only worked the crowd into excitement but also got me to both think less and join the flow of emotions smashing against the walls of the venue.

It was an excellent ending to an excellent performance by all bands involved.

For more information about Scion Metal Matinee and the free concerts they sponsor, check their Facebook page, located here.

-Shane D

Swamp Witch - "Gnosis" (2011) [Gay Scientist Recordings]

I love death/doom metal, but I can definitely say the genre is in somewhat of a decline. I guess I agree with most of the haggard old doom fans who feel that the subgenre reached its height in the early to mid 90s with bands like My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost all releasing top-notch, romantic doom metal with thick guitars and mournful, growling voices that had otherwise been alien to the doom metal genre. From then on, while there have been good bands, it is hard to say that there's been any real innovation, as bands try more to emulate their musical heroes, whether it be on the dirtier more Autopsy or My Shameful side of things, or Anathema's transcendent, "pretty doom metal." Either way, though I love the style of music, it's sort of beginning to feel like I've been listening to the same handful of bands for a while. Just when I was about to start becoming a big ol' pile of hate, my good friend James R. sent me his band Swamp Witch's first release, and now I can excitedly proclaim, "Yeah, people are doing something different, cool!"

But what makes Swamp Witch cool? Well, this Oakland 4-piece "Occult/Funeral/Sludge" band has effectively taken the stale death/doom subgenre and almost completely re-imagined it. While still retaining the crushing, brooding heaviness, indicative of the genre, Gnosis's four songs take the listener on an adventure through psychedelic madness, echoing the greats The Flower Travellin' Band (RIP Joe Yamanaka :/ ) or the noisy chaos of the various Acid Mothers Temple projects. Pair that with the dirty, snotty irreverence of Danzig-era The Misfits and Swamp Witch has pretty much released a "good music party" on a cassette. Let's face it, you all like The Misfits, and if you don't...you still do. The three songs that comprise the A-side of this monstrous cassette are definitely a powerful revitalization of a genre that is normally based around piety towards the canonical bands, when it really doesn't have to be. It's heavy, it's fresh, and, for lack of a better word, trippy.

The B-side, which is a tape exclusive, lives in its own world. Yes, some dedicated fan "chopped 'n screwed" the entire A-side. At first, this 24-minute "remix" sounds like it would be a bit of a difficult listen, but after a few sessions myself, I must say it's actually pretty cool. This much more "progressive," intense take on the Gnosis sessions features pitch shifting, broken repetitions, beat re-imagination, and everyone's favorite SLOWWWWW DOWWNNNN. I'm sure there will be a few naysayers on this side, but having a full demo remix as a B-side was definitely a ballsy move on Swamp Witch's behalf. A fitting tribute to their favorite hip-hop and rap artists. "Haters gonna hate," but I really dig this side.

I truly enjoy every aspect of this tape, whether it be the raw, "rough around the edges" sound, the thick bottom end, the gurgling vocals, and even the awesome B-side. Yes, Swamp Witch's fresh take on death/doom has truly impressed me with their first release, and it definitely shows how much work and thought has gone into it. Swamp Witch has generously made the A-side of Gnosis available for free, which you can download from the band-sanctioned link here, or, if you're still unsure, scroll down and stream the same 3 tracks from their Soundcloud, though I, personally, would recommend purchasing the tape for $6 ppd here.

Doom on.

-Jon


Gnosis by SwampWitch

Alpinist, Masakari and more at Yayo Taco

If you can tell by the location of my show reviews, Las Vegas is a fairly stagnant location when it comes to metal shows (hence me driving down to Los Angeles now and then). Probably Less then a fifth of the bands that tour through California make it to Vegas, and most of those that do play 21+ shows. So, it was pretty damn exciting when I realized that crusty hardcore bands Alpinist and Masakari would be coming through. 


The opening bands, Alarido, Seeds of Rape, and First Cousins were all exceptional as well. Unfortunately I missed most of Alarido since I had work before, but I rushed over as soon as I was done. If you are ever in the mood for blackened crust, make sure to look them up. Following Alarido came Seeds of Rape, a three piece face bludgeoning powerviolence band. Their performance probably more intense then getting shot in the face with a 12-gauge, and it was done with absolute precision. From the beginning, it was typical (thereby excellent) powerviolence affair, with brief songs filled with grinding riffs, breakdowns and the occasional blast beat, as well as two vocalists.





First Cousins came after Seeds of Rape, and they were sort of the odd ones out in a sense, but no one seemed to mind, except perhaps the punk kids out in the parking lot drinking. Why were they the odd ones out? Well have you ever seen a post rock-esque/instrumental rock band play with hardcore bands? Me neither, but it was a pretty cool change of pace, and they were really good as well. Afterwards I realized that I was pretty hungry, and proceeded to order some tacos (yes, this  is a taco shop). They were good, except once the band started to set up I had to rush a bit.





Finally, it was time for the touring bands to play. Alpinist, all the way from Münster, Germany, was on first. I had been listening to Lichtlaerm+Minus.Mensch a lot during the past couple weeks, and was pretty damn excited to see these guys. They played through an awesome set, with the crowd knocking into each other (and sometimes the band) a good portion of the time. I suppose it's them I have to thank for my neck being sore as well. The coolest part was when they finished, we were all clapping and yelling for more, and so they played an actual encore (none of that fake walk off stage then walk back on and play another song or two bullshit here) which was pretty fucking awesome, both for us, the crowd, and I'm sure for the band as well.





Aside form the lack of shows that come to Vegas, another thing that's sort of idiotic is that usually, midway through the show, people start leaving, or just hang around outside and drink. This happens at nearly every show here, and it's ridiculous. When Ohio hardcore band Masakari started, there were maybe 15-20 of us standing around, and after five or so minutes maybe 30, but based on how they were playing, Masakari, didn't seem to care, and neither did we. Vocalist Tony soon through himself into the crowd, pushing, shoving, and screaming into the microphone. It was intense, and they even did an encore too. 





These two will be touring for another couple weeks, and will also be performing at Power of the Riff in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. If they come near you, go; you will not be disappointed.


Check out more pictures from the show below, with full sets located at the bottom. 

Origin – Entity [Nuclear Blast Records] (2011)

Brutal Technical Death Metal Origin have released their 5^th Studio album ENTITY and well it was not to impressive BUT I do have some nice things to say about it.

Never the less this band is all pushing the limits and even going beyond break neck speeds that some think impossible. OK song writing and at the same time really technical progressive structures that is good crazy robot like drums that are not a drum machine but a human that are not triggered not that there is anything wrong with triggered drums I personally enjoy them and having that impossible sounding speed though triggers do not make you play faster the POINT is that the drums oddly enough are not all CLICK CLICK CLICK ok? One of my main problems with this album is that as many songs as there are that total out to 40 minutes is that well really when you listen to it straight through it is pretty much one song that is 40 minutes long but broken down into multiple tracks with all kinds of crazy guitar noodling going there and OH there and very near if you know what I mean ? It is like the band had practiced the music of Entity so much that they 1000000% nailed every bodies take at once ! Another problem I have is that this band plays live and I am not sure if they would agree or understand but with all of the layering and impossible stuff they do on this album manly for the guitars it needs 2 guitarists live or even 4 just to be safe. For the subject matter I find the music really unfitting I think there could have been some atmospheric parts with synth NOT to much but just enough I did like their past efforts and I think there could have been more added to enhance the atmosphere of each said album but this one I really do not find a real true reason to give it another listen. These guys have crazy talent and none of it is wasted for sure but then again I have never been really into the technical stuff to much there are quit a few I really like but this is not one of them. 

-Bjørn

LiamENGL Interview

Welcome and Thank You for taking time to do This interview with us How Are You doing ?

No problem at all! I'm doing good thanks!

Can You tell us alittle about your self ?

My name's Liam, I'm a 21 year old guitarist from the UK. And as a hobby I post guitar covers of songs I like on youtube.

How Did You become envolved in music, How Did You Find your way to the guitar ?

I first got into music (or metal music) at about 8 years old after watching bands like Slipknot and Korn on MTV2. At the age of 12 I discovered the band Soilwork who totally blew me away, I first wanted to pick up a guitar after hearing their A Predators Portrait album (even though I didn't start taking it seriously until a few years later).

 

You Are getting some notice on YouTube What drove You to post videos ?

Because I never took lessons or had any guitarist friends I first wanted to post videos to get feedback and advice on my playing as a way of improving my technique.

You cover alot of Soilwork songs and other Melodic Death Metal bands aswell as some Progressive Metal bands and a few Djent bands What Are some other bands You would like to cover in the future AND Will we ever see any music You have wrote uploaded to your channel ?

There are SO many bands I would like to cover if I had the time to learn them all, Poets of the Fall, Akira Yamaoka, Tesseract to name a few. And yes you will most definitely see both my own music and music for the bands I play for on my channel once the time is right.

What guitarists have influenced You the most and Why ?

Peter Wichers is obviously a HUUGE influence as he is the reason I first picked up a guitar. Per Nilsson for his great smooth leads and fluid phrasing. Drop (Thomas) from Sybreed for his ridiculously tight rhythms. Bulb (Misha) from Periphery for his amazing songwriting and music production skills. Ben Sharp for the emotion and atmosphere he can put through his playing. And Lee McKinney from Born of Osiris for just being a total boss!

Tell us about your rig and set up for music and as Well as your guitars.

For home use I use an Axe FX Ultra running into an Maudio Fast track pro interface to record direct into the PC, and monitor either using headphones or Alesis M1 speakers.
For live I use the Axe FX Ultra into an Atomic MB150 poweramp.
The guitars I own currently are:
Caparison Horus HGS Oiled Walnut with a Bareknuckle Nailmbomb in the bridge and a Dimarzio pro track in the neck
Caparison Horus Maplecloud (MF07 neck with a Snowcloud body) with a Dimarzio d-sonic in the bridge and chopper in the neck.
And a Peter Wichers custom 'Soilwork' Caparison Angelus with 2 x EMG 81s.
I also have some Washburn bass which I don't know anything about haha!!
 
Are You currently in any bands or projects ?

Currently I play live guitars for the death metal band Diamorphus (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diamorphus/123888080982716)
and I have my own project called Minerva
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minerva/139174629450140)

And there is also another BIG project in the works which I'm keeping a bit hush hush for the moment 

What guitars and or gear Are You thinking of buying in the future and Why ?

Currently I'm very happy with my setup, but if the opportunity arises and I can get a good deal I would love to buy an EBMM BFR JP6 in trans black.

You Also Play a Ibanez Rg 7 String What Are your thoughs on 8 strings, 9 strings, other extended rang guitars and muilti-scale guitars aka the fan-fretted guitars ?

I think extended range instruments are great, they can do everything a 6 string guitar can and more, you just have to be carefull to not get sucked into the whole 'djent' thing and just end up endlessly chugging on your low strings.
That being said I am a 6 string guitarist, but this is because the thicker necks of a 7/8 string have caused problems with my wrist in the past.

Some say That Peter Wichers has a style of playing That no one Can memic I see and hear it in your fingers and How You Play have You noticed This before What Are your thoughts on That ?

Well I think it's great that you can hear that! I've never put any conscious effort into sounding like a particular guitarist, but it's nice to know their style is being shown through me regardless!
I Thank You for your time Liam ! Is there any last words You wish to share with us ?

I'm very glad there are some people who are enjoying the videos! and thanks SO much for all the kind comments/messages! I really appreciate it!!!


Check out Liam ENGL on his YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/user/LiamENGL
and his Musical Projects !


-Bjørn

Connectedness Locus - "Terraforms" (2011) [Endless Field Studios]

I've known the guy behind this project for quite a while now.

For years, I used to hang out with his old band, listen to his developing solo projects, and watch him progress farther as a musician than I could ever even seem possible, let alone in such a rapid pace.

"Terraforms" is the second album from his current project Connectedness Locus. Over the years, he has dabbled in a multitude of blending styles. I've noted hints of ambient influence, a hand at electronica, and all the while surprisingly merging music styles of other sorts that are hard to even think of integrating. However, it seems as if he does all of this on impulse, without really even focusing on the genre-blending itself.

This album is what I would call the most matured album he has ever done. His music has always painted pictures in my head, but this would be what I envision is the 21st century version of the Sistine Chapel decor: encompassing, vast, mysterious, and masterful. It tells stories we haven't heard yet, but stories we can already understand without knowing details. With a beautiful illustration for an album cover, a solid production, and a clearly focused and hard-hitting structure for each track, it is easy to tell that this album has come out of much work and thought. And fittingly so, as it has been reported that this album is about two years in the making.

With layers of sounds and occasional mysterious percussive elements in interesting tempos to invoke wonder and awe in the listener, this is the soundtrack to many things; memory, observation, pensiveness, dreams, nostalgia, fascination, even a good walk along the side of the road. There is a special feeling to this music that cannot be pinpointed. It is neither sorrowful nor over-joyous. It seems to tap into a part of the human mind that more music probably should aim for. There is never a dull moment in all of this album.

This album is available for download or physical copy purchase at Endless Field Studios.

If you download, I strongly encourage you to donate. It's very worth it.

-Elan

o.68 - "Elend" (2011) [Ominous Silence]

Once in a while, you just wonder what has happened to the funeral/death doom scene. Anyone with a bass guitar and keyboard can make an album, with someone to master it, and release it. However, one can barely ever weed out the gems from the sea of garbage, much like in the world of black metal as well.

But do I have a surprise for you.

I do not know a whole lot about o.68, but I was sent this album to review.

It came out of nowhere, and I didn't know what to expect.

But what I heard was pleasantly surprising.

This is a very well executed, creative, and well-recorded album.

Not much makes it much else other than a funeral/death doom album, but it is finally good to see someone new that knows what they are doing.

There are even some musical nods of the head to some of the pioneers of the genre, with some grooves and hooks (especially on what I feel is the standout track, 'Mother of Negation', and 'Zeitgeist Nokturne').

I almost can't believe how pure this album is. So often today you find artists who go so 'all over the place' that you can't even tell what kind of genre they are going for.

This is pure doom metal in every sense of the term, and instead of just being a run-of-the-mill-listen-to-me-I'm-so-depressed-so-I-sit-in-my-basement-and-make-weepy-funeral-doom album, this is actually enjoyable to listen to, and shows musical expertise. And it gains momentum midway through the album.

Very impressive.

I await seeing what can happen with this project. I can only see it becoming even better, so on that note, I hope he does with to continue making this music.

This will be available through Ominous Silence.

-Elan

Gnaw Their Tongues - "Spit At Me And Wreak Havoc On My Flesh (Remastered)" (2011) [Ominous Silence]

This incredibly eerie album first made the world a darker place back in the year 2006. It was one of most vile, filthy, and dirge-ridden collection of noises and music than anyone had seen thus far, and, to this day, it still is only listened to with an acceptance of the oncoming intimidation that it brings.

So, what happened next? After a series of follow-up albums that solidified this artist's name in the international music scene, he decided to remaster it.

Therefore, what we have now is an even MORE vile, filthy, and dirge-ridden collection of noises and music.

One of the things I have loved about this album is the fact that, even if it did not have all the layers of foreboding sounds, the music itself would still be powerful in and of itself. But the fact that just the dark music was not enough, is fascinating. We have all sorts of things going on; heralding trumpets, violins, clips of people explaining how to go about performing an autopsy... if you read this whilst reading some sort of occult text, you'll probably pass out. Even the devil himself would check himself at the door before proceeding to listen to this, and especially now that the vocals sound sicker, the bass even heavier, and the reverb more encompassing.

Call this what you want... ambient, noise, black metal, doom, whatever. I just call it a soundtrack to something that I think the creator feels is close to hell... the backalleys of our world. As encompassing as it is sobering, this album is not for those for weak constitutions.

You can find this album at Ominous Silence.

-Elan

Atriarch - "Forever The End" (2011) [Seventh Rule Records]

Doom metal newborns Atriarch, hailing from Portland, Oregon, refer to themselves as a "deathrock ensemble," which is definitely an eyebrow-raiser. For our more metal-oriented readers, "deathrock" almost sounds like it would be synonymous with the horrid "death'n'roll" of bands like Six Feet Under or later Entombed, but in reality it is an entirely different monster. Pioneered by California's Christian Death, deathrock is an offshoot from post-punk/new wave, but in a much more "aggressive" form. Drawing influence eerie, early 20th-century "gothic horror" cinema, not unlike what you would find in films like Nosferatu and the like, one can hear echoes of early horror film soundtracks, surf rock or even rockabilly within the specific scope of deathrock.

Though, while they market themselves as a deathrock band, it is obvious that Atriarch is something much more special and unique. Using funeral doom metal as a strong, ethereal base, Atriarch's plodding debut album, Forever The End, utilizes deathrock more as a basis of influence, drawing upon the genre's gloomy, prominent basslines, moaning voices and minimal guitar work to create one of the most interesting textural fusions I've heard so far in 2011. While the deathrock influence is prominent enough for the band to define themselves as such, Forever The End sounds more as if Christian Death was left to die in a blizzard, leaving behind a powerful, toiling mass of droning misery. Throughout the album, bassist Nick and guitarist Blackhawk work together to build interesting, circuitous textures based around the space between each shimmering note, at times almost echoing Estonian composer Arvo Part's tintinnabuli composing style, giving each crushing doom climax a sense of immediacy and immense power.

What immediately grabbed me with this album, aside from how fantastic and powerful the music itself is, was the production. As I have stated in the past, I'm not really one for noticing production nuances, but Forever The End's fizzy, aged sound was as unique as it was harrowing. Throughout the album I am reminded of composer William Basinski's The Disintegration Loops, in which, while converting old magnetic tape, which had been left in a closet for over 20 years, began to disintegrate throughout the conversion process, and the overall tone of Forever The End matches that damaged, old sound almost perfectly. If someone had sent me these files, saying that this was an old Thergothon side-project that they had abandoned and left the demos in a box for 20 years before ultimately releasing the tape masters, I wouldn't doubt it. The round, unassuming sound washes over the listeners while still retaining the sharp attack of each note, preventing Atriarch's masterpiece from becoming a boring, anticlimactic wall of fuzz.

Those of you who have been following Atriarch will notice that I left a key buzz word out in the beginning. Yes, it woul appear that Atriarch is not just a "deathrock ensemble" but a "Cascadian deathrock ensemble." Now, I've gotten in trouble for having opinions of the whole Cascadian nonsense aired on The Inarguable, so I will keep it brief; I am sort of bummed that such a unique band resorts to using a buzz word. Yes, I am aware of the camaraderie within the "scene" surrounding the Cascade mountain range, but I've only really seen it pinned to black metal bands and it would be sort of a bummer to see the likes of Atriarch get the same sort of treatment from horrible internet folks like me would imbue upon bands like Wolves in the Throne Room (whose new album, I must admit, isn't that bad). Atriarch is something new and and a definite breath of fresh air in a locale where doom metal has pretty much taken a back seat for the time being. If you don't believe me, feel free to stream the whole album for free at Decibel.

You can preorder Forever The End from Atriarch's BandCamp or you can watch for its official release from Seventh Rule here. Word has it that they're releasing a split with fellow deathrockers Alaric in the near future, but you didn't hear that from me. It would be a poor decision to ignore this band.

-Jon 

LIVE REVIEW: Hunters, Coliseum, and Corrosion of Conformity; July 30, 2011

I still can't get over the fact that Reggie's Rock Club is a venue. For the past 4 years Reggie's has hosted some of the biggest metal concerts in Chicago, but most people don't know that the Rock Club had its humble beginnings during the mid-'80s in Chicago's quiet Northwest suburbs, more specifically Hoffman Estates. Yes, Record Breakers, just a mile or so away from my childhood home, once was one of my frequent haunts, where I first saw Grateful Dead posters, saw marijuana, and listened to and bought my first rock album (The Process of Belief by Bad Religion). It was quite a devastating blow when Record Breakers up and moved to Chicago, and I still get that strange feeling of "Man, what if this was still by my house? sort of feeling whenever I go there...but Chicago is definitely a better location for Reggie's, and if it means hosting shows like these then I won't complain. Kudos to you, Record Breakers - at least one of us escaped the suburbs.

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