SWAMP ABYSS SORCERY
FLORIDA METAL COMPILATION BOUGHT TO YOU BY SATANIK RECORDINGS.
HERE IS A LINK TO THE SOUNDCLOUD FOR AN AUDITORY PREVIEW:
http://satanikrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/swamp-abyss-sorcery
(Source: chaosdesecration)
[video]
I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates over the past few days. Combined with sending this grotesque chimeric bastard’s likeness to many of the blogs and forums that I frequent I’ve been heavily preoccupied by life, Fire in the Cave writing sessions and other writing projects. His name is THROMBIBULOUS and he exemplifies what happens when Rick Scott reveals his true form, except well, his flamingo penis is probably significantly smaller. He’s the newest mascot for several of us Florida people who decided to compile our songs together for this FREE COMPILATION entitled Swamp Abyss Sorcery. Satanik Recordings and HOT GRAVES compiled and released this free digital compilation on Valentine’s Day equipped with lore and artwork by Jean Saiz:
To help consolidate all necessary free time for the sake of enjoying the music I’m going to provide a series of one sentence matter of fact explanations of each band:
Shroud Eater – A malevolent and equivocally dissonant stoner metal trio armed with a PhD in savagery.
Holly Hunt - Armageddon flavored instrumental drone doom duo with an enamoring gazey trim.
Orbweaver – Deranged psychedelic death metal hurdling through space at speeds that make The Milennium Falcon look like your little sister’s moped.
Druid Lord – Tomb smashing death-doom quartet smelt together by ancient witchery and venomous rhythms.
Fire in the Cave – I don’t critique my own band. Grim Kim Kelly did though.
flyingsnakes -Explosive blackened crust that eviscerates boundaries between metallic and anarchic.
Fatal – Unabashed thrash that will trash your entire hash stash to fuel their toxic lashed dash.
Party Time – Hyper active hardcore punk in less than two minutes or your punishment’s free.
Hollow Leg – Ravenous Floridian cult classic doom quartet that’ll have you saying “WHAT?!” for days.
Extremely Rotten – Red herring gore grind brutality with vocal tones so low that if plumbers had spidey sense it would violently tingle against the subconscious.
HOT GRAVES – Menacing blackened thrash burning a glorious Midnight inspired homage straight through your mind’s eye.
If you haven’t already, CLICK HERE to download the entire compilation for free.
I’m looking at my calendar this morning and I notice it’s already February. It finally hit me. It makes me feel the need to apologize to you, the readers, because I named my favorite album of January 2012 prematurely. I’m referring to my review of exemplary Dutch blackened technicians Dodecahedron, whose comfort-melting self-title will still be up for an album of the year vote I’ll post at the end of 2012. However, they met their most respectable defeat literally one day prior to the inception of February 2012 when Alcest released their third full length Les Voyages de L’âme through Prophecy Productions. I feel embarrassed having to withdraw my initial claim, but I wouldn’t do so if I didn’t believe it justly belongs to Neige and Winterhalter.
In a recent interview, Neige emphasizes the importance of understanding that Alcest exists to convey his perceptions of another conscious reality, or world, if you will. He goes on to mention that he pays no mind to arbitrary categorizations of his compositions, such as shoegaze or, as I’ve heard hooted around the internet’s newest unwashed asshole recently: “hipster black metal”. Let’s be real here: Alcest strays so far away from traditional black metal or shoegaze that any such butt hurt accusations attributed to their music qualifies as pious or confrontational at best.
Neige and WH once again lure the listener into their ethereal auditory odyssey. It’s difficult to describe the album’s introductory atmospheres, which step towards the forefront with such serene grace that it’s as if, from the very first moment, you’re on their territory. Time effortlessly whisks past the listener rather than forcing you to move forward. You hear a voice. It’s inviting, natural, beautiful and all the adjectives synonymous with ‘fucking’ and ‘enthralling’ simultaneously. Every time I’ve listened to this record, which is streaming on Spotify for free by the way, I’ve been swaying and bobbing gently through its pellucid vibrations. On top of the polarizing vocal organization, Neige also concocts the endless celestial guitar and synthesis wizardry storming between both headphones.
I could see where Alcest could provide a new outlet of fascination not only to fans of Opeth, Anathema or Cynic but even to enthusiasts of non-metallic bands such as Memoryhouse or Stars of the Lid. Neige commands an expansive repertoire of techniques, employing dreamy, delicate floods of harmony one moment only to sweep them away with stupefying blackened tremolo tirades before songs have even begun to climax. Every measure leaves behind an echoing rally of vocals and/or synthesis to swarm your senses further. I can’t even begin to imagine how many tracks were used to record each of these songs. It’s HUGE, but not hulking. Magnetizing use of synthesizers yields a warming sensation that fills the space where guitars are trailing or temporarily absent. Hypnotizing vocal harmonies and distantly distorted screams act as a tempering adhesive that leads the listener through the most human of instruments. My favorite device was, predictably, the developed implementation of lyricism.
Brandishing a hefty palette of percussive techniques, drummer Winterhalter further expands the vast temporal sound scape of Les Voyages de L’âme. His unorthodox mismatching of heightened blasts, tempered structural support, and triumphant build flourishes into the foreground. Bursts and blumes slip through the cracks between Neige’s four billion tracks of triple threat musicianship to establish the firm foundation the entire record stands upon between guitar solos.
Summative Sentence: Les Voyages de L’âme delineates an eerie masterpiece that reminds one that a heterogeneous introspective approach to authoring music will breed innovative honest composition even when handling juxtaposed (yet intangible) creative elements exemplified in this case by what categorizers call black metal, shoegaze and ambient music.
Favorite Track: Nous sommes l’emeraude
I love the sound of rugged hardcore punk musicians that always seem to find mutually beneficial relationships with sludge metal. Even if it’s just a touring relationship. In cases like the Australian based I, Exist utilizes both elements in order to wield a concussive collection of barbarous sweat soaked anthems. This fixating familiar sound rings notice to the tones of bands like His Hero is Gone or From Ashes Rise. They found their sweet spot with a tasteful tirade of toasty southern punk and metal. Bring ‘yer deepest bowls and serve up a heaping helping of this contusing cram-worthy (neo)crust chowder.
With the way II: The Broken Passage begins you’d think this record was written from deep in the heart of Beale street. That’s attributed to the burgeoning blues tinged fire of the guitars right from the get go. They’re soon joined by the bellows of attrition similar to that of Pliocene era Baroness. The majority of the tracks average about three minutes in length each. Inside these accounts you’ll be met with stomping synergy between the toight hardcore percussive attacks, dust spewing triple guitar congelations, and an un-showered suburban ham-beast sized bass tone.
Certain tracks on this record tend to lumber around like a day drinking Crowbar song. “Lungs of Mire” starts out that way, but shortly thereafter reaches full ignition. Aforementioned propulsion flings them into another furious hard styled sprint before concluding with a dismembering digression. Nothing left behind but a curling channel of feedback. Contrarily the coin flips on the proceeding track, entitled “Fleshold”, and promotes an authoritative salty shore hardcore vibe. I wonder what exactly a “fles hold” entails. I do know that I wouldn’t want to find myself on the receiving end of one given the bewildering antagonistic structure of the song itself. Less than a minute of beat down later we’re back to the battering slow motion crawling similar to that of Weedeater or Sourvein.
The record leaves you on that same motif, but may or may not contain an invigorating climactic guitar solo.
Summative Sentence: Golden fried sludge punk seasoned with an antagonistic blend of give an and take tenacity and subsequent delta derived heavy metal.
Favorite Track: Lungs of Mire
Hails and Horns Magazine Presents: Alcest // Deafheaven // March 2012
I’ll be supporting with Fire in the Cave for the Orlando show!
[video]
It’s about time I got down to evaluating one of my favorite albums of 2011. Miami’s menacers Shroud Eater are no strangers to most of the people that read this blog. While I am using one of my few allotted late passes to give my official take that shouldn’t deter you, the reader, in the slightest from getting your hands on this pinnacle sludge, and sparingly psychedelic, metal record. There will, of course, be a link below to help you with that. I do appreciate the black and white mirror of the gaping chakra specter. Is that the omniscient Illuminati I see in the middle surveying the chaos?
Guitar tones should always portray the grit soaked realities of the ax wielder. Case and point with “the shrouds” string section: a volcanic combination of guitarist/vocalist Jean Saiz and bassist Jan Valentine. Make sure to heat up a bath before giving Thundernoise an in depth listen. You’re going to need it to help wash off the leagues of radioactive sludge cemented into your ears, eyes and everywhere else on your flesh. Nothing gets my heart pumping faster than a detonation of fervent filthy guitars led by caustically primal, and possibly Laveyan, lyricism. There’s really an unmistakable and unifying savagery about the SE presentation. Positively paramount. Stunting slow downs are among the crafty devices within the Shroud Eater musical tool box. There were times where the gradual degradation occurring in unison, portrayed most noticeably in “Baying of the Jackals”, left just a strong of an impression as the scalding refrains that came before their descent.
Comparisons I’ve read include Black Tusk more frequently than most, and I will agree. However, I feel Shroud Eater carries a significantly satisfying malevolence that Black Tusk fills up with barbeque soaked ravagery. Some of these riffs and segues stimulate a familiar feeling that I get when I smash my face through construction materials in response to the shattering might of Noothgrush or unyielding grooves of Bison B.C. . Rhythmically, spear headed by drummer Felipe Torres, Shroud Eater sets themselves apart with the unorthodox fill repetitions and gnarly cymbal accentuation. Any fan of High on Fire will feel right at home between the stringently executed drum head abuse.
Summative Sentence: Eleven stoned sinister anthems sure to satiate your daily head banging quota.
Favorite Track: Vesuvius
and i just found out about this!
