Vinterblot - Nether Collapse (2012)

The pagan death medal band from Italy have finally released their brand new full length album, entitled “Nether Collapse.” This is following their “For Asgard” EP which was released in 2010. The new album contains a great blend of pagan guitar riffs and other instruments along with demonic death metal vocals. It’s 10 tracks long and will have you wanting to replay the entire album over and over again.

The album starts off with a “Prelude” that consists of gloomy acoustic guitars and eerie strings that float gently in the background. The guitar riffs start to become more detailed as a lead acoustic comes in with catchy melodies. This runs right into “Upon A Reign Of Ashes.” This beast of a track comes storming in aggressive electric guitars and booming drum rolls. The verse kicks right in with vicious growls that will make you shit yourself the first time you hear them. Double bass pedals step up during the refrain and deliver a jack hammer performance. Raid snares pound away as cymbals crash around you from all directions. The upbeat tempo will definitely have you pumping your devil horns. Relentless snares punch you in the face in “Council Of Trees Beholder.” You’re gonna think that someone just unloaded a machine gun at you with all the rapid snares and double bass pedals that fly at you. Dominating guitar riffs rip you open as chugging melodies soar through the air.

“Rememberance” gives off a strong Amon Amarth type of feel as Viking like guitar riffs come rumbling in with wild drum rolls that will blow your mind. Monstrous growling vocals echo throughout the track leaving you stunned with amazement. As double bass pedals take over towards the end of the song, you’re met with bone chilling guitar solo that completely destroys the musical scales. It almost reminds me of a solo from Dethklok with its high notes and catchy melodies. Murdering guitar riffs hit you hard in the beginning of “Howling Shadow.” The verse starts immediately with low growls along with thumping bass lines. Definitely make sure you pay close attention to the drum fills in this one. The detail in the drumming is absolutely phenomenal. It’ll get you bobbing your head for sure.

“Whispering To The Headless” is one of the shorter tracks on the album running a little over three minutes long. The drum rolls are literally banging away throughout every second of the song. Meanwhile deafening guitar riffs chug away with catchy melodies. The tempo is constantly upbeat leaving you no time to catch your breath. This is the same for “The Forlorn War.” The guitar riffs are constant breakdowns throughout the entire song making you want to mosh around the whole time. Devilish growls consume you into each verse as cymbals continue to splash from left to right. This is definitely one of the heaviest song on the album.

“Nether Collapse” offers aggressive instruments with catchy melodies that is sure to grab your attention the minute you hear it. The drum fills are absolutely incredible and is definitely a “wow” factor to this album. Vinterblot is still at a very young age of their career and definitely have the potential to become known world wide. This album is a great step in the right direction. I would definitely keep an eye on this band and see what they come up with next!

9/10

Official Site - http://www.vinterblotofficial.com/
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/vinterblotofficial

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The Podcast: Episode 35 (Swallow the sun, choke on the moon...)

Sometimes it feels like we are on a whirlwind tour of the world, with metal as our guide. Hell22 visits Italy, for a date with female fronted symphonic metallers Winter Haze. Then, he returns home to check out Virginia's Druglord. Murmaider spent some time in the Italian peninsula as well, having bouts of nausea and diarrhea listening to the steaming pile of shit that Lacuna Coil calls a new album. Do NOT go in there.

But, as is customary, the first podcast of the month is dedicated to our Band Of The Month. This time around, Finland's Swallow The Sun dominate our voting, thanks largely to their new album, "Emerald Forest And The Blackbird." With a heavy dose of melody, these guys have taken their craft to new heights, and deafening lows. This one is easily an album of the year contender. Chester agrees, even if he doesn't have the balls to show up.

Part one of the festivities is available here.

Part two of the party can be had for the low, low price of free, right here.

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Kayo Dot: The Interview

The mastermind of all things Kayo Dot, Toby Driver, gave us a great deal of insight into his music, his thought process, and sales as an independent artist. We want to take this opportunity to thank Toby for his time, and for the loads of real information. It was an eye opener for us.

How did the avant style of Kayo Dot come to be? Did you have a clear idea in mind for the finished product, or was it more of a free flowing process?

It might have all begun with internet arguments between maudlin of the Well fans and Opeth fans, hah! Really, I remember myself and some MOTW fans on the messageboards thinking that Opeth's songs were really just a bunch of riff salad, and Opeth fans on the messageboards used to say the same thing about MOTW, and there were heated arguments. I basically decided to be more aware of that kind of perception of disconnected parts in metal songs, so with Choirs of the Eye really only set out to make a through-composed "metal" album... one without riffs or arbitrarily repeating parts. That was a pretty huge paradigm shift for me and lots of creative paths in my brain opened up.

You have had a laundry list of collaborators and contributors to the Kayo Dot catalog. How do you decide who will be a part of this project, and how did you come across so many talented musicians in the process?

Originally it was just based on who I knew and who was available. But now, I know so many great musicians that I can't have all of them be a part of the band. So, whereas in the past, I was foolishly trying in a way to mold the musicians to suit the vision, now what I do is that I shape the vision around the small group of musicians that I enjoy keeping close. And those people are friends first, collaborators second. I think the way I came across so many talented musicians was just being in environments that attract these people - universities or liberal urban settings.

Some musicians we have interviewed have adamantly denied that geography has a profound impact on their music. With your roots in Brooklyn, NY, how do you feel your home has come through in your music?

Hmm, I have definitely seen patterns in the aesthetics of underground bands that come from particular regions. I think that in the NYC avant-rock scene, for example, there's tons of subconscious emphasis on proving yourself with proficiency and newness, even if we don't want there to be. Additionally, NYC is not really a nice place to live, so pretty much everyone that has decided to be there has a very strong work ethic and single-mindedness, which, when combined with all of NYC's resources, leads to some of the most intense and unique music in the world. Indie rock bands from Brooklyn also have to prove themselves with coolness, but thankfully, contemporary prog rock is so uncool that none of us have to even worry about playing that game. :)

With so many moving parts in the form of a seemingly endless array of instruments, how difficult is the writing and recording process for each individual track and album?

I try to always push myself forward and try new things in order to become a better musician. Because of this, everything I write has many aspects which are a lot of work and very difficult to conceptualize, communicate, rehearse, and perform. Every time, we're learning new abilities in the process. It's a recipe for disaster when musicians only work with what they already know and don't make any effort to extend themselves.

Each instrument seems to find a home within each composition, without disturbing the delicate balance of sound. As a writer, when do you know that you have found the right contrast in sounds? How do you know when to say "stop"?

I always decide on the instrumentation before I even begin writing a piece. Then, I compose the music to suit the instrumentation. Occasionally, at the end, I might feel as though something is missing and then will try to find what that is and fit it in (actually it usually ends up being keyboards, which are a sort of musical glue, in my experience).

There seems to be some confusion about the recording process for the new album, "Gamma Knife." What led to your decision to record it partly in studio, and partly live?

We just had to come up with a way to record an album basically for free (it didn't end up being 100% free, but it was relatively cheap). The reason for this is that getting funding from a label to do a professionally recorded album has been impossible because album sales have been terrible. I think we'll get back to this topic below... Also, when you say it was recorded "partly in studio," I hope you know that it was actually my bedroom and I don't have any "studio" equipment other than one mic and a laptop.

We have noticed in some of your recent interviews that you are very much dedicated to the ideas and the music itself, rather than the process. Do you ever question whether people listening to your albums really "get it"? Does that question come in to play when you are writing?

I'm not sure if I have that question anymore... I just assume people aren't going to get it. Haha! I'm pretty jaded, i guess. Seriously though, lots of music in the world is audience-oriented, and that's great. But the music I write is not audience-oriented, it's internal. It's great if other people are able to see what I'm seeing and share in the experience, but it's really important for me to stay true to my own aesthetics in order to successfully exorcise the demons at hand. I think one of the worst, most unhealthy things an internal musician, like me, can do for themselves is worry about what other people are going to think, especially when writing!

The satellite bands of Kayo Dot, (a much better term than "side project"), including the recent return of maudlin of the well, in particular, are equally powerful. How have you managed to maintain all of your projects, while still keeping each one unique?

Thanks! Well, everything is circumstantial. Most of the time, stuff I'm working on is dictated by what's happening in my life, such as concerts that I'm invited to participate in. Often, people will ask me to do a show, and if I think the venue is special enough, I'll write something new for that upcoming concert. Then, if it ends up being a cool idea, I'll spend time developing it further. Tartar Lamb 2 came out of this type of thing. MOTW's Part the Second really only came out of its circumstances as well - fans were interested in funding a record. I'm super-pliable; I want to do tons of different things and music and really it only ever comes down to whether the opportunity is available (venue, funding, time, whatever). Regarding how to keep them unique, well, each one of those projects uses a specific kind of compositional method, so that's how I know which project something fits with. For example, MOTW uses time-tested devices of rock music and traditional harmony. Tartar Lamb doesn't use rock drumming, and also is all about a sort of modular type of composition (small bits). Kayo Dot is basically through-composed rock and has an avant-goth aesthetic. I'm starting to do some other stuff now that doesn't fit into any of those, though. Some more classical type stuff.

With all of the recent SOPA and PIPA hoopla, it would seem silly of us not to ask about your personal feelings on the matter. How do you think the world of piracy has affected your life, as a musician and otherwise?

Yeah ok, so you were asking above about how/why Gamma Knife was recorded live and in my bedroom. It's great that we have listeners and fans, but people don't seem to realize that if they keep only stealing the music they're listening to, then the music ends up suffering. We couldn't get any funding to do the record because people hadn't bought the last few records. What's happening is that we're now in a world where all the most unique music (read: unmarketable) is forced to be recorded shittily. I thought it was so ridiculous when we released Gamma Knife and people were complaining about the recording quality. It's like, Dude! It's YOUR fault!!!

On a related note, "Gamma Knife" was self released, which seems to be an increasingly more common route. Without a label involved, do you see any difference in the sales of your album, and, more specifically, the willingness of people to pay for your work?

Yeah, the sales are much much much less, but our total monetary profit has been greater ONLY because he production cost was so low and we got to keep 100%. With labels, the production cost has been so high and sales so low that the albums never recoup their losses and the band never sees any money. Now, basically the problem at hand is figuring out a way to do an album with high production value but still not lose money on it. Anyway, just for transparency's sake, I'll tell you that in the month it's been releases, Gamma Knifehas only sold 350 copies, but according to the bandcamp stats, has had like 30,000 streams. So, something is wrong there. I think a lot of time there's a misperception that bands are selling tons and making bank, so people think the band is really famous and rich and doing well, so they think they don't need to buy the album. It's fucked up.

Toby, thank you again for your time, your honesty and the music you create. We look forward to what comes next.

Thanks for your support!!!!!!

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Jormungandr - Jormungandr (2012)

How many adjectives and subgenres would it take to describe Portland, Oregon based Jormungandr? This band, named after the serpent son of Loki, call themselves "Ambient Neo-Folk Doom Metal," which is a mouthful that may not actually say all that much. Featuring former Agalloch member Chris Greene, the two piece are ready to unleash their self titled effort upon the world. Will this album, which was three years in the making, help the band, like their namesake, become large enough to surround the earth?

The opening track, "Sorrow's Infinite Wisdom" is a puzzling start, taking you on a mono-melodic ride through modern doom. The repeated distorted chords are joined by very eerie vocals, but without any sort of structure. If imagery is being formed in your mind, it would look something akin to a dark room, with a group of long haired zombies swaying from side to side. "Ebb Of Tides," conversely, stays to the more delicate side of things. Acoustic guitar riffs repeat for minutes on end, joined only by subtle chanting and the sound of the crashing waves. Stretched out over nearly seven full minutes, it could easily serve as a new age sleep aid. The third track, "This Age Of Fire" does anything but ignite a flame, choosing a more downtempo and minimalist approach. Again, repeated plucking is the only musical accompaniment, with a few quiet, yet devilish words spoken at random intervals. The sounds that might emanate from the pits of Hell come in and out, giving this one a little demonic flavor. But, aside from the clanging of bells in the outro, there is simply nothing more to be had.

The first real ambition seems to come from "Our Children Die In Winter," which takes on the drone style of metal made famous by bands like Sunno))). Despite being a very straightforward and slow moving piece, the level of distortion and grit that pours through the guitar track is enough to warrant a repeated listen. The vocals, though unpolished and a tad offputting at times, actually make an impact. But, unfortunately, the poor recording quality turns the layered approach into a murky mess, with little more than feedback making it to your ears. A low, rumbling interlude, aptly titled "Interlude," takes you from this track to the next, a full on metal track titled "The Wind In Our Sails, The Fire In Our Hearts." With the presence of guitars, bass, and drums together, and a slightly fine tuned mix, you can finally get a feel for the true passion entrenched in each note. The machine gun drums and blistering guitars may have you wondering if you have skipped to an entirely different album. This is a raucous affair, punishing and loud. But, alas, the best track is also short, standing at a mere three minutes. The outro track, "Abcess I" is pained groaning, with bass filled ambience. The groaning turns to moaning, then chanting, just in time for it all to fade away.


All the words in the lexicon couldn't help you to sort out the album that you just endured. Is it a bunch of little pieces of a million genres, or a big piece of something altogether it's own? Either way, this isn't going to be your sunny day driving music, or even a work out assistant. Lost in the muddy waters of this offering are a few standout moments, but they are too few and far between to notice. Jormungandr may bare the name of a serpent, but the album more closely resembles a slug.


3/10


Bandcamp - http://jormungandr.bandcamp.com/

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Hordak - Under The Sign Of The Wilderness (2011)

Looking for some awesome pagan black metal? Well you’ll find it in Spain that’s for sure. The pagan metal band Hordak has recently released their new album entitled “Under The Sign Of The Wilderness.” The album has got powerful Viking guitar melodies along with some vicious black metal screams that will haunt you for days. All ten tracks are filled with upbeat excitement and electrifying guitars.

The album opens with a two and a half minute “Intro” which contains angelic acoustic guitar riffs along with majestic flutes that float gently on top. Its such a beautiful opener that it’ll make you wanna replay it before you even move on to the rest of the album. When you do move on to track two, you are hit hard with jack hammering guitar riffs and double bass pedal rolls in “722.” The guitar work is insane as the verse consist of fast chugging riffs mixed with groovy melodies that will make you throw you’re metal horns up and rock out. Double bass pedals beat you down throughout the track while thunderous bass lines accompany them. The vocals are full of rage as they are delivered in a screechy demonic growl. You’ll run into a wicked guitar solo towards the end of the track that is absolutely mind blowing. Whipping melodies run left and right surrounding you with gorgeous notes. When this fades off, upbeat guitar riffs pick right back up in “Spreading The Firewings.” A fast pace pagan melody comes roaring in sweeping you off your feet as you bob your head quickly to the beat. Relentless snares pound you into the ground while double bass pedals rumble heavy beneath you. The excitement and energy in this track will surely awaken you.

Machine gun drum fills fire away in “Under The Sign Of The Wilderness.” The melody is fast and the guitars chug away in speedy patterns. The vocals rip through you with their dark screechy lyrics. The song structure changes up drastically throughout the track as the tempo picks up and slows constantly. The drum patterns are hard to keep up with so make sure you play this one back a couple of times. “Monoliths” contains some interesting guitar parts. The use a solo like melody in between certain parts of the verses that really hypnotize you deeper into the track. Blaring guitar riffs continue to chug away while detailed drum fills control the tempo behind them. Get ready for some more intense double bass pedal drumming.

Later in the album you’ll come across “The Rising Of The Warhammer.” It immediately starts out with wicked guitar work throwing melody on top of melody in a fully distorted blaring mix of chaos. These guitar riffs alone will have you throwing up your metal horns and bashing your head to the beat. The drum rolls are phenomenal. Each fill is packed with snapping snares and colliding cymbals that echo off into the background. Meanwhile you’ve got double bass pedaling punching you in your face in each and every step. The bridge especially. All you hear are cymbals exploding on top of booming double bass pedals.

Hordak shows a more darker side of pagan metal as they deliver their demonic black metal screams and growls to accompany these upbeat melodic guitar riffs. “Under The Sign Of The Wilderness” is full of non stop catchy guitar riffs and thunderous drum fills which constantly draw you back to wanting to hit the replay button again and again. You definitely have to check this album out. It’s one you don’t want to miss!

9/10

Official Site - http://www.paganhordak.com/
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/paganhordak

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Druglord - Motherfucker Rising (EP) (2012)

The American doom metal scene is evolving and changing, becoming an amalgamation of so many styles. Case in point, Richmond, Virginia's own Druglord. Forming a twisted mix of traditional doom and stoner vibes, this three piece is on the verge of exploding into the sea of distorted riffs and echoing drums. And with music that has all of the subtlety that the title implies, this four song offering, "Motherfucker Rising," may leave you with blunt force trauma. Better bring a helmet.

The opening track, the aptly titled "Motherfucker Rising," is a statement of intent. The sheer weight of the riffs, the bending of strings, and the crawling tempo is pure doom. Don't hold your breath waiting for a sudden burst of speed or precision. What you hear is what you get, right down to the echoing, airy screams. There is a resemblance to the signature Black Sabbath darkness to be had, though faint. An effects laden solo cuts through the murky mess, taking the track to a muddy conclusion. That brutal distortion continues right through into the second track, "Cleansed." It almost feels as though the room has filled with smoke by now, as a dusty melody may become lodged in your head. The riffs are simplistic, minus a bit of impressive solo work later in the track. But the groove of it all, the flow of the bass and drums, it all comes together. A track that stands at five minutes seems to coast by in seconds, a true test of songwriting.

A song that sounds like a doom jam, "Eternal Grave," is a standout. The vocals take a decidedly sludge orientation, with the raspy growls coming through the clouds. Each chord, each strum of the bass seems to reach lower and lower on the scales, until the density of each note begins to hold you down. The eruption of sound to close out the track is sure to be a crowd pleasure, taking downtuned guitars to near breakneck speeds. It's hard to call the lead guitar in this song a "melody," but it serves the purpose. The closer, "Whores Of The Reich," is everything you would want it to be. After three bruising tracks, this one may elicit the cry of "finish him!" The output could be mistaken for an unpolished early Sabbath demo. The tempo is slow, but the mode is dark. This is certainly the most versatile track, with a clear division of verse and chorus, each one having a distinct flow and feel. Don't wait to be amazed with musicianship here, but rather sit back and enjoy the hazy riffs and drum beats that follow.

As we have addressed before, metal doesn't need to be complicated to be good. And when you set foot into the realm of doom, you can leave your "look what I can do" shredding at the door. Druglord have taken traditional doom, added a healthy dose of the classic metal sounds, and made it into something entirely their own. Sure, they aren't going to reinvent the genre as we know it. But they have done enough to earn multiple listens, at the very least. Who knows, maybe they will catch on enough for the cry of "dead man walking," to be followed with "Motherfucker Rising."

8/10

Bandcamp - http://druglord.bandcamp.com/

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Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline (2012)

Once known for their dark and yet gorgeous female fronted gothic metal, Lacuna Coil has taken an even bigger step in the wrong direction than any fan has ever feared. The Italian outfit has released their sixth studio album, entitled “Dark Adrenaline.” We were able to put up with the reckless off key vocals of male singer Andrea Ferro in their previous album, “Shallow Life,” however the new album just goes too far.

“Trip The Darkness” was the first single that the band released from the album. It’s also the opening track on the album. The music starts out pretty decent as thunderous drumming accompanies heavy blaring guitars that make you want to bob your head. But just as you get comfortable with the melody, Ferro comes in with his sour voice and ruins everything. Cristina Scabbia does her part to aid the chorus but it’s too late. The damage has already been done. The only difference between this song and songs like “Against You” and “Upsidedown” is that the band felt that Ferro’s vocals need delay and echo effects instead. So not only do you get to hear his god awful vocals but you get to hear it echo around you and ring in your head for days.

When you have a talented female singer in your band, you need to let her sing. “I Don’t Believe In Tomorrow” allows her to show off some of her gorgeous vocals in the verses but once the refrain kicks in it’s all Ferro the entire time. You’ll go from bobbing you’re head to the monstrous guitar riffs and rumbling drum rolls to shaking your head in disgust of such horrible male vocals.

Tracks like “Kill The Light” and “Intoxicated” are fine. They lean more towards a more rock type of feel but they contain catchy melodies in both the verses and the refrains. They also have little male vocal parts in them. Scabbia is able to take control of these songs and guide the instruments with her melodic vocals with no interruptions. Unfortunately “The Army Inside” goes right back to Ferro opening the first verse and hitting you with some terribly flat vocals that will make you skip to the next track immediately. If you end up making it through this track you will run into a nice little guitar solo towards the end with notes that destroy the musical scale. But is this solo worth the pain?

For all of you R.E.M. fans out there, you’ll find that Lacuna Coil covered “Losing My Religion.” Scabbia sings all the verses and she does a great job as well. Sorry to disappoint you but Ferro does that catchiest part of the song, the chorus. His raspy whining completely destroys this song. You will never listen to that track the same ever again.

The only track that I would say to definitely listen to before you dismiss this album all together is the final track, entitled "My Spirit" The verses are sung by Ferro and it's terrible but that's not important. Get pass that and listen to the refrain. Scabbia's vocal performance is absolutely ravishing and stunning in every way. This track proves that Scabbia still has it even with all of the flashy lights and distracting fame that has been around her.

From the looks of things, it seems like the band has really forgotten about their original sound and what people really liked them for and instead focused to much on the fame and attention that they’ve been getting. If it weren’t for Scabbia looking as good as she does, no one would want to listen to this band any more. They let Ferro do way too much singing in this album and it hurt them. I really hope that the band wakes up soon and starts putting out that good old Lacuna sound that we once knew.

4/10

Official Site - http://www.lacunacoil.it/
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/lacunacoil

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