And yes,
there’s more new music for today. This time it’s Orange County grindcore
stalwarts, Phobia who have posted another fresh cut from their new album
Remnants of Filth, streaming over at Brooklyn Vegan. ‘Dementia Having Overdose’
sees the band on their usual searing form with a new line-up again with new
guitarist CC Loessin.
Remnants of
Filth is the band’s first LP in four years and is the follow-up to last year’s
split 7” with Abaddon Incarnate. Scott Hull is behind the desk for this album’s
production so needless to say with this line-up now steady that the cards all
seem to be falling into place for an impressive LP in Remnants of Filth. Have a listen HERE.
Sigur Rós have
released a second new song from their forthcoming record, Valtari. Last month
they released 'Ekki Múkk', a wondrous taster but this new song, ‘Varúð’ is even
more intensely beautiful where the band is exploring more vast string
arrangements, a feature which is supposedly to feature strongly throughout the
whole album. Stereogum are streaming the song now, which was debuted on BBC
Radio 6, and was recorded by a listener. Check it out HERE.
Today the
recently reunited Old Man Gloom linked this video on their Facebook, which is
posted on the Hydra Head Youtube. It’s a very vague and ambiguous 15 second
clip, constantly flashing the word NO. What does it mean? New material or is it
just a preview clip hyping their upcoming live shows?
Killswitch
Engage have made plenty of headlines in the first few months of 2012. Long-time
vocalist Howard Jones left the band after almost 10 years of service, and in
the following months the inevitable happened and original vocalist, Jesse
Leach, the lungs behind Alive of Just Breathing, re-joined the band. There’s a
poetic sense of coming full circle writing this. Next month marks the tenth
anniversary of Alive or Just Breathing, an important and influential record,
whichever way you slice it. Now, Jesse is back in the fold, and re-debuted with
the band live last weekend. It seems fitting that the tenth birthday of the
album is coupled with the return of Killswitch’s prodigal son.
As stated,
Alive or Just Breathing was, and is, an important record. It was an album that
kick-started the entire modern American metal wave of bands, like Unearth and
All That Remains, and while those bands have their own place, good, bad or
indifferent, there’s no comparison to Killswitch Engage. Prior to 2002, KSE had
released one album, the self-titled, on Ferret Records, as a four-piece. Adam D
was still on drums and it was the first time we truly heard the primal fierceness
of Jesse Leach, previous work with Corrin and Nothing Stays Gold just didn’t
hack it, but he came out of his shell on the self-titled. Listen to the raw and
primeval ‘Soilborn’ and the original recording of ‘Temple From Within’ for
proof.
2002
Born from
the ashes of Overcast and Aftershock, and the 90s hardcore scene of Boston in general, Killswitch drew all these influences into that record and when it came
time to record Alive or Just Breathing, these influences had multiplied with greater
measures of metal and even more melody. The Gothenburg melodic death metal of
At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames added another dimension to the
band. This started a new surge of metalcore, more so of what we know metalcore
to be now; of course, metalcore existed long before that. Alive or Just
Breathing on the other hand started a whole new chapter, both loved and
maligned.
I have my
own personal affinity for this record. I was 11 years old when it came out,
pretty young I feel for being exposed to it. It was by accident that I saw the
video for ‘My Last Serenade’, arguably the album’s centrepiece, and it blew me
away. I was just getting into metal, and very slowly getting into it at that,
having only just bought my first Metallica and Iron Maiden albums as well as
some other albums that I just can’t bring myself to admit to having bought. But
I had never heard anything like ‘My Last Serenade’ before, of course I hadn’t.
At the time, I found it difficult to comprehend the emotion and raw beauty
behind Jesse’s voice in the chorus and as for his crushing bark in the verses,
well that was completely new to me.
2012
Several
months passed and I finally bought the CD – Alive or Just Breathing. First off,
the title grabbed me. It had so many connotations for my wee mind, what did it
truly mean? And when I put that CD into my stereo and the intro of ‘Numbered
Days’ kicked in, something definitely clicked with me. Again, I’d never heard
anything like this before. It was heavier than anything I knew of and most
importantly, impassioned – both in the melodic riffs and Jesse’s affecting
vocals.
‘Just Barely
Breathing’ is one of those goosebumps moments, an experience repeated
throughout the record. ‘The Element of One’ is by far the album’s most melodic
number and laid some groundwork for tracks in the future like ‘The End of
Heartache’ and ‘The Arms of Sorrow’. While songs like ‘Temple from the Within’ and
‘Rise Inside’ recalled their aggressive side back into the fray.
A lot has
happened since Alive or Just Breathing came out. Jesse left the band, Howard
Jones came in and stayed for nearly 10 years, and for three albums, the first
of which being The End of Heartache, arguably as stunning as Alive or Just
Breathing, and now Jesse is back. AOJB spawned a million and one copycat bands,
all under the metalcore banner, a subgenre that has since meandered into
atrocious and abysmal territory. Like any new movement, it has its resilient
ones and some bands remain and others were a flash in the pan. Killswitch
Engage, who formed in 1999, remain and while the direction they’ve gone since
The End of Heartache has divided fans, their influence and importance remains
intact. It’s difficult to imagine how modern metal would have been moulded in
their absence. Ten years on from their breakthrough moment, the band is
rejuvenated and must assert once again that importance with their sixth album.
Several months ago, before any news of Howard’s departure, I posted an entry
here stating that Killswitch need to make a darker, more abrasive, edgier album
than ever before, and I firmly believe that they’ll go that way. The clips of last
weekend where they played their first show back with Jesse Leach, fittingly at
The New England Metal & Hardcore fest, showed a raw energy not seen from
them for some time.
Gojira’s new
album, L’enfant Sauvage is one of the most hotly anticipated of the year and
while the record won’t land until June, you can stream the title track of the
album now, thanks to Pitchfork. The song, which is
indicative of the album as a whole, is a flurry of riffage, the kind that is
instantly synonymous with Gojira and Joe Duplantier is vocally on fire. Wrap
your head around ‘L’enfant Sauvage’, it’ll sate your appetite until the album
arrives.
AntitheticRecords’ latest foray into the cosmic realms of black metal has led us to the
ambiguously named The Great Old Ones. It may not come as a shock that their
debut record Al Azif marks another captivating chapter in the tale of French
black metal. Talk about a country truly delivering the awe-inspiring BM goods
in recent years, and The Great Old Ones simply begins the opening of another
chapter is this captivating tale.
Exploring
concepts related to the writing of HP Lovecraft, his “cosmic horror” has
clearly had a profound impact on how these Frenchmen explore sound, as Al Azif
is, if anything, a cosmic journey, taking in worlds of emotion and fascination.
The works of Lovecraft are certainly nothing new to metal, having been explored
thematically before, but The Great Old Ones have a sound so vast, so dramatic in
itself that the themes are somewhat secondary to the lush execution of the
music itself.
Clearly
inflected with elements of post rock and vast ambient soundscapes, The Great
Old Ones occupy a vein not a million lightyears away from Altar of Plagues and
Fen. Al Azif is totally individual though. There’s a rich melody that flows
throughout and when it collides with the fierce shrieks and unrelenting blasts,
it’s a blend that truly makes this album. Al Azif has so much to take in like
the album centrepiece, 'Jonas' – a nine minute towering opus.
Much like
the whole album, it strikes a balance between the exhilarating and the depressive.
Al Azif has its moments of despondency but in equal measures it is combated
defiant melodic crescendos. This is a black metal album that will drag you back
and forth.
The title
track, which is the opening chapter of this cosmic tale, sets such an imposing
tone straight away. It’s this powerful atmosphere that reveals to you
immediately that Al Azif is indeed something special. With a suitably slick and
pristine production, this album simply sounds vast and beautifully airy and
ethereal. France’s black metal elite may very well have to make another seat
available at their roundtable for The Great Old Ones. While Al Azif is only the
band’s debut, it still resonates with an enlightened air and what this band do
next should be watched with an intrigued and attentive eye.
Floridian
grinders Cellgraft have posted a new song from their forthcoming new LP, their first full-length. The
track is called ‘Conduit Conversion’ and can be streamed below. It’s 41 seconds
long, no surprise there, and it’s brutal grinding at its finest. I really enjoy
everything this band has done, and their last release, a split 7” with
Drainland, re-affirmed that so this LP should be one of the grind highlights of
the year.
Scroll down for updates
Roadrunner
Records UK, the offices and HQ of the label’s European operations is to shut
its doors. One can assume the move is down to financial losses, but closing the
entire headquarters for Europe is quite a huge move. Roadrunner was partially acquired
by Warner Music in recent years, eventually leading to a complete takeover.
Warner appear to be cutting costs but the news still comes as a shock,
especially on the same day that the label announced a partnership with Irish
company Owjo for its Sign Me To Roadrunner site. HERE are more details on that.
There are no figures yet on how many people have lost their jobs or how many
have been relocated within Warner. Some of Roadrunner’s bands have been chiming
in on Twitter about the news. Trivium’s Matt Heafy has been vocal about it this
evening, see below. This blog post will be updated once more news comes in.
UPDATE: According to Lambgoat, Roadrunner is also closing its Canada offices in further cost cutting measures.
UPDATE 2: Cees Wessels, the founder of Roadrunner Records, has stepped down as CEO of the label and 16 staff have been let go from the US offices, so these cutbacks are hitting Roadrunner worldwide (Report from Billboard). It's definitely sad to see Wessels, the man who was there from the beginning leave. It's believed (according to Metal Sucks) that many of the tasks, once run by Roadrunner staff that have been let go, have been transferred to Warner Music staff.
Swedish
crust band, and Southern Lord’s latest signing in the field, Martyrdöd will release their first album with the label
next month called Paranoia. Right now they’re streaming a new song for your enjoyment
– ‘Köttberg’ on Pitchfork. Of course
the track is a hectic maelstrom of d-beat fury, with caustic vocals and searing
metallic riffs along with some breakneck lead playing. Paranoia comes out May
22nd. Click HERE to listen to the song.
A quick
reminder to pick up the new issue of Molten, with Rammstein on the cover.
Inside you’ll find my two cents on the new Meshuggah album as well as reviews
of new albums from Wodensthrone, OSI, The Wretched End and much more. On the
live review front there’s Alcest, Suffocation and Rammstein. Get it now!
So members
of Isis and Circle have a new hardcore band, Split Cranium. But is it any good
or just an indulgent side project? Click HERE for the review.
At long
bloody last! We can hear a full Storm Corrosion song. To say this project has
been highly anticipated would be the understatement of the century. The
collaboration between Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson has been in the making
for over ten years, but what does it sound like? Well, it doesn’t take anything
explicitly from the sounds of Porcupine Tree or Opeth, but is rather a unique
sound inflected with flourishes of the men’s respective bands. There are no
drums, there are no riffs, Storm Corrosion’s first song ‘Drag Ropes’ is a ten
minute atmospheric soundscape journey. There are delicate guitar lines and
faint percussion, and of course Mikael and Steven’s delicate soothing vocals,
all of which build methodically in captivating tension. The two have clearly
taken much inspiration from the ambient sides of their love of 70s prog and
there are even some sparse sounding atmospherics that are oddly reminiscent of moments on
the last maudlin of the Well album, Part The Second. What happens on Storm
Corrosion’s album, out on May 8th, is anyone’s guess at this stage.
Secondly,
the animated video is stunning piece of work, directed by Jessica Cope.
Entangled in the song is a concept of lost love, taken away in some rather
twisted circumstances, all of which is revealed in the 10 minute video you can
watch below. The music and visuals very much complement each other to superb
effect.
Over the
weekend, Australia’s Woods of Desolation confirmed some details for a
forthcoming EP this year and a notable guest appearance to boot. Drummer, Vlad
of Ukrainian black metal pagans Drudkh, and also Old Silver Key, will play
guest drums on the as-yet-untitled EP. Here are the details released via the
Woods of Desolation Facebook:
“Secretly planned for some time, I can now
confirm the next Woods of Desolation chapter shall be a very special,
conceptual EP featuring guest drums performed by Vlad of Drudkh/Old Silver Key!
Further news and info will follow when it is available, until then, please
spread the word and get ready!”
Pipe Dreams
is the first album from Californian shoegazers Whirr, featuring Deafheaven’s
Nick Bassett. The dreamy rock outfit has crafted a sublime debut full-length on
Pipe Dreams. Click HERE for the review.
Well, don’t
I feel silly. I was at The Siege of Limerick two weeks ago and didn’t see ZOM,
due to catching some bands on the other stage. I didn’t feel bad at the time;
I’ve seen ZOM a handful of dozens of millions of times now, even seeing them
just the weekend prior at Dublin Day of Death. There they played with some
ripping new stuff, and did so again at The Siege. The new material sounds
immense, viciously immense of course, and now there’s a video of one such new
song, ‘Ethereal Frost’, performed at The Siege. As far as I know, the band is planning
a 7” for their next release, which will be the follow-up to their demo cassette
released late last year.
Swedish post
metal band, In the Hearts of Emperors have posted a very brief teaser clip for the
forthcoming split LP with Russia’s Reka. The one minute and a half long clip
plays with some bare acoustic guitars and once again utilises some spoken word
passages. Last year the band gave us their debut release in the shape of a split
LP with Downfall of Gaia. A storming release, from both sides, In the Hearts of
Emperors laid down some impressive foundations for the future. Watch the clip
below and click HERE to listen to their side of the Downfall of Gaia split.
One of
Swedish crust’s finest Wolfbrigade are back with a new LP – Damned, their first
with Southern Lord. Frankly, they aren’t missing a step and the record is a
thrashing d-beat massacre. Click HERE for the review now.
Justin K.
Broadrick has done it again and started another new project. That’s about 597,142
now, I think. Releasing his new electronic album under the pseudonym JK Flesh,
Posthuman already this year, the Birmingham extreme metal legend has just
released a new album with Valley of Fear, a collaborative project with Matthew
Bower and Samantha Davies, better known as Skullflower.
‘Serpent’s
Trail’ is the first salvo of the new self-titled album that you can listen to below. Inexorably
rooted in noise, the track opens with a wave of caustic distortion before the
semblances of drums become audible, followed by crunchy guitar soundscapes,
which build and build in intensity. Sans vocals, Valley of Fear appears to be another
Broadrick project where he explores the fine lines between music and noise.
Almost in a
rather quiet fashion, entirely unlike their music, Behold… The Arctopus
returned yesterday with a new song posted online. While Colin Marston isn’t
working on the new Gorguts and Dysrhythmia albums or producing whatever other
deadly shit he’s working on these days, the man has somehow managed to revive
his schizophrenic tech metal side project and presumably, a new album isn’t too
far off. The song is taken from the album title Horrorscension and the Bandcamp
page gives a December 12th release date. Surely that’s not right? Anyway,
listen to these three and half minute hail of technical dissonance below.
Sometimes
the joy of a split is found in bringing together two bands that sonically
differ but still share an aesthetical understanding. Latvian dark shoegazers
Sun Devoured Earth and the UK’s depressive rock outfit Wounder, with dabbles of
black metal, have created one such instance. The former muscle large, imposing
walls of sound; yes, it’s a clichéd description at this stage but true. The
latter on the other hand, as “depressive” would hint, delve into the murkiest
depths.
Despite
those differences the bands still revolve their aural aesthetics around bleak,
melancholic atmosphere. Sun Devoured Earth create harsh dirges, festering with
gloom. It’s a sound that is by no means new, rather treading in familiar realms
but still managing to keep their side of the split interesting in some ways.
First track
proper, ‘How Hard We’ve Tried’ captures the essence of the band with spectral
vocals that at time can almost be inaudible, lost in the wash of atmospherics,
which is contrasted by the faint post-punk of ‘Bright Days’.
Wounder on
the other side serve equal levels of palpable dejection. Vocally, they’re quite
similar to Sun Devoured Earth and there are moments that recall Mortifera in
their slow harrowing waves of guitars but so often the harsh noisy moments scream
out for some intense searing BM-esque screeches and wails to pierce through the
eerie melodic soundscapes. Instead, the
monotonous clean vocals can become dreary, and not in the oh-so-right sense
that a release like this aims for. This is heard on the drab side opener of ‘Leave
Me Swinging’.
Instrumental,
‘Filth’ has more of the palpable energy and intensity that we yearn for with
towering guitars and unremitting drum hammering that soon descend into some
beautifully hypnotic and serene passages. ‘Cleaner’ then is another rich
instrumental track, dripping with despondency, it’s around now it becomes
rather clear that this band’s greatest strength is conjuring evocative
soundscapes, sans vocals. End of My Days further proves this, bringing their
side to a close.
This is a
split with some merit to be found but both bands have their flaws too. However,
what they do with their future respective releases may be expanded upon, with
the foundations laid here.
Latest
Neurot Recordings’ signing Ides of Gemini will release their debut album,
Constantinople next month. The “dream doom” trio’s effort is wholly impressive one to
start so click HERE for the full review.
The seventh
instalment of the biannual Siege of Limerick has been, unsurprisingly, a
resounding success. With a bill that featured some of the finest Irish bands
from each corner of the island, including a stunning set from Shardborne,
possibly their best yet, From the Bogs of Aughiska providing something
genuinely different during the day and Rites totally delivering the sludgy
goods as well as Germany’s Valborg delighting with their progged out death/doom.
All of that pales in comparison though to the headliners – Altar of Plagues,
the Siege’s biggest headliners yet.
The Cork
post black metal outfit have truly earned the enigmatic status that they
currently enjoy, all galvanised by last year’s lauded Mammal record. With a set
spanning over an hour, the band straight away captivate all on hand when the
solemn opening of 'Neptune Is Dead' begins to enter. Launching into the hypnotic
blastbeats and corrosive, pained vocals, the 18 minute oeuvre is a sight and
sound to behold.
Followed by
'Earth: I As A Womb' and 'II: As A Furnace', the band take us back to their jaw
dropping White Tomb record. Dave Condon and James O’Ceallaigh’s vocals sound
utterly revolting, their vitriol is just palpable, complemented by drummer
Johnny King holding down a relentless barrage of blasts. His performance is
near flawless, despite being lost behind a smog of lights and stage smoke that completely
hide the drum kit from view.
Finally,
it’s the lush 'Feather & Bone', which eventually breaks into something of an
improv towards the song’s end, Dave Condon takes the mic away from the stand
and with it being difficult to see with all smoke, creates a some harsh noise
with what looks like a beer can placed to the mic. Meanwhile, James discards
his guitar to take up an extra floor tom to add more to the tribal drums already
reverberating around Dolan’s. To call it a dramatic close is quite the
understatement.
Agonisingly,
Altar of Plagues so rarely play their own country these days, this being their
first Irish show in nearly two years. With the success of this absolutely
captivating set, hopefully that will change. It needs to. And finally, The
Siege of Limerick continues to grow and grow and bigger things must surely be
around the corner for the eighth edition in October.
And here's some rough footage someone took of 'Earth: I As A Womb'.
Texan sludge
grinders Mammoth Grinder, who have perhaps the most apt band name ever, are set
to release a new three-track 7” In & Out / See Me Hang, and have posted the
three songs online now for your consumption, including a cover of Amebix’s
‘Arise!’. The two new cuts are, as expected, brutal slabs of belligerence,
taking in the band’s elements of grind, death metal and hardcore. As for the
Amebix cover, well you can be the judge of that one… Have a listen to the three
tracks below.
Torche are
back. Praise the lord. New album, Harmonicraft is, of course, a fun record to
say the least. So click HERE for all the details in the full review.
Needless to say, this interview was an honour. It's another one of the legends I tick off my list, as I had the chance to interview one Mr. Dave Chandler of Saint Vitus recently and the interview is online now for your reading pleasure. Click right HERE to check it out.
Yeah right
HERE – $730, which is what the bid is at currently (as of 9.45pm), about €556,
and there’s been 35 bids so far and five days to go. Ridiculous eBay auctions for
records aren’t rare, but this was something I stumbled across earlier today and
was quite taken aback by it. Record collecting can bring out the audacity of
some sellers, but of course the bigger fools are those that actually buy the
stuff. As the saying goes, if someone’s willing to buy it, someone’s willing to
charge for it.
This is the
first pressing of Mayhem’s 1987 EP, Deathcrush, a rather monumental release for
black metal. This pressing was handled by the label Posercorpse, and has an original run
of 1,000. Obviously, it’s used with the cover showing “some wear”.
I’ve hunted
down a few ‘rare’ or out of print records but I could never really see the
point in shelling out this much money
for a record, nor have I understood how some (very few obviously) won’t settle
for anything other than a first pressing. Of course, different strokes for diffent folk, I guess.
But this Mayhem auction has me wondering is it really worth that much money?
Perhaps I don’t know enough about pricing and valuing records, but it strikes
me as far too much. Granted, Deathcrush is a benchmark. If I had somehow been
in Norway in 1987 and picked up a copy, I would definitely hold onto it for
sentimental value, but paying nearly $600 for a second hand copy?
But back to
the question, is this record worth that much? Weigh in below and correct me if
I’m wrong. Check out the auction HERE.
Wolfbrigade
just can’t seem to stop with the new songs. The Swedish crust bosses have
posted a third taster track from their new album, Damned. ‘Ride The Steel’ is a
furious number to say the least, and steps up the game even further following
the two previous tracks. This tune is a longer number than the others and shows
the other side of Wolfbrigade, all the while still bludgeoning with powerful vigour
as always. Check out the other two songs – ‘Feed the Flames’ and ‘Peace of Mind’. Check out 'Ride the Steel' HERE.
Pennsylvania’s
New Miseries are planning the release of new EP, I, Imperfect, shortly and have
posted a new song online called ‘My Ruin’. Haunted by the ghosts of Converge
and early Shai Hulud, these hardcore beasts seem set to drop a serious
follow-up to 2010’s demo, I Am Without Me. At 2.42 minutes, the song is fury
incarnate with all the hostile belligerence that you expect from this band.
Mastodon and
Feist will release a split 7” on Record Store Day, April 21st. Mastodon will
cover Feist’s ‘A Commotion’ while Feist will try their hand at ‘Black Tongue’.
Check out the artwork below, this will be an extremely limited run, only
available in participating record stores, and will definitely be one to pick up
for collectors. Tower Records in Dublin are participating and may have copies.
HERE is a full list of stores in Ireland.
At long
last, Gojira will be releasing their new album, L’Enfant Sauvage on June 24th,
and below is the seven minute studio footage teaser of the band recording the
album. The clip provides myriad snippets of riffs, drums and vocals to whet
your appetite. The album, which translates as The Wild Child, is the long
overdue follow-up to 2008’s The Way of All Flesh, and will be the band’s first
record with Roadrunner. The band were due to release an EP, with funds going to
Sea Shepherd, as far back as late 2010, and for reasons still somewhat unknown
that never happened save for the song, 'Of Blood and Salt' released, featuring
Devin Townsend and Fredrik Thordendal. Needless to say, anticipation for this
new record is high and after touring extensively with Metallica and now being
signed to the biggest rock label in the world, it seems like Gojira are set for
the stratosphere.
One of
Neurot Recordings’ latest signings, Ides of Gemini have a new song, ‘Starless
Midnight’ streaming now via Pitchfork HERE, taken from their debut full-length album,
Constantinople. The band’s ethereal “dream doom” is a sound to behold with
vocalist Sera Timms truly the focus of the band’s hypnotic music with her dense
and captivating vocals. Constantinople will be released next month via Neurot
and there’ll be the full record review very soon, so keep an eye out for that.
Agalloch
have finished recording a new EP entitled Faustian Echoes. The effort is one
twenty minute track, which is “colossal” according to band. The band hasn’t confirmed
any released date yet, but Aesop Dekker’s been updating his Twitter with some
scant details, saying “extremely proud of this one”, so keep an eye on it as he
may reveal more details. The EP is the follow-up to 2010’s highly esteemed
Marrow of the Spirit.
OM will
return this June with their new record, Advaitic Songs in July, the follow-up
to 2009’s glorious experience God is Good. The duo of bassist Al Cisneros and
drummer Emil Amos will release the five song effort through Drag City, presumably
furthering the band’s utterly hypnotic, meandering and meditative doom elegies.
Advaitic Songs will be Amos’ second record with OM following the departure of
long time drummer, and Sleep drummer, Chris Haikus. Check out the artwork
below.
Pelican have returned with a new EP, Ataraxia/Taraxis. It's a very short effort that re-introduces the band after 2009's What We All Come To Need. Click HERE for the review.
Ihsahn’s new
album will be called Eremita and will be released June 18th through
Candlelight. The album’s artwork can be seen below and Amazon are streaming
some brief samples from the record HERE. Some saxophone can be heard so it is
safe to presume that Shining’s Jorgen Munkeby is once again on board and a
guest spot from Jeff Loomis has already been confirmed. Ihsahn concluded his
trilogy of album, The Adversary, angL, and After in 2010 in simply stunning fashion
so it’s under much anticipation as to where he goes next.
The samples
given elude to some more heavy melodic elements heard on some clean singing on
the snippet of ‘Something Out There’ while ‘Catharsis’ has harrowing, somewhat
doomed-out passages with utterly pained vocals from Ihsahn.
As always,
Devin Townsend is keeping busy and working on next record, Epicloud. He’s been
teasing details regularly on this Twitter and finally we have something a
little more substantial to sink our teeth into. It’s not a full new song but
rather an acoustic version of a song that will be featured on Epicloud. ‘Back
Where We Belong’ was recorded an intimate acoustic gig in Ottawa. Substantial
details on Epicloud are still scant for the time being but Dev appears to be
aiming for a September/October release.
British
black metallers recently started work on their new album, Consequence, the
follow-up to last year’s impressive outing, Epoch. The band posted this new
clip to YouTube from a studio rehearsal of the new album’s title track. For
such a recording, the quality is rather good and avoids any muddled trappings
so you can really hear what the band is working on for this next record.