Youth Code - Commitment to Complications (2016)

Youth Code is a young duo (Ryan George and Sara Taylor) from LA that manages to remind strongly EBM / industrial from the 90' while breathing fresh air into it with elements from punk / hardcore. Without guitars. Just synths and beats (Ryan George) and singing / screaming (Sara Taylor) but with a very live feel (they are touring a lot and you can hear it). The beats makes you wanna dance and pogo at the same time. The vocals are excellent, most of the time hardcore screaming with some more melodic parts as well. The overall result is really dynamic and vibrant. Commitment to Complications, released this year is their third release (after a demo and a first album, both really good).

Their website.

Gasmask Terrör - Chape de Plomb (2015)

Gasmask Terrör immediately sounds sharper and better than the usual D-beat punk, like it's more focused and more real. Also their more rocking side, pushing their music somewhere between Discharge and Zeke helps breathing some life and diversity in their songs. Their switch from singing in english to singing in french (they are from Bordeaux) is also very convincing I think, it's one element that makes it sounds more "real", more genuine. Their latest album Chape de Plomb, released last year, their third one (with also some Ep's since their start in 2004) is my favourite recent D-beat album, very enjoyable stuff.

Their BC page.

Seremonia - Pahuuden äänet (2016)

Among the psychedelic rock bands inspired by the 70' Seremonia is easily one of the best and one of the most original. Pahuuden äänet their new album, following the excellent Kristalliarkki (read my review HERE and the interview THERE) is another proof. You have the now usual sabbathian flavour but also some proto-punk driven by some MC5 like flame. But also 13th Floor Elevators like psychedelic weirdness and, more obscure, some vintage scandinavian prog / psych' / folk / fusion jazz influences. Add the female vocals in Finnish, top notch and inspired songwriting and musicianship and you have a very special and tasty mix. One you won't find anywhere else. Maybe after Kristalliarkki some surprise effect is lost but the quality remains. I'd say maybe on this one the trip is getting darker and has fewer free / prog rock experimentating. Go for it anyway!

The Soundcloud page.

Skáphe - Skáphe² (2016)

Skáphe² is the second album of Skáphe, a band founded in 2014 by Alex Poole from Philadelphia (USA) who also plays in Krieg. D.G. from Iceland who sings also in Mispyrming joined as vocalist since 2015. As expected with these guys Skáphe delivers black metal of the highest quality. It reminds a bit Deathspell Omega in that it dares into a songwriting leaving classical BM territory, Skáphe using it to create great nightmarish and darkly chaotic atmospheres. Blut Aus Nord also comes to mind for the dissonant guitar riffing. But the execution is more brutal and savage (although played with precision). This is in my opinion (and many people agree) one of the best black metal album released this year.

The Bandcamp page. 

Badbadnotgood & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul (2015)

Some hip-hop for a change. But of the classiest kind. Ghostface Killah holding the mic. with GZA he's probably the only one from The Wu Tang Clan to deliver everytime, without wrong moves. As usual he shows here, but without vulgar showing-off, how good he is as a MC. Badbadnotgood, an instrumental trio (drums, stand-up bass and guitar, a bit of strings here and there) of young guys is writing / playing the music, in a jazzy/ soul vein with a hip-hop beat. Mostly slow and smooth with enough groove and leaving all the space needed for Ghostface to do his thing. The music's faithfull to the Ghostface Killah universe, focused on his most classy and soulfull side. One of the few hip-hop album I enjoyed these last years (last Ghostface solo album, 36 seasons is good as well, but I think I prefer this one, with a more constant quality).

The Soundcloud page.