Gendo Ikari / Droves - split (2017)

This grind split is as good as its cover art is shitty. Yes, it's really good! Last year Gendo Ikari first release "Unit 1" impressed me (my review HERE), and their side on this split maintain the quality, furious uncompromising and straight to the point grind. I'm discovering Droves (another scottish band)  with this split and I'm glad I did because they're also really good. Both bands remind me a bit Brutal Truth for their feel of out of control brutality but Droves also because of the wild rock'n'roll/punk groove it has (whereas Gendo Ikari is probably the heavier of the two). This split is ten minutes of excellent grind. Go for it!

The BC page.

Pain Tank - 97,901,726 Confirmed Kills (2017)

97,901,726 Confirmed Kills is the first album from Pain Tank (from Whashington DC). Their metallic hardcore sounds really abrasive and hostile, with a bit of death/grind (more the vocals than the speed, with a singer that does a good job in making you believe he's screaming for his life with a knife on his throat. also the songs are simple and short, going directly to the point) and a bit of noise rock / sludge, for the slower parts, the raw sound and the bass really put forward in the mix. Their music is not very far from the nowadays so trendy blackened hardcore sludge stuff, but somehow (I'd say wih the vocals and the bass mostly, and also the grind attitude) they manage to sound different. Well done and a good listen for when you're pissed off. I'll be following their next releases.

The BC page.

Archspire - Relentless Mutation (2017)

Yes, with this one I dared into territories unusual for me, I'm definitely more used to old school stuff. Yes, we're talking about death metal here. I suppose the cover art made me try this one, and I had a good surprise since the music is as good and crazy as the cover art. Relentless Mutation is the second album from Archspire and it's better on every level than their first one (which was good already), Relentless Mutation is a bit less fast and brutal, but with a better songwriting with more balance between the speed (still hyperblast speed), the brutal groove and the melody. Also there's a greater attention to details, with a more "progressive" result. The melodic guitar parts are more fusion jazz style but never cheesy. The drumming is still very fast but less relentlessly, giving more contrast and diversity to the songs.  But what impress me the most is maybe the excellent flow of the vocalist, especially good in the fast parts. If modern technical death is giving birth to more album of this quality I'd be pleased to give it more of my time. I really found this one surprisingly good and enjoyable.

The BC page.

Godflesh - Post Self (2017)

Post Self is the new strong addition to the Godflesh discography. After a more heavy and with a more metallic sound  one with A World Lit Only By Fire Godflesh is going back to its more usual sound and we even find on Post Self some of its most "ambient" tracks, with the most post-punk feel, especially at the end of the album, while the first tracks are the more guitar heavy ones. I'd say Post Self is a well balanced and good Godflesh album with a distinct atmosphere while staying very faihfull to the Godflesh sound.

The Bandcamp page.

Chepang - Dadhelo (2017)

Chepang impressed last year wih their first album, and now, with Dadhelo, on Nerve Altar again,they prove they're not one of those band who cannot equal their first release. Their ferocious modern grind is still of a very high quality and really effective, with a technical twist that put them often closer to Maruta than to Napalm Death, and some bits of chaotic noise hardcore for good measure. Short and condensed tracks with a high impact and enough changes to keep you listening and coming back to it. serious stuff...

The BC page.

Trenchgrinder - Peace is Forfeit (2017)

Trenchgrinder got the power of old school metal and you will love it. Peace is Forfeit is their first album (firs demo in 2011), they are from New York, BK, their singer sings also in Anicon (so yes black metal style vocals) and their drummer is also in Skullshiter and Mutant Supremacy. What they do is old school Thrash/death with a Bolt Thrower / war metal groove. And they are really good at it. Epic riffing and powerfull drumming. Good stuff.

The BC page.

Burning Tree - Ossuary Light (2017)

Four years after their excellent Lammergyer album, Norwegian free jazz duo (drums / sax) Burning Tree unleash a new one called Ossuary Light, still wih Utech Records. Another treasure. Their relentless and noisy kind of free jazz is not for everyone's ears but I love it. For people into Dead Neanderthals, the wildest moments of John Zorn's Masada, the latest Coltrane, and actually just anyone who likes extreme sonic assults. That kind of intensity, violent and trippy, fast and deep, is rarely matched.

The BC page.

Converge - The Dusk in Us (2017)

Never been that much into metal hardcore but I always enjoyed Converge, they are above the other bands. What about their new album The Dusk in Us ? It's in the vein of the previous one, All We Love We Leave Behind, which is not bad since it was a really good album. As usual there's good fast raging songs (like the two first ones) and also a few longer, slower more melodic ones. two songs this time, I really like the first one The Dusk in Us , whereas I'm less convinced by the other slow one Thousands of Miles Beetween Us. So we have some new additions to their already long list of excellent songs, and overall an enjoyable album. Nothing really new but they stay at their high level of quality.

The BC page.

JK Flesh - Suicide Estate Antibiotic Armageddon (2017)

Suicide Estate Antibiotic Armageddon is the reunion of two cassettes released last year by JK Flesh (Justin Broadrick). Compared to the more linear and techno (with noise and D& B elements) Rise above, also last year, I feel SEAA is closer to the older Broadrick sound, heavier, more dub and industrial noise. Excellent tracks.

The BC page. 

Anthropic - Anthropic (EP 2017)

Anthropic is the EP and first release of he band Anthropic, from Buffalo NY, I discovered his one mainly by chance (wandering on Bandcamp) and I'm glad I did because i's really excellent and I could listen to it all day long.  Fifteen minutes for seven tracks of old school death-grind (think Repulsion or Terrorizer), relentless but dynamic and with a raw production that adds to the impact. If you're into this kind of stuff it's a really enjoyable release.

The BC page.

Million Brazilians - New Ideas in Psychic Music (2009)

New Ideas in Psychic Music is a tape from Porland's kraut/psych/free jazz band Million Brazilians. As you could guess they like to experiment and their releases could be quite different one from the other. On those two songs they sound a bit like Can with some sax playing from Albert Ayler. Which is cool. Good stuff!

their BC page.   

The Body & Full of Hell - Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light (2017)

Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light is the new collaborative album from The Body and Full of Hell. I don' really know how they worked together, but like their previous collaboration it sounds more like The Body featuring Full of Hell here and there and most of the time it could pass by something from The Body alone. I still wonder what is the point of collaborating with a noisegrind band if you end up with only thirty seconds of blast beats on the album. That being said I won't complain much because the album is awesome and among he best The Body released. On this one their industrial doom / power electronics is surprising, daring, and heavy and noisy as fuck with some finely crafted touches of light, just enough to bring the perfect contrast. Easily one of my favourite albums released this year.

The BC page.

Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire (2015)

It took me some time to make up my mind about the bass/drum duo Lightning Bolt and their latest album, Fantasy Empire. Maybe it was because I had the idea Lightning Bolt is a mathcore band. Yes some elements of their music could be described as mathcore, but it's a much more complex animal. The raw power and energy they carry evokes hardcore but of course they don't have the straightforward side of hardcore. The fuzzy bass sound reminds noise rock or sometimes heavy psych rock when it gets a bit melodic and trippy. And the rhythmic complexity  could evoke math rock / mathcore but it sounds more loose and improvised, more live, so it's often more free rock than math rock. Well call it what you want to me it's a very dynamic and powerful album with a unique approach and sound, very cool stuff.

The BC page.

GALL - EP 2017

GALL is a noisegrind (they say powerviolence / noise) trio from Germany and they recently released this excellent EP with Nerve Altar. twelve tracks in ten minutes, vocals, drums, bass and noise. Simplicity for maximum impact. I really like the drumming and the fast parts, but the slower feedback drenched moments are good as well. I love discovering new bands like this one. Great stuff. I can't help listening to it several times in a row, and I suppose it could do the same to you. you've been warned...

The BC page.

Tricky - Ununiform (2017)

Tricky is a very versatile artist, touching and mixing different styles, different beats, blending rock and electro, using many different vocalist on his albums. On the same album you have tracks that can be very different and it's also different from one album to the other. The overall quality is very high but his career has many ups and downs. Lately it was about one good for one mediocre. Mixed race in 2010 was good, False Idols in 2013 is maybe its weakest, Adrian Thaws in 2014 is a good one, whereas Skilled Mechanics in 2016 wasn't very inspired. IS the new one Ununiform following the pattern? Yes hopefully it is and it is indeed a really good albums with few average tracks and some really strong ones. With his trademark dark and melancholic mood, the melodic female singing (the usuals Francesca Belmonte, Asia Argento, and even Martina Topley-Bird), the rappers (Scriptonite from Kazakhstan and Smoky Mo from Russia), well, it's another classic Tricky album, possibly the best since Blowback?

The Bandcamp page.

Leng Tch'e - Razor Grind (2017)

Razor Grind is the sixth album from Belgian band Leng Tch'e. They play a modern kind of grindcore, with a bit of death/grind and elements from modern hardcore and even a bit of beatdown / slam. But their major specificity is the inclusion of more melodic parts, especially with the vocals (although the majority of it is typical grind screaming), making it remind sometimes Cattle Decapitation, or even Vision of Disorder. I don't like every part in this album, but the diversity is a good thing and overall it's an interesting and enjoyable album with some surprises.

The BC page.

Ingurgitating Oblivion - Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light (2017)

I'm usually not that much in this kind of stuff and that's why I'm only now discovering Ingurgitating Oblivion, from Germany, with their third album Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light (on Willotip records). But I'm really glad I discovered it since this album is surprising and very enjoyable. We could say they play some kind of "progressive" death metal, with the more death metal elements, like on the first track, reminding a bit Ulcerate but with less density, more breathing space and melody, while they also includes some fusion jazz guitar playing, vibraphones and piano parts on their more progressive moments. And they do it without sounding ever cheesy, nor boring, it really adds another dimension to the music, an uncanny feel and epicness. Highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.     

Unsane - Sterilize (2017)

Unsane's 8th album, Sterilize sounds like a continuation of their previous ones, and is maybe even slightly better, which means it's really good and worthy of many many listen. All the typical Unsane elements are here and used to full effects, the very strong rhythmic section with heavy bass sound, those crawling serpentine riffs, and the anguished vocals. Don't really know what to add, it's Unsane... enough said...

Howls of Ebb / Khtoniiks Cerviiks (split 2017)

Howls of Ebb and Khtoniiks Cerviiks are easily among the best, more interesting and innovative recent death metal bands (their latest albums were on my favourite albums list for last year). So obviously this split beetween the two of them is more than welcome. It had to be done. and it does not disappoint. It brings the expected amount of chaotic free Deiphago meets Voivoid death metal madness highs. Excellency in expectedly unexpected forms. It's not just higly recommended it's mandatory.

The Bandcamp page.

Blame God - Strategically Confined (cs 2017)

Strategically Confined is a ten minutes cassette and the second release from the US grind band Blame God. Strategically Confined is not just really good, it's near perfect. The fast grind / crust parts are killer, high impact stuff, with great vocals and riffing and especially good drumming, while the slower parts are very good as well with some noise / feedback loving guitar playing that is really nice, reminding a bit some Napalm Death or even Godflesh stuff.  It's without any doubt one of the major grind release of the year and I'm impatient to hear more from Blame God (I''ve been listening to Strategically Confinded not just every day, but several times a day during the last weeks). Highly recommended!

The BC page.

Our Solar System - In Time (2016)

In Time is the third album from the Swedish prog/fusion/psych rock band Our Solar System, and I'd say it's their best. Two 20 minutes long tracks, mostly instrumental, different each from the other and both good. The first one, my favourite, is mostly sax and piano driven for the melodies, the sax playing a leading role, not just solos here and there. In the second track the guitar is the main melodic element. The album is of the quiet psychedelic kind, not buried under cosmic effects allover, but trippy anyway and the atmosphere created and the melodies are really enjoyable and not already heard countless times.  Good stuff.

The Bandcamp page 

Earthgrave - The Verge of Human Abyss (2017)

Seems this one went largely unnoticed bu i's a pity because his first album, The Verge of Human Abyss, from he German band Earthgrave is an excellent one. No originality to be found here but they do very well all that we like in sludge. They remind Crowbar but I'd say rawer and dirtier, less polished, wih the hardcore parts more hardcore and vocals closer to death metal. They master the sludge groove and flow from dirty doom to crushing hardcore nicely, making it a very enjoyable album. Ah the simple pleasures of life!

The Bandcamp page.

Broken English Club - The English Beach (2017)

Broken English Club's English Beach is not about holiday in Brighton, no, i's about Dungeness, a desertic place and the site of nuclear power stations. Knowing that it's no surprise he music is not made for beach parties and dancefloors. It's somewhere beetween EBM and industrial techno and it's a great exemple of how industrial music can blur the line beetween groovy and grim with it's bleak atmospheres with dark synth melodies and the cold heavy industrial beats. Very good stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Agathocles - Commence to Mince (2016)

If you know a bit about grind or crust you probably know Agathocles, the Belgian band formed in the eighties having done an incredible number of releases, especially splits, and more than a dozen of albums (they released nearly thirty releases in 2016 for exemple), but they're also well known because they're among the best grind / punk band, or mincecore as they say. Commence to mince is the album they released in 2016 (with Selfmadegod records) and it showcases perfectly the ability of the band to deliver all you want from a grind / punk band. Of course a discography so immense have some highs and lows, Commence to Mince is among the highs. Good stuff, keep going Agathocles!

The BC page. 

Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect - Canticle Bound in Spirit - The Faith in Vampyric Blood (demo 2017)

This new Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect demo (Canticle Bound in Spirit - The Faith in Vampyric Blood, released by Perverse Homage) is an interesting and exciting mix of traditionnal and raw black metal elements (the very low-fi production, the bestial vocals, the guitar sound, the creepy instrumentals) with some industrial beats that are at times bordering hardcore techno! The result is surprising and brutal. Could reminds a bit early Anaal Nathrakh but more lo-fi, raw and harsh.

The Bandcamp page.

Dead Neanderthals / Sly & The Family Drone - Molar Wrench (2017)

Dead Neanderthals on one hand and Sly & The Family Drone on the other are two excellent bands of experimenting noisefreaks that likes collaborating with other musicians, so it's no big surprise to hear them doing this album, called Molar Wrench, together. And in my opinion what they created is good beyond expectations. The reunited two bands forms a double drums / sax duo complemented with a guy from S&TFD adding more noise (effects). You could expect something going in all directions but in the end they makes a quite focused and condensed chaos. For the best results (something that could reminds both Peter Brotzmann and Aluk Todolo). The association of the screaming and thundering free jazz sax with the somewhat krautrock rhythm part in the first track is a good exemple of this and an exciting start for the album. The middle of the albums goes slower, heavier and noisier, and the last tracks end the album on a more quiet and subtle note. If you're into free / noise music this is an album you absolutely have to listen too. Heavily recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

Unaussprechllichen Kulten - Keziah LIlih Medea (2017)

Another excellent album by Chilean Unaussprechllichen Kulten, their fourth one Keziah Lilith Medea is a masterpiece in US style old school death metal, reminding a bit Morbid Angel for the evil and bizarre atmosphere and the way the brutality helps to build a strong epic and grandiose feel. On this one maybe what they perfected is the guitar leads and solos that are really fine while never at the expense of the heaviness and cohesion of the whole. I'll enjoy listening to this one many times, and I suppose anyone into US OSDM would do the same. 

The Bandcamp page.

Phobia - Lifeless God (2017)

26 years after its formation (and the return of Danny Walker on drums, Leon Del Muerte on bass, and Bruce Reeves on guitar), Phobia, from California doesn't show any sign of slowing down and the new album Lifeless God is as fast, heavy, relentless and angry as ever. Still in a grindpunk vein, with some mid tempo hardcore / crust but mostly blast-beats all over the place with a powerfull sound. but maybe there's a slight bit more diversity than on previous releases, with a wee bit of neocrust like melodies or punk soloing, with good results since it stays very brutal anyway and keep the nature of the band. I'd say it's a good Phobia album and a very intense slice of grindpunk.

The BC page.

Second Sun - Hopp​/​Förtvivlan (2015)

Very cool album, at the same time very classic and very special. On this first album called Hopp​/​Förtvivlan (don't ask me what does it means... but it does add to the magic), released two years ago (it's been two years I plan to review this one, go figure why it took me so long... pff) Second Sun, a swedish band with Tribulation drummer offer some classic heavy rock with touches of psychedelia. Very 70' inspired but not like all these retro-rock band. Because it's far better than most, and because it's not only classic but also very surprising, the singing in swedish plays a part in that, but there's also something else... maybe "just" great songwriting... great stuff anyway. Just try it and you won't regret.

The Bandcamp page.

Incantation - Profane Nexus (2017)

Incantation is one of the oldest death metal bands (starting in 1989), also one of the first to include slow paced death-doom parts. They are also one of the best, and with albums like Profane Nexus, their tenth one, this is not about to change. Old school death metal may have been long ago surpassed by modern death metal in terms of speed, heaviness and technical playing, but with such a mastery of the groove and atmosphere we found in Incantation's songwriting we are sure the old school will stay relevant for a while. Profane Nexus feature the best Incantation can do in excellent riffing and evoking a thick atmosphere of crawling evil, with a variety of rhythm, from blast-beats to mid-tempo to the slower funeral paced doom parts (like in the excellent and very funeral Incorporeal Despair for exemple). Profane Nexus is maybe even better than Dirges of Elysium (released in 2014, already a good album) and anyone into death metal will enjoy it.

The Bandcamp page.

ATILA - Body (2017)

Body is already ATILA's, sixth album, it's a very well crafted one, somewhere between dark ambient and minimal techno, with a sligh touch of dubstep. I'd say Body has less beats and bass than he previous album, V, it's more minimal / ambient. But it is no less dark and scary. Its subtle sinister mood would do very well for a ghost movie soundtrack. Good stuff again.

The Bandcamp page.

American - Violate and Control (2017)

Obviously associating black metal and industrial / noise music is a good idea, yet it's not that easy to do it properly. First American album, Coping With Loss, was a good album, but basically it was some good black metal with machine drum and two noise track. On their second album, Violate and Control, things get more interesting since in it the black metal and indus / noise mix sounds a lot more like a cohesive whole (although this time on some tracks we could say it's noise music with black metal bits...). They build a strong black and harsh atmosphere that explodes into some epic moments like in the excellent Amorous and Subdue in the middle of the album.

The Bandcamp page. 
 

Dying Fetus - Wrong One to Fuck With (2017)

Wrong One to Fuck With is the first Dying Fetus album since Destroy the Opposition to managed to grab my attention. Can't say exactly why but I'd say that i feel with this one they went straight to the point, wih a songwriing really focused on the key elements of the Dying Fetus style : catchy riffing and fast technical lead guitar combined with heavy breakdowns. On this album, maybe more than on the previous ones they kep it simple, the song are based on a few ideas and it helps making it more memorable  and puting aside the unnecessary. So even if you lost interest in DF in the last fifteen years I suggest you try this one, another really enjoyable album from Dying Fetus. Really nice!

The Bandcamp page.

Birdflesh / Organ Dealer split (2017)

This is a truly excellent deathgrind split album, two excellent bands, the veterans Birdflesh and newcomers Organ Dealer, each one playing a different kind of grind.

Birdflesh are on the old school side of deathgrind, in a Repulsion style. With memorable riffing and grooves aplenty. Highly enjoyable.

Organ Dealer are on the modern side of deathgrind, more dense, faster and sharper. Their songs here are similar in style and quality compared to heir excellent album Visceral Infection released wo years ago.

Both bands are excelling at what they do. A split highly recommended to anyone into grind.

The BC page.

Ex Eye - Ex Eye (2017)

Ex Eye is another exemple of a "supergroup" that is producing good results, with this first self-titled album (released by Relapse). The band is composed of the renowned forward-thinking saxophonist Colin Stetson (most known for his bass saxophone play), Greg Fox on drums (also in Liturgy, so yes there are some blast beats parts), Shazad Ismaily with synth (he also plays in Secret Chiefs 3) and Toby Sumerfield on guitar. Their music can't really fit in a genre category nor really sounds like some other bands. They produce some mysterious and quiet melodies wih a nice combination of the sax, synth and guitar, but they also bring some heavy grooves, especially with the good drumming, and the bass sax tones. Really good and interesting music.

The Bandcamp page.

Dephosphorus - Impossible Orbits (2017)

Impossible Orbits is the new album from Dephosphorus. Following two very ambitious and more "progressive" albums (the mysterious "Night Sky Transform", still my favourite one, and the double one "Ravenous Solemnity" that covered the wide spectrum of Dephosphorus music) Impossible Orbits sounds like a return to something more straightforward and less complex. You'll still find the different elements that makes the bands music (a mix of grind, black metal, Slayer and Neurosis we could say) and its uniqueness, but this time the focus is on the most aggressive side of the band personnality, more thrash/black/grind, shorter songs, less post-metal/atmospheric elements. Is it a successfull move? Well, it sure succeeds in making another great album, with many great moments and memorable songs, and even though the songwriting feels condensed and maybe simplified, still each song manages to have it's own specificity, like is usual with Dephosphorus. It also succeeds in making a different kind of album, avoiding repetition. Yet, even though I enjoy listening to Impossible Orbits, I think most of the times I'll prefer going back to their older stuff. Very worthy of your time anyway. excellent stuff again.

The Bandcamp page.

D.E.R - Rancor (2017)

Rancor is killer new stuff from D.E.R, released by Nerve Altar (which is now clearly one of the best label for grind). The band from Sao Paulo plays a very potent mix of old school grind (think Napalm Death or Blockheads) and vicious black / death metal. Very fast, relentless and intense (even for grind standards), with great riffing and a sound sharper than on their previous album. My only complain about this new release is that it's only ten minutes long. But when the music is so intense this is ok. Highly recommended stuff!

The BC page.

Skullflower - The Black Iron That Fell From The Sky, To Dwell Within (Bear It or Be It) (2017)

The Black Iron That Fell From The Sky, To Dwell Within (Bear It or Be It) is a new vinyl release from Skullflower (Matthew Bower and Samantha Davies) and it is an excellent one. The noise / psychedelic /drone duo (noise / drone made mostly with two guitars and a saturated synth) found a really good balance between the noisy element and the melodic one, the noise is quietly droning and trippy, also charged with a feel of anguish and terrible things coming, the melodic element is subtle and infusing a sense of mystery and exploration. Great stuff to get lost into it!

Warp Transmission - Tamám Shud (2015)

If you don't want to choose between tripping or rocking music and have both then Warp Transmission is a good pick. The band from Finland released two years ago a really cool album called Tamám Shud that is a nice mix of stoner / psychedelic / doom and garage rock, evoking bands like Monster Magnet or Electric Wizard as well as The Stooges. And their spaciest moments are as goods as their hardest rocking ones. Easily better than the average stoner band. Really enjoyable stuff.

Their Bandcamp page.

ps : one of the guys in WT is also in Sonic Poison, which old school grind evoking Repulsion is a really different stuff but is also excellent (HERE is my review).

Brainbombs - Inferno (2017)

Inferno is the new Brainbombs album and it sounds quite similar to their previous one, Souvenirs. And, honestly, since Souvenirs was so good and this one very good as well this is not a problem. Better another excellent similar album than a disappointing change... On this one their noise rock also favour dark and psychedelic (think bad trip, not flower power at all...) atmosphere more than direct aggression, they found again lots of memorable riffs, and of course they kept the use of trumpet (think more Miles Davis than clarion call fortunately), coupled with their usual monotonous nearly spoken word vocals with super bleak lyrics. Nothing new but another excellent Brainbombs album that I will listen to on a regular basis (as usual with Brainbombs it gets better after a few listen as the basis of the songs are more familiar and the hypnotic repetitive element works better while you keep on discovering new subtilities).

Expulsion - Nightmare Future (2017)

This first release from Expuslion (called Nightmare Future, on Relapse Records) is a very serious contender for best grind release in 2017, and will also please anyone into old-school death metal as well. With Matt Olivo (Repulsion) handling the guitar, Matt Harvey (Exhumed) doing the vocals and Danny Walker (Exhumed, Phobia) on drums, this is not really a surprise, but still, being a "supergroup" is not a guarantee and few succeeds as much in living up to the expectations. The 7 songs (in 14 minutes) are great and infectiously catchy, with great riffing and soloing, of course in a early grind-death vein, there's also excellent vocals from Harvey, with a great flow, with power, rhythm and groove. Truly excellent and highly pleasing!

The BC page.

Full of Hell - Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017)

Trumpeting Ecstasy (their new album released by Profound Lore records) is Full of Hell most convincing stuff. Or maybe it's because I love grind and that on this album there's less "blackened" hardcore and sludge and more death-grind, there's a lot of very good death-grind in it. Still a slight bit of noise elements, mostly on a track with female vocals. They still like having some diversity in their music and that's a good thing. A heavier and more straight forward and extreme album but also maybe more personnal, farther than their previous ones to generic blackened metal hardcore. This time I'm not thinking "they're ok, but...", this time I'm won, Trumpeting Ecstasy is indeed a really intense, interesting and enjoyable album. Really good stuff! 

The BC page.

Ecstatic Vision - Raw Rock Fury (2017)

The title of their new album, Raw Rock Fury (released by Relapse this year) is a good indication of the direction Ecstatic Vision took since their debut, more quiet, album, two years ago. The psychedelic elements, the spacey moments are definitely still present, but they added some garage rock that could remind The Stooges, saxophone included. The first album was really good, but adding a new side to their music is probably a good move, we'll see what they will do next, but for now Raw Rock Fury is a good surprise and an enjoyable album.

The Bandcamp page.

Gendo Ikari - Unit 1 (2016)

2016 was a good year for new grind bands and Gendo Ikari, from Scotland are another proof with their first release called Unit 1. Ten minutes (7 songs) of excellent grind, with a balance of chaos and groove that reminds me a bit Brutal Truth. Each track is really good, and with enough diversity in rhythms so that it grabs your attention from the start and never let you go. They seemed to have escaped many radars but that should be corrected and probably will be, because they are not only promising but already very strong. Highly recommended!

Their BC page.

Endon - Through the Mirror (2017)

You can trust the Japanese for being more radical, for exploring and pushing further the boundaries of the extremes. Endon evolves in the uneasy place between mathcore and noisegrind, a bit like a Dillinger Escape Plan becoming more extreme instead of more melodic. If you liked their shattering 2014 debut Mama, be assured that with their new album, Through the Mirror, they still are as wild as can be. The mood is maybe a bit lighter, slightly less horrific, while staying very intense and dark. Strong stuff!

The Bandcamp page.

The Bug - Concrete Desert (2017)

Concrete Desert is a collaboration between Kevin Martin (The Bug, Techno Animal, etc.) and Dylan Carlson (Earth) is released under the name The Bug and by the techno label Ninja Tune but actually it is closer to the most minimalistic Eath albums (like Hex), it sounds more like Dylan Carlson guitar drone / americana / ambient soundscape fearturing Kevin Martin adding some noise aelements and a few discreet beats. I would have liked more of the heavier dub / industrial elements from the Kev Martin musical world but anyway it is still a really good ambient album. I enjoy it like it is for now... but hope in the future another collaborative album, maybe this time with a different dosage.

The Bandcamp page.

Christian Mistress - To your Death (2015)

I should have reviewed this one earlier, but better late than never. This is the third album, called To your Death, from Christian Mistress, released in 2015 by Relapse, and it is indeed a flawless old school heavy metal album. It's style is somewhere between Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest, with great riffing, great songwriting and excellent female vocals. If you're into traditional heavy metal or even into hard rocking / heavy music in general there's just absolutely no reason you wouldn't enjoy listening to it many times.

The Bandcamp page.

Henry Kane - Den Förstörda Människans Rike (2017)

Henry Kane is the solo project of Jonny Pettersson (also in Wombbath amongst other bands). Den Förstörda Människans Rike is his first album as Henry Kane, and it's an excellent mix of Swedish old school death metal and grind. The typical sound, melodies and atmosphere of Swedish OSDM and the relentless speed, rhythms and intensity of grind. Of course it reminds Rotten Sound who are also doing this mix but Henry Kane is maybe less straightforward, with more diversity and melodic element. This is really cool stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Resonance Cascade / Järnbörd - Hyperakusi (split album 2017)

Hyperakusi is a good split album released by Wooaaargh, Downfall Records and Everydayhate featuring two Swedish bands, Järnbörd and Resonance Cascade. 

Järnbörd plays some excellent D-Beat / neocrust, nothing really new, but they are especially good at doing it and they avoid being too repetitive with a more subtle than usual songwriting. 

Resonance Cascade are harder and darker with their blackened hardcore / grind. I feel they often sound too generic, but it's also good stuff anyway.

If you're into the most aggressive side of hardcore or the punkier side of grind you'll probably like this split.

The BC page.

Violent Magic Orchestra - Catastrophic Anonymous (2016)

Violent Magic Orchestra is a very weird beast, don't get fooled by the fact their album Catastrophic Anonymous was released (in december 2016) by Throatruiner Records, it's completely different stuff. it's a band composed by the impredictable Japanese collective Vampilia, the French techno producer Paul Régimbeau (Mondkopf), and noise musician Pete Swanson (ex-Yellow Swans), with also vocal contributions by Chip King (The Body) and Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Sunno)))). The result could be loosely described as some kind of industrial black metal, with somewhat baroque melodic orchestration (coming from Vampilia I suppose). Most tracks are both really good and surprising  and it's a very interesting and enjoyable album. An exemple of a successfull collaboration and an excellently mastered first album (first together, not a first for each of them of course, all are experienced musicians). I hope they'll make some music together again. Recommended stuff!

The Bandcamp page.