Ragana - You Take Nothing (2017)

Ragana is a girl duo in Oakland coming from Olympia, You Take Nothing is their fourth album, a good blend of doom, screamo and black metal, good variations in styles and intensity, with calm moments with clean vocals, and screaming moments. Mixing these styles are quite trendy nowadays, but they do it differently, so the album sounds "fresh".
Good stuff.

The BC page.

Dead Sea Apes - Sixth Side Of The Pentagon (2017)

I just saw that Dead Sea Apes will release a new album next month, but for now I'm reviewing their latest one, released in 2017 Sixth Side Of The Pentagon. With this one the English instrumental psych rock trio followed the direction taken on the last track of the previous album ("Spectral Domain"), that is they translated their psych feel in a dark dub language. And the result is just excellent. While many psych rock bands of today are just recycling the sale tired clichés of the style, Dead Sea Apes are pusher it further, true to the innovative and experimenting dynamic psychedelic rock had at at its origin. And an album like this one shows how risk taking can be fully rewarded with artistic success. A really good album, interesting, deep and enjoyable. Highly recommended !

The BC page.

Cavernicular - Man's Place in Nature (2017)

I'm happy Cavernicular released a solid following to their first album really good released in 2016. In Man's Place in Nature the powerviolence / grind of the Italian band kept it's straight to the point power. The two vocalist (hardcore yells/ death metal grunts) are still doing a good job. Another album that's really recommended if youre into this kind of music.

The BC page.

Symbolic Death - Negative Leader (2017)

Negative leader is the first LP of french producer Symbolic death. Five tracks of really good dark hardcore techno, simple but classy and efficient. Good beats, snare drums and synths, good dark industrial atmosphere. Good stuff.

The BC page.

S.B.S.M - Leave your Body (EP 2018)

So my first review of a 2018 release will be the new EP from S.B.S.M called "Leave your Body". An excellent start for the new year if you ask me. It's their fourth EP, time for a longer release now, please! anyway, most important is that they maintain the quality of their music, and they do! They kept the nice wild no-wave feel while their music is getting harder, sounding on those four tracks even more like a punk/hardcore meeting industrial/noise mix, reminding a bit Youth Code (with also a girl screaming) but less EBM and more noise, rawer and dirtier.
Great stuff again from S.B.S.M, highly recommended !

The BC page

 ps : looks like they share one or two members with Ragana. Expect a review of Ragana latest album, it's really good as well, in a different style.

Gowl - On our Feet or on our Knees (2017)

The mighty Gowl are back with an awesome cassette called On our Feet or on our Knees. Their noisegrind is maybe less chaotic than it had been but it gained in heavy crawling groove and the songwriting still escapes the usual clichés. They managed again to make one of the best grind release of the year (2017 this time). And don't miss the track in the middle with the spooky horror movie style synths/sample part, it's usually boring but they succeeded in making it a highlight of the album (although there's no weak part it's all killer from beginning to end).
Awesome stuff even if you're not a grind maniac (well, I suppose, I'm a grind maniac myself!).

The BC page.

Interview : Hüsmanskost

Since I started Blasting Days six years ago (yes!) I posted more than a hundred interviews but last one was more than a year ago. But I'm pleased to tell you that  interviews are back on the blog (maybe on a monthly basis?), starting with this one with the excellent grind band Hüsmanskost (see my review of their new album just in the post below, HERE).
Here it is :

- Can you go back to the origin of the band and tell us how it happened? what was he project at the start and how have you evolved since the beginning of the band?

Well, the year was 2015, I felt burnt out... I needed something fresh. So I heard about this young drummer, experienced as a punk drummer and had a passion for Grind.
So we had a few practices without knowing what to play or do. So just hey... make a riff to this drum track and hey... make a drum track to this riff.
As we went went on we just said was that ok? is this ok? Ok! But still for me it was kind of a pressure, as i came from more thrash and death we had to adapt to each other, as you can hear in our music.
So it`s like Crust/Grind/death/punk... Call it Crust/Grind or Crossover Grindcore... we don`t care, now we are exited to start working on our third album.

- What about the name of the band? first what does it means, and why did you chose that name?

The name?.. hehe... what can i say...Traditional household cuisine/food? I Think we felt like... ok, lets make traditional metal for the homes or families? and the name of the first alubm...
Is a play on words for a traditonal food called Fårikål... we play grindcore... what about... Fåricore?? (laugh)

- What about your new album, Ründpült? what did you try to do differently from the first one?

The new album... was really a slow year... just a few practices... we had everything recorded, just guitar and drums... And the drummer put pressure on us just... HEY!! RECORD AN ALBUM NOW!! IT`S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE LAST ONE!!
So we started practicing, putting names to the songs... not just track 1,2, and 3... So I tried the best I could to take the good stuff and put them together and organising the track list.
The recording was hell, 3 recorders... starting over 3 times... But at the end, we recored guitars and drums live, and I added the bass, and John added the vocals. Credits to John! The new twist on the vocals was heavy!
We did not really try... with the songwriting, but in the end. When all three came together in studio and did their own stuff. We felt like, Woah! It really became an album!! And the feedbacks have been great!

- What do you want to express through the lyrics? can you tell us a few words about the lyrics of a specific song on the album?

The Lyrics... hehhe... it`s mostly a mix of dark humour/satire and local stuff. Like a twisted view on our society/our city, and some of the samples are really local!
The album name... Can maybe be translated as "Fucked all over" Some songs are about alone mothers, forever in depth, going to practice drinking light beer and eating cinnabuns, being paranoid.
The lyrics where written in one minute because we did not really care in the beginning, we just wrote some funny shit and laughed, just to have some lyrics and name on the songs.
We did not want to express anything specific but in the end when we all came together, adding bass and vocals. Putting toghether a story with and album title. So yeah, from the beginning you will, even if you don`t want or not. Always be fucked all over by life.

- What does grindcore means to you?

Grindcore? what it means? For me I think... do whatever you want! Record an album with a 10 second riff or, 40 minutes with fart sounds. There is no boundaries! It`s freedom and rebellion, provoke, have fun, play metal!

- Do you think that the DIY way of action could be a global alternative or do you see it more as a pracical way of growing for an underground band?

Do it yourself... today everyone can make an album at home with the advancement in technology and cheap equipement and software... online tutorials. 
You also have Social medias like facebook, bandcamp and youtube to promote your band and projects. Some people pay the big companies, some do it themself... what would you do?

- Which bands from your area would you recommend?

What bands i would recommend? Like metal? IN THIS AREA?!?! WHAT??!!? Like region, city or country? Hm... well... there`s us and The Sickening from this city, we also got the drummer from Blood Red Throne, Freddy Bolsø and guitarist from Exeloume, Øystein Haltbakk. So I`ll just try to stay local on this one and keep it simple... And I will give a shoutout to Glimmerskifer/Neo Plasma and Tranqidiots for great support.

 - Which evolutions would you like to see happening in the underground scene?

When I grew up there where concerts all the time, young ones to old ones, maybe sometimes two or three concerts every weekend! And metal!! All kind of bands!! I was really inspired, bands like Slagmark, Godsize, Pica Fierce. 
We had a great metal scene. But now... no places in this city accepts metal bands... only bluesjams, coverbands and traveling trubadurs... it`s really sad... you have to travel outside of town to play metal nowadays...
Or DIY, not happenend in years sadly... I will see the underground scene grow big again! there is so much talent! Let them play for fucksakes!!

- What is planned for Hüsmanskost in the coming months?

Husmanskost next months? We are really exited to start the third album and bring in a new session bassist to do live gigs! And release our first two albums physically!! 
People are already asking for signed copies and we haven`t even done a concert!? They are out digitally but, they will be available physically soon! Maybe one month? Please be patient! 
We try to make the money ourself and not beg for funding or like kickstarters... 
We are already on one international compilation, Antichrist magazine compilation 14, and are awaiting to be featured on 2 more! (Next one by the hills are dead records)
It`s awesome to be recognized international already! And it`s a lot of free PR!
So credits to our fans and all the people out the to have helped us reached so much in so little time. We hope to have the third album ready by summer, and also have given you the copies and merch!

- Something to add?

Thank you all! Stay Grind! Fucking metal! You know... the good stuff!! METAL!!

Hüsmanskost - Ründpült (2017)

Maybe you've seen Ründpült,
the second album of the Norwegian grind band Hüsmanskost, featuring on my list of best grind release for 2017, so you know I really dig it. Still very grindpunk like their already very good first album, this one is maybe a bit heavier and brings a bit more diversity in tempos. They keep it simple and always straight to the point, and at the same time they're better than many grind bands in keeping the album a dynamic listening experience. And they do it in a way it is not at the expense of the intensity but for its benefit. They play a kind of  grind I really like and they do it well. Recommended stuff!

The BC page

Their FB page

Their Youtube channel

my favourites 2017 releases

Here we go, here's my list of the 2017 releases I enjoyed he most (grind excepted since I did a specific list for grind, see my previous post). I give those 21 in alphabetical order :


American - Violate and Control    my review

Archspire - Relentless Mutation    my review

Brainbombs - Inferno                    my review

Broken English Club - The English Beach   my review

Burning Tree - Ossuary light         my review  

Converge - The Dusk in Us            my review

Dead Neanderthals / Sly and he Family Drone - Molar Wrench   my review

Dying Fetus - Wrong One to Fuck With        my review

Earthgrave - The Verge of Human Abyss     my review

Ex Eye - Ex Eye                            my review

Full Of Hell - Trumpeting Ecstasy                my review

Henry Kane - Den Förstörda Människans Rike    my review

Ingurgitating Oblivion - Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light   my review

Pissed Jeans - Why Love Now     my review

Power Trip - Nighmare Logic     my review

Ruin - Drown in Blood                 my review

The Body & Full of Hell - Ascending a Montain of Heavy Light   my review

Tricky - Ununiform                      my review

Unholy Vampiric Slaughter Sect - Canticle Bound in Spirit - The Faith in Vampyric Blood                           my review

Uniform - Wake in Fright            my review

Unsane - Sterilize                        my review

2017 : my grindcore list

I'll later give a general list but as is the tradition for Blasting Days I'm doing a specific list for the grindcore (and closely related stuff) releases that I enjoyed the most this year. As I'm not fond of giving ranks I'm giving it in alphabetical order (with link to my review just aside on the right, where you'll also find the links to the Bandcamp pages).

Anthropic - Anthropic EP the review

Birdflesh / Organ Dealer - split  the review

Blame God - Strategically Confined  the review

Chepang - Dadhelo    the review 

D.E.R - Rancor    the review

Expulsion - Nightmare Future   the review

GALL - EP     the review

Gendo Ikari / Droves split  the review

Gowl - On our feet or on our Knees  the review

Husmanskost - Ründpült    the review
 
Lock Up - Demonization   the review

Looking for an Answer  - Dios Carne    the review

Stimulant - Stimulant   the review

The Arson Project - Disgust   the review