Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo (2020)

This album is all about pastas. Really? Well, it's more about old school and finely crafted hip-hop, with one of the best producer and a talented MC. It's named Alfredo for Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, but it's also the name of an American pasta recipe, and the occasion for a nod to The Godfather movies. The Alchemist old school soul music samples based laid back hip-hop is as good as usual, and Freddie Gibbs manages to make his fast flow fit to it.  memorable Catchy samples and rapping, memorable tracks, for one of the strongest and most enjoyable hip-hop album of the year.

Anthropic - Architects of Aggression (2020)

I enjoyed the first EP Anthropic released three years ago (my review HERE) and was hoping for an album. Here it is, called Architects of Aggression, and it's up to my expectations. Excellent good old school death-grind, raw, fast songs with a catchy grind groove. Good stuff.

The BC page.

Ils - Curse (2020)

 Ils is a band from Portland and their first album Curse is a very strong one. Their music is noise rock/hardcore, let's say between Unsane and Converge, but without never sounding really like those. They really found a good dosage between heaviness, speed, rawness and groove. Strongly recommended!

The BC page.

 

Dead Neanderthals - Twin Sister (2020)

Dead Neanderthals is built around René Aquarius on drums and Otto Kokke usually playing saxophone with a noise/free jazz result, but album after album they change who is playing what (changing instruments and musical style). On this album, Twin Sister, it is René Aquarius on the drums, the only permanent element, and like on the last three releases Otto Kokke plays synths/keys and they are joined on bass by Jason stoll. The music is a kind of drone / doom, the keys being used for droning / textures and not for melodies. Not as slow, dark and heavy as their more recent drone/death album Blood Rite (with vocals for the first time), but in my opinion more interesting and better, thanks to a more dynamic songwriting I'd say. Twin Sister is both an interesting try and a good album. 

The BC page.

 

Kuvera B - Mis Demonios (2016)

Kuvera B is a French producer, his music is an unconventional hardcore techno, distorted and heavy, with sneaky ghostly melodies. Mis Demonios, a four tracks release from 2016, on New York Haunted, is maybe my favourite released from him. But Sleepless Nights, also in 2016 is worth mentioning, as well as Meet The Black Dog he released this year. Quality music.

The BC page.

 

Stimulant - Sensory Deprivation (2020)

Sensory Deprivation is the second album (again on Nerve Altar) from the ex-Water Torture bass and drum duo Stimulant. Which means another caustic dose of powerviolence/grind goodness. Expectedly this is noisy and punishing, but that's just what we like, right?

The BC page.

Gorephilia - In The Eye of Nothing (2020)

In The Eye of Nothing is the third album, released by Dark Descent, from Finnish band Gorephilia. It's an excellent old school death metal album which main influence sound to be Morbid Angel (I'd say mostly Covenant / Domination time). You know, the crushing heavy groove and the feel of otherworldly ominous presence atmosphere. Nicely crafted and enjoyable. No reason you wouldn't like it if you're into that kind of stuff.

 

The Bandcamp page. 

 

Circle of Ouroborus - Viimeinen Juoksu (2020)

Viimeinen Juoksu is the 18th album from Circle of Ouroborus, and is more straightforward black metal than it is usually, no folkish part but more epicness, the psych  / shoegazey post-punk elements are still there but overall there's a more black metal feel. The result is maybe less unique, even though it totally sounds like Circle of Ouroborus and nothing else, but the songs are great, especially the short but very epic varjonhauta in the middle of the album.

The Bandcamp page.

 

 

LØVVE - After the rain the sun comes out (2020)

LØVVE is a young French band and After the rain the sun comes out is their second album. Their music is somewhere between old school hardcore and powerviolence/grind. It is straight to the point and done right, with all the intensity needed. Good stuff.

The BC page.

 

 

Frett - The World as a Hologram (2020)

This is a solo album from Maciek Frett (of Job Karma and 7jk and an organizer in the Polish industrial scene). The World as a Hologram could be described as an analog mix of synth wave and death industrial, with a bit of spoken / screamed vocals. It's released by ant-zen but maybe wouldn't sound out of place either in the Cold Meat Industry catalog. Excellent stuff.

The BC page.