Neural Indent - Thalassaeglean Unguents (2026)

Neural indent is one of the Matt Stephens one man noisegrind / free band (they can be checked on his Putrefactive Recordings bandcamp), Thalassaeglean Unguents is its new album, like in previous Neural Indent ones he combines digital goregrind with keys/piano with free jazz song structures. But this time the songs are longer and the keys (often dissonant) plays a bigger role. Challenging but rewarding for the curious and adventurous minds. If you like it I advise you check as well Gorenette Coleman, which is basically same concept but with sax instead of keys. Good stuff!

 

The BC page 

 

 

Test - Disco Normal (2023)

Grindcore, like most musical genres, is often quite standardised. Test, the grind duo from Brazil is definitely not. We could call their music "noise stoner latin grind" or maybe just free grind. Probably John Zorn would totally approve. I enjoyed their four albums (Disco Normal being the latest) and splits, but seeing them play live the other day (supported by Apoptose a new and very promising mince/gore grind duo from Besançon, with drummer and guitarist from Proudhon) exceeded my expectations, a truly unique experience! Both guys are inspired and very talented musicians, the drumming especially is a masterclass from another world. Absolutely recommended! and if you have the occasion to see go to one of their gig, don't miss it! 

The BC page

 

Aluk Todolo - LUX (2024)

 

It's great to have Aluk Todolo back with a new album, eight years after the previous one. And LUX is again a very fine piece of free rock with a dark ritualistic vibe, in their own very  special style. And maybe that's what we can regret, sticking maybe too much to their style, without really bringing in new elements to it. That won't prevent me from enjoying it, but after eight years I would have expected something more surprising, not sounding so much like a "disc 2" of their previous one. Or maybe listening to it some more times will reveal some changes I didn't get at first? In  ny case they are already so different from other bands that just another typical and good Aluk Todolo album is maybe already enough.

The Bandcamp page.

Work, Money, Death - Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction (2022)

Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction is the second album of British jazz crew Work, Money, Death around tenor sax player Tony Burkil and with musicians from sorcerers and the Nate Birchall band. The band confirms how good they are in the spiritual jazz area, lyrical and melodic, following the footsteps of Pharoah Sanders, and Alice and John Coltrane (especially reminding A Love Supreme), with also a slight hint of afro-beat.

The Bandcamp page.

 

New Age Doom & Lee "Scratch" Perry - Lee "Scratch" Perry's Guide to the Universe (2021)

This collaboration is Lee "Scratch" Perry last album and testify that he experimented till the very end. New Age Doom is a (somewhat) "free drone rock" band (built around the core of Eric J. Breitenbach and Greg Valou) that had previously released two interesting albums. This time they were joined not only by Lee Perry but also by Donny MacCaslin, a leading figure of the new generation of forward-thinking sax players, Dahm Majuri Cipolla of MONO on drums and gong, and a few others. The result, Lee "Scratch" Perry's Guide to the Universe, is a nice piece of droning and psychedelic fusion jazz / dub mix. Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Oxbow - Loves Holiday (2023) & Oxbow & Peter Brötzmann - An Eternal Reminder Of Not Today (live at Moers) 2023

So there's not only one new good Oxbow album, but two. While the previous album, Thin Blak Duke, left no impression on me, I really enjoy Loves Holiday. But even better is their live collaboration with free jazz colossus Peter Brötzmann, called An Eternal Reminder Of Not Today, Oxbow's noise rock and the powerful yet lyrical free jazz of Peter Brötzmann turns out to be an excellent match and the album produced is excellent. Will be a memorable step in both discography. Recommended!

 

Love's Holiday on BC

  

An Eternal Reminder Of Not Today on BC

Faust - Punkt. (2022)

Punkt. has been released last year, but have been recorded fifty years ago. It was meant to follow the four album of the first era of krautrock pioneer's Faust. It's a nice reminder of why this band is so special, a good testimony of how they were noise before nearly everyone and in a way no-wave before punk even existed. And good at venturing into free jazz territory as well. Excellent album from a band like no others.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy (2022)

Let's start with what I feel is wrong in this new Imperial Triumphant album. The first two tracks (and they are long ones) are not especially memorable and could have been B sides tracks. fortunately the rest is better, even if I think Spirit of Ecstasy is not as good as were Vile Luxury and Alphaville. OK, that been said the black metal infused with free/jazz-rock (reminding John Zorn maybe even more than previously) of Imperial Triumphant is still among the best and most interesting music around and the best songs on Spirit of Ecstasy are enough to make the album totally worthy of your time. Even if Spirit of Ecstasy isn't the best Imperial Triumphant album, it's still an excellent one.

Their website

 

Richard Pinhas - Reverse (2017)

Reverse, is an album released in 2017 by French avant-garde guitarist and composer Richard Pinhas (known for his music with the band Heldon, but not only). Playing on the albumis an impressive crew of talented musicians : guitars  by Pinhas and Oren Ambarchi, drums by Arthur Narcy, bass by Florian Tatar, Masami Akita (yes the one doing Merzbow) plays analog synths, Duncan Nilson-Pinhas digital synths, and William Winant percussions. The result is a mix of prog/space/kraut rock, drone, and electronics. Droning guitars, free drumming, synth soundscapes, forming weird and futuristic trippy atmospheres. Awesome album, really recommended!

The BC page.

 

 

John Zorn - Chaos Magick (2021)

John Zorn has released a few excellent albums in 2021 and Chaos Magick, is one of them, featuring the Simulacrum ensemble (John Medeski playing organ, Kenny Grohowski playing drums and Matt Hollenberg playing guitar) joined by pianist Brian Marsella. Largely in a fusion jazz vein (think Miles Davis / In A Silent Way or Bitches Brew) but with a capacity of turning in an instant into something a lot heavier and sharper (Grohowski also plays in Imperial Triumphant and Hollenberg in Cleric). To say it is inspired and perfectly executed would be an understatement.

Chaos Magick on Tzadik website.

 

Antediluvian - The Divine Punishment (2021)

On their new album The Divine Punishment,  Antediluvian went one step further into free form/avant-garde territory, with even some psychedelic elements at times, while keeping their cavernous sound and death metal elements, blast beats, growls, etc. Not every moment is successful, but you don't try and experiment without taking some risks, and overall this is an interesting and good album. Recommended stuff.

The BC page.

 

Work Money Death - The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises (2021)

The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises is the exquisite first album from Work Money Death, a band led by British saxophone player Tony Burkill. They draw their inspiration from spiritual jazz artists such as Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders (and the end of the album, with the repetitive singing, reminds a lot A Love Supreme from John Coltrane). A long composition in two parts for a nice spiritual jazz journey.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Dead Neanderthals - Rat Licker (2021)

Dead Neanderthals is a Dutch noise/free jazz duo that like experimenting with various collaborations and various changes of instruments and styles, they recently did a death/doom album and a drone album with synths, and their latest one Rat Licker see them back at their most basic formations (Rene on drums and Otto on sax) and is a grind/jazz album, reminding the most grind moments of Naked City or Painkiller. The result is as good as you could expect from them. Recommended!

 The BC page.

Sete Star Sept - Bird (2021)

Bird is the new release from Sete Star Sept, 14 songs in around ten minutes of free/noise grind from the bass/drums Japanese duo Kiyasu and Kae. As intense, wild, relentless and fast( but precise) as SSS use to do. Recommended!

The BC page.

 

Mainliner - Dual Myths (2021)

Mainliner is a Japanese psychedelic/free rock trio with Kawabata Makoto on guitar (he's Acid Mothers Temple leader) and two other experienced musicians from the Japanese psych scene (Taigen Kawabe on bass and Shimura Koji on the drums) eight years after the previous one Dual Myth is their new album, released by the awesome Riot Season Records. The four long tracks are on the most rocking, heavier, noisy and abrasive side of psych rock, for a very convincing result. Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Kurushimi - Chaos Remains (2021)

Chaos Remains, the third album from Kurushimi, (I reviewed their first one HERE) is another nice piece of instrumental saxophone driven free-jazz mixed with noise-rock and dub (John Zorn's Naked City being obviously their main influence). This time two long tracks among short ones, with more quiet moments alternating with more noisy ones. Good stuff.

 

The BC page.

Plasmodium - Towers of Silence (2021)

Following their jaw-dropping first album Entheognois (reviewed HERE) wasn't an easy task, but Plasmodium are successfully doing it five years after with Towers of Silence. They lost surprise effect and raw impact but gained in attention to the details and with an even more subtle songwriting, with maybe more place for psych / dark ambient parts. Otherwise, we find again their hard to describe and very special kind of "free black metal". I'd say their music could evoke Blut Aus Nord or Chaos Echoes. But is another kind of weird beast. Strong stuff.

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.

 

Kan Mikami - Barking Practice / White Lines (2007)

Barking Practice / White Lines is one of the Kan Mikami albums released on the famous PSF label, a Japanese label specialized in experimental/free music (Keiji Haino, Fushitsua, etc.). On this one Kan Mikami is at it most minimalist/raw bluesy and at the same time there's also an abstract/free vibe, his guitar playing and his singing are very special, very simple but wild and emotional. Among the few albums I know from Kan Mikami this one is my favourite. Highly recommended!

Lonnie Holley - National Freedom (2020)

I discovered Lonnie Holley two years ago with his previous album MITH that I really liked, and this new one called National Freedom is also excellent. It is some raw and weird blues, maybe we could say "free blues", at the same time sounding primitive and authentic but without following the strict formulas of traditional blues. Good melodies played on guitar and on piano, often with a somewhat repetitive ceremonial vibe, and the singing is very special.

The Bandcamp page.