Rote mare - The invocation & The kingdom (2013)

 with the twin albums The Kingdom and The invocation, both released in may 2013, Adelaide's doomsters Rote mare released not one but two outstanding albums. their doom metal is firmly rooted in traditionnal heavy metal (those NWOBHM basslines!) while displaying a very strong personnality of its own. their strong point is their ability to write finely crafted songs, sometimes with an epic feel, sometimes with more intimate atmosphere. the other strong point is the excellent vocals managing very successfully to bring the songs the power of traditionnal heavy metal, the rawness of sludge, as well as the sensibily and melancholy of new wave (yes some parts, with some vocals reminding a bit Robert Smith and with the bass put forward, have a kind of new-wave flavour!).

two classic heavy metal albums that I can't recommend too much!

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Impetuous ritual - Unholy congregation of hypocritical ambivalence (2014)

Impetuous ritual is an australian death / black metal band sharing members with Portal and Grave upheaval. it has also in common with these bands an occult atmosphere and a very lo-fi, murky and suffocating sound. the brutal drumming and the crazy guitar leads sometimes offer a more direct attack, but still with a very "evil" feel, reminding the dangerous vibe of a band like Arkhon infaustus. and on their second album (release by Porfound lore) Unholy congregation of hypocritical ambivalence those faster and wilder parts are my favourite, the slower more ambiant ones being sometimes a bit too monotonous. I'd say it shares with their first album thes same evident qualities but aslo drawbacks. still a very good album, especially if you like your death metal with a somber "evil" feel.

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Burning tree - Lammergyer (2013)

If you want a proof that free jazz can be as intense and breathtaking as the most ferocious grind this one will do. Burning tree is the free jazz project of a norwegian duo (Dag Erik Knedal Andersen on drums and Dag Stiberg on sax) that wanted to transpose into free jazz what they do usually with noise music. the try is really a success and Lammergyer (relased as a LP on the excellent Utech records) is a very powerfull and inspiring album. if you're looking for comparisons you can look on the side of european (more abstract and noisy) free jazz pionneer Peter Brotzmann, John Zorn in his wildest projects or Dead neanderthals. the sax player sound like he doesn't ever need to breathe, never stopping his sonic noise assault, and the drummer is not less relentless and keeps banging his kit at a frenetic high pace (up to blast beats but with much more complexity than the usual metal drumming).
side A features shorter, more composed tracks while side B is a long improvisation but sounds even more dense and merciless than the rest of the album.
if you're in quest of something radical in an out of the ordinary way, then look no further.

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Vertigo index - Posthuman v1.1 (EP 2014)

Vertigo index is a new band coming from Ohio and playing a very good innovative and technical grind in the vein of Discordance axis. they just released their first digital demo / EP called Posthuman v1.1. the atmospheres, the vocals and the chaotic rythms could also remind bands like Converge or Gaza. they're sharp as hardcore and intense as grind. four songs are short bursts of tight and precise grind while two others goes slowly to create dark and anguished atmospheres. in any case they're really good at what they do. all in all it's an excellent first release and after many listens I'm left with the impression of a band with a great potential.

their BC page.

The Coffinworm interview

Coffinworm released in march IV.I.VIII which I consider one of the best album of the year (read my review HERE) and if you're into heavy and sinister stuff you have to give a try at this doom / death masterpiece.  so i sent them a few questions to learn more about it, and am pleased to be able to present you this interview :

-Can you present quickly Coffinworm, what was the project at the start and how it evolved?


We formed in 2007 after our now ex-guitarist, Tony McGuire, and I had talked about doing a project together. He was playing with Dave and Todd in Black Arrows of Filth & Impurity at the time. I had been playing guitar in a band called Salvation with Garrett and that band was ending. We got together to discuss what we wanted to do as far as musical direction and had our first practice for what would become Coffinworm a week or two later.

-I think your new album really take your music to a higher level, and especially it sounds really personal and different, do you also feel it that way?

Thank you. I agree, we had a lot of time, change, and personal things happen between the time that we recorded ‘When All Became None’ in December of 2009 and when we entered the studio in September of 2013 to record ‘IV.I.VIII’ — I think we all changed quite a bit as people and our music evolved. The biggest triumph to me about the new album is that I feel like it doesn’t sound like any other band in particular and we were able to capture something unique. I’m very proud of what we accomplished in writing those songs and how the record came out.

-I'd say the songs have at the same time some powerful grooves and also develops some creepy atmospheres, with a very "evil" vibe. Was it something you had in mind when you wrote and recorded it?

Definitely. We've always tried to strike a balance between locking into that slow/mid-tempo groove and keeping the dynamics (somewhat) varied so the songs breathe and are more interesting. The main objective when we’re writing music is not to stay within a prescribed set of parameters while always retaining the essence of ‘our sound’.

-Do you see Coffinworm as a death metal band (old school death metal) or more as a very dark doom band, or as a combination of the two?

We're rooted in doom, but have always pulled elements from other genres that we like into our music. I usually refer to us as a "metal" band for that reason. Classification's not necessary, either it hits you and you like it or you don't. Genre tags and fitting into a ‘scene’ have never been important to me personally.


-Which subjects are you dealing with in the lyrics of the songs?

Generally speaking, the lyrics are open for interpretation to the listener. Dave writes from a personal perspective, the basis of his lyrics being rooted in real life with lots of wordplay and black humor. He’s always said he wishes the lyrics to be a dialogue.


-How did you get into extreme music? Which bands were more influential for you, either for the music or for other things?


For me it was a natural progression from some of the traditional metal bands I was exposed to when I was younger. My extreme metal conversion moment was finding a copy of Entombed's "Clandestine" album on cassette at a pawnshop near my house when I was 12 years old. I was hooked after that. On the extreme side, definitely Entombed, but Black Sabbath have always been the masters as far as metal music. I started getting into a lot of punk music around that time as well.


-Which bands from your area would you recommend?

Black Goat of the Woods, Wretch (a new band Karl from The Gates of Slumber has going), Sacred Leather, Conjurer, Apostle of Solitude, Boddicker. I’m also playing in another band called Kvlthammer.


-What is planned for Coffinworm in the coming months, touring and writing songs I suppose? Do you already have some ideas for the next record?

Nothing planned currently in the way of touring. We’ll be doing a record release show in the next few months when the vinyl for ‘IV.I.VIII’ is released on Flenser Records. It’s too early to say regarding the next record.


-Which evolution would you like to see for underground music in the future?

Hard to say. I’d like to see more honesty happening with whatever the next evolution is in underground music. There are always some good bands and a lot more shitty ones making music at any given time. I’m sure someone will resurrect another style that’s already been done and the cycle will continue. I’ll stick to wading through to find the few modern gems and keep listening to old favorites.


-Something to add?


Thanks for the interview, Dennis! Cheers!

Circle of Ouroborus - Kuuhun kahlittu (2014)

Kuuhun kahlittu is the thirteen album by Circle of Ouroborus. Once again the finnish duo don't fail to deliver something a bit different from their previous releases. this time the more black metal elements are reappearing, even though the shoegaze / post-punk elements and the dream like atmosphere are still very present. The songwriting is as excellent as usual with diversity, strange epicness and original melodies.

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GROND - Howling from the deep (2013)

good news, Russian death metal is not just slam! with GROND Russia has a really cool old school death metal band. what they play is influenced by early US death metal, the cover of Obituary not being by chance on their  album Howling from the deep (following a demo and around ten years playing as a band). They really managed to capure the vibe of the early days of death metal, with good trashy riffing, low vocals (done by the drummer!) that adds to the  heavy grooves of the songs. you can also hear good basslines with a sound that reminds good ol'Cannibal corpse. the russian trio really does a good job in producing simple but very enjoyable death metal. and a band with that kind of amazing artwork, a lovecraftian thematic and writing a song about sea tanks just can't do wrong...
if you're into old school death metal (or the most aggressive trash metal of the end of the 80') I cannot recommend you GROND too much.

the BC page.

Dead instrument - see through negative (EP 2014)

like it fast? so does Dead instrument, the danish band being one of the fastest powerviolence grind unit around. their new Ep See through negative plays it foot to the floor from beginning to end. they won't give you a break. but probably you will like it! very intense stuff, and delivered with deadly precision and with remorseless determination. maybe some would say it sound a bit too surgical, preferring more dirt when it comes to their PV/Grind taste. well, honestly when it goes at such a frantic pace it would have been an awfull mess without a very tight playing and a clean enough sound. special mention for the drummer driving the song at such an insane speed, destroying on the way every quiet moment in sight. a very healthy adrenaline rush. recommended!

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