J-Smiff - Black Magic (2021)

I don't know much about J-Smiff, but seems Black Magic isn't his first release. Basically it's blues with a machinedrum for the beats, or a kind of blues/hip/hop crossover, with vocals and guitars from the blues and hip-hop for the beats. Not very far away from what Everlast is doing. On Black Magic this mix is really producing excellent results, and the good songs and vocals are doing the rest, making it a really enjoyable album. Time to do another one!

My Morning Jacket - My Morning Jacket (2021)

I've been liking My Morning Jacket for close to a quarter of a century, and their latest, self-titled, one is probably my favourite. So I think we can say they really earned their review on Blasting Days... In the meantime their music evolved from indie rock/americana to indie/soul/progressive/psych rock (now evoking band like Pink Floyd or Yes at times, and the quality remained and even improved. Highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Babe Roots - Through We (EP 2021)

Did not review this EP at the time (2021) because it's just three tracks plus an alternate version one, and I hoped an album was coming soon. Unfortunately, this Through We EP is still Babe Roots latest release. I really hope it's not the last. Along with the Kevin Martin (The Bug) stuff (but in a vein less dark & indus) it's my favourite recent dub related artist. Deep & immersive digital / tech dub, with always excellent choices of vocalists. Recommended!

Soundcloud stream.

 

Outre-Tombe - Abysse Mortifère (2021)

Outre-Tombe is an old-school death metal band from Québec and Abysse Mortifère is their third album. The vocals in French are excellent, and so are the riffs, the leads and the thick ugly atmosphere and the heavy grooves. Reminding bands like Autopsy, Bolt Thrower or Entombed Abysse Mortifère have everything that makes a very enjoyable old school death metal album. Recommended!

Excellent album de death metal à l'ancienne de la part des Québécois de Outre-Tombe. Mention spéciale pour le chant en français, mais tout le reste est vraiment excellent aussi. Abysse Mortifère ravira tous les amateurs de bon vieux death metal. Je recommande chaudement !

The Bandcamp page.

 

Alleged Witches - Work After Machinery (2021)

Work After Machinery by Alleged Witches is an interesting and finely crafted dark ambient/noise/industrial album. I especially like the nice ritualistic voodoo tribal merged with a dark futuristic sound atmosphere of the album. Good stuff.

The BC 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.

 

babelfishh - coma worthy (2021)

This isn't your usual hip-hop album. coma worthy by babelfishh has vocals that are mostly near spoken words flow, but also screams, over indie/underground hip-hop productions, that could remind Sole, but is rawer, less polished, and... some tracks are black metal. Recommended stuff!

The BC page.

 

 

Creatures of Habit - Parasites Paradise (2021)

Creatures of Habit is a hip-hop trio from the UK, but don't expect grime on their second album Parasites Paradise, Illinformed production is finely crafted old-school boom bap, with a slight Cypress Hill / horrorcore feel. The two emcees Eric the Red and Sean Peng are also very talented, one in a higher and fastest delivery, the other more laid-back. Good stuff!

The BC page.

 

Sole - MBFX (2021)

This one's, called MBFX, is not the latest Sole album, he released one with DJ Pain 1 last year, but I prefer the more old school vibe and stripped down production of this solo one, the last of his Man's Best Friend series. And as he always does, Sole demonstrate that conscious/leftist lyrics doesn't have to be an endless collection of clichés, and can be spot on, smart and creative. Thank you Sole! We need more rappers like you. And having an excellent flow like he does also help, of course...

The BC page.

 

Weever - Jour de Lamentation (EP 2021)

Released last year by French producer Weever on his label Vives, this EP called Jour de Lamentation is an excellent piece of industrial techno, with dark ambient / death industrial atmosphere complementing the techno beats and industrial sound. Fine for headphone listening, probably even better in a live / warehouse / abandonned factory context (especially the powerful final track). Recommended !

The BC page.

 

Christoph de Babalon - 044 (Hilf Dir Selbst​!​) (EP 2021)

Third excellent EP in a row for producer from Berlin Christoph de Babalon, one every year. But I've never heard something bad from him, so it's no surprise, we can only expect high quality from the master of smart and dark jungle. And the six tracks of 044 (Hilf Dir Selbst​!​) are another proof. Strongly recommended.

The BC page.

 

Impulsealer - 42 (2021)

Impulsealer is a Czech duo active since 2018, 42 is their fifth, and longer, release. They play some Nasum inspired grindcore. And they do it well. 

On 12" vinyl and cassette on Psychocontrol records (and Bandcamp, see link below).

The BC page.

Dead Neanderthals & Aaron B. Turner - Corporeal Flux (2021)

Corporeal Flux, released in December 2021, is a collaboration between free jazz/noise duo Dead Neanderthals (René aquarius on drums as usual, and Otto Kokke this time doing synths / organ) and post-metal pioneer Aaron Turner (guitar / vocals). The result is a 25 minutes track of drone/doom : heavy, trippy, and noisy at times, and good all the way. Recommended stuff. 

The BC page.

 

Backxwash - I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES (2021)

On I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES (a good album, but I hate this all caps thing!) there are a few screams and a bit of trap, but this is more classic horrorcore with noise elements than trap metal. But any way you describe it, what matters is that it's excellent dark underground hip/hop from Backxwash, modern sounding but rooted in the old school. 

The BC page.

 

HORSKH - WIRE (2021)

HORSKH is a band from Besançon (east of France), their second album WIRE, released last year is a very fine piece of industrial metal, with a strong and nicely old-school (but well-produced) EBM flavour. I highly recommend this album, but also their live shows, where their music become even more powerful.

The Bandcamp page.

JK Flesh vs Gnod (EP 2021)

JK Flesh is the name Justin Broadrick use for his techno releases, Gnod is a English psych/noise rock band. Last year they joined fores for a four track EP (called JK Flesh vs Gnod) where they both cover two tracks from the other. So we get two JK Flesh tracks being given a psych/kraut treatment and two Gnod traks being given an industrial treatment, resulting in something as good as what they do on their own, but different, making an interesting and enjoyable release.

Expression of Pain - st (2021)

First and self-titled album from LA's Expression of Pain. A fine piece of old-school death/grind that could remind Terrorizer or Extreme Noise Terror. Not much more to say, but if you're into grind that should be enough... Recommended!

The BC page.

 

Folkstorm - Dödsabnorm (2021)

Folkstorm is the old-school industrial (recorded with only 70' circuitry and a lot of mettalic percussion) project of Henrik "Nordvargr" Björkk. And Dödsabnorm the album he released last year. A fine piece of expertly crafted industrial with strong death industrial and dark ambient elements. Albums like these shows why the guy's among the "big names" in industrial music. Recommended!

 

The BC page.

 

Wreche - All My Dreams Came True (2021)

Wreche is a duo playing a music that is post... definitely post, but not so easy to say post what. Post black metal? Yes. Post hardcore? Also. But it's much more than that. Their second album All My Dreams Came True released last year is really unique and good. The vocals are a mix of SDBM and screamo and the drummer is doing blast beats, that's for the "normal" part, because the rest is no guitars, only classical piano and synths parts that are somewhere between futuristic and symphonic black metal. The main melodic element is the classical piano, while the synths are adding different atmospheres. It's refreshing and welcome to hear musicians exploring a different kind of intensity.   

 

The Bandcamp page. 

 

 

Eye Flys - Exigent Circumstances (EP 2021)

Like Eyehategod? Like Unsane? Then you'll like Eye Flys, a band with members from Full of Hell, Backslider and Triac, but a lot closer to the two aforementioned bands. The EP Exigent Circumstances is their latest release and those four tracks are as good as their first album. What they do is nothing really  new, but they do it really well.

The BC page.