Somium de Lycoris - In The Failing Hour (2023)

Somium de Lycoris is a solo project from Japan (here with a few guests, like Christian Muenzner, rings a bell?), In The Failing Hour is a nice piece of technical death metal, with many neoclassical elements, piano included, at turn very melodic or frankly brutal, combining excellent musicianship and songwriting. Spectacular and entertaining stuff!

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Dead Neanderthals - Ordo Dracul Demo (2023)

Ordo Dracul Demo is not the latest Dead Neanderthals release, but my favourite among their recent stuff (but I haven't checked the new one they just released this month). With Ordo Dracul they kept on exploring the possibilities opening by using synths, and this time they tried something in a dungeon synth vein. Otto Kokke playing the synth, Marlon Welterink playing bass, and Rene aquarius on the drums, as usual. The second track is nice trippy and low-fi dungeon synth, but I think the most memorable of the two tracks is the first one with his awesome drum beat. Simple and repetitive but heavy as hell. Very special and more "catchy" than what they usually do. I recommend everything they did, but I especially enjoy this one!

 

The BC page. 

 

The Shits - You're a Mess (2023)

We had The Stooges, and needless to say they were awesome, then came Brainbombs, and they are still awesome, and now we also have The Shits, who are awesome as well. Thank the mad deities of wild and twisted rock'n'roll, listen to You're a Mess, and rejoice!

 The BC page. 

 

YOUFF - Heydays (2023)

I saw YOUFF play at Les Passagers du Zinc, a café-concert where I live, and it confirmed the good impression I had from listening to their latest album Heydays. YOUFF, from Belgium, is an excellent band! Their music is a noise rock that is especially noisy, but not without groove, a special kind of groove. They sound somewhere between a less technical Pneu and a more frenetic and harsher The Ex. Plus crazy and weird vocals. Recommended !

 

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

 

Erection House - Feels of Correction (2023)

Sounding like a mix of The Stooges at their most psych/noise and Brainbombs, Feels of Correction, released in 2023, is Erection House (from Copenhagen) excellent first album. Time for a second one guys, I'm looking forward to it! 

The BC page.

 

Fabricant - Drudge to the Thicket (2023)

Drudge to the Thicket is Fabricant first album, but the Californian band have been around for 15 years. And we can definitely hear all the time and efforts they put into the album. It is an excellent piece of technical death metal, full of interesting and memorable songs.I just hope they won't need another 15 years to make it! Even if albums of this caliber are worth some waiting... Recommended stuff!

The BC page.

 

Grave Pleasures - Plagueboys (2023)

After two albums that were good, but not as memorable as I expected from people coming from Beatsmilk/Hexvessel (singer Mat MacNerney, and for Beastmilk bassist Valtteri Arino) and Oranssi Pazuzu (guitarist Juho Vanhanen), Grave Pleasures released last year Plagueboys, which this time lived up to my expectations, even exceeding it. Plagueboys is less gothic rock and more post-punk/new-wave, in terms of writing and sound. Stripped-out songwriting, and sharp and/or echoing guitars, basslines pushed forwrad, simple and catchy beats.It reminds The Cure/Joy Division more than previously. But the main point, the key tot he improvement is the songs, they are more memorable, and just better. Highly recommended!

The BC page.

 

Slave To Society - Thrown To The Wolves (EP 2023)

Slave To Society is Andrew Bowen and the music is finely crafted drum & bass / breakcore with creepy synthscape in the background. On threes tracks plus a hardcore techno remix of one of those done by Rebekah, the remix isn't my favorite but at least comparing the original and the remix shows well the difference between drum & bass and techno, in case you're not familiar with it. In any case, Thrown To The Wolves is a very good EP for people into the darker & Harder side of drum & bass.

The BC page.

The Ragged Jubilee - Mulholland Overdrive (2023)

Remember very well reviewing The Ragged Jubilee first album in 2012, not only because that was only the tenth post on Blasting Days (this one is the 1452!), but also because I really liked it. In the meantime, four albums and more than ten years later their music sounds heavier, still reminding The Doors at times, still with elements of garage rock that became more prevalent since their second album (that I also reviewed back in 2012), but no more americana/folk elements and Mulholland Overdrive is more like The Doors meets Black Sabbath, joined by the Black Keys. And that's totally fine, since the quality is still there. Good stuff!

Their Bandcamp page (unfortunately Mulholland Overdrive is not yet on it...).

Algiers - Shook (2023)

Shook, released last year, is Algiers' fourth album. They still deliver some kind of soul infused post-punk but they brought many people to collaborate with them (Zach de la Rocha, Backxwash, billy woods, Mark Cisneros, Patrick Shiroishi, among others) and as could be expected Shook is the most versatile album they have done, gaining in diversity what it loses in cohesiveness. The many hip-hop and spoken words elements give the album a kind of ambient / soundtrack feel. But describing it is a bit pointless, you have to experience it. I really recommend you do (and check their previous albums as well!).

The Bandcamp page.

 

Blazon Rite - Wild Rites and Ancient Songs (2023)

The second album from Blazon Rite, Wild Rites and Ancient Songs, released last year, is, from beginning to end, from songwriting to execution, top quality traditional heavy metal / power metal. If that's your kind of stuff, not checking them is not an option. Highly recommended.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Ying Yang Audio - Inner Nature (EP 2023)

This Inner Nature EP isn't Ying Yang Audio latest release, but I prefer this one over the Sustained Clarity album released this one, which is more ambient and minimalistic, while on Inner Nature the mix of industrial techno and dark ambient feels a bit darker and heavier. Good stuff.

The BC page.

 

Ubruxum - Ultimo Bruxismo (2023)

Looking for some nice, smooth and smart music? Go to my previous post. This one is the opposite : Ubruxum music (from Toronto) is ugly and gross. But good as well, and if you're a death metal freak like me, you might enjoy it! Their album Ultimo Bruxismo released last year is a good piece of brutal death / goregrind with machine drum, reminding the Mortician groove (but they spare us the horror movies samples). Recommended if you're into this kind of stuff.

The BC page.

 

 

Andrew Nolan & God Is War - The Hunt (2023)

Seems grindcore is a good school for industrial music, we had Mick Harris, JK Broderick, but there's also Andrew Nolan (ex The Endless Blockade, also doing Intensive Care) who is building a nice discography in industrial / dub music. His collab with God Is War (dark electro / industrial producer), called The Hunt, is a nice piece of illbient music a dark mix of industrial / dub / hip-hop). Recommended stuff!

The BC page.

 

 

Night Beats - Rajan (2023)

Night Beats music can still be described as somewhere beetween The Black Keys and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but on their sixth album, Rajan, their garage psych rock leans more on the psychedelic side, while keeping a pop/rock song structure. In any case it coudl be their (well, Night Beats is mostly Danny Lee Blackwell) best album yet. Laid back and groovy, fillled with memorable riffs and songs. Good stuff.

The BC page.

 

Enforcer - Nostalgia (2023)

Nostalgia is Enforcer sixth album, and we could indeed say say it's rooted in the past, but for the best.  They're burning bright with the hottest traditionnal heavy speed fire, shining in all its cheesiest glory (there's even some hair metal feel at times!). A masterfully executed and really fun album. Recommended!

The BC page.

 

Gateway - Galgendood (2023)

Is Galgendood, first album from Gateway, dirty death-doom or just funeral paced rotting old school death metal? In any case it's closer to a slower Autopsy, or to Undergang, than to Amorphis. But what actually really matters is that it's an excellent album.

The BC page.

 

UNDERGANG - De Syv stadier af ford​æ​rv (EP 2023)

If you like your death metal very raw and disgusting, you're probably already familiar with Danish band  UNDERGANG, if not then I urge you to listen to them, you won't regret, for example with their latest release the De Syv stadier af ford​æ​rv EP from last year. 7 tracks mixing guttural grindgore (Carcass school) and death doom for the slower parts. 100% filthy raw groove 100% UNDERGANG. 100% recommended!

The BC page.

 

Alkaloid - Numen (2023)

Numen, released last September, is the third album from Alkaloid, five years after the previous one. I feel they focused a bit more on the melodic and progressive side this time, but they stay firmly within the tech death scope, and still at it's very top. Awesome album once again, totally recommended.

The Bandcamp page.