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Interview
anaal nathrakh
We spoke to
Dave Hunt
You say not much has changed coming to a new album, would you say this album is a continuation of the previous one?
I suppose it probably in so far in that it’s by us and the previous one was the previous album. It’s not really a conscious decision cause you could easily image a band having a conversation and saying to themselves we really liked the last album so lets do part 2. And that’s definitely not how we do it because we don’t really plan things like that. But if we’re just doing what feels right at that time, then it’s going to be something of a continuation of what was before. So yeah, its probably fair to say it is, but its not designed to be that or anything. It’s just the album we wanted to make
In the past 10 years, would you say your writing style is more accommodating to the fact you’re playing it live, or is it separate?
They’re completely separate. When we started playing live, we’d been around for a while before we ever played live, so that music was definitely written with no thought to playing live it was more of a task afterwards to figure out how to make it work live. And we’ve kept that really, we dont make concessions to play live when we’re writing an album, cause the focus then is doing a good album, rather than, will it be difficult to pull off or anything like that. Although having said that, we’ve managed to pull off pretty much everything live. We’ve had to come up with some methods of getting the sounds live at gigs that wouldn’t be normal. It’s a case of having to pull it off, but hopefully doing so!
words: Dan J. Mitchell The electronic musician you worked with on this album was GoreTech then? How did you come into contact with him?
Mick got talking to him on the internet. I’m not sure who made the first move in the first place but he is a fan of our stuff, and he makes electronic music. We both find electronic stuff pretty interesting, so Mick just got talking to him. After that the idea came along of maybe getting him to do some stuff for this new album. We’ve used bits of pieces along those lines before and we thought it’d be cool to incorporate someone whose stocking trade is just that, and see what would happen. It went swimmingly to be honest! We saw eye-to-eye: It was quite nice. The time before we did a run of gigs, we decided to put a little hometown gig in Birmingham and get GoreTech to come down and be the main support. It was cool seeing him do a set of his own stuff and then see us afterwards.
You formed Anaal Nathrakh in the same year that you joined Benediction, what was your status in the scene when you started these projects?
To be honest, before I did my first gig with Benediction, I’d done only 4 gigs ever. They were stuck as their previous singer had left, I gather, somewhat unexpectedly. They had this tour with Death in a 3 and a half weeks (a proper European job) and didn’t have a singer. Their drummer at the time had been at one of the handful of gigs I’d done and was like “Oh, I know someone who can sing, I’ll ask him!” and it was all hastily thrust together like that. Really, if you’re gonna use a term like ‘status in the scene,’ I didn’t have one! I was nobody. And to be fair, I was rubbish to begin with. But it’s a learning process. As for Anaal Nathrakh, we knew each other anyway and it sort of grew from nothing. There was no pre-existing status. It was more organic. To begin with no status.
How did the audience react to his opening performance?
*laughs* It was quite cool. The majority of people seemed to get along quite well with it. It was quite a small gig, and lot of people there were friends. Some people got really into it, and others said “I think i’ll go for a fag” But we kinda expected that. Obviously you don’t have a lot of control over a lot of the gigs which bands in our position do, whether it’s an external promoter doing it or a festival or something like that. When we’ve put line-ups together, we’ve tried to make them varied, interesting, and a little bit challenging.
Anaal Nathrakh Desideratum Out Now! Metal Blade Records
Interview
cripper
We spoke to
Britta Görtz This is your first album for Metal Blade. What made you decide to start looking for a large record label than doing it yourself?
It all fell into place at the right time. When we had 4 songs ready for this album, we thought we could make a demo and start looking for record companies, or at least give it a shot. We haven’t done that in 7 or 8 years, and we wanted to see what’s out there and what our possibilities are. Before we could even do that, Metal Blade had approached us, after having seen our show at Metal Days festival last year, and contacted us. We were like, “Yeah OK!” We were just about to produce a demo E.P, the time was right, and the rest is history. I don’t think it would have been bad for us to continue as we had with the previous records because we were in a very comfortable position. We knew what we were doing and our possibilities. We were also ready for a change, and this one gives us a shot at presenting ourselves on a much bigger platform. When you were writing this album, was it stylistically a continuation from the last one, or were there any new ideas introduced intentionally?
Since we never stop writing, I think of course Hyena is a continuation of where we left off with Antagonist, I can agree to that. On the other hand though, looking back, we really took our time to write Antagonist and we wanted to speed up the process a little more with Hyena. Our booking agent told us that when you release a record mid-year, they don’t get a proper chance to offer you to any festivals on time. That was one idea behind speeding up the process...
We were also aware that speeding up the writing process would have an effect on the music. I think it’s for the better: the previous album was written with our head, whilst Hyena was written with our guts more. Not to say that we were running blindly into one direction, we made a lot of plans before rehearsing, but we followed more of our gut feeling, and I think that was really good for the record. That’s surprising to hear because your songs sound well-planned and realised.
We write all of our songs together in the rehearsal room. It’s not as if there’s one songwriter who gets everything ready, then the others start playing. Having 5 people in the room can make it a difficult process, especially when everyone has good ideas to form songs! This time we talked about every single song before we put pen to paper. We said “Where do we wanna go with this song? What’s the atmosphere? Is it gonna be a lengthy song? Is it gonna be a compact song? Is it a song we’re gonna present live to start with?”
words: Dan J.G Mitchell It feels kinda weird because, I don’t know if I sound like a man, a girl - whatever, I don’t really care. It’s my voice, I want it to sound aggressive in my own style! I don’t make effort into making it sound like anyone else. We’re not hiding the fact I’m a girl, but we’re not trying to promote it either. There are 5 people in the band and we’re all equal. From where do you draw your influence?
I think everything. Our main influence is probably life itself, I don’t know how else to describe it. For example, we went on a European tour with Overkill which has had a lot of influence on us regarding how to put a good set together for the stage. We watched every single show of theirs while touring with them, and it’s almost like we were taking notes. They were a really good team on stage. That has had a lot of influence on our live show. Not that we copy them, but the way they organise themselves on stage, and the way they define their roles on stage is quite interesting.
That kept everyone pulling on the same string, and not running into different directions in the writing process. And that was very good, a great experience! In the rold of front-woman, do you find yourself being compared to other female vocalists? How do you feel about this?
Definitely. The first thing they do is compare me to other girls. It’s a bit awkward, they say “She sounds like a man” as a point of comparison with other women vocalists.
Cripper Hyena Out Now! Metal Blade Records
Interview
cavalera conspiracy
Cavalera Conspiracy We spoke to Iggor Cavalera When you began Cavalera Conspiracy in 2007, did you want to bring back familiar sounds, or did you approach it as something new entirely?
Yeah, that was the idea, of course, to do something new. The thing is, at the time I had already left Sepultura and I was doing all this stuff with MixHell (my other project). When Max approached me to do Cavalera (Conspiracy) - I really liked that it wasn’t like “let’s go back and do Sepultura again”. It was more like “let’s start a band and see what happens!” and that was very exciting at the time as we didn’t know what kind of stuff we were gonna write. We, of course, knew more or less our style of writing but we felt free to do what we wanted – and that’s how we’ve ended up here with three albums! I’ve got to say that the only reason I took into consideration to do Cavalera (Conspiracy) was because it was something new: not just living in the past and doing things over and over again. Would you say that your experience with your other project MixHell has informed or influenced your work with CC?
I think it’s very positive for any musician to have more than project going at the same time so you can focus your ideas in different ways, you don’t have to put everything in your head into one band. I have so many crazy ideas going on with Mixhell – like experimenting with electronic sounds and beats, so when I when I come into Cavalera Conspiracy, I don’t feel the need for that, I go straight for the raw power of playing the drums as minimalistic as possible. That’s how I see it now: the more
as possible. That’s how I see it now: the more things you have going on, the more you can be creative in different ways – rather than trying to get everything into one. The artworks for the first two Cavalera Conspiracy albums are very minimalistic also, whereas the artwork for Pandemonium appears more “out there” and explosive. Would you say that musically, there is any kind of a change that is perhaps representative of this?
Not really. I think musically the album is still minimalistic – like the first two artworks. The thing is when me and Max were doing the recording we were looking for an artist to design the front cover, and of course we had no idea what we were going to go with as far as a concept for the album cover. Then we came across Stephan Doitschnoff, who we ended up choosing, and looked through his portfolio and we thought “this is crazy, we can’t ask this guy to create a design that’s in the same style as the first two records – we’ve gotta let him go crazy and do whatever!”. Max and I had a few things we wanted on the record cover: the tank, and skull were a few ideas. We gave these to him, along with the music, to get inspired and do his thing. Musically, however, I don’t see a connection.
words: Dan J.G. Mitchell when go into the studio we just write music from those ideas without really rehearsing. This is very different from what we’ve done in the past with any other projects where we would rehearse the song, make sure it was right, and then record. With Cavalera Conspiracy we do the opposite: we NEVER rehearse, we just play the ideas and capture the first energy we get. After that we add the additional elements to the song: Max adds lyrics etc. Does this come as a result from (You and Max) not being in the same location while composing?
Yeah, and it’s a result of not wanting to go into that whole rehearsal thing where sometimes you can lose a lot of cool ideas from repeating them, and end up not liking an idea just because of repetition in the studio. We wanted to try something fresh, where we don’t think about it too much. How much do the songs change once you actually get together in the same room?
They change a lot. It’s just a minimal idea that we start with – from that we start structuring the song, then one hour later we have the song and can move on to the next one. It changes a lot from the demo idea to when we start jamming it.
Did the production process change at all, with the label change (to Napalm Records)?
We did it exactly the same way we did the first two records – which is actually a pretty unorthodox way of doing it. Max and I exchanged some ideas and demos, and beats and riffs – and take some on a CD, and then
Cavalera Conspiracy Pandemonium Out Now! Napalm Records
Interview
Having just released ‘Black Power Flower’ with Bubba DuPree, Tony Tornay and Dave Dinsmore under the moniker Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk band. We caught up with the man himself just before performing to delve into his past, present and future, in addition to how punk rock has influenced his career as a musician.
Brant Bjork Low Desert Punk. Vista Chino. Ex-Kyuss.
Black Power Flower is the debut from this particular line-up. How did you get together?
I grew up with Tony, the drummer, out in the desert. We were skateboarder punk rock kids, so we’ve been friends for many years. He plays in Fatso Jetson (with whom I also formerly played guitar) with Mario Lalli. Dave and I have been the best of friends for many years; we had a side project called Ché back in 2000. I’m just a fan of Bubba, I’ve met him over the years, you know, we’ve hung out and talked enough to know that he’s a super down to earth guy and a fantastic guitar player. It’s kind of like my dream band. We all kind of have punk rock roots and we can all get in the same room together and laugh and have a good time. A performer, and creator, of music for the better side of 20 years: from where do you draw inspiration?
My lyrics always kind of ride that fine line of reality and fantasy. My lyrics are about the fantasy of my dreams, and the realities of my frustrations. I just kind of pull from both. Sometimes my lyrics will reside in the present, I’ll go deep into the past, and then deep into the future, but I don’t really have any particular style or rhyme or reason plonked in. Occasionally, I’ll write lyrics as I’m singing in the studio and just let nature take its course. Other times, I have something specific I want to get off my chest and I’ll work with it until it falls out. To write words makes you appreciate great lyricists. I love bands that had lyricists, like Jerry Garcia had Robert Hunter, and [Sandy] Pearlman (the guy that did all the lyrics for Blue Oyster Cult), and then the guy that did lyrics for
Cream. I’d love to work with a lyricist. But for now, and as I have done for years, I just kind of have to work with it. I enjoy it, it’s fun. What would you consider the greatest moment in your career so far?
Looking back, my first solo record ‘Jalamanta’ was a very important record for me, because that was the record where I decided that maybe I could be a musician. When I was in Kyuss, and Fu Manchu, and stuff like that, I didn’t even think I was a professional drummer. I was just a guy playing music. I remember when someone asked for my autograph when I was in Kyuss, and I tripped out, like, ‘really?’ It was bizarre. I just thought, growing up in the 80s, that rock stars were like dudes like Van Halen and Kiss. I just never thought about that. To finally reach a place where I had the confidence to say ‘Hey, man, maybe I could really pursue what I feel and hear in my being, and make a record of it’. I even tried to sidestep the fact when I did. I was trying to call it something and my girlfriend at the time was like, ‘Well, call it Brant Bjork, that’s what it is, it’s all you, man’. And then I was like, ‘Fuck, I couldn’t argue that point’, so I kind of indirectly began a solo career too. So it was kind of an important rite of passage for me. What is the meaning behind the album’s title?
It means a lot of different things. This record was born from a lot of anger and a lot of love. I think ‘black power’ and ‘flower’ represents awareness and consciousness and rebirth and courage. And it’s beautiful to me. I think that’s why, when I came up with Black Power Flower, that’s me just really trying to articulate something that I feel that I just in words
words: Hilde Chruicshank always kind of fall short. But it’s just a poetic take on the things that fire me and inspire me to make the music, and specifically this record. How was the recording process?
I produced the record myself. I built a studio in my house out in the desert, so we recorded it there. It’s analogue recording, recorded to tape. Of course, we did some editing and stuff at the computer, but it’s very much an analogue recording. Growing up, some of my favourite records were the result of bands that didn’t have the money to go in and dick around, you know. You had to kind of execute your craft and your art quickly. And I like that. So it’s part of the style here. This to me is my version of a punk rock record. It’s where I was able to become a musician and an individual. And it was a sense of freedom. I just sent the guys the music, I demoed the songs and sent them the tracks and then we all went out to the desert and rehearsed the tracks for a couple of days and then started rolling tape. I wanted to get that, it’s almost like a fear, you know, Miles Davis used to do that a lot; used to give guys the music minutes before they played it, because he wanted to capture that intense sound of musicians that aren’t overly confident with the material. I like that. And I think we got that with this record. It gives it that punk edge.
Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk band Black Power Flower Out Now! Napalm Records
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Reviews
harmonies burst from the seams throughout. Another old school band has returned to the fold, much like Carcass and Obituary, with a leading record. They have also proven the style they crafted earlier in their career can still be just as relevant today. D.J.G. Mitchell
Anaal Nathrakh Desideratum
| Metal Blade Records
Each release from Anaal Nathrakh comes with a certain level of expectation. Pure spite and mayhem in metallic form, horrific blast-beats, strangling tremolo runs, pounding pneumatic riffs, and vocals so caustic they can strip the flesh from your bones! By no means have they become predictable or formulaic though, as it seems like with every album they look for a new way to twist the knife. On Desideratum the band’s electronic and industrial influences are pushed harder than ever, symbiotic with the blackened fury and grinding insanity that surround them. These elements, thanks to additional guest production from GoreTech bend, break, dissect, and distort the material adding an extra edge of cybernetic torment to the band’s already torturous sound. Mercilessly precise and brutally focused music that epitomises extremity.
Andy Walmsley
Brant Bjork
And the low desert punk band
Opener “Babylonian Pandemonium” is just the start, as he growls like an especially irritated beast. Max stated that the album was going to be more akin to grindcore, in a few ways, the band have delivered. But it isn’t solely speed, as there are riffs. So many riffs. “Scum” is unrelenting, “Not Losing The Edge” is indicative of the band’s top form and album highlight “Insurrection” demonstrates a fine balance between frothing grindcore and small elements of melodicism. As a duo, Max and brother Iggor are a force of nature to be reckoned with, powering through tracks with precision and brutal force. Converge bassist Nate Newton holds down the low end, whilst Marc Rizzo adds a fine sheen with his fret-bothering antics – his solos are all technically accomplished and only add to the chaotic nature of the album. This is tremendous stuff! Lee Carter
Black Power Flower | Napalm Records
Founder of stoner rock legends Kyuss, Brant Bjork, has teamed up with new guitarist Bubba DuPree, as well as old previous collaborators drummer Tony Tornay and bassist Dave Dinsmore, to form the Low Desert Punk band in the making of Black Power Flower. The album was recorded in Bjork’s own studio in the Nevada desert and produced by the frontman himself, and encompasses the sound of heavy stoner rock with elements of doom and blues with a psychedelic twist, reminiscent of that of early Kyuss. The first song, Controllers Destroyed, starts off super heavy and then the beat picks up, sending the listener into a fuzz filled desert-like soundscape. Lyrics wise, this is pure punk honesty and straight to the point. The instrumental heaviness, interspersed with melodic guitar playing, brilliantly compliments Bjork’s vocals. Highlights on the album are We Don’t Serve Your Kind Here, Stokely Up Now and the mellow Hustler’s Blues. My appreciation of this record grows with every listen. I highly recommend you buy this album.
Hilde Chruicshank
At The Gates
At War With Reality
Centinex
Redeeming Filth
Demitri Levantis
| Century Media
Having not released any original material in 19 years, and with a strong legacy to live up to, At War With Reality has a lot riding on it. Upon listening, it sounds almost as if they had never went away – with a record that sounds like the true successor to the likes of Terminal Spirit Disease and Slaughter of the Soul. It’s a well-paced album, as the band manage to fit a whopping 10 strong self-contained tracks (and one introductory) into the albums 44 minute runtime. This album comes as a strong reminder that innovation can still arise from such familiarity, as memorable riffs and
| Agonia Records
Comeback albums are something I’ve always been sceptical of, as they are often simply a cash-in on a cult following. Swedish outfit Centinex have managed to prove me very wrong, however, with their first album in nine years. ‘Redeeming Filth’ is another excellent piece of Death Metal that makes a strong argument that the old school sounds are still alive and as putrid as ever. Anyone sick of progressive, technical and core elements coming into the scene will be happy to know that almost none of the tracks on this release go over four minutes. One very experienced outfit who’ve gone back to their roots to keep their sound true.
Cavalera Conspiracy Pandemonium
| Napalm Records
Based upon the evidence on display in “Pandemonium”, never piss of Max Cavalera. The man sounds angrier and more visceral than he ever has done!
Cripper Hyena
| Metal Blade Records
The band have said (Interview – LMM October 2014) that one of their greatest strengths is their live performance, and judging by Bobby Blitz’s personal glowing recommendation (Interview – LMM August 2014)) I am inclined to agree! Their fourth studio album, Hyena, provides a strong argument in favour of their compositional and recording skills however. A groove-laden modern thrash metal album that sounds as fresh as its hooks are catchy (very). Although it suffers from the occasional streak of cheesiness, this album exemplifies Cripper as both an accessible and talented heavy metal band with a bright future ahead of them. The band have gotten where they are with a strong DIY- ethic so it will be interesting to see how fat they can take it with the added support of a leading metal record label. D.J.G. Mitchell
What do you get when you mix the flat, cold, and darkened guitar tones of Celtic Frost’s swansong “Monotheist” with the brutal, mechanised feel of Fear Factory in their heyday? Likely something akin to Godflesh’s first album in thirteen years. A lot has changed since 2002, and it is clear that Godflesh, with their various projects since then, have kept up with the times – eight-string guitars rumble and buzz all the way through the album, utilising a mechanical groove in tandem with the drum machine that harkens to an impending cyborg apocalypse. In fact, “A World Only Lit By Fire” would make the perfect soundtrack to that scenario. The resulting mass reaches osmiumlevels of density. Godflesh have returned, heavy as ever. Lee Carter
Widely revered as one the greatest bands in death metal, Obituary return with their first album in five years. “Inked In Blood” feels like a slower, more measured slice of death metal. Sometimes confused for some supposed new-found sense of “maturity”, this feels more like a focus on songwriting; honing songs into tight, cohesive cuts of death metal that are forced to remain in the listener’s mind long after the album has finished. Case-in-point is the pulverising “Voices In My Head”: caustic vocals combined with frenetic riffs that later descend into a clean section that is closely followed by a soaring lead; a finely balanced track that vies for the accolade of album highlight. Later tracks maintain the midfast tempo and Obituary’s standard aural assault, however the band’s standard is something by which everything is measured. It doesn’t scale the heights of “The End Complete”, but it’s still Obituary – solid, beefy death metal for all. Lee Carter
Job For A cOWBOY
Exodus
Sun Eater
Blood In, Blood Out
| Nuclear Blast
Thrash masters Exodus are back, kicking and screaming and spitting venom, with a returning Steve “Zetro” Souza behind the mic once more. Thankfully however, the band haven’t relied solely on the nostalgia factor, as the album is packed to the brim with scorching thrash madness and wild, manic soloing. It’s not a perfect album by any means, or one that in any way stretches or redefines the band’s sound – some of the songs do go on a little too long, and Zetro’s nasty, goblin-ish snarl is as polarizing (and piercing) as ever – but it’s an album which captures the sound of a band still with fire in their bellies and a murderous gleam in their eyes. A vibrant, vital, and visceral release from the old guard. Andy Walmsley
Godflesh
| Avalanche Recordings
A World Lit Only By Fire
| Metal Blade Records
JFAC have been making technical death metal for the best part of a decade now and I was very pleased at how they disowned their Deathcore origins with their first album. I was impressed by the political agenda of their last two albums. So where does ‘Sun Eater’ go next? It’s a consistent release that strikes on many points, however it could benefit from a greater number of standout moments: which are more prominent on previous releases. The album also explores new progressive territories, which is sure to pique the interest of some. If you like technical death metal, you should definitely check this album out! Sun Eater marks a strong middle point in the bands career, showing that the band have a lot more life in them yet. Arguably, there is more work needed, to bring it to the next level. Demitri Levantis
Obituary
Inked in Blood
| Relapse Records
Orange Goblin
Back From The Abyss
| Candlelight Records
Out with their eighth studio album, UK rockers Orange Goblin serve up a varied dish of 12 tracks, picking up where A Eulogy of the Damned left off in 2012. Back From The Abyss was recorded in London’s The Animal Farm studio with producer Jamie Dodd, making this a very pleasant listen indeed for a Goblin connoisseur. Their sound is easily recognised throughout the album, displaying influences from bands such as Motörhead (especially on The Devil’s Whip), as well as Pentagram, and even Mountain. This outing is a veritably schizophrenic concoction of all that is good and pure in the world of rock; from punk to fast forward rock n’ roll all the way too proper British heavy metal, but at the same time they retain their trademark sound: especially helped by Ben Ward’s vocals, the guitar sound and the production. Buy it. Hilde Chruicshank
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Reviews
album of brilliant, fretboard shredding riffs, roaring death vocals, and massive, shameless hooks. Closest in feel to 2008’s Holographic Universe it contains some of the simultaneously proggiest, poppiest, hookiest, and heaviest material the band have ever produced, continuing to refine and improve their unique, often divisive, sonic recipe. Andy Walmsley
with other genres, and yet such relations make themselves clear when attempting to liken them to other black metal artists. Atmospheric, and simultaneously immediate. I can say that this album is both misanthropic, and a complete pleasure on the ears. Stench successfully attempt something bold and new in a genre that is all but over-saturated. For fans of Posthum, Kvelertak, or Satyricon. D.J.G. Mitchell
Pallbearer Foundations of Burden | Profound Lore
American doom band Pallbearer are out with the follow-up to their 2012 debut album Sorrow and Extinction. The quartet has beautifully crafted yet another set of unique, doomy dirges, consisting of six tunes filled with gloom and agony which leave no doubt as to the deservedness of the critical acclaim their debut full-length received. Heavier and more consistent than their debut, Foundations Of Burden shows a band that’s grown into their own, and evolved in their song writing skills. Vocalist Brett Campbell’s voice is perfectly suited to the band’s massive sound and the instrumental parts of the songs are like an endless soundscape filled with gentle and skilfully played guitar solos, accompanied by a thundering bassline and drums that leads the listener expertly through the levels of the songs. An album definitely worth checking out. If you liked their previous effort, you will not be disappointed. Hilde Chruicshank
Spectral Haze I.E.V. Transmutated Nebula Remains
| Soulseller Records
This is the ultimate in psychedelic stoner metal. No hyperbole. Anyone new to the world of stoner rock, desert rock and psychedelic guitar solos; and anyone old enough to remember the heyday of Gentle Giant and Cream will be blown away by this Norwegian outfit’s debut. With an alternative rock arrangement that reminded me of The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Stooges, Spectral Haze take us on a trip you won’t forget in a hurry. Tracks like ‘Mercurian Mantra’ and ‘Black Gandharvas’ sound almost like a live recording with their exceptionally heavy bass and drums and how they descend into hypnotic solos. ‘Descent into Intravodial’ feels like you’re at a Ramones and MC5 concert with the sheer anger and energy delivered in a catchy 4/4 time signature. Anyone looking for old school Metal roots should check out this band as they’re keeping the purities of rock music alive and well.
Vesania
Deus Ex Machina
| Metal Blade Records
Progressive symphonic black metal. This really doesn’t strike as a record that can be defined by genre alone, as it is so damn unconventional. An otherworldly feeling permeates throughout due to the accompaniment of keys/organ sounds throughout. The songs are also broken up with clean-singing passages, as well, as atmospheric interludes and soaring solos. The schizophrenic feeling is completed with left field twists, sections of technical proficiency showcased, and other surprises contributing to a general sense of the unexpected. This album is an interesting curiosity based on the eclectic sum of its parts, but it is how they are woven together that turn this into a memorable and curious must-listen album which demands repeat listens. D.J.G. Mitchell
Demitri Levantis
Scar Symmetry The Singularity Phase 1 - Neohumanity
| Nuclear Blast
The new Scar Symmetry album, the first in a proposed interlinked trilogy, again appears following a serious upheaval in the band’s line-up. The cyborg vocal tag-team of Robert Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist are definitely solidly embedded by now (this is their third album with the band after all), but long-time guitarist Jonas Kjellgren is now no longer with the group, meaning that this is the first album where the guitar work and programming is entirely down to the furious fingers of Per Nilsson. Thankfully the band haven’t missed a step, producing yet another stellar
YOB
STENCH Venture
| Agonia Records
A very pleasant surprise to find in front of me this month is the latest from black meddlers Stench. Their latest full length is progressive melting pot of ideas that one may expect to clash, but instead produces a curious, and addiction. Its generic anchor is undoubtable, to the extent that it is hard to draw comparisons
Clearing The Path To Ascend | Neurot Recordings
At over an hour in length, yet only 4 tracks in total, Yob’s latest album (their seventh) certainly isn’t an easy one to digest. It drags and drones and devastates with its colossal, clanging riffs and titanic, sludgy rhythms, which drown the listener in a torrent of crushing doom and choking gloom. A truly weighty, monolithically heavy release. Andy Walmsley
Reviews Weedeater Sixteen Tons
Voices London London based Voices, consisting of three members from Akercocke: guitarist Sam Loynes, vocalist Peter Benjamin and drummer David Gray; alongside bassist Dan Abela, are out with their follow up to last year’s ‘From the Human Forest Create a Fugue of Imaginary Rain’. The album, simply titled ‘London’, consists of 14 tracks of immaculately crafted progressive heaviness. The first track, Suicide Note certainly sets the mood for the record, but does not reveal the brutal bashing that awaits the listener. Spoken words links the tracks together and paints a grotesque picture of the darker side of London.
| Candlelight Records
Vocals alternate between gloomy melodic singing and blackened screams. The drums brutally blast away, while the guitars send you into a psychedelic trance. The most enjoyable thing with this album is that you can never really know what to expect, apart from brilliantly executed playing and powerful vocals. Voices are one of the few bands that actually manage to channel the same raw energy on record as they display on stage, and anyone who has ever seen them live will know the severity of that statement. This record is certainly not for the fainthearted. Buy this album and open your mind to new extremes. Hilde Chruicshank
| Season of Mist
The latest reissue from Weedeater’s back-catalogue is 2003s “Sixteen Tons”: everything you could ever want from the purveyors of their own self-branded “weed metal” - glorious lofi production, with a heady doom/stoner groove and vocals that are near unintelligible, yet sound like the hazy, hallucinated voices heard on a drug trip. It’s not all low-strung doom, with “Woe’s Me” and closer “Kira May” demonstrate a gritty Southern-fried country sensibility – it mixes it up and makes for a great detour from the band’s sprawling beatdown. The tempo very rarely ventures above a slow, intoxicated swagger which may be offputting for some, but for the unbridled fury in the vocals and solid songwriting it is worth giving this a spin. Lee Carter