That’s the sum of many Christmas releases and catching up on some stuff.
Canadian grindcore band Wake have put Sowing the Seeds of a Worthless Tomorrow for free, for Christmas. I own their 2013 False, but totally forgot to keep track of them, so thanks for that! Like what I remember of them, it’s straight up brutal, blackened grindcore with some slight emphasis on dissonant intervals. The songs are fast-paced and short-lived, just how we like them here.

Pilot have unofficially released their latest album, Damar, on Youtube, with a release on other platforms due soon. The Turkish … Read more

Travis Orbin is a musician I highly respect. From his role in many bands as a full-time member or a session drummer to his set of solo compositions, the result is always excellent! Finite is an artistic exercise in self-limitation. The six pieces here are written strictly for a quartet of drums, bass, viola, and violin. The end result is a highly engrossing and unique experimental math metal EP where the drum-and-bass foundation is embellished by organic and amplified strings. Yet another magnificent EP, signed Travis Orbin.
Guilt Noir is multi-instrumentist Michael Arthur Holloway‘s debut solo album. Labeled as … Read more

Yet another track-EP from Mesarthim. The last one isn’t even 10 days old and Type III is already succeeding it. I have to say that there’s something different, here. The piano introduction sets the tone, and then guitar palm-muted chords come and increase the momentum of the track to an epic level. That being said, I’m really not a fan of epic metal – imagine all those Skyrim OST metal covers -, but I appreciate the little bit of diversity the project is putting in its music.
British mathcore band Zilf released, earlier this year, the cleverly-titled (not) PrEPare … Read more

Free Salamander Exhibit‘s Undestroyed came out very recently, on December thirteenth, via Web of Mimicry. The strong vibes of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and flairs of Frank Zappa are unsurprising, given that the band consists of eighty percent of the former’s lineup. What’s interesting, here, is that the band uses homemade musical instruments in addition to the traditional rock trio. Flute, trumpet, glockenspiel and theremin are also common sounds in this fifty-minute record. I’ve never really been a fan of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum or Frank Zappa – you can throw me rocks -, so it’s a bit difficult for me … Read more

Can we reach L before year’s end? Place your bets!
dMu is an avant-garde metal and jazz fusion coalescence with baritone sax, bass clarinet, electric guitars, and heavy drums. Synaptic Self was released in August and has since been grossly underrepresented in people’s listening time. It’s an album of pure and masochistic ecstasy. Fans of John Zorn will most likely find a brass and woodwinds alter ego to the musician here, but even those who don’t give a shit about Mr. Zorn – me included – should take the time to listen to this album and let it sink in, … Read more