Category Archives: Mini-Review

Countdown from Ten, Hexecutor, Mungion, Bruit ≤, Szilárd Mezei Túl a Tiszán Innen Ensemble, Xander Naylor, Earthmass, Avast, and Outre-Tombe

by Dæv Tremblay

Countdown from Ten – Speakeasy Petting Zoo

This Pennsylvania instrumental trio delivers some nasty math rock-tinged post-hardcore on their debut EP Speakeasy Petting Zoo. It’s in your face but also in your mind, thanks to interesting riff ideas, time signatures, and song structures. There’s quite a show of proficiency from each instrumentalist here, so strap in and prepare for a good time!

Hexecutor – Poison, Lust and Damnation

What would you say about some blackened thrash metal with a rather old school sound and vocals lifted straight from Adventure Time? The latter trait refers to the high-pitched squeals of … Read more

Leonov – Wake

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Leonov, from Oslo, Norway, is a band that calls itself a blend of post-rock and metal. Wake is set to be their second release, after a self-titled album in 2014, and will be out on Fysisk Format on October 26. The quintet is made of Tåran Reidal on vocals and keyboards, Ole Jørgen Reindal and Rune Gilje on guitars, Morten Kjelling on bass, and Jon-Vetle Lunden on drums. It’s the first time I’m acquainted with the band, but a few minutes only sold me on it. Let’s see what it’s all about…

Wake commences rather … Read more

Birushanah – 灰ニナルマデ

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Naniwakko trio Birushanah released 灰ニナルマデ (Hai ni narumade) on October 3. The Japanese group has been around since 2002 under the moniker 毘盧釈那 (Birushana), and this latest opus is their fourth full-length release. The style of the band is sludge metal that includes a lot of elements from Japanese musical culture and pitched percussions.

This mix certainly makes them stand out musically. From the first minutes on 灰ニナルマデ, the pitched percussions come in and battle with the guitarist and singer for centre stage with their counter-intuitive melodies and unfamiliar harmonics. I’ve written about harmonics in … Read more

Monthly Recommendations: September 2018

by Dæv Tremblay

Andrew Bernstein – An Exploded View of Time

To the neophyte, a simple saxophone can hardly stand on its own, musically speaking. To the virtuoso, however, nothing is out of reach for that metal cylindre. To the beholder, only beauty can be found.

Read more.

Doom Shrugs – The Clairolfactant and the Flatulent Ghost

With its dissonances, rhythmic caprices, and overall eccentric character you can already appreciate the unique fragrance of the group.

Read more.

Five Pound Pocket Universe – Brain Bubble Party

There are very few musical territories left untouched by the quill of Michel and Five Pound Pocket

… Read more

Devin Drobka’s Bell Dance Songs – Amaranth

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

The mouthfully-baptised Devin Drobka’s Bell Dance Songs band is a quintet made of three woodwind players, one acoustic bass player, and a drums person that also acts as the composer: the aforementioned Devin Drobka. It is without a surprise that you will read my words telling you that this is a merciless sonic assault! Amaranth came out on 28 September through Shifting Paradigm Records. Let’s dissect the beast.

The album loses no time to show its colours. At the fluid-tempoed start of “Skip Skip” and the dialogue between the bass and the drums, it’s quite fun … Read more