Laurestine is one of these great albums that leave a mark on you, and that has the power to change your perspective on a whole musical genre. It has been lauded by many, even us, as one of the best albums of 2015, and deservedly so. The intertwining of orchestral and electric instruments in the context of extreme metal, post-black metal if you want to label it, was executed to near perfection, and both sides really complemented each other. On May 6th, So Hideous will release an orchestral version of the same album. I was understandably very excited about … Read more
Category Archives: News
OSR: May 5th, 2016
Cinco de Mayo Edition. Unfortunately, no Mexican bands will be featured in this edition of one-sentence reviews.
Echo Spiral エコースパイラル is an American atmospheric djent band that really plays in the same park as Plini, Sithu Aye and David Maxim Micic. Dark Mirror is a short and sweet EP, at just over 10 minutes of carefully selected material. They put their talent on display in technical melodic riffs that maintain that feel good vibe that this part of the genre is known for, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be blast beat, does it?
Minarchist – In Absence, with Exclusive Song Premiere
Listen to “The Ecstasy of Dreams” in an exclusive premiere stream right now!
We rarely, if ever, have the chance to witness a band in its infancy that later becomes widely known and loved. Most of the bands we write about here, although they are insanely good and talented, are often too far underground to catch widespread attention even though some manage to thrive in the understream. Minarchist, however, have a bright future ahead of them. Remember how Black Crown Initiate started out: they simply put their EP, “Song of the Crippled Bull”, on bandcamp one day and, the … Read more OSR: April 27th, 2016
Schammasch – Triangle, an Analysis Of
The Swiss avant-garde black metal band Schammasch – name taken from Šamaš, the Mesopotamian God of Justice – will release their third full-length album, simply titled Triangle, on April 29th. As the name suggests, the concept of this highly ambitious work is tripartite, each side clocking in at 33:30. Yes, that makes for more than a hundred minutes of music! Inspired by Richard MacDonald‘s sculptures, the cover album portrays circus artist Sasha Krohn, falling into nothingness, photographed by Ester Segarra. Every side of the Triangle has its own identity, and feels very unique, they deal with various concepts, … Read more