British post-rock collective Haunts recently released their debut output. A Lack of Empathy, just shy of the thirty minutes mark, is a refreshing take on the genre, thanks to Dalma’s violins expanding into reverberating swells, and Kurt’s minimalistic drumming, using a variety of rim shots and uncommon percussions to fill the available space, and, finally, the omnipresent synths, which fulfill their purpose without being overwhelming. Like clanths in an abandoned shack, Haunts remind us of old, simpler times while, on the other hand, providing us with new ways to confront the future. My favourite effort on this EP is … Read more
Außerwelt – Transitions
Germany’s post-black metal outfit Außerwelt recently released their debut full-length album, Transitions. The album starts without hesitation and into the soaring riffs of “Isolate the Sun”. Their intention is clear: Transitions is about crafting an atmospheric aura not too far from the mellower post-rock scene, but with added tremolo riffs, and other crushing chords and pounding drums. As far as post-black metal goes, this is quite on the soft side, acting as a bridge or gateway from and to post-rock and black metal. This is a really well crafted album, as each song on it thoroughly explores a theme … Read more
The Electronic Music of 2017
2017 has been a great year in music for me. Some might argue otherwise, but I’d reply that they simply didn’t look hard enough. That’s because most of the gems that came out didn’t get the full attention they deserve, and were somewhat far from the spotlight. Here, I’ll gather a few of the names that resonate with me still, now at the end of the year. Here we go!
Ariadne
Stabat Mater
I’ve written my thoughts on this album at least twice already here, so let me just reiterate briefly. The Ariadne duo cranked up their creativity to 111, … Read more
Weekly Release Dump #2
- Saturday, 9 December
Les chevals & Allonymous – Big Mess (jazz fusion/R&B)
Mindpatrol – Vulture City (progressive metal)
- Sunday, 10 December
Blvck Ceiling – The Lost 5 (darkwave)
- Monday, 11 December
Slvmbvr – Slvmbvr (drone doom metal)
Vexovoid – Call of the Starforger (technical blackened thrash metal)
- Tuesday, 12 December
Astrophe – Deconstruct (instrumental progressive metal)
Crawl across the Sky – The Silent God (post-rock/black metal)
Gardenjia – In Dreams (progressive metal)
Käki – Dada Flesh (experimental rock)
Сольвычегодск (Sol’vychegodsk) – Вежливый приказ (Vezhlivyy prikaz) (experimental jazz)
- Wednesday, 13 December
⛧⛧⛧ (Triple Pentagram) – ⛧⛧⛧ (grindcore)
- Friday, 15 December
Al … Read more
Long-Form Self-Indulgence – A Compendium of Overlong Music from 2017
Some may know already, but one of my many péchés mignons is a certain affection for long, single compositions. I can trace this likeness to my first encounters with progressive metal – the real beginning of my musical journey –, and to Dream Theater especially. The title track of their double album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence was truly mind-blowing for the teen whom I was, with its eight movements spanning over forty minutes of impressive musicianship and songcraftsmanship. I’ve grown out of my fandom for the band, somewhat, but there’s still some magic in their earlier catalogue. Since then, … Read more