OSR: November 25th, 2015

by Dæv Tremblay

The Syters is a mathcore band from Russia whose sound is closer to the Frontierer/Sectioned brand than the Dillinger Escape Plan’s; it’s a pretty good album.

12 Areas is Telepathy‘s latest: a great post-metal journey.

That’s the sort of black metal I like, atmospheric, sludgey, and post-ish.

What would happen if djent and rap collided and worked together? If you thought about Hacktivist, you’re right, but DVSR is now also an acceptable answer (since 2013 apparently).

It gives me great joy to hear a perfect blend of jazz and math rock, thanks to Father Figure.

Område is an … Read more

The Quest of Perfection

by Dæv Tremblay

Perfection. Why are some people pursuing this ever-fleeing concept; why do they almost always end up giving up; and why have you never heard of anyone who has never given up on it? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually.

Perfection is, first and foremost, only a concept. It is born and lives in your imagination. Nobody, alive or dead, has achieved nor will ever achieve perfection. Be it a perfect work of art, a flawlessly balanced lifestyle, true enlightenment, etc. And I believe that this bait, this carrot which is never closer to you however fast you run, is impeding many … Read more

The Mire – Vice Regalia

by Dæv Tremblay

a1848591908_16 (1)UK’s The Mire is a black metal band fond of experimentation, and not so much of preconceived ideas about the genre. They’ve been active since 2009 with a two-song demo, and Vice Regalia is their most recent release, which classifies as an EP, clocking in at just under 25 minutes. Unfortunately, the band has announced this release as their final one, and apparently won’t be making new music anymore.

The band blends clean singing with different styles of harsh vocals, which pulls them towards the side of avant-garde black metal just a little, sound-wise. To that is added their experimentation, … Read more

Panzerballett – Breaking Brain

by Deidre House

Munich, Germany’s Panzerballett has been one of my favorite bands for some time now. Merging the intricate brutality of progressive metal with the grace and elegance of modern jazz together with a dash of German humor and a healthy awareness of how bizarre this combination is, they are in my opinion one of the most original and virtuosic bands active at this time. Their fifth full length album, Breaking Brain, sufficiently expands on the formula that they’ve developed over the years and manages to meet my high expectations yet again.

Featuring a sax player in what would otherwise be … Read more

OSR: November 21st, 2015

by Dæv Tremblay

Sanzu‘s debut EP was very impressive, their new album not so much.

I remember Empirine‘s Oculi being one of the strongest releases of last year, The Vermilion King is not so different.

Cleric are an amazing experimental noisy, mathy, grindcore band, and Regressions is their last, 2010, album. It’s worth it, though.

Willows is one of the best and most interesting progressive metalcore releases in recent memory.

Coma Cluster Void have got a steaming hype train following them, but deservedly so; just listen to this single and you’ll understand.

Harsh, short, and raw, three words to describe Faceless … Read more