Not from Here – Not from Here

The Minnesota trio Not from Here puts a twist on the regular mathcore formula: the expected bass guitar is here replaced by a cello. This alternative lineup gives way to an interesting contemporary classical facet to the band’s music, most strikingly on their kétjegyű szók, “Ab”, “De”, and “Ex”, while being underlying in all the other tracks. Speaking of which, the songs on their self-titled sophomore release range from caustic mathcore to post-hardcore, with drafts of polyrhythmic sludge – the ending of “Should Certain Conditions Arise” –, drone metal, and progressive metal. It’s all instrumental, giving the music ample … Read more

Review: Snakefeast – The Pythoness

Baltimore-based Snakefeast comes pretty much out of the left field for me. Basically, it’s a guitarless progressive sludge quintet. But none of that ELE bullshit (3 basses that do the same thing), the instruments are: a drum, a bass guitar, a cello, and a saxophone. That can be quite interesting, isn’t it? But instead, they fall just a bit short.

Honestly, this combination of instruments could make something so awesome, that it’s criminal to have let the opportunity pass them by, and instead do some pretty uninspired sludge. Don’t get me wrong, the bass riffs are amazing and the songs … Read more