Tag Archives: drone

An Art as Catharsis Special: Opium Eater, Raven, Seims & Slowly Building Weapons

by Ignacio De Vincenzi

Australia has become one of my favourite places in the world to look out for new and exciting bands. From alien overlords such as Portal to fresh faces of progressive metal like Caligula’s Horse, there is a pallet of sounds to be found on the Lucky Country. However, there is a special label that has gained recognition for finding and delivering some of the most unique albums I’ve heard in recent years: Art as Catharsis.

Psychedelic drone music with eastern influences (Ḥashshāshīn), John Zorn worship jazzgrind (Kurushimi (苦しみ)) or experimental hardcore madness (Tired Minds), Art as Catharsis has … Read more

Big|Brave – Ardor

by Dæv Tremblay



Big|Brave is a Montréalais doom-leaning experimental rock trio, and they’re releasing their latest full-length, Ardor, on September fifteen. With only three tracks, the album manages to go on for almost forty-five minutes. Their sound is overwhelmingly huge and hopelessly, crawlingly slow, yet Robin’s voice, at the forefront of the music, sounds fragile and vulnerable. This apparent dichotomy moulds Big|Brave’s sound into something rather unique. The desolate songs are really drawn out and quite uneventful, but so emotionally crushing it’s terrifying. With only two guitars and a drumkit – and a voice –, Big|Brave are able to craft some of … Read more

Seiðlæti – Þagnarþulur

by Dæv Tremblay

The Icelandic entity Seiðlæti recently released their debut album, Þagnarþulur. The folk music duo – Uni and Reynir – interprets there seventeen poems with minimalistic, ritualistic percussions conveyed by a total of six musicians. Right off the bat, I have to draw some easy comparison between Uni’s voice and world-famous Icelandic singer Björk. Both voices share some timbral similarities, especially when referring to the less experimental, folk side of the latter. Maybe it’s the inherent sonority of íslenska that bring the two closer in my head, but whether that is the case or not, I want you to know … Read more

Gravetemple – Áthatolhatatlan félelmek

by Dæv Tremblay

Gravetemple‘s newest barrage of sound, Áthatolhatatlan félelmek (English title: Impassable Fears), comes out on June second. This experimental, droning, and abstract death metal album consists of Hungarian chants screamed through a musical haze consisting of mostly low-register notes, uncertain rhythmics, and absent melodies. If you want a more imaged comparison, I’d say it’s like listening to Portal underwater. Áthatolhatatlan félelmek is really an odd but entrancing release. It’s relatively short, the meat of it being concentrated in three songs – ‘A szarka’, ‘Elavúlt földbolygó’, and ‘Áthatolhatatlan félelmek’ -, making up around twenty-seven minutes, and the three other tracks … Read more

LLNN/Wovoka – Marks/Traces

by Dæv Tremblay



Danish and American bands LLNN and Wovoka unite on a split album regrouping the former band’s part, Marks, and the latter’s, Traces. The synth-tinged blackened doom of LLNN is perfect for a soundtrack to pessimistic futurism, with its slow, droning, and heavy riffs atop which the singer screams his wrath. The six tracks of this first side make up a little less than twenty minutes, the same as Wovoka’s single song, ‘Traces’. While I was unfamiliar with the Denmark armada, Wovoka’s latest album, Saros, stuck with me as an example in post-metal. They’ve put yet another badge … Read more