The Rock Blogger

Dozer . Through the Eyes of Heathens . 2005. 4 stars .

A solid stoner metal release from this Swedish band. Strong, soaring vocals, fluid bass lines and rolling percussion flesh out an inspired sound that owes much to the fast paced assaults of Kyuss (and their respectable family tree). While Dozer has more in common with 70s hard rock than doom or prog metal styles, Through the Eyes of Heathens is as epic as it is heavy, with impressive solos, riffs and lyrics amplifying its straightforward rock attacks.

Like any good stoner rock album, the themes of Heathens touch on social strife, war, madness and tripping out with creative deft. While the song structures themselves aren’t as mind blowing as say Kyuss’ cosmic Welcome to Sky Valley , this album has just the right pacing and rough-edged character to make it stand out. Between the sludgy, fuzz-happy dirges of Electric Wizard and the Black Sabbath-worshiping efforts of Witchcraft, Dozer fits nicely as one of the more direct, grungy and immediately satisfying stoner metal albums to come out this decade. A must for fans of the genre.

"From Fire Fell"

An excellent performance of one my favorite Bjork songs. Her voice is so strange and evocative and the sound of that music-box gives me chills. This song can be found on Vespertine (2001).

Blut aus Nord. Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars. 2009. 4 stars.

France’s Blut aus Nord have produced a stellar work of melodic black metal with Memoria Vetusta II, where extended guitar solos, crystalline production and an icy atmosphere are the central points of focus. Similar to the early and more ethereal work of Emperor, the clean arpeggio melodies of Blut aus Nord give off a chilling effect and stand apart from the common blast-beat barrage found in most black metal acts. Of course rapid percussion and raspy vocals are an integral part of BAN’s sound, but they serve as counterweights to the symphonic lift of these long, winding songs.

While the general mood of this album is dark and foreboding, it is quite pleasant to listen to, as the fluid guitars and synth lines swirl around each other seamlessly. These interweaving elements help exemplify the album’s celestial and mystical themes. Despite their melodic complexity, every song flows beautifully as the band makes pristine transitions between airy ambient passages and epic metal riffs.

Memoria Vetusta II is one of the most majestic and technically brilliant black metal albums to incorporate melodic and symphonic elements. While it may not have the same raw visceral power as their earlier work, this latest release demonstrates Blut aus Nord’s ability to evoke strong, awe-inspiring atmosphere. An inspired and polished album that speaks to the power of the season.

Blut aus nord - “Antithesis of the flesh”

Natural Snow Buildings. Daughter of Darkness. 2009. 5 stars.

It’s been some time since I have been so deeply immersed in an album. It’s rare for me to forget that I am even listening to a recording, to just let it seep into my brain, to be so naturally absorbed by the senses, like the snow in my backyard, the wind against my window or the blinding sunlight spilling in. Daughter of Darkness provides such an unusual and powerful listening experience that is ceases to be a an impossibly long collection of songs and becomes an avenue for meditation and psychedelic escape.

This mysterious and prolific French duo have produced a mammoth work that rivals the equally ominous efforts of Godspeed You Black Emperor. Combining drone, post-rock, psychedelic folk and noise rock, they have produced the ultimate opium den soundtrack, a drawn-out, enveloping sound that can bring you to the darker caverns of your subconscious. Middle eastern guitar work, haunting choral vocals, strange chimes, and tribal percussion are some of the eclectic elements that stand out across this collection’s unbelievable 6 hours. Yes, the album (rather, a series of cassettes) is that long. But it doesn’t really matter, because an extraordinary release needs extraordinary time to (un)settle. It is truly something to be lost in and can be entered into from any song.

Needless to say, Natural Snow Buildings are intimidating. But as soon as you get a taste of these organic pieces, you will be hypnotized, or at the very least intrigued. The duo’s anti-commercial and uncompromising ethos is simply admirable. Such commitment to the transcendental power of music is humbling. Its just too bad that this act hovers so low below the radar because they really do have a powerful sound that expands on the spiritual and esoteric dimensions expressed by bands like GYBE and Six Organs of Admittance.

Daughters of Darkness, being self-released, is incredibly hard to find. I scoured the Internet looking for a myspace page, band website or label that sells it but I’ve come up with nothing. If anyone has further ordering information or anything else to say about this band or album, please leave a comment below.

“If I can find my way through the darkness”
Not on the album, but it gives you a sense of what they sound like.

Afterlives is an acoustic/lo-fi rock project from William Barrett on Enemies List Recordings, the home recording label that produced Have a Nice Life and Nahvalr. This video is incredibly simple but it has an ominous, psychedelic feel to it. I’m looking forward to hearing the debut EP A Ticking Clock That I Couldn’t Stop, which can be streamed on Last.fm

Drudkh. Songs of Grief and Solitude. 2006. 4 stars.

This 35 minute album marked a departure from this Ukrainian band’s atmospheric black metal aesthetic, consisting of acoustic folk instrumentals with historical overtones. The result is a stark, sober album that conveys struggle and resolution against a harsh, rural landscape. It has a very organic feel, attributed largely to its thin production that lays everything bare. This approach gives the work a unique feel quite different from the metal barrage of Drudkh’s heavier albums.

Like the work of Finland’s Nest, the use of traditional instruments has an immediate affinity to the fables, surroundings and culture of the past. While Drudkh’s black metal efforts also possess this conservative spirit, Songs of Grief and Solitude brings it to the forefront of the listening experience in the most surprising and uncompromising way. While some fans my decry this cultural experiment, its excursions are refreshing and highlight the intellectual vigor that had set Drudkh apart from the pack from the very beginning.

“Tears of Gods”

Photo by Sorina Dragusanu

Taken at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

And You WIll Know Us By the Trail of Dead. The Century of Self. 2009. 4.5 stars.

Yes, I will use a tired cliche and call this a return to form. After being bogged down by progressive aspirations and awkward experimentation on their previous two LPs, Trail of Dead have returned to a more cohesive state with the brilliant Century of Self, an epic collection of arty, indie rock songs that are packed with urgency and grandeur. A far more energetic, fluid and fast paced work than its predecessors, The Century of Self has managed to balance their earlier punk-inspired assaults with bombastic segues and progressions, making it a vivid illustration of the band’s lengthy development. While less noisy and raucous than the now classic Source Tags and Codes, this album still retains the soaring dynamic of that release despite the occasionally pompous frills lining the edges.

The first half of the album is exceptionally strong, with rocking numbers like “Far Pavilions” and “Isis Unveiled” revealing that this is not your ordinary indie punk album. These tracks feature beautiful transitions between clamoring guitars and dreamy bridges with orchestral tinges. The latter song in particular will bring back fond memories of TOD’s earlier incarnations, with its incredible pace, literary lyrics and driving percussion. The bridge for this song is a barn burner that clunks by with the same battle-ready intensity as “Will You Smile Again”, the undisputed highlight from Worlds Apart. The opening momentum continues through to the neo-psychedelic flourishes of “Halcyon Days” and the sweeping, sea-faring imagery of “Bells of Creation”, which graced last year’s Festival Thyme EP.

The latter of half of the album is somewhat more melodic, with the rousing and inspired multi-vocal chorus of “Fields of Coral” providing an emotional anchor for the album. Lined by dizzying piano lines and fantastic drumming, the band sings about staying true to one’s beliefs and ideals. With such a strong instrumental backing, they have never sounded so sincere. “Inland Sea”, another Festival Thyme song, is also driven by piano keys and is a pretty counterpoint to the rancor of the preceding tracks. “Luna Park” continues on to even softer territory with piano and acoustic guitars tracing the more sensitive lines of Conrad Keeley’s lyrics. The reflective mood extends onto “Pictures of an Only Child”, where Keeley’s vocals are more understated and effective. Far more earnest than anything on So Divided, the band manages to gracefully incorporate true balladry into their work.

While the album’s final moments aren’t nearly as moving, they are still full of interesting ideas, including the catchy two-vocal exchanges on “Ascending” that adds a stirring sense of comradeship to the disc. While the piano solos that seque between this and the final track are somewhat forced, they helped wind the journey down to the chanting chorus of “Insatiable Two” which brings the whole affair to a satisfying conclusion.

So long story short, The Centruy of Self is a great and beautifully composed album that draws in disparate elements from across the band’s career and fuses them together seamlessly. While they do get a little too interlude happy on some of their songs, which could have used some extra trimming, the overall aesthetic of this album is undeniably epic and rich with detail. Fans should rejoice over the band’s regained confidence as they tear through these tracks. This is easily one of their best albums and can be placed on the same pedestal as their previous masterpieces.

Bells of Creation - Live in Germany

Isis Unveiled

Fauna. Rain. 2008. 4.5 stars.

I know very little about America’s Fauna, other than the fact that they have produced this mysterious one track album that builds from sparse acoustic chords to explosive atmospheric black metal. The hour-plus “Rain” opens with 5 minutes of tape hiss and falling rain before the slow, gentle strums kick in, creating eerie tension as the progressions expand in complexity. After several minutes of these soft, soothing arpeggios, the music begins its trance-like effect. Feelings of extreme isolation and longing take root in the somnambulist transitions before giving way to foreboding strums that bring the sound closer to neofolk territory. Deep, bellowing vocals begin to chant in the distance, adding another layer to the increasing density of the piece as it takes on psychedelic qualities.

Finally, past the 20 minute mark, the storm sets in with intense blast beat percussion and epic tremolo riffs, alleviating the preceding tensions with powerful cathartic release. The black metal sound careening across has a rich, organic feel to it, not unlike the atmospheric focus of Wolves in the Throne Room, Velvet Cacoon and Drudkh. Sparse vocals eventually come through in unusual rasps, providing a clear sign of misanthropy. Fauna then slow things down again as they enter into chugging doom-metal. When the percussion kicks back in, the band continues to draw out their distorted riffs, pushing them into oblivion.

It is obvious that Rain is an epic and challenging release. Its passages are long and opaque and require the listener to get sucked in and lost in its expansive sound. Its incredible length and repetitive structures may dissuade the uninitiated, but those who stick with it will be rewarded with its transcendent, hypnotic effects. Despite its difficult and obscure presentation, Rain remains one of the most ambitious albums to emerge from the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest. Fauna’s aesthetic is inextricable from the ego-dissolving fury of the wilderness. With their anti-commercial ethos to the relentlessly uncompromising performance, Fauna stand as one of the most interesting curiosities from the American black metal scene.

“The Man from Harold Wood” - Matthew Good Band.

Time lapse photography set to Matthew Good’s brooding instrumental track. The song’s title and Arsenal game samples are supposedly tributes to his English father. It can be found on the Loser Anthems EP and the deluxe In a Coma compilation.