The Rock Blogger

AIR

Jabladav - Entisaikainen Herra Hihkasis Atilaa Menna Pilver. 2008

Powerfully deep drones and minimalist ambient drawn out for close to an hour. The slow bass tones are both pulsating and transient, encouraging stillness and isolation. Recorded live, this rare release demonstrates exceptional focus and insularity.

EARTH

Echtra. Burn It All Away . 2009.

Densely textured Cascadian black metal similar in scope to Fauna, Krallice and Skagos. Three epic tracks of raw tremolo riffs layered over waves of distortion produce hypnotic effects. Captures the harshness and primoridal beauty of staggering cliffs and mountains.

WATER

Velvet Cacoon. P Aa Opal Poere Pr. 33 2009.

The notorious Velvet Cacoon has plunged again into oceanic black metal, grim, textured and ambient. Shimmering noises and melodic touches lurk beneath the dark water and draw the listener into an icy sleep.

Njiqahdda. Taegnuub - Ishnji Angma . 2009. 4.5 stars

Distorted wind-tunnel visions of integration. Wraith-like screams amassing like a wall of water. Bursts of light behind the eyelids. Njqahdda’s music is strange, daunting and deep. It presents both drawn-out abstraction and densely layered guitar riffs that drift over like mist. The meaning of these songs remains ambiguous, even structurally, leaving the listener free to conjure up chaotic imagery. This mysterious band is fixated on submersion, striving to find deep order within intricate texture. Bright moments lap against the uncanny in an ocean of sound. Taegnuub - Ishnji Angma is a meditative listen, appropriate for the sun’s return over soaking grass, the aftermath of a downpour.

Morta Vaan is the ending of Ancestral / Merankorii / Njiqahdda Split.

Klabautamann. Merkur. 2009. 4 stars.

Merkur is a highly stylized piece of black metal that boasts lush instrumentation and long. winding interludes. Between walls of distorted tremolo riffing flow gentle and clean arpeggios, blending melodious textures with icy aggression.

The versatile guitar work is guided by subtle percussive touches that keep the expanding song structures wound together. The transitions between progressive dynamics and raw release are seamless, rounding out a singular and detailed presentation. While the ravaged vocals stand dubiously between singing and rasping, they manage not to overwhelm the band’s organic aesthetic.

Klabautmann have succeeded in creating a black metal album full of diversity without sacrificing the wintry core of their sound. The shifting soft-loud (bordering on post-rock) dynamics work extremely well, giving Merkur a pleasantly hypnotic pull. Fans of early Ulver, Fluerety, Alcest or any of the budding “post-black” bands should definitely give this a listen.

What has become of all of us, all ceilings, all skies
is that, the stars can swim a thousand dark miles
before they ever see the floor again
with their backs against the wall on these last days
but then, we knew that would happen anyway
you drop that pitch-black pall
over us, one and all, again
to propel your national machines
giving us all the disease, but not the vaccine
a thousand tiny lives
disappear into the black depths
I guess I thought I’d feel something but I didn’t
yes, that’s a myth
I would give anything
for a cool glass of water
without this poisonous oil
no
it’s never going to be good enough
there’s no air anywhere
it’s all money now
wouldn’t you do the same?

- Have a Nice Life “Waiting for Black Metal Records to Come in the Mail” Deathconsciousness 2008

Future of the Left. Travels With Myself and Another . 2009. 4.5 stars .

This is some solid rock n’ roll from this wildly inventive Welsh band. On their second LP, Future of the Left lay down crunchy, distorted riffs and punchy punk rhythms to surreal and often hilarious lyrics about drinking, fighting, mischief, Satan, class warfare and losing out in general. Sounding like a strange mash up of Rage Against the Machine, The Clash and The Sex Pistols, FotL’s quick and dirty songs are heavy, raucous and oddly endearing. Take the regal and adventurous "The Hope that House Built", with it’s bouncy rhythms and call and response vocals, as the clarion call for hopeless causes and drunken abandon. What first appears as feckless admittance soon reveals its subversive undertones, wryly calling attention to attitudes we don’t want to admit to sharing.

The entire album follows this trajectory, with ballsy and catchy tunes full of scrappy melodies and sublime nonsense. The sheer energy of songs like "Land of My Formers", "That Damned Fly" and "Drink Nike" reveal the band’s love for their art, as intensity balances out with intelligent and memorable songwriting. Given their dizzying pace, it will take a few listens to let these songs sink in, but its fun getting caught in the whirlwind.

While it’s painfully short (32 mins), Travels With Myself and Another still packs a mean punch that keeps hitting after repeated listens. If you enter into FotL’s caustic, yet appealing world on their terms, there is much to like on this release. With it’s terse and energetic songwriting, this album will surely find its way among the top releases of the year.

A classic cover of a classic Pink Floyd song.
Montreal’s Voivod was one of the most influential and original metal bands to emerge in the late 80’s. Their sound blends progressive, thrash and alternative elements into complex and sci-fi-inspired songwriting. You can find this song on the acclaimed Nothingface .

maudlin of the Well. Part the Second . 2009. 4.5 stars .

Toby Driver and his mini-orchestra bring maudlin of the Well back from the dead with this remarkable and complex art-rock album. The collective that originally awed fans with their blend of avant-jazz and death metal now pursue a lighter approach, with violins, chimes, piano lines and choral vocals. There is still plenty of drive in this album though, with rolling percussion and post-rock guitars rounding out its massive and progressive vision. Despite the great diversity of sounds on each song, everything flows together with stunning fluidity, as hammering keys grace crystalline guitar in an expansive double helix of sound.

The inclusion of saxophones and other brass instruments makes the journey even more exciting, opening up an airy and warm atmosphere. The spotlight shifts it’s focus with ease, letting each section of motW have their brief but glorious moments, (including a heartbreaking violin solo on “Rose Quartz Turning to Glass”). Driver’s vocals are also terrific, as they glide over the foray with calm and focus - though he often surprises the listener with odd, but complementary noises that bubble with subtlety in the background.

While maudlin of the Well are decidedly less heavy this time around, their sound is still as grandiose and hypnotic as ever. These songs, while intricate, are more uplifting than overwhelming. It carries with it the promise of better weather and stronger spirits. A must for anyone interested in neoclassical or progressive streams of rock music.

Note: maudlin of the Well have pulled a Radiohead and have offered this album, in its entirety, for free on their web site in hopes of receiving generous donations. You have no excuse not to give it a listen.

Drudkh. Microcosmos . 2009. 4.5 stars .

Fierce black metal with folk-tinged melodies from the forests of Ukraine. With stronger, tighter song-writing, Drudkh’s conservative approach strikes a inspired balance between aggressive, textured guitar work and a deep organic atmosphere. Those familiar with the band know that Drudkh’s musicianship can be eclectic in all the right places, as acoustic guitars and traditional instruments weave between sinewy bass lines and rolling percussion ("Distant Cries of Cranes").The effect is absorbing, as songs morph from dense blasts of unbridled rage (the opening riffs of "Decadence") to expansive, meditative passages ("Ars Poetica"). This music progresses like some wanderer in the mountains, torn and weather beaten in the struggle, but enraptured by his surroundings upon reaching the summit.

Microcosmos is heavy in every sense of the word. In both style and substance, the album recalls struggles of an almost universal order (hence the title), pushing the individual to purge their self-concern in light of higher and more mysterious powers. Seen in light of their previous work, Microcosmos encapsualtes the best aesthetic touches Drudkh has developed over the years, condensing folkloric atmosphere, climatic guitar solos and passionate vocals into a poetic whole. Recommended.