The Rock Blogger

Have a Nice Life. Time of Land. 2010. 4.5 stars.

The hidden kings of the American underground return with this deeply subdued EP. Gloom spreads over the lumbering ambiance of “Wizard of the Black Hundreds” with grim, deaden percussion and yawning distortion. The droning waves of black noise rise against ghostly vocals, offering a sacrificial hymn to this menacing occult ritual. The allusions to history here are fitting, as one can picture the processes of the Black Hundred,  the anti-revolutionary forces that cast a pall of violence over the Russian landscape.

“Woe Unto Us” is a beautiful piece of post-punk art, with the gritty buzz of its bass lines, the cold melodies of skeletal guitars and some of the best singing from the band yet. The second half of the song dissolves into atmospheric synth lines that glide over the stark, minimalist drumming. Perhaps HANL’s most accessible track since “Bloodhail”.

“The Parhelic Circle” is a densely layered dark ambient piece, with deep drones, terse crackles of the electric guitar and an eerie keyboard melody that sounds like the prolonged whistles of a factory. “The Icon and the Axe” begins in dark melodic bliss, sharing the somnambulist tenor of “Mogwai Fear Satan”. Haunting voices hover in the distance, reciting sparse poetic fragments about the Devil, bodies and the deep, freezing waters.

Like the preceding Deathconsciousness, Time of Land delves inward, crafting a blackened version of post-punk, left unbounded into a void of drawn-out abstraction. The result is inspired, taking cues from material as diverse as Sunn O))) and Sisters of Mercy to fashion something that has incredible depth and intensity. These guys have vision.

You can listen and download the album here.

Raate - Halki Kuolleen Maan. 2007. 4.5 stars.

Halki Kuolleen Maan is a mind-bending black metal album from Finland that encompasses nearly everything great about the genre. The cold, hypnotic buzz of distortion, cyclonic percussion, airy keyboards and a harsh misanthropic atmosphere are all part of Raate’s post-Burzum vision.

Not content with mere shrieks and lo-fi tremolo riffs, Raate’s compositions are layered forays across many peaks and valleys. Each lengthy track is replete with well-paced transitions in texture, from the cascading guitars to tribal drumming, producing an immersible experience. Its many interludes are also absorbing, including the acoustic folk guitars on “Kaskeajan Laulu” to the sounds of a crackling fire, coupled with rumbling drone, during the last minutes of “Hävitys, Tuhkaa”.

Despite their relative obscurity, Raate has created one of the preminent expressions of black metal art. The scope of their debut is mystifying, with its deep appreciation for atmosphere, cohesion and detail. While Raate may not have the distinctive quality of more popular acts (Wolves in the Throne Room or Ulver for example), they still stay true to the frost-bitten roots of the genre. Recommended.

Maeror Tri - The Beauty of Sadness. 1996. 5 stars.

This an exquisite and emotional drone/ambient album from this now defunct German trio. Deep bass lines and subdued guitars underlay the brooding moans of synths which lapse over each other in densely layered compositions. Jangling riffs are contrasted against airy ambiance, evoking desolate spaces broken only by soft pillars of light.

While many experiments in the genre have crafted moody atmospheric pieces, they cannot compare to the fluidity of Maeror Tri’s progressions as they slowly build around shimmering motifs. The cascading waves of sound, the resigned melodies against buzzing effects, is musical transcendentalism at its most refined. The Beauty of Sadness avoids the tedium of minimalism and the harshness of hard noise to find the golden mean between experimentation and tragic catharsis. Like a Mark Rothko painting set to music, Maeror Tri chart the landscapes of sleep and find hollowed ground. If you are familiar with Labradford, William Basinski, and Stars of the Lid you will certainly appreciate the fine nuances of this record.

Oren Ambarchi - Intermission 2000-2008 . 4 stars .

Intermission is a meditative compilation of drone and ambient pieces from this prolific Australian artist. Consisting mainly of subtle guitar and bass tones, these plodding tracks are drawn out over long periods of time to the point where they loose their deliberate instrumental quality and become natural background noise. While the gradual processes of the record take their sweet time, the effect is quite stunning once it sets in - evoking calm ocean waves or a placid morning sky. Pieces like "The Strouhal Number" are weightless pieces of ambiance, only punctuated by the low rumble of bass tones and the sleepy crackle of static.

While the album passes through an otherworldly atmosphere, it avoids the symphonic excess of most ambient records - these are meticulously crafted experiments in sound manipulation that sift through your memories, rather than just lulling you to sleep. It is certainly a challenging collection, and it is not as forceful as the psychedelic drone of Birchville Cat Motel or Natural Snow Buildings, but it still carries on a deeply cerebral undertaking with care. Anyone interested in experimental music will be fascinated by its many crevices.

YOGA. Megafauna . 2009. 4.5 stars.

A fascinating drone album that oscillates between airy dark ambiance and raw experimentation. YOGA’s mystical surrealism opens up a sonic space punctured by bursts of distorted guitar noise, warbling synths and martial percussion. There are no voices echoing across this landscape, only the chirps, grunts and groans of unknown animals (cryptozoology).

The atmosphere is dense and absorbing, lulling the listerner into an eerie dream, or worse, repressed memories. Megafauna is nothing short of vision quest, using organic textures and subtle progressions to trace paths in the forgotten forests of the mind. While some of YOGA’s noisy bursts are odd, if not unsettling, they are used to light up the caverns they plunge into. Megafauna is a unique piece of psychological terror that challenges the listener to go beyond melodic structures and stand in a primordial clearing.

Rahu. Ride of the Eight Black Steeds. 2008. 4 stars.
Obscure, lo-fi black metal inspired by wrathful figures from Hindu mythology. A strong, misanthropic atmosphere emanates from the dense guitar riffs as they cascade against stark percussion and haunting wails. Rahu project the occult mystique of bands like Urfaust while infusing the intense textural dirges of Drudkh. Rahu’s conquest is uncompromising as it stakes its musical vision in some mystical darkness, pushing their sound towards a violent cosmology.

Like it’s predecessor Caput Draconis, this release is too short and unpolished to fully extend it’s colossal vision, though I suppose you can always listen to the two demos back to back. Despite it’s brevity, this effort is intriguing shift of perspective for the black metal underground, looking towards astrological terror, as opposed to Northern landscapes, for demonic inspiration.

Hateful Abandon - Famine (Or Into The Bellies Of Worms). 2008. 4.5 stars.

This is a rather obscure but rewarding debut from Hateful Abandon. Evoking the bleak fog of the UK, this duo play sparse post-punk melancholy with a blackened metal edge. Mournful bellows, accompanied by sinister, wraith-like snarls, open a space where the cold bass lines of Joy Division meet the raspy gloom of Altar of Plagues.

While the dual vocals initially seem melodramatic and odd, they come to complement the fluid guitar riffs as they twist their menacing way. Slower songs like “Riding the Blade” and “Avalanche” roll on with apocalyptic grandeur, with plodding percussion and eerie post-rock jangles creating dark spaces for the band to explore. Hateful Abandon are at their best towards the album’s conclusion, as they throw off their shadowy art-rock decorum and launch into energetic (but none the less oppressive) bursts of post-punk. “Painters Rope” and “Lungs” are understated masterpieces, with sinewy bass lines reminiscent of “Shadowplay” and other dark classics from Unknown Pleasures.

While Hateful Abandon are clearly disciples of the English post-punk tradition, they inject enough of a cold, black metal atmosphere to create a distinct and moody sound. Through the careful use of space, an exchange of vocal styles and muscular muscianship, Hateful Abandon walk a dark mile to the coast, blurring the horizon line.

Ulaan Khol. I and II. 2008. 5 stars.

Glorious psychedelic drone music from the prolific Steven R. Smith (of Hala Strana). Both of these albums are largely guitar based, sending distorted space-rock riffs through hazy ambient mist. Loose, jangly melodies crackle in the arid and ancient atmosphere, sounding like weathered field recordings from Mars. Light noise hovers above the drawn-out instrumentation, painting a beautiful autumnal skyline for the music to dance against. Chords warble and twist like the pitched lure of the snake-charmer.

Ulaan Khol manages to be epic and absorbing without building up steady cresendos or crushing finales - this music deserves meditative patience much like the venerable Natural Snow Buildings. These albums should not be described as walls of sound but more as bubbling streams of consciousness. The expereince is a deep and mysterious one, full of texture, nuance and cosmic wonder. Smith’s compositions wander and haunt like specters over a vast alien landscape, never reaching their destination, but content in their long, winding journey. Simply masterful.

Njiqahdda. Yrg Alms. 2009. 4.5 stars.

2009 ends on a high note with this dense and highly immersive album from the prolific Njiqahdda. The duo delve further into their mystical aesthetic, merging the oppressive atmosphere of black metal with dark ambient textures and cascading post-rock guitars. Yrg Alms is easily their most refined and creative effort so far, pushing their heavily layered compositions to hallucinatory limits. Lyrical content here is void, leaving the listener to meditate on drawn-out and distorted vocalizations that rush over the music like gusts of wind. At other times, like on the sorrowful “Sombre Fortu”, something vaguely human creeps in, though the voices are unintelligible (but emotionally stirring) mantras.

The guitars are intricate and complex, either pulsating through fluid arpeggios or rumbling under ominous noise. They provide the album with a surprising cathartic energy that provides consistent momentum across its lengthy duration. While portions of these epic tracks do meander (like in the extended droning bridge of “Yrg Alms”), the serpentine guitars always manage to bring the journey back to a cognizable path.

A fitting companion for the harsh winter months, Yrg Alms is an intense effort that compensates for its less cohesive sections with its raw, creative and uncompromising vigor. There are few albums within the already diverse metal subculture that push against convention quite like this, though its sheer density will likely leave casual listeners puzzled. Nonetheless, there is a compelling artistry that Njiqahdda possesses that is consistently evolving into a stronger and deeper creature.

The annual countdown begins.
My taste is obviously very obscure and I’m certain that I have looked over many notable efforts. Hopefully, I’ll uncover some neglected works in the coming weeks.
So here are my favorites of the year in drone, metal, alternative, neofolk, ambient, experimental and more.
Rare things are beautiful.

50. Wardruna - Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga

A creative blend of Norwegian folk music, field recordings, throat singing and dark ambient. Wardruna draw on many traditional Nordic/pagan influences in crafting their rich and earthen tableau. A ritualistic release that casts a mysterious aura.

49. Fen - The Malediction Fields. Full Review .

The first 2009 album to be reviewed here is an atmospheric black metal debut from the UK’s Fen. It’s an emotional work that further develops the post-rock/shoegaze elements that have been creeping into metal over the years and juxtaposes these progressions with organic riffs and cathartic release. The effect is stunning, as rage and sorrow play against each other on a gray, misty moor. Like its aesthetic cousins Agalloch and The Morningside, the incorporation of clean vocals and subtle symphonic touches give this album an expansive and epic feel.

48. If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below the Sky.

Intricate, melodic post-rock that is as crescendo happy as Explosions in the Sky. Shimmering riffs and dynamic percussion give this an edge over the many clones this genre has spawned. Great pacing and fluid guitar work.

47. Caïna - Caïna EP

Stark contrasts abound on this EP, weaving between ethereal post-rock arpeggios and harsh black metal grime. Not as polished as last year’s Temporary Antenna , but still a highly original project with many tense, unsettling and surprising moments (like some avant-garde horror film).

46. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars. Full Review.

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.

45. Ossein - Führer
An eclectic and esoteric mix of hushed acoustic ballads, dark ambient and experimental noise. A strange and often frustrating release, albeit a fascinating and complex one. Lyrical content includes references to Schopenhauer, urban decay and existential dread.

44. Afterlives - A Ticking Clock I Couldn’t Stop. Full Review

This is a strange, lonesome and intensely personal debut from Connecticut’s William Barett. His project Afterlives consists of haunting lo-fi dirges that move from sparse guitar passages to squalls of droning noise, providing many jarring moments to catch the listener off guard. While it is clear that this album is a loosely knit sample of ideas, there are some stirring gems to found here. "Ever the Optimist" is one of the finer examples of how Afterlives can usurp expectations. Loose, jangly riffs dissolve into a wall of noise as Barett screams over the storm, yearning for hope and resolve in a darkening world.

43. Malkuth - Sefirah Gevurah. Full Review.

The performances emit an almost punk-like energy, producing an aesthetic not unlike their local contemporaries Krallice. While it’s song-writing is rather traditional in scope and feeling, this album still feels authentic and consequential. A worthy addition to the USBM scene that stays true (tr00) to the genre’s roots.

42. Urfaust - Einsiedler.

Bizarre and harrowing black metal/ambient from Holland that features intense vocals that range from operatic bellows to dramatic shrieks. An ambitious EP that draws on influences as diverse as Wagner, synth-based Krautrock and Burzum.

41. Katatonia - Night Is the New Day.

Solid alternative metal from these Swedish veterens. Sure, its no Dance of December Souls or Brave Murder Day , but its moody atmosphere, ample use of synths, and clean vocals provide for a rather soothing listen. A cohesive and well-produced album, even if it doesn’t carry the same feeling of impeding doom that made Katatonia so notable.