Michael
Ellende - “Ballade auf den Tod”
After a long night of talking to and then seeing Alcest live in Portland, I was in need of some truly epic atmospheric black metal and very quickly found myself lost in Ellende. One of the things that drew me to “Ballade auf den Tod” right away was the somber tone of the introduction. Soft strings and sad, usually nylon stringed guitars tend to get me right where the heart is. The somber introduction carries through the verse with only a few added sections for rhythm and screams, but the atmosphere really pulls me through the many variations and back again to the roots of the song. The breakdown, which carries along at a nice pace with full instrumentation, is helped along with a lo-fi, sad-sounding audio sample that I can’t make out enough to translate but is spoken meaningfully enough to get the message across. Needless to say I am thoroughly satisfied with Ellende’s unique take on atmospheric black metal.
Ellende is a one-person project based in Austria who quotes Camus on their Bandcamp release page… so… I am sold.
V▲LH▲LL - “ΛΞONS”
As a very key influence in my own music, I tend to watch V▲LH▲LL very closely whenever anything is about to come out. Not only are they awesome people to hang out with, but the music is always unique and inspiring. The first track on their newest EP, STΞNDHΛL, is a take on the very popular outrun synth lines, but with that special V▲LH▲LL stuff mixed in. The main line itself has a very spooky yet victorious feel to it, leading through various patterns and samples. One thing that the track really has a grasp on is the way that different plucky synth lines can play in the background of the main line to change the rise and fall of the song. The samples and the bass lines are all important, but the faster notes in the background give it that characteristic outrun feel. My only complaint is that it is too short and ends with a quick fade. I could have gone on that same synth line for another 2 minutes easily.
V▲LH▲LL are a bunch of wonderfully spooky people with great taste in music and style. Their new EP is up on their Bandcamp, and if you haven’t picked up the last full-length album (Leaning on Shadows), you definitely should!
Wes
Dumal - “Lost Caverns”
Dumal’s has managed to develop a really powerful and emotional tone to their music. In “Lost Caverns” the song start with a riff that carries a sort of melancholic weight, lifted by the sort of rolling beat of the drums. This tone becomes a through line - after breakdowns of heavier, more aggressive moments, the beginning riff breaks in and brings back a sense of almost hopefulness.
On top of this, Dumal is an incredibly tight sounding black metal band. In a genre that often lacks in production values, you can tell that these guys take their time to make sure that everything sounds as good and together as possible. The tremolo picking stands apart from the rhythm guitar in the background in a way that really pulls their sound together and makes it shine.
Durmal is a black metal band from Pennsylvania whose music is inspired by Ukrainian folklore. Their album, The Lesser God, is available on Bandcamp.
Nails - “Wide Open Wound”
After recently seeing Code Orange play with Youth Code, I’ve been going on a bit of a hardcore kick. This kick led me to Nails, who are, and I think this is the only accurate way to describe them, heavy as fuck. With breakdowns that feel around 80 BPM, Nails just grinds away at the listener. If it weren’t for the sort of rolling feeling of the guitars, a sort of way the riff creates a feeling of circular motion, the speed and feeling of “Wide Open Wound” would almost make me think of funeral doom - the weight of the guitar tone and the fact that you can almost count the seconds between the kick and the snare through much of the song shares a sort of language with its metal cousin.
Nails is a hardcore band from Oxnard, California. Their latest release, You Will Never Be One Of Us, is available from Nuclear Blast.