This week we had the opportunity to talk with Chicago post-punk group Ganser! We talked about the Out of the Shadows Festival they had recently played here in Portland, as well as the business of making art, driving chemistry, how cinema affects towns, and the Canadian scourge of Rev!
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I am always on the hunt for black metal that inspires me to write more symphonically dark industrial sounds. Hovert is a great example of the blend of sounds that I look for when seeking inspiration because there are emotional upturns that build until they can’t exist anymore and then break into softer acoustic moments. The calmer aspects of “ACKET (The Ascetic)” are beautifully orchestrated - the instrumentation and the way the violins come in make the song whole to me. It is very clear that the song would still be well written without the violins and synth elements, but when they come in and the drum pattern shifts to a slightly downtempo beat, it makes the song much more impactful.
Hovert is an atmospheric black metal band from Russia. Their latest EP, The Sickle, can be purchased digitally from their Bandcamp page.
This track is crazy minimal. I love how subtly the sounds weave their way through the mix. What starts out as a pretty basic (but bass-heavy) pattern grows so strangely into an only-slightly different version of itself. The drum and bass element in the forefront of the song stays there through the entire song, but way off in the background there are so many different layers - a lot of which are obscure and wonderfully placed field recordings - that pop up and change the atmosphere of the track. There is something primal about it that works for me, like the track is literally breathing in and out with every hit of the bass drum and moving forward.
Swarm Intelligence is a Berlin-based producer who has released on a number of labels but most recently signed to Ad Noiseam to release Rust on LP, CD, and digitally.
With the new Schwefelgelb, Wie Die Finger Durch Den Nebel, recently being released, it was probably predictable that I’d be writing about it this week. It’s no secret that these guys have become one of my favorite projects. If in the past, you thought maybe these guys were a little too techno, not enough EBM, this track should help bring you over. In “Balancier Dich”, Schwefelgelb turns up the pressure, with heavy, banging beats overlaid with growling bass lines. Where songs like “Irgendwo Vereint” on Dunkel Vor Den Augen Uns felt like heavy, angry techno, “Balancier Dich” shows how much Schwefelgelb has moved towards EBM over the past three years. There’s definitely some techno feel to the track though; it has a kind of a groove to the way the kick mixes with some plucky little bits of percussion that feels a little more techno, giving it a distinctive feel that I don’t get from a lot of other artists.
Schwefelgelb is a Berlin-based duo whose most recent release, Wie Die Finger Durch Den Nebel, is available on their Bandcamp and is the first release from Fleisch Records.
If you’re thinking “But I really liked the angry techno!” after reading that last review, then I have got a track for you! “Rot” starts us out, slow and brooding; the bass line pops along heavy and intentional. The kick is deep, and little bits of percussion echo around the edges. Soon, though, the techno influence of the track really kicks in - the bassline opens up, hi-hats start hitting on the offbeats, emphasized by the occasional open hats and claps. The track keeps a consistent tone throughout; the bass never really leaves us, and the kick stays roughly the same. However, evolving percussive elements - a faster high hat, a nice tom line - provide enough evolution that the track never gets boring to listen to.
Phase Fatale is the Germany-based project of Hayden Payne. His works have been released through aufnahme + wiedergabe and Avant! Records.
This week we talk with animator and illustrator Noel Clark of Fullbright! We talked about researching the ways people die, making stop motion, everybody's weird walks, and making interactive children's books! Find recommendations from this episode here!
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Sonic Area - the solo project of Arco Trauma (Chrysalide) - has always been something that I go to when I want to hear something that is well off the beaten path. Arco has a way of constructing original music that is completely unique. The new album, Eyes in the Sky, put me immediately into a trance. From the opening track (which I highly suggest listening to early in the morning while driving into work) through the more chaotically-tuned tracks like “it’s about time,” to the well named closing track “spacewalk incident,” the album took me to a place like very few albums do. Coupled with the music video for “pale blue dot,” Eyes in the Sky is a great space odyssey of classic 80s synths and crazy atmospheres.
This one is for all of the Aviator fans out there. Shizune is a great emotional hardcore band from Italy that really scratches that Aviator itch for me. The lyrics and the instrumentation are very similar. They manage to capture a kind of frantic aggression with the structure of each song. Something cool about the Le Voyageur Imprudent is that there are at least three different languages on the record and even though I don’t understand all of them, I can feel that the songs are very emotionally driven.
Fun fact: Le Voyageur Imprudent was a novel by French writer René Barjavel about time travel. That kind of puts a different spin on the album for me, which is kind of cool.
Listening to Commitment to Complications, I had an incredibly hard time deciding what I’d like to write about; from the d-beat of “Transitions” to the heavy “Glass Spitter”, every track on the album is worth writing about. Eventually, though, I really was drawn to “Doghead”. I love the funky feel of the track. During the verses, the way the bass pops along, accented by the bum chsh, bum-bum bum chsh of the drums, created a flow that was really easy to fall into. When the chorus hits, that flow morphs smoothly, breaking into a new emotional space without feeling disjointed.
Also, just gotta say, that little funky synth hit near the front of the verses is wonderful. It’s probably better that it’s used as sparingly as it is, but I can’t get enough of it.
I wasn’t familiar with the original version of the Attrition’s “One Horse Rider” when I found this track; I checked it out for some context after falling in love with this track. I gotta say, as good as I found the original to be, this track treats it in a really interesting way. While the original is dark and brooding, the instrumentation of this track brightens the tone of the track significantly. The punchy drums kick along nicely; it’s easy to imagine dancing to it. The little plucky synth mixed with the kind of morphing saw bass hits consistently through the song, but with the little additions of kind of electric piano sounding chords and choir and vocal samples popping in and out, it never really feels like it drags. This song is continually fun to listen to, front to back.
We sat down with Gabe Shaw and talked with him about managing the recent 3 Teeth tour with Tool, touring with Haujobb, and how he got started in the tour support business!
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When we were loading into Highline Bar in Seattle last Thursday, there was a really epic-sounding doom metal song being played over the sound system, and Wes and I immediately started banging our heads. The staff there was awesome and very excited to tell us the band was Shape of Despair. I am up and down on doom metal, but this band really takes the things that I love about symphonic black metal and makes it work. Overall, it is a pretty slow and doomy run through each track, but there are constantly escalating moments that I find particularly to my liking. A lot of synthesizers and epic choirs are mixed into the brooding guitars and steady drums. The clean vocals in “Descending Inner Night” just add to the fire that is already started in the long and drawn-out intro.
If you haven’t heard already, Brant Showers (of ∆AIMON and the European Tour edition of Bestial Mouths) is an amazing sound designer. SØLVE is his solo project and I can really feel the raw power that he put into these tracks. There are a lot of elements that are similar to ∆AIMON but taken to their most extreme level and thrown through a crisp overdrive. The first little EP that came out for this project was mostly atmospheric and, while I believe that this full album (out on Audiotrauma in just a few weeks) has some of those elements, it was a different mindset – more of a developing model. To me, the negative feels tight and emotional. There are subtle shifts in the background of “what remains” that are so crisp and well-tuned that they almost go unnoticed. Those background sounds, though, are what makes Solve stand out from other rhythmic noise/Ant-Zen/Hymen projects.
I really love the punk feel to this track. It moves along at a great pace, and while it has a definite post-punk vibe in the guitar tone and the vocal delivery, there’s something about it that just feels like it’s pulling from the punk roots a little more than your average post-punk track. That punk feel might be the crunchier feel to the rhythm guitar; it really has that drive that you might hear from a late 80s, early 90s era punk track. Don’t get me wrong though, the punk feel isn’t the only great part of this track; the vocal delivery, drenched in reverb, helps the drive of the track and the lead guitar is wonderful - it tears along, demanding your attention.
I am a huge fan of Gazelle Twin. This particular track is a great example of what makes her such a great artist. The track slowly builds from a bass line, pulsing like a heartbeat. There is discomfort - an unnerving soundscapes starts to build beneath the pulsing beat. Breaths. As words take form, the track beings to change faster; the beat picks up, the heartbeat fading behind the percussion. While the track was made to accompany an animation, the construction of the track builds a feeling and a mental image that rivals the Lynchian visuals of the film.
This week we go all the way back to the podcast guest Michael Arthur Holloway for the episode that marks our two-year anniversary! We talk about making music for indie games, blogging about music at work, and the creative process behind Guilt Noir and the new album All The Way Down.
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
The Opposer Divine is one of the members of Terminal State breaking out on a really great path. “Reverse” is a well balanced and diverse track that combines a lot of industrial stylings to make a comfortably familiar sound. I like that there are a lot of high strings and pads on top of a slow and distorted rhythm section. This project reminds me of the first few Necro Facility albums, especially The Black Paintings, with a little bit of GASR in the song structure.
(I have to note that this is a Vlad McNeally find and I stole it from him with no shame!)
Candle Nine is a project that I follow very closely. There is something about the atmosphere in his songs that appeals to me. Both Shadow & Substance is the newest release from Candle Nine and is described as “a living release: demos, outtakes, and more,” and if these are demos and outtakes, I am clearly not working hard enough on my own demos! “I Sing The Body Electric” is a dark track. It is slow and minimally glitchy. I love that the drum dynamics change very slightly throughout the song. In some moments they are soft and barely pushing the song along and in other moments they are rough and break the atmosphere into fluid new riff.
This is an interesting track. When it first hit, I felt like it had sort of a witchy sound to it; big distorted saws and heavy drums are the first things you hear. Then, it starts to turn away from that initial impression. You get this little mix of piano riffs, which sounds a little random while not sounding too discordant. The vocals also kind of pulled me away from my initial impression as well; the way they’re delivered almost feels a little bluesy, were it not for the huge reverb sitting on top of it. The tambourine, the piano riffs, the little guitar riffs, all these sounds pull away from that initial impression, but they never fully destroy it. The heavy saws are always there, and the weight of the drums keeps up front to back. It’s a great little mix of influences, and I heavily recommend it.
While Public Memory’s track felt great for its breadth of influence, Essaie Pas’ “Danse Sociale” is wonderful for its focus. You know what you’re in for right from the first bass line. This EBM inspired track pounds away with a constant bassline and heavy drums, interrupted for some dissonant, off-tuned synth attacks that, while not as heavy as the bulk of the song, keep the song’s aggression flowing forward. Hits of toms, cowbells and claps complement the pounding kick and bass combo, creating a very danceable track that is constantly evolving, never leaving you bored. If you’ve liked Schwefelgelb, definitely check this out
This week Michael talks with urban fantasy author Randy Henderson! They talked about the process of writing Henderson's books Finn Fancy Necromancy and Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free, the solitary experience of writing, trying to remember your old work, and reading reviews, good and bad.
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Downfall of Nur is an atmospheric black metal band from Argentina that bases its concept on Nuragic civilization and the folklore of Sardinia, which makes for some very interesting imagery. In sound, Downfall of Nur would fit very well with bands like Agalloch or Wolves in the Throne Room. There are passionate movements in “II - The Golden Age” that draw from the kind of folk metal roots that I often enjoy, with a lot of traditional folk instrumental sounds in the intro and breakdown of the song. I like that people making black metal are not afraid to explore these areas of sound because it is something that I have always linked stylistically. Neofolk and black metal are two of my favorite genres because they both play heavily on the slow, almost morose feeling of certain musical tones. Downfall of Nur is a great example of this. Antonio Sanna has a firm grasp on the way these songs tie together tonally and is someone who I will definitely be following in the future.
After re-listening to our interview with Muscle & Marrow, I decided to give Myrkur another shot - this was a project that I gave a brief listen to but clearly wasn’t in the right mood for. Myrkur has a unique black metal sound to me because it is so rooted in traditional elements but often includes her incredibly operatic singing. I fell into a bit of a rabbit hole with Myrkur last week and am continually impressed by not only the music that is put out under the name, but the artist herself. She is incredibly talented! “Den Lille Piges Død” is a stand-alone track that is, for me, perfect. It has all the elements that I need to get hooked. I have found that I really enjoy a song structure that goes from chaotic and fast paced to a plodding, nearly half-timed melody. It has such an emotional resonance. This song is a great example of this structure.
“Audrey” is exactly the sort of track I want from a post-punk/goth rock sort of band. I really enjoy the tone of the guitar, and how it’s backed up by those pads whirling away underneath. While some bands of this ilk tend to drown their vocals in reverb or chorus, Ganser opens it up, leaving the vocals drifting clearly through the track, much to their benefit. The little piano riffs help to punctuate the track nicely. Overall the track has a great sort of flow to it; it really makes you feel like you could get lost, swirling around in its rhythm.
For those of you not familiar with Antoni Maiovvi, you should definitely check out some of his other work, especially the 2012 Stockholm Syndrome EP. This track is a bit different from the more italo/giallo tracks I’m more familiar with from Maiovvi; it seems to pull a little more from a sort of goth pop sort of a feeling. The little guitar licks remind me vaguely of The xx, while the percussion feels more rooted in the sort of techno feel I’m a little more familiar with from Maiovvi. The vocals are delivered in almost a whisper, in a way the feels almost threatening. The threat feels heightened by the way the bass sort of slowly builds into the chorus of the track. Regardless of the semi-threatening tone, the pads, percussion and bass work wonderfully together in a way that makes me want to go find a dance floor.
This week we talked with game designer Nina Freeman! It was a great conversation in which we talked about moving from the East to West coast, story and writing in games, planning around Fallout 4, and how to get into anime!
You can find a list of recommendations from this episode here!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
You have probably heard me talk about Sextile already if you follow any of the social media stuff. They opened for The Soft Moon here in Portland at The Holocene and were the highlight of the show for me. Their performance and energy really brought the music to a different level. “Visions of You” from their new album A Thousand Hands is the track that easily has the most plays for me - it is classically good. The running bassline, mirrored by the low guitar notes, and the soft droning vocals get the song going in the right direction by any gothic music standards. Then, as if reading my mind, the chorus - erupting in synthesizers and powerful vocals - picks up and bleeds into the rest of the song. The evolution of this track is wonderful.
I know I Die: You Die covered the new VALIS EP already! But they picked my second favorite track and I think that this EP is so fucking solid that it deserves doubling up on! VALIS is one of those projects where I am fairly certain I will end up liking anything they put out - it is a project that is taking that old-school box of vinyl you have in the garage (shame on you) and telling you to make some room because this 12” is going right in there with the 242s and TKKs. “Cold Hands” is a track that I will throw right in there with Skinny Puppy’s “Worlock” and Front 242’s “Headhunter” when I talk to people about classic club bangers. It can seriously hold up. The track is haunting, has a nice 80s dance beat and bassline combo, and knows that it makes you move. The vocals are great: I love the duality of them and the way they fit right into the forefront of this track. Other songs on this EP, like “The Cant,” have the vocals more in the background as they’re part of the oddity of the song (which I love), but this song needs them more upfront.
I can’t listen to this album in my chair; it doesn’t work. Inevitably, I end up standing up, kicking my chair out the way, and banging along with the thing. This remix of “Skele Ton” by Schwefelgelb especially gets me moving. Where the original track feels almost meditative in its repetition, Schwefelgelb reworks the track in a way that makes the repetition feel a lot more aggressive. The bass that takes over where the synth used to be drives you forward, the percussion of the remix sounds a little snappier and a little dirtier, and the increased speed completely changes the emotional tone of the track. While the original track invokes a feeling of disquiet or unease, this remix feels like it’s walking you down; it’s on the hunt.
I would recommend giving this track a listen with headphones. I really enjoy how this song builds. We start out with some sort of synth choir sounds, a low pad and a vibrating synth that feels like it is bouncy between your ears. Slowly, the tones climb, before the vibrating takes a back seat to a softer, pad. Uncomfortable, high pitched squeals break through the calmness of the track, keeping you from fully relaxing into it. It’s hard to describe the emotional resonance of the track; it seems almost hopeful at the beginning, but as the song builds, you feel more and more overwhelmed - not by the number of instruments, or the volume or anything like that, but there does seem to be a certain pressure built into the track. Throw on your headphones, close your eyes, and lean back into this thing.
This week we have our conversation with the wonderful duo Muscle and Marrow! We talked with Kira and Keith about going on tour with Author and Punisher, terrible Florida billboards, misogyny in music, and hot Fred Durst!
You can find a list of the books recommended in this episode here!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Through the ever-wise guidance of Brant Showers (SØLVE and ∆AIMON), I discovered Ulver this week. I have mixed feelings about the tracks. There are parts that I would not be a fan of if they were on their own (for example: if “Cromagnosis” was only the last two minutes of the track - where all the bongos are crazy and the bass is just super prog-funk-but-fast). But the tracks really draw me in! I get so lost in the calm, Tool-like bass lines and minimalism that I don’t mind that it gets crazy and weird in the end. This song is a good example of how important the background sounds are in a track. The main bass riffs are solid and with the drums and wispy guitar in the background, the track is pretty well rounded - but the strange atmosphere behind all of that is what sells me.
I have been a little fascinated with the Sad Rave parties in Brazil: combing through the different bands and pictures and secretly waiting for my phone call to go down to join those beautiful weirdos. Tigre Dente De Sabre is one of the many artists to play Sad Rave and I can definitely see why. This two person group puts out some ridiculously fun music - in one live video I saw there was a drummer and then a person playing bass guitar and keyboard. They both looked like they were having the time of their lives and I think that the music reflects it. “B-Side Of A Trucker Man” is a fun track that hits me in that dance-y place. At just about the end of the song, around 2:50, the song breaks out into an almost completely new rhythm and melody that punctuates this song nicely.
I had seen Deadcrow would be working with Saturate, and after hearing their track “BLVCK” I have been looking forward to seeing what that would bring. I gotta say I am not disappointed. In this track we have a beautifully layered song combining influences from future bass and trap, and more classic hip-hop sounds. On the surface level, we’ve got the deep kicks, snappy, rolling snares and trilling hi-hats, layered over this nice sampled track that feels soulful in a way you don’t hear with a lot of trap tracks. Additionally, the way the snare rolls, some of the airy crashes, and the little synth elements that slide in and out of the track give it a distinctly future feel. While the track is not as dark as “BLVCK”, it is still well worth your time.
Man, I’ve been sleeping on Schwefelgelb. The most stand out features of this track are the mix of that rolling bassline and that hard as kick. The bass morphs and evolves in timbre, but maintains the same rhythm for most of the song. If you think that sounds like that would get to repetitive, allow me to assure you that it does not. It’s more like a sound foundation, where you have these wonderful percussive hits - snappy snares, heavy kicks, and rapid claps; huge toms, woodblocks and stabbing hi-hats - coming in and out to create a constantly changing, constantly driving texture that forces you move. I cannot not move my head when listening to this track.
This week we talked to the wonderful Mr.Kitty! We had a short conversation about touring with IAMX, pissing off Echo and the Bunnymen, shooting gin with Germans, and working with Negative Gain!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Casually perusing the “witchhouse” tag on bandcamp is always a journey. There are a lot of weird crossover labels that get pulled up. Some things are “occult witchhouse vaporwave,” or maybe “dark pop shoegaze witchhouse.” You never know what you are going to get. PZA, however, instantly stuck out. I had a really hard time getting past the first track, which happens to be the title track from the tape version of “PURECASTER.” Starting in a dream state, “PURECASTER” lulled me in with an airy sample loop and a catchy, whistling synth line. On the surface, this track has a pretty repetitive groove, but when I turned it up and really let myself fall into the space of the track, I was lost in the elements. There is a moment right before the drums come in for the first time - just a tiny sample leading you out of the intro and into the heart of the song - that gets me pumped up every time I hear it. It is so simple and quick, but I know that it leads into this pulsing, almost breath-like groove, and it is important to the way the song progresses. If it weren’t there I think the track would have a different feeling. It is repeated later, to lead you into the same pattern, foreshadowing the drop.
I am not sure who decides this, but I think that it is appropriate to say that the second wave of witch house is well under way. I have been surfing through a lot of tags lately and there are some really great tracks floating around from the end of last year. Depressed040’s SJÄLVMORD is a loud and over-compressed mess of ultra-dark and wonderful sounds. Like the PZA track, there is a really awesome moment right before the main drums kick in where a woman says something and then begins to scream, but it is cut off suddenly by the impact of the over-compressed drums, which cause the synth line to push in and out of the mix. It has a great effect.
I’m pretty sure it was Lorn that led me to Dolor, and Dolor appeals to me in a very similar way to Lorn. Dolor has these great, lush soundscapes that have a beautiful sort of layering and texture to them. They can flow smoothly, rolling like waves, or on other tracks, they can feel heavy and aggressive. While the whole album is great, I think that “Strange Dies, Too”, shows the beauty Dolor is capable of when the tracks are relatively restrained. There’s not really any percussion to lead you along; instead you are pulled by these washing, distant horns, hissing ever so slightly as they roll in, punctuated by subtle distorted bass. I recommend listening with good headphones, closing your eyes, and just hearing the textures wash over you.
This track is immediate. There is something about the kick pounding along immediately with a background of quiet, panning guitars that makes you perk up and turn your attention to the track. When the verse kicks in, which doesn’t take long, that sense of urgency is only strengthened by the simple bassline and pads. The vocal delivery has a wonderful presence in the verse, but when the chorus hits that presence is taken to another level.
I really like how the guitar work never really takes a traditional form. It always kind of sounds like this strange and distant tremolo picking, or maybe just a pick sliding up and down on the string. The distance and tone of the guitar help it to blend well with the synth elements of the song, which while being sort of the primary tone under the vocals, have their own sort of subtlety to them. It’s a really well constructed track, and one I can’t stop listening to.
This week we talked with writer/journalist Natalie Zed! We talked about pizza violence, separating art from its shitty creators, the invincibility of Ronda Rousey (oops!) and online harassment!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Friends of the site Alter Der Ruine have a great new EP called Gravity Hunts Us All and I chose the funkiest Haujobb-inspired track ever! To me, this track is a brilliant throwback to old-style ADR (sans cowbell), with a splash of Daniel Myer Minimal, and the infectiously unique new sound of their last album I Will Remember It All Differently. The evolution of ADR’s discography boils down to a wonderfully fresh blend of genres that I think is absolutely necessary in today’s industrial scene’s climate.
Crunch Pod is back with a giant sampler called The Future of Dreaming! There are a lot of really solid tracks on this release. As you can imagine at this point, I gravitated to the deeply emotional tracks with lots of symphonic pads and voicemail recordings. “They Said We Once Were, But We Are No Longer” is the first track that I played on this release because the title grabbed me (I’m the guy who judges books by their covers). This track is deeply symphonic and exactly the type of IDM/glitch stuff that I like. There is a subtlety to the bass elements in this song that plays really well with the piano.
If you’re a fan of outrun and of dark synthpop, I think Hélène de Thoury’s solo project Hante. has something for you. The use of synth on this track has a really nice old analogue feeling, which in combination with the big reverbing percussion, gives it a bit of that outrun sort of feeling. The sort of slow, triplet bass line bounces along nicely; I catch myself involuntarily bobbing along with, and it’s not the sort of rhythm I feel like I hear very often. There’s also this really nice little plucky synth that pops in later in the track that really adds a nice little counterpoint to the big spacey synths. I’ll definitely be watching for the full album’s release.
I had a hard time deciding on the second song for this week. There were a lot of runners up. I just really loved the weirdness of “Chorus” and eventually it beat out the rest. The track starts out jumping around; there’s a lot of weird little samples and a lot of weird little silences. Eventually those samples start to dart back and forth, creating a rhythm for the song to start to follow. The percussion comes in, dancing along quietly, waiting as the vocal samples start to sound more and more like a vocal track and less like an instrument. Finally, two minutes into the song, it all takes off. The build up pays off - the percussion finds its speed, the bass starts bumping and the song starts to really move. It manages to be sparse and dense at the same time. To really get a good feel of everything that’s happening, you have to really listen.
We had the opportunity to talk with Jairus Khan of Ad·ver·sary this week! We talked about the health of the goth industrial scene, We Demand Better, unironic aggrotech, and Second Life dance clubs!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
It is winter here in Oregon and you know what that means?! Black metal is in my ears almost non-stop. I crave it in the darker months more than at any other time of the year. Thanks to Cvlt Nation’s year-end list I am fully stocked! Wiegedood’s De Doden Hebben Het Goed is a classically great black metal album. The title track of the album stands out to me as a song that I will go back to often throughout the years. With a slow and methodical pace, the song lulls me into an epic undertaking. The vocals perfectly balance out the breakdown about halfway through by opposing the guitars with their intensity. “No stars will fall. No wars will end. Father, grant me my three nails. And nothing will change. I fade.”
This is one of those tracks that you either need to be listening to on high level in a dark room by yourself or through some good headphones. There are so many ambient layers that I missed on the first listen through because the volume was too low. “Order of The Golden Dawn” is a pulsing track that trudges through complex soundscapes of total darkness.
(Nerdy fact: The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn was a 19th century group of Freemasons that studied the occult, metaphysics, and paranormal activity in Great Britain. via wikipedia)
Annex’s “Caminos” kind of reminds me a bit of Lié. The feel of the guitars is very similar, in a way that really appeals to me. There’s kind of the same sort of dark, punk oriented without being punk groove to the way they’re played and the tone of the effects. The vocal delivery also feels a bit Lié-esque as well. Compare to the song “Sorry”. This isn’t to say that Annex sounds like they’re copping Lié’s feel; rather, it’s more to say that Lié is really great, and Annex makes me think of why I like Lié so much. The same sort of tonal approaches Annex takes makes me want to put their tracks on repeat in the same way that I wanted to listen to Consent over and over. If you’re a fan of that dark punk feel, definitely give Annex your time.
The thing I like best from remixes is when they take the source material and change it completely, and in this V▲LH▲LL remix that is exactly what they do. Caustic has a very punk energy in his recent album, Industrial Music, and this remix is about as far from that energy as you can get. It’s interesting, this track almost feels like a throwback in the same way that Industrial Music almost has a throwback vibe; the difference is that V▲LH▲LL is throwing back to early witch house, with heavy hip-hop influence and big saws taking the place of Caustic’s heavy beats and fast moving synths. I’ve definitely had to give it a few listens, and it’s not alone on this remix release in that regard. The guys over at I Die: You Die did a great job pulling together unexpected artists for this release and most of it is worth a listen (except for maybe those reakt[ion] and [product] guys - I hear they’re real dicks).