Menace Ruine - Union of Irreconcilables

This is the third full length release from the Montreal duo and it is a scary, atmospheric blast from hell. Droning noise washes over the listener like a plague and is relentless in it's ability to hypnotise. The vocals vary from tortured screams to haunting female singing that are darkly folk. Classification seems useless as the album straddles drone, noise, black metal and experimental but the common thread is that it is extreme in every way. If ever there was a soundtrack to the underworld this would surely be it.



Tracklist :

1 Collapse
2 The Upper Hand
3 Not Only a Break in the Clouds but a Permanent Clearing of the Sky
4 Corridor de Perdition
5 There Will Be Blood
6 Nothing Above or Below
7 Primal Waters in Bed

Website : http://www.myspace.com/menaceruine
                http://www.menaceruine.com/

Label : Aurora Borealis

Release Date : May 17th 2010

The Arcane - Rivers of Endless Sorrow

From Beirut, Lebanon comes this impressive album from The Arcane. The octet covers a lot of ground with sounds reminiscent of prog rock, gothic and symphonic metal, and early 70's psychedelic UK rock. There are alternating male and female vocals and both are strong with hooks everywhere supported by tasteful guitar leads. I can't seem to stop playing this record. This should be a hit everywhere.

Tracklist :

1 Rivers of Endless Sorrow
2 Flame Dance
3 To the Sea
4 Last Dance for the Dead
5 Dark Seed
6 Listen To Me
7 Human Sin
8 Souvenir

Website : http://www.myspace.com/arcanelebanon

Label : Unknown

Release Date : June 2010

In My Shiver - Black Seasons

The debut album from Italy's In My Shiver mixes shoegazy guitar alongside more blackened parts with pure black metal vocals to create a mournful and desolate atmosphere. The pairing works well as the songs flow seamlessly between post rock and more evil territory. Misanthropy and hopelessness are the lyrical themes that weld the songs together on this excellent first effort.



Tracklist :

1 Night Feelings
2 Around the Sadness
3 Enshrine Your Sorrow
4 The Hills of Hate
5 The Cold Depths
6 Dawn of the Chaos
7 Promise Your End

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ij-cHSf1Cw

Website : http://www.myspace.com/inmyshiver

Label : Solitude and Despair Music

Release Date : December 21st 2010

Red Fang - Murder the Mountains

Portland Oregon's Red Fang come out of the corner swinging on their second effort with album opener Malverde. It sets the tone for what is to follow as there is hard rocking aplenty on this disc. There is a certain amount of familiarity about their sound which is seemingly unavoidable in the stoner rock world. Comparisons could be made to any number of bands including the Melvins and early Queens of the Stone Age but the music rises above on the strength of the songs and the crisp production by Chris Funk from the Decemberists. While nothing new this disc is a worthy purchase for any fans of the genre.



Tracklist :

1 Malverde
2 Wires
3 Hank is Dead
4 Dirt Wizard
5 Throw Up
6 Painted Parade
7 Number Thirteen
8 Into the Eye
9 The Undertow
10 Human Herd

Website : http://www.redfang.net/

Label : Relapse Records

Release Date : April 12th 2011

Moonlit Wake - Demo

Moonlit Wake is a one man project based in Linden, Virginia consisting of James Trow on all instruments. From the opening sound of rainfall to the distorted riffing the music paints an emotional landscape of longing and resigned sadness. The balance between the soft and the heavy is achieved perfectly and I can't help but be drawn into this four song release again and again. This demo, for me, is able to capture the beauty that exists in the greyness between light and dark.



Tracklist :

1 Enduring Faith
2 Twilight
3 Nocturnal Comfort
4 Moonlit Wake

Website : http://www.myspace.com/moonlitwake

Label : Unsigned

Release Date : October 10th 2010

Bohren and Der Club of Gore - Beileid

Germany's doom jazz masters return with a three song EP that continues along their path of trance inducing minimalist songcraft. The songs progress at a glacial pace that leave me anxiously anticipating the subdued saxophone interplay with vibraphone and electric piano. Mike Patton makes an appearance on the cover of Warlock's "Catch My Heart" and the vocals are a complimentary addition to the mix. The album covers familiar ground for the four piece but it is unhallowed ground that is all their own. This is the sound of my mind breaking down.



Tracklist :

1 Zombies Never Die (blues)
2 Catch My Heart
3 Beileid

Website : http://www.bohrenundderclubofgore.de/

Label : [PIAS] Recordings

Release Date : April 22nd 2011

Child Abuse - Cut and Run

The second album from this Brooklyn N.Y. trio opens with a sludgy riff that soon gives way to a spastic grind sound abetted by keyboard squeals that wouldn't be out of place in an apocalyptic video game. As the album progresses it feels at times as if it's on the verge of slipping into chaos but the playing remains tight and aggressive. The electronic yelps take this release into interesting territory that has otherwise been mined many times. The closing track feels the most conventional and ends the affair on a high note.



Tracklist:

1 Hold This
2 Bebe
3 Cut and Run
4 Oppotunity Zone
5 Financial Burdon
6 Froze Toes



Website : http://www.myspace.com/childabuse

Label : Lovepump United

Release Date : April 13th 2010

Timber Timbre - Creep on Creepin On

For this fourth release from Montreal  band Timber Timbre it seems as though Taylor Kirk and company have been transported back in time to the early rock era. It sounds as if Nick Cave and Glenn Danzig stopped by a Bobby Darin concert that just happened to be taking place in a graveyard. Traces of early psychedelia a la Pink Floyd and a nod to Ennio Morricone round out some of the edges of this standout disc.


Tracklist :

1 Bad Ritual
2 Obelisk
3 Creep On Creepin' On
4 Black Water
5 Swamp Magic
6 Woman
7 Too Old to Die Young
8 Lonesome Hunter
9 Do I Have Power
10 Souvenirs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGBEgLXy6rU

Website : http://www.timbertimbre.com/

               

Label : Arts & Crafts

Release Date : April 5th 2011

October Falls - A Collapse of Faith

This three song full length was released nearly a year ago but escaped my notice until recently. October Falls hails from Finland and this, their seventh release finds the band in fine form. Fans of bands like Agalloch and Tenhi will find much to like here. From the opening strains of classical guitar to the onslaught of tortured riffs and growled vocals the eighteen minute opener evokes scenes of fimbul winter and the fall of mankind. Melodic lead guitar is used for emotional depth and is perfectly utilised throughout the album. The contrast of soft acoustic passages within epic heavy songs works well over the two opening tracks and the final song puts an exclamation point on the entire theme.

                                   " Wounds for the future
                                      Graves for the past
                                      Blood to shed in order
                                      For tomorrow to last "

                                                             from Part III


                                     

Tracklist:

1 A Collapse of Faith Part I
2 A Collapse of Faith Part II
3 A Collapse of Faith Part III

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV86AUCTmvc

Website : http://koti.welho.com/mlehto4/of/of.html
               
Label : Debemur Morti Productions

Release Date : May 21st 2010

Sun Devoured Earth - The Sunshine Always Fades

A new release from one man project Sun Devoured Earth out of Latvia. This one is a bit of a departure from his earlier works that were more lo-fi but still retains the alternating beauty and sadness that is woven throughout. There are less black metal moments on this full length but the material is strong and the album rises and falls with despair being the connective tissue. An excellent release that exists in a permanent state of twilight and a feeling in the music if not the lyrics that there may just be some bit of hope.

Tracklist:

1 The Wind

2 Emptiness
3 Spring Again
4 A Song About Hate
5 So Lonely
6 I'm Bored of Living
7 Melancholy
8 Crashes Down
9 Tides
10 Sorrow
11 Emptiness (demo)

Website :  http://http//sundevouredearth.bandcamp.com/
                 http://www.myspace.com/sundevouredearthbm

Label : Rigorism Production

Release Date : April 1st 2011