Tag Archives: Avant-Garde

ALBUM REVIEW: Jo Quail – Invocation – Supplication

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Invocation / Supplication (By Norse Music), the new offering from experimental cellist Jo Quail, is actually a compendium of two connected three-song cycles. The first, Invocation, features the contributions of Heilung vocalist Maria Franz, plus brass instruments, percussion, bass and a choir assembled from crowdsourced mobile phone recordings of individual syllables. Supplication, on the other hand, is a less embellished affair, with just vocals from Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari and Koen Kaptin’s trombone parts to augment Quail’s cello and sound design.

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ALBUM REVIEW: OWDWYR – Receptor

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All the signs are there: this is not going to be the easiest listening experience. From the likely purposefully awkward moniker, the cacophony of guest musicians (mostly drummers) and the self-processed palette of influences that range from Technical Death Metal to Classical; it does seem that Extreme Metaller’s OWDWYR purpose is to intrigue and to baffle in equal measure. The result of this; debut release Receptor (Self-Released) is, as expected, manic and as such, warrants hearing.

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EP REVIEW: The Callous Daoboys – God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys

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Much like the Atlanta band’s name is a mocking twist on the Dallas Cowboys, their take on metalcore is a mocking twist on the genre. Normally this sort of thing is not my personal taste, and I write it off as MySpace metal, however these guys have perverted in such a manner that it appeals to me. They are aggressive yet highly skilled in the mathematics of their contorted riffing.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Teeth of the Sea – Hive

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If the sea had teeth what would they look like? (You’ve probably never wondered). If you have asked yourself such a question, you’ll likely have to keep pondering. As to what they would sound like, well Sam Barton, Mike Bourne and Jimmy Martin, known collectively as Teeth of the Sea, have been providing an answer to that question since their first record (2009’s Orphaned by the Ocean). Hive (Rocket Recordings) is the group’s sixth full-length release.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Jah Wobble – A Brief History of Now

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John Joseph Wardle aka bass legend Jah Wobble started his career with post-Punks Public Image Limited (teaming up with a certain John Lydon), playing on the albums Public Image: First Edition, Metal Box, and the Paris Au Printemps live record. After his departure from that band, Jah would embark on a highly eclectic solo career exploring all manner of musical styles and collaborations far too extensive to list here.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Mr. Phylzzz – Fat Chance

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Amphetamine Reptile, remember them? The legendary Noise-Rock label home to countless legends such as Helmet, Melvins, The Jesus Lizard, Tar, etc etc. In later years a newer generation of bands emerged that includes Gay Witch Abortion, White Drugs, Hepa-Titus, and of course Mr Phylzzz.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Thy Catafalque – Alföld

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Since their formation in 1998 Hungary’s Thy Catafalque have been releasing category-defying experimental metal records to an ever-growing fanbase. In 2011 the band effectively became the solo project of songwriter Tamás Kátai, who provides guitar, bass, keyboards, programming, and vocals and now makes use of various guest musicians on each release.

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INTERVIEW: Vivian Tylinska of Victory Over the Sun

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Coming off the buzzed about ‘Nowherer’, it was interesting to speculate where Portland’s Victory Over the Sun would go next. Vivian Tylinska may have just “a girl who makes noise” on her Bandcamp bio, but that deeply undersells the scope of her enthralling work as a composer, thinker, and multi-instrumentalist.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Godflesh – Purge

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Thirty-one years after the release of their sophomore Godflesh album Pure, Justin K Broadrick and Ben Green (and Machines) allude to this one aspect of the band’s crushing history with new album Purge, releasing on June 9th on Avalanche Recordings.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Phlebotomized – Clouds Of Confusion

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With a career that has spanned 30-plus years to date (factoring in a 16-year departure), Dutch Death Metaller’s Phlebotomized are a band with a legacy and a cult following even amongst extreme music. Attributed as being one of the first such bands to use additional instrumentation including synths, theirs was a sound that was considered by many unique and pioneering at the time and in part a clear influence on many bands since then and in the current day. With this in mind, how does the new Phlebotomized hold up in the current day? On the evidence of Clouds Of Confusion (Hammerheart), pretty well.

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