Tag Archives: Profound Lore

The Atlas Moth -Vattnet Viskar – Black Elm: Live At Great Scott

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Great Scott in Allston, MA is a personal favorite venue of mine in the Boston area. Right by the T, tons of nearby restaurants for a quick dinner, easy street parking unless it happens to be snowing, and of course, the intimate venue. Tonight helped solidify my feelings on the venue as Black Elm, Vattnet Viskar, and The Atlas Moth brought their best even in the middle of the week. Given the late start time (9PM), I was able to toss back a giant bowl of Japanese Ramen noodles before entering Great Scott for what promised to be a great show.

Black Elm, by Meg Loyal Photography

Black Elm, by Meg Loyal Photography

Black Elm kicked off the night dishing out some groovy hardcore. The band received a successful response from the crowd that showed up “early” to catch the openers. Regardless if they were up front, at the bar getting a beer, or purchasing merch, everyone applauded their approval at the end of each song and at the close of the set.

Vattnet Viskar, by Meg Loyal Photography

Vattnet Viskar, by Meg Loyal Photography

Vattnet Viskar was the band I was most excited to see as I have not seen them in almost five years and with their new material being played live. The New Hampshire foursome brought their special blend of atmospheric black metal and post-metal to the Allston crowd in full force. For fans of the latest album, Settler, the majority of the set was of new material. Such songs included: ‘Dawnlands’ , ‘Yearn’ , ‘Impact’ , and closer, ‘Coldwar’. The sheer energy on stage for each song from these guys was truly inspiring. A lot of heavy bands today just do not seem to understand the importance of giving the audience a show. Hell more than a show, an experience. Vattnet Viskar provided quite the experience at Great Scott on this evening so I ensured a t-shirt and a patch was purchased.

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

Finally it was time for the headliners, The Atlas Moth, to provide their own breed of post-metal to the eager fans. Complete with green lasers and mesmerizing light show, the Chicago natives put on quite a show that certainly ended the night on a high note. The set list was a solid mix of new and old for the group as the Allston crowd received three tracks from An Ache for the Distance and two from The Old Believer. Off of those albums we heard tracks such as: ‘Holes in the Desert’ , ‘Perpetual Generations’ , ‘The Sea Beyond’ , and closing out the night, ‘Blood Will Tell’. Additionally, ‘The 6th Passenger is Death’ and ‘Hope for Atlantis’ were also tossed into the mix. One of the highlights of the night was when David Kush called on a vote for either a cover song or a new song. The crowd was almost unanimous in voting for a cover. David and the rest of The Atlas Moth busted out a memorable rendition of Failure‘s ‘Golden’. There was truly something for everyone during the band’s set!

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

Even though the overall turnout for the show was not one of the strongest I have witnessed at Great Scott, these three bands came together and put on a great show. I am certainly looking forward to catching Black Elm once again, potentially on a bill with some better fitting bands for them, as well as Vattnet Viskar and The Atlas Moth. And for those nearby to the Boston area and have not had a chance to attend a show at Great Scott, I highly encourage you take the Green Line B train up to the Harvard Ave stop and give them a try.

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

 

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

 

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

The Atlas Moth, by Meg Loyal Photography

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WORDS BY TIM LEDIN

PHOTOS BY MEG LOYAL PHOTOGRAPHY


Indesinence – III

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Boasting members from illustrious UK acts such as Fen, Binah and Code, London doom/death dealers Indesinence are packing a pretty impressive line-up. Having been lurking in the shadows of the underground for nearly fifteen years now, their previous two records Noctambulism (Goat of Mendes) in 2006 and Vessels of Light and Decay six years later won numerous plaudits but were too far under the radar for most people to take notice of the ominous darkness contained within. Third record, the imaginatively titled III (both Profound Lore) is unlikely to win many new admirers, but for those who already dwell in the shadows, it’s a welcome treat.

While most doom/death acts are content to rip off My Dying Bride and hope the listeners are too miserable to notice, Indesinence have their own clearly defined sound; one that uplifts as well as bruises, with shades of dappled light amidst the stygian gloom. They’re still slaves to the lengthy track however as songs evolve over several minutes, with riffs unfurling languidly to strike at their own pace, while the stark, pounding drumbeats batter the listener into submission.

First track proper ‘Nostalgia’ is appropriately titled, for it calls to mind the sheer bleakness of US masters Evoken, as the devastatingly sad lead guitar work provides the perfect counterfoil to the gut-punching of the rhythm section. ‘Embryo Limbo’ sets the scene with some stately clean-picked notes before giving way to some crushing riffs that flirt with mid-paced mid-90s death metal, like Incantation after a heavy dose of lithium.

The first real burst of pace occurs on ‘Desert Trail’ with brisk blastbeats and strange melodies contributing to a strong feeling of malaise but the best is saved for the end of the album as the tortuous crawl of ‘Mountains of Mind/Five Years Ahead (Of My Time)’ soon gives way to a frantic chugging section, aided by eerie keyboards before a gloriously exuberant solo emerges from the mire and it becomes apparent that the band have wandered into full-on dark prog territory. The triumphant end-section is worth the price of the whole album.

Most bands would call it a day there, but Indesinence decide that things need to remain grim, which they do with aplomb on the seventeen minute dirge of ‘Strange Meridian’, an oppressive crawl through agonized soundscapes. The riffs are depressing, the vocals are truly anguished and were it not for another burst of soaring lead-guitar to end things again on a breathless, stargazing note, the whole thing might get too much. There really is no need to tack on a ten minute dark ambient closing track to finish things off though.

A difficult and undeniably too-long album, III is nonetheless a masterful and imposing piece of work. Doom/death is a naturally restrictive genre, but Indesinence have proven themselves to be one of the finest acts working in its field. Full-on misery can often get a bit one-note without some other forces to counteract the despair, and there are enough ideas going on here to ensure that even for an album approaching eighty minutes in length, attention will be maintained and engaged. The heirs to Disembowelment? Why not, eh?

 

8.0/10

 

JAMES CONWAY


Abyssal – Antikatastaseis

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In every musical movement, the leaders are the ones who bring their own twist, their own innovation, to the collective sound. Since Portal’s cross-over from novelty clock-head band to serious underground phenomenon, the number of bands following them into abstract Noise-damaged eldritch Death Metal have steadily increased until it constitutes a genuine – if deeply underground – trend. We’re still at the point where even the orthodox followers can still deliver a genuine impact, but the big hitters are already identifiable as the ones with their own distinctive contribution to the formula; Portal, of course, with their ferocious creativity and nightmarish song structures; Aevangelist with their super-dense wall of Noise overload and Impetuous Ritual with their underpants. With their let’s-have-fun-with-syllables third album Antikatastaseis (Profound Lore), British one-piece Abyssal step firmly up to join the top tier.

Having mastered their thick, oppressive brand of Murky Death Metal over two previous albums, Abyssal’s grand bid for innovation here is to mix it up with a hefty dose of what I’ll grudgingly call “post-rock” – the expansive, contemplative sound-scaping (another grudgingly used term) that’s been an increasing part of Metal’s musical landscape since Neurosis.  On paper it sounds hackneyed and forced, and the first listen may not do much to dispel that impression – the more post-heavy passages sound surprisingly conventional, almost twee, to ears prepared for eldritch cacophony, and the transition between them and the more typically murky passages seem a little abrupt – but give it time and it develops into something genuinely distinctive and unsettling.

The key to Antikatastaseis’ success is probably that Abyssal haven’t softened the attack of their Death Metal elements in any way – they’re still as cavernous and oppressive as anything on Novit Enim Dominus… (Independent) – but they have put them in a different context. Whirlwinds of chaotic Death Metal are dragged and distorted into unexpected, atmospheric shapes that would almost be beautiful if they weren’t so ugly. Passages of genuine harmony collapse into sudden, jarring violence, or fade into chilling ambient drones. At times the effect calls to mind Black Metal bands like Fen or Winterfylleth, but with their bucolic pastoralism replaced with nightmarish horror. This isn’t Portal-lite  – though it may have the potential to cross over to a wider audience than some of their peers – it’s the work of a band who are putting their inspirations into a new and distinctive form, just like all innovators.

The temptation to make a joke about Antikatastaseis being as hard to listen to as it is to say is pretty hard to resist, but they deserve better.  It’s also not true – once you’ve adjusted to the combination of elements, it’s a surprisingly intuitive and engaging sound that develops with each listen. Whatever you think of the current state of spooky abstract Death Metal, Abyssal have simultaneously appointed themselves to the top tiers of the scene, and created an album with the potential to draw in fans from outside it.

 

9.0/10

Abyssal. Too kvlt for Social Media.

 

RICHIE HR


Agalloch and Helen Money Book June West Coast Tour

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Agalloch and Helen Money will be teaming up for an upcoming tour dubbed Serpens In Cvlmination Western Hemisphere Tour MMXV. Dates are posted below. They are supporting The Serpent & The Sphere opus, released last year via Profound Lore.

Jun 05: WOW Hall – Eugene, OR (w/ Yob, Ufomammut – No Helen Money)
Jun 06: Midtown Barfly – Sacramento, CA
Jun 07: Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
Jun 08: SLO Brew – San Luis Obispo, CA
Jun 09: Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
Jun 10: Casbah – San Diego, CA
Jun 11: The Rebel – Phoenix, AZ
Jun 12: Hotel Congress – Tucson, AZ
Jun 13: Sister – Albuquerque, NM
Jun 14: Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
Jun 15: Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
Jun 16: Neurolux – Boise, ID
Jun 17: The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
Jun 18: Venue – Vancouver, BC
Jun 19: Victoria Event Center – Victoria, BC
Jun 20: Star Theater – Portland, OR

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Bell Witch – Four Phantoms

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I was hugely into Grunge in the 90s. I’ll never forget when a mate of mine came back from visiting its home and decreed it “the most miserable place on earth”. I was gutted. Maybe, however, it is such surroundings that fuel Seattle duo Bell Witch, whose blend of crushing Sludge, funereal melancholy and occasional Americana first bewitched the senses three years ago. Interest is high in Four Phantoms (Profound Lore), the band’s sophomore album, and yours truly is frothing at the mouth…

The emotions of a suppurating soul, in the moments before Experience kills it and undiluted cynicism sets in, are unbelievably raw; that capacity to feel true longing, joy and pain fighting with its dying breath. I’m not quite there…yet. There’s a feeling that these guys have really lived the anger and misery that exudes from every pore here and, when the almighty chord, drumbeat and roar combination explodes through the bassline of opener ‘Suffocation, A Burial:…’, accompanied by some sorrowful chimes, it creates simultaneously a feeling of euphoria, and a fearful despair of nothingness. Each note sparing, heightening the impact and more fully conveying the acuity of bitterness and sadness.

There’s real songcraft here; everything having its place and arranged with both passion and precision. Another explosion follows a brief lull of forlorn incantation, the melodic chords piercing every leaden punch. You’re aware it’s coming yet, when it does, its unfathomable weight disembowels, with Dylan Desmond‘s terrifying Blackened scream increasing the chills and the emptiness. This colossal opening really embodies that sense of personal loss and implosive grief; the agonies of the harmonised tones which lead into the last five minutes of this 22-minute epic duelling with Adrian Guerra‘s harrowing roars; the tension, power and mournful ecstasy almost unbearable.

The sparing chords of ‘Suffocation, a Drowning:…’, heavy to the head as an opiate and to the heart as a sudden arrest, possess a staggering delicacy enhanced by the stark guest voice of Aerial Ruin‘s Erik Moggridge; an evocative dark-folk delivery not unlike Art Garfunkel‘s deeper moments. The first half of this gorgeous yet soul-rending track is a sequence of crushing bass riffs and single beats, disturbing yet emotive solos and devastating harmonies, contrasting the subject matter yet sounding completely organic. The change in tone to the second half is similarly begun, so subtly it’s almost unnoticed – a more sinister exclamation in the solo chords introducing a period of brutalised roars and screams which only briefly affects the melancholy allure; returning but wearing an hooded cloak, the crushing power now swirling around slightly piqued yet honeyed vocals. The serenely mellow bass notes closing this quite staggering track ensure an almost stifled epiphany; the depth of meaning, the finality, truly felt.

It’s in marked contrast to the horrifying blast of sound crawling from the opening atmospheric ambience of album closer ‘Judgement, In Air:…’: the death throes of an apocalypse, the deep roar still counteracted by lamenting chords, the drums titanic and deafening in their resonance, shrouded in hypnotic swells of sound, the whole seeps like a mix of honey and tar from the speakers, a dying body summoning one last effort to crawl to its desired resting place: a brief howl of anguish, a final, writhing squall…and it ends.

This won’t be for everyone. If slow, sad, oppressive, Sludgy Doom isn’t your thing then you’re unlikely to be attracted to this incredible piece of work. Those who are, however, captivated by the mix of Pallbearer, Profetus, and Primitive Man‘s fulminating bitterness and the invention and rare Blackened edges of Inter Arma, all wrapped up in a seething amalgam of horror and beauty, will appreciate the wonder of a band beyond superlative and for whom there is no peak. Bell Witch continue to confound, enthral, terrify and move in equal measure; and in creating a second album of such weight and emotion prove themselves peerless.

Stop the wondering. This is the album for our twisted, corrupt, hubristic times and, arguably, the album of this century.

 

10.0/10.0

Bell Witch on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


Pyramids – A Northern Meadow

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Anybody here with broad tastes recall The Blue Nile? They of 80s Indie Electronica fame? For some reason the wrought moments of their minimalist, stark melancholy spring to mind when harmonized, plaintive vocals burst through the chaotic ambience of Texan super-project Pyramids. The rest sounds nothing like, of course…

Doubtless somewhat responsible for the complex, occasionally harsh noise surrounding those honeyed tones, Blut Aus Nord‘s Vindsval and Gorguts‘ Colin Marston join Mike Dean‘s men for sophomore album A Northern Meadow (Profound Lore). Lead track ‘In Perfect Stillness, I’ve Only Found Sorrow’ emerges like some lo-fi, Post-Black Doves; shoegaze Indie strains blending with slashing yet melodic guitar, while the high-pitched, soaring vocals bring Thom Yorke into the equation. Though this is the early template, strange soundscapes envelop the structures with the intricate rhythms and Post leadwork furthering the Radiohead connection, albeit with more weight to the body – an at times crushing sequence of blows bursting a colliding crescendo of noise in both ‘The Earth Melts Into Red Gashes…’ and ‘The Substance of Grief Is Not Imaginary’.

As the titles suggest cheery this ain’t, yet the euphoric effects of the music at times contrast from the intent and that pensive, melancholy voice despite the obvious emotion of the whole: the resonant, rising harmonies and emotive, synthesized atmospherics of ‘Indigo Birds’ charging the soul and calming the frozen wastes of agonised, railing riffs.

In many ways this is the aural depiction of a nervous breakdown, the conflicting emotions crashing together, those fluctuating rhythmic structures and occasionally blackened riffs being the violent mood swings. The complexities and contradictions in the sound are both zenith and Nemesis, highlighting both the harshness and the beauty but also occasionally dampening just as things threaten to explode. Picture Red Sparrowes or Alcest if you will, with the hostile anguish retained just to tease whilst remaining an integral part. The dark-Mastodon feel of ‘Consilience’, a sinister organ adding to the portentous mass, closes an album in equal parts exquisite, beguiling yet a sprawling achievement; one most definitely worth sticking on every time you’re dwelling on that crossroads between depression and ecstasy.

 

8.0/10

Pyramids on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


Helen Money Supporting Agalloch On June North American Tour

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Helen Money will be supporting Agalloch on their forthcoming North American tour in June. She is supporting her current release Arriving Angels, out via Profound Lore, which was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio and features drummer Jason Roeder (Neurosis, Sleep). Cellist/composer Alison Chesley, a.k.a. Helen Money, merges her classical training with a lifelong affinity for punk rock and a taste for heavy metal. In addition to her own material Chesley has also performed and/or directed string arrangements for artists like Anthrax (Worship Music), Russian Circles (Geneva), Broken Social Scene (Forgiveness Rock Record) and Yakuza.

Helen Money Tour Itinerary (all dates may be subject to change):
Jun 06: Midtown Barfly – Sacramento, CA
Jun 07: Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
Jun 08: SLO Brew – San Luis Obispo, CA
Jun 09: Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
Jun 10: Casbah – San Diego, CA
Jun 11: The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ
Jun 12: Hotel Congress – Tucson, AZ
Jun 13: Sister – Albuquerque, NM
Jun 14: Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
Jun 15: Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
Jun 16: Neurolux – Boise, ID
Jun 17: Crocodile – Seattle, WA
Jun 18: Venue – Vancouver, BC
Jun 19: Victoria Event Center – Victoria, BC
Jun 20: Star Theater – Portland, OR

Helen Money on Facebook


Sumac – The Deal

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There’s prolific, there’s ubiquitous, then there’s Aaron Turner. With Isis no more than a beloved memory and the latest effort from Old Man Gloom done with its mischief-making, the man’s thirst for invention and colossal soundscapes appears unslakeable and latest project Sumac bounds into being with debut album The Deal (Profound Lore).

From the outset, earth-shaking bass notes and riffs allude to the swelling hostility of former glories. There’s a marvellous tone to the switching, slamming riff and bass of ‘Thorn In The Lion’s Paw’, as deep as the Marianas trench yet resonant, crashing through fearful, hissing amps that groan under the sheer weight. Wonderfully dictated by rolling, pulverising stickwork, Turner’s diseased bark careers the bulldozing track toward a lush, atmospheric ambience; the piercing piano keys and howling lead chord chilling the soul. It’s a typically diverse, adventurous, yet sonically booming exercise deserving of beefy cans rather than those tinny, treble-heavy ‘in-ear’ aberrations. The scything, hammer riff of ‘Hollow King’, when colliding with the frenetic rhythm episodes, is positively euphoric and claustrophobic; even an albeit accompanied drum solo and brutal jam session can’t bore, instead numbing the senses with their size and stunning display of instrumentation, the closing imitation of a pulse the beating heart of the grandest titan.

Despite the undulating power, however, there’s a self-indulgence which leads to meandering moments: the pounding, scorching Stoner twist of ‘Blight’s End Angel’ for example containing extraneous and tedious passages. Despite a rolling pummel and that ripping scour, the thirteen-minute title track houses aimless lulls broken by a crushing intensity, yet even this is occasionally stodgy and flinches only with switches of pace and enlivening lead breaks at both the halfway point and the coda. Only the drifting yet reverberating power and beauty of the YOB-like, aptly-named closer ‘The Radiance of Being’ reflects that early variance you’d expect more of.

This is still a fine album, full of Turner’s trademark phenomenal power. He is doubtless capable of more spectacular results than this, however, he would feel that someone of my limited cognitive powers couldn’t fully understand…

 

7.0/10

Sumac on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


SUMAC Streaming “Thorn In The Lion’s Paw”

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SUMAC is streaming “Thorn In The Lion’s Paw” here. The band features ex-ISIS frontman Aaron Turner, Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn, and Russian Circles and ex-Botch bassist Brian Cook. Their debut album The Deal is due out February 3, 2015 via Profound Lore/SIGE.


Lord Mantis Streaming “Possession Prayer” Music Video

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Lord Mantis is streaming their music video for “Possession Prayer”, off their third album Death Mask, out via Profound Lore, here.

Engineered at Electrical Audio and Soma studios by Sanford Parker, mixed at Hypercube and mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room, Death Mask features artwork by Jef Whitehead (Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice) and layout duties handled by Chimère Noire.

Following recent tour actions in support of Death Mask, including treks with Hell Militia and Today Is The Day and more, LORD MANTIS will return to Europe on tour this Spring, the main objective being their second crushing performance as the massive Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland.

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