Regular readers will be fully aware of the high level of praise thrown Holy Roar’s way throughout 2018 so far, and with good reason, because their roster continues to produce some of this year’s most exciting, aggressive, and forward-thinking music. So when it was announced that the label would be helping Secret Cutter get their second record, Quantum Eraser, to the UK faithful you could almost hear the sound of this little island’s collective jaw hitting the floor.Continue reading
In their native language of Icelandic, Árstíðir means “seasons”, and like the ever-changing seasons, the band’s musical stylings have never sat firmly in one singular camp. They’ve experimented with everything from Radiohead Indie Rock eccentricities to the melancholic elegance of latter day Sólstafir, and like their fellow countrymen and label mates, Árstíðir are able to effortlessly create a vivid but mysterious atmosphere.Continue reading
Neil Gaiman once wrote in Sandman: Season of Mists that “hell is something you carry around with you, not somewhere you go” and with Cinereous Incarnate (I, Voidhanger et al), Abstracter aim to ensure that the feeling of your own personal hell is something that stays with you throughout the remainder of the year.Continue reading
Ever since Cathedral decided to hang up their Doom-encrusted boots, the UK has been dying for someone to fill the void with the same level of otherworldly mysticism and crushing heaviness. Obviously, we do have Conan making waves if you’re a fan of the weight of the world pounding you into the dust, but if you like your Doom with a touch more class and Sabbath flair, Witchsorrow should already be on your radar. Four albums in and the trio are still able to conjure some of the most infectious riffs and choruses, laden with vivid imagery and nihilistic sensibilities.Continue reading
Oscar Wilde believed that life imitates art far more than art imitates life, but like most great art, music is at its most affecting when it draws from personal turmoil and the internal struggles we experience daily. Life is pain etc.
It has never felt that God Is An Astronaut have gotten nearly as much love as they deserve. County Wicklow’s favourite sons have been a mainstay of the prog and post-rock scene for the better part of 20 years, and with one of the strongest and most consistent back catalogues you’re likely to delve into, it feels like there should be just as much praise for GIAA as there is for 65daysofstatic or Sleepmakeswaves. With Epitaph (Napalm), however, it seems that we’re getting a much more personal look into the artists behind the music, as they take you on a journey of grief and its many challenges.Continue reading
The only certainties in this life are death, taxes and Holy Roar not releasing bad records. With both Conjurer and Rolo Tomassi already blazing a trail this year, Holy Roar’s next world-beater comes to us from Denmark’s Møl, who may have just about perfected the whole Shoegaze/Black Metal trend with Jord (Holy Road Records), a record whose delicate intricacies are as emotionally devastating as its grossly incandescent rage.Continue reading
A wise man once said “Misery fucking loves me…”, and if you love misery, you should love Palm Reader. Three records in, the band are still producing the same miserablist Hardcore fans have come to expect from them, but this time around the riffs are harsher, the atmosphere is denser, and the lyrics are more poignant.Continue reading
Never giving interviews and never playing live shows is certainly a good way to give your band a certain mystique. It may seem pretentious and it does mean the art you create loses another dimension by never gracing the ears of a live audience, but there is something to be admired in letting the music quite literally speak for itself, especially when the scene is over saturated. Continue reading
Much darker in tone than its ethereal predecessor (both Century Media), The Banished Heart is no less beautiful in its execution. Where Winter would often soar, this record looks inward and deals much more heavily with personal, introspective feelings of heartbreak and loss.Continue reading