A sensuous, rapturous and thought-provoking collection of superior, post-rock instrumental music, Oath (Pelagic Records), from Japanese four-piece Mono, was recorded and mixed by late, great and already much-missed engineer Steve Albini, who passed away last month, aged 61.Continue reading
It feels unbelievable that it has now been over two years since Bad Omens took the alternative scene by storm with their last album The Death Of Peace Of Mind. Now having played massive shows both on their own, and alongside influences Bring Me The Horizon, the band have decided to revisit the album that took their career to the next level with the accompaniment album Concrete Jungle [The OST] (Sumerian Records).Continue reading
Icelandic synth-punk trio, Kælan Mikla, and Bardi Johannsson have teamed up to create an original score for Victor Sjöström’s 1921 Swedish silent movie, The Phantom Carriage. Catch the video for the album’s closing piece and title track in the article below and find out more.
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As one half of the infamous Funeral Doom Metal band Bell Witch, Dylan Desmond is a musician renowned for powerful and contemplative soundscapes and is no stranger for emotive music. Following from the band’s Patreon launch a couple of years ago, Desmond has since been prominently experimenting with Ambient, synth-led music in part made to accompany segments of films (as anyone who has seen Bell Witch live will attest to their use of visual artistry in their performances). A further result of this is this solo output Je Est Un Autre, with a moniker taken from quotes of surrealist poet Arthur Rimbaud which, unsurprisingly, is a deep thought-provoking piece. Continue reading
Eighth solo studio album from Ihsahn, the legend of Norwegian Metal, releases his modern self-titled (Candlelight Records) opus hot on the heels of his 2023 EP – Fascination Street Sessions. As the principal creative force behind Emperor, his iconic status as a Black Metal musician was secured with their impactful nineties debut album In the Nightside Eclipse which released at the height of the genre’s second wave. While the experimental and progressive influence of his solo output has somewhat gone under the radar in comparison to his work with Emperor, those that have followed his releases since The Adversary in 2006, have been treated to an extraordinary body of work. Continue reading
It’s 2022, September already, a busy time for album releases, a welter of “product” and, more importantly, a feast of music. And I can safely say that – until now – I haven’t heard an album quite like The Mars Volta. Continue reading
Satyricon & Munch (Napalm Records) is the coming together of two icons of Oslo, Norway – the visuals of artist Edvard Munch inform a new piece of music by black metal veterans Satyricon. With the music inspired by — and presented as part of — a new exhibition at Oslo’s MUNCH museum, this 56-minute recording of new material exists also independent of its visual counterpart. If expecting a full-on black metal album, approach with caution; for those ready for an atmospheric, instrumental journey, this dark trip may be worthy of your time.
The concept Abhorrent Expanse debut release Gateways to Resplendence (Amalgam / Lurker Bias) is indeed a fascinating one. All the tracks have been improvised, and the whole thing was performed as a continuous take. Nothing specific was discussed beforehand except for the pairings of who would play each section and how long they would last, it all being tracked by a stopwatch. The result of such a challenge is interesting if a polarized hit-and-miss affair. Continue reading
Future Usses is a project featuring members of Intronaut and Bereft and they’ve clearly been putting a lot of thought into their debut, The Existential Haunting (Pelagic). Five years in the making, this is an album which is crafted and defined, but it’s not an album that the casual listener will find rewarding.Continue reading
Halloween is a week away, and Cradle of Filth‘s legendary vocalist, Dani Filth, has shared his thirteen essential albums for the holiday online today. Continue reading