In Concert : SWANS, Québec, Le Cercle, July 9

On a rainy Saturday night in July that looked like what we would usually call Fall in Québec, Swans was headlining  a show at one of the best and most intimate venues in the city; Le Cercle. Along about a hundred fans the place was not packed but still got ambiance.

ETERITUS - Following The Ancient Path

Eteritus - Following The Ancient Path (2016, Godz Ov War Productions)

After a more than ten years I didn’t listened to a lot of Death Metal except for the bands I was really into. It is since last year that I discovered that I am such a sucker for the genre especially for Old School Death Metal. Beginning with the underrated and underappreciated Echelon release of last year, it went on with Live Burial this year and on and on. Released in June, Polish based Eteritus and their nine songs full lenght Following The Ancient Path is not bringing much new to the genre but plays it like 25 years veterans of the scene with killing riffs, thunderous breakdowns, and a really enjoyable production.

BATHYUM - Rituals of the Damned

Bathyum - Rituals of the Damned (2016, Heathen Tribes)

The so-called second wave of Black Metal of the early 1990’s has been a huge influence on many formations of Metal. The transition of the first four albums of Bathory to the Unholy trinity of DarkThrone has carried a shitload of great and not so great albums and bands. Is it still possible to take what was at the time an evolution in the counter culture that Black Metal was inventing and make it as interesting without falling into the obvious nostalgia of this long gone era?

VOW OF THORNS - Farewell to the Sun

Vow of Thorns - Farewell to the Sun (2016, Forest Dweller Inc. /self-released)

Apparently Black Metal and Doom is the trend for new bands to make music. The long fuzzy tirades of Doom metal and the screamy vocals of Black Metal can harmoniously go together. Canadian band Vow of Thorns and their first LP Farewell to the Sun are no exception to this ever growing fusion of genres. Is it just a flavor of the week or some bands will actually stay and form another subgenre like ‘’Blackened Doom Metal’’ or ‘’Doomy Black Metal’’? Only time will tell but this review will tell if you must or not take the time to get to Vow of Thorns’ Farewell to the Sun.

ATHAME - With Cunning Fire and Adversarial Resolve

Athame - With Cunning Fire and Adversarial Resolve (2016, Grimoire Records)

The Maryland/West Virginia act of Athame is a vicious and dark interpretation of Black Metal with a sheer sense of American underground Metal like Krieg. A band that would not be afraid to take Grindcore textures and slower Noise passages à la Today Is The Day.

Record of the Month: June 2016

It is half the year 2016 already and records keep getting released at the dozen by days. This little gig of mine has been more and more difficult first to catchup and to keep a nice pace since the official inception of this blog in the late section of 2015. Promo people have found me and my email is getting flooded by a sea of new releases everyday. In fact, I don’t have enough waking hours to actually listen to all that I receive. Which, is a great thing but it is a bit overwhelming. However, enough of this mouthful moaning.