WORM OUROBOROS - What Graceless Dawn

Worm Ouroboros - What Graceless Dawn (2016, Profound Lore Records)

Formed of guitarist/vocalist Jessica Way (Barren Harvest), bassist/vocalist Lorraine Rath (ex-The Gault, Amber Asylum) and drummer Aesop Dekker (ex-Agalloch, Vhöl, Ludicra), Worm Ouroboros is a unique outfit that makes music near the many genres that are Doom, Jazz, chamber music, dark ambient, and death rock. Reminded me of Chelsea Wolfe and ethereal funeral doom metal at times. Released on the prestigious Canadian label Profound Lore, this Oakland based trio is making slow music that may not please every Metal head out there but it is what makes them worth your time.

ERA DECAY - Inritum

Era Decay - Inritum (2016, self-released)

Since it is not the main subject of this Music/Metal blog, I don’t mention often that I am an avid snowboarder. As with every product of consumption nowadays, the offer of snowboards is as vast as the wide array of subgenres from Death Metal. The Romanians of Era Decay are labeled as Doom/Death Metal but as any snowboard out there many labels can be applied to its versatility. It is the case for ED’s interpretation of the genre. Their latest release, Inritum, is a blend of Melodic Death Metal with Doom and many elements of old school Death Metal.

VIOLBLAST - Conflict

Violblast - Conflict (2016, Suspiria Records)

What happens when Slayer and Testament are playing together in Spain? You get Bay Area Thrash Metal from Western Europe under the name Violblast. With the speed and intensity of Slayer and the technicality of Testament a blast from the past in the form of a nine songs platter under the title Conflict is the result. Does it has what it takes to measure up to the two major bands cited?

THE DESCENT - The Coven Of Rats

The Descent - The Coven Of Rats (2016, Suspiria Records)

Coming from Spain, The Descent is a contender for one of the best Melodic Hardcore Death Metal albums of 2016. They remind me of the best albums of Darkest Hour, Dark Tranquility, The Haunted, and Diecast. Even the Pulp Fiction sampling screams out Melodic Hardcore of the late 1990’s. As they say, it is nothing new under the sun but it is done right and in the spirit of the best offerings of the genre.

NEPHROLITH - Paleness Of The Bled World

Nephrolith - Paleness Of The Bled World (2016, Cursed Records)

Lately, I was revisiting one of my ‘’teacher’s pet’’ band, Primordial and I said to myself that there are not many Black Metal acts that sound similar or that carry the same vibe in their music and the atmosphere they create. Well, my inbox once again made me lie and I fell on this Slovenian, not Melania, band named Nephrolith with the only tag of Black Metal. My description would be a Classic Metal act with the spirit of Primordial, an interesting and fresh take on the genre with inclusions of Post-Black Metal and bits of Shoegazing here and there.

ABYSMAL GRIEF - Reveal Nothing...

Abysmal Grief - Reveal Nothing... (2016, Terror From Hell Records)

Think of Doom Metal in its gloomiest form with synths and clean vocals à la Rammstein and you have Abysmal Grief and their Horror laden Metal. This collection of EPs, 7’’, and split records is introductory for new fans and a compilation for those who don’t what to collect every platter they have released.

L’HOMME ABSURDE - Monsters

L’Homme Absurde - Monsters (2016, Fono Ltd.)

Sold as a Post Black Metal album, Monsters by the Russians of L’Homme Absurde, a concept borrowed from Albert Camus, is a Melodic Post Black Metal cum Blackgaze etc. This record enters well into the genre that links Locrian, Deafheaven, and Ashbringer. It captures this melodic melted with shoegaze craze that Sunbather unleashed upon our world of American Black Metal that is not in the vein of the Second Wave or the Scandinavian Black Metal. L’Homme Absurde was at first a one man band formed by drummer A. (Mare Infinitum, Who Dies In Siberian Slush, Comatose Vigil) in 2015 and in 2016 joined by Georgiy Bykov (Mare Infinitum also) and Isod on the guitars and Yuri S. handling the bass.

NOISE TRAIL IMMERSION - Womb

Noise Trail Immersion - Womb (2016, Moment of Collapse Records/Triton’s Orbit Distribution)

Lately, here at LMdM (short for Le Mot du Melomaniaque) we have been receiving lots of Italian bands albums. Added to that, the number of Post Black Metal, Black gaze, Atmospheric Black Metal, etc. bands have been growing so fast that we don’t even care to get excited anymore. Well, that is not entirely true but you get the picture. Noise Trail Immersion was the first time we encountered the genre Black Math-Metal in our promotional mountain pile of new records that reach us everyday.

DYSRHYTHMIA- The Veil Of Control

Dysrhythmia - The Veil Of Control (2016, Profound Lore Records)

Beforehand, there is something I have to admit while reviewing this album, I am a fan of everything Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, Behold… The Arctopus, Byla) ever touches. Pair that to Kevin Hufnagel who also is a member of Gorguts, Vaura, and Sabbath Assembly and you have a fanboy that almost cried when receiving his promo of The Veil Of Control.

BLACK OATH - Litanies In The Dark EP

Black Oath - Litanies In The Dark EP (2016, Terror From Hell Records)

This four song EP from the Doomsters Italians of Black Oath is a taster of what they have in their bags. It is Doom Metal done right especially with the medley of ‘’Highway Cavalier’’ and ‘’Reincarnation’’ that is rendered in ‘’Reincarnation Of The Highway Cavalier’’ a tribute to the late Terry Jones of Pagan Altar. The moods and atmosphere created by ‘’Funeral Alchemy’’ is spot-on with strong riffs and the right moody arrangements.

DIATONIC - I Am The One

Diatonic - I Am The One (2016, self-released/Triton’s Orbit Distribution)

It’s funny how things happen in life, the day of the election of President Trump I get to pick a record that is titled I Am The One just as a coincidence or not of the man’s huge ego and furious declarations of his supremacy in one of the worst elections America has ever seen. 

But I digress with politics and you are here to read about the second full length in two years from the Swedish Melodic Death Metal band Diatonic.

CTULU - Ctulu

Ctulu - Ctulu (2016, MDD Records)

With a name that’s synonymous with the greatest Horror writer of all time’s, read here H. P. Lovecraft, most grotesque and disturbing creation, Ctulu, the Germans are coming in 2016 with an untitled or self-titled fourth album that is full of ‘’pathetic disappointments transformed into hate’’. Think of the Extreme Metal of Behemoth, Rotting Christ, and Temple of Baal.

BAHRRECHT - L’Aube Glacée

Bahrrecht - L’Aube Glacée (2016, Ketzer Records)

The Frenchmen of Bahrrecht are in the tradition of their fellow Anorexia Nervosa with a touch of the 1990’s Black Metal. Wanting to sound a lot more melodic than they were on Nuit de Neige back in 2012, L’Aube Glacée is tainted with the influence of Immortal in the latter years, Windir, and of course Dissection. Getting more of the first two for the song structures and the riffing of the third act mentioned, Bahrrecht however never delivers what is promised.

Record of the Month: October 2016

October has been one of the best months of the year so far! There are still many albums I haven't got around, especially DarkThrone's Artic Thunder  which was one of the albums I expected in this month.

However, this is one of my favorite band that once again has the ROTM spot,