Record of the Month: September 2016

There has been a few reviews on the month of September and the staff of LMdM must apologize for that because the album bin has been a hustle to deal with recently with two changes and phones and more difficulties accessing the dropbox the promo people have been reaching us with.

From now on, if you absolutely want your band reviewed please send a CD or LP copy it is easier for us because we had a technological step back.

Enough of this whining about all and nothing, with many expected releases in late September, I got to get some time for myself to actually think about the most deserving monthly award of RotM. 

NEUROSIS - Fires Within Fires

Neurosis - Fires Within Fires (2016, Neurot Recordings)

One of the most celebrated and respected Extreme Metal band Neurosis is celebrating their 30 years of existence. I’ve been an avid fan of their music since 15 or so years and I still rock a t-shirt of The Eye of Every Storm to this day. It would be an understatement to say that I was highly expecting this album. Even if Given To The Rising left me a bit cold at times and I thought that Honour Found In Decay had its moments, Fires Within Fires might be their most complete and concise album since their inception.

VINDLAND - Hanter Savet

Vindland - Hanter Savet (2016, Black Lion Records)

French Black Metalers are some of the most eviled musicians of Planet Earth. Just look at Les Légions Noires and listen to Mütiilation and Vlad Tepes to gaze the purity of their interpretation of the genre. With the coming of Bleu Blanc Satan, a documentary about the French Black Metal scene of the 90’s, no one is surprised to discover little gems like the subject of this review. The three members of Vindland are presenting their Melodic Pagan Black Metal in the form of their debut album under the name Hanter Savet.

[Throwback Reviews] DARKTHRONE - The Underground Resistance

Note from the editor: this review was first published at my main blog and since I moved here I've decided to edit and repost those archived reviews once in a while just to get the database complete and give a second life to those earlier writings.

DarkThrone - The Underground Resistance (2013, Peaceville Records)

Being a fan of Darkthrone since their release of Soulside Journey, I dropped the ball when they changed genre after Sardonic Wrath. I was not ready to listen to crust-punk from a band that was crying out loud Unholy Black Metal.

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.