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.

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.

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,

NETHERBIRD - The Grander Voyage

Netherbird - The Grander Voyage (2016, Black Lodge Records)

With the happening of Jon Nodtveidt’s greatest offering to Metal in the form of Dissection’s Storm of the Light’s Bane back in 1995, a multitude of copycats and followers from Sweden took a spin at the blend of Black and Death Metal with melodic guitar riffs and a huge penchant for the epic of Heavy Metal of the 80’s. In this wave of Swedish melodic Black/Death Metal acts, Netherbird is one of the most loyal band in the genre. Back after a short break, between 2014 and 2016, the Swedes made a comeback in full force.

RECITATIONS - The Firsts of the Listeners

Recitations - The Firsts of the Listeners (2016, Avantgarde Music)

Norway and Black Metal, Black Metal and Norway, you get it? Right? Okay so we can pass to something else. This band, which there is no information about anywhere has just released through Avantgarde Music a piece of four tracks of Contemporary Black Metal.

TUTTI I COLORI DEL BUIO - Initiation Into Nothingness

Tutti I Colori Del Buio - Initiation Into Nothingness (2016, Bare Teeth Records)

TUTTI I COLORI DEL BUIO began at the end of 2013 in Turin, Italy, from four friends previously involved in such bands as Marmore, Last Minute To Jaffna, and Magdalene, all active and known within the Italian scene.

Powerviolence is a genre that was brought back to somewhat popularity with Nails recently but that is a hybrid of Hardcore Punk, Grindcore, and Crossover. Never far from 1980’s punk and D-beat (obviously think of Discharge), such legendary acts like Spazz have paved the way for further bands like Tutti I Colori Del Buio.

MESARTHIM - .- -... ... . -. -.-. .

Mesarthim - .- -... ... . -. -.-. . (2016, Avantgarde Music)

Australia and Black Metal have a weird connection and many bands as Midnight Odyssey and Mesarthim have embraced the Darkspace bandwagon of Atmospheric Black Metal with a penchant for the cosmos themes. Many bands have done the same deal with more or less success. In the case of Mesarthim, a recent one man band, formed in 2015, the melodies and common grounds of the Atmospheric Black Metal was learnt very well. Does it translate in the album weirdly titled .- -... ... . -. -.-. .?

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - Dissociation

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Dissociation (2016, Party Smasher – Cooking Vinyl)

Ever since August 2016 The Dillinger Escape Plan announced that Dissociation would be the final release of the band before an extended hiatus, that would later be confirmed as a definitive break-up, there’s an aura of knowing that it will be a precious album from the masters of Mathcore. As a fully affirmed fan of their music since the release of the self-titled EP and an over fifteen years old Calculating Infinity t-shirt would be some of the proofs of this fandom. Let’s be honest to ourselves the expectations for Dissociation are high and even the band has some apprehension knowing that Ben Weinman has always been worshipping One of Us Is The Killer as their masterpiece. Today, if it was my opinion, he would have to change his speech a bit with their most recent iteration.

GATECREEPER - Sonoran Depravation

Gatecreeper - Sonoran Depravation (2016, Relapse Records)

Of all the influences cited about the release of Gatecreeper’s first album, Sonoran Depravation, there is a conclusion we can easily get to; the band pushes the Death Metal buttons of fans of every spheres of the genre because the Gatecreeper is form by passionates of the Death Metal movement. Let’s have the name dropping game going on : Entombed, Asphyx, Suffocation, and Bolt Thrower just to name a few.