CRYPT SERMON – Out of the Garden

Crypt Sermon – Out of the Garden (2015, Dark Descent)

Getting into the album Out of the Garden took me a while and despite all the praise and positive buzz around the album, I was not able to complete a listen of the entire album since it came out. So in an attempt to complete my year end lists I revisited earlier releases of 2015 and I fell on Crypt Sermon and saw that Pitchfork, Angry Metal Guy +1, and even Fenriz even put it on their essentials. So like the good sheep that I am I followed those shepherds to finally find what they heard that I didn’t.

HEIMSDALLS WACHT – Der Untergang der alten Welt

Music Review : Heimsdalls Wacht – Der Untergang der alten Welt (2006-2015, Heidens Hart Records)

Rising from the earth of Gemany in 2004, Heimsdalls Wacht are a duo performing solid revivalist black metal from the early 1990’s à la Gorgoroth, Satyricon, and Ulver. Without falling into the corny Darkthrone or Emperor wannabe easy path that too many trve Norwegian black metal acts have fell into, Heimsdalls Wacht have a solid and well produced piece of metal.

CULT LEADER - Lightess Walk

Music Review : Cult Leader -  Lightess Walk (2015, Deathwish)

The label Deathwish of Converge member Jacob Bannon has been releasing iconoclastic underground bands since its debuts. With the latest release of Cult Leader’s Lightless Walk, we are into Converge-like territories of the Jane Doe era. Read here : a hardcore band that is playing on the boundaries of many genres of metal.

BEATEN TO DEATH - Unplugged

Beaten to Death - Unplugged (2015, Mas-Kina)

Back in my college years I had a huge grindcore kick and I spined bands like Brutal Truth, Spazz, Soilent Green, Anal Cunt, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Swallowing Shit, Pig Destroyer, Rotten Sound, and Nasum. When Mieszko Talarczyk, Nasum frontman died in the infamous Thailand tsunamis back in 2004, my interest kind of slowed down a bit. Mainly because Nasum was the best grindcore band of the moment and the genre was getting a bit tired on me.

WINDHAND – Grief’s Infernal Flower

Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower (2015, Relapse)

With the explosion of doom metal bands of the recent years, Windhand have maintained a slight advance in their popularity even when they went too into their own music with Soma. However, with the much awaited Grief’s Infernal Flower they finally release an album that has depth, flavor, and uniformity.

What stands out the most in this mastery of the Black Sabbath genre is the presence of singer Dorthia Cottrell with her hypnotic exact voice. She is haunting and she is the reason this album might be the best doom metal release of 2015 and without a doubt the best Windhand record to date.

8.0

CORRECTIONS HOUSE – Know How To Carry a Whip

Corrections House – Know How To Carry a Whip (2015, Neurot)

Formed of Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod), Sanford Parker (Minsk) and Seward Fairbury, Corrections House is the cohesive collaboration of those great minds in the making of the sophomore album that is Know How To Carry a Whip.

With Industrial sonorities and the perfect balance of aggressivity and heaviness, Corrections House developped a grey coloured album that is bleak and uninvinting. Upcaling all the Ministry wannabes, the Neurosis sound and the groove of Eyehategod produce a nice effect to counter the repetitive blandness of the Industrial genre. Merging noise and sludge and the ever influence of Swans, KHTCaW is certainly a must for 2015.

At my first listen I was not sure about the album but as with the repeated listens I dived more and more into the qualities and themes that CH have brought with their second album.

8.3

ROYAL HEADACHE- High

Royal Headache - High (2015, What’s Your Rupture?)

Not being a fan of garage rock doesn’t make me repulsive about it at all. This is why I plugged into Royal Headache’s High with not much expectations. It was probably for the best. With the first song I got hooked and I liked every song with pretty much the same appreciation. This is the kind of record I would put on repeat in my car while driving the nine hours ride to NYC that I do countless times.

This is also a record I would recommend to many of my musician friends that are vinyls aficionados. In fact, I bet this record is fantastic on a turntable. Worth mentioning, I listened to the digital version of this album.

8.0

The Body & Krieg

The Body & Krieg (2015, At a Loss)

According to Wikipedia The Body is a sludge metal band. Well, if you take this source as the unique way to be informed you may be wrong and when on bandcamp we learn that Chip King is the voice and Neill Jameson from the American black metal act Krieg adds harsh vocals. Just like the description aforementioned, The Body & Krieg is the result of long recording sessions. It sounds like songs devopped out of repeated beats and sound explorations. You may add the terms industrial and noise to the mix.

With structures reminding of Godflesh and even Swans, the screeches are rougher than many black metal outfits. It might not be the most accessible record of the Industrial revival but probably an interesting offering for the genre.

Personally, I doubt I will be repeating my listens of this record even if I find it to be unique and genuine. It lacks of real evolution and appeal.

5.9

BJÖRK - Vulnicura

Björk - Vulnicura (2015, One Little Indian)

Iceland’s musicians have a sobriety and a dark approach to music that few artists have achieved. Just look at the wide audience of the masters of Sigur Ros. While established and world reknowned Björk is one of Scandinavia’s most praised artist.

HORRENDOUS - Araneta

Horrendous - Araneta (2015, Dark Descent)

In the recent years many genres have stagnate and left fans biting again and again in their old classics saying : they don’t make them like this anymore. Even the greats like Iron Maiden and Slayer have more or less missed the mark this year.