First of all , yes we know this one's been available for quite some time now.But, as hapless voyagers of time, space and the interweb, occasionally Born Again Nihilist will perceive the straits of the time-stream as being a year or two off where they should be, as we subscribe to the Dr Who mode of time travel, where time is non linear.That and we also live in a phone box.But yes, to the matter at hand.
Hailing from the hotbed of sludge metal talent that is Atlanta , Georgia, Of Legend play the kind of atmospheric , downbeat doom-tinged post metal that suits the rainy mood of an Irish autumn perfectly, with a restrained approach to songwriting that is less about blasting the listener with endless noise, and more about creating a sense of desolation and space in their music , with some brilliantly understated riffing , and some excellent but not excessive use of effects to enhance their sonic miasma.
Soundwise, the band invoke comparisons with , among others, the expansive explorations of Isis, but with an almost old school stoner/doom approach to some of the riffing.Listening to the morose , prowling riff that lies at the centre of album highlight 'Burial In Light' put me in mind, oddly, of some of the more downbeat work of Welsh shroom-doom kings Acrimony.There is also comparisons to be made with the tortured machinations of Swedish industro gloom kings Cult Of Luna, albeit mainly in Justin Burnham's heart rending roar, especially evident in the gorgeous 'Poseidon Swims' .Closer 'The Cleric' meanwhile breaks out of the band's sombre mould to stray into some Klone-esque groove metal territory, with a main riff that's just begging to be aired to a boozed up festival crowd in pissing rain .It should be said as well that throughout, the production is excellent, and beats the shit out of a fair few mainstream releases (cough Chimaira cough) that I've encountered this year.
'Cleric Of Samsara' then, is a deeply impressive sophomore effort from a band with clear talent and a definite potential to break out of the underground , and , while it doesn't quite scale the heights of some of their peers at times, it comes damn close, rewarding repeat listens as it goes.The band are currently working on new material, along with a re release of 'Samsara', but in the meanwhile, draw the curtains, stick on some headphones and lose yourself in this slice of gloomy metallic riffola, after all, sunshine's overrated anyways . .. .
Rating:8/10
For fans of :Isis, Sleestak, People Of The Monolith, A Storm Of Light
Listen here: http://oflegend.bandcamp.com/album/cleric-of-samsara
Stephen O ' Connor, Born Again Nihilist(bornagainnihilist@gmail.com)
For those who like their music fast paced, upbeat, , laden with hooks and messages of positivity(and if you do great, but eh, wrong blog) then you maybe best avoid 'Garland Of Skulls', the new full length effort from New York based , Hong Kong formed minimalist doom crew Queen Elephantine.Essentially one long song split into three separate tracks, it's a stark, downbeat and reflective mood that pervades, but nevertheless a record that rewards the patient listener.
The band's sound is an interesting blend of styles, hypnotic, swaying rhythms , lithe and complex drumming, and eerie chanted vocals, all awash with droney , cold guitars , with a guitar tone that recalls latter day Neurosis in parts.In fact, the influence of the Oakland legends can be heard throughout, and one can easily imagine QE sitting quite comfortably on the Neurot roster, given the contemplative, almost tribal atmosphere generated in the band's predominantly instrumental rumblings.Some marvellous Eastern instrumentation on album mid section/second song 'Libation', complimented by some haunting chants and sparse, piercing guitar lines elevates the album out of the doom metal ghetto , and proves to be the best thing on here , while elsewhere the title track grooves and writhes in pleasingly monged out fashion,fuzzed out bass blending seamlessly with a menacing , prowling riff that eventually collapses in on itself like some sort of wounded , dying animal.
Much like recent albums by Sleestak and Red Sun, this isn't a record that can be described as easy listening .It's spare , down and subtle stuff.But much like the aforementioned bands, it's a rewarding listen to those who are willing to take the plunge.One for those late winter nights perhaps.
Every so often, as a fan of underground stoner/doom/post metal/whatever, an album and a band will come along that make you sit up and mutter to yourself "Fuck me, this is something special".Today my friends, that band is Sleestak , and the album is the sublime, stunning , 'The Fall Of Altrusia', which it is my pleasure to review for you lucky, lucky people.
Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, not, as far as I'm aware, previously known for it's hotbed of post-metal/prog talent ,but all that may be about to change.Essentially one song, split, Mars Volta style, into seven distinct sonic chapters, 'The Fall Of Altrusia' is one of those albums that can be described, without exaggeration, as a journey, one that traverses so many different moods and musical landscapes , but yet without compromising an iota of cohesiveness or focus, with a fantastically clear production to accentuate the song's understated power and heft.
The band's sound can best be described as a blend of doom/post metal/prog influences, but with enough subtleties to their sonic palette to set them apart from the current horde of downtuned Neurosis worshippers , and give them a sense of something truly unique, and the band incorporate a vast and diverse range of influences,everything from the cold industrial lamentations of Godflesh, to the gloom of post-punk pioneers Joy Division, and via a musical filter that seemingly incorporates everything from Isis to , dare I say it, early Pink Floyd. .Passages of spaced out , ethereal guitar and hauntingly crooned vocals give way to lead -heavy , doom riffs, and segueing back then to gorgeous post-rock lamentations, not a second feeling inessential or wasted.Granted, it may not be an easy journey to make , with sparse vocals and a required certain degree of patience, but by the time the band have ascended to the blissful, melancholy heights of the closing moments of the album , you won't care, and the feeling on completing the album , to anyone with any sense, should be a desire to take this fabulous journey once more.
Of course, 'Altrusia' isn't for everyone.There is some that may find it's cold,desolate atmosphere somewhat overbearing, it's epic instrumentation possibly too minimalist, too unforgiving.But, as a great man, once said :
Fuck em.
This is brave, beautiful stuff, and well deserving of your hard earned cash as anything by any of heavy music's bigger names this year. A truly wonderful work of progressive metal , each new listen reveals new depths to the band's sound, and in this reviewer's humble opinion, 'The Fall Of Altrusia' may just yet be one of the best albums released this year.
Rating:9/10
For fans of : Isis, Godflesh, Pink Floyd, Baroness, Burst
Some exciting news for fans of German post metallers The Ocean, as guitarist Robin Staps posted this today on the band's Facebook page:
After 2 weeks of creative isolation at the new Oceanland on the Spanish coast, there are about 25 minutes of new material written and pre-produced which are basically one continuous piece of music. Apart from that, there are 4 more songs including a wicked cover track :-)
Loic will start working on vocal pre-productions soon.
Much like when I wrote Precambrian in Australia, I have written these tracks on my own, far away from everything else and everyone else but with the sea close enough to have a strong impact on my flow of ideas. You can actually hear its subtle roar in the guitar tracks if you crank them up on a quiet passage…
The other guys have not been involved much yet because they are busy with their other bands Coilguns and Kunz who will see their debut split CD released on Pelagic in September.
THE OCEAN will hit the studio some time in early 2012 to record the follow up(s?) to Heliocentric / Anthropocentric. More tours to be announced soon, stay tuned!
Sludge has no definition without Neurosis! I know it's not good to talk in such catch-all terms but I got to experience this for myself last night at The Button Factory, Dublin. You haven't felt music weigh so heavy until you have had 'Locus Star' thrown at your senses while the menacing presence of Steve Von Till threatens to head butt you from the stage.
The atmosphere is decidedly chilled in the time before the music begins. Irish experimental sludge outfit Drainland get us in the mood for an intense night ahead. These guys I will be keeping an eye out for over the next while, I only had the opportunity to listen to one track on their Myspace page before going to the gig and they went beyond my expectations entirely. A savage brew of deathly deep, Isis meets Eyehategod style sludge that the crowd loved. The band too expressed their appreciation, the frontman told of how they usually play to crowds of 10 or so people. This was posted on their Tumblr after the show:
We expected to be playing to 50 people while everyone had a pre-Neurosis pint. To play to ten times that amount, and be made to feel like we had an entire venue on our side in our home town actually blew our minds. If you were there, thank you so much. It meant a lot to us. Also, if you’re one of the (shocking large amount) of folks who bought a cd, record or shirt, thanks so much again, you’ve just helped fund our tour in August.
No doubt we'll see them again in August! Neurosis did not keep us waiting. A few familiar faces got straight to setting up gear, roadies including members of Totimoshi and A Storm of Light. Enter the band. A totally non-assuming Scott Kelly, dressed in hoodie, trucker cap and jersey casually picks up his guitar and tunes up. In no time at all the lights go low, the backdrop is projected and the ominous sounds of 'Locus Star' arrive to the ears and the crowd gets excited; that frightening scream is what they're waiting for. Out it comes, you are experiencing Neurosis!
The set is uncompromising from hereon in, next up comes 'Given to the Rising', like the darker moments from Shrinebuilder, this one picks you up and refuses to release you until it decides. After it finally does so, we find ourselves dropped into the classic 'Times of Grace' album with 'End of the Harvest'. Synth man, Noah Landis, keeps the sound textures thick but not overdone between each track so we poor suffering ears are never given a moment's rest. 'Harvest's' vocal assault from Scott, Steve and bassist Dave are bludgeoning enough without the guitars behind them.
Dave Edwardson impressed me immensely, I can see why Troy Sanders idolises him. Many of the sounds that listening to records, I would have assumed were synths were creations of Dave's using fuzz, chorus fx and volume manipulation.
Half way through we are hit with about 12 minutes of 'At The Well'. A more tortured sound from a voice, I could not give you anything more sorrowful that Von Till's sonorous vocal. We return again to 'Times of Grace' for a stirring rendition of 'Belief'. Edwardson's bass creates cracks that could scare rats from their holes while Von Till and Kelly allow the feedback to build up. Noah Landis displays his best noise work along with his voice for this one.
Finally, the speakers send out unholy sounds that cue drummer Jason Roeder, accompanied on percussion by Von Till, to begin the official soundtrack to the end of the world, 'Through Silver in Blood'. Those wonderfully dissonant guitars blaze away like no thrash band ever thought to try and the band seem to go slowly insane. Kelly has already head butted his mic once by this stage, now Von Till and Landis are shaking their respective gear violently.
It all comes back down to the percussion to end it all, after Von Till has explored the twisted world of feedback and Edwardson has distorted his bass as far as it will go. While I fully expected this to be an emotional experience (and make no mistake, that it was!), it was not quite as scary as A Storm of Light, or as moving as Isis. This was, however, the most truly punk rock thing I have seen in a long time. There is no bullshit with Neurosis, the genuine vibe runs deep through everything they are doing on that stage and as I said at the outset, the definition of Sludge can be seen there in front of you!
Neurosis, supported by Drainland,
Live at the Button Factory, Dublin, July 25, 2011.
Rating 9/10.
Listen to Drainland here: http://www.myspace.com/drainlanddublin/music
By Edward Gerard Brophy
For Born Again Nihilist, 2011.
