DEAD NEANDERTHALS - ...And It Ended Badly

It's been a busy year for the DEAD NEANDERTHALS. They played a bunch of festivals, have been on a 4 week tour with Nick Millevoi through Eurpope and after the "Polaris"-Album and the "Meat Shovel"-EP they just released their next album which is a collaboration with London based sax player Colin Webster.
...And It Ended Badly is a concept album. A musical statement describing the chaos of a war in 6 chapters. The  drums are representing the armory used in a battle while the two saxophones are the opponents, fighting to the death. Neither one is going to give up. During an emotional ride towards exhaustion the opponents get weaker the longer the battle goes on.
...And It Ended Badly paints a cruel picture of an utterly pointless war that can never be won. It ends with what is both the quietest and saddest song the DEAD NEANDERTHALS have recorded so far.
Colin Webster (sax), Otto Kokke (sax) and Rene Aquarius (drums) have created a very complex piece of art that is worth being discovered and unraveled piece by piece. Let's hope the collaboration of the three musicians will be continued eventually.

You can stream and download ...And It Ended Badly on Dead Neanderthals' Bandcamp or buy a CD version via Gaffer Records or Raw Tonk Records.

WAKE - False

"We do not have much hope for people [...]!" is what WAKE stated in a recent interview with Decibel Magazine. Listening to their latest record that's not hard to believe. With a sound that is way dirtier than on their last full length  WAKE color their grind black. Noisy disharmonies, guitar feedbacks and tons of distortion make the Calgary four-piece sound beyond pissed, screaming bloody murder towards a modern society that is drowning in its own overbearing way of life.
"False" is a 20 minute avalanche of hate combining the full speed frenzy of raw grind and the shattering despair of modern black metal. For me one of this year's must have albums in extreme music.
Handshake Inc. owner David Hall is making a film based on the album, you can watch the first clip that's based on the track "Rotten" here.

You can buy your vinyl copy via Handshake.Inc (US) or 7 Degrees Records (Germany). A downloadable version is available on Bandcamp.

ELECTRICJEZUS - Грязь поколений

Electricjezus are a Russian duo and Грязь поколений ("Mud of Generations") is their debut album. Recorded live using only analog equipment it sounds old school as hell. Old Venom or Hellhammer were what came to mind when I listened to it first.
But there's more to it: The album title can be understood as a metaphor for the band's influences combining the dirtiest variations of the last three decades of metal to one filthy bastard of (mostly) downtempo noise.
Using samples from more or less popular horror movies to connect the songs this- to quote the band- "rusty, damp and dirty" album is every bit as raw and heavy as we need this music to be. An awesome nod to the old school without sounding outdatet!
The release of a limited edition of vinyl is planned, until then you can download Грязь поколений at a price you name on bandcamp.

CALL OF THE VOID - Dragged Down A Dead End Path

"Dragged Down A Dead End Path" received some pretty bad reviews in the print zines I am reading. Good thing a friend recommended it to me before I read them. Maybe otherwise I'd have missed this record and that would be a shame.
"DDADEP" does not take any prisoners. The first 45 seconds of "Failure" are somewhat of an intro after which all hell breaks lose! Pure grinding fastcore keeping the energy level permanently on the verge to pure frenzy even when for a short moment the gas-pedal isn't floored. The sound is raw and dirty giving all those sterile triggered copy-and-paste bands the finger!
"Dragged Down..." may not be the most original record of the year but it is sure as hell one of the most intense. You can listen to and order it on COTV's bandcamp.

MORTALS - Death Ritual

Wow, this is killing me!
Death Ritual is the fourth release by Brooklyn based trio MORTALS and it is kicking some serious ass. Widening the scope of their influences the three ladies combine the aggressive stamping rhythms of drone and sludge with the fast forward heavyness of black and death metal. The result is a breathtaking ride to hell and back.
And the sound is deep and heavy as fuck! Droning, but crystal clear. Giving the two songs the pressure they need without sounding over-produced. Freakin' insane!
If you like heavy music, please support this incredible band and buy Death Ritual on their bandcamp. You won't regret it.

EMPLOYED TO SERVE - Counting Crows

Last year's EP Long Time Dead was one of my favorite releases in 2012. So, obviously, I was looking forward to this new output of Justine Jones and Sammy Urwin aka Employed To Serve.

And I wasn't dissappointed: A short guitar feedback initiates the tour de farce that is Counting Crows. The british duo start bulldozing full speed ahead. A turn left. A graveled path. Slow and painful. Short turn right. Back to speed, but not for long. Slam on the brakes. Another hard turn. Struggle through a hedge of thorns. Screaming in pain, getting more rabid the longer it takes. A short cry for help, almost giving up. Almost! Clearance with the last ounce of strength.

Counting Crows is what I was hoping for, with one blemish: Clocking in at 8 minutes it's way too short. But I figure ETS are already writing new songs for upcoming releases. Let's hope they keep them coming.

You can download Counting Crows at a price you name at ETS's Bandcamp.

CLOUD RAT - Moksha

You have propably read about this. Released in January "Moksha" had huge impact on the underground, everybody is celebrating it as a ground-breaking masterpiece. It is hard if not impossible to find even one single word that is not heaping a praise on it.

"Moksha" will be on most of the end of year lists, I am pretty sure it will be on mine, too. History is to decide about the long term impact but Cloud Rat have composed an album that has everything on board to make it a classic release that people will talk about for a long time. Harsh enough to blast everything to pieces it takes some melodic detours to keep it fresh and make you press the repeat button over and over again.

Why most of the well-known print zines are ignoring this incredible record is a mystery that I am too stupid to unravel. Luckily enough we don't need them, anyway.  Tell your friends about Cloud Rat, catch them on the road and buy their merch! Let's make this band as big as they deserve!

You can buy your vinyl copy via Halo Of Flies Records (US), 7 Degrees Records (Germany) or React with Protest Records (Germany). A downloadable version is available on cloudrat.blogspot.com.

DEAD NEANDERTHALS - Polaris

The menacing pile of clouds on the cover gives a hint where this is going. Polaris is overrunning you like the unpredictable chaos of a vast yet fascinating thunderstorm.

Stripped naked to the bone with just one screaming Tenor Saxophone fighting against jittery drum attacks the record offers a reduced vision of the jazz grinding un-music that is the art of the Netherlands' finest. 

While the predecessor Jazzhammer/Stormannsgalskap was a dark monotonous colossus, Polaris is its nervous hyperactive antagonist. The Dead Neanderthals are uncoupling music from structure, shifting it further away from any restrictions that the seemingly reasonable combination of sound and rhythm might bring.

"Fuck conventions! Fuck expectations!" is what the dutch duo claim on their blog. And that is exactly what they do on Polaris, this scatterbrained yet strangely spellbinding monster of an album.

Polaris will be released in March via Utech Records.

BOSSE DE NAGE - III

This third official full length by Bay Area based Metal outfit Bosse-de-Nage has been out a while but it had to grow on me. When heard III for the first time I was confused. What is this supposed to be? Black Metal? Post Rock? Alternative? It took me a while to realize that B-d-N don't give a rat's ass about genre conventions, let alone any boundaries a certain musical style might bring. Only when I caught up on that I started enjoying what I heard.

III is the grim reaper shooting ahead with the gloves off taking an occasional breather only to come back at you even fiercer than before. No matter if B-d-N blast their spells on you or carry you away on a melodic wave, they compound seemingly conflicting faces to one quite special big picture.

Great album with a dynamic sound supporting both faces of the beast. Keep an eye on this band that we're hopefully going to hear more of.

DEAD LIKE ME vs GERDA - Me And Gerda Are Both Dead Like You

French Mathcore versus Italian Noise. While DEAD LIKE ME (France) slap us around three times with brutal in your face Core, GERDA (Italy) try to dissamble our heads with just one rather complex Noise song. Both bands are transporting an attitude of negativity pulling you into that maelstrom of absolute agony with no hope of escape. Ever.

After listening to this you just know that there is absolutely no way but down from here. But why cry over the inevitable. Accept the facts, smirk and press the repeat button knowing we're at least going down with the perfect soundtrack.

You can buy this incredible split via Left Hand Records or stream/download the digital version here.

JUST ANOTHER END OF YEAR LIST

2012 was a great year, so many great bands, so much great music. I really hope the next years can keep up with that. This list represents the 10 releases I listened to the most. To make it a little easier I sorted them alphabetically.

BLIGHTED - Deliberate

http://blighted.bandcamp.com/

CONVERGE - All We Love We Leave Behind 

http://www.convergecult.com

DEAD NEANDERTHALS - Jazzhammer / Stormannsgalkap

http://deadneanderthals.bandcamp.com/

EMPLOYED TO SERVE - Built To Last

http://employedtoserve.bandcamp.com/

MESHUGGAH - Koloss

http://www.meshuggah.net/

NAPALM DEATH - Utilitarian

http://napalmdeath.org/

RAPE REVENGE - Paper Cage

http://raperevenge.bandcamp.com/

THEDOWNGOING - Athousandyearsofdarkness

http://thedowngoing.blogspot.de/

UNDERSMILE - Narwhal

http://undersmile.bandcamp.com/

VØID WØRSHIP - Demo 2012

http://voidworship.bandcamp.com/

Of course there are way more great releases this year: ANAAL NATHRAKH, BEYOND PINK, DYSTOPIAN ARCHITECT, GREEDY MOUTH, NACHTMYSTIUM, NEUROSIS, PIG DETROYER, SCAPHE, SIX BREW BANTHA, WAKE, WATER TORTURE have all released great albums, EP's, splits and whatnot. And I guess there's loads of stuff that I just missed.

THANKS and HAIL to all of you who keep the undergound alive! You're awesome!

RAPE REVENGE - Paper Cage

RAPE REVENGE describe themselves as a "feminist queer vegan straight edge band from Calgary". Pissed  rabid ultraviolent one might add. The level of aggression is extraordinaryly high.

The members of RR are all involved in various social projects of all kinds giving them enough topics they write their songs about. Frontlady Samantha expresses her anger towards the social and political injustice we're all facing with bloodcurdling screams, supported by guitars that construct a quite dissonant building on the solid foundation that are bass and drums. The sound is brilliantly balanced giving every intrument the necessary definition without losing the raw edges that powerviolence needs.

If you like any kind of aggressive fast music, do yourself a favour and buy this awesome 7" on vinyl or download it via bandcamp. "Paper Cage" is one of the best releases of 2012!

[9.0/10]

DYSTOPIAN ARCHITECT - Superlove/Superfuck

A new release by the DYSTOPIAN ARCHITECT. The last one, Krybbedod, was beyond creepy and the most excrutiating release this year so far. So why even bother and give this a shot? Because I refuse to wuss out!

And though this oddly named piece of sound is still noise and drums scrunched by distortion it seems more accessible than it's predecessor. The four tracks are blazing their trail to your brain to play catch with your mind. And, frankly, your mind will lose. A subtle illusion of structure that isn't there, the hunch of a melody that you didn't hear leaving you both stumped and inquiring at the same time, eager to unravel the sensations that pure noise is able to give you.

You ready for a game that you can't win? Download Superlove/Superfuck for free on the Architect's Bandcamp.

[Mind/Loss]

EMPLOYED TO SERVE - Long Time Dead

Third release this year by ETS, a band that was just founded last year by singer Justine Siân Jones and guitarist/singer Sammy Urwin, who are currently looking for a drummer to play some live gigs.

"Long Time Dead" is reducing their music to the bone and mincing the carnal leftovers to a rabid mixture of underground noise. Post-HC, Grindcore, Powerviolence or, as EMPLOYED TO SERVE say themseleves, "ugly music for an ugly world". Hell yeah, just as ugly as we all like our music.

Please support this very promising band and download "Long Time Dead" at a price you name on their Bandcamp, you will not regret it!

[8.5/10]

DYSTOPIAN ARCHITECT - Krybbedod

The DYSTOPIAN ARCHITECT is a project from the Netherlands containing drums, vocals and noise. And distortion. Tons of distortion. Literally everything is distorted beyond recognition. The hellish shrieks- distorted! The drums- distorted!! Even the noise itself, distorted!!!

Krybbdod  is pursueing just one objective, to grind your synapses to shreds. And it does hell of a job. Five unnamed tracks- recorded as a tribute to Norwegian Noisegrinders BLODSPRUT- torture your nervous system for 4 minutes and 16 Seconds.

If you feel strong enough to survive this unbelievably excruciating piece of  audio terrorism listen to and download KRYBBEDOD here! But you have been warned!

[Brain/Fuck]

VØID WØRSHIP - Demo 2012

No matter how much you may roll your eyes sick of all those new sub-genre tags made up to characterize a band's sound- "Funeral Grind" seems like the perfect description of what VØID WØRSHIP are getting us into.

The terrific sound of this demo features the perfect mix of buzzing guitars, distorted basslines, rattling drums and a voice from way more than six feet under ground creating an inferno ranging between droning maelstrom and berserk vortex. The ultimate soundtrack to your worst enemy's funeral!

You can download this highly original piece of noise at a price you name here!

[9/10]

HUNTRESS - Spell Eater

The biggest hype in metal this year so far: Fronted by Playboy model, high society DJ and trained opera singer Jill Janus just one video for Eight Of Swords was enough for the band to sign Naplam Records and release their debut album.

The frontwitch claims she's been a metal fan forever and always wanted to form a spiritual metal band while all that other stuff she did was just for financial reasons. I am not really buying that, but everybody has to decide for themselves.

BUT- there is just something about that album that keeps casting spells on me. I've been listening to Spell Eater a lot and there is something that I can't quite explain. Is it the slight Mercyful Fate vibe, the subtle black metal quotes, Jill's erratic voice that oscillates between nerve-racking shrieks and honeyed tones? I just don't know.

All I know is that I don't really want to like this album but somehow I can't help but do.

[Hate/Love]

DEAD NEANDERTHALS - Jazzhammer / Stormannsgalskap

It sounds different from anything you heard of dutch Sax-Grinders DEAD NEANDERTHALS so far. No more short harsh eruptions- just two monolithic tracks, each almost 10 minutes long.

JAZZHAMMER is one unholy matrimony of highspeed drums and a droning sax, STORMANNSGALSKAP a weird battle of a nervous beat pattern and multilayered sax screams.

Somehow disturbing at first listen it gets more and more absorbing and mind blowing the further you go in for it.

Listen to and buy Jazzhammer/Stormannsgalskap here. You won't regret it!


[9.0/10]

EPICEDIUM - Anthropogenic

Album number 5 in their 15 years history was recorded with a new vocalist and a youngster behind the drum kit. There's a little more variety speedwise and a couple more melodic leads on this than on any of their older releases, but this output is still an ass-kicking piece of hyperblast death metal.

Like Cannibal Corpse? Don't mind triggered drums? Dig singers who just grunt vowels instead of whole words? You better give these guys from Frankfurt, Germany a chance.

You can order "Anthropogenic" here. 

[7.5/10]

JUCIFER - Nadir

NADIR was originally released 1994 as a tape that Sludge Nomads JUCIFER recorded on a 4 tracker in a termite infested bedroom with broken windows. Scott Hull remastered these five raw diamonds for a digital re-release on Grindcore Karaoke, (where you can of course download it for free.)

Raw distorted doom sounds with a hypnotic voice that do not sound outdated, but just really intense and highly addictive. Or, as JUCIFER describe their work on Twitter, "two person sonic destruction since 1993. 80 speakers + 6,500 watts can't be wrong."  Hell yeah!

[9.0/10]