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.