Parasight, Pure Sight, Parasite, You will See

Mitochondrion (Canada)

Parasignosis

January 18, 2011

Cavernous occult death metal supreme. Absolve your will to this plague from within. Drink to the blood of stone, thirst to the bile of ash, feast on the flesh of iron, and reap and ignite the impure. The tomb from which this emanates consumes with vitriolic wisdom, pure deathly spirit that curses the crescent below the cross. The spear of Satan shall strike down Saturn, and the purity will melt your lead idol. Omnivorous and omnipresent teacher for the adept of high agony to transcend parasanity. Only pure order can come of this infinite consuming of the nature of the beast, the throne of the worm, the blood and sperm of God and the hallowed parasite. The All parallels the Fall. Much like the world's favourite beverage of consuming blackness, Parasignosis is for Strength. I'm catching these diabolical alchemists live tomorrow night, and this album has been on repeat all week. Take a listen and transcend this vile earthly realm. Become one of the eleven.

Southern Sugar

Witch Mountain (USA)

South of Salem

2011

In a nutshell: Bluesy, soul-stirrin', hip-shakin', sexy swingin', southern-fried sludgy witch doom metal. This will keep that midnight oil burning strong and low all through the night. The sultry evocative vocals bring to mind Janis Joplin, and melt like hot wax over the steamy restraint of the seductive drum beats. Less is oh-so-much more with the smokey riffs made up of Black Sabbath, Goatsnake, Sleep and Electric Wizard. A hint of country twang and a heaping serving of lust-inflected blues show off the curves of this bewitching mistress of the night. An undercurrent of occult vibes blends well within this bubbly cauldron of analog spirits. Bask in this authentically vintage sound with herbal respite. Slow down and feel the mood massage its way from within, let it caress you with a warmth that craves to be shared amongst others. You don't choose to sway your being to these sensual rhythms; you just do. Burning under the sun after a hard day's work never felt so goddamn good. This comes highly recommended, read more for the stream.

Death Awaits You, What are You Waiting For?

Loss (USA)

Despond

May 31, 2011

Let us put to rest our silence. There is nothing cosmic about this. No divinity to be found here. No consciousness expansion or mystical secrets to be revealed. Flesh has been cut, blood has been shed, and only pain and deprivation provide company in the presence of absolute loneliness. Surrender is the only path out of this cold and damp black corner. Misery is the saviour dragging the noose around your neck towards the gaping void beyond. Choking desperation provides a tourniquet for the wounds that will never heal. Your vacant shell of a body will know sorrows not meant for the living. Sacrifice yourself, the curtains are falling. End it all before you know fear. If you saw the darkness before death, life fading before its last breath, then you would know. If you saw life without hope, death without reason, then you would know. Once you listen to last year's painfully beautiful catharsis of funeral doom excellence, then you would know...

Time of Zombi Troubles

Zombi (USA)

Escape Velocity

May 10, 2011

Kind of like a dance club mix of classic underground horror, suspense, and sci-fi film soundtracks by Goblin and the like, straight out of 1984, but given a boost of energy with the lockdown foundation of cleverly arranged drum patterns that manage to structure subtle buildups and climaxes as cascades of spacey retro synths colour the skies above and stream like a breeze of lazer beams as piercing to the flesh as they are the cognitive faculties in charge of memories and emotions. I've never heard of these guys before. In fact I've never really heard anything quite like this ever. It's not for everyone, but I find an intriguing pull towards these dreamy lazer light shows. Maybe it's the undercurrent of menace always lurking just behind your back like the feeling of being watched, while at the same time soaring through Sega Genesis worlds full in all their epileptic 16-bit glory. Think Blade Runner, 1984, Escape from New York, Cannibal Holocaust, etc. For fans of retro throwbacks, old school thriller soundtracks, and dark synth electronica music. It's a trip.

Ascend, Oh Beast of Fire

Portrait (Sweden)

Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae

May 9, 2011

Here's how to keep the spirit of true satanic heavy metal burning strong in a world plagued with enslavement, plight and false light. Throw that raggedy leather jacket back on, and don your occult paraphernalia for this one, because hellfire this magnificent is a luxury best served fatally skull thrashed in all manner of blackened damnation. Right out of the gates, "Beast of Fire" rips to shreds anyone within burning distance, setting aflame Mercyful Fate's midnight storytelling with the corrosive venom of Satan's hounds. "Infinite Descension" is the most like King Diamond's material, torn from the flesh of the 80's with murderous intentions. Darkness reigns over these sounds, the blues have been effectively annihilated as acoustic flares stand out in "The Wilderness Beyond" and "Darkness Forever". Landscapes of sorrow and shores of hopelessness are the eternal horizons showcased on the epic prophetic Dissection-channeling finale, "Der Todesking". Fucking tasty. Hail Satan and all that other cool shit. Read more to listen...

We're in the Shadow of a Dying World

Subrosa (USA)

No Help for the Mighty Ones

March 1, 2011

Music that sounds just as drained of colour as the day outside, like the heavy ceiling of endless grey clouds themselves are a vacuum, a parallel plane of inverted metaphysics, that slowly inhale the particles of hue and saturation, in exchange for gentle offerings of pale flakes of frozen spirits. There's something of almost religious significance to this. It's a gorgeous swell of surreality. Violins provide solace amongst the barren urban decay in the physical caress of winding streams, the softly blowing breeze as it pours forth from the furnace of burning hope, kept alit with the passion of struggling forth when everything starts looking the same. There's a happy ending out there somewhere, you can feel it, you can sense it. Squint amidst the mysticism, and bleed out the bleak because this doom is veiled in secrets and signs. Subrosa released this gem last year, one of the best pieces of musical art to reach my ears in a long time. The concept, the unique sound, the artwork, the whole package really nails it home for me. Bleak post-apocalyptic doom, a fitting theme for the current epidemic of end of the world themed media all of a sudden. The soundtrack to a dying earth. It is 2012 after all, so we shall see. You need to hear this. Stream it below.

Rhododendoom in the Verdent Realm

Botanist (USA)

I: The Suicide Tree/II: A Rose from the Dead

July 2, 2011

The only instruments are drums, vocals and hammered dulcimer, which kind of sounds like a haunted piano going through an octaver pedal, which makes this the most organic black metal project I've ever heard of, no need for distortion, electricity, or much technology at all, the guy could pack his equipment and trek to the most secluded isolated cave in the deepest darkest forest and sound just like the album. Grindcore arrangements, black metal textures, and botanical aesthetics. Truly unique today. Gives me the impression of praying mantises, stick bugs, venus flytraps marching towards insect warfare. Creepy, unsettling vibes, like an accompaniment to a vintage silent black and white film depicting our world as a living, breathing organism where insects perform the job of white blood cells and eradicate the virus that is humanity. Or perhaps one of those National Geographic shots where they speed up the time of some kind of animal carcass getting eaten way and decays into the soil. Vile, venomous, and virulent. The lyrics read like a botanical encyclopedia. Definitely an acquired taste, but all the better for it. The second album, II: A Rose from the Dead shows noticeable improvements in overall song writing and cohesiveness from beginning to end. Read about the concept of the Botanist and the universe he exists in, the Verdent Realm, here. Read more to listen...

With Every Deep Happiness There's Some Kind of Pain

40 Watt Sun (UK)

The Inside Room

March 4, 2011

Hey, it's that national capitalistic waste of a holiday today, just when you thought you've crawled your way out of debt from xmas, BAM, you feel obligated to bust whatever load you've since accumulated all over your loved one and its back to square one. However, this is beautiful music. Nostalgic, yet mildly regretful, hindsight can be bittersweet, always in light of what could have been said better, what could have been let go sooner, what could have been found before it was lost. This is music for passionate couples, and music for lonely singles (or maybe that should be lonely couples and passionate singles). Music for the break of dawn and the twilight of dusk. A walk through the park in the fall or a drive through the country in the spring. Hopelessly in love, heart-wrenchingly comforting. Everyone goes through all of this. Just not all the time. You will enjoy this when (if) you feel it. Either way, you will be excused from all the bullshit surrounding today once you let this bleak little gem take it all away. Stream the album below.