Showing posts with label Self-Inflicted Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Self-Inflicted Violence. Show all posts

21 December 2014

RELEASE ROUND UP: 14/12/2014 - 20/12/2014

Its Teeth

Pulses (EP) (Self-Released)
FFO: Russian Circles, Nine Inch Nails, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions In The Sky

Post-Rock, in recent years, seems to have taken a more bubblegum, sunny day, approach. All in all it’s far too happy and pretty. Its Teeth, solo project of Jacob Belcher of Bastards and Cult Kids fame, in Pulses has captured the darker side of the genre; retaining the ephemeral prettiness of Post-Rock whilst mixing in a lo-fi, electronic grittiness. This release is a breath of fresh air for those who always wished Goodspeed You! Black Emperor had Trent Reznor as a member.

Self-Inflicted Violence

The Sanctimonious Hypocrites Of Reality (Art of Propaganda)
FFO: A Pregnant Light, Deafhevan, Alcest, We Came Out Like Tigers
Listen: Siren

(Post) Black Metal has become a many faceted and versatile beast over the years and UK’s Self-Inflicted Violence are proof of this. Following on from releases such the Dream Pop influenced (if not criminally over-rated) Sunbather and the Punk-Rock and Screamo influenced releases of A Pregnant Light, Self-Inflicted Violence have crafted Black Metal as you may have not heard it before. It is tonally schizophrenic, shifting from light to dark with ease and takes influence form genres un-ashamedly un-Black Metal. Those who favour traditionalism will be indignant at my use of the Black Metal genre when describing this album. Yes the influences of Punk, Shoegaze, 80's Goth Rock and whatever else these guys saw fit to thrown in there often outweigh the pure Black Metal sound, but it would be hard to call this album anything else. Let the traditionalists think what they will. This album is great. 

StarGazer

A Merging to the Boundless (Nuclear War Now!)
FFO: The Chasm, Mitochondrion, Portal, Absu

A Merging to the Boundless is part of the weirder side of Extreme Metal. Whilst early notes may give this album away as straight up Death, anyone actually paying attention will be rewarded with so much more. It mixes in Thrash, Old School Progressive Rock, Jazz Influences and a myriad of other experimentations. This does not, however, undermine that true death metal approach. Forgoing the sterile over-production that may be linked to phrases such as “Experimental Progressive Death Metal”, StarGazer have instead gone for the old standard of Extreme production; murk. This is one that’ll appeal heavily, though no solely, to those who worship at the altar of early 90’s Death Metal. 

Other Releases

Asking AlexandriaLive From Brixton and Beyond (DVD) (Sumerian Records)
Astrakhan - A Tapestry Of Scabs And Skin (EP) (War On Music)
Blindfisted - Blindfist (Polypus)
Consecration -Ephemerality (UKEM)
Detente - Recognize No Authority (REISSUE) (Xtreem)
Ethir Anduin - I magen av svart kaos (Satanath)
Goatvermin/Cult of the Horns - Goatvermin/Cult of the Horns (SPLIT) (Satanath Records)
Hetroertzen - Aon Soph Aur (Lamech Records)
Ill Omen - Remnant Spheres Of Spiritual Equilibrium (REISSUE) (Nuclear War Now!)
Infant Death - Total Hell (Apocalyptic Empire)
Morbosidad - Tortura (EP) (Nuclear War Now!)
Obscyria - Nefarious Sanctuary (Go Fuck Yourself Productions)
Phantom Chemistry - Whiksey Slurs (BettyElm)
Pineal - Smiling Cult (HPGD)
Quietdrive - The Ghost Of What You Used To Be (Self-Released)
Sabhankra - Seers Memoir (Self-Released)
Siege Mentality - Arrest Days (Witch Hunter)
SkyboundDarkfall (We Are Triumphant Records)
Surachai - Form Volume III (Self-Released)
Svartsyn - Nightmarish Sleep (Carnal)
Telsas Revenge - Au Montreal (Self-Release)
The Cinema - Talking In Your Sleep (Self-Released)
The Story Changes - Never In Daydream (EP) (Self-Released)
Threads - All I've Ever Known (Broken Rim)
Zero Down - No Limit To The Evil (Minotauro)