I love coming across albums that are very long, but feel like nothing. Albums you can just sink into and lose yourself in are the absolute best. A prime supplier of records like these are post-black metal and atmospheric black metal in general. White Ward fit this quite well with their new album “Love Exchange Failure” that eclipses an hour in length with only 7 tracks to its name. […]
During my process of contacting bands for the Aussie Metal project I had the fortune of coming across the droning and elaborate tunes of Judd Madden. A prolific solo project from Melbourne. I’m used to one man bands in black metal but it feels less common in doom, a genre often demanding the thickest of sounds. Judd Madden not only manages to do this alone, but also often erring on the side of wistful post-metal. He also has exceptional art across his discography so I knew I had to delve deeper into what he had to offer as an individual musician. As it turns out, there’s a lot to explore – even more than the initial Bandcamp page lets on. I’m most familiar with Cosmic Black Wizard Demon Horse Lord (Top left) which should become a quick favorite for many long form doom metal fans. There’s a decade worth of content, all accessible for free. […]
The raw emotion and peaks from the debut LP returns here in a big way, the goosebumps are back. The third and most recent album from Archivist offers a continuation of a running story, what appears to be a story of macro transformation. Look at the artwork (all by Alex CF) and you can see the transition from human, to machine and now to some kind of cosmic being no longer resembling a humanoid at all. The lyrical themes have followed the same transition, from emotional struggle of humanity, to the mechanical malady and now finally the emotional weight of the cosmos and confronting god. Perhaps a man made god, a literal and physical manifestation of the idea made real through circuits and programming. As always these are my own ignorant interpretations based on no research, something I like to do as an exercise. […]
Immediately I’m hearing some differences from their debut LP. Namely the posthardcore direction I mentioned seems intensified with Construct. Certainly not a bad thing but the faster more chaotic opening didn’t quite have the effect of the delicate creeping opener on their self-titled LP. The cleans also come in much earlier and often. As the album progresses I get a sense of the hardcore side of things being upped a bit which I am all for. There’s less of the black vibe and more of the heart-wrenching cracking voice you expect from Birds In Row. When the death vocals come they tend to be used to accentuate the heavier moments by intensifying the deeper vocal range closer to GOOD metalcore/mathcore than black metal. I feel they are a lot heavier now. […]
It started so quiet and gave me little idea and yet I felt oddly emotionally attached to the artwork during this time, which intensified as the calm guitar came in. Still not giving anything away. Then the first punch of the record… the vocals, I love these vocals. It reminds me so much of early hardcore/mathcore like Botch in a lot of ways, it’s not a typical death/black vocal. It emotes more and takes his time with each lyric – Something else I’ll have to discuss because there’s some depth to the words. Currently I’m reading The Southern Reach Trilogy (First one, Annihilation, became a lesser film), so these science fiction themes tied to dramatic events and emotions really resonates at the moment. The consideration of the ideas and then the execution, there’s a lot of levity here. This will serve as suitable preparation for their newest release. […]
Estoner play some complex and often aggressive stoner doom that verges on some vocal and drum stylings from metallic hardcore bands. I really enjoy the blend and how heavy the doom can get. For a self released LP this is high quality, they did a great job recording and finding the right artist for their cover. It’s psychedelic but with an edge, like a bad trip or a conversation with the devil while staring into your heater. […]
May has been a hell of a month for stoner music fans with a whole slew of high quality releases. I’ve been listening to this genre so much lately mostly because that’s where the art leads me and holy fuck what a first impression this record gives. Insane design work by Vice Ilustrados. One of the most impressive pieces I’ve seen with so much detail, coloring, theme and framing that is just spot on. Love the little mushrooms on the wooden surfboard. There’s a lot of doom to smile at here. This record is a great story for me because of the relationship between the band and the artist here being so personal and mutual. It’s a collaboration more than a commission with both parties crediting and respecting each other. It’s exactly what I like to see here at Noob Heavy where the art matters. […]
Bongripper are on some shit, I can tell you that much. These guys have always been a unique force in the metal world with a diverse selection of albums to choose from. They always have a different feel with each release like they re-approach their music each time. The album art changes drastically and the stories are varied and often colorful or entirely devoid of color. I particularly admire them for their ability to communicate ideas without using vocals or lyrics. The albums are tight and the listener receives a clear theme or message each time that’s only foreshadowed by the track and album titles. […]
Rolo Tomassi are a long-standing band that makes nailing down their genre a bit difficult. They aren’t as poppy as most post-hardcore, not as structured as metal but too strange and heavy to be taken in by any sub-genre of rock. It’s an experimental orgy of influences that is performed with such ability that it sounds progressive and includes more post metal than their previous work. It’s going to be somewhat of a track by track, more so than I usually do but it’s such a crazy album with a lot to talk about and be excited for. […]
A lone wind instrument patrols the beach at night using its deeply toned sounds to unearth tasty licks from within the sand. That’s basically how I would describe this black metal album that uses a lot of trombone. The story narrated by a grim dark vocalist who dishes out plenty of standard but enjoyable black metal growls. It’s dark, it’s hard but it also has a heap of atmosphere. In 2018 a lot of bands are coming out wielding exotic instruments to thicken their soundscapes – and its working. […]
Copyright © 2022 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes