Pokazywanie postów oznaczonych etykietą doom metal. Pokaż wszystkie posty
Pokazywanie postów oznaczonych etykietą doom metal. Pokaż wszystkie posty

poniedziałek, 13 lutego 2023

FVNERALS - Let the Earth Be Silent (2023)


One of the best drone metal music projects at the moment, FVNERALS, released their third album called Let the Earth Be Silent. And this is a model example of a discography that delivers every time anything new sees the light of the day. Although, in this case, it's more about the darkness of the night.

The new album's theme is as bleak and depressive as it could be expected form the duo: they comment on the way the humanity impacts environment in the worst possible way, leading straight to the extinction event for countless species. FVNERALS turn "the emptiness of the void and the depth of the abyss" that was left in the place where many beings thrived, "into sound". There's no doubt that the band have all the tools necessary to deliver such a dark theme. Their drone metal soundscapes are heavier than the skies in autumn and don't get lighter even for a second of the album's run. There's not much of the metal-like anger and desperation, it is more about the bleak reality that everything is already lost. This dark, dark music is further enriched by the tribal elements and cold, emotionless vocals that appear from time to time in this blizzard of drones.

The duo is part of the impressive lineup of this year's Roadburn and it's one of the main reasons I'd go there.

Let the Earth Be Silent costs 6.99 USD.

Check: Barren
Country: UK
Genre: drone metal
Label: Prophecy Productions



wtorek, 21 grudnia 2021

shedfromthebody - To Hold the Ripened Sun (2021)


Last year, Suvi Savikko and her music project completely swept me of my feet with her blackgaze ethereal masterpiece A Dead and Aimless Hum. I named her the best post-metal act of the year and I couldn't be more happy from the fact that only 12 months later, she's back with another record called To Hold the Ripened Sun.

The Finnish artist's "music paints a distorted, ethereal landscape, through which she carries her songs with hauntingly beautiful vocals and lone, wailing guitars". The second album sounds really like a followup to the debut with very similar atmosphere reached by the doom metal musician. She effortlessly combines the metal-like darkness and grandeur with the ethereal, oneiric vocals and slow pace of the more dreamy genres. As a result, her music is both goth and airy, doom-like and soothing. 

There are some tasty surprises, most notably In the Pines and its folk-like beginning that goes on as an Americana ballad with crunchy guitars and way clearer vocals. Or, my favourite part, the mesmerizing, very modern-sounding repetitive finish of Halfsorrow. I particularly like the quality of guitar sounds that, although very heavy, doom-like style, give a lot of room for the vocals to enchant their own, dreamy spells on the audience.

To Hold the Ripened Sun costs 10 EUR.


Check: Halfsorrow
Country: Finland
Genre: ethereal blackgaze
Label: Black Terror Records



czwartek, 26 sierpnia 2021

Ylva de Lune - I (2021)


Ylva de Lune is Ylva - singer/songwriter from Germany, together with Alpha who is responsible for the music part of the project. Their cooperation results in a blend of dark folk and metal music that they show on the debut album entitled simply  I.

The Germans took doom metal with its slow pace and monumental vibes and created a kind of its acoustic version. The vocals are clear and extremely airy but also have this vibe characteristic for female vocalists of metal music. There's a lot of heavy guitar noise in the music layer but there are also parts of contemplation and peace, (almost) no sign of metal's crazy drums means that the whole thing tastes more melancholic and depressive, simply speaking, it's what autumn could sound like if it was music (and the cover art only makes it obvious). Especially that the musicians don't hide their inspirations taken from shoegaze and blackgaze that result in the airy backing vocals that add to the release's ethereal atmosphere.

But the music is able to climb towards post-metal and even doom metal level, surprise the audience with very loud and somewhat rapid parts in the best way possible (a good example is Les ombres du Monde that, towards the end, brings a lot of noisy guitar fun or 11:55 with the most intriguing use of the metal-like automatic drums). And generally, the further into the album, the more visible the metal nature of the artists is, the higher the pace, the more crushing the sounds. You should like this album no matter if you're more into melancholic dark folk or impressive doom, as do I.

costs 6 EUR.

Check: 11:55
Country: Germany
Genre: ethereal doom metal



poniedziałek, 19 lipca 2021

Dola - Czasy (2021)


Dola is Polish artsy and environmentally aware post-metal band who debuted last year with a well-received self-titled album. Now it's the time (it's a pun) for the follow-up with the intense and extremely unnerving in many ways album called Czasy.

This album is said to be an escapism tool for the band, used to leave this troublesome times. And as such, it is particularly melodic for post-metal music. On the other hand, it is meant to be a commentary for the reality around us as it is now (which is suggested by the band's name (translated to "Fate") and the album's title ("Times")), and this reality is drawn in very dark colours due to, for the most part, the climate crisis that will prove to be the humanity's main disaster in the history. You can notice it in the track titles (Wszystko odrośnie meaning "Everything will grow again", presumably after human cease to exist) but mostly in the very bleak, very heavy-burden-depicting music.

It's not only about the crushingly massive guitars and slow-paced compositions that feel like the title's "time" - slow but inevitable, nothing you could run from. In general, it is more about gloomy ambiance than pure desperation, as if the artists were already at peace with what's coming (best audible in the darkly sacral and airy moments). But there are still fragments that indicate the incoming doom and the chaos that will come right after in a very desperate way, as the beginning of quite jazzy Kije ("Sticks") and the occasional post-hardcore-like vocal intrusions all over the place.

Czasy costs 20 PLN.

Check: Nowa jesień
Country: Poland
Genre: apocalyptic post-metal
Label: Widno



wtorek, 13 lipca 2021

YEAR OF NO LIGHT - Consolamentum (2021)


The French YEAR OF NO LIGHT exists for 20 years already. After such an impressive time of creating super massive and heavy music, it is not so surprising that the band's celebratory album Consolamentum is not far from a masterpiece.

The album, as could well be expected, is made of "lengthy, sprawling compositions of towering walls of guitars and sombre synths" that emanate the sense of gloomy hopelessness. They can easily start from guitar drones and go all the way to massive and hyper-satisfying crescendos while not really hurrying at any point. Quite the opposite, the compositions take their time to unravel which makes them extremely engaging for the listener, who is not able to go anywhere without hearing the whole thing. It is true for the longest, monstrous tracks like the opening in Objuration and for the shortest but arguably the most exciting Alètheia. 

This last song is even said to be "one of the most agonizing and arguably one of the greatest moments in heavy music of the past decade", and that's no exaggeration as it makes almost 8 minutes of crazy galop with the incredible pace and incredible weight of the sound - it seems unnatural for anything that heavy to go so fast, but perhaps it's the years of experience that make it possible for the artists to conceive such a beautiful monstrosity. The album's title comes from a term in the Catharic Church's lore where it stands for "a ritual that brought eternal austereness and immersion in the Holy Spirit" and that fits within the band's interest in "the fall of man and salvation through darkness". This dark and cathartic music depicts those in the perfect way.

Consolamentum costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Alètheia
Country: France
Genre: psychedelic post-metal
Label: Pelagic Records



czwartek, 11 marca 2021

Sarin - You Can't Go Back (2021)


Sarin, the Canadian post-metal band has a portfolio of heavy music counting three LPs now, thanks to the release of You Can't Go Back, an album pretty special for their discography. But more importantly an impressive dose of loud and massive music.

As the description or perhaps a legend already states, the band locked themselves in a studio for a week back in December in order to "create and capture something more energetic than their austere back catalogue". I don't know their previous releases but I trust this words as the pace of the album is particularly impressive. Try to keep up with When You Melt, it's almost impossible with the guitars and drums galloping on their way to the surprisingly moody ambient bridge and the unsurprisingly energetic finale. The post-metal elements here are mostly about the quality of the guitars but there's also the vocals, aggressive and ominously lurking from a distance, as if hidden under the massiveness of the music.

The band also underwent line-up changes and this is reflected in the emotional layer of the album, described as "an urgent and emotionally charged missive designed to document and celebrate a period of pressing uncertainty". This is probably best felt in the pinnacle of the album, Thick Mire with its absurdly fast and industrially-infused composition that just swipes you off the surface of the world.

You Can't Go Back costs 10 USD.

Check: Thick Mire
Country: Canada
Genre: energetic post-metal
Label: Prosthetic Records



środa, 29 lipca 2020

shedfromthebody - A Dead and Aimless Hum (2020) EN


Shedfromthebody is a "spooky baby" from Finland and it seems that those origins are well audible in her music. The artist released recently her debut album and, damn, is A Dead and Aimless Hum good.

On one hand shoegazing vocals and atmosphere, on the other clear doom vibes, this is the music served by the Finn. And then there are inspiration drawn from dark folk, blackgaze, etc. Interesting combo, in practice, it sounds like a darker, slower version of shoegaze created with delicately guitar-based but atmosphere-filled music. I was slightly afraid that the doom influences would sound kitschy but it quickly came to me that it's completely opposite - the Scandinavian, metal spirit makes the album more complex and it's no wonder that it was recommended by Violet Cold himself.

Those inspirations sometimes are better visible (as in the fueled with very metal guitar sounds Sol) but to me, the most important songs are those that could as well be featured on Chelsea Wolfe's Hiss Spun , as the great Curl and Cherubian Hand. Very, very good debut.

A Dead and Aimless Hum costs 10 EUR.

Check: Cherubian Hand
Country: Finland
Genre: dark folk doomgaze



shedfromthebody - A Dead and Aimless Hum (2020) PL


Shedfromthebody to "spooky baby" z Finlandii i wydaje się, że miejsce pochodzenia słychać w jej muzyce bardzo wyraźnie. Artystka wydała niedawno swój debiutancki album i, szlag, A Dead and Aimless Hum robi wrażenie.

Z jednej strony shoegaze'owe wokale i atmosfera, z drugiej słyszalne doomowe vibe'y, taką muzykę serwuje nam Finka. A do tego dochodzą inspiracje dark folkiem, blackgaze'em, etc. Ciekawa mieszanka, w praktyce brzmi to jak mroczniejsza, powolniejsza wersja shoegaze'u tworzonego z pomocą łagodnie gitarowej ale ociekającej atmosferą muzyki. Trochę się obawiałem, że doomowe naleciałości będą trąciły kiczem, ale szybko przekonałem się, że jest zupełnie inaczej - skandynawska, metalowa dusza dodaje płycie fantastycznej głębi, nic dziwnego, że album zdążył już polecić Violet Cold.

Czasem te inspiracje są lepiej widoczne (jak choćby w napędzanym bardzo gitarową gitarą Sol) ale na mnie największe wrażenie robią kawałki, które mogłyby znaleźć się na Hiss Spun Chelsea Wolfe jak na przykład znakomite Curl czy Cherubian Hand. Bardzo, bardzo dobry debiut.

A Dead and Aimless Hum kosztuje 44 złote (10 EUR).

Sprawdź: Cherubian Hand
Kraj: Finlandia
Szufladka: dark folk doomgaze



sobota, 11 lipca 2020

Of the Vine - Left Alone (2020) EN


"The prettiest doom metal band you've ever heard", that's how the Americans of Georgia making up Of the Vine are described. Their third album called Left Alone clearly shows why it's definitely true.

Although the compositions here can't be described other than long post-metal epics, they are built in such a way that they have to be called attractive if not sexy. Using not my words: they constitute "a blend of stylistic approaches that comes together into something breathtaking that can crush listeners and then lift them up in a single moment". Agreed. They are so well written, surprising, not shy to address complex ideas and doing so in a virtuosity-full way.

So don't be surprised when Left Alone alone will offer peaceful, instrumental ambient with airy vocals just next to monumental guitar soundscapes. Actually, the vocals themselves deserve a huge plus all together, they are situated somewhere between Ryan Osterman of Holy Fawn and Jakob Berglund of A Swarm of the Sun. This completes such fantastic tracks as the ever-changing I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead, chaotically loud Forelorn or final Ilfracombe. One of my favourite albums of the year already now.

Left Alone costs 6 USD`.

Sprawdź: I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead
Kraj: Georgia, US
Szufladka: complex post-metal



Of the Vine - Left Alone (2020) PL


"Najpiękniejszy doom metal jaki kiedykolwiek słyszałeś", tak opisywani są Amerykanie z Georgii tworzący zespół Of the Vine. Ich trzecia płyta Left Alone dosadnie pokazuje dlaczego jest to święta racja.

Mimo, że kompozycje na niej to długie post-metalowe epopeje, skonstruowane są one w taki sposób, że trzeba je określić jako nadzwyczaj atrakcyjne, jeśli nie seksowne. Nie moimi słowy: tworzą one "mieszankę stylistycznych podejść które razem tworzą coś zapierającego dech w piersiach, co potrafi zmiażdżyć słuchacza i go podnieść w tym samym momencie". Pełna zgoda. Są one znakomicie napisane, zaskakujące, wprowadzające skomplikowane rozwiązania i robiące to w sposób pełen wirtuozerii.

Dlatego nie dziwcie się, gdy samo Left Alone oferuje spokojne, instrumentalne ambienty z eterycznym wokalem tuż obok monumentalnych, gitarowych pejzaży. W ogóle to wokal sam w sobie zasługuje na wielki plus plasując się gdzieś między Ryanem Ostermanem z Holy Fawn a Jakobem Berglundem z A Swarm of the Sun. To tylko ubarwia takie fantastyczne kawałki jak zmienne I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead, chaotycznie głośne Forelorn czy finałowe Ilfracombe. Jeden z moich ulubionych krążków tego roku już teraz.

Left Alone kosztuje 24 złote (6 USD).

Sprawdź: I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead
Kraj: Georgia, US
Szufladka: complex post-metal



piątek, 3 lipca 2020

Twin Sister - Twin Sister (2020) EN


A brand new trio made of the musicians from Dead Neanderthals, Sex Swing and Mugstar - Twin Sister, is a must-listen-to for any fan of stoner/post-metal. Their debut album simply called Twin Sister makes quite an impression.

On one hand it is dominated by, honestly, post-rock compositions, on the other - they are shaped in a doom-stoner way - with overwhelming guitars, slow pace making me think of ocean's tides and with some monotony. Twin Sister's tracks don't have to finish with enormous crescendos to crush the audience and show their might. Especially that the whole album is finished with its grand finale in Ashes that is exactly what the other ones but a level higher. It's loud it's resonant and it's keeping tension.

Twin Sister costs 7 EUR.

Check: Ashes
Country: The Netherlands
Genre: stoner post-rock
Label: God Unknown Records



Twin Sister - Twin Sister (2020) PL


Nowe trio złożone z muzyków Dead Neanderthals, Sex Swing i Mugstar, Twin Sister, to pozycja obowiązkowa dla każdego szanującego się fana stoner/post-metalu. Ich debiutancki album zatytułowany po prostu Twin Sister robi wrażenie.

Z jednej strony na płycie królują w zasadzie post-rockowe kompozycje, z drugiej, zaaranżowane są one na doomowo-stonerową modłę - z przygniatającymi, fizycznie odczuwalnymi gitarami, powolnym rytmem przypominającym fale oceanu i pewną monotonią. Kawałki Twin Sister nie muszą wcale kończyć się imponującymi crescendami żeby przygnieść odbiorcę i pokazać swoją siłę. Zwłaszcza, ze cała płyta zakończona jest wielkim finałem w Ashes, który jest dokładnie tym, co reszta kawałków, ale o poziom wyżej. Jest głośno, jest donośnie i trzyma w napięciu.

Twin Sister kosztuje 32 złote (7 EUR).

Sprawdź: Ashes
Kraj: Holandia
Szufladka: stoner post-rock
Label: God Unknown Records



wtorek, 21 stycznia 2020

Monotheism - Reveal (2019) EN


It's not MONO although geographically and musically speaking it's not far. Monotheism is a trio hailing from South Korea that play exceptionally guitar and impressive post-rock. As they do on the album released in the final days of the last year and called Reveal.

Their music is supposed to "expresses a special mood which indicates one’s spiritual existence in between light and darkness". To do that, the musicians use mostly whining, and wheezing guitars generating an exceptionally raw noise. Especially in Infinite Wave but to be honest each of their tracks is a huge dose of adrenaline in the post-rock but also heavy-metal/doom-metal/psychedelic style. It sounds probably the best in There Was Nothing in Heaven, perhaps because it has the most post-rock-like composition that keeps the track together. In any case - huge plus.

Reveal costs 7.50 USD.

Check: There Was Nothing in Heaven
Country: South Korea 
Genre: raw guitar post-rock



Monotheism - Reveal (2019) PL


To nie MONO, chociaż i geograficznie i muzycznie nie tak daleko. Monotheism to trio z Korei Południowej grające nadzwyczaj gitarowy i efektownych post-rock. Tak jak na wydanej w ostatnich dniach zeszłego roku płycie Reveal.

Ich muzyka ma za zadanie "oddać konkretny nastrój wskazujący na duchową egzystencję człowieka pomiędzy światłem a ciemnością". W tym celu muzycy posługują się głównie zawodzącymi, rzężącymi i generującymi bardzo surowy hałas gitarami.  Zwłaszcza w Infinite Wave, ale tak naprawdę każdy ich kawałek to potężna doza adrenaliny w post-rockowym, ale też heavy-metalowym/doom-metalowym/psychodelicznym stylu. Najlepiej ta mieszanina brzmi w There Was Nothing in Heaven, ale może dlatego, ze ten kawałek ma najbardziej post-rockową, spajającą go w całość kompozycję. W każdym razie - na duży plus.

Reveal kosztuje 28 złotych (7,50 USD).

Sprawdź: There Was Nothing in Heaven
Kraj: Korea Południowa
Szufladka: raw guitar post-rock



środa, 28 sierpnia 2019

Fractal - El Reflejo de la Ausencia (2019) EN


Fractal is a band originating from the Mexican city of Tijuana and having their place on the country's music scene for seven years now. The trio play guitar post-rock with elements of post-metal. They recently released an album called El Reflejo de la Ausencia.

The album labeled with a picture of an angry hyena, from the very first moment spoke to me with its doom guitars and post-metal vocals in very post-rock compositions. Plus, there are also atmospheric but also gloomy sounds of the string section provided by Cuarteto Vira in the backgrounds of Fragmentos and Lucrecia (although I'm pretty sure I heard them in other tracks too). Those longest compositions are something that makes the best impression. Very diverse, changing pace and concepts all the time, you can safely say they are more jazzy-, classical-like and less post-rockingly ordered. Anyhow, this is some impressive and interesting approach to the guitar instrumental music. 
El Reflejo de la Ausencia costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Fragmentos
Country: Mexico
Genre: doom post-rock



Fractal - El Reflejo de la Ausencia (2019) PL


Fractal to zespół z meksykańskiej Tijuany funkcjonujący na tamtejszej scenie już od siedmiu lat. Trio gra gitarowy post-rock ubarwiony elementami post-metalu. Niedawno wydał album El Reflejo de la Ausencia.

Płyta spod znaku wkurzonej hieny od początku przemawia do mnie doomowymi gitarami i post-metalowym wokalem w bardzo post-rockowych kompozycjach. Do tego dochodzi nastrojowe ale też ponure dźwięki sekcji smyczkowej w wykonaniu Cuarteto Viry w tłach kawałków Fragmentos i Lucrecia (chociaż moim zdaniem słychać je już wcześniej). Własnie te, najdłuższe zresztą kompozycje robią największe wrażenie. Są bardzo zróżnicowane, co i rusz następuje zmiana tempa i koncepcji, można powiedzieć, że kompozycje te są już bardziej jazzowo-klasyczne, a mniej post-rockowo poukładane. Tak czy inaczej, imponujące i ciekawe spojrzenie na gitarową muzykę.

El Reflejo de la Ausencia kosztuje tyle, ile będziesz chcieć zapłacić.

Sprawdź: Fragmentos
Kraj: Meksyk
Szufladka: doom post-rock



sobota, 20 lipca 2019

Dreamswell - SPOILED (2019) PL


Pensylwański doomgaze pojawił się już na blogu z wcześniejszą EP-ką, teraz Dreamswell rozwinęli ją w pełnoprawny album SPOILED. I brzmią... dokładnie tak jak powinni.

Właściwie ich labelka mówi wszystko: muzyka Amerykanów to połączenie bardzo doomowych, przygniatających i oczywiście głośnych gitar oraz wolnego, przewalającego się tempa z eterycznym wokalem i łagodnymi elementami. Właśnie ten balans między fragmentami doomu i shoegaze'u pojawia się już od pierwszych chwil Stranger. Królujący w muzyce Dreamswell wokal Candice Martello przywodzi na myśl oldschoolowy gotycki metal i jednocześnie Lisę Gerard budując niezwykła atmosferę.

Swoje robią też fantastycznie ciężkie gitary. Zwłaszcza, gdy muzycy pozwalają im się rozkręcić, tak jak w finale Naive. Z drugiej strony na płycie są też kawałki, jak Temporary, które zadziwiają melodyjnością i niemalże popową estetyką. Niemal, bo nad wszystkim ciągle króluje doom.

SPOILED kosztuje 38 złotych (10 USD).


Sprawdź: Stranger
Kraj: Pennsylvania, US
Szufladka: doom gaze



Dreamswell - SPOILED (2019) EN


Pennsylvania-based doomgaze band have already appeared on the blog with their previous EP. This time Dreamswell have developed it into a real album called SPOILED. And it sounds... just as it supposed to.

Actually, the label for their music says it al: the music by the Americans combines the very doom-like, crushing and of course loud guitars and slow, rising-tide pace with airy vocals and delicate elements. This balance between doom and shoegaze is something that appears from the first sounds of Stranger. Another thing is the music's leading force, the vocal by Candice Martello that makes me think of some oldschool gothic metal and Lisa Gerard at the same time and which creates unique atmosphere.

Another thing is the job done by the fantastically heavy guitars. Especially when the musicisans let them do their best, as in the finish of Naive. On the other hand there are also tracks, like Temporary, that are surprisingly melodic and have a lot of almost pop vibe. Almost because the whole thing is still ruled by doom.

SPOILED costs 10 USD.


Check: Stranger
Country: Pennsylvania, US
Genre: doom gaze



wtorek, 9 kwietnia 2019

The Haunting Green - Natural Extinctions (2019) EN


One of the most interesting albums with heavy music has emerged from the hand of the Italian duet Cristiano Perin - Chantal Fresco. The Haunting Green skillfully combine ambient atmosphere with metal power and everyone can witness it on the project's LP debut - Natural Extinctions.

As suggested by both the band's name and the album's title, it is devoted to the relationship between human and nature or more precisely, as written by the label house, "the inability of human beings to preserve their innocence and the bond with nature during their existence". It seems that there's no better way to express it than with climatic post-metal infused with tribal elements.

Those long ambient fragments bringing some of the phenomenal atmosphere and drums with their tribal rhythm are what the audience is likely to notice first. They are so welcome diversification for the especially heavy stoner guitars and husky growl. As it is in Litha where the mesmerizing drums solo makes the most impressive fragment of the album.

Natural Extinctions costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Litha
Country: Italy
Genre: tribal post-metal



The Haunting Green - Natural Extinctions (2019) PL


Jeden z najciekawszych albumów wiosny z ciężkim graniem wyszedł właśnie spod rąk włoskiego duetu Cristiano Perin - Chantal Fresco. The Haunting Green udanie łączą ambientowe klimaty z metalową siłą i można się o tym przekonać na długogrającym debiucie projektu - Natural Extinctions.

Tak jak sugeruje zarówno nazwa zespołu jak i płyty, ta zajmuje się w swojej filozofii związkami człowieka i natury, a dokładniej, jak pisze wytwórnia, "ludzką niemożność ocalenia niewinności i powiązania z naturą w czasie egzystencji". Wydaje się, że nic nie pasowałoby lepiej do tego tematu niż przesycony tribalowymi elementami klimatyczny post-metal.

To właśnie długie ambientowe fragmenty dodające fenomenalnego klimatu, a także bębny z ich tribalowym rytmem rzucają się pierwsze w uszy. Stanowią pożądane urozmaicenia dla wyjątkowo ciężkich, stonerowych gitar i zdartego growlu. Tak jak w kawałku Litha, gdzie solo na hipnotyzujących kotłach stanowi najbardziej imponujący fragment. 

Natural Extinctions kosztuje ile tylko chcesz zapłacić.

Sprawdź: Litha
Kraj: Włochy
Szufladka: tribal post-metal