Moving domains

Hello, just a heads-up that the blog will be moving to tumblr.com. Tumblr, as a sharing platform, is more in tune with what I had in mind when creating the blog. It is in itself both a blogging site and a social network (unlike Blogger, which is separated from Google+) and as such it allows for both writing stuff about music when I have something to say, and just sharing stuff when I don't. 

The new domain is at http://brainlesser.tumblr.com/

Cathedraal - Voix Blanches

As far as obscure and extreme music goes, there's been some significant breakthroughs at the hardcore front that shouldn't be flying under our radar. One notorious example is (was!) french act Cathedraal, whose only full release Voix Blanches (that I know of, mind you) presents us with a very interesting blend of the self-deprecating vocal distress, the emotional guitar melodies and chaotic song structure that characterize the so-called "screamo" genre, with a challenging degree of experimentation both in the contrasts between the different tones of the song (the curve of calmness and agressiveness) and in the overall album structure/composition.

I say was, because I right this from reading news that their career has been short-lived: I right this six hours into the band's announcement of its own end on facebook. Bloody shame, if you ask me. Still, their album is still stored on bandcamp, fully streamable and downloadable at the very convenient "name your price" cost. Most definitely worth checking out.

Horseskull - S/T

I was browsing through reddit when I came across this band as it was proclaimed "the east coast's strongest doom". Naturally, I was intriguied - doesn't take much to pique my interest and to be frank I was due a bit of some more regular posting in this blog.

Now I'm not really sure on that "strongest doom" claim, but Horseskull sure do punch you in the jaw for all the energy they are packing up. After a long while of turning my attention to classic, funeral-y or drone/atmospheric doom, I have to admit that I grew lax on the more headbanger blend. Certainly what Horseskull bring to the table - nasty, sweaty, poorly dressed and most likely drunk kinda music, like a good old-fashioned tavern brawl.

Headbanging indeed. I can see how they would put quite a show. The album is well put together, nothing too unpredictable as you dive into it. Solid and reliable throughout, with a nice slower instrumental ending to boot.

Now where's my beer?

Writhe - The Shrouded Grove

Slowly steering the blog back on track with a short piece of brittish atmospheric black metal by Writhe. The EP itself is nothing particularly innovating, though it should appease fans of the so-called "blackgaze" style of music. I've made the point somewhere in the past that a band doesn't have to be innovative to be good - there is beauty in iteration, as long as it's well made.

And it is pretty good, as it stands.

Shoutout to the youtube channel Atmospheric Black Metal Albums for this particular suggestion.

Medo - Cruzando os Portais do Submundo

Some time-consuming personal projects have prevented me from contributing regularly to The Brainlesser. Even though I can't write lengthy texts for the time to come - not that it makes much of a difference for the 2 or 3 people who actually follow this joint -, I might as well at least keep you updated on what's spinning on my gramophone.

Today, I bring you Medo, a Portuguese act which plays black metal as it should be done: gruesome, ghastly, grim. Here's their third album, Cruzando os Portais do Submundo, released earlier this year. A huge plus: they write in the most beautiful language in the whole world, our native Portuguese – unlike many nationalistic, patrio-idiotic black metal bands who use the imperial tongue of the day; to wit, awfully written broken English.

Monument of Urns - Absence

Getting this blog train back on track with the devastating Absence by the notoriously obscure Monument of Urns. Heavy, drone-y, funeral-y, despairing twenty something minutes of doom for your perusal. Just the thing to kickstart September - what a shitty month it is. 

If you're left thirsting for more, check out my long-winded diatribe on Habsyll right here. 

Countess - Cursed Seeds of Aten

Countess has put forth the official video of a track from their latest album, Ancient Lies and Battle Cries, which has already been on The Brainlesser's limelight. It's basically a simple video clip with a succession of Countess live pics and scenes from an old movie, related with the thematics of the song. It also presents its lyrics, which are rather interesting, telling us about what the band construes as being the seed of all monotheistic religions and their history of intolerance and persecution: the ancient cult of Aten, in the Egypt of the Eighteenth Dynasty. 

Slowing down

The blog is slowing down all throughout july and august. Regular updates should resume in september.

PLUNGING DOWN THE WELL | Bergraven's Dödsvisioner

Dödsvisioner (2008) pulls a kind of blackened and grim metal that did put me off when I first listened to it. It's a weird presentation, as if looking at a lego structure built from pieces that don't exactly fit, but does look solid enough from a distance. It grows on you, like being infatuated with a person whose beauty isn't quite evident at first, and when you're tangled and bound you realize it's the very off-putting characteristics which pushed you away at first that are now what pulls you in.

It's heavy as it is hard. Doënde, the opening piece, is pretty straightforward as far as black metal goes - and I like it very much, what with the head-bangingly rythm and the haunting organ samples - but all along the album you'll see it mutate and grow in all of these shapes, long and calm instrumental segments bridging emotional outbursts. It all ties in that off-putting way, with remarkable skill and fluidity. Ondkall is a great example of the in-and-out, up-and-down, conflicting nature of Dödsvisioner, though the full (barely) 60 minute long experience is a testament to that idea, the concept of a conflicted mind, of conflicted emotions, put into song.

I could also point out to Den svarta angstens essens for the same reasons, or the long drawn instrumental of Det man med själen... or Ekot av bikt, but you get my point. Dödsvisioner weaves a sinuous blend of emotion all throughout. There are rythm breaks, heavy distortion; there is relaxation, whispering and post-rocky segments; there's despaired screaming. There's also a nice complete feel to the album too and I have very often found myself surprised when Doënde was on again, as the album went a full loop. I wasn't familiar with Bergraven, so this was certainly an exciting find.

Check it out:

 
This is one of a series of reviews I'm making for albums that I've ordered from Hydra Head Industries a while back. Might as well, right? I'll pick from those I enjoy as I listen through the collection.

Incantation - Dirges of Elysium

I'm sure US death metal legends Incantation need no introduction. They've released their latest album last month, which I heard today for the first time. From what I gather so far, there's no major departure from what the band has been doing the recent years, putting forth doomish death metal of solid quality. You can check Dirges of Elysium below.

Diocletian - Steel Jaws

Last May we had the release of Gesundrian, the third full length from Diocletian, a New Zealander act performing beastly black/death metal in the tradition of Blasphemy or Black Witchery. Though they have much in common with the latter, their music has a more intricate, often slower, and more ominous tone to it. I do not know the previous material of the band, but this album definitely whetted my appetite. Here is “Steel Jaws”, one track from Gesundrian.   

Sons of Crom - "Conqueror"

A little bit of Bathory, topped with Falkenbach influences, sprinkled with imagery from Robert E. Howard's Conan universe; what could possibly go wrong? Sons of Crom are a Finnish-Swedish duo playing epic metal in the vein of the aforementioned acts. This is their debut EP, which is available for download at Debemur Morti's Bandcamp. The band has recently been added to Debemur Morti's roster, and their first full-length,named Riddle of Steel, is scheduled to September. By Crom and Ishtar, you have to listen to this!

 

Nunslaughter - "Angelic Dread"

This has been a plentiful half-year to all of you rotten demonolaters out there, am I right? Just take as an example the latest work of US black/death/thrash maniacs Nunslaughter, Angelic Dread.

Pyramids with Nadja

More often than not, when we come across a collab of some sort we get subpar music, as the featured bands won't push their limits neither will pack off their current best song meddled along with other bands'. It's understandable, but inevitably these kinds of albums seem either an offset of the band's work - this is specially true in splits where, more often than they should, bands resort to making covers of songs they enjoy.

This is not the case with Pyramids with Nadja. I'm not a connoisseur of either band, first off, but the album feels whole, complete. It feels like a piece all throughout, rather than something jambled together for the sake of it.

It's highly experimental ambient music. It grows, too, it's an album that to me resonates with growth. From the soothing vapour-states of Into the Silent Waves - a veritable travel through deep layers of noise, electronic slow rithm and the perfect punch of dissonance - to the explosion of An Angel Was Heard to Cry Over the City of Rome, there's a landscaping involved towards an end. It's a linear album, to be heard from start to finish and to explore again from scratch.

Now the effort behind this album seems to me what holds the greatest responsibility for its success. At every song there's every member from both bands playing - which seems to total six people - plus a bunch of different people weighing in. The evident result is a complex layering of different sounds, different origins; ordered disharmony in some places and perfect harmonic bliss in others.

The power to achieve, through collective work, a coherent album piece is what strikes me as particularly special about this album. Something you should really look into - and cheap to boot. A necessary album for ambient enthusiasts and a "must check" for people searching for an interesting music experience.

 
This is one of a series of reviews I'm making for albums that I've ordered from Hydra Head Industries a while back. Might as well, right? I'll pick from those I enjoy as I listen through the collection.

Countess - Ancient Lies and Battle Cries

Countess is a long-lived Dutch band, sporting a brand of black metal highly reminiscent of Bathory or Venom. 2014 saw the release of their latest album, Ancient Lies and Battle Cries. This full-length takes on the black/heavy metal traits typical of the band and develops the epic themes - already extant in previous releases - to a whole new level. At some points, the classic heavy metal elements of the band are paramount. Just listen closely to "Pray for the Cult", which could easily figure in some Manowar tribute compilation. The compositions are rather rock'n'rollish and the orchestrations are delightfully simple, almost tacky. If you look for clean, "pretty" music with a lot of sophistication and finesse, Countess isn't your thing. But if you're into good old heavy metal/first wave of black metal cult, this album definitely has a place in your shelf.   

Black Crucifixion - Heroes End Up On Gallows (Official Video)

Finnish veterans Black Crucifixion have issued an official video for the track "Heroes End Up On Gallows", from their latest album Coronation of King Darkness. It's pretty cool, I must say!

Sólstafir - Ótta

Iceland's Sólstafir have brought upon the world a premier track from their upcoming album, Ótta, due out in the 29th of August. I'm not even going to comment on whether this is metal or not (seemingly the main focus of many critics, the same happening with Alcest or Lantlôs). This is a great track, bringing them closer to those ethereal soundscapes typical of their brilliant fellow countrymen Sigur Rós. A special note goes for the banjo line, one more proof that banjo and rock/metal go well together, even in the farthest fringes of the genre (just remember Taake's "Myr").

 

Tashaki Miyaki - I Came

You know one of the reasons why it's fun to be running a thematically ambiguous blog is that you start to doubt your own ability to post a song named "I Came" without thinking about the myriad of different ways to ruin it with some overtly and offensivelly pornographic satanic black metal of one sort or the other.

There's a place for anything, I suppose. Childish innuendo aside, Tashaki Miyaki do seem to enjoy their loaded (eheh) lyricism here and there.

Childish innuendo really aside, this song is great. Upbeat, catchy, fuzzy rock with a warm 90's throwback and a dream-pop feel. Dug through their bandcamp and can't find the album that this song belongs to, maybe none at all, but I will be checking this band out further in the future. Check them out and check out their facebook page while you're at it.

Boris - Noise (streaming)

I'm really not sure what I'm feeling right now, this album is way weird. I'll get back to you on that, let me just say that the song Heavy Rain hits you like a cement train, out of the fucking blue - you'd think you'd notice the tracks under your feet? And then it jumps to Taiko No Baka, this twee-noise-pop interlude starkly contrasting with the previous wall of sound. I don't know, man.

This will asking for some looped listening. Fitting that Boris would send out a mature album like that, they do have the statute to demand some attention from the listener.

Though so far, the album, it's not something too noteworthy for me. 

Anyway, thought I could share. The album is streaming for a limited time on NPR, through this link.

Goatwhore - FBS (new song)

I don't know if you guys noticed, but Goatwhore have pulled out a killer track from their next album Constricting Rage of the Merciless, due out in July. Check it out!