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.