40 Watt Sun - Lioness

I'm not sure whether this is a 40 Watt Sun concert - it seems to be, since the band is there - or one of those "Patrick Walker shines light on the lucky few who managed to attend his obscure (read: I can't go) shows", but god damn it covering a Jason Molina song is the kind of stuff that makes me glad to be alive. Jason Molina being one of my favourite musicians, of course, may he rest in peace, and 40 Watt Sun one of my favourite bands.

You can check out more live stuff at http://40wattsun.com/.

Lioness from 40 Watt Sun on Vimeo.

Teitanblood - Sleeping Throats of the Antichrist

2014 has already been a plentiful year regarding extreme metal releases. Today, I'm enjoying Teitanblood's recent effort, Death, released about two months ago. Jesus fuck me, this is brilliant stuff! Uncompromising brutal old school black metal, no bullshit attached. This album will fling the gates of the fiery Underworld wide open for you. Dare to take that step further, but do it at your own risk, for dreadful pits of hellfire and brimstone await your frail bones. 

Möbelstück Beckmann - Leonina

Thevolumesettingsfolder - ie, Möbelstück Beckmann - is an author whose work I've been following for a while now through the convenience of tumblr. His is the line of one-man-electronics-band that seem to populate the soundcloud sea, though his particular take on it is really interesting and chill. Take a moment of your time to chick his work out:

Malicious - Mental Illness

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending the third edition of the Åbo Massaker fest in Turku, Finland. The set was headed by renowned names in the Finnish extreme metal scene, such as Black Dawn or Archgoat. It's not my objective to summarize the proceedings of the event (though I have to say that Archgoat fucking ruled!), but to call your attention to a new Finnish band, which is doubtlessly worthy of a look: I'm referring to Malicious. They opened the second day of the fest and were the only band I wasn't acquainted with. I have to say I was really impressed! They spew forth a solid mix of old school black/death/thrash, heavily reminiscent of 1980's or early 90's extreme metal. Despite their young age, inexperience and recurrent technical problems, they excelled the older and well-established Kill, from Sweden, who, even though I'm particularly fond of their records, presented a rather disappointing performance. Malicious, on the other hand, seem to be much more captivating live than in studio. Anyhow, check out their only demo in their Bandcamp and toss them a couple of coins.

Lantlôs - Melting Sun II: Cherry Quartz

Since a few days back, NPR has been streaming "Cherry Quartz", the second track from Lantlôs' upcoming album Melting Sun. Let's be honest, it's no Agape - my personal favorite from the band - but it kinda got me stoked for the official release. Its doom-scented, post-rocky, shoegazy tunes are definitely something to look forward to. 

A grave injustice has been committed by many (perhaps myself included) towards bands like Lantlôs or Alcest, who decided to leave behind their black metal roots and evolve towards new paths. Attention has oftentimes been centered on how they ditched black metal instead of on the virtues of the music itself. Let's face it, sometimes certain bands consciously abandon their initial musical paradigm to embark upon a new sonority. Some of these bands do a good job, while others screw it all up. The fact that I'm a committed old school Satanic black metal fanatic is in no way compromised by my propensity to listen to Alcest in a sunny, blissful day. In many ways, we dwell in a dualistic cosmos: there's no darkness without light. As the subtitle of our blog hints, there's no misanthropy without butterflies. While striving to give vent to our hatred and destroy our enemies, one has to stop once in awhile to smell the flowers. The main point is that, like all living organisms, bands can develop, improve, mature - while remaining honest. 

To sum it up, I don't give the slightest fuck about how trve a band is, insofar as it is true. I think that Alcest and Lantlôs are good examples of such cases.