2013 Finnish albums and EPs you might be missing out part 2

Insomnium: Ephemeral

I am not going to lie: Insomnium has been one of my favorite acts from Finland ever since I heard Above The Weeping World album. Naturally I was more than excited to hear that before the new album is out in 2014, they are going to release a new track and three acoustic songs (instrumentals) that were previously dropped from other albums. My excitement quickly changed to disappointment: acoustic instrumentals and only one new song? I decided to push play on Ephemeral nonetheless and the rest is history.

I don't know what it is, but Ephemeral has some of most uplifting lyrics and joyful feeling I have had in a long time. Especially this part is the greatest:

Dying doesn't make this world dead to us
Breathing doesn't keep the flame alive in us
Dreaming doesn't make time less real for us
One life
One chance
All ephemeral

We are all here for just this brief moment that is nothing compared to the universe. Why not make the best of it? I find myself sometimes taking things too hard, over-analyzing and worrying about things that are totally out of my control. Why? I don't know why, but every time I hear this song I loosen up and smile.

I first heard the song about three months ago and now my playcount is 48, so you could say I really love this song. I don't really care even if it sounds a bit poppy, has a radio friendly chorus or lighter guitar sound: the atmosphere and the feeling this song gives me it beyond words. In addition all the three acoustic pieces turned out to be killer: I don't have to skip none of them when I play the EP. I cannot even begin thinking an album full of Ephemeral class songs, that would send my flying backwards. Instead I am trying hard to forget that Insomnium is in the studio and just focus on the message: one life, one change, all ephemeral!




Ranger: Knights Of Darkness

Being a Finn and a metalhead, I always smile ear-to-ear when I found a new band from my own country. Ranger hails from Helsinki and although they have been active a few years, I didn't even know these guys existed before I noted a 5/5 review from a Finnish webzine. Naturally I jumped on this review: what is this, is there yet another band I have somehow missed?

Knights Of The Darkness is an EP including five tracks of Finnish speed metal. That's right: speed metal. The sound takes me immediately back to 1980's golden years and when the first song, Ranger, starts I am immediately floored: moaning thrashy guitars, John Cyriis (ex-Agent Steel) like high-pitched screams and ferocious drumming: all the elements you need to have your speed metal cocktail ready. Touch Of Death takes me back immediately to my golden years in the 1980's when I still had hair, was wearing my brand new Adidas sneakers and a denim vest: ah, the good ol' days.

I am enjoying tremendously the energy these young guys have, this is exactly what the Finnish metal music scene needs: great songs, relentless energy and young, talented guys with the attitude to rule the entire world. I can already imagine being on their gig and it makes my excited and almost sweating as the uncontrollable headbanging will probably not end. I don't know about you, but I need to press play again on these clips and start looking for that denim vest...

Listen here (includes the ordering link from Ektro Records):



Beastmilk: Climax

The next album may not be metal, but it kicks ass big time so I see no need to exclude it from my picks. I still remembers a few years back when I saw Killing Joke in Ilosaarirock. The band's name didn't actually ring a bell, but hearing some of their hit songs made me curious. I got acquainted with their discography and especially their last two albums have been on rotation in my player quite often. In general, I don't want to be controlled too much in my music taste: I want to be able to listen to whatever I want whether it is post-rock, pop, ambient, blues or post-punk.

Beastmilk is a brand-new act from Helsinki featuring Mathew "Kvohst" McNerney on vocals. You may know him from Hexvessel. Beastmilk play industrial and British sounding post-punk. They are not entirely breaking new ground, but what they do, they do extremely well. Climax is the debut album and it features ten catchy punkish anthems. First thing that steals your attention that the production makes you feel like you are in night club in downtown London and the second that these guys have crafted songs that will be hunting you for days (e.g. the chorus on Death Reflects Us or Genocidal Crush).

I was fortunate to catch them warming Solstafir a month back and they convinced me that these guys are going to make it big. There is just something really likable and catching about this band and I really hope the international breakthrough is in the making.

Listen to the entire album below and support the band:




October Falls: The Plague Of A Coming Age

October Falls (originally a solo project of Mikko Lehto) hails from Helsinki and has been active a little more than ten years now. The Plague Of A Coming Age is the band's fourth full length on Debemur Morti Productions and in addition to M. Lehto on guitars and vocals features Sami Hinkka (Ensiferum) on bass and Marko Tarvonen (Barren Earth, Moonsorrow, Chaosbreed and Thy Serpent) on drums plus guest appearance from Tomi Joutsen (Amorphis) on tracks The Plague Of A Coming Age and Boiling Heart Of The North. That is one kick-ass line-up but so is the music.

October Falls' sound is melancholic, moody and could be labelled as dark metal. M. Lehto's vocals are harsh, but they are not growls. Guitars are not downtoned, instead the sound is crisp, melodic and powerful. The songs have been shortened from the previous album (A Collapse Of Faith) and the sound is more accessible and dynamic and less doomy. The atmosphere is created through powerful and melancholic guitar melodies/passage and subdued vocals. There is a lot to like about this album. First of all the atmosphere is very fitting to me, especially when you listen to it on a rainy day. The musicianship is stellar, the compositions are well-crafted and the songs have similar backbone but enough variations to keep it interesting. My personal highlights on the album are The Verge Of Oblivion, Bloodlines, Snakes Of The Old World and Boiling Heart Of The North.

I hope this band would reach more attention with this release as it is one the best metal albums from Finland this year!

Listen and support here:

Alghazanth: The Three-Faced Pilgrim

Alghazanth plays symphonic black metal and hails from Jyväskylä, Finland. The band has been around for almost twenty years now, but I discovered them back in 2011 with their previous album Vinum Intus and it what an excellent release it is. The band had a major line-up change in 2011 when Goat Tormentor (Mikko Kotamäki) left the band to pursue his career with other bands like Swallow The Sun and Kuolemanlaakso. Luckily the replacement was found quickly as bassist Thasmorg (Mika Kaakkolahti) stepped up to fulfill the duties. He guy is not entirely new behind the mic as he has sung on the debut album Thy Aeons Envenomed Sanity back in 1999.

The Three-Faced Pilgrim is the band's seventh full length on Woodcut Records and has been out since 13 December, so this is very fresh blood. I have to confess that I had been waiting for this album eagerly and to my satisfaction it delivers big time. The songs continue in the same vein where Vinum Intus left off: long, symphonic compositions with many tempo changes and structures inside each song. Thasmorg handles the vocal duties very fittingly with his nasty and throaty performance. The overall production of the album is fitting in my ear and the atmosphere is maintained masterfully throughout the album. My only complaint is that if you listen to the about many times in a row, the song tend to blend in with each other and you could get lost. However, it is far too early to say whether this is criticism or not.

I have seen Alghazanth live once together with the mighty Inquisition and Primordial back in 2011 in Hammer Open Air. It was actually already then when Thasmorg took over the vocal duties. I have no complaints from that show, other than my neck was pretty sore the next morning from all the headbanging.

Listen to AdraMelekTaus below and support this great band.

Jess And The Ancient Ones: Astral Sabbat

Jess and the Ancient Ones is a ritual magic (taken from their Facebook page) band from Kuopio. The sound is rich and retro paying homage to 70's blues driven hard rock. The total number of musicians in the band is seven consisting of three guitarist, a bass player, keyboard player, drummer & percussionist and of course Jess herself behind the mic. I can still remember when I heard their first single 13th Breath Of The Zodiac. I needed to google immediately where is this band coming from and are they really Finnish. An hour or so, my order had already been sent to Svart Records for their self-titled debut album.

First thing that grabs your attention is Jess' warm, powerful and elegant vocals. I have seem them live a couple times already and I can confirm that she can deliver live too. Next thing you notice is the wall of guitar sound provided by three harsh looking, tattooed fellows. I have learnt some of them used to play death metal back in the days and that explains why some of the moves on stage include hair tossing and moshing. Astral Sabbat is a mini-Cd including three songs: two entirely new and one Shocking Blue cover, Long and Lonesome Road. The song Astral Sabbat takes you into Tarantino sounding soundscape with surf guitar tone and 70's synthesizer sound. It is not a classic tune from JATAO, but a very good song indeed. The closer More Than Living is the reason you need to hear and buy this record. This close to fifteen minute opus has all the elements as why you need to fall in love with them: stellar songwriting, emotions from slow and fragile vocals to full-driven onslaught in the end accompanied by Jess' amazing vocal delivery.

JATAO is already recognized outside the boarders of Finland and all for the right reason: these guys are capable of becoming the next major export in music as the hunger for female fronted rock and doom is ever increasing. 

Watch the official video for Astral Sabbat here:

2013 Irish albums you may be missing out

Mourning Beloveth: Formless

Irish Mourning Beloveth has been around for more than 20 years now. They play death doom metal with lyrical themes dealing anguish, despair and despondency and my first encounter with them was about three or four years ago. I haven't been a doom lover in the past, but somehow that all changed in the 2000's. It was not only anxiety in my own personal life that pushed me searching to gloom, depressive and mournful sounds but also my musical progression and desire for longer, more profound, thoughtful and epic songs. When I first heard The Mountains Are Mine or the entire Sullen Sulcus album, I was sold: this is how doom should sound in my ears.

Formless is only the fifth full length in their career, but what they lack in quantity they surpass in quality. The album is sorrowful, it is slow, it is emotional and it is monstrous in length: six songs and total playing time over 80 minutes. Only one song is below 10-minute mark, the others usually clocking in at quarter of an hour. What I love about this band are the harmonies the vocalists Frank Brennan (guitar & clean vocals) and Darren Moore (harsh vocals) are able to produce. Especially Frank's emotional singing style and the vocal delivery is one of the highlights of the year. Take for example Nothing Has A Centre: Frank gives one of the best, if not the best, vocals I have heard all year. Only Jón Hansen from Hamferd is able to fight back if you ask me.

Formless has been out since February and I have been playing it quite a lot. There is not much I can argue about the album, sure some songs could have been cut out to make it more radio friendly, but I am guessing this is not the direction or the desire of the band. One thing about the album is certain: it requires your total and utter attention as the songs are really consuming, strenuous and demanding. However when you reach the end of the album Nothing Has A Centre and the closing track Transmissions leave you in awe. This is one of the finest doom albums this year and I strongly urge you to check them out.

Listen to the opening track below:



Mael Mórdha: Damned When Dead

I am a sucker for Primordial, Ireland and pagan metal. Combine all these three elements and the result is Mael Mórdha, a little brother to the mighty Primordial. Some people hate the comparisons to other bands as each and every band wants to be known from its own songs and achievements. Mael Mórdha does not have to keep its head in the bush as it clearly rides on its own material, material which is actually pretty effing good.

Damned When Dead is band's fourth full length and first on Candlelight Records. Their sound is folky doom pagan metal in the roots of Primordial, DoomSword and Moonsorrow. Singer Roibéard Ó Bogail sounds clearly irish and his vocal style is emotional and patriotic. The production on the album is fitting and flow of the songs is usually mid-tempo and lyrics deal with Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Guitar tone is not super heavy yet crispy and balanced. What makes this album a winner in my books are the folk driven melodies give the album an atmosphere that separates them from the mass. I hope these guys would tour Finland soon in order to witness their stamina live.

Support the guys here: http://maelmordha.bandcamp.com


Altar Of Plagues: Teethed Glory & Injury

Remember when I was talking about the coolest album covers with Ataraxie? Well, Teethed Glory & Injury may have the other one fighting for that top position. How often have you seen a ballet dancer twisted in almost bearable position in a post-black metal album? Never? That's what I thought too.

In the beginning it was not clear to me that Altar Of Plagues called it quits after this album. Having listened to it 20 times or more, I now understand: where could they probably have gone from here? The album is not perfect, but it offers some the most out-of-the-box thinking and songwriting I have heard this year. It is almost as if James Kelly & the gang had an infernal vision that when we live, we go out with a big bang. They sure were able to execute this plan note by note. You have seen it on year-end lists and they deserve to be there for sure. I am going to tell you a secret though.

When I first heard God Alone, the first single from the album and saw the video with ballet dancers, I thought immediately: these guys have clearly lost it now. Where is my Cascadian style black metal, tremolo riffing and long 10-minute mark breaking epic songs? All these elements are missing from this album. Instead they have incorporated a haunting, industrial keyboards elements, post-rock style interludes and strong electronic fluence. As if you were listening to some sort of hybrid of post-rock, industrial hardcore and post-black metal. This is the reason why the scores for this album range from 11% to 97%, you are either going to love it or hate it.

Teethed Glory & Injury is the final vision of the band. Rest assured, all members pursue their musical career in other projects, one of which is Malthusian whose totally ripping demo I have reviewed in my earlier post. On the other hand, James Kelly is continuing with Wife, which has no metal elements at all and takes him to more electronic sounds. Take it or leave it, Altar Of Plagues exits the black metal scene on a high mark in my books although I am still having mixed feeling about the album sometime. Some days I am missing the long and epic black metal songs and other days I am really enjoying the groundbreaking sound and songwriting they present on their last album. The only thing I am more than gutted is that I never got to witness them live, by the time they were performing in Finland last year, I was safely attending Amon Amarth concert thinking these guys are sure coming back, they are still young. Boy was I wrong about that.

Listen and support below:




Dread Sovereign: Pray To The Devil In Man

Altar Of Plagues doing electronic black metal and Nemtheanga doing doom metal and playing bass? Has the entire Ireland gone bonkers? Dread Sovereign features Nemtheanga on bass and Sol Dubh on drums from Primordial and Bones on guitar from Wizards of Firetop Mountain. The trio was activated this year and Pray To The Devil In Man is their first EP on Roadburn Records. Dread Sovereign also played their first gig in Roadburn Festival 2013 this year and yes, I did not witness it. Unlike my imagination, my monetary funds are limited people.

When you first press play you grab the cover to check is it really Nemtheanga on vocals? Yup, the guy sounds actually like Ozzy on some parts sounding nasal and tense, but then effortlessly goes lower to his trademark register. I cannot stop admiring his talent and his attitude while performing on stage, every show I have been to he gives 100% to the fans, no less. I still remember the goosebumps I had when I first heard him shouting: "We are Primordial and we come from the Republic Of Ireland". Bloody hell, I almost wet my pants that day!

Pray To The Devil In Man features three tracks and 21 minutes of doom. The songs are pretty slow-paced and the melodies are sorrowful. The guys don't show off by giving you tapping solos or flaunt with technically difficult songs, but somehow the atmosphere is very down to earth and honest. This EP is best digested having some strong hopped beer or Irish whiskey. Consume with care.

Listen to the first single Thirteen Clergy To The Flames below:




Nomadic Ritual: Holy Giants

I stumbled across these guys by accident (as I have done with many unknown, but totally awesome bands before). After a brief homework session I learnt they are located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and are new to the scene. Holy Giants is the band's debut full length and they are offering it Name Your Price on Bandcamp. Actually both Limited Editions on tape and CD are sold out, but you can support the guys on Bandcamp directly by giving a few euros for the next pint of Guinness.

Nomadic Rituals play caveman doom (or something like that) where the sound of the bass so down-toned and crushingly heavy that you feel like your ears are ready to go deaf and heart is jumping out of your chest. There are no catchy choruses you can sing-along to, instead plenty to super gloom and heavy doom that will break your neck and vibrate the shirt you are wearing just as a reminder that not all music is intended to make you draw flowers or make you happy. I am not ready to slit my wrists either after this, in fact I am curious as hell to see if these guys are able to pull it off live. Good job guys and hopefully the Guinness money will start pouring in after all four people reading my blog will contribute you on Bandcamp. Sláinte!

Stream the album here and support!

2013 EPs, Demos, Splits, Covers, Singles worth checking out Part II

Árstíðir lífsins

Helrunar

 Fragments - A Mythological Excavation

Árstíðir lífsins is Icelandic and means "The Seasons Of Life". The band has been active only five years now and they write long, epic folky black metal songs based on careful research and scientific literature. It goes without saying that it is not the aim of this band to be affiliated with any politically charged scene within Metal. Árstiðir lífsins wants to present itself as an intelligently crafted work of art independent from any narrow-minded dogma. If you are new to these guys, I would strongly recommend checking their entire discography, both albums are simply great.

Vindsvalarmál is close to twenty minute epic ranging from one emotion to another. Though Metal and Folk are the most dominant musical influences in the music of Árstíðir lífsins, several other forms also add their qualities to the final result. Music and lyrics are tightly interwoven and change continuously, closely following the story told. That is why harsh, uncompromising Black Metal parts fade into folkloristic choir passages. This sentence was taken from their webpage as I couldn't have said it better myself. The vocals are extremely raw and passionate, giving you the feeling you are actually sitting by a campfire watching the vikings roar and telling their story. I have heard this song fifteen times already, but I always find new things with it, this is what makes this band very interesting but on the other hand very demanding.

Helrunar was born in Münster, Germany back in 2001 and it features Skald Draugir on vocals, who is part of Árstiðir lífsins too. I have to admit that I haven't followed their career quite actively, but I think it is changing. Why? Because Wein für Polyphem is really good and versatile song and holds up its site on the split very well. Both songs take their time and space to get full force, but once they reach their peaks you cannot stop banging your head uncontrollably. The songwriting on both songs proves why you don't lose your interest although these two songs could easily make two entire grindcore or powerviolence albums.

Helrunar is probably easier to approach as the lyrics, although sung in German, have a clear chorus which you can relate to. Vindsvalarmál is harder to get into due to having very little to sing-along to, but the atmosphere is very well executed and the orchestral parts add value to the entire experience. This split is well worth the purchase and a great listen while conquering new ground or taking a long hike in the forest.

Listen to both songs below and buy it on Van Records.

Amiensus

Oak Pantheon

Gathering

Amiensus is one of my new findings from Bandcamp. They only released their debut album Restoration on Pest Productions last year and now they offer a CD split with Oak Pantheon on Tridroid Records. Restoration took me by surprise as this young band is clearly enthusiastic and passionate about the music they create. Some songs on Restoration remind me of Opeth and that is a compliment to these guys. Arise is Amiensus' longest song to date reaching the ten minute mark and these guys are in it to win it. Amiensus' style could be described as progressive black metal and the song offers clean and harsh vocals and melodic passages holding the act together.

Oak Pantheon is another stellar finding from Bandcamp a few years ago as they reminded me of Agalloch. Some people might call them copycats, but there is a lot more these guys have to offer. Their entire discography is impressive and especially Architecht of the void Pt II from their EP The Void 2011 is one of my favorite tracks in the last two years: that guitar melody is simply haunting! Their sound is slightly different on A Gathering, but I am still enjoying it tremendously.

Most of all the guys are some of the nicest guys in the industry! Back in the day my order for From A Whisper was almost lost in the mail as Katrina hit the Broken Limbs Recordings warehouse and since it was not sure if my order would reach me, the guys sent me a copy from their personal collection along with a note that their entire discography would be free for me for life, now how cool is that?

Listen to the split here and support the guys!

Conan

Bongripper

Zero Talent / Beheaded

Conan is as crushing as it should be. The name compels the band to sound massive, primitive and cannibalistic and that is exactly what this Liverpool trio does. The guitar is downtoned, the sound is heavy and since they play really caveman like doom, it is slow and loud. Conan has been active only since 2006 and their debut album, Monnos, was highly acclaimed in 2012 lists. You should check out this beast here.

Beheaded is a 17-minute crushing journey to the roots of doom. There is little to complain about the song if you value stoner doom. They don't show off by playing fast solos or writing one liner choruses, but the heavy and overwhelming atmosphere they can create is like a ten ton hammer crushing you like a worthless maggot. I have yet to experience these guys live, so I cannot tell you whether my heart is going to jump out of my chest, but ask me again in April cause they are coming to Tampere then. 

Chicago's Bongripper plays instrumental doom and have been around the same time as Conan, so they fit perfectly together in this split. Unfortunately I still haven't checked their entire back catalog, but Satan Worshipping Doom is downright heavy and as nasty as a nail under your fingernail. It has only four songs, but you get close to 53 minutes of heavy stoner doom to keep you warm. What about the song titles? Hail, Satan, Worship, Doom? Combine that with the name of the band and we have a winner again.

Once Zero Talent (gotta love these guys) kicks in, you can expect heavy riffing and a bass that will have your heart skipping a few beats every now and then. The heavy and massive guitar wall is thicker than Conan's and more versatile, but since there are no vocals the guys are keeping me focused and eager to hear the next passage or riff. This is pretty much the perfect song to work out to, you can torture yourself as much as you like as these guys will not give in. As far as I know Bongripper is currently unsigned, but I am guessing it won't last long.

Listen here and support these great bands!

Solstice: Death's Crown Is Victory

Although Solstice have been around since 1990, only two albums have surfaced so far: Lamentations from 1994 and New Dark Age from 1998. Solstice plays epic traditional heavy / doom and their sound is clear and majestic. To my ear their style is reminiscent to Atlantean Kodex, Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass. I have to admit that I was not familiar with band before, but I am glad I found them. Based on the reactions on the net, their return was more than hoped and on Bandcamp and Last.Fm the fans are praising their return. 

Death's Crown Is Victory is a might four-track EP featuring entirely new band with guitarist Richard M. Walker being the only remaining founding member in the band. The EP starts with Fortress England, a three minute instrumental which set the mood perfectly. By the time I Am The Hunter kicks in you will hear powerful riffing and traditional, true heavy metal atmosphere. Paul Kearns behind the mic fits perfectly to the band and his sound is soft and powerful. There is a lot to like about this EP: first of all everything is somehow fitting: the production, the atmosphere and the vocals. If you like traditional heavy metal with a touch of doom, you would be fool to pass this by. 

Listen and support here:

Bölzer: Aura

Bölzer hails from Zurich, Switzerland and have been established in 2008. There are only two guys in the band: drummer HzR and guitarist & vocalist KzR. Thus you could easily compare them to Columbian black metal masters Inquisition, but their sound is more death than black metal to me. I knew absolutely nothing about this band, but as their name kept popping up on magazines and webzines posting their best of 2013 lists. As soon as I found them from Iron Bonehead Bandcamp, I was instantly hooked.

Aura is a three-track EP offering twenty minutes of relentless, crushing death / black metal. Their sound is based on heavy riffing, pulsating drumming and crushing vocals. They atmosphere they can create with just guitar and drums is really exquisite and fitting. One would think the songs need bass or another guitar to sound complete, but the guys pull it off. Especially the riffing in Entranced By The Wolfshook will have you headbanging the entire week and is easily one of the biggest surprised I have heard this year. So far the only complaint I have heard is that why is this EP so short. Haha, well three songs will have your body craving for more and based on this ruthless attack I am pretty sure the guys will be dropping a full length next year. Here's to hoping.

Listen and support the band here:

Atomic Aggressor

Death Yell

Blind Servants / Back From The Depths Split

Atomic Aggressor and Death Yell are two death/black metal bands from Chile. I had absolutely no information on these bands before, but it was yet another link on Facebook I clicked (luckily) and I was hooked and did my homework on the bands. 

Atomic Aggressor has been active almost thirty years now (vow!) and so far they have released only three demos, a compilation and a live album. Death Yell's history is pretty much the same: a demo, a split, an EP and a compilation since they formed back in 1986. Then again both bands called it quits in the early 1990's and have now been reactived and I am glad they did.

Blind Servants starts with downtoned guitar tone and blasting drumming. The song grabs you by the balls instantly and headbanging is imminent. Atomic Aggressor's style is old school death metal with modern twist and they remind me of Morbid Angel and Disma. The only complaint I have is the a bit muddy production, but it doesn't take away the fact that the song kicks ass.

Back From The Depths doesn't really slow things down and is even better in my opinion. I remember when I first heard it, the guitar riff on the chorus was stuck in my head for days and I kept repeating it. There is something really catchy about this song and it takes me back to the good ol' death metal days. The production is a bit flat here too, but the song kicks so much ass that it really doesn't matter.

I hope both bands will release their first full lenghts on 2014 and deserve more recognition. I need to do my homework on Chilean death metal too (note to self).

Listen to the split here on Hell's Headbangers Bandcamp page:

Aylwin

Stellar Descent

Farallon

Enter another two entirely new bands from US I had never heard before. Aylwin hails from California playing atmospheric black metal with lyrical themes about nature (as you can expect from the cover art) and atavism. Their sound is reminiscent of US Cascadian Black Metal with lengthy and epic songs concentrating on riffages, building atmosphere on distorted guitars and wailing vocals. There is really little to complain about Aylwin side of the split,  My Spirit of Pine and the Outer Body Experience: A Sequence of Night and Day. The song is a 14-minute composition starting with eerie female chanting before blasting into black metal beat and relentless riffing. It has all the classic elements of atmospheric black metal and it is best listened upon a cold, frosty night looking at the stars. If you happen to live in a wooden cottage up in the mountains sipping your last drop of whiskey by the campfire I would assume the surroundings would be perfect for this record.

Stellar Descant is Anthony W's one-man project from Oregon and has been active since 2010. The guy is pretty productive and has managed to put out two demos, two full-lengths and two splits so far. My first encounter was with Farallon split and it caught my attention immediately. Farallon: A Sequence of Subduction and Orogeny is a 29-minute monolith and returning to it now while writing this takes me back in emotions. Although the song is long including from distorted riffing and blast beat drumming to acoustic guitar passages, bird shrieking samples and native American percussion like drum parts, the entire composition holds well together and takes you to places. To me the high point is the relentless drumming accompanied by wailing and high-pitched screams, man I do feel alive at that point. I would use the term my friend is using and makes me smile everytime: "Sent me flying backwards".

There are quite a lot atmospheric, forest worshiping bands from the US lately (especially Cascadian region), but for some reason their atmosphere and message fits me perfectly. Everything is somehow down-to-earth, believable and honest. The production is not perfect but the raw and emotional soundscape, undying energy and honesty is something you can relate to easily. To me it feels these guys are creating the music they have always wanted, download it up to Bandcamp with pay what you will option and probably hope that at some point a music lover from Indonesia, Canada, China, Russia, Chile or Finland will find you and promote you in his/her blog. I love doing this and I hope you love reading this as much.

Listen/download to the entire split here and support these great bands: