Castevet: "Obsian"

Featuring the bass player from Krallice this New York band releases its second full length of very dense black-metal crossover. It's often hard for me to think of this album s death metal as the vocal lack shrieking and though there is the dissonant ambiance droning even in the thrashier brutality of the album nothing strikes meas being malevolent about their sound, pissed maybe. This is similar to how I feel about Krallice, but these guys are more enthralling than Krallice as they understand their playing must suit the song rather than just be the song.

"Cavernous" gets a little darker than the opener, but also ride the line between what is progressive death metal and what is black metal . The drummer is impressive he keeps a tribal swirl going with his rapid tom work. They strike a really good balance of letting the song breath while keeping a vice grip on the tension. The arrangement's flow really well.  It often strikes me like this is   the ambiance  tech death metal bands would like to do but can't fully realize, like the prog ending to "Cavernous".

The angular ugliness stays the course on " the Curve" , which is not as easy of a listen, as the turns in the riff are jarring before they slow down. The strummed chords ring out to a great effect than when the picking becomes a blur. When riff goes into a more straight forward race with the double bass it doesn't get interesting until the bass player finds a melody beneath it.

There is a cool melodic ring to "As Fathomed by Beggars and Victims" that reminds me of a less  folk tinged Agalloch. The song becomes a sonic trash compactor as it condenses before allowing a melodic burst out in the final minute. In the closing chug fest of "Seat of Severence" a clean vocal comes out as a surprising change. I think is is very effective dynamic, it's layered with a cool melody that reminds me of a less romantic Emperor. Sadly fans of heavier music ignorantly shun melodic singing, I think it allows the music to be heavier around it.This album is worth checking out, I'll give it a 9.

Survival -S/T

 I had almost forgotten this  new project from Liturgy's Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, was still waiting in the wings. The self titled album finds Greg Smith, and Jeff Bobula from the hardcore band Crushed team up with former band mate Hunter from when they were in a screamo band called Birthday Boyz. The album has been in the making for five years and was finally put to wax with  Colin Marston from Krallice and  Dysrhythmia  who recorded this at The Thousand Cave studio and the album sounds great  it is warm, full and organic, in some ways it reminds me of Aesthethica if it were mixed with Tool the clean sung and heavily harmonized are like Hunter's screams in Liturgy not the focal point of the songs which take some twists and turns .

From the opening you can feel a little of the Smashing Pumpkins groove that Hunter has eluded to in interviews prior to this albums release. The harmonies are a little Alice in Chains at times as well, but the album wouldn't be labeled as grunge due to it's angular nature and the guitar tone isn't fuzzed out and Sabbathy for the most part. Most of the time the guitar sounds like smoothed over Liturgy devoid of all the blasty mcnasty. 

The Tool comparison comes in with the mathy way the riffs bob and weave around one another. Unlike Tool they are not headed towards a big arena rock chorus. There is also something more organic and rock n roll to their sounds where Tool is darker and almost industrial. "Original Pain" takes the groove of the first song and boogie to it before winding away in a similar maze of dizzying turns. I takes the first three minutes before the ears here distinguishable traits in the the path way set out for the vocals . 

"Freedom 1" winds its way to life from the labyrinth the other songs were crafted from, but with a more shimmering jangle to it's chords. Like Liturgy, when it comes to writing songs they are not a afraid to just let the riff sit on its own to be fucked with and devoid of vocals. In some ways on this one there is a Mastodon thing happening. "Second Freedom" has a vocal chant to it that floats over the syncopated punches that are scattered under the song like a mine field.          

 The reprise of "tragedy" is under a minute so it seems more like an interlude rather than a free standing song, it mainly vocal harmonies swelling. "Since the Sun" breaks down into a slower acoustic ebb, that is haunting but minimal. They come blaring back into the tightly wound Tool like syncopations on "Our Way" and "Freedom 3", which are both similar in tone. Freedom 3 sets itself apart in tempo of the verse and goes into a more droning punch which is pretty cool.    

  I think fans of Liturgy will be able to appreciate this, though most black metal fans were either open minded enough to like them or got caught up in the hipster element and never gave the band a fair shake. Hunter has said in interview he sees Liturgy moving away from black metal, as he doesn't want to repeat himself, so this album makes a lot of sense. 

I will give this one an 8.5 as it's a fun listen and still growing on me, though most of the songs have a very similar feel to them and sounds like variations on a theme, just set to different tempos, rather than building dynamically.  

Watain@ the Masquerade 2013

It makes sense for Watain to play in Hell, the day after Halloween. I arrived at the Masquerade to be met by my co-workers at Chambers  Horror , the torture porn themed haunted house the venue operates, to be  told how the band had been airing out their carcasses in front of the haunt, and caused a stench, so when a walked into the venue shortly after Tribulation took the stage I was expecting to be smacked with a foulness that never came. I was later informed the pig's heads Erik impaled on the inverted crosses were only a day old, though the crosses themselves were fifteen years old.

I really enjoyed what I caught of Tribulation's set, the had a jammy element that captured the ambiance of their recorded work well. The spandex and big hair caught me off guard, as they looked like H.I.M, minus Ville. They had the best sound overall, every thing came across very full and clear while In Solitude's guitar mix sounded best when the guitars were locked in playing the thrashier Maiden like riffs , than when the ventured into the more ambient melodic sections, things hollowed out a little.But this is more of  a problem with the downstairs stag at the venue being cavernous.

In Solitude blended the new songs well with the older stuff. Their was a much different energy to their performance, it was less explosive and Pelle was lurching into the crowd, in the latter portion of their set. His brother's backing vocals at times almost overshadowed him. Headlining a bigger stage is on their horizon, and I am interested seeing how that translates for them, as they were cramped on the small stage and it stifled their energy a tad, but they worked well with the situation given over all and I enjoyed their performance.

Watain's set was set for a ritual that looked for like something out of the Hills Have Eyes , as the stage was surrounded in the back drop of  hide skins spread around it with bones and dried carcasses adorning it. Erik's altar sat beneath the drum riser. The band took the stage and blistered into the assault, though their sound when they first came on was mid-range heavy and got dialed in as the set progressed.

Despite the fact they were touring to support, the Wild Hunt the band leaned heavily on Sworn to the Dark instead,only playing four songs from the new album. The set which is posted below only featured two songs from the Lawless Darkness album, dipping into 2003's  "Casus Luciferi" for "Devil's Blood" and even digging up from the graves of 2000 " On Horns Impaled" from Rabid Deaths Curse"   They attacked the  material with the feral intensity,  and the choices of  newer songs were well blended into the selections from their discography to keep the momentum in a solid blast, only allowing it to breathe in moments like for title track off their new album, which seemed almost to serve as a segue into "Sworn to the Dark" as it felt abbreviated in the live arrangement, with backing tacks layering the more melodic vocal section.

The ferocity of velocity , was balanced out with a more ritualistic intent to the performance than their set did when they preformed with Behemoth last year. Muggles might view this element to be theatrics, but while many metal bands like to don occult trappings to keep up appearances Erik is very sincere in his beliefs. At he appeared to be in a trance like state while he held the mic stand in-between arcane snarls. The trance was infectious, carrying over into the audience as the throb of violent vibrations,  conjured up a performance that stopped time, it came to an end and from the smoke machined hazed we realized over an hour had passed. One of the most intense metal acts on the road today, do not miss if they swing through your town.    

• 1. Night Vision 
  2. De Profundis 
  3. Storm of the Antichrist 
  4. Malfeitor 
  5. Devil's Blood 
  6. Satan's Hunger 
  7. The Wild Hunt 
  8. Sworn to the Dark 
  9. Reaping Death 
  10. Outlaw 
  11. Stellarvore 
  12. On Horns Impaled 
  13. The Serpent's Chalice 

Merchandise@ the EARL

The East Atlanta Village on a Halloween night was less impressive than one would think, douche bags in store bought costumes are underwhelming when you have been to Dragon Con and Comic con, the Earl was fairly low key, a guy with scruff dressed as Pee- Wee Herman and a few costumes in the front bar, nothing special. EAV was particularly un-creepy, the creepiest moment was walking into the Earl to find George Batille Battle Cry, banging away in the darkened corner, not on the stage but their singer spasming on the floor, like it was a house show. I was surprised to find out they are an Atlanta band , as we don't get much dark music around town as it goes more into the indie fare, but they are like a post- punk Jesus Lizard.

I t was apparent from the turn out the hipsters care more about some electro hip hop show at the Basement that rock n roll particularly if said rock n roll carries any substance. Merchandise were milling around each other in front of the stage before they went on I would have not noticed them until their singer went on stage, set his drink down and grabbed the acoustic guitar before coming down to joke with his band mates.

I think the low turn out for the band was a telling sign of how behind the times Atlanta is when it comes to new music, being caught up with garage rock and stoner metal . My expectation of this show ere highly elevated beyond reality, because Merchandise, is one of my favorite new bands which is not new news if you read this blog. I expected some sort of new wave flamboyance, as they almost have a Smiths like vibe to their music, which ended up not transitioning over live.

They took the stage casually, and simmered to live in a wall of tender sonics that combined tuning their instruments in a swell of sound. They captured a sound live that would have much more in common with shoe gaze than any other tags that might have been attached to them in the past. The darker element to their music was more a bar room brooding than any thing close to goth or even post-punk. The Florida's old punk roots came to the fore front as the singer banged at the acoustic guitar with a sneer.

The song that carried the most impact live was "Anxiety's Door" is brought what had been a more dreamy shoe gaze vibe into a condensed charge. I could hear similarities to perhaps Husker Du , in the translation of live drums applied to the songs, rather than their normal more electronic feel, which with three guitars , bass and drums onstage it was a much more rock feel than what is depicted on the albums, not to say it became too organic, as the guitars all found their own space, on the last song one of the guitarists played keys and the singer abandoned his guitar by the end of the that song as well.

Singer Carson Cox's voice held are more monotone baritone, rather than his more acrobatic croon which floats over their recorded material, but he was rather drunk, mumbling in between numbers, and aware of the understated presence of the band by saying, "I'm just another ass hole who is not dressed up". But it is rock no roll and it gave him more of a Jim Morrison like swagger than the Morrissey flamboyance I expected.; he seemed impressed by the Earl's sound, while I getting more of the monitor mix so maybe his vocals were coming through hotter in the house speakers.

My first time catching the band, I would like to catch them again, now that i know what to expect as I feel, they try to capture the moment rather than dial in a similar set list.

Zola Jesus: Versions

I have had this in rotation for some time now since it's August release but never got around to reviewing it since it came out around the same time as the Katatonia album which took a separate approach, but with Zola this seems to be  more dramatic turn than the normally morose, Swedish band, not that she is a bucket of laughs either but her music is so beat driven and electronic it makes this unplugged version of her work seem more like new songs.

She even takes a different approach to singing where Jonas of Katatonia  , was pretty much business as usual. This can be seen very clearly on the slow string accompaniment of "Avalanche" which is beautifully sung and arranged but not really a must listen for me."Fallback" does a much better job and allow her to open up and sing in a manner that's closer to what feel like her sweet spot. One thing that is noted about this album is she has found her own voice and is further from her earlier Siouxsie imitations , she very rarely carries her chest voice into the throaty belt that has been characteristic of her singing style up until this point ,which I think shows a good deal of maturation in her singing style. It translates well to songs like "Hikikomori" from her last album "Conatus".  "Run Me out" originally off of  Stridulum II, receives a much more somber treatment here.

"Seekir" is given a heavier nod toward her more electronic roots, and the strings propel the song along side the beat, which is not as in your face as the original version. The new arrangement of "Seatalk" really gives Zola a chance to spread out her vocal chops. It goes to show that when a song is well written it is going to be well written no matter how it's preformed if it is a song that will stand the test of time.

"Night" sheds it's 80's goth feel, but manages to feel just as dark. Her voice is a little more subdued than the original version , but its a tasteful vocal performance that serves the cello heavy new version. The beat pules in the distance before launching in when the strings build the tension.

The new arrangement to "In Your Nature" strikes as even slightly more experimental than the original and is sung much more emotionally than the original as well.The string accent where the bass lines would normal build the beat.

Though well sung, "Collapse' just kind of languishes over itself, luckily "Vessel" comes in behind it and bats clean up. Every part of this one blows away the first , which was an incredible song to begin with.The strings are best employed and arranged here. Overall , she succeeds and shows a lot of growth. I  was disappointed  when I learned this was just an unplugged rearrangement of her older material so she had to win me over with this . I'll give it a 9.5 .

Arcade Fire : "Reflektor"

They are one of David Bowie's favorite new bands so that earns them a spot here. Off the bat "Funeral" is the only album I have given several spins by these guys, but I have respected what they have done in between, in just wasn't catching my ear.  On "Funeral" the influences seemed to have been worn on their sleeves, the Talking Heads, Television and the Pixies more prominently. A lot of the quirky jangly indie rock style guitar and nasal David Byrne like vocals back matured into a fuller sound both vocally and instrumental.

The influence of their admirer seems to have surfaced along of that of Roxy Music, as this album has the groove of Bowie' German disco days . This album is not a desperate in its hopefulness as "Funeral" there are some grooves that sound like they are left from "Billie Jean" . So this is a much dancier affair overall. There are some songs like "Here Comes the Night Time" that have some raw , rough edges to it but even that stays close to beat, not unlike some of the Cure's more commercial elements on say "Close to Me".
The choir of gang vocals that chime in seems to be one of the bands trademarks and this comes in in the second song.   The lyrics to songs like reggae swagger of  " Flash Bulb Eyes"  reflect on the bands time spent in the media spotlight.

The momentum they had built up to this point on the album climaxes on "Normal Person" which feels like a punk rock scruffy version of T-Rex to me.  Then the albums blows it load and has a hard time getting it back up and into a groove until "It's Never Over" . With the annoyingly peppy cheering section of "You Already Know, becoming a limp fast forward classic. "Joan of Arc" sounds like the Plastic Ono and it's followed by an even more Beatles heavy "Awful Sound" which reminds me of "Woman is the Nigger of the World"

They get their new disco groove back, and often that sort of thing reminds me of Goldfrapp. The bass line on this one is really rich. The keyboard sound on "Porno" sounds like it's from that dumb Paul McCartney X-mas song.  With their knack for writing vocal lines having to pick up the slack, for what just doesn't seem like them otherwise. "Afterlife" takes a similar electronic approach, but is more effective in it's execution. Even with the influences they paraded their arcade in on previous albums it seems like it was more of their own voice than falling somewhere in between "Emotional Rescue" and Depeche Mode.  Like the album closer "Super symmetry"  which wavers around on synth strings with out going anywhere.  

 I'll give this one a 7 and suspect that I might have preferred the new Of Montreal instead, but the front end of this album is very well done, it just falls apart at the end and loses its identity.

Interview: Ihsahn

It was good to catch back up with the Emperor front man, here's what he said...

Wil- I know your latest Album Das Seelenbrechen was an intentional step away from your past solo albums, so how did you go about this ?

Ihsahn - the previous album were heavy, with 8 string guitars and sax, so this time I wanted to stay inspired and out of my comfort zone and go about this like many of the artists I have had an admiration for who express themselves spontaneously. For the more metal albums I have always worn so many hats on the production side of things, all the control leaves little space. So I wanted to go backwards, bring back the black metal atmosphere and try different musical forms. I wanted to explore different chord colors. I would go into the studio in the middle of the night with two lyrics and took them to the drummer and just picked up my guitar and improvised. It is how I imagine Diamanda Galas might create with some of her more vocal works.

Wil - and the drummer on this is the same guy from Leprous ?

Ihsahn- yes , Tobias. It seemed like the most natural choice, after touring with him and having built a dynamic. I can't imagine doing it with anyone else ,as he can play the ore black metal up beat drumming as well as relate to the improvisation.

Wil- Let's talk about "Pulse" it's a very different song for you, how did it come about?

Ihsahn - From the spontaneous way of working, I bought a Moog and made an electronic beat with it and then used it to make a bass line. I also used it for a lot of the bass lines on the albums heavier songs as well. I have listened to a lot of electronic music over the years, and the idea built out of itself.

Wil- You mentioned the Moog, gear wise was there anything else new you tried in the studio?

Ihsahn - I have always like to use new things, this time it was more of a mix from the 8 strings to a hybrid long scale 7 string that Ibenez came out with. I also used a Telecaster, as it is the only way to get that certain twangy sound. I even came back into possession of my first guitar from when I was 10 and used it. I played percussively on old acoustics and sampled that.

Wil- The title references the Nietzsche saying about "art of the ugly soul" was this the theme for the album?

Ihsahn - That word is not a real German word , he put it together and I felt it summed up the feeling that comes from my inspiration. Perception synonymous with abstract, I crave it when I listen to music. To reach the place beyond perception where you loose yourself. That is where those happy mistakes come from, the ego is aside and its nothing technical.

Wil- I think since music  works off vibrations, becomes more conducive to doing that than physical art forms. Did you find improvisation put you in a more meditative space to reach that place ?

Ihsahn- Absolutely, To break off from your own ego and most artists have great egos, myself included, so to loose the conscious side, and express your self without the critical goblin on your shoulder. There is often imagery attached to music but easier to make our own interpretations.

Wil- So what was the lyrical theme for the album?

Ihsahn- I have always written personal lyrics masking them with grandiose images, to hide the personal, so its open to interpretation , rather than leave myself naked. I think as I wrote more spontaneously it came from a more personal state of mind. Some one who is smarter than me said " All art is created from a place between megalomainia and self loathing. It's a roller coaster between the two and it hasn't gotten any easier.

Wil- What challenges do you see the new material creating when you transition to playing it live?

Ihsahn- I think the challenge will be the stage. Most of the shows I have been playing recently are outside festivals and I have been opening with "On the Shores and closing with " the Grave" they are both slow with long sax passages, I think it is necessary to play them, but in the early evening, in the heat every one is drinking cold beer and just having fun. So some if might be more fitting for indoor festivals where it is more experimental and tailor the set for specific performances, so not as much compromise but what is practical.

Wil - With the Emperor reunion coming in 2014, was this in the back of your mind or influence you at all when writing this album ?

Ihsahn - This was finished before those talks came about, but I have always been reluctant to do Emperor, it's no secret I have been rather stubborn as I want my current music to be as relevant as what I have done in the past, though by embracing the attitude of not being in control it took me back to the place from when we were 19 and recorded in the Night Side Eclipse. We just had the intense drive to create with having any experience, so it will be easier from that place to relate to old Emperor and hopefully I feeling so that it can be preformed with the needed intensity.

Wil- One thing we share is a love for King Diamond. There's a trend coming from Sweden with bands like , Ghost and In Solitude who are very influenced by him. What influence has he had on you and how does that continue?

Ihsahn - I grew up listening to Priest and Maiden but then the King Diamond band came and added more of a depth and epic nature of its drama . King Diamond's vocal style is so expressive and has such a range of different voices. Andy Laroque is my favorite guitarist. His tone, playing and expressiveness have all influenced mine. I have listened to Maiden's Seventh Son, album the most, but Them is right behind it.

Wil- Yeah, I always felt King took what they did and gave it a more romantic darkness, that was a big influence to early black and to what Emperor did.

Ihsahn - Yes, he wrote about deliberately about satanism where it had only been skimmed on in a superficial sense. Death metal is one dimensional. Is just aggression . The vocal style is just aggressive, where with a black metal scream it can convey a wider range of emotion. There is aggression, but there is also desperation and melancholy. King Diamond's voice is like that it has a nasty side, but in his lower croon a more mournful sound.

Wil - Speaking of variety in vocal ranges, your's becomes more refined, how do you see yourself growing with it comes to actually singing?

Ihsahn - I have slowly accepted my voice as it is. When I was younger, I never thought about it I just did it and went for it. As I have gotten older, I'm more self aware. It's always been a challenge to like my own voice. So to just sing as it sounds is difficult , with the harsh vocals it's easier to express, like playing with distortion on the guitar. But I write songs where it is necessary and I like building the harmonies, but singing is always difficult.

Wil - Do lesson do you feel you took away from making this album?

Ihsahn - Improved at breaking self imposed barriers. The idea that having the confidence to try something different . I'm a big fan of Radiohead and every one though Ok Computer was great but then they followed it up by changing their whole sound and bringing in computers and making electronic music, though it still sounds like Radiohead. So to be free and trust the process and know that it will happen.

Wil - Well its that time of the month for Halloween, what does this time of year mean for you?

Ihsahn - Oh, I very much enjoy it but it has become about the children.

Wil - Haha, yeah My daughter is three now and one day she wants to be Cinderella the next Batgirl, so we could be buying costumes all month.

Ihsahn - My daughter has been planning Halloween for a year now.

Wil-  Well , looks like we are out of time...

Ihsahn - Always enjoy talking with you ,look forward to talking to you again.