Before anything can be said about how good the debut album, “A Thousand Hands”, by Sextile is, I feel compelled to note that Felte is quickly becoming a new favorite record label. It should have been clear that I am a huge fan of Ritual Howl’s “Turkish Leather“. Since, I’ve been keeping an eye on … Read more
“Turkish Leather” by Ritual Howls is dark, post-punk, gothic rock the way it was meant to be done. These guys are representing Detroit in the best way imaginable: It is dark, gritty, properly brooding and utterly atmospheric. I am entirely late to this party, this album has been out since last September and I just … Read more
“7C858C” is the first in the UNDISCLOSED series, an intriguing and compelling release concept curated by Headphone Commute. The idea is to find an existing, somewhat notable artist, strip away all branding and identity and let them release music that may not fit stylistically what their normal audience might expect. Interestingly, the lack of branding and identity creates a … Read more
Kreng might make the scariest music on Earth. This is a bold statement when I consider my listening habits, but I find myself pleasantly disturbed sitting here listening to Kreng’s new masterpiece, “The Summoner”. Most of the tracks are named for one of the stages of grief, and that theme sits well. “The Summoner” is … Read more
I had an interesting opportunity to attend the L.A. premier of the new film “20,000 Days on Earth”, a sort of stylish documentary film about Bad Seeds front man, Nick Cave. We were shown the film, then Nick Cave came out and did a Q&A mixed with a solo performance, that yielded some interesting insight … Read more
“Obscura” is an original score composed by Adrian Aniol for a theatre production. This must have been a frightening production as the music is utterly dark, tense and horrifying. This music is scary in the same way the Penderecki compositions used in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” is scary. Its completely suspenseful, and keeps you moving … Read more
The new album by Pinkish Black, “Razed To The Ground” is an epic work that could be the soundtrack to a bad ass, early 80’s Sword and Sorcery flick. This is heavy, drudge metal, layered with waves of vintage filter sweeps that evoke images of battles, journeys to the underworld and heroic deaths. Amazingly, this … Read more
Row Boat’s new full length album, “ETT”, was reviewed by Stationary Travels, a nice blog that focuses on ambient, post-rock and modern classical music. As enjoyable as were the EPs, ”Romance” and “Svaret är ja”, “ETT” unfurls the full scope and power of Mark’s creative vision and it arrives as a significant and ear-catching contribution … Read more
Chelsea Wolfe’s album “Pain Is Beauty” is epic, bold, ethereal and beautiful. This is a full fledged, fully realized rock album, covering all the gothic torch-bearing attributes one could ever hope to find in one album. The instrument selection bounces around a fair bit song to song, but it does not distract from the cohesiveness … Read more
Lustmord’s “The Word as Power” is an appropriately potent album that departs musically from the drones that make up his previous albums. This album still has Lustmord’s signature drones and dark ambiance, but is accompanied by extremely rich vocal performances. The vocals are provided by an assortment of guest vocalists including Aina Skinnes Olsen, Jarboe … Read more