Entropia - Ufonaut

By Ulla Roschat. Ufonaut is like a swarm of bees on a psychedelic trip, hysterically energetic and intense, a mix of overwhelming, frenzied complexity and a melodic and rhythmic catchiness

By Ulla Roschat.

Artwork by Kuba Sokólski

Ufonaut is like a swarm of bees on a psychedelic trip, hysterically energetic and intense, a mix of overwhelming, frenzied complexity and a melodic and rhythmic catchiness that is extremely compelling from the very beginning to its end.

Five piece band Entropia from Oleśnica/Poland blend sludge, psychedelic, and post metal elements into their black metal and ... abracadabra... out comes a magic potion that melts your brain as well as it crushes your skull before you even know what's happening here. But don't worry, as I said above, it's extremely compelling and that will keep you coming back and hit the play button again and again and everything begins to open up to you.

There's a black metal fury combined with a post metal ambience and psychedelic, often dissonant melodies embedded and woven into intricate structures with breathtakingly dynamic riffage and drumming. Vocals are used moderately and kept low in the mix to great effect. They sound like almost drowning in the instrumental massiveness and this way add a great sense of eerieness and despair to the already haunting and crazed out atmosphere.

Ufonaut is an excellent follow up to Entropia's debut album Vesper(2013). The CD version contains 7 songs and is about 43 minutes long, the vinyl version has an additional bonus track, which is also available as digital track on the band's Bandcamp.

The song "Apogeum" is featured on The Wicked Lady Show 107

Short and to the point 4

By Aaron Sullivan. First up is a band from my local scene, Deathkings. Their second album All That Is Beautiful is one that I have been anticipating for some time. Finally hearing it in full, I was not let down. Thier sound is that of progressive Sludge. Songs are epic each one their own journey. What really comes across is the weight of the music.

By Aaron Sullivan.


First up is a band from my local scene, Deathkings. Their second album All That Is Beautiful is one that I have been anticipating for some time. Finally hearing it in full, I was not let down.

Thier sound is that of progressive Sludge. Songs are epic each one their own journey. What really comes across is the weight of the music. Heavy comes in many forms. The easiest is to downtune, amp up, and turn it up to 11. But to achieve heaviness without doing that is what this album has in spades. Even in the quiet moments it still feels heavy. Emotionally and sonically.

Cover art by Yag Mort

In an effort of full disclosure, I had never heard of Australia's Ill Omen until I saw this album posted on instagram. So I thought I’d check it out. Damn glad I did. Within two songs I was on the NWN web site and ordering the album.

As I said I am not familiar with this one man band’s past albums, so while Ill Omen may be categorized as Black Metal, Æ.Thy.Rift plays much more like a Death/DOOM album. In fact the first band that came to my mind was Nortt. This album has atmosphere for days. The vocals are a mix or whispered screams and gurgling growls. The music is dark and brooding. I love when you take a chance on an album and it pays off.

Been on a bit of an experimental/noise/ambient trip as of late and because of that been going to a lot of shows that feature this type of music. A few weeks back I was treated to the sounds of Wire Werewolves. I was blown away.

They mix experimental noise, hints of industrial, and Death Metal style riffing. Vocals are provided by clips taken from news show about murder and satanic rituals. They do a great job of balancing these different genres. The coldness of the industrial and these sublime death metal riffs. They prove once again why you show up for all the bands. Never know what you might be surprised by.

"Burnt out bangers from the shit end of the valley." Well that is one way to describe L.A.’s three piece Child. Another way would be to call them some good old Stoner/DOOM with hints of psychedelia. In the vein of Kyuss and Yawning Man.

Songs have a haze about them usually achieved by the help of mind altering substances. Fat bluesy riffs with an even fatter bass lines. Vocals that are drenched in reverb. Nothing fancy. They just keep it simple. But in that simplicity they achieve so much.

From the land of 10,000 lakes come Livid and their two song demo of DOOMY goodness, Sint.

It opens with a this thick crunchy bass line that is hypnotic and heavy at the same time. It lays a foundation that allows the guitars to kind of dance around. But what really sets them apart is the approach to the vocals. This type of DOOM is usually met with harsh vocals. But they go the other way. His vocals have this epic gothy feel to them. They are like the light leading you through the muck and the mire. Very impressive debut.

Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

By Justin C. What we're faced with here is Pleiades' Dust, a 33-minute-long metal song/EP about the rise and fall of the House of Wisdom, a library in Baghdad from the 9th through 13th centuries. The House of Wisdom served as a then-unparalleled center of learning and intellectual pursuit

By Justin C.

Cover art by Zbigniew Bielak

What we're faced with here is Pleiades' Dust, a 33-minute-long metal song/EP about the rise and fall of the House of Wisdom, a library in Baghdad from the 9th through 13th centuries. The House of Wisdom served as a then-unparalleled center of learning and intellectual pursuit during a time that was otherwise considered the Dark Ages, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. I know what you're thinking--most bands could easily get lost in a 8-minute song about Cthulhu, let alone 33 minutes about the Islamic Golden Age, so this will probably be a formless mess of overly long interludes and a guitarist grinding pointlessly away on the most Middle Eastern-sounding scale he knows. But this isn't most bands. This is Gorguts.

Luc Lemay, 2014. Photo by Metal Chris

As with Colored Sands, Luc Lemay is joined by Colin Marston and Kevin Hufnagel (both of Dysrhythmia and many others) along with new-to-Gorguts drummer Patrice Hamelin. And as before, these musicians "are comfortable with dissonance in the same way most musicians are comfortable with a C major scale," to quote a wise source (me). Check out the first big entrance at around 0:56. Even when the chords resolve, they're still vibrating with angry dissonance. There's no shortage of what you'd hope for here: slithery bass lines, intertwined guitar lines, and a heady mix of fury and quieter moments.

Kevin Hufnagel, 2014. Photo by Metal Chris

Although this is technically one song, the piece is separated into movements (or "chapters"), and even without reading the lyrics, it's pretty easy to tell how one chapter flows to the next. This is composed, orchestrated music, not a musical blob of self-indulgence. For example, there's no mistaking the opener of Chapter II, "Wandering Times," right after the 4:00 mark. The clear change in direction is signaled by Lemay's roar and the interplay between the thundering main riff and underlying line, and it's purely electrifying. In Chapter V, "Compendiums," Lemay even makes translation and transcription of ancient texts sound brutal.

Colin Marston, 2014. Photo by Metal Chris

But beyond the heaviness, this song/EP also strikes as perfect a balance between heavy and light, tension and release, as I can recall hearing in any recent metal album. The changes in textures, emotions, and pure cerebral power are astonishing. I won't lie--this EP takes a bit more time to digest and absorb than most fare--possibly even more than Colored Sands required. But let's face it--if you want just a solid half hour slab of head banging death metal, you're spoiled for choices. You don't go to Gorguts for that because they deliver so much more.