Sunn O))) Monoliths and Opinions: Part XVIII - Life Metal

By Craig Hayes. There’s an overarching theme linking many of the reviews of the latest release from formidable drone-lords Sunn O))). Critical consensus suggests the band’s eighth studio album, Life Metal, is Sunn O)))’s most euphoric release yet

By Craig Hayes.

Artwork by Samantha Keely Smith.

There’s an overarching theme linking many of the reviews of the latest release from formidable drone-lords Sunn O))). Critical consensus suggests the band’s eighth studio album, Life Metal, is Sunn O)))’s most euphoric release yet –– and there’s definitely an element of truth to that tale. Sunn O)))’s creative architects, Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley, have spoken of setting themselves the challenge of making an album that’s heavyweight but also enlivening, and Life Metal is certainly brighter and more upbeat than Sunn O)))’s previous releases.

That said, while Life Metal sees Sunn O))) pivot, creatively, the band aren’t taking a radical leap into entirely new territory. Even at their darkest, Sunn O))) have always made rapturous music, and their tracks are often tailor-made for ecstatic psychological adventures as much as far-reaching cosmic voyaging. Sunn O)))’s fans certainly know the band’s mammoth walls of noise can be uplifting –– especially if they’ve ever seen the band live –– and Life Metal is equally exhilarating.

Sunn O)))’s new album channels the light in a way that their other albums haven’t, but it’s only the first of two such releases Sunn O))) are planning to unleash in 2019. A second, and apparently more meditative album, entitled Pyroclasts, is planned for release later in the year. And it’s worth pointing out that Sunn O))) recorded both Life Metal and Pyroclasts over a two-week period, which is markedly less time than they’d usually spend in the studio, and that’s no doubt why Life Metal sounds and feels so energetic and instinctual.

The album delivers four lengthy sermons, and all the teeth-rattling frequencies and amplifier worship you’d expect is here. Sunn O))) continue to explore the physicalities of their sound with gigantic/downtuned/slow-motion riffs, and Life Metal also continues to fuse sound art to subterranean metal. Sunn O)))’s familiar minimalist/maximalist technique is put to expert use throughout, and the band are supported, once again, by a cast of crucial collaborators.

Noted producer Steve Albini plays a huge role in Life Metal’s success. Albini’s well-earned reputation for channeling gargantuan guitar noise makes his teaming up with Sunn O))) seem like a dream come true –– and it is. Albini’s rawer, all-analog approach forgoes Sunn O)))’s usual digital layering, and recording everyone in the same room at the same time increases the energy of Sunn O)))’s armory of overblown riffs, adding visceral and tangible texture to their sound.

Longtime Sunn O))) contributor Tos Nieuwenhuizen adds the electronic flourishes to Life Metal, while Australian minimalist composer Anthony Pateras supplies delicate pipe organ. Tim Midyett contributes bass on the album, and frequent Sunn O))) collaborator, Icelandic cellist and singer Hildur Guðnadóttir, contributes striking vocals, electric cello, and haldorophone. Also of note is artist Samantha Keely Smith, whose vibrant cover art for Life Metal powerfully visualizes Sunn O)))’s revised musical palette.

Life Metal opens with a neigh and gallop on "Between Sleipnir's Breaths" –– that’s a reference to Odin's famed eight-legged steed, if you’re curious. Sunn O))) drop a distorting riff the size of Mount Everest to kick things off proper, and the atmospheric track/trek is made all the more vivid by Guðnadóttir’s spellbinding vocals, which are woven around massive and undulating shifts in sound. Twelve dramatic minutes later, one of Sunn O)))’s most colossal opening tracks ends, crushing any concerns about Life Metal’s “brightness” somehow muting Sunn O)))’s core strengths.

Sunn O))) contrast darkness and light and/or ferocity and fragility on "Troubled Air”. The band thread pipe organ into the depths of the fathomless drone, offsetting the punishing ambience with bursts of luminosity. Claustrophobic heaviness –– fuelled by feedbacking riffs –– engulfs the 19-minute “Aurora”. But Guðnadóttir's presence, however brief, melts the glacial ice, clearing a path for the behemoth/transcendent drone to lumber forth. Heavy, low and slow, “Aurora” exemplifies the immensity and the intensity of Sunn O)))’s sound.

Life Metal finishes with the 25-minute opus "Novae". Titanic in form and content, "Novae" lurches forward, propelled by its own gravitational weight, with Guðnadóttir’s eccentric haldorophone coloring the drone and adding detail. Epic-sized (and certainly epic-sounding), "Novae" boils with chest-crushing riffs while traversing rocky and scorched terrain. In parts, Sunn O))) dial down the in-your-face forcefulness to creep through starker caverns of sound, but momentous undertones keep pushing "Novae" forward until its exorcising end.

Life Metal is staggering, towering, and surprisingly beautiful. The violence of Sunn O)))’s sound hasn’t been tempered, it’s more a case that Anderson and O’Malley have highlighted the light in the darkness, injecting more captivating subtlety and splendor into Life Metal’s vast seismic suites. The result is a breathtaking, often soul-stirring, album, with Sunn O))) displaying genuine grace amongst all the grit. Life Metal challenges our ideas about what Sunn O))) and their music are capable of. But, best of all, the album underscores that Sunn O)))’s ultimate creative destination remains tantalizingly unknown.

The Sunn O))) Monoliths and Opinions series.

From The Metal Archives Vol. 7

[When I add labels to the Metal Labels on Bandcamp page I usually scan their releases looking for anything interesting I might have missed. The reviews on The Metal Archives are a great help when doing this: a couple of great reviews

By the reviewers from The Metal Archives.

[When I add labels to the Metal Labels on Bandcamp page I usually scan their releases looking for anything interesting I might have missed. The reviews on The Metal Archives are a great help when doing this: a couple of great reviews means an album I should probably check out. With this series I'd like to share some of my finds - in this edition we feature two expansive takes on black metal from Lifeforce Records and Shaytan Productions, and a long lost death/doom classic finally available on Southern Lord Recordings]


Fjoergyn’s sound is extremely avant-garde and unlike any other band in existence. At its core, it is still very much rooted in black metal conventions but there is so much more to their sound. The standard tremolo picked riffs with non-stop blast beats are ever present on this album but when the songs slow down, the music becomes much more interesting. This is where Fjoergyn excels with absolutely gorgeous and incredibly haunting guitar melodies like the one in the middle of the closing track “Freiheit” that will make your jaw drop. It is not just the guitar melodies though. This album contains serious riffage of the fast and heavy varieties that really drive the more conventional sections of songs like “Leviathan.” The band also makes excellent use of symphonics and orchestrations, including moments of exquisite violin, which adds a lot of atmosphere to this album. [read SlayerDeath666's full review here.]

Epos starts off starts off with the ambient sounds of small waves lapping on the shore of a well known lake in Kyrgyzstan known as Issyk-Kul (in the Kyrgyz language means “warm lake”).

Issyk-Kul is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, but never freezes. This aspect of the lake is reflected on this album: the production is actually of dark warmth, an almost “milky” guitar sound is clearly audible, and somehow the overall crispness also retains this character. I found this to be a very strong aspect of this recording which lends Epos quite a unique atmosphere as far as Black Metal production values go. [read Hubster's full review here.]

Gammelsaeter’s vocals very between soft female droning to tireless growls that do justice to the death genre; this isn’t your operatic or goth vocals that are all the trend these days, but the droning of frozen, inevitable doom. This is the real deal: Serene, raw, and ugly as needed and when needed. While I like a good singer as much as the next guy, some types of music require the under produced, dragged screaming into the void, type of rawness; this delivers. The drums pound away, not a means of keeping the beat so much as to hammer Gammelsaeter’s vocals and O’Malley’s guitar chords home. Maybe that’s how they chose the group's name; the drums, vocals, and guitar jointly if methodically hammer you into a senseless empty vessel. [read Metalich's full review here.]

Metal Bands-you-might-have-missed-camp 2017

By Calen Henry. Things you might have missed. I'll be honest, I only checked out Dumblegore because of the band name, among the best of 2017. It turns out, though, that they totally rule, though they don't sing about Harry Potter.

By Calen Henry.

Things you might have missed.


I'll be honest, I only checked out Dumblegore because of the band name, among the best of 2017. It turns out, though, that they totally rule, though they don't sing about Harry Potter.

Dumblegore play "Spooky Metal" the stuff drenched in B-movie horror tropes, but their spin on it is unique. They marry fuzzed out stoner doom, spooky organ, and a kind of "laid-back Mantar" vocal approach with punk rock attitude (and often song structure). It's a little bit black metal, a little bit stoner rock, a little bit punk and a whole lot of fun. The master is decent too, a respectable DR 8.

Come for the silly name stay 'cause they rock.

Vaivatar are Finnish. That seems to be the only information available about the band which is always a great sign!

They play a strange mix of symphonic but raw black metal. It's extremely busy, but extremely melodic with very inorganic sounding synths. It gives them a sound like Havukruunu meets Master Boot Record by way of Castlevania. The guitar distortion and the synths are eerily similar so it can be hard to tell which is which adding another outré layer to the music

It's epic, but mysterious, dense but soaring, and Pay What You want, also a nice master at DR 8.

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Cover art by Bring.

I LOVE Angel Sword but feel like I'm mostly alone in my love of their mix of Motorhead vocals and sloppy Iron Maiden instrumentals, but I don't care. They rule! Their 2016 release Rebels Beyond the Pale is still in heavy rotation for me, and though this is only an EP more Angel Sword is more Angel Sword.

I initially checked them out because of their so bad it's amazing album covers, and wrote them off as inept traditional metal due to some odd chord structures and vocals but I was missing out. Underneath the intentional roughness of their presentation are fantastic songs. They keep it classic; nothing is lighting speed, lots of the songs are in major keys, and many are even about heavy metal. But it's all so well done, just sloppy enough to seem totally genuine but get across the wicked riffs, choruses, and gang vocals.

Things I missed, but apparently no one else did.

Cover art by Paolo Girardi.

2013's Manifest Decimation didn't click with me so I glossed over Nightmare Logic until it was all over year end lists, metal and otherwise. Boy, was I missing out. Power Trip play reverb drenched throwback thrash with pop sensibilities. Every riff and every chorus is so catchy. It's one of 2017's most fun and most relevant releases. While a lot of metal concerns itself with how everything is terrible, Power Trip implore us to get out and do something about it. Thankfully since the album's release many have!

Unfortunately the album's production, reverb drenched though it is, isn't a total throwback. It's mastered incredibly loudly and clips almost as hard as it rips. Musically, though, it's a total win.

Track o' the Year


Not metal, but The Deep is the best single track of the year. Commissioned for the podcast This American Life, it's an homage to Detroit electronic artist Drexciya, extending their mythos wherein the children of pregnant African women thrown overboard from slave ships were born and adapted to life underwater.

It's a microcosm of what made Splendor & Misery so compelling; fascinating concept, exquisite execution, and great production. The production matches the watery theme with beats and accents that sound "bubbly"

In The Deep the water-dwellers go from peaceful existence to climate change worry to full-on war with the "two-legs" from the surface. The track is divided into movements as the situation escalates. It starts of slow and laid back but each revelation towards confrontation and eradication of the two-legs increases the pace of the music and lyrics and adds more layers to the beat.

Though I love Splendor & Misery, it was criticized by some for its lack of immediacy, essentially required a full listen through to properly experience it. The Deep is the answer to that. Five minutes for one of the best, and most immediate "concept albums" of 2017

Agrimonia - Awaken

By Matt Hinch. If, like me, you've never listened to Agrimonia before (or at least don't remember), that should have no effect on how much you may enjoy their fourth full-length, Awaken. Everyone has to start somewhere.

By Matt Hinch.


If, like me, you've never listened to Agrimonia before (or at least don't remember), that should have no effect on how much you may enjoy their fourth full-length, Awaken. Everyone has to start somewhere. Agrimonia may be from Sweden but Awaken feels more like it belongs in the U.K. Most bands that came to mind while listening were of the English variety. At least the death-doom ones. I don't really listen to the Peaceville Three either but I can hear their influence. Mind you, no one is going to mistake this for Paradise Lost.

I also find that Awaken does the same things for me that Primordial does on a musical level but without the folk feel and the vocals here are far less triumphant and more dry, raspy, and demonic. It's the mix of power and melody that does it. At times they'll break you down with a powerful, hammering riff but you know it's just a matter of time before the melodies swoop in to pull the listener skyward. This may sound odd for an album such as this but it kind of makes you feel good.

The dynamics are the strongest element Agrimonia put forth. Ethereal atmosphere and those ever-present melodies compete with the coarse vocals and charged riffing with the aid of acoustic flourish. The calculated layering gives Awaken a grand, spacious feel creating an immersive experience that given the proper attention can transport the listener to better places.

They do vary the approach up though. It's not the same formula every time. “Foreshadowed” has a simpler, more ground and pound sound that comes across more “full sounding black metal” than “fast death-doom”. The title track takes things even further away from their core sound. It's basically an acoustic number with percussion and enveloping strings. Coming right after the fire of “Foreshadowed” it's a nice change of pace leading into the almost 13 minute “Withering”.

That one has atmosphere to spare. Background synths swell beneath a desolate guitar line until everybody joins in and brings the darkness with them. There are swaying riffs, straightforward drive, a menacing swiftness that sweeps you from your feet, a good pummeling, and soothing parts to ease your wounds. Speeds and moods change multiple times challenging the listener to keep up but it's a terribly engaging track that never feels forced.

Another highlight for this writer is “Sparrow”. It follows the usual path for the album moving between styles (in a broad sense) effortlessly. Bitter toned guitars slice through piano-assisted atmosphere creating that oppositional standard that dominates the album. There's an epic black metal vibe, a stomping death assault, forlorn melodies, more synths, and the chilling vocals all crashing into each other to eventually float off into the ether. As you can tell, there's a lot going on here and throughout the album.

Awaken has the ability to capture you and subject them to darkness and pain yet fill your ears with so many melodies and other such accoutrements that the darkness is transcended and lifts you up with a sense of light. Awakening you from the night so to speak.

More often than not I found myself hearing various things across the album that reminded me of Woods of Ypres. It doesn't carry the same emotional weight as Woods 5 but Awaken comes close. It is a powerful album ready and willing to dig deep and become part of you. Great albums provide an escape. Escape into this one.

Black Cobra - Invernal

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Invernal is the second full-length San Francisco, CA-based doom sludge duo Black Cobra have released with Southern Lord. The album was recorded with Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, MA, and the end result is a noisome, toothsome beast

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.

Artwork by Sam Ford

Invernal is the second full-length San Francisco, CA-based doom sludge duo Black Cobra have released with Southern Lord. The album was recorded with Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, MA, and the end result is a noisome, toothsome beast. Whereas some aggressive music is mechanical, like a demolition derby, Invernal is distinctly muscular. The sound evokes the aggression of gladiators battling, the threat of meat rather than metal.

Black Cobra 2012. Photo by François Carl Duguay.

While the composition is layered, complex and even chaotic, it is always highlighted beautifully. One element of the din is picked out more clearly, like a picture with one plane of depth in focus and the rest left to blur. This shifts over the course of each song. For example, the focus and clarity leap from the rough, throbbing bass riffs to the sparkle of the crash cymbals and back again in "Corrosion Fields."

Black Cobra 2012. Photo by François Carl Duguay.

Another element that sets Invernal apart is its aural temperature. Much of sludge is associated with heat: liquid tar, bubbling pitch. Black Cobra have made something cold. The sound is thick and gelid, in the way that some liquids increase in viscosity before they freeze. Invernal is hypothermic, the only warmth drawn from vibrating guitar strings and body heat.

Note: This year Black Cobra released a new album Imperium Simulacra on Season of Mist, in September they will touring Europe with Yob.

Transmissions from the Tree of Woe, Volume 1

By Atanamar Sunyata. I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about metal, but those thoughts have failed to coalesce into the ever elusive “album review” of late. Max has been so kind as to give me a venue for this firehose of metal mindfulness. Please consider this the first in a series of first person posts featuring whatever the fuck is tickling my brain. You have been warned.

By Atanamar Sunyata.

I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about metal, but those thoughts have failed to coalesce into the ever elusive “album review” of late. Max has been so kind as to give me a venue for this firehose of metal mindfulness. Please consider this the first in a series of first person posts featuring whatever the fuck is tickling my brain. You have been warned. Besides, I don’t believe in objectivity.

Artwork by Paul Romano

Withered are a band with a singular vision; they've rubbed dank drabs of Sunlight sound on black metal and drowned it all in atmospheric doom. Their warm, subterranean sonic adventures return frequently to my playlist. Withered are also a band due for a new album. Their fourth LP is on the way, and it was recently revealed that Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, everything) plays bass on the recording. This news sent me off into a Withered wormhole where I discovered the band's dedicated Bandcamp page. Therein can be found Folie Circulaire, the band's second album and my favorite to date. Enough will never be had.

Artwork by Adam Peterson

Nile also have a new album on the way, and the death metal devotee in me is cautiously optimistic. My history with the band is checkered. I bought Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka sight unseen from the Relapse Resound catalog when it first came out. As archaic as the idea sounds today, a physical music & merch catalog had a powerful pull on my 20 year old self. That album was an instant classic in my ears, and I ended up seeing the band live a few too many times in that era. I burned out on Nile after Black Seeds of Vengeance, reconnecting only a decade later. The love affair has continued on and off through the band's catalog, flaring up and flaming out by turns. Their new album will no undoubtedly be absent from Bandcamp (Nuclear Blast are stubborn fucks), but the Relapse era LPs are all there. My favorite Nile albums at the moment are Amongst the Catacombs , Annihilation of the Wicked, and Those Whom the Gods Detest (from Nuclear Blast). I'm hoping What Should Not Be Unearthed will rate.




As love affairs go, my Martyrdöd man-crush is unrelenting. Their stellar performance at Maryland Deathfest cemented the band's status as most heroic purveyors of addictive d-beat by way of melodic NWOBHM dual-guitar mastery. Riffs, son. Riffs.

Martyrdöd at MDF. Awful photo by Atanamar

Call this music whatever you want, but it's simply incomparable. That's a problem, of course; I want more. Having said that, I have no allegiance to d-beat, crust, or any of its accoutrements. In fact, I could care less.

Cover collage by Vladimír Vacovský

A balm for that crusty Swedish longing appeared out of nowhere, though, to take the edge off. Say hello to Gattaca. Again, d-beats and crusty punk mechanizations are merely tools of the band's trade. Their self-titled LP is a vessel of dark melody, raging riff-torrents, and satisfying story-arcs. Imagine seering snippets of Neurosis if they could comprehend brevity, or early Pelican on a boatload of amphetamines. Also, Gattaca are vegans; this is relevant to my interests. I dig.

Cover painting by Dan Alex Rivera.

I recently received an album promo by a band proudly calling their music "Dissonant Death Metal." This was jarring; I've described dozens of death metal albums as dissonant, but I've never seen it called out as a thing, a discrete genre to which bands might aspire. I love me some Gorguts, and I enjoy many of the fruits that have sprouted from their sonic loins (Artificial Brain, Pyrrhon, Auroch, etc). That style of music, however, loses its appeal when dissonance itself becomes the focus; there are a lot of skronking hot, technically proficient turds floating around these days. I was surprised, then, to actually be drawn into the album of which I speak. Dystrophy claim allegiance to unrest and incongruity, but they possess the rare gift of songwriting skill. Amidst riffs that threaten to rend space and time, engaging currents of sensibility hold sway. Wretched Host is eminently earworthy and may scratch an aural itch their contemporaries miss.



Until next time, ponder the riddle of steel.

Goatsnake - Black Age Blues

By Aaron Sullivan. Fifteen years after the release of their last full length Goatsnake returns with Black Age Blues. While it may have been a little over a decade since any new material. Black Age Blues just picks up where they left off. Almost literally. The opening track is called "Another River to Cross"

By Aaron Sullivan.


Fifteen years after the release of their last full length Goatsnake returns with Black Age Blues. While it may have been a little over a decade since any new material. Black Age Blues just picks up where they left off. Almost literally. The opening track is called "Another River to Cross" and begins with a slow fade in of the ending of the last track on Flower of Disease called "The River". Before fading into the new song. See the connection?

Goatsnake 2010. Photo by Taylor Keahey.

Goatsnake are no frills, meat and potatoes DOOM. It’s all about the almighty riff. Something Mr. Anderson has plenty of. Using his Sunn O))) amps to deliver the thick riffs. Combining with Greg Rodgers and new bassist Scott Renner holding down the rhythm and madman singer Pete Stahl's bluesy vocals to make for one potent slab of a heavy, down tuned, DOOM-fest. A song like "Coffee & Whiskey" starts as this great blues based butt shaker but ends with a riff so heavy Mr. Iommi himself would be proud. This is an album that begs to turned up to 11. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them live and perform many of the songs off this album. They are as good if not better live than they are on the album. Plain and simple this album just rocks. It will have you playing air guitar, banging your head, while singing at the top of your lungs. Honestly if this album doesn’t get you going, you may want to check your pulse.

Goatsnake 2010. Photo by Taylor Keahey.

As of late Southern Lord has been more of a label used by Mr. Anderson to go back and release some of his favorite old hardcore bands, new hardcore bands, and re-issues of some of the labels most popular albums. I say this not as judgement. It’s his label and he is welcome to do with it as he pleases. It’s just nice as a long time fan of this label to see it return to more of it’s roots. With maybe the exception of Sunn O))), no other band embodies Southern Lord more the mighty Goatsnake, and with Black Age Blues they continue to show why they are among the labels favorites.

Hessian - Mánégarmr

Written by Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.


With an EP and a pair of splits with Amenra and Pale Creation to their name, Mánégarmr is the first full-length from Belgium's Hessian. The album is named after a wolf that, in Norwegian legend, devours the sun at the end of each day (known as Sköll, in Norse mythology). Members of art collective Church of Ra, and featuring members from Amenra and the Black Heart Rebellion, it's no surprise that this record is deep, strange and apocalyptic. A thick, crusty punk sound is mixed with heavy, metallic elements, leading to a darker emotional register and a fat, textured tone.

Photos by Webzine Chuul.

Tracks like "Plague Monger" go for a more straightforward kind of hardcore violence, whereas "Serpent's Whisper" and "Swallowing Nails" have a blackened cast and a more complex, sophisticated aggression. "Father of Green" and "Mother of Light" are the strongest songs here, and most frightening by far, incorporating towering doom and thick, lugubrious sludge with in-your-face hardcore to create a calamitous din that will leave you declaring, "the end is nigh."

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Earth - Primitive and Deadly

Written by Aaron Sullivan.


Earth, the drone kings of the northwest have returned with their seventh full length titled Primitive and Deadly. As most fans know Earth started as a distorted drone band in , releasing two albums as such. Then came Pentastar: In the Style of Demons; at times drone, at times Stoner/DOOM. After a hiatus Earth returned with an entirely new sound with HEX; or Printing in the Infernal Method. Distortion was lowered and elements of Folk and Country were introduced with great effect. This new style has continued to this day, bringing us to Primitive and Deadly; an album that draws from the past and mixes it with the new Earth sound established on HEX. I had the pleasure of seeing Earth open for Deafheaven earlier this year and they played three of the 6 track from this album. As blown away as I was by them then, hearing the finished product puts them to shame.

Photo by Karen A. Mann

Along with the usual excitement that a new Earth album brings, word came that there would be vocals on it. Not an entirely new element as Pentastar had vocals too (also a demo that Kurt Cobain had sung on was later released on Sunn Amps And Smashed Guitars Live). But unlike Pentastar these are guest vocals by the likes of Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age) and Rabia Shaheen Qazi (Rose Windows). Vocals are not the only thing Primitive and Deadly shares with Pentastar. Much like that album Primitive and Deadly has more of a rock song vibe to it. especially on the songs with vocals. But the layered guitars soloing over the top of Carlsons riffs also add to that vibe throughout the entire album. The additional guitars are provided by Brett Nelson (Built to Spill) and Jodie Cox (Narrows). It’s weird because when I saw them live they were a three piece. Dylan on guitars, Adrienne on drums, and new bassist Bill Herzog. Other times I had seen them they had a cello player or they had Steve Moore playing trumpet and organ. So seeing and hearing them as a three peice I thought they were going for a more stripped down approach to the new album.

Photo by Karen A. Mann

In some ways that is true. But the addition of vocals and additional guitars never take away the vibe that Earth creates. It still feels sparse and songs breathe. The new elements only add to the overall. Take the vocals for instance. Mark is a great choice, his gravely Waits-esque vocals a perfect match. The second incarnation of Earth’s music has always given me visions of standing on the edge of cliff looking over the through an open valley surrounded by nature, and his well worn parched vocals only enhance that vision. Rabia on the other hand adds an element to Earth that I never found in their music at any time, psychedelia. Her vocals are as hypnotizing as the tones that Dylan conjures up from his guitar. Her voice sound like a cross between Rose Kemp and Beth Gibbons. Add all this to the solid backbone rhythm section of Herzog and Adrienne, and Primitive and Deadly may be Earth's most ambitious record yet.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Lumbar - The First and Last Days of Unwelcome

Written by Aaron Sullivan.


First a bit of history. The band is made up of three members. The always amazing Mike Scheidt of Yob. The, dare I say, American treasure Tad Doyle of Tad and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth and the music and lyric writer of the album, Aaron Edge, also of Brothers of the Sonic Cloth.

For those familiar with DOOM and all it’s sub-genres I imagine Mr. Scheidt really needs no introduction (for the others, check out the Yob epic "Catharsis", you’ll thank me later). Tad Doyle should be, in my opinion, a household name. Or at least one to fans of Sludge. His band Tad was among the bands coming out of the Pacific Northwest that was changing music. They may have labeled it ‘grunge’, but Tad sounded pretty metallic to me. After you are done with "Catharsis" (you’re welcome) go look up Tad’s song "Grease Box" (again, you’re welcome). For me, Aaron was the one I was unfamiliar with. Shame really, as his struggle is what the whole album hinges on.

Everything that makes up this album comes from his struggle with multiple sclerosis. The name of the band is inspired by the numerous spinal taps he had in order to diagnose his multiple sclerosis. The lyrics speak of his days spent in bed and the pain that he was going through emotionally and physically. This is as an artist should be. Open and honest. Tapping a vein and bleeding it out on wax for the listener. Giving catharsis to not only the artists but perhaps to a few listeners that may be going through struggles of their own.

Musically this is Sludge/DOOM. Heavy guitars that sound as if they are played in mud. Thick bass lines and pounding beats. Mike does his usual vocal excellence. His ability to scream in a way that conveys emotion is something I have never heard anyone even come close to. Powerful yet vulnerable at the same time. The weight of the lyrics are not lost in his interpretation of them. The mix of his and Doyles vocals work well. Mike’s higher register and Doyle’s deep almost chant like vocal go great together. Added in the mix of DOOM are songs like "Day Three" and "Day Four" that are almost ambient or noise.

All in all this is a fantastic record. No doubt the inclusion of Doyle and Mike will help raise the profile of this album. But it should not take away credit in anyway from Aaron. For not only crafting such a great record, but also willing to share his personal struggles with the masses. It takes courage to do that and proves that great art does come from struggle.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Nightfell - The Living Ever Mourn

Written by Kevin Page.


Kudos to Islander of No Clean Singing for putting this one on my radar. Nightfell, featuring the duo of Tim Call (The Howling Wind, Weregoat, Aldebaran) & Todd Burdette (Trauma, Warcry, Tragedy), have created something very potent. I know of some of the bands these chaps are already in, but I don't listen to any of them and they hold no special affinity in my heart. So going in I really had no expectation (good, bad or indifferent), which is always the best way to approach new music.

It screams of a doomier version of Edge of Sanity (more specifically the Purgatory Afterglow album, especially in the production department). The guitar has a nice balance of fuzzy tone, fat bottom end and warm juiciness. Vocally this rests somewhere between Dan Swano (sorta) and your typical full on war metal cavernous hellfire type. This mixture though gives it its own distinct character. And since the vocals are not overly dominant in the mix, it allows everything to breathe more than you are used to these days.

So while this is mainly a doomy to mid paced death metal album, it's injected with a dash of American style, some clean spoken passages, acoustic guitar, and a sprinkle of black metal as we get near the end. I wouldn't call this genre defying or anything outside the box, but who cares. It feels fresh, utterly convincing and damn enjoyable.

Also, they are very liberal with their use of 'pick slides'. Me likes 'pick slides'.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Sunn O))) Monoliths and Opinions: Part XIV - Sunn O))) & Ulver - Terrestrials

Written by Craig Hayes.

A portrait of our sun, captured in the wavelength of hydrogen alpha light © Alan Friedman

I’m going against my own better judgment here. One thing I’d never normally attempt is to review prominent sonic adventurers like Sunn O))) or Ulver after only a few scant days of ingesting their separate wares, let alone tackle a collaborative release from both. Independently, Sunn O))) and Ulver are experts at crafting albums that reveal layers of nuance via weeks of listening. Like all great works of art--whatever their medium--both bands’ expressions require patience, so your appreciation of the often subliminal discoveries therein can settle. 

Yet, here I am. Writing about Sunn O))) and Ulver’s new joint release, Terrestrials, after having the highly anticipated album for less than a week. Still, while I’d generally wait until my impressions have untangled before writing about an album of such magnitude, as Terrestrials surely is, I felt in this case that immediacy and spontaneity were called for. Because Terrestrials’ own foundations are built on impulse too.

Norway-based Ulver are rightly renowned as genre-defying luminaries, with acclaimed black metal, neo-classical, conceptual, electronic, and soundtrack works under their belt. Sunn O))), as we all know, are wielders of the stretched-to-infinity riff, and their variegated pressure-wave exploits are similarly revered. Both are master-craftsmen of the bohemian and unorthodox, and both have worked jointly with many metal and experimental artists of note in the past. However, the prospect of Sunn O))) and Ulver reconnoitring new points of interest together--after successfully merging on the track “CUTWOOeD”, from Sunn O)))’s 2003’s album White1--is a dream collaboration for fans of intrepid sonic mapping.

That dream was kick-started back in August 2008, with Sunn O))) joining Ulver at their Crystal Canyon studios in Oslo, to record three live improvised pieces--working from evening till dawn. With Ulver adding their radiance to Sunn O)))’s dark and mangling brew of guitar and bass drones, over the next four years Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley and Ulver’s Kristoffer Rygg would periodically revisit the recordings to add further ingredients--such as orchestrations from guests, including Ole-Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv (viola and violin) and Stig Espen Hundsnes (trumpet).  

And finally, with Sunn O))) and Ulver being ever mindful of retaining the original album session’s sense of spontaneity, Terrestrials is here. In keeping with its intended spirit, roiling energy rolls through unscripted drone on aptly titled opener "Let There Be Light”; the track’s 11 minutes of fathomless guitar and bass rumbles building to a (dawn-breaking-over-the-fjords) crescendo, where effects, brass, and percussion break through, bringing the hope of morning, and rays of light. “Western Horn” sees eerie violins run over bass-heavy tides, perfectly channeling the anticipated sculpting of deep, detailed, and formidable sound. However, best of all is “Eternal Return”. This final track sees baritone intonations from Rygg set in a classically moulded midsection, while weeping, dust-bowl violins weave tendrils throughout the rest of the 15 haunting and minimalist minutes--until the track is sucked into a black hole for a stark finish. 

There’s no doubt that Terrestrials exceeds the sky-high expectations surrounding its release. Played loudly, it’s the addition of volume + volume that’ll lead you to best appreciate Terrestrials’ truly impressive heights, depths, and girth--as well as recognising just how many shades and tones of noise both beautiful and grim are to be found. Sunn O)))’s continued explorations of the dimensions of drone and properties of sound bring their expected psychological and physiological weight. Yet, Ulver are here to layer on their distinctive sense of dramatic unease, which brings essential elements of pathos, and those first glimmers of sunrise, to an album that (for all its sonic minimalism) leaves a maximal emotional imprint. 

Lord knows what I’ll think of Terrestrials in a month--when I’ve had even more time to sink into its fathoms. However, after a week’s listening, it’s abundantly clear that Terrestrials is everything I/you/we could have hoped for from a collaboration between two titans of richly rewarding avant-garde artistry. The long wait is over, and the result is, unquestionably, breathtaking. Terrestrials is pure bliss. 

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

The Sunn O))) Monoliths and Opinions series.

Dead in the Dirt - The Blind Hole

Guest review by BreadGod from Servile Insurrection


This is Dead In The Dirt, a grindcore band from Atlanta, Georgia. First of all, is it just me, or do these guys look fucking old? I'm certain these guys might be younger than what they appear, but the old-timey photo filter doesn't help matters. Second, I'm mesmerized by the cover for their debut album, The Blind Hole. It's so strange and ominous, like something Sunn O))) would use. (This actually makes sense as Dead In The Dirt are signed to Southern Lord Recordings, which is owned by the men behind Sunn O))).) You would never expect this album to be filled with angry, violent grindcore.

The drums range from simple mid-paced beats that sound quite similar to hardcore to rampaging blast beats. The snare has a great deal of impact to it and the cymbal work is rather intricate. Unlike most other grindcore bands, Dead In The Dirt breaks up the pace by including some slow, crushing beats like those on “Strength Through Restraint” and “Caged”. On top of all that, they also play some great, complex fills. When it comes to the bass, it mainly follows the guitars, but their sound is extra thick which helps to give the music more impact.

The vocals utilize both a harsh, gruff growl and a manic scream, both of which are performed really well. The growls bring the evil and the screams bring the chaos. It's a perfect combination. You want to know what's even better than the vocals? The guitars. They show no mercy. They exhibit a lot of feedback, which makes for a very harsh experience, but if you're brave, then you'll be in for some awesome musicianship. They still play those simple, blazing fast riffs that grindcore is famous for, but they also play some mid-paced riffs that sound quite similar to hardcore. They also play a few crushingly slow riffs that lean towards doom metal, like those on “Halo Crown”. They even play a few riffs that sound similar to black metal, such as those on “The Blaring Eye” and “Caged”.

This album may not last very long (twenty two songs blaze by in a little under twenty four minutes), but it leaves a huge impact. It's a perfect blend of grindcore, hardcore, and even bits of doom metal and black metal. Dead In The Dirt is barely five years old and they're already paving a trail of death and destruction. They rank right up there with Delete the Mass as one of my favorite new grindcore bands of the year.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

A Storm of Light - Nations to Flames

Written by Red.


I remember reading interviews with bands in the mid to late 90's. Usually, the topic of discussion was their newest full-length. There would be remarks about how different it was and how troubled they were at the prospect of repeating themselves. They were also confident that they had done something new and transcended their past work.

My argument was always something like this: don't worry about replicating the results exactly, just try to match the feel. In other words, get the vibe right and let things flow from there. Whether or not a record is "good" will always come down to the riffs. But usually, there is a palpable sense (from the listener's side) that the band was feeling something, whether it's motivation, anger, other emotion, etc.

To me, A Storm of Light has captured the sound and energy of early Mastodon. It starts with the theme of Nations to Flames . Fire imbues this record from front to back, even to the cover art. It is referenced in the lyrics. It is ever-present and inescapable in the instrumentation.

Photo by Taylor Keahey

The band is categorized as doom metal/post-rock. Generally, there was a specific type of ambiance that was present in the band's music prior to this record. They pursued a sound somewhat similar to Pelican and bands of their ilk. Now, that ambiance has been excised. What we have here are 11 tracks that go for the throat (with maybe two exceptions at most) from beginning to end.

A Storm of Light also has the benefit of surprise on their side. Can anyone say they expected the band to drop the atmospheric part of their sound and produce a record like Nations to Flames? I doubt it. I wouldn't have bet on such a thing. And that surprise is integral to the record's impact. Surprise and directness make a good combination.

Though the songs are penned by the band, they have a couple guests on guitar, Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) and Will Lindsay (Indian, ex-Nachtmystium). Since there are a number of tracks they appear on, it is safe to say that they have an influence on the direction of the record, whereas on previous albums the guest parts might not have taken it to another place. "All the Shining Lies", for example, uses a riff that betrays heavy Thayil influence.

From Josh Graham art exhibition. Photo by Taylor Keahey

Band guitarist Josh Graham was known for his involvement with Neurosis as visual artist. He has created an intriguing and evocative set of artwork to go with the album, which is available as a PDF with the digital download. The lyrics appear to be hastily scrawled, along with a miniature manifesto describing human greed and other failings. The cover itself shows a cadre of "true believers" burning the American flag. Within the rest of the liner notes, these people are shown in various positions against a background of fire. And the last page shows the eyes of one particular true believer, hooded and masked.

Nations to Flames is consistent in theme and attack; its directness and revolutionary-leaning rhetoric make it a resonant album in turbulent times.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Eagle Twin - The Feather Tipped The Serpent's Scale

Review by Aaron Sullivan.


Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah comes the Sludgy behemoth known as Eagle Twin. My first exposure to this band was when they opened for Sunn O))) on their Grimmrobe Anniversary Tour in 2008. At that time I knew nothing of them and their first album was still a year away from coming out. This two piece consisting of guitar and drum took the stage and jaws dropped. I know many walked away, just as I did, anticipating an album from Eagle Twin. When The Unkindness of Crows came out it blew me away. The Feather That Tipped The Serpent’s Scale did the same completely avoiding the sophomore slump.

Photo by Taylor Keahey

A little background to the first album as it ties into the second. The first album dealt with crows as creatures of myth and power. Inspired by the book Crow from author Ted Hughes. And as it says on their Bandcamp page,

In this installment the crows documented in the first album have battled the sun and were burned back down to earth as black snakes, the concept of the album continuing mainly on the snake and its various mythic and symbolic incarnations. Ultimately the great ancestral snake is transformed from its lowly beginnings back into a bird soaring upon the thermals.

Pretty heady stuff for a Sludge band. But they pull it off brilliantly.

If forced to fit Eagle Twin into a genre Sludge works best. But elements of DOOM and Drone make their presence known throughout the record. Guitars are overbearing in tone and sloth like in pace. The drums are not just there to keep a beat. They also serve to fill in a lot of the open spaces left when only having two instruments. The vocals are also something that set them apart, at least from other Sludge. Gentry’s vocals are very reminiscent of Tom Waits with his gravelly delivery that fit the music so well. Overall there’s a spiritual or ritualistic feel to Eagle Twins music, much in the same way OM’s albums feel. Perhaps a bit darker though.

Photo by Taylor Keahey

As said before. I was blown away by them the first time I heard them and have been with each release. A band that touches on all things I enjoy, not only about Metal, but music in general. If this is something you enjoy I highly recommend getting their first album as well. And since Southern Lord for some reason has not put it on their Bandcamp. Do your due diligence and email Mr. Anderson and beg, plead, and otherwise annoy him until it is on Bandcamp.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Agrimonia - Rites of Separation

In a short time the Southern Lord Bandcamp has doubled in size. The latest addition is Rites of Separation, the brand new full-length by Swedish band Agrimonia. We covered their self-titled debut here and thankfully Rites of Separation is much more of the same. Sludge. Post-metal. Crust. Epic, well written songs that consists of many diverse movements, like some of the longer Opeth songs. Terrific harsh vocals by Christina Blom (with the fitting nickname Crustina). Excellent production, and tons of anger and aggressiveness. And it's precisely Agrimonia's aggression that makes them stand out, as Austin Weber so nicely explains in the No Clean Singing review

"In general, the label of post-metal describes a cocktail of sludge, doom, and hardcore ideas shaken and stirred into a longer song structure [...] What this usually sacrifices is speed and aggression, since those qualities are not the primary focus. However, Agrimonia do not follow that path. Their take is gritty and vitriolic, adept at punishing you in waves, with a strong affinity for crushing heaviness."

Simply put Rites of Separation is a great album, it's the metal equivalent of tasty dish, that combines elements from different kitchens just right, and leaves you full and entirely satisfied.

Sleep - Dopesmoker

Artwork by Arik Roper

Sleep's Dopesmoker from 2003 is available on the newly opened Southern Lord Bandcamp. Many words have been written about the stillbirth and later resurrection of this seminal album, I invite you to read the Wikipedia article if you're interested in the history lesson. What we have here is the Southern Lord reissue from 2012, remastered from the original studio tapes by Brad Boatright, and featuring stunning new artwork by Arik Roper. The massive 63 minutes of the Dopesmoker track itself is cut in three parts like the vinyl release, and the live version of Holy Mountain is also included.

Jonathan Carbon from Chronicles of Chaos discussed just how "perfect" an album Dopesmoker is. He ended up giving it a 10 out of 10 rating, calling it

the pinnacle of stoner doom. For 63 minutes, Sleep pounds away at monolithic riffs which clears the ground for one of the most ridiculous and effective metal fantasy stories of all time

But not before decrying his lack of a rating system that includes 11s, 12s, and 13s; for those albums that just keeps growing over time.

Ultimately Dopesmoker is an album you need to feel for yourself. As Craig Hayes concludes in his well written review for PopMatters:

You could argue that dissecting the song does it no favors at all – it must be felt, intimately and palpably. Certainly, “Dopesmoker” is not for those wanting a quick and easy fix. Its languid, lurching tempo, along with Cisneros’ mantric incantations, may challenge the patience of many listeners. Yet, for all the song’s complexity, Sleep ensures it never becomes impossible to navigate

So click the player below and drop out of life with bong in hand the next 63 minutes.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]