Friday funeral doom shopping list

By Manny-O-War. In a brief amount of time, say a few short months, it’s become a tradition on Thursdays to open up the lines of communication that social media affords us and play some Desert Island. Each week we select a genre

By Manny-O-War.

Artwork by Lars Simpkins

In a brief amount of time, say a few short months, it’s become a tradition on Thursdays to open up the lines of communication that social media affords us and play some Desert Island. Each week we select a genre, sub-genre or other category of music and each “contestant” (no one really wins or loses) selects five albums that they would bring with them to a desert island. Recently, we tackled the slow, undulating genre of funeral doom. It was met with much joy and participation, odd given the genre’s monicker. It was also a week where many people shared new bands and experiences with each other. And that’s the real motivation behind the desert island game on Thursdays: to allow people to explore categories of music they may not have previously delved into. It’s easy, using a hashtag on Twitter or a post on Facebook, for people to learn about any number of exciting artists held dear by people they respect, don’t know or perhaps are pals with. While not every desert island week leads to music purchases, it’s encouraging when someone takes the initiative to learn about bands and purchase the music directly from the artist.

That’s where Bandcamp comes in. It’s likely that you’ve seen the ##metalbandcampgiftclub hashtag floating around. Maybe you’ve been gifted a record or two, maybe you’ve gifted a record or two or maybe you’ve just seen the hashtag around. Regardless, you can read more about that here if you’re so inclined. Desert Island has given us yet another way to use Bandcamp as a sort of social networking application. It’s an easy way to find, stream and purchase works by artists that you’re interested in checking out. And, this Friday, August 4, 2017, Bandcamp has done something unique: they’ve committed to donate 100% of their profits, for the entire day, to the Transgender Law Center, a nonprofit organization that works tirelessly to change law, policy, and culture as well as defend transgender individuals who may suffer from those who seek to undermine their legitimacy. Bandcamp did something similar previously when it donated all proceeds to the ACLU. These are trying times not only for Americans suffering under a rigid, unwielding and hateful administration but also throughout the world where religion and government are often interchangeable institutions. It’s commendable that Bandcamp is willing to be such a proud supporter of human rights and it’s inspiring to see such a business as a beacon of hope in this oddly commerce-centric culture.

[Max: these albums are simply my shopping list gained from perusing Manny's #desertislandfuneraldoom posts. A few classics, some major releases from recent years that I somehow missed, and most excitingly: a handful of great albums I've never heard about before.]

[Bonus album: I just picked up this excellent mix of drone and funeral doom from Norway's Hjarnidaudi. As this short review from Metal Archives states "Fuzzed out guitars guitars flying everywhere, big walls of slow dirge rhythm, stuff that's melodic and disturbing and generally awesome".]

Owlcrusher - Owlcrusher

By Bryan Camphire.. Ireland's Owlcrusher have just released a colossal LP of crushing apocalyptic doom. I first heard of this fine record by way of a social media account of Malthusian. Any release that is recommended by a band

By Bryan Camphire.

Artwork by Andrew Cunningham

Ireland's Owlcrusher have just released a colossal LP of crushing apocalyptic doom. I first heard of this fine record by way of a social media account of Malthusian. Any release that is recommended by a band as great as that is something worth checking out, went my logic. Still, I wasn’t prepared to be bowled over by a debut as solid as this.

The record is self-titled. It features three long-form songs that clock in at 43 minutes total. Tempos are slow; the band takes it's sweet time to bore these tunes deep into your skull. The production is massive. This was reputedly many years in the making, and it shows. Attention to detail is evident throughout every minute of this blisteringly heavy release.

The second track, like the band name and the album title, is also called Owlcrusher. For this reason, the name merits some thought. In many cultures, owls are thought of as being messengers of the dead. In the Indonesian language, to name but one example, the term for owl is ‘burung hantu’, which, transliterated, means, ‘ghost bird’. An Owlcrusher could be an inter-dimensional equalizer.

Taking cues from the beautiful cover art--which, incidentally, was done by a member of Malthusian--an Owlcrusher might be a demonic hand that disposes of the husks of these emissaries between the realms of the living and the netherworlds after they’ve outlived their purpose. …Or the name might have some altogether different meaning. In any case, it’s evocative and thusly it suits this music.

What gripped me right away about this music is that it plays with both major and minor scales within single chord progressions. Darkness cuts through the light and vice versa. These contrasts make for songwriting rich with tension and release. It's a very deliberate choice, and one that's executed here with tremendously dramatic results.

The first track, "Feeble Preacher", deploys a vast array of vocal styles. Agonised cries intermingle with guttural throat song interspersing with liturgical chants. It’s a heady cocktail to be sure. You can almost smell incense wafting from a brass decanter as the power chords resound as though throughout a vast cathedral. It is both hypnotic and cavernous.

Time is elastic throughout this record. Fittingly, the drummer maximizes the expansive amounts of space created within the music. As each cadence crests, the percussion predicates the phrasings with ample finesse.

A deep sense of balance pervades this music, and it draws upon the history of the form just enough to allow it to innovate. Owlcrusher have prayed at the pyre of Burning Witch, imbibed plenty of Toadliquor and supped from the Fleshpress long enough to know how to make a great doom record through and through. The band just signed to Seeing Red Records, and it's heartening to know that this tremendous record is seeing a proper release. Owlcrusher is definitely a welcome addition to the hallowed canons of doom.

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - Necrovision

By Steven Leslie. It’s often a mystery why some bands explode in popularity, while other equally talented bands wallow in obscurity throughout their existence. Whether it is a case of location, lack of press coverage, poor distribution or just plain old bad luck

By Steven Leslie.

Artwork by Thorny Thoughts Artwork.

It’s often a mystery why some bands explode in popularity, while other equally talented bands wallow in obscurity throughout their existence. Whether it is a case of location, lack of press coverage, poor distribution or just plain old bad luck, it is a shame that excellent bands like Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult don’t get the recognition that they deserve. Releasing their first demo in 1999, the Germans have not released a bad album in their 10-plus year career. While Necrovision, their fifth full-length, is by no means new, it’s limited availability (at least here in the States) and only recent appearance on Bandcamp will make it new to many listeners. And like all the band's previous works, it offers a plenty of aural pleasures for any fans of second-wave black metal.

Nocturn does follow a fairly traditional black metal template, but they are far from the one-trick, one-dimensional copycat bands that are so prevalent these days. They have continued to hone their sound and songwriting technique over the years, imbuing each and every song with a dark spirit and individual nature that ensure they hold up over repeat listens. The critical component in this is the band’s understanding and use of dynamics. Instead of endless blasts and homogenous dirges, each of Necrovision’s nine songs (excluding the typical throwaway ambient intro) guide the listener through a series of twists and turns, culminating in a diverse and highly satisfying journey into the darkness.

MDF 2015. Photo by Ashley Adams.

Interestingly, the first thing that jumped out on early listens was the spectacular drum performance by Horrn. While he can blast with the best of them, he opts instead to use this technique as an accent instead of the template around which all the songs are built. This helps guarantee that when a blast is employed, it gets the listener's full attention and delivers all the impact of a mac truck colliding with a mini cooper. More impressive is Horrn’s deft usage of fills. He intuitively understands how to use them as accents to help propel the song forward and keep the listener’s attention, without ever sacrificing the underlying beat’s groove. Equally comfortable with a rollicking mid-paced stomp as an all-out percussive onslaught, Horn provides a diverse and powerful backdrop against which Velnias and Onielar overlay their powerful riff work.

The dynamic drum performance is matched by the excellent riff work provided by this duo. As with the drum work, it’s the variety here that helps make Necrovision stand out from its peers. Whether it’s a slower atmospheric build, mid-paced groove, or concussion inducing blitz, Onielar and Velnias seem to have the perfect riff. Equally impressive is their ability to seamlessly blend these tempo changes together, highlighting their adept songwriting skills. This duo shows the same keen understanding of song craft that Horrn does, enabling them to maximize the impact of each and every riff they play. No single hook or melody overstays it’s welcome, constantly shifting and evolving, often leaving the listener begging for more and guaranteeing future listens. The warm production sound is a boon here as well, helping differentiate the band from the slew of black metal bands mining the “icy northern” riff style of their infamous Norwegian peers, and allowing their contagious melodies to firmly sink their hooks in the listeners damaged brain.

Vocally, Onielar delivers the goods as well. While her performance is quite traditional and certainly not as varied as her superb display on the latest Bethlehem release (a must listen if you haven’t already), her harsh croak lays perfectly on top of the music imbuing it with occult atmosphere and satanic might. If you have heard Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult before, rest assured that the quality of their back catalog is maintained, and if you're new to the band Necrovision is as good a place to start as any. One thing is for sure, this Germanic black metal institution is one that you need to add to your collection.