PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[Malignant]

>Abandones Asylum - Derelicts of Distant hope - Malignant manages to release the most boring >ambient I could possibly imagine. This is one of the examples
Ha ha, sorry man, can't please everyone all the time.  Glad you liked some of the other stuff at least!

[Dr Alex]

>Abandones Asylum - Derelicts of Distant hope

AMAZING album!! I didn't hear for this project until you send me this cd. GREAT atmosphere. Reminds me of Luasa Raelon - The Poison City cd.

[Levas]

There. This is why it's interesting to explore sounds and sometimes discuss them. Personal preferences.

[Ashmonger]

Nyodene D - Atop Masada (C30, Nil By Mouth): Nice packaging! Sounds different, but still like Nyodene D, so that's good! This is less ominous than the albums, sounds warmer too.

The Rita/Caligula 031 (C30, Nil By Mouth): Also nice packaging (went for the blue one). Wasn't familiar with these projects, so a nice way to hear some of their stuff. The Rita: I'm not a HNW fanatic, but this is quite different from most HNW I've heard, parts with samples and noise are alternated with more typical wall noise, however even in these parts there seems to be more movement. Caligula 031: nice synths and vocals, don't know what else to say at the moment. Liked this tape and will definately play it again to get a better feeling of the works of these two projects.

[absurdexposition]

The Cherry Point - Misery Guts CD - jammed this one twice today, perhaps the best reissue of 2012

[re:evolution]

Arktau Eos "Ioh-Maera" CD
Svart
damn! LP was sold out, so got just the CD.. I was kind of surprised how minimal this is. Listened twice, and as much as I appreciate the ritual drone, bowls, horns, bassy throbbings etc, it appears like it starts well, promising more, but then sinks into being "just" very normal compositions of subtle ritual music, what as normal listening experience isn't getting where I'd like. For purpose of meditating / really paying attention to detail, it could work, but in situations where there are also other stimulus... It sinks to bankground.

Mikko - I very much agree and your assessment of the CD, and which can be equally apply to the the LP.  Both the LP and CD are OK, but not nearly as strong as their earlier stuff on Aural Hypnox.  Given how much hype the LP and CD received, I had high expectations which were simply not met.  I even listened to both intently over numerous listens in the hope I had missed something, but alas these albums simply did not 'click' with me...

[absurdexposition]

Blue Sabbath Black Cheer & The Rita - Drowning Witches CD-R
A bit behind on listening to this one but finally got around to it tonight. Mostly listened while half-passed out in bed so I can discern much detail but the general feel of the album was great.

Various Artists - Contemporary Harsh Noise Vol. II - Disconnection 2xCS
A Snake In The Garden / Coastal / Endless Sea / Fissure
None of this really did it for me. Fissure perhaps had the best track, followed by Coastal, but nothing stood out.

Richard Ramirez / Crucifix Eye CS
Same as above. Largely uninteresting for me.

[ConcreteMascara]

There was quite brutal thunderstorm outside so instead of dancing in the rain I decided to go through my tape collection and see what there is. The first tape I spinned was Arv & Miljö's collaboration with LR, which AM composed by using sound sources from LR. Really nice tape with interesting mix between noise electronics and field recordings from a church. Then I spotted that my "This Sickness Faith" tape had been left on side B so instead to winding it up I decided to spin it and soon realized that I had forgotten all about the mightiness of Con-Dom. Really strong material with loud electronics and well processed vocals. Maybe I should revisit the other CD tapes as well! Then I stumbled upon Concrete Mascara's latest tape, "Excess Takes Its Toll", which is a tape I absolutely loved already on the first listen and it still sounds absolutely amazing. Definitely one of the best new PE releases. Very strong & piercing synth work, amazing vocals and everything sounds perfect to me. Excellent way to stop my little listening session. Saving the private live tapes of CM & BU for later this evening.

thanks for the kind words. glad you enjoyed it. I think you'll enjoy the newest stuff even more. Electronics are sharper, vocals are better and the songs are more structured and intricate.

[ConcreteMascara]

Watain - Rabid Death's Curse CD - just picked this up the other day. the only thing I had heard by Watain was Sworn to the Dark which I got when it came out, and that album left me cold. I could never understand why this band was such a big deal to people or considered so great. Having listened to their first album all the way through, I can see sorta understand why people like Watain. I need to give this more listens, but it's certainly a million times more enjoyable than Sworn to the Dark after just the first listen.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I think second album is why band became what it is.
If that doesn't do anything to you, then one can just give up..

I think Watain came in right time, doing good live gigs and giving good and arrogant and populist interviews, and it stood out easily from crappy live shows of bands who are not really live bands and interviews of all sorts of metal dorks who had nothing to say. I'm quite sure appreciating them depends also when one started to listen metal.

[ConcreteMascara]

I'm quite sure appreciating them depends also when one started to listen metal.

I think this probably has a lot to do with it. I didn't get into metal until 2004 so I can't claim much in the way of time in the scene, and growing up in the suburbs I can't claim much experience either. Plus I think metal culture is just different in many ways in the US than compared to Europe, which probably colours my perceptions as well, even if I don't identify with most metal heads here.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I mean, for guys who heard Watain in 2000 or 2003, this might fall in moment where vast majority of old Swedish bands had ceased to exists, or watered down. Watain might have not been revolutionary, but simply hardened some aspects of Swedish sound and came into good moment in BM scene.  Now, lets say you hear bands works in 2013, not only it is genre saturated by hundreds of bands influenced by Watain (or the same bands as they were), but then you basically compare these old albums to "history of genre" that happened sometime before your time. Importance of Watain in early 2000's might be hard to see now...

My recent metal & related playlist has been OHTAR, THOTH (members of Ohtar/Dark Fury + Darken of Graveland in keyboards), DARK FURY, JEX THOTH new album. And from noise been listening my own recent releases, hah... Vanhala, Budrus,.. just too good!

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Yeah, that style of vocals is among my least favorite ones. Basically all bands influenced by vocal style of early Burzum are quite dull.. But Thoth was musically much better and more interesting than many of this "suicidal" / "depressive" kind of bands.. So I did get over the vocal style!

VIDINė RAMYBė / HASSOKK "vilnius"-tape
Terror
Ah great!! It's one of those examples that you don't always need to aim for revolutionary different. Simply do things well. VR starts with such a blast and great high pitched, yet not screamy vocals that it hits my sweet spot of PE worship instantly. Hassokk is mr. Body Cargo, who has done a lot of great stuff during recent years. Sound quality remains quite same overall, but there is some compositional difference. 

[Lust]

Fat Tulips-Starfish

Great and joyful pop music to listen to when there's a great thunderstorm going on outside. I love this band.

[Scat-O-Logy]

I'm completely out of "nowadays BM scene" but I was listening to the latest Clandestine Blaze album from YouTube and thought it sounded quite interesting. Soon after I got inspired to search some other interesting BM acts through the web and stumbled upon Svartidauði and their "Flesh Cathedral" album. Really interesting sound, very monotonous and "dark". Didn't really like the sound of their vocalist but quite strong album nevertheless, especially the last track, "Psychoactive Sacraments". And then, since Svartidauði reminded me a little bit of DsO, I decided to check their discography once again. DsO is definitely one of the most interesting BM bands around (even a douche like Phil Anselmo agrees, hah!) but I personally dislike "too fast" BM tracks. Still, I can't but admire the way these albums and tracks are composed. I'm especially in love with the slower, more atmospheric parts and the variation of the vocals. There is so good balance between everything, the composing is amazingly executed and everything seems to have their place. Damn, I think I just found my new favorite BM band!