From Satanic Warmaster to Sargeist to Circle of Ouroborus, Finland is far from lacking when it comes to producing black metal that is filthy, f—ed up, and utterly unique. But relative newcomers and self-described “nekro punk” practitioners Aanal Beehemoth just might be the filthiest and most bizarre act yet to be vomited forth by the small, unassuming country. Comprised of principal members Crazy Bomber and Deathly Fightar, the band sounds like nothing short of Darkthrone doing heroin in a scum-ridden Detroit back-alley with The Stooges.
Sure, many bands out there of late have developed an interest in combining black metal with elements of ’60s psychedelia, but Aanal Beehemoth takes a different approach, eschewing drug-addled atmosphere in favor of another aspect of that era’s music, the rough and tumble proto punk frenzy of bands like the aforementioned Stooges, The MC5 or the New York Dolls. By mixing snotty attitude with a seriously dark and grimy sound, the Finnish duo accomplish something that ninety-nine percent of black metal bands simply aren’t capable of. Quite simply, Aanal Beehemoth rocks.
Desperately wanting to find out more about this unholy duo’s rancid cocktail of blackened garage filth, I sought them out via that stronghold of true grimness known as myspace. To be honest I am not sure whether it was Crazy Bomber or Deathly Fightar (or both?) that answered this e-mail interrogation, hence all answers are attributed simply to Aanal Beehemoth.
Continue reading ‘Dethroned Emperor #13′
A continuation
Grayceon’s s/t album was one of my favourite releases of 2007; an album I got addicted to, drowned in, in love with. With its captivating sound, the Grayceon trio with their cello-guitar-drums made a deep impact, not only on me but on a wide audience as evidenced by the numerous positive reviews they’ve received. It is therefore not surprising that this, their second effort, released in 2008 is one of the year’s most anticipated albums, not only by myself. They face a difficult task in this aspect; following up on what to is a stellar first release and a fabulous album in itself. Where would they go from here? Do they even need to go somewhere? Is repetition enough? Or do they need to evolve progress and offer us something new not heard on the first album? I personally was curious to see how they chose to go, and was trying to keep an open mind in that regard.
Continue reading ‘Grayceon - This Grand Show (2008, Vendlus)’
October Equus are battling a sea monster
The third album by October Equus, released in 2008 is named after Charybdis, daughter of Gaia and Poseidon that was turned into a sea monster by Zeus. If one looks at the title of the tracks on the album, he’ll notice that mythological and nautical themes are at use here. This album was released through the RAIG label, who has been delivering intriguing and captivating experimental and avant-rock albums in the last years. It is therefore very fitting that Spanish band October Equus release their album through this label as this is a spectacular example of boundary breaking rock.
Continue reading ‘October Equus - Charybdis (2008, RAIG)’
Delicately rocking you
Rock, fusion and Celtic music are on the menu of the French band Sylbàt, which formed in 2006 and has released their first album called Mara in 2008. Bearing a distinct sound, they create an “airy” sort of rock, light-sounding but not light in the effects it has on the listener. Their special fusion sound, with a particular folk/Celtic taste is augmented with a rock attitude (though not a too heavy or dynamic one) that is created by drummer Patrick Boileau and guitarist Hélène Brunet. The special and mostly ethereal sound of Sylbàt can be attributed to the electroharp of Clotilde Trouillaud. It is indeed the instrument that “reigns” here and is the dominant sound here.
Continue reading ‘Sylbàt - Mara (2008, Kerne Productions)’
As I’ve mentioned in previous writings here at SF, the turnover rate in extreme metal is pretty darn high. It seems like some bands rarely record with the same lineup twice. But rarely does a band give itself a complete overhaul the way UK-based quintet The Rotted have with their new album, Get Dead or Die Trying. Formerly known to the death metal realm as Gorerotted, the new disc not only signals a name change and shifting lineup, it also ushers in a drastic refinement of style and sound.
Continue reading ‘Dethroned Emperor #12′
“You say I’ve got a heavy head,” croons Jonathan Pfeffer at the start of So Embarassing, and, in a way, his music does hit like a bludgeon. Capillary Action aren’t brutal death metal, or even a metal band, but they have trouble staying in one place; their songs take every opportunity to charge full-speed in the opposite direction that they were going moments earlier. Hella’s dissonant fretboard workouts are used with blasts of metallic tremolo picking before things finish of with a string-supported crescendo; classy walking bass fusion leads into a chorus of falsettoed FAH-YAHs. That’s just the first two songs, and the whole album is dominated by similar and sudden shifts in style (so much so that, unless watched closely, the songs can blur into one another creating the feel of an insane progressive rock epic) giving the whole of So Embarassing a frantic atmosphere.
Continue reading ‘Review: Capillary Action - So Embarrassing’
Founded in 2001 by bassist/keyboardist Brandon Ross and vocalist Lynnette Shelley, The Red Masque, is an avant-rock band from the Philadelphia area. Their music is best described in their website as “The Red Masque fuses together such disparate musical references as horror movie soundtracks, rock-in-opposition, zeuhl, heavy rock, gothic, psychedelia and kraut rock”. The band has thus far released three albums, one EP and one single.
In August 12 their latest album, Fossil Eyes was released through the avant/experimental music label ReR USA (the USA branch of the famous ReR Megacorp label in the UK). This is a good occasion to have an interview with the band members about the band, its activities and influences.
Continue reading ‘Interview: The Red Masque’
Bedtime Stories released under the project name Taun, is a product of the collaboration between two musicians, Me Raabenstein (Berlin, Germany) and Harold Nono (edinborough, UK). These two musicians discovered each other’s music over the net and realizing they were aiming at similar sounds, decided to work together.
Continue reading ‘Review: Taub - Bedtime Stories’
As some of you may know, I live deep in the unholy bowels of the Midwest, Des Moines, Iowa to be exact. Not exactly a town known for stellar underground metal shows. Most tours skip us altogether in favor of the much more happening surrounding areas, specifically Chicago and Minneapolis. For this reason, I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised when it was announced that the Australian grind commandos of The Day Everything Became Nothing and Fuck… I’m Dead would be gracing the stage of one of our local venues as part of a short tour culminating in the infamous Maryland Deathfest.
Continue reading ‘Dethroned Emperor #11′
Radius System’s latest album is such an ambitious project that it has taken the band three years to get to this point (apparently there is still more to come.) Like Nine Inch Nails’ most recent album, Escape / Restart features different pieces of artwork to complement the music, and, while the trio’s budget isn’t quite as large as Trent Reznor’s, they’ve managed to deliver a series of spacey pictures that correspond to a specific moment in each song. Not quite finished yet is an animation for each track. Also like Nine Inch Nails, the band have released the album for free on their website.
Continue reading ‘Review: Radius System - Escape / Restart’
From Satanic Warmaster to Sargeist to Circle of Ouroborus, Finland is far from lacking when it comes to producing black metal that is filthy, f—ed up, and utterly unique. But relative newcomers and self-described “nekro punk” practitioners Aanal Beehemoth just might be the filthiest and most bizarre act yet to be vomited forth by the small, unassuming country. Comprised of principal members Crazy Bomber and Deathly Fightar, the band sounds like nothing short of Darkthrone doing heroin in a scum-ridden Detroit back-alley with The Stooges.
