THE TWILIGHT REVUE: Barrens, Conjuro Nuclear, Venowl / Highgate Split, Sempiternal Dusk

BARRENS "Circles" EP
Ambient/Folk/Black Metal
Italy

BARRENS hails from Tuscany, Italy and is the remarkable solo debut of musician Luca Dalpiaz. Expertly combining genres such as depressive black metal, ambient, goth and neofolk, BARRENS has the spectral melancholy of XASTHUR infused with the mystical atmosphere of DEAD CAN DANCE. A variety of moods are explored, from cathartic despair to quiet introspection, through dense, lush instrumentation featuring layers of both distorted and acoustic guitars. The vocals alternate between a desperate, whispered rasp, and majestic, billowing harmonies. These 2 compositions, clocking in around 20 minutes total, wash over you in haunting, ethereal waves encrusted in a grim haze of longing and loss. Truly one of my favorite discoveries of late.

Look for an interview with BARRENS, coming soon.

CONJURO NUCLEAR "Conjuro Nuclear"
Black Metal/Darkwave
Spain

This is CONJURO NUCLEAR's second release of black metal and darkwave. Unabashed, melodramatic synths reminiscent of 70's and 80's horror film soundtracks combine with simple but driving black metal riffs in a way that is both grim and danceable at the same time. Ventures into punk at times, but really all of the styles are integrated very well, even when the synths dominate the songs. Vocals are a distorted shriek usually buried in the background but they work great for me. These short, punchy songs start to sound a little similar by the end, but the whole release is so much fun it hardly matters.

VENOWL / HIGHGATE Split
Doom/Noise/Experimental
United States

VENOWL's part of this doom/noise split is one sprawling, fully-improvised composition titled "Vacant Cellar", and it clocks in just over 34 minutes. Extremely bleak atmosphere, like staring through zero, spirit-crushing hopelessness carved out by punishing feedback. Vocals are piercing, like an ice pick on glass, seriously shrill as hell and amazing. I love the part around 15:00 when the drums drop out and the vocals echo over guitar riffs. Just enough restraint utilized to avoid total oblivion as this seething, bilious mass reaches a satisfying conclusion.
Kentucky's HIGHGATE takes a more conventional route, using extreme dynamics to set the mood in their composition titled "Carved Into Winter". The piece is interspersed with segments of dark ambient drone that develop slowly as a lone guitar begins playing a stoic riff. Gradually the other instruments follow in a build-up/release pattern that culminates in an anguished, extended crescendo with tortured vocals. I'm not up to speed (pun intended) on current trends in the doom genre, but to me these guys touch on that special, scuzzy, down-and-out vibe like EYEHATEGOD or GRIEF. Not re-inventing the genre per say, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Cassette edition available from Tartarus Records here.

SEMPITERNAL DUSK "Sempiternal Dusk"
Death Metal/Doom
United States

At last, the long-awaited full-length from this Portland, Oregon band. Originally a 2-piece outfit, the lineup has now expanded as SEMPITERNAL DUSK evolves from what may have been a side-project into a fully-fledged entity. Indeed, these 5 massive compositions find the band truly coming into their own. The riffs at times have a barbaric simplicity that reminds me of USDM pioneers AUTOPSY or IMPETIGO; however SEMPITERNAL DUSK creates far more atmosphere; in fact to me that is one of the achievements of this record. It manages to be primitive and bludgeoning while evoking a grisly mood at the same time. Deep, cavernous vocals emanate across detuned guitars and fantastic drumming. The production is near perfection, everything sits in balance right where it should, achieving refinement without sacrificing the edge. One of my top death metal picks for 2014.

THE TWILIGHT REVUE: Sona, Strange Angels, Petrychor, Spitzenqualität

SONA "Four Shadows" Demo 2014

Top-notch debut from this Los Angeles post-black metal band. Hits all the right spots, from the songwriting filled with majestic ebbs and flows to the well-balanced mix and production. Stylistically I might place this somewhere between LANTLÔS and COLD BODY RADIATION, if either of those bands still used harsh vocals. 3 songs total, with the middle track "Chasms (Interlude)" being a long, ethereal clean guitar passage before the title track "Four Shadows" swells to a crescendo, and the blast beat kicks in at the perfect moment. Happy ending.

STRANGE ANGELS "Heartland Pt. III, Our Multiform, Our Infinite"

One-man Scottish folk/black metal from Aberdeen. As I am not that familiar with folk music from the UK, I'm not sure if these songs are traditional folk songs or original compositions; either way, sole member Valerian seems to adhere to traditional arrangements and chord progressions, giving the music a stirring, soulful quality that is very moving. This, his 3rd full-length, flows through a myriad of dynamics, from guitar drone/doom, to wistful acoustic segments, to driving rock grooves and triumphant blast beats, taking the listener on a magical and transcendent journey. Vocals alternate between clean, melodic singing and harsh, raspy screams. The electric guitars have a jangly, abrasive edge, and the production in general is quite raw, but to me this adds to the charm and emotive power of this highly recommended release.

PETRYCHOR "Makrokosmos"

PETRYCHOR is another Los Angeles band created by sole member Tad Piecka, also of post-rock instrumentalists BEWARE OF SAFETY. In PETRYCHOR, the talented Mr. Piecka crafts an amazing combination of synth ambience and electronica, symphonic string arrangements, acoustic folk, and atmospheric black metal into a very unique and cinematic experience. This dense, almost overwhelming album borders on cacophonous at times; however, many moments of startling beauty and wonder await the diligent listener. The folk passages in particular, which seem to have an eastern European or gypsy vibe (in my opinion), are impressive with an immense technical proficiency on display. I also recommend the previous album "Effigies and Epitaphs".

SPITZENQUALITÄT "Spitzenqualität"

Total NEU! worshipping krautrock black metal from Japan. In fact, the band seems to have derived its name SPITZENQUALITÄT from the title of a NEU! song on the second album "Neu! 2", which translated from German means "highest quality". At any rate, the 7 songs on this release utilize the trademark repetition and minimalist arrangements of the krautrock genre, with variation coming from the intonations of the guitars as opposed to actual riff changes. It works to great effect and builds a terrific sense of tension. There are also songs like "Thulcandra" (isn't that a DARKTHRONE song?) that burst into a raw and totally blown out black metal style before decaying into droning, distorted ambience. A very intriguing and unique release that I find quite enjoyable.

THE TWILIGHT REVUE: Phobonoid, Irrwisch, Arx Atrata, Hermóðr

PHOBONOID "Orbita" EP

Stunning debut EP from this one-man Italian band, expertly melding atmospheric cosmic black metal with elements of doom, electronica and industrial. A fully crystalized vision, startling in its scope and emerging fully formed from the aether.

Phobonoid

IRRWISCH "Irrwisch" Demo

Excellent Dutch atmospheric black metal/shoegrind. These guys had a previous band called WIDERGEIST and released one demo, which is also excellent. Classy and lush riffs border on outright prettiness. Faster blast beats than usual, pushing the rhythm to grind core levels. SO GOOD.

Irrwisch

ARX ATRATA "Oblivion" EP

Epic and chilling atmospheric black metal from the UK. Very well crafted ambience, frosty guitar tones, melancholic emotive riffing. Synths add a lush layer of cascading beauty, reminds me of COLDWORLD or PAYSAGE D'HIVER, if you're into that kind of thing.

Arx Atrata

HERMÓÐR "Vid avgrundens kant"

Another great EP from this Swedish band. Lone member Rafn plays all instruments. Slow, grandiose and melancholic black metal. Riffs have a building quality, adding layers of guitars with each round. Background chants add to the majestic vibe. Songs tend to be long, in the 7 to 10 minute range. Highly recommended band!

Hermóðr

New HARASSOR Interview and Video

Brand new interview with Harassor up now on Noisey, conducted by J. Bennett. They also premiere our new music video "Strangulated" from our latest album "Into Unknown Depths". The video was directed by Amanda Siegel and was shot at F-Haus in Echo Park.

Strangulated

Death Card

I am happy to share a new 5-song EP from my solo project MOONKNIGHT. It's titled "Death Card" and you can stream or purchase it below.

These 5 songs came together rather quickly, in fact it was during the mixing/mastering phase for the next full-length "Valinor" that the creative impulse hit me and I started recording this EP. It took about 2 weeks from beginning to end. I feel these songs represent the "classic" MOONKNIGHT sound, and stylistically they fall somewhere between "Toplov" and Ligeia".

Thanks for listening,
~Horus

Theremin Works

I first learned about the wondrous instrument known as the theremin through the film, "Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey". The sheer weirdness of the instrument, as well as the tale behind the man that invented it, captured my imagination and made me very curious. The year was 2002, and I had lived in Los Angeles for just over a year when my 30th birthday came around. My ex-girlfriend surprised me with a hell of a present; she got me a theremin on eBay. I dove right in and starting making strange sounds with it, adding tons of effects and zoning out on its peculiar frequencies.
By that time I was also getting involved in local experimental music and comedy performances. My theremin came in handy. I had a noise band with Sandor, future drummer of Harassor, that was called Urethra Franklin (we later changed the name to Democrisy), and a solo experimental project called Attakkr. I also performed with our comedy/musician friend Brently.

I think hearing the theremin has an interesting effect on people, naturally drawing them in. There's just something about the sound it makes that is oddly alien and familiar at the same time. It seemed that everybody wanted my theremin in their act...I was even invited to be on the Ellen Degeneres Halloween episode (was it 2005? 2006?) with my theremin, and I was in a skit with Ellen where she tried to play it.
Anyways, as time went on my theremin, which was a cheaper model, started to have technical issues like shorting out, and I also didn't want to be pigeonholed as the "theremin guy", so I started backing off from using it, and it wound up in my closet for many years.
Recently, my friend Brian in the Louisville, Kentucky sludge metal band Stonecutters, asked me to record a brief intro for one of their upcoming songs. I dug the old theremin out and dusted it off. It still had the same technical issues but I was able to make it work. I added some reverb, echo, and tremolo and started zoning out again like the old days. I had so much fun recording the intro for Brian that I just kept going until I had enough material for an EP.
That's the story behind our new release, JAMES BROWN III "Solo Theremin Works". Stream and download it below, and look for the cassette edition coming soon.
Thanks for listening!

MY TOP 10 RELEASES OF 2013

James/Horus here...everyone else is doing this so why don't I?

2013 was a fantastic year for metal releases, so many good ones that it was difficult to narrow it down. So here they are in (almost) no particular order, along with my 2 sentence reviews of each:

VOIVOD – Target Earth

Amazing and refreshing return from my all-time favorite band, full of creativity and soul. It instantly claimed a spot next to my favorite VOIVOD records.

GRAVE UPHEAVAL – Untitled

The murkiest and cavernousiest death metal record of all-time. Makes “Onward to Golgotha” sound like power metal.

INQUISITION – Obscure Verses For the Multiverse

The perfect culmination of form and a graceful step forwards for this Satanic duo. Glorious riffs from master craftsman Dagon.

BÖLZER – Aura

Insanely unique Swiss band, it’s rare to have a band burst forth with this much personality and style. To me they sound like old NEUROSIS playing atmospheric death metal.

CLOUD RAT – Moksha

Shoegaze grindcore, emo power-violence, whatever you call it I absolutely love this band and this record. The Neil Young cover chills me to the bone.

BEYOND – Fatal Power of Death

Excellent German death metal, hard hitting with a great atmosphere. This one grew on me big time and now it’s been playing on repeat for weeks.

DARKTHRONE – The Underground Resistance

These guys aren’t just paying homage to the great sounds of the 80’s…they are taking those styles and aesthetics and writing some truly great and well-crafted songs. My favorite is “Valkyrie”.

JESU – Everyday I Get Closer To the Light From Which I Came

If you like the previous JESU material this will not disappoint. The prolific Mr. Broadrick always delivers and this is some of his best material thus far.

MORTIFERA – Bleüu de Morte

A great new album from this French depressive/atmospheric black metal band. Slower tempos than previous releases but still totally raw and creative.

KNELT ROTE – Trespass

Pitch black terror! KNELT ROTE crafts a horrifying amalgamation of black/death metal and bestial grindcore into the most fearsome and intimidating release of the year.