Time for some gratuitous self promotion: This is my band, and we play grind. Dark, fast, brutal stuff. Influences: Phobia, Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Entombed, and oh-so-many more.
This is our first EP, soon to be the first of many. Download it for free on our bandcamp.
I don't understand how this album has received almost no attention from the metal community. It's predecessor, 2006's Magla, made a little bit of a splash, yet outside of a couple gushing Metal Archives reviews, no one seems to care. Personally, I feel that Umro is a far superior work, and stands as the best thing The Stone has yet released. It's a dark motherfucker, full of brooding atmospheres and chaotic atonal riffing, yet nonetheless possesses a ton of distinct, memorable melodies. Needless to say, I fucking dig it, and if you are a fan of super dark, technically proficient, out-there black metal, you will too.
Grayceon is a three piece metal band consisting of drums, guitar, and electric cello. Their music isn't actually as out-there as you might think, though tends to be difficult to pin to a specific genre- similar, in a way, to Hammers of Misfortune. I got to see them a year or so ago and they put on a stellar show. Go see them if you can, otherwise check out this album.
Here's another gem that I haven't seen get nearly enough recognition. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you can get past the strangeness of it, there's some truly beautiful things to behold. Highly recommended.
Best release I've heard this year, hands fucking down. It's fast, heavy, beautiful, dirty, complex, abrasive and rewarding- often all at the same time. If you appreciate extreme music at all, even if you're not a fan of DSO, give this a shot. It's so fucking worth it.
Up until the release of Deathspell Omega's breathtaking Drought EP, I was championing this mindfuck of an album as the best of the year thus far. It's fucking great in all aspects: tortured, suffocating atmosphere, labyrinthian atonal riffing, and a hell of a drum performance. The musicianship here is seriously great (two of the guys are from Exivious[!]) and the production follows suit. Get it. Love it.
My initial impetus to check these guys out came solely from their awesome artwork and album title. Needless to say, the music lived up. Heavy, heavy, heavy doom from Rhode Island.
I had the pleasure of seeing these guys play with Agalloch (whom they completely blew out of the water) last fall in Seattle. They were fucking awesome. Tons of atmosphere, heavy dirty riffing, and killer dynamics. The album is a cool listen, but really doesn't quite capture the intensity of what they bring to live performance. Regardless, I highly recommend it to any fan of blackened doom.
Here's a weird one: Post-Black Metal from China. What's weirder is that it's actually good. Like, surprisingly good. It's more post-rock than black metal, but it's definitely cool if you're into that kind of thing.
