Barbelith - Mirror Unveiled

A little more post-black for you today.  The drumming and vocals remind me a lot of the latest Bosse-De-Nage album, but the guitars and songwriting are a little "blacker" and do away with more of the indie rock influences.  Still, this has the same ups and downs between uplifting and sorrowful as many albums in the genre.  The first two tracks particularly wowed me.  My hats off to the drummer.  Stream it or buy it for $5 on BANDCAMP.

Karst

 

Hey folks! I'm once again a free man (for the time being) now that my dreaded exams have come to an end. If all things go according to plan, I will be able to write a little more frequently.

Without further ado, I bring you Karst. It's quite the feat to release an album itself but one that is self-released, and in cassette format  can often be a risk most bands aren't willing to take. This risk however has definitely paid off for the likes of Karst. With their unique mixture of Black Metal, Garage Rock like influences and Progressive undertones they create a refreshing sound that piques your interest. They pull the style off with seemingly ease where other bands may find difficulty in mixing the jazzy interludes and other interesting influences. If you're all about the groovy, unconventional Black Metal, and lyrics sung in a different language this may be right up your alley.

Discography

Bosse-De-Nage - All Fours

I'm going to slap the next hipster, post-hardcore band that calls itself black metal.  That being said, Bosse-De-Nage have built themselves a fine album of particularly ferocious post-hardcore.  As apparent from the album cover, All Fours is not interested in engaging the BM tropes they claim to share a genre space with.  But enough with the superficial.  The sound here is lush and emotionally potent.  Those DRUMS!  Clearly the highlight throughout the album, this is one of the most live mixtures of the energetic, technical, and fast kit work I have ever heard.  The gritty production adds to the frenetic qualities while disparing, jangly guitars, rumbly bass, and tortured vocals come together forming a Voltron of sorrow.  It's only 7 CAD on bandcamp.

Enjoyability=9
Musicianship=8.5
Innovation=7.8
Overall=8.6

Animus Mortis - Testimonia

It’s rare that I find a group that would be equally as at home touring with Hopesfall as Taake.  Sure, there are plenty of post-black outfits that inject some indie and hardcore ethos into their blastbeat-driven sound, but the pure spacey post-rock riffs of tracks like “Hyperbole of Senses” forego the word fusion.  Rather, they are given their own unmolested space while the black metal vocals do the same.  Each seems to exist fully within its own genre while creating a true duality of beauty and ugliness.

Hailing from Chile, Animus Mortis play a highly emotive, guitar and drum driven brand of music.  While they are often listed as black metal, I think the closest tag would be post metal.  The combination of the jangly rhythm guitar chords and slow, sorrowful picked lead melodies is blissful rather than grim.  It’s the sort of melancholy that leads to introspection and new outlook.  Meanwhile the drums construct an ever-changing landscape of textures with double bass, tom fills, blastbeats, ear-catching cymbal patterns, and just an overall sense of both the technical and the memorable.

The vocals come in two major flavors:  almost folky baritone singing/chanting and echoed howls and growls.  The former often reminded me of early Borknagar, albeit more subdued and less theatrical.  Whatever comparisons they might conjure, I find these parts to be quite soothing.  The harsh vocals, on the other hand, have a much more cavernous, evil quality.  They seem to contort the very fabric of the music with songwriting shifting markedly into ominous minor keys and the drums becoming increasingly aggressive.  A good example is on “Manuscripts,” where the aforementioned peace between the black and the beautiful devolves temporarily into a spiraling chasm of darkness.

Honestly, every track on this album is a winner in some way.  I was drawn into each on my very first listen with the one-two punch of varied songwriting and striking hooks.  Each subsequent listen only grew in lushness and gratification.  While it may sound sappy, Testimonia takes me away to a different place.  A place where my feelings flow more freely and tears of both joy and regret threaten to burst forth at any moment.  But enough of my self-righteous pontification.  Check the album out for yourself on bandcamp.  It’s only 7 Euro if you feel as strongly about it as I did.

Enjoyability=9
Musicianship=9
Innovation=8.5
Overall=8.9

Downfall of Nur (Argentina)

So yet again, it’s 2015, and despite all of my convictions held that post-black is a trite and boring affair, I have been proven wrong.  After being severely underwhelmed by last year’s Deafhaven and its thousands of art-school imitators, group after group have shown me the light.  The solution is so obvious: make the music different and interesting.  This brings me to Downfall of Nur.  Fusing the haunting howls and chord structures of post metal, the constant build of progressive, and the engrossing soundscapes of blackened folk; Umbras de Barbagia is a monument of sorrow.

This album is a bit of a slow burner. In fact, it's a full 10 minutes before the vocals even kick in, but believe me when I say that your patience will be rewarded.  Fortunately, the wait is not a chore by any means.  Between the deeply sad minor chord patterns and the (unique) folk instrumentation, the well-constructed progressions provide plenty of feeling and engagement.  The most abundant untraditional instrument is the quenacho flute.  You will probably recognize its sound from Kung Fu, or Kill Bill part 2.  But there are also appearances of piano, strings, and even rain sounds.  Those who stick around to the final track will also experience a bagpipe performance fit for a funeral procession.

The vocals start off like most post-black acts: fairly unintelligible, screechy, buried in the mix, etc.  I was a little concerned at first that this might be where things take a turn for the worst.  However, much like with the instrumentation, there is a wealth of subtle variety to be found.  When things slow down, Dany Tee (Seelenmord, In Element, ex-Dead Warrior, Those Endless Eyes) goes with something a little more grim and growly that I can actually understand.  Even more pleasant are the passages of clean singing that border on a folky chanting. These slower parts feature some very crisp acoustic guitar and tons of reverb on everything. The production choices really help the drums sound deep and foreboding.

While sonically, it would be easy to compare the tone of this to other post-black acts, I find myself thinking more of Enslaved.  The two sound little alike, yet the simple, subtle takes on songwriting and manner of black and folk fusion warrant the association.  Those who have had the pleasure of listening to Au-Dessus’ debut, Tod Huetet Ubel, Telpathy’s 12 Areas or even Leviathan’s latest album are likely to find enjoyment in this as well.  Final word: Dark, haunting, and very rewarding.  Check it out on bandcamp for stream and consider it’s low 4 Euro price tag if you enjoy it as much as I did.

Enjoyability=9
Musicianship=8
Innovation=8
Overall=8.7

Au-Dessus (Lithuania)

There’s actually a lot of post-black in this, but without turning into yet another Drudkh clone.  The sound is very deep and heavy, the vocals very harsh.  There is a progressive element, but compositions are pretty simplistic.  Still, there is enough variance within each track to carry the song lengths.  I like how songs will start off with a really dark tone and then evolve into something more melodic over time as on track II.  In fact, each track seems to up the ante from the previous one.  Plenty of crunchy bass in the mix, production is pretty clean but retains some edge.  Guitar work is strong with the occasional hooky riff to break up the rapidly strummed chords.  Overall, an impressive debut.  Only $4.95 on bandcamp.  I will be coming back to this one for a few listens to be sure, but I see no reason not to throw them a few bucks.

Enjoyability=9 at least
Musicianship=8
Innovation=7.5
Overall=8.9

The Great Old Ones

 

Heavily influenced by the writings of HP Lovecraft,  this post-black Metal outfit returns with their Sophmore output. I was initially blown away by the musicianship, and dense atmosphere with their debut and their follow-up does not disappoint. They delve deeper into the Lovecraft stick and create a perfect balance of rich atmosphere and aggression. Listen, reflect, enjoy. 

 

 

The Great Old Ones 

 

 

Silence of The Old Man

 

Call me hipsterish, trendy or whatever you please, but I for one happen to be a major junky when it comes to Black Metal mixed with Shoegaze. Musically theres a hint of Shoegaze with the main focus being placed on the Post-Black sound. The balance of the two genres complement each other very nicely, with the nice dreamy elemnents of Shoegaze and the expansiveness of Post-Black Metal

Discography

Carencia de Ausencia - 2010