Friday, December 21, 2007 1 Engineers

Album: Sea Of Bones - The Harvest


Artist: Sea Of Bones
Album: The Harvest
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.Chapter Four
02.
Chapter Five
03.
Chapter Six
Download

Sea Of Bones is a funeral doom band at heart; one that employs a very different aesthetic and sonic quality than most funeral doom bands, but still part of the style nonetheless. Imagine if one of those frequently lauded post-metal bands like Isis or Pelican played funeral doom; that's the sort of thing that Sea Of Bones does. So while the sound of the music here is perhaps slightly more accessible than the majority of funeral doom, this still has more in common with Tyranny than it does Red Sparowes.

Sea Of Bones plays a sludgy variety of funeral doom that reminds me of cult French artist Monarch. Of course, Sea Of Bones is a lot more kinetic than Monarch; they don't drone nearly as constantly and repetitively as that band, and the music feels less like drowning in a swamp than them. There's more variety here, probably virtue of the post-metal influence, and it is well employed throughout 'The Harvest'. The tracks on this album all feature sections of noisy yet subdued ambiance, crushing doom plodding, and bombastic climaxes of post-metal with about 300% more bass in the mix. To say that this is heavy is an understatement, and to say that this is very musical is quite an overstatement. The constant, ambient rumble of bass is a major focus, as most of the riffing is just composed of two repeated, alternating single notes or chords. It doesn't sound like much, but each is employed carefully and effectively, despite how cyclic everything is. Much of the variety also comes from the drumming, with the slight adjustment of fills and rhythms helping to move the music forward.

'The Harvest' is an album that is much more than the sum of its parts. The individual elements are rather stale; the droning guitar/bass rumble with winding leads, the hoarsely screamed vocals, the tribalistic drumming, etc. All the elements have been done before. But Sea Of Bones employs them in just an interesting and unique enough way to make the whole package seem different. Really, if the tempo of this was 40 BPM higher or the vocals were whispered growls, it would be much less interesting; the band teeters on the edge of conventionality without ever quite slipping in, and any change from the way the album is designed now would cause it to topple instantly. In that regard, it's one of the more carefully and precisely designed albums that I've heard; every note is very well placed and, more importantly, interestingly placed, despite how played out the base elements of the music are.

Most of the doom/drone/ambient scene will want to give this album a listen; it's a good example of how to put a solid spin on the old conventions of these styles and make something new and engaging. Moreover, it's pretty impressive that they've been able to make the post-metal/funeral doom combination something that's interesting to listen to, where Monarch becomes and endurance test and Pelican slips into rock territory too often nowadays. Worth a look due to how good these guys are at composition, and because it's just a good listen. -noktorn.wordpress.com

Last.fm
MySpace
Buy
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 8 Engineers

Album: Riding Panico - Self Titled



Artist: Riding Panico
Album: Self Titled
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.I See Nineteen
02.Formula
03.Halibute Persona
04.Ferramenta
Download

Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing direction.' The intricate arbitrariness of the city has brought together the lives of six persons who have committed themselves to defeat static and inertia through music. Riding Panico builds electric landscapes suffused with tragedy and laughter. Their universe is one of high musical density where melancholic textures, dissonant gestures and layers of guitar loops work together to blur the lines of their own identity. Their sound invites you to ride through this lush atmosphere of stillness and motion. The storm is you.


MySpace
Contact
5 Engineers

Band: Junius




Artist: Junius
Album: Junius
Label: Radar Recordings
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.[Elan Vitale]
02.Hiding Knives
03.From The Isle Of The Blessed
04.[Elan Fatale]
05.Forcing Out The Silence
06.[The Annunciation]
07.Blood Is Bright
08.A Word Could Kill Her
09.In The Hearts Of Titans
10.At The Age Of Decay
Download

This is a package release includes both of their EPs (Forcing Out The Silence, Blood Is Bright)



Artist: Junius
Album: The Fires of Antediluvia 7" vinyl EP
Label: Radar Recordings
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.The Fires Of Antediluvia
02.Centurion
Download

Junius are:
Joseph E. Martinez guitar, vocals
Mike Repasch-Nieves guitar
Dana Filloon drums
Joel Munguia Reynolds bass

Characterized by spacey walls of guitar, driving rhythms and haunting vocal hooks, Junius blurs the line between dark New Wave and brooding cinematic art rock to form a genre-defining Post-Wave aesthetic.

Press clippings:
"Genius as far as contemporary new wave/cinematic art-rock goes... [an] epic audio masterpiece..."
- The Big Takeover

“Breathtaking atmospherics and dark sensibilities deserved of being likened to the Cure’s Disintegration punctuate this EP. Vocalist Joseph E. Martinez deadpans a brooding style that clashes at the perfect angle with the swirling sounds that rise around his words. Without straying into anything too heavy, Junius manages to maintain an intense presence that is as stylish as Interpol but carries a sincerity and distinction not found in enough young acts. This band seems to have borrowed just enough from previous decades to build and shape something all its own. This Boston-based quartet approach new wave tendencies with a shield of spacey guitars and artistic vocal stylings to create something that is not soon forgotten. With high energy emanating out of a pensive sound, Junius puncture each track with unshakable singularity until it turns into something addictive and encompassing.”
- Exclaim! Magazine

“They wear their brooding eighties swirling darkness on their sleeve, yet still manage to conjure something fresh, majestic and uplifting. The vocal drips onto a textured canvas of chiming echoed guitars and a throbbing backbeat reminiscent of Pornography-era Cure, with the bombastic crunch of My Bloody Valentine.” - The Noise

"Take the darkness of The Cure's best and mix it with the heaviness of A Perfect Circle and moodiness of Placebo... This fell into my lap at the right time."
- Razorcake

"A dark and brooding new wave vibe... with an airy, atmospheric feel to it, reminiscent of spacey, metal-tinged acts like Hum and Cave In... sounding at times like one of Devo's more aggressive offspring. An intriguing blend of influences both new and old."
- Performer Magazine

Official Site
MySpace
Buy it
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 2 Engineers

Album: Generation Of Vipers - Dead Circle



Artist: Generation Of Vipers
Album: Dead Circle
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.A Beacon In The Fog
02.Blood In The Belly
03.Surfacing
04.Yearning
05.Black On Gold
Download

Generation of Vipers formed as a complete unit in September of 2004 and began performing their music in a live setting in the early months of 2005. They composed and constructed an audio recording of their music in July of 2005 titled "Grace" that was then released in February 2006 on their own Red Witch Recordings. Generation of Vipers have released a new full length record titled "Dead Circle" on October 23, 2007 on their own Red Witch Recordings imprint. Any interested parties that would like to assist in distributing the afformentioned recording, please feel free to contact them.

Official Site
MySpace
Buy it
Sunday, December 02, 2007 2 Engineers

Album: The Ghost Dance Movement - Commonwealth Tracks (EP)



Artist: The Ghost Dance Movement
Album: Commonwealth Tracks
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.An Introduction To The Study of T(w)ogetherness
02.Something Hypnotic In The Kennedy Funeral Procession
03.If She Is Jacques Cousteau, I'm The Ocean
04.Redshift (What Is The Color Of The Void)
Download

The Ghost Dance refers to a type of messianic movement (1870-1878) that arose among the Indians of the western Great Basin and later (1898-1895) spread to the Plains. It expressed a desperate longing for the restoration of the past. A return to a life free of hunger, epidemic disease and the bitter warring and divisiveness that accompanied the Indians' subjugation by whites.

Official Site
MySpace
Buy
1 Engineers

Album: Long Distance Calling - Satellite Bay



Artist: Long Distance Calling
Album: Satellite Bay
Label: Viva Hate Records
Year: 2007






Tracklist
01.Jungfernflug
02.Fire In The Mountain
03.Aurora
04.Horizon
05.The Very Last Day
06.Built Without Hands (feat.Peter Dolving from The Haunted)
07.Swallow The Water
Download

Nearly a year after releasing their first demo, the German post-rock ensemble Long Distance Calling has returned to the scene with a fiery debut that more than exceeds expectations. Experimental as well as accessible, Satellite Bay shows the band taking a more sophisticated approach to their songwriting, elaborating upon their unique blend of progressive rock, ambient instrumentals and hard-edged metal. The album features five brand new songs plus two completely redone tracks from last year’s demo, providing a near-60-minute epic journey through some of the best modern instrumental rock music this year has seen.

Having progressed beyond the somewhat undeveloped and inconsistent nature of their demo material, Satellite Bay shows the band delivering their sounds in a way that is as cohesive as it is diverse. This time around, Long Distance Calling seem to have successfully combined their various influences into one solid identity, seamlessly blending layered instrumental movements with their own special dash of edgy rock-based riffs. Typical “post-rock” techniques are quite dominant but delivered with skillful precision—interwoven guitar melodies, bold percussion and soft-to-loud transitions are all implemented in familiar but engaging ways. The real key to this album’s success though comes from tracks such as “Horizon,” which definitely stick out a bit from the rest with a groovier attitude and up-beat pace, giving the album just enough variation to keep things interesting without throwing off the flow.

In sum, what we can see on Satellite Bay is a band that has harnessed its artistic vision and found the perfect balance between experimentation and discipline, making for an exciting and engaging listen from start to finish. That said, one could also say that a lot of the stuff on this release has been done many times before, and perhaps for some of the genre's enthusiasts that might be enough to make this album less than amazing. Nevertheless, an album doesn't necessarily have to be completely ground-breaking to be good—it is the sheer quality and integrity of their music which makes Long Distance Calling so entertaining.

Those seeking a wholesome serving of some of the newest instrumental rock to hit the scene should definitely check out this release. Fans of groups such as ISIS, Tides, and Caspian will likely find Satellite Bay to be a refreshing and enjoyable addition to their rotation. -sonicfrontiers.net

Official Site
MySpace
Buy
Thursday, November 29, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Tusk - The Resisting Dreamer



Artist: Tusk
Album: The Resisting Dreamer
Label: Hydrahead Records
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01. The Everlasting Taste of Disguise
02. Cold Twisted Aisle
03. Life's Denial
04. The Lewdness and Frenzy of Surrender
Download

This is the latest CD from Tusk, which includes three members of Pelican (guitarist Trevor de Brauw, bassist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec and drummer Larry Herwig) along with new co-vocalists Evan Patterson (Breather Resist) and Toby Driver (Kayo Dot).

The Resisting Dreamer finds Tusk moving away from the "avant-grind" of their last album into a little different, but still very unique territory. It's one of those albums that's hard to describe, a diverse and eclectic mix of genres that includes noise, doom, space rock, stoner metal and a few others. The music ranges from slow, simple dirges to fast, complex songs to unusual and experimental tracks that are sometimes noisy and dissonant, other times subdued and groovy.

The album is one long song divided into 4 tracks, and the last one clocks in at 16 minutes and is all instrumental. The different genres, styles and moods described above are all packed into a relatively short album. The Resisting Dreamer is an avant-garde CD that is aggressive, complex, and always interesting.

Recorded and mixed by Tusk alumn Greg Norman at Electrical Audio studios (during Pelican's "Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw" sessions from midnight to five am) and Studio Greg Studios II, the album has a sound and style unlike anything they have attempted in the past. Occasionally groove-laden, occasionally spastic, and often unnerving, "The Resisting Dreamer" is the sound of a band that has absolutely no interest in proving anything to anyone.

Avant, progged out, psych’, helicopter grind -- Tusk’s aural barrage has been categorized with some random appellations. Truth of the matter is, the more out-there the genre description, the more obvious this fact: It’s fucking out there. Amidst surgically precise blasts, frenzied vocals and fret board savagery to make devout fans of all matters of harshness raise a horned-hand salute, you’ll find a willingness to experiment: sitar, slide guitar, mandolin, swirling keyboard passages.

Basically, they’re to bedrooms in Chicago suburbs what Lightning Bolt and Arab on Radar are to Providence, R.I. Get it? No? Try this on for size: It’s Discordance Axis by way of Yes’ "Close to the Edge" or a German-schooled Acme maelstrom played by fans of This Heat and Don Caballero. And a singer who professes his lyrical "chaos bordering on collapse" owes a debt of gratitude to Tom Waits, though he sounds more like a strangled banshee or the Germs’ Darby Crash.
Tusk formed in the summer of ’98. In 2001 they unleashed their first record, a split with Hewhocorrupts, which apparently "sold well in Japan" and garnered them the honor of being described by several German distros as "completely crazy." With Black Man, White Man, Dead Man, they toured in summer ‘01, supporting said record -- impairing hearing and imposing structural damage in Midwest and East Coast basements.

Armed with a new singer -- sailor by day, inconspicuous madman by night -- Tusk recorded this first full length (9 songs) in March 2002 with Greg Norman, who engineers at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio. The CD is on Hewhocorrupts Inc.; the vinyl is soon to come from elsewhere. Tusk toured the Midwest and West Coast last summer with Hewhocorrupts and La Mantra De Fhiqria, both respected Chicago luminaries, in their respective frenzied metal and screamo niches.

Live in your town? Expect 15 minutes of pent-up nervous tension let loose by way of broken mikes, Lombardo fills, tossed monitors, flailing mike stands aimed at the bass player’s knees, coyote yelps and shit fits.

Current members are in Pelican (Hydra Head Records) and previously did time in Hinckley, Disembodied and Long Live Nothing.

MySpace
Official Site
Buy
Monday, November 26, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Rosetta - Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift



Artist: Rosetta
Album: Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift
Label: Translation Loss Records
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01. I
02. II
03. III
04. IV
Download

This component disc, entitled The Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift, was released alongside Wake/Lift. It contains a collection of ambient samples used by Armine. It is, however, not meant to be synchronized with Wake/Lift (as The Galilean Satellites was); Armine "purposely designed The Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift to make Wake/Lift sound terrible if played together".

"This CD is composed of every sample collected and manipulated between the years of 2000 and 2007. For purposes of vision, craftsmanship and composition, no sound on this disk will ever br reused in future material. I am starting over" - Mike Armine

MySpace
Official Site
Buy
0 Engineers

Album: MGR - Wavering on the Cresting Heft



Artist: MGR
Album: Wavering on the Cresting Heft
Label: Conspiracy Records
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01. Allusions
02. It Darkens His Door
03. Ruminations of Before
04. Equilibrium
05. The Night Spills, Wide and Open
06. And It Falls By The Gallons

Download

With MGR guitarist Mike Gallagher -of renowned dirge architects ISIS- unveils a compendium of sparse ruminations culled from years of underground musical experience. Gallagher has developed a style characterized by dense, sustained textures coupled with a penchant for the subtle melodicism associated with the post-Sabbath riff. MGR's effectiveness stems from how fluidly Gallagher is able to gradually add texture upon texture, building up the intensity of the tracks until they reach a tragic momentum. Imagine Isis with much of the bombast stripped away, leaving only dark, moody and melancholic soundscapes… MGR (the acronym for Mustard Gas and Roses, which Gallagher has borrowed from a line of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five), is an emotionally charged amalgamation of sounds that, much to its credit, refuses to fit neatly into any particular category.

MySpace
Official Site
Buy
Sunday, November 11, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Lent0 - Earthen


Artist: Lent0
Album: Earthen
Label: Supernatural Cat
Year: 2007






Tracklist

01.Hadrons
02.Need
03.Subterrestrial
04.Currents
05.Emersion Of The Islands
06.Earth
07.Leave
Download

Earthen is the title of the debut album of Lent0, who already have a collaboration album with Ufomammut.Seven incredible songs create a massive atmosphere mixing ambient with hardcore, post-rock with psychedelia, all under unbelievable concrete riffs. Under a wide range of influences including seminal bands such as Neurosis, Earth, Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor, Lent0 create a personal sound we could define as "heavy ambient".
"Earthen" has been recorded in Roma at Locomotore Studio (Dalek, Zu, Ardecore, Nobukazu Takemura, Mats Gustaffson, Original Silence, Xabier Iriondo, Michael Zerang, Dogon and many more...).
Lento is an instrumental five piece act, 3 guitars, bass and a drumkit and their tone is a blend of heavily down tuned guitars, apocalyptic slow tempos, systematic drones and resonant feedbacks, their live sets alternate from hardcore assaults to intimate collapses of the signals.

Earthen is out in a first limited edition run of 500 cd handmade printed by Malleus Rock Art Lab.

Official Site
MySpace
You can buy both editions here.

Sunday, October 28, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Latitudes - Bleak Epiphany In Slow Motion (EP)



Artist: Latitudes
Album: Bleak Epiphany In Slow Motion (EP)
Label: Shelsmusic
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.Dreamland Precipice
02.A Falling Mute
03.Bleak Epiphany In Slow Motion
04.Your Death-Mask Became Mine
05.We Met Today & Will Never Meet Again
Download

In a genre many would claim is over-saturated with sound-a-like bands, there are few who can convey such epic yet destructive beauty as UK quartet Latitudes. Intense, crushing melodies ebb and flow through carefully structured movements as insurmountably destructive as ocean waves, while sharp feedback and commanding bass lines tear into the landscape with rabid yet precise ferocity. Downbeat, dark and enchantingly melancholic, this is a superb debut that is as inspirationally ethereal as it is haunting. In a not too distant future, when images of the last great war to rock this planet are projected on to classroom walls to teach the surviving infants our terrible history, Latitudes could well provide the soundtrack. - Rocksound (8/10)
For fans of: Isis, Pelican, Battle Of Mice, Bossk

Latitudes@MySpace
Buy the album here.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 3 Engineers

Album: Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss



Artist: Yndi Halda
Album: Enjoy Eternal Bliss
Label: Big Scary Monsters,
Burnt Toast Vinyl,
XTAL
Year: 2006



Tracklist
01.Dash And Blast
02.We Flood Empty Lakes
03.A Song For Starlit Beaches
04.Illuminate My Heart, My Darling!
Download

Yndi Halda's Enjoy Eternal Bliss unfolds through four tracks that clock in at a little more than an hour. This is expansive, epic instrumental music with varied sections and movements that rise to crescendo out of subtle, gentle ambience. Melodies ebb and flow, rising to beautiful explosions. It's the kind of music which could soundtrack a modern day love story as easily as it could a mid-century war. A barrage of instrumentation is woven together to form the fabric of this effort, with soaring violins and whispering glockenspiels, melodies of clarinets and banjos, and driving guitars and bass supported by a military-styled percussion sound. With one beautiful soundscape after another, yndi halda create something bigger than an emotional rollercoaster, it's more like a full-on mountain assault through thick blizzards and incredible sunshine.

"We play in a barn on the top of a hill and open the double doors to see the sun set sun rise. we frolic with the farm dogs who live in the barn.

We started when we were children - we met at school. We started writing enjoy eternal bliss when we were around 17 years old, and finished it when we had just turned 20." - Yndi Halda

Band Members
James Vella - guitar, glockenspiel, lapsteel, piano, banjo, casiotone & singing
Jack Lambert - guitar
Brendan Grieve - bass guitar & double bass
Daniel Neal - violin
Oliver Newton - drums & percussion


Official Site
Myspace
Order from US here
from Europe Amazon | HMV | Play.com
from Japan here
0 Engineers

Album: Asbestoscape - Asbestoscape




Artist: Asbestoscape
Album: Asbestoscape
Label: Self Released
Year: 2007






Tracklist
01.Arctic
02.Return
03.Mono
04.And So The Story Goes...
05.Like Shit Attracting Flies
06.Ashen
07.Thursday
Download

It’s a difficult task to mix many disparate sounds together and end up with something that’s actually worth a listen. The key to making it listenable is to find the common ground between each of the incorporated elements.

Now picture a diagram with four events - Nine Inch Nails (A), Isis (B), Amon Tobin (C), and Nadja (D) – all of which intersect. The intersection of these four events is the set of elements contained in all four events (A ∩ B ∩ C ∩ D), which in this case happens to be the element of dark sounds. You can think of Asbestoscape as a quasi quadruple hybrid who combine the brooding heaviness of Isis, the dark industrial feel of Nine Inch Nails, the crazy breakbeats of Amon Tobin, and the droning ambience of Nadja and bind them together by their common thread of darkness.

Asbestoscape’s self-titled debut is an impressive feat in regards to sound. The album mixes together the aforementioned sounds and though does nothing remarkably fresh or cutting edge, still manages to be quite an enjoyable listen.Nevertheless, Asbestoscape is a solid and enjoyable debut that shows a promising future. -Armand Babian


Official Site
MySpace
Buy it!
0 Engineers

Band: Bossk

Tom Begley - Bass
Nick Corney - Drums
Alex Hamilton - Guitar
Sam Marsh - Vocals
Rob Vaughan - Guitar

Formed in 2005, Kent band Bossk have quickly risen to recognition following their 2006 debut release, ".1" , on the QnotQ label and extensive touring with an impressive list of bands, including Cult Of Luna, The Ocean, Yndi Halda, Baroness, Capricorns & The Hope Conspiracy.
2007 have seen their Eyesofsound debut and second recording titled, ".2" .




Artist: Bossk
Album: .1 (EP)
Label: Self Released,
QnotQ,
Eyes of Sound
Year: 2006





Tracklist
01.I
02.II
Download



Artist: Bossk
Album: .2 (EP)
Label: Eyes of Sound
Year: 2007







Tracklist
01.Define
02.Truth
Download

MySpace
Buy the EP's on their merch store or on EyeOfSound.
3 Engineers

Album: Movus - Movus



Artist: Movus
Album: Movus
Label: 3er Piso Records
Year: 2006






Tracklist
01.Eloheim
02.Midgardi
03.Midgardi II
04.Moho
05.Nowadays Bastard Once Medieval
06.Arguia
07.Avant Garde Self Esteem
08.Artificial Launch Scape For A Dream
09.Save The Sword
10.Arguia
Download Part1 Part2

Dreamy guitars, nostalgic noisy delay layers, pulsating bass lines and jazz influenced drumbeats define what Movus is all about. The band is based in Guadalajara,Mexico where a young indie/post rock scene conquering new territories. Fully instrumental productions, sometimes crude, sometimes sad, but always beautiful is what we should expect from their first album which has been released on October 6th with 3er piso records.

MySpace
Order(sometime in the future I guess)
0 Engineers

Album: Motek - Motek


Artist: Motek
Album: Motek
Label: Asthmatic Whale
Year: 2006






Tracklist
01.Maybe I'll Go Home
02.De Vlucht
03.Hero
04.Second
05.Swallow
06.I Am Your Son
07.Some Sounds To The Close Night
Download

Every great passion ends in the infinite... Likewise, Motek is driven by instinct and the thirst for sultry recollections of forgotten emotional states. Sticking layers of effect-laden guitars, underpinned by a needy bass and entrancing drums create the texture of great music for the best moments of your life. This sonic dream closes the gap between wishes, wants and imagination with melancholy, madness, consolation and hope.

Official Site
MySpace
Order
Saturday, October 06, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Motionless - Motionless EP



Artist: Motionless
Album: Motionless EP
Label: Ericrock
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.She Got Lost In The Observatory
02.Nature Unveiling Herself To Science
03.Winter Heat
04.Bury The New Sea
Download

At 4 tracks and just under 25 minutes, Motionless' self-titled EP is a bit of a departure from The Windmill-era material... but change can be a good thing!
Returning is the core instrumentation of guitar/piano/drums, once again joined by a spatter of violin, and newly accessorized by acoustic accoutrements of chimes, bells, banjos, and field recordings. Each of the 4 tracks presents a new season of the band, ranging from the aggressive post-punk of "Nature Unveiling Herself to Science" to the acoustic and lullabied outro "Bury The New Sea".
Expressive instrumental rock for fans of Mogwai & Do Make Say Think. Dynamic soundscapes range from ambient to cacophonous, from dirge to post-punk.

Preorder the EP from Ericrock or CDBaby.

Official Site
MySpace
Friday, October 05, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: In The Final Analysis - Solstice EP


Artist: In The Final Analysis
Album: Solstice
Label: None
Year: 2006



Tracklist
01.En Sof
02.Axis Mundi
03.Solstice
04.Brunhild
05.Graal
Download

There are not many info about In The Final Analysis, except that the band consists of 5 members and that they come from Lille, France, which seems to has a great range of this kind of bands (Celeste, Year Of No Light, Ausittot Mort etc.) They sound like: Neurosis,old Cult Of Luna, Knut, old Shora, Buried Inside.

Their EP is free for download.

MySpace
Wednesday, October 03, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Mesa Verde - Amor Fati



Artist: Mesa Verde
Album: Amor Fati
Label: Art For Blind Records
Year: 2005




Tracklist
01.Clarity With Distance
02.Substance Abuse
03.Untitled
04.MRB
05.Dance Dance Dance
Download

Hailing from the heart of Scotland, Mesa Verde are here with their debut EP 'Amor Fati' to give us a taste of just how good experimental music can sound when it's produced in the right way. They're the sort of band that is hard to categorise or pigeonhole, yet their influences are obvious, ranging from prog-rock, to metal, to good old fashioned hardcore. In this 24-minute EP, we're given a taste of exactly what the band is made of.

The introduction to 'Clarity with distance' is a misleading excerpt that takes influence from prog-rock heroes Tool, before descending into madness. Fortunately, it's the organised kid of madness that makes for pleasant hearing. Sounding like a b-side of some kind of Thursday/Poison the Well supergroup hybrid, it's a well structured piece that utilises some great guitar and drum work to create an epic sound. 'Substance Abuse' is something of a let down after the first track, as the ghostly progressive sound is replaced by the more straight-up hardcore elements. While not being a bad song itself, it's by far the weakest here. Following this is a sort of prelude to the following track which allows us to hear the gentler side of Mesa Verde. Sounding like a live recording, it demonstrates the band's compositional ability, before we are hit with 'Dance Dance Dance'. The aforementioned serves as a brilliant contrast to the instrumental interlude, as it returns back to the heavier side of things, with some pretty experimental drumbeats throughout, and a definite structure proving hard to pinpoint. Not that this is a negative point though - when music like this is done wrong, it ends up sounding crap, cheesy and rushed. Fortunately Mesa Verde gets it spot on and proves they have the talent to pull these kinds of songs off.

Ending on a colossal 11-minute journey without a name is the finest idea this band have offered on this 4-track EP. There really are bits of everything thrown in here, and it's the sort of idea that shouldn't work at all, but it just does. Pulling together all their influences, they manage to have created a track which sounds entirely unique in today's musical landscape, and serves as a well overdue piece of refreshment from the copycat bands polluting our venues and labels. I'd like to see this band make a name for themselves, as 'Amor Fati' is actually a great record, but because it's so unconventional, so experimental and ultimately so varied; I struggle to see this happening. - Punktastic

Myspace

Official Site
Tuesday, October 02, 2007 2 Engineers

Album: Jesu - Lifeline EP



Artist: Jesu
Album: Lifeline EP
Label: Hydra Head Records
Year: 2007





Tracklist:
01. Lifeline
02. You Wear Their Masks
03. Storm Comin' On
04. End of the Road
Download

Jesu is an experimental rock band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of Godflesh. Jesu was the name of the last song on the final Godflesh release, Hymns, and Broadrick decided to adopt it as the name of his new project.

Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, drawing from and incorporating an eclectic mix of influences, ranging from ambient music and drone doom, to shoegazing, downtempo and even industrial music.

Heart Ache EP, was released in 2004 and featured Broadrick playing all of the instruments. It was followed in 2005 by the full-length self-titled LP, which featured the addition of bassist Diarmuid Dalton and drummer Ted Parsons, although not every song featured both new members.

With their third release, 2006's four song Silver EP, Jesu took a more melodic and layered approach, gaining comparison to shoegazing band My Bloody Valentine.

Their second full-length album, titled Conqueror, was released on February 20, 2007 in the United States, February 19 in the United Kingdom and Europe, and on February 2 in Japan. The Japanese edition also contained a bonus disc featuring the two tracks that constitute the Sun Down / Sun Rise EP, released elsewhere as a 12" album on April 23.

Broadrick has also contributed remixes of songs using the Jesu name for Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Explosions in the Sky. A split 12" album with Eluvium was released on July 5, 2007, featuring Broadrick only on the Jesu tracks. A second split 12" with Battle of Mice is currently in the works.

The band made their United States live debut in March of 2007 as an opening act for Isis, although work permit problems caused them to miss the first three weeks of the tour. Neither Parsons nor Dalton were able to participate in the tour and were temporarily replaced by Danny Walker (of Intronaut) and long-time Broadrick collaborator Dave Cochrane, respectively. During this tour, Jesu also made its South by Southwest debut as part of a Hydra Head Records showcase.

MySpace
Official Site
Pre-orders
Thursday, September 27, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Sybreed - Antares



Artist: Sybreed
Album: Antares
Label: Listenable Records
Year: 2007







Tracklist
01. Emma-0
02. Ego Bypass Generator
03. Revive My Wounds
04. Isolate
05. Dynamic
06. Neurodrive
07. Ex-Inferis
08. Permafrost
09. Orbital
10. Twelve Megatons Gravity
11. Ethernity
Download

The Past - Formed in 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland by guitar player Drop and singer Benjamin, Sybreed was created as an apocalypse driven sound machine, reflecting a mutual taste for extreme metal and industrial music with conceptual content focused on social misery, everyday alienation and more generally, the decay of modern way of life. Later, bass player Burn and drummer Alex joined them, completing the band’s line-up for almost three years. During the first year of existence, they begun to work on material for their first album Slave Design and then performed around the US to unleash it's electronic violence on stage, that build up a solid base of fans among the US audience. Coming back to Europe, they concentrated on stage performance for almost two years, doing more than sixty shows until beginning of 2006. At that stage, their drummer decided to resign, forcing the band to take the few months break.

Meanwhile, Drop will begin to work on what will become the Slave Design's successor, which started obviously to go far further from what they have done previously, re-introducing Black and Death metal influences, and thus injecting a new dimension of brutality in their music. At the same time, they will develop further the melodic side also, increasing clean vocals quality and quantity, with still this electronic touch making Sybreed’s sound easily recognizable among others.
Then, wishing to start recording their new effort, they asked Soilwork's drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who kindly accepted, to record Sybreed’s new album, bringing with him his technical powerful drums style. Later, Kevin joined the band, bringing back the full force in Sybreed’s line-up: he was selected for his impressive capacity of emulating most of Dirk's parts, adding in the process his sadistic groove and explosive speed skills, opening interesting perspectives for the future of the band's evolution.

The Present - Sybreed is back, finalizing their second LP called Antares, which will symbolize what the band's music has become: an aggressive and monumental shape of sound, a fast yet melodic extreme metal filled with futuristic ambiances, relentless, blasting parts shifting to epic choruses, tortured screams melting with desperate yet crystal clear voices, all that converging to make you feel like the last man on earth, lost on the edge of the world, witness of the end of civilization. Antares is the pulsing noise celebrating the fall from grace, the loss of hope and innocence, and our own human nature confronted to Eternity.

The Future - Sybreed has just signed a new record deal with Listenable Records, home of bands like Gojira, Scarve, Immolation, Hacride and Kruger to name a few. The second sonic attack of the band, Antares, will be released world wide during October 2007

MySpace
Official Site
2 Engineers

Album: Dirge - Wings Of Lead Over Dormant Seas



Artist: Dirge
Album: Wings Of Lead Over Dormant Seas
Label: Production Blight Records / Equilibre Music
Year: 2007




Tracklist:
Disc1

01. Meridians
02. End, Infinite
03. Epicentre
04. Lotus Continent
05. Nulle Part
Disc 2
01. Wings of Lead Over Dormant Seas
Download Part1 / Part2

Dirge was born in Paris in 1994. The original core was formed by Marc T. (guitar, programming) and by Laurent P. (voice, programming). In the industrial-metal genre of bands like Godflesh or Pitschifter, the music generated by the duet presents harsh guitar riffs, robotic rhythmes, aggressive frequenced samples and pitched voices. Three demo-tapes will be released during this first era : “Infected Brain Machine” (1994), “Mind Time Control” (1995) and “Dead Network Access” (1996).

After the leaving of Laurent P., bass player David K. and guitarist Franck T. join the band. This first change in the line-up coincides with a noisier and less electronic curve ; around the torn-downed voice of Marc T., the music goes darker, tortured, dissonant. The first album “Down, Last Level” is released in 1998.

1999, Alain B. (drums) and Christophe [Zomb] D. (machines, percussions and voice) strengthen the band. Re-humanized with the renunciation of the drum machine, the music becomes much more heavy and stifling, guitars becoming the center of gravity of the second album “Blight and Vision Below a Faded Sun” (released in 2000 on the own band's label, Blight Records).

Replacing Franck T. and David K., Christian M. (bass) then Stephane L. (guitar) join Dirge in 2001. Three years later, the third record “And Shall the Sky Descend” is released and introduces a more hypnotic aspect of the band's music. If heavy guitars stay in the center of the four long pieces that build “ASTSD”, the extremely slow-downed tempos, creeping samples, minimal parts, violin, didjeridoo and female vocals present the result of four years of musical evolution.

From 2004 to 2006, the band gives several concerts (with Unsane, Nasum, Cult Of Luna or Kill The Thrill) then goes back to studio in Switzerland in november 2006 to record its fourth album “Wings Of Lead Over Dormant Seas” for its new label, Equilibre Music.

MySpace
Official Site
0 Engineers

Album: Overmars - Born Again




Artist: Overmars
Album: Born Again
Label: Appease Me
Year: 2007







Tracklist
01.Born Again
Download

*Thanx to Mr.Bungle for the link

Overmars has written a new album/EP consisting from a 40 minutes length track called "Born Again". The first reaction is...."A 40 minute track? It's gonna be boring....". This has nothing to do with the reality.
The instrumentation is perfect: All the background detailing and texture, the builds and crashes.Marion's section at the front end of the track is amazing. It's a great, trance inducing section of music. Heavy vocals that come after the long section Marion does are complete neanderthal! The vocal layers that follow the slow, pounding rhythm are feral, too. The ambient touches around 18 mins with the heart-beat like pulse is nice, the way the bass creeps in is awesome. The guitar interplay with the electronics during the long, methodical building process is spot on. The next vocal section is utterly downtrodden - perfect for the music which has sort of a Neurosis/souls at zero being dismantled feel. Around 26 mins there's the return of the neanderthal vocals! The music has a real elastic quality here with the slow drum count, the jangly guitars and the flopping bass string tone. Nothing but high praise on this song!!!

MySpace
Official Site
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 2 Engineers

Album: Angel Eyes - ...And For A Roof, A Sky Full Of Stars (EP)


Artist: Angel Eyes
Album: ...And For A Roof, A Sky Full Of Stars (EP)
Label: Underground Communique Records
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.One
02.Two
Download

Angel Eyes is four people who come together to make the kind of music they like to hear. The band formed in spring of 2003 when the hardcore band that some of them were playing in dissolved leaving them with nothing to do with their free time. Having been in several bands together which all went south quicker than they would have liked, they wanted to try and create something a bit more enduring. After diagrams of how they could pull off a heavy band with no bass player were drawn up, angel eyes wrote several songs, recorded a six song demo and played some less than memorable (i.e. totally shitty) shows. Better times were ahead, however.

Around the time the band began writing new songs to eventually comprise a full-length album their friend Nader, who had formerly played in a Chicago-area metal band called Ember, approached them about playing keyboards and running samples in the band. Believing that this could round out the sound a great deal (i.e. Brendan and Todd could now find spots to tune in the middle of 10 minute long songs). Brendan, Ryan and Todd welcomed Nader aboard in early 2004 and began writing a full length. After a long year of writing and recording, the record came out on underground communique records on October 14th of 2005. - Myspace.com

Website: Myspace, Official
Buy it at Underground Communique Records.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 1 Engineers

Album: Rosetta - Wake/Lift



Artist: Rosetta
Album: Wake/Lift
Label: Translation Loss Records
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01. Red In Tooth And Claw
02. Lift (Part 1)
03. Lift (Part 2)
04. Lift (Part 3)
05. Wake
06. (Temet Nosce)
07. Monument
Download

Rosetta is an American art metal band incorporating elements of post-hardcore, drone music, and ambient music creating a sprawling, atmospheric sound similar to Neurosis and Isis.

Rosetta's members all were acquaintances in high school, and had played in various bands until they decided to play together at the last minute at a gig on June 22nd, 2003, at which they improvised the entire show. Following this, they proceeded to write more songs, play more shows, and eventually record a four-song demo album, which picked up interest from Translation Loss Records.

Their debut album, The Galilean Satellites, featured two separate hour-long discs (one of more metal-oriented music, and one of ambience) that synchronize together. Although originally intended to be one disc of metal tracks sandwiched by ambient ones, the band had enough material to cover two discs.

The band's second release, Project Mercury, a split with Balboa

The band's name does not come from the Rosetta Stone, but was chosen rather for its femininity and beauty. It is also, coincidentally, the name of a satellite used to study comets and an orbit type.


Rosetta @ myspace
buy it HERE
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 3 Engineers

Album: Devil Sold His Soul - Darkness Prevails (EP)



Artist: Devil Sold His Soul
Album: Darkness Prevails (EP)
Label: Eyesofsound / Black Willow
Year: 2005






Tracklist
01. Darkness Prevails
02. Some Friend
03. Clouds
04. LIYL
05. Like It’s Your Last
Download (link updated)

Comprising ex members of the awesome Mahumodo, Devil Sold His Soul is the phoenix rising from the ashes, and it's a name you'll be hearing a lot this year. An epic mixture of ferocious power, bone crunching heaviness and soaring melodies, "Darkness Prevails" delivers a truly astounding musical smack in the chops!

Devil Sold His Soul is the sound of a group of amazing musicians, freed from past constraints to create something truly special; it's the sound of brilliant potential fully realized. The Mahumodo power and feeling remain, but now broader ideas, a wider spectrum, more experimentation, have been introduced. This band takes as starting points the cerebral structures of Tool, the fearsome musical musculature of Will Haven and the sweeping emotion of Deftones. The band is also easily comparable in scope, sound and progressive power to epic, wide screen visionaries such as Isis and Cult of Luna.

If you like it, buy it HERE.

Links: Official Site / MySpace
Monday, September 03, 2007 8 Engineers

Album: Atheist Prayer - Des Lignes Qui Se Brisent A L'Horizon



Artist: Atheist Prayer
Album: Des Lignes Qui Se Brisent A L'Horizon
Label: Swarm Of Nails Records
Year: 2007




Tracklist
01.Nous Demandons Pardon Pour Descartes
02.La Passion Est Une Arme
03.La Belle Inutile
04.On Construit Des Lignes Qui Se Brisent A L'Horizon
Download (new link)

*Credits to Arnaud from ATPR for the link and filling my request.

Atheist Prayer is a band from Rennes, France. They mix aggressive post-hardcore parts, like the heavy guitar walls of Isis, Callisto or Cult of Luna, with post-rock parts like the sound textures of Pelican, Ef or Explosions in The Sky.
So Atheist Prayer is a post-metal band, with screamo kind of vocals, like the French bands Daïtro or Mihai Edrisch.
They Released their first EP in February 07' on Swarm Of Nails Records.
They were planning to release a split with Rosetta in September, but it was cacneclled due to Atheist Prayer's split up!

Atheist Prayer@myspace

If you like it, buy it here. (Only 5 from 100 copies left)
Sunday, August 26, 2007 0 Engineers

Greece is on fire....

No further comments.
Saturday, August 25, 2007 0 Engineers

Album: Tides/Giant - Split 12" Vinyl



Artist: Tides/Giant
Album: Split
Label: Level Plane Records
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.Tides - The Invisible
02.Tides - Unfinished Highway
03.Giant - Horned And Blind
Download
Mirror

GIANT
Zac Jones
Isaac Jones
Derrick Wells
Kyle Whisenant
Rodney James

Based out of North Carolina, Giant started as the two peice post-metal project of brothers Isaac and Zac Jones in the fall of 2004. Growing musically, and not wanting to limit song writing, instrumentation, or ideas, they added long time friends and like minded musicians Derrick Wells, and Kyle Whisenant. Before recording their first 5 pieces of music in january of 2006, they solidified their line up with the addition of Rodney James. This opened up the ability to explore and dedicate themselves fully to their respective instruments and ideas, allowing also, room for growth in instrumentation and writing. furthermore, it allowed a solid base to begin touring and playing as much as possible. This, along with their forward thinking approach to current socio-political trends, is the foundation of an ever-growing machine to which the group currently whole-heartedly dedicates their lives.

TIDES

Moving to a new city is never easy, and for Boston's Tides, the process has taken over 3 years. Born and raised in the upstate New York town of Plattsburgh, Donny Green, August Issacson and Rob Dowler have been playing in bands together since they first picked up instruments. Four years ago Green moved to Boston to attend college and the other two members of the band have been slowly following suit. This summer will mark the first time all three have lived in the same place since high school, and our city doesn't yet realize how lucky it is. The band has been playing under this name for five years and the members have developed a brotherly relationship. Their playing has always been astoundingly fluid in a way that can't be forced and has obviously matured over time. In the live setting the songs ocationally meander beyond their recorded boundaries and it seems like the players will musically finish each others sentences.

If you like the split buy it on Relapse (red/orange splatter vinyl) or 29North
(red/white splatter vinyl) records.


Myspace: Tides / Giant


Tuesday, August 21, 2007 3 Engineers

Album: L'Homme Puma - L'Homme Puma



Artist: L'Homme Puma
Album: L'Homme Puma
Label: Communication Is Not Words
Year: 2007





Tracklist:
01. Wyniki Tlumaczenia Dabrowski
02. Votre regne s'acheve
03. La Jungle d'Alcaraz
04. Prelude d'un baiser
05. 6h22 un 20 septembre
06. Solidaire dans la decheance
07. Toute pudeur mise a part
08. Un week-end au lac Salomon
09. L'Homme respectable
10. Eloge des petites mains

Download
Mirror

L'Homme Puma was born in january 2005 and regroups 3 musicians of contrasted musical and geographic horizons. The stringent music of l'homme puma could be labelled as indie rock spiced up with some dub, noise, post-hxc incursions and enriched with samples (spoken word, electronic noise)... halfway between From Monument to Masses, Sonic Youth and Isis.

Needless to say, "L'Homme Puma" is not a band who will gain mass appreciation upon first listen. Critics will pass off the recording as a novel fusion of melody and audio feeds, but in doing so they are ignorant of the larger picture: a melding of diverse musical craft and imagination coupled with supreme technical aptitude. Perhaps it's true that being smashed between genres, between heaven and hell, L'Homme Puma lacks a solid identity in the world of instrumental rock. However, as fans begin to grow weary of the commonly-themed post-rock ventures, bands who occupy the fringe of experimentation, or those completely out in left-field (yes, the above reference was to the serial killer and the comic, respectively), will gather appreciation and a growing fan base. In other words, there's hope for ascension.

L'homme Puma @ myspace
Buy it here.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 1 Engineers

Album: Nahrayan - The End (EP)




Artist: Nahrayan
Album: The End (EP)
Label: Self Released
Year:2007






Tracklist
01.The Last Sunrise
02.A Dying Sun
03.The End
Download

From time to time, you discover a band, that from their name and artwork you understand that their music must be astonishing. Nahrayan is this kind of band. Their CD cover is dark yet beautiful, so is their music.
Nahrayan do not play anything new, but they play it well. Some doomish post-metal with ambient elements in the background. Because the EP is only 24 minutes long is not enough to quench your desire for sludge. We hopefully expect a full length album from Nahrayan and without a doubt will be a masterpiece. - Nordsee

The End.It is the title of our last recording,because is the end of our activity as a band.We decided to put a final to Nahrayan,but before we recorded 3 songs,instrumental songs,as a farewell to ourselves and all the people that followed us.The End,was recorded in MTX Studio by Matias Garcia,in a weekend,except keyboards,recorded by Nahemah´s guitarrist Miguel Palazon at his home studio.This postum E.P. isn´t edited by any label,and will not be edited.If someone want the E.p. or another Nahrayan recording,contact us or download from the web Blood is Truth,or another similar webs to download music.To more questions,see you on this space!! Thanks to everybody. The End - Nahrayan

For fans of Isis - Neurosis - Cult Of Luna - Tides - Souvenir's Young America

myspace.com/nahrayanband
Monday, August 06, 2007 1 Engineers

Album: Souvenir's Young America - An Ocean Without Water



Artist: Souvenir's Young America
Album: An Ocean Without Water
Label: Crucial Blast
Year:2007



Tracklist
01.Mars Ascendent
02.
Blood Alone Does Not a Father Make
03.Dark Was the Night Cold Was the Ground
04.The Sheltering Sky
05.Invocation In the Caldera
06.Coragyps Atratus (Ego te Absolvo)
Download


You can always count on Crucial Blast to bring something great your way. Whether or not it is a band you're familiar with or not they always managed to put out critical releases that should not be missed.

Souvenir's Young America from Richmond, VA is one of their latest signings and they are nothing short of astonishing. This is their third record and sadly I've missed out on the other two, so I can't compare this to their other work but "An Ocean without Water" needs no comparisons as it is a fantastic release that stands completely on its own two legs.

SYA play an enticing brand of instrumental rock that has a flavor all of its own. Their sound loosely toys with Neurosis style pounding and bombast, while touching down gently in the western sounds of Across Tundras and Earth's "Hex" album, with the instrumental, electronic washes of some of the German greats (Ash Ra Tempel, Can, etc.) rounding out the mix and increasing the psychedelic element greatly. Hell, throw in some pure soundtrack moments too while you are at it.

This is actually quite a difficult record to digest as each track is quite unique from the rest and the running times are all fairly lengthy giving you plenty to come back to.

"Mars Ascendent" gets us started off with an oppressive, droning atmosphere that has intricate tribal drums, layers of distortion and haunting keyboard swells that give you the vibe that something incredibly heavy is coming but then the band delves into shimmering, clean chords that are enhanced by some harmonica playing. The band picks up the pace later in the track led by an increasingly intense drum performance and they rip into a few country tinged riffs that are seeped in light distortion, casting a foreboding tone that leads all the way up to the end of the track.

"Blood Alone does not a Father Make" takes the idea of Earth's "Hex" and spices it up with even deeper country influences in the guitar work that is laid upon a foundation of plodding drums, sparse electronics, harmonica and cello. The track distorts much heavily later and brings a hazy, country/stoner vibe that is pounding and dark but still full of eerie melody. The entire mixture flows together perfectly, literally coming alive out of your speakers with an organic feel that is brooding and captivating.

The slow, droning "Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground" is a minimalist, drone piece that is nothing but electronics and subtle guitar hysterics that smolder like the embers of a fire and eventually lead up to the mighty "The Sheltering Sky" which is probably the heaviest track on the album. It begins in a fairly subdued, acoustic state but explodes loudly as it moves along with thundering electronic bursts leveling everything in their path as the rest of the instrumentation follows suite. The track settles down in a state of trance-like beauty later on as the subtle arrangements blow by like tumbleweeds in a deserted western town.

"Invocation of the Caldera" is another excellent track that builds slowly and really opens up during its second half with powerful keys and a strong variety in instrumentation. The finale of this track dances nicely between tones that are heavy, chaotic and beautiful all at once as moods swing and shift into all sorts of entrancing arrangements.

The final track, "Coragyps Atratus" could very well have been recorded for some sort of horror soundtrack. It melds their dark, brooding foundation with all types of noise and damaged technology that brings together Neurosis, Earth, Ash Ra Tempel and Goblin into a droning psychosis that had me sucked in from the very first moment.

This is a killer record all around bringing together a vast melting pot of influences both modern and classic. There are snippets of everything from doom, drone, country, noise and krautrock. You aren't likely to pick up a better disc of instrumental soundscapes this whole year. I am going to be doing everything in my power to check out more material from this excellent instrumental outfit based on the power of this recording and I'll be damn sure to catch their live set in Pittsburgh next week. Fans of the instrumental stuff would be a damn fool to miss out on this one.

Souvenir's Young America @ Myspace
Buy it here.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 2 Engineers

Album: Johnnytwentythree - JXXIII




Artist: Johnnytwentythree
Album: JXXIII
Label: Self Released
Year:2007





Tracklist
01. Red Bird
02 .Ghost Soldier
03. Into The Depths
04. Last Exit
05. Fall Of Swords
06. A Minute's Warning
Download

Others combine sound and cinema to dramatic effect, but few scratch so deeply and seek out bare nerves as j23. Replacing words with visuals is a defining choice for a band. There will never be any arena sing-alongs, and most will dismiss you with, "They need a singer." But the ability to inspire feelings so powerfully without words is surely it's own reward.

Reverb and delay-drenched guitar delirium, precision ambient-to-pounding rhythmic building and gorgeous siren-song violin are the tools they use to create instrumental swells.

The video projections, a large part of j23's appeal, only began in earnest recently. Stephen Imwalle (who played drums for Halo, a taproot of the j23 tree) has an ever-expanding collection of homemade films that he projects, usually simultaneously, behind the band. Watching him run between his four projectors and frantically feeding tape is more entertaining than the work of most frontmen.

www.johnnytwentythree.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/j23music
Buy it here: Official Store

Also check

 
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