Starting with the dark, ethereal and pulsing Ariel (see the video below), Night Life is another great addition to The Horrors' discography. Beautiful and emotive soundscapes with dark and brooding beats, gothic rock and brooding atmospheres fill the album. Twenty years on, The Horrors continues to produce excellent music.
What no one thought would ever happen until recently has happened. Ministry have released a new album with reworkings of the much maligned new wave, synth pop era. I always defended With Sympathy as having some great songs and I'm glad that The Squirrely years is now a reality.
The reworkings don't stray too far from the originals. This is not Ministry turning the old pop songs into a heavy dark industrial metal. But, while being respectful to the original songs, the updated songs have a darker tone, a rougher edge, that the sanitised With Sympathy always lacked, elevating the songs.
The Squirrely Years is a great collection of new wave, post punk and synth pop songs and it's, certainly, the most surprising and creative album that Al Jourgensen has put out in a long while.
Now, we need to wait for the new (and possibly final) Ministry album with Paul Barker back in the band. I can't wait to hear what dark alchemy Al and Paul will do.
Alien Weaponry is a trash metal band from New Zealand singing in both English and Māori. It's also one of my favourites. Their third studio album is now out and it's an absolute blast. If you like your metal direct, like a constant barrage of punches, with powerful riffs, this is your album. Perfect for fans of Sepultura and Gojira.
Brainstorm is a hard working heavy metal that's been around for a long time. Their new album Plague of Rats is eclectic but overall Brainstorm sticks to metal that is sharp, with an edge but not afraid of melodies. This is an incredibly solid heavy metal album that will have you head-banging and singing along.
Hamlet has been around since the late 80s. It's one of the greatest metal bands from Spain with a very solid discography. Their latest album Inmortal roars with the anger and fury of their late 90s output. A mix of hardcore, metal and groove metal, with occasional rapping. The songs in this album are direct punches in your face and the band shows it's still angry and hungry. Another great release from a seasoned band.
Eisbrecher is one of the best German bands and one of my favourites in the neue deutsche harte genre. Their new album Kaltfront is another excellent release from the band with a perfect mix of hard sounds, darkness and electronic arrangements.
Coheed and Cambria's music is hard to define. Prog rock, pop sensibilities, post hardcore, emo leanings... it depends on the song, it depends on the album. But one thing is for sure, they know how to be brave and create music that is layered, complex, and emotive.
The Father of Make Believe is the third act in the Vaxis arc and what a great album this is. It sounds fresh, re-energised and a perfect blend of old and new Coheed and Cambria. Undoubtedly, one of their best.
Steven Wilson is back. The modern prog rock master is tracing his steps back to, in my opinion, what he does best: long, meandering and layered compositions that reward multiple listens.
The Overview is made up of two songs that total about 42 minutes and offer a perfect blend of Wilson's textures, harmonies, guitar lines and electronic sounds. This is an instant modern classic. I can't put it any other way.
Fierce Deity is a strange band and one that captured my attention right from the start with their first release, Power Wisdom Courage. The mix of power metal and stoner/doom music is quite unique and Fierce Deity make it work. The songs make an impact.
If you like your music dark, heavy and atmospheric but at the same time melodic, look no further. A Terrible Fate is an excellent album and I'm so excited to see this band continue to grow and develop their unique style.
Mogwai has been around for a long time and they continue to create excellent music. Listening to The Bad Fire is like listening to a familiar voice, a friend who's been with you on and off in your life. The voice may change a little bit here and there, there may be some new textures little variations in tone, but you know it's the same old friend who's always been there.
The Bad Fire is another great addition to Mogwai's outstanding discography.
It's been a very long time since I last posted on this blog.
Music is always a constant, music is my lifeblood, the oxygen I breathe every day but I was led down a different path and I had no time to keep up with this blog.
I did keep up with music though and I'm ready to start posting here again.
As it has always been in this blog, I will be posting brief to the point reviews or recommendations for music that I enjoy. Just the good stuff.
The focus on this blog is beats and noisecapes which, broadly, includes: rock, metal, alternative and indie music.
Occasionally, there may be a longer review, if it's warranted.
More to come soon.
Starting with the dark, ethereal and pulsing Ariel (see the video below), Night Life is another great addition to The Horrors' discograp...
