“What kind of ‘god hunter’ is Godhunter? One out in search of truth, peace, and reasoning? Or are they on a hunt for revenge; fed up with the silence that returns their prayers or the global devastations no mortal man seems capable of preventing? Godhunter are many things and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were both.” God is game.
““Clear Light of the Void” is the third track from As We Were When We Were Not (henceforth AWWWWWN) by Leeds’ Mountains Crave and its opening explicitly grabbed my attention. Underpinned by a gently plucked simple progression, an old broadcast of Gerald Heard is sampled. Gerald Heard was a noted historian and writer but was also considered an expert on LSD; he espoused the mind-opening nature of psychedelic drugs. This sample led me to read around the young band and discover this psychedelic streak is important to them, citing Aldous Huxley as a particular influence.” Turn on, tune in, read on.
“When Boston’s Summoner came into being back in 2009, they were originally known as Riff Cannon. Made up of members of black metal bands Plagues and Deafheaven, Summoner is clearly a vehicle for these fellas to shed their black metal overcoats and give some love to the Baroness/Kylesa/Torche side of the bill.” Black does sludge.
“How do you like your Swede-death in the morning? I like mine with a kick. I like to gargle the shards of old-school chaos around my mouth with verve. Sometimes I take less pleasure from this, though. Sometimes the taste of old-school chaos can become a numbing experience. The thrill and energy can wear off as swarm after swarm of newer bands look to add polish to the dirty obscurity of the early 90s underground by bringing it to the unwashed masses of 2017. Ensnared are disciples of this old-school sound.” Olde school is never out for summer.
“Though grayed and wizened by bitter years of scathing aural abuse, my tastes never developed the way I expected. Gush over Dodecahedron; pre-order the new Ahab; “Pain of Salvation for AotY!”; I’ll be in the back row, drawing dicks on the cover of my Extreme Metal Starter Pack. Voice of Ruin, is right there with me.” Dicks and melo-death, man.
“Rune Eriksen is a well-traveled gentleman of metal. He was an important part of Mayhem’s second creative wave and continues to be a foundational part of Aura Noir. He’s also known for his gothic doom vehicle Ava Inferi, which released one of the most enduring albums in the genre with 2011s Onyx. Now he’s launching another project with long-time Ava Inferi collaborator Carmen Susana Simoes. Earth Electric could be called experimental goth rock, and rocking it is, taking an enormous 70s rock influence and shoehorning it into Ava Inferi’s ethereal goth style.” Rock in a soft place.
“Crust punk is an interesting beast. Stylistically speaking, its bludgeoning, relentless nature is closer to metal than perhaps any other style of punk, but only a handful of metal acts have dabbled in the genre. Vhol and modern Darkthrone have made admirable attempts at bringing crust to the metal masses, but ultimately the genre has flown under the radar of most fans.” Run with the crust pack.
“I’m a big fan of MindMaze’s Back From the Edge. Similar to Pyramaze’s excellent Disciples of the Sun, it’s a true grower of a progressive power metal album that I’ve really warmed to over the years. It strikes an admirable balance between prog and power styles, carrying plenty of memorable hooks bolstered by proper prog songwriting in its longest tracks.” Power-prog and problems.
“Among an exciting breed of young talent and up and comers, long running acts such as Immolation and Suffocation continue releasing top-notch material, keeping the younger folk on their toes and creating a healthy link between past and present. Meanwhile certain bands admirably plug away through lengthy careers, causing modest waves in the deepest corners of the underground without ever really exploding or setting the scene on fire. Case in point being long running Russian act Aborted Fetus.” Nasty name, nasty music.
“Nils Patrik Johansson is a busy guy. Over the last two decades, the man’s cashed checks with the on-again, off-again Lion’s Share, the on-hiatus Wuthering Heights, and Civil War, who he recently bailed on because he didn’t have the time (go figure). His work arguably peaked with the momentous output of Astral Doors.” When one war closes, an Astral Door opens.
