This week, I received an email from Tetrafusion informing me that their new EP Horizons was available for free download. There was mention of Jamie King (producer for BTBAM, Last Chance To Reason, The Human Abstract, Last Chance To Reason), so immediately knew I had to give it a listen. Chances are, if King has produced it, I’d enjoy the hell out of it. You can tell by the fact that this post is here that Tetrafusion are definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands.
Tetrafusion are less extreme that the above bands (I don’t recall any harsh vocals), but definitely have that progressive metal edge. What really got my attention is the strong rhythm section, especially their bassist. Everything here is quality though! Also, keyboard solos; I think that speaks for itself.
I don’t do enough “Hits From The Inbox” columns anymore, unfortunately. The volume of stuff we get sent can—surprisingly enough—get pretty high, so we unfortunately never even get around to listening to a lot of it. Please know that if you’ve emailed us and we’ve never mentioned you or replied, it doesn’t necessarily mean your band sucks. Really! We’re just busy dudes! I’ll certainly make an effort to keep up in the next few weeks!
This iteration’s band was lucky enough to catch me while I was a little bored and not busy at all, and their approach at grooveworthy grindcore really spoke to me at the moment, and hopefully it’ll speak to you as well. Rochester, NY based Burn Everything‘s new EP Last Run Through The Ruin is one hell of a steamroller filled with tempo and rhythm changes, mighty riffs, and some overall seriously confrontational and pissed off tunes. This 6-track EP was just released this July, following a slightly more chaotic self-titled EP released back in 2008. There has been a bit of refinement in the three years between releases, but the band’s entire body of work is pretty consistent in the quality of the ass-kickings they apparently just hand out for free.
These tortured final moments of Obsidian Kingdom‘s latest offering 3:11 are hypnotic and downright eerie as the ticking of a clock closes the album past unsettling atmospherics, mirroring the introspective lyrics of a man lost alone, seemingly inside of his own mind.
“3:11 was supposed to be an advance of a conceptual album focused on fear. It occurred to us as a casual thing, after writing a few songs we realised that we we’re constantly referring to things that we were really scared of…” explains guitarist and vocalist, Rider G Omega. “In the end, we as humans still share some very old fears that bring us together. Thus, we see it as a very powerful tool of communication.
“We believe that optimal musical communication can only be achieved when there is a background of intense feeling from the speaker. And in order to deeply feel something it’s always better to have experienced it by oneself… or else be really good at faking.”
Despite possible inferences associated with the lush soundscapes of shoegaze, Obsidian Kingdom’s promotion as a post-black metal band isn’t entirely inaccurate; while the band sports a prominent blackened tenacity and grim roots, they certainly transcend the genre’s confined boundaries. The Spaniards’ collective repertoire runs the gamut from doom to progressive metal, with the forward-thinking attitude and spirit of Norway’s Shining and the musicianship of seminal extreme prog band Enslaved, showing the potential to be one of the best new bands in progressive metal.
New York based So Hideous, My Love are a unique blend of blackened hardcore with a touch of post-rock and classical flair, which makes for some truly cathartic music. Emotion pours out of every note as furious tremolo picking and string instruments paint somber bursts of melody under throaty and passionate screams and blasts. The band’s latest EP To Clasp A Fallen Wish With Broken Fingers is my personal introduction to the group, and it’s quite the first impression.
Unlike their contemporaries in this fringe post-black genre, SHML don’t like to meander; the EP’s four tracks are all short and concise by genre standards, with no track crossing the five minute mark. Somehow, SHML still manage to say a lot in the EP’s 16-minute runtime. Listen to it in its entirety below, and click through to Bandcamp to purchase.
This time on Hits From The Inbox, we see a progressive instrumental band from Spokane, WA by the name of Odyssey. Their four track/26-minute EP Schematics was released for free last year, and if you’re looking for something that just so happened to be played by a trio of musicians instead of just one guy, then it looks like today is your lucky day; not that one-man bands aren’t great, but you can kinda get a group-vibe from something played by separate musicians, and Odyssey has it. Each instrument is vital, including moments where the bass takes the forefront, which doesn’t happen often enough in projects ran by guitarists. This isn’t your run of the mill djent band either; this has shades of classic tech and prog metal all over it.
Check out the EP below and download it by clicking through to bandcamp! It’s really quite fantastic, and you can’t beat the price tag (or lack thereof).
One man bedroom projects are a dime a dozen these days, and while I sing the praises of many independent musicians producing their own music, sometimes things get a bit homogeneous. Fortunately, today’s example of top-notch bedroom musicianship that graced the Heavy Blog inbox comes in the way of Matt Koch’s project Towering Filth, which pulls from different influences altogether. Mitch (known around these parts as Dethcaek, who NEVER FUCKING POSTS) gave it a listen and said it sounded like “blackviolence,” which isn’t exactly a stretch—Matt does cites bands like The Abominable Iron Sloth, Unsane, Neurosis, Krallice, and Wolves in the Throne Room as influences. Even if this doesn’t sound like your type of music, you should give Towering Filth’s three-track EP Encircled by Wolves a listen below! I certainly dig it and can’t wait to see what else what else is in store from Towering Filth in the future.
We were e-mailed this weekend by a nice young man called Erik Ebsen. Now, not to blow our own considerably girthy trumpets, but we do get a fair amount of review requests. It’s a hit and miss affair, but Erik caught our eye not least because he’s a friend of Jak Noble, AKA ReturningWeHearTheLarks. We loved his recently released EP Proud England, and so this seemed like a profitable avenue to explore.
Boy fucky is it.
Erik composes under the moniker Spiralmountain, and amongst a wave of copycat djent clones, he really does stand out. His most recent (and possibly debut?) release is Blacksand, fifty solid minutes of spine tingling instrumental ‘ambidjent’ that encompasses a number of styles and a multitude of instruments. I won’t spoil the treat by going on any further, but rest assured you need to give this at least one listen.
Check out his Soundcloud here, or just stream the whole damn thing below! Apparently there’s a Bandcamp coming soon too, should you wish to throw money at him!
Impressively, the whole thing was composed in less than a month, and Erik handled everything. I think it’s also worth mentioning that this is dedicated to someone who I can only assume is his father. I hope it’s not too presumptuous to say he would be very proud of you. Top stuff man.
The awesome keeps pouring into the HBIH inbox, and today we present to you A Place For Owls, a one-man post-rock/metal project from Ezra Hinton. There’s some excellent ideas going on here on his new EP Inviere, which he is giving away for free at bandcamp. Stream it below!
Be sure to keep an eye for A Place For Owls, as there’s potential here for greatness!
Dear sweet Lord, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these! If you’re new to Heavy Blog or do not remember, this is where the highlights of our music submissions end up for you to feast your ears on! We hope you enjoy!
This time on Hits From The Inbox we have progressive metal band The Ciem Show. They’re sound is accurately self-described as “Progressive / Experimental Metal with Doomy tendencies… recommended for fans of Meshuggah, Devin Townsend, Arcturus, Ulver, … King Crimson, and Faith No More.” Niiiiice. Their vocalist is certainly channeling some Strapping Young Lad-era Devin Townsend. Check out their album Lifelike Scenes below in its entirety.
The band are unfortunately having trouble finding a drummer. Here’s what bassist/guitarist Christopher had to say about their situation:
We are located in New Jersey and are currently suffering from a common, but deadly disease: Currently Seeking Drummer Syndrome (CSDS for short.) We have been suffering from CSDS for the better part of three years now, and if a cure is not found soon enough, we may never be able to perform live. Ever. Our previous drummer succumbed to an even more deadly disease, Apathia Sleeplatea Headupassia (in layman’s terms: laziness with a bit of the crazies), shortly after recording his parts for Lifelike Scenes..
Ouch. Are you a drummer in or around New Jersey? Hit them up on Facebook if you’re interested!
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Hits From the Inbox column. I think I’ll bring it back for use more often! This rendition of Hits From The Inbox features a two-fer of new bands for you to sink your teeth into: New York sludge/noise rock band Komondor and UK metalcore act What The Night Brings.
First up, Komondor!
Taking a big influence from sludge, noise rock, post-punk, and stoner metal, Komondor‘s bassist/vocalist Lazlo describes their music as “sounding like Eyehategod covering Boston, but playing the songs backwards. Or maybe Daydream Nation with all the good parts taken out played (again) backwards but slower with a man yelling on top of it. Better yet, maybe we sound like Venom playing Captain Beefheart… well we hope to be sounding like that soon.” I think you’re right close there, Lazlo. This music is filthy, in the best way. I think I might need a tetanus shot.
Listen to their whole album The Giant Is Coming & The Giant Is Going To Kill You below, and click through to make a purchase if you’re feeling generous and awesome.
Next, What The Night Brings.
What The Night Brings fits right at home with the type of music that most often gets posted on HBIH. It’s very slightly progressive influenced metalcore, complete with some djenty sounding sections and gang vocals, sounding somewhere between Born of Osiris and Norma Jean, almost. WTNB have one EP out now called Tides, which you can listen to via PureVolume. You’ll have to click through for that one since PureVolume doesn’t give embeds, apparently. Check them out!
That’s it for this time! Check out the contact page (link above) to send us your music. We may or may not get back to you, as we’re pretty busy most of the time, but who knows. You might end up in this column!
