Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Grup Sokak - "Benim Hüzünlü Orospum" [2012]

Artist: Sokak
Title: Benim Hüzünlü Orospum
Genre: Turkish Rock
Country: Turkey
Release date: 2012

Track List:
  1. Benim Hüzünlü Orospum
  2. Üçgeni Kareye Sokmak Meselesi
  3. Ceset
  4. Kutup Ayısının Pipisi
  5. Katil Tanrı
After listening to "Küçük Kadın", I conducted a search for other releases of Sokak, but managed to find only this EP. "Benim Hüzünlü Orospum" generally sounds more mainstream than "Küçük Kadın" (even bordering on pop-rock at times)... but at least it's still quite catchy stuff that has the unique "Turkish" flavour with it (don't know how to explain it better). They have at least one more album "Sokak Çocuğu" released in 2000? but I haven't found it anywhere yet.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Sokak - "Küçük Kadın" [2007]

Artist: Sokak
Title: Küçük Kadın
Genre: Anatolian Rock, Industrial Rock
Country: Turkey
Release date: 2007

Track List:
  1. Küçük Kadın
  2. Jale
  3. Ahtapot
  4. Hayatın Sırrı
  5. Yiğenim
  6. Güneşin Doğduğu Yer
  7. Haram Sevda
  8. Kırık Mızrap
  9. Fesleğen Çiçeği
  10. Tuğlanın Gücü
  11. Uyutmaz
  12. Midasın Kulakları
  13. Öç
  14. Yaban
  15. Sessizlik Ölümü Biriktirir
  16. Jale (remix)
Sokak are an obscure Turkish rock band whosestyle is often described as "industrial rock". For me it's a bit of exaggeration, even though their music does contain some "industrial-esque" elements. However, "Küçük Kadın" is a good release, although a bit too lengthy. The first two tracks are especially catchy (but the 2nd half of the album is somewhat boring, though).

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Hedvika - "The Evidence Of Absence" [2013]

Artist: Hedvika
Title: The Evidence Of Absence
Genre: Post-Rock
Country: Greece
Release date: 2013

Track List:
  1. Collapse
  2. 100000 Years
  3. The Ocean Below
  4. Enceladus
  5. Void / No Void
  6. Last Glare
  7. Shapes Of Nemesis
"The band was formed in Athens, Greece in spring 2011 in order to deliver heavy tunes in the vein of Neurosis, Isis, Fall Of Efrafa, Electric Wizard and the likes. After spending some quality time in the studio making demo recordings, the band started performing live and scheduled some winter gigs for 2012-2013.Simultaneously they began the arduous task of giving birth to their first endeavor entitled “The Evidence Of Absence” , a concept album for our own expanding universes. Currently, Hedvika continue their journey in the stellar plains composing new tracks combining atmosphere and heaviness through their own prism..."

"...Formed in the remaining of the Old Sun. Through dust, the first glow revealed the vastness of the new world. The celestial solitude of an enslaved passenger of time who saw the light of a world of masters and minions. Silence is broken. Conscious is born. Her ocean is screaming her existence filling the void, reflecting on his frozen entity. From the reaches of the new gleam to the warmth of destruction, matter realizes it’s own existence following the arrow of time. In the shadow of a second sun doubting the reality. Doubting the Evidence Of Absence"

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Psycho Tree - "Black January" [2013]

Artist: Psycho Tree
Title: Black January
Genre: Post-Rock
Country: Russia
Release date: 2013

Track List:
  1. Thundercloud
  2. Birds Flying Over The Dying City
  3. Remember The Ocean
  4. Above The Ground
  5. V
  6. Gaia
  7. Pripyat
  8. Snow Horizon
Depressive post-rock from Siberia (Tomsk/Krasnoyarsk). Quite good for a first full-length release of an young 3-piece band.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Reverie Falls On All - "İMÇ" [2007]

Artist: Reverie Falls On All
Title: İMÇ
Genre: Noise Rock
Country: Turkey
Release date: 2007

Track List:
  1. İMÇ
  2. interlude
  3. İMÇ (live)
"Reverie Falls On All was formed in the summer of 2003 by Replikas members Barkin Engin and Burak Tamer. The sound processing improvisations in search for the direction of the collaboration evolved into various textures containing acoustic instruments with the real acoustic qualities of the building, where the sessions took place. Finally the music shaped into a structure that blend the duo’s guitar playing aesthetic with their influences on glitch, noise, 20th Century Music and classical composition.

The musical ideas interfere with sound wise coincidences throughout the composing process. Digital errors, ambient noises, leakage from other spaces become elements of the compositions, each introducing an actual code of framed time. Then these audible codes of the moments connect with the reflections of daily life and transform into musical structures"

Well, I don't know much about Replikas, but looks like they're a quite well-known experimental/post-rock project. And speaking of RFOA - yes, it's noise, but not the "industrial" kind of noise. Anyway, it's the only Turkish (or generally Middle Eastern/Oriental) noise project I know of.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

The A.Y.I.L.A.R - "Istanbul Skins" [???]

Artist: The A.Y.I.L.A.R
Title: Istanbul Skins
Genre: Oi! (S.H.A.R.P), Street Punk
Country: Turkey
Release date: 200?

Track List:
  1. Istanbul skins
  2. Ayip
  3. Sansliysan yasarsin
  4. Bezelye
  5. Kallez
  6. Bugunpazar
  7. Karsiyiz biz savasa
  8. Sokakar sahidim ol...
The only Oi! band from Turkey I know (yes, there's also Bandista, but their music is more ska than anything else). Maybe not great, but not bad at all (however, the quality of recording varies significantly from one track to another). Don't know when exactly it was released, but it's definitely from the 2000s.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

She Past Away - "Belirdi Gece" [2012]

Artist: She Past Away
Title: Belirdi Gece
Genre: Post-Punk, Darkwave
Country: Turkey
Release date: 2012

Track List:
  1. Sanrı
  2. Rituel
  3. Monoton
  4. Kasvetli Kutlama
  5. İnsanlar
  6. Belirdi Gece (Musallat)
  7. Ruh
  8. Kemir Beni
  9. Bozbulanık
  10. İçe Kapanış
Can't say I have a good knowledge of either Turkish rock scene or 80's post-punk/gothic rock, yet I found this album really interesting. It's a first time I hear 80's-style new-wave/post-punk made in Turkey, and it's quite good. However, the opening track isn't the best on this album (IMO), and the whole album would be better with vocals in English, or with no vocals at all... Other than that, this album is really remarkable, and I think She Past Away deserve to be called "Turkish Clan of Xymox".


You can listen to the whole album on Youtube, though:

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Haapa - "Veroníka" [2012]

Artist: Haapa
Title: Veroníka
Label: ODDOT
Genre: Witch House
Country: Russia
Release date: 2012

Track List:
  1. sensual zurbagan
  2. lick me
  3. dva ABSOLUTa
  4. تحبني  
 Haapa is a Moscow-based artist best known for his track "Sensual Zurbagan", hat was included in the "Newbreed Vibes III: Future" compilation. His music has been described as "futuregaze" and "hypnagogic pop", but I think it's just witch house (and Haapa is one of the few artists in this genre whose music is actually good).

Friday, March 15, 2013

GuilThee - "Szemantikai háromszögek" [2012]

Artist: GuilThee
Title: Szemantikai háromszögek
Genre: Avant-garde Metal
Country: Hungary
Release date: 2012

Track List:
  1. Hiedelmek magamról
  2. 1/3
  3. Tél a homokpusztán
  4. A nyulak örökké élnek
  5. Vérszívók
  6. Kedd
  7. A jakobinusok ellen
  8. Kívánom a testet
  9. Necropolis
  10. A tachyonok tánca
  11. Az „Csak búbánat” nótájára az ember helyéről a világban (Sajnálatos módon összeállítva az adeptus fia és vak szeretője által)
  12. Inga
"Szemantikai háromszögek" is the 3rd and the last album of Guilthee up to date. It's even more experimental than "Homunculus Paradoxon", so it wasn't an easy listening even for me. However, I still happy to discovery Guilthee as a decent alternative to Gire - who, unfortunately, split up in 2007 after releasing only one (but excellent) album.

GuilThee - "Homunculus Paradoxon" [2011]

Artist: GuilThee
Title: Homunculus Paradoxon
Genre: Avant-garde Metal
Country: Hungary
Release date: 2011

Track List:
  1. Introitus Tragoediae
  2. Succubi
  3. Red-Hand Succubi Theory
  4. Chorion
  5. The First Experiment
  6. Manna Di San Nikola
  7. Die Vier Junkfrauen
  8. Digitale Gaudium
  9. Zitije Hermesovo
  10. Spire Disaster
  11. Hübrisz
  12. Útban délnek
It's been a while since my last post about Hungarian avantgarde music, so I think it's about time to review one of the most interesting Hungarian metal releases of 2011. Guilthee are an unlabellable band from Veszprém, started in 2006 by a former member of Sunseth Sphere. While their first album "Lustration" was more death metal than anything else (it was already pretty avant-garde, though), "Homunculus Paradoxon" is a whole metal opera with several male and female vocalists, incorporation elements of groove metal, industrial metal, gothic rock and psychedelic metal/rock (especially on first 3 tracks, which aren't representative of the album as a whole). My favourite track is "Chorion", but "Red-Hand Succubi Theory", "Manna Di San Nikola" and "Die Vier Junkfrauen" are quite good too... however, it's a concept album which is better to be listened as a while. And finally: not only it fits my taste almost perfectly, it's also available for free off their official site:

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Numen - "...Jarrai Beza Kondairak" [2003]

Artist: Numen
Title: Jarrai Beza Kondairak
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Country: Spain (Basque Country)
Release date: 2003

Track List:
  1. Eskualdunak
  2. Inguma
  3. Mari
  4. Ama Lurra (acoustic)
  5. Haize Sorginduen Intziriak
  6. Ehiztari Beltza
  7. Heriotza Eta Geroa
  8. Gaua Gauekoentzat...
  9. Beotibar
Among with "Galdutako Itxaropenaren Eresia", these two albums are the best in Numen's discography (the consequent ones are more generic black metal and less folk/pagan). Definitely recommended to everyone who's interested in black/pagan metal that's inspired by pre-Indo-European history and legends. The acoustic version of "Ama Lurra" is great.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Numen - "Galdutako Itxaropenaren Eresia" [2001]

Artist: Numen
Title: Galdutako Itxaropenaren Eresia
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Country: Spain (Basque Country)
Release date: 2001

Track List:
  1. Gauerdia Erortzean
  2. Denboraren Iluntasuna
  3. Gau Hotz Isilaren Magalean
  4. Mendiaren Irrintzia
  5. Arbasoen Oroimenean Kulunka
  6. Galdutako Itxaropenaren Eresia
  7. Oinazearen Itzalak
  8. Iheslaria
  9. Ama Lurra
  10. Galdutako Itxaropenaren Eresia (Bigarren Atala)
The debut full-length album of probably most well-known Basque pagan metal band. Outstanding stuff.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Azken Garrasia - "Sorgin Zorrotz" [2005]

Artist: Azken Garrasia
Title: Sorgin Zorrotz
Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: Spain (Basque Country)
Release date: 2005

Track List:
  1. Suzko Bidetik I
  2. Apokalipsia
  3. Bizitzaren Baitan
  4. Boterearen Gainbehera
  5. Hor Nonbait
  6. Zure Munduko Giltza
  7. Suzko Bidetik II
  8. Naufragoarena
  9. Sorgin Zorrotz
  10. Ilgora
More or less standard heavy metal, except all the lyrics are in Basque language. Even if you're not interested in metal in exotic languages, I still would recommend this album if you're looking for obscure/underrated bands that sound better than the majority of generic heavy/power metal bands.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Merkabah - "Lyonesse" [2011]

 Artist: Merkabah
Title: Lyonesse
Genre: Post-Metal/Sludge, "Jazzcore"
Country: Poland
Release date: 2011

Track List:
  1. Narwhals
  2. Deconstruction Mass
  3. Occultation
First I read about this Polish band in one of the blogs dedicated mostly to RIO and related genres. Their LP "A Lament For The Lamb" didn't leave me disappointed - 6 pieces of heavy, gloomy "jazzcore" (as they call it). You can download the whole LP from (the bitrate is low, though). As for "Lyonesse" - it's a live EP released in 2011 and officially available for free download. Not as heavy as "A Lament...", but still as awesome.

Иное - "Кувшины" [2010]

Artist: Иное
Title: Кувшины
Genre: Jazz-Rock, Acoustic, Folk-Rock
Country: Russia (Dagestan)
Release date: 2010

Track List:
  1. Мелодия
  2. Коты
  3. Не Ходи
  4. Тропою Шейха
  5. Утюд
  6. Урарту
  7. Танго
  8. Чёрным колдунам белого севера... (bonus)
  9. Акку-Акку (bonus)
  10. В горном лесу (bonus)
...And probably the most interesting discovery of this evening - a jazz-rock band formed by Islam Ibragimov, ex-member of Fatima's Band (and possibly Abscess). All 7 tracks on this album are quite lengthy and entirely instrumental; the musicianship is quite good but nothing outstanding. Bonus tracks are more interesting: the music is pretty much the same, but there are vocals performed in a quite strange, "oriental" way; and the lyrics are a complete mindfuck. After listening to this, I'd say the band justifies its name: their sound is really different. I'd describe their sound as "esoteric folk-jazz-prog-rock", and it's quite a surprise for me to hear something like this coming from Dagestan. A greater surprise would be only a folk/pagan metal band singing in Avar or Lakku... however, this kind of psychedelic "oriental" rock is even more interesting than any kind of metal. Sadly (but unsurprisingly), it looks like they're almost unknown even in their home region...

Fatima's Band - "История Одной Пустоты" [2002]

Artist: Fatima's Band
Title: История Одной Пустоты
Genre: Soft Rock
Country: Russia (Dagestan)
Release date: 2002

Track List:
  1. Луноход
  2. Мелодия
  3. Пластилиновая девочка
  4. Перезагрузка кораблей
  5. Холодно и мокро
  6. Ван Гог
Honestly, if I didn't knew where and when it was recorded, I'd think it's a demo of some Western European female-fronted pop-rock band. It doesn't sound like stereotypical so-called "Russian rock" either, all the lyrics are in English, and the quality of recording is much better than you might think. If you're tired of all the experimental and heavy stuff I've posted here, and want some melancholic ballads sung by a female vocalist - them try this album. You can skip the opening track, though (don't know about you, but I didn't like the vocals in this one). This is their 2nd and final album released in 2002. They also have released one more album in 1999, but it sounds much more like classic rock'n'roll, and in general it seems like it was recorded rather for fan than for any serious purpose. In case if you wonder what exactly it sounds like - here's the opening track from it. Other than that, there's almost no info about the band.

Abscess - demo [1996]

Artist: Abscess
Title: (demo tracks)
Genre: Old School Death Metal
Country: Russia (Makhachkala, Dagestan)
Release date: 1996

Track List:
  1. Necrodose
  2. Inquisition
  3. Lepra
  4. Necrodose (alt.mix)
  5. Inquisition (alt.mix)
  6. Lepra (alt.mix)
One more ex-USSR band that's of interest for my blog mostly because of its time and place of origin. Today it's hard to believe that Makhachkala had a thriving rock/metal scene in late 80's - early 90's, and huge mass brawls between rock/metal fans and haters. Here's an incomplete list of Dagestani bands that existed until 2000: Северный ветер, Open Down, Плюс-минус, 6-й подъезд, Fatima's Band, просто Конь, Саня Остревной, Торнадо, Фиаско, Scaffold Death, Mirabella's death rattle, Abscess, Железный легион, Химшоссе, Лабиринт, Иное, Масштаб, Burial Ground, Ледокаин, Сага, Состав, Небо-зеркало, Inside, Розовое здание, Вино и кровьSome later bands: Судный День, Silent Insanity, Illicit, Sky Angels, BlackenedS, Железный занавес, Antithesis, 4 Lane Highway. However, most of these bands don't have any (listenable) releases, and according to the members of 4 Lane Highway, they don't have a future as a band there, after Makhachkala has turned into Ciudad Juarez of Europe. Speaking of Abscess - they were an old school death metal band formed in Makhachkala in 1994 (!) by Nazim Giraev (lead guitar) and Aziz Suleymanov (bass). The quiality of recording is reasonably raw, but still much better than I expected.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Toluca - "Act I" [2012]

Artist: Toluca
Title: Act I
Genre: Post-Black Metal, Screamo
Country: Russia
Release date: 2012

Track List:
One more band whose style borders both black metal and post-hardcore/screamo. I'd say it's more "metallic" than Культура Курения, but it's still not black metal (even though they have occult-themed lyrics). Not as good as Deafknife's debut full-length, but still very good for a first release.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Tres Speculum - "Tales of the Great Winter" [2010]

Artist: Tres Speculum
Title: Tales of the Great Winter
Label: Mental Excitement
Genre: Dark Ambient
Country: Russia
Release date: 2010

Track List:
  1. Intro. Cold Snap
  2. Aquilonis
  3. Tempus Nemini
  4. Snowfall
  5. The Great Winter
  6. Blizzard
  7. Longinqua Spes
  8. Aquilonis II
  9. Cold Snap
  10. Warm Fireplace and Hoarfrost on Window
  11. A Lonely Bird
  12. Winter Riket
  13. Ice Night
  14. Memento
  15. Outro. Winter’s End
Tres Speculum is an one-man dark ambient project started by Kirill "Spill" Kolchin in 2009. CC has called this album "an unintentional masterpiece", and even though calling it a "masterpiece" might be an exaggeration, it's still a very beautiful piece of wintry ambient. Perfectly suitable for listening on a snowy night (even though it's already 2th of March, the wintry weather here isn't going to end soon...)

Friday, March 1, 2013

An Autumn For Crippled Children - "Only The Ocean Knows" [2012]

Artist: An Autumn For Crippled Children
Title: Only The Ocean Knows
Genre: Post-Black Metal, Blackgaze
Country: Netherlands
Release date: 2012

Track List:
  1. Paste Tense
  2. Yes I Know...Love and Death...Always
  3. This Garden, These Trees
  4. In February
  5. Only the Ocean Knows
  6. The First Snow This Year
  7. Uncureable
  8. The Rising Tide
First off, I hate all these "is the band X trve/untrve" debates, but this music apparently has very little to do with the original idea of black metal. However, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I prefer blackgaze over black metal in general (especially so-called "true black metal"), and AAFCC are among the best examples of this genre. The overall mood of their music reminds me of the 90's doom-death metal scene, and generally fits my state of mind quite well. The download link isn't hard to find in google (here's a random blog post from the first page of search results, for example), so I won't upload it myself.