VALBORG - BARBARIAN

genre : black metal

similar bands : Darkestrah, Dornenreich, Todtgelicher

origin : Germany

strong spot : vocals

weak spot :boring at parts

I have to admit that I was never a fan of Valborg but I saw a lot of potential in their previous work ''Crown of Sorrow''. Sadly, I was wrong. Valborg present a somewhat boring album that lacks energy, passion, continuity and originality. I would not label it as progressive since it is very flat and predictable. In any case, it has 2 or 3 tracks that show potential and talent. I will have to expect their next endeavour again...

6,9  out of 10 goatheads 

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PESTE NOIRE - L'Ordure à l'état Pur (2011)

genre : experimental black metal

similar bands : Pensees nocturnes, Deathspell Omega, Armagedda

origin : France

strong spot : originality

weak spot : some ideas are too weird while some others sound ridiculous

France is a country that has pushed the boundaries of almost every kind of art and Peste Noire could not deviate from this tradition. They present modernized old school black metal with touches of experimentalism and large doses of insanity. I guess this is again a love it or hate it album. So far, I enjoy it and I am not annoyed by the rooster that is featured on the first track :) It definitely sounds like sth new and refreshing but I guess it needs time to grow into the listener.

8,5  out of 10 goatheads 

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SHINING - VII: FODD FORLORARE (2011)

genre : black metal

similar bands :Opeth, Murmuure, Totalselfhatred, Valborg, A Forest of Stars

origin : Sweden

strong spot : originality

weak spot : I'd prefer more new elements

Shining are back with a new album. If you liked their previous ones, I am sure you won't be dissapointed. My only objection is that this one does not showcase a wide range of new elements but sounds a bit stale and stubborn. Even so, it is a very good album with plenty of good black metal riffs, melody when needed and a large dose of schizophrenia. This guys' vocals are really expressive and passionate.

8,5  out of 10 goatheads 

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KRALLICE - DIOTIMA (2011)

genre :melodic/progressive black metal

similar bands : Iskald, Enslaved, Ludicra, Todtgelichter

origin :USA

strong spot :production

weak spot :

If you like the above bands there is a high possibility you already know Krallice. Most of tracks last more than 10 minutes, so be prepared. Personally, I found the duration of the songs a bit tiring. This is an album that demands several listens in order to be fully comprehended. But it's worth the try.

8,3  out of 10 goatheads 

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MURMUURE - MURMUURE (2010)

genre :experimental / ambient black metal

similar bands : A Forest Of Stars, Shining (NO), Sleeping Peonies

origin : France

strong spot : arrangements, compositions, originality, innovation

weak spot : production is sometimes a bit more raw than it should

For some reasons I don't know, I considered this album mediocre when I was first acquainted with it. I gave it a few more spins now and I have to thank Thornspire for recommending me to do so. Well, Murmuure are sometimes unbelievably beautiful and unexplainably intriguing.  Most of the times nothing is really audible and yet the sound result is so original and captivating. The band equally shares its inspiration between experimental BM and ambient music. The synth sounds they use are really fitting and they manage to create soundscapes that are not familiar even to an experienced ear. I really don't know if they use vocals or if they use drums, or even guitars and bass because everything is put to the blender and everything sounds like part of a whole. And the whole is really abstract but beautiful.

9,4  out of 10 goatheads 

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SEPTICFLESH - THE GREAT MASS (2011)

 

genre : symphonic black/death

similar bands :  Hollenthon, Transcending Bizarre?, Dimmu Borgir

origin :Greece

strong spot : arrangements, compositions

weak spot : almost nothing

Septicflesh are definitely  the best composers in the extreme metal scene according to my opinion. So, their new album had no chance of being mediocre. Once again they have created a dark monstrosity, a piece of art for the open minded and the ones in love with music. It is less catchy than ''Communion'' and I have to congratulate the band for this. After the huge success of  ''Communion'' they didn't commercialize their music even more but they used new elements, new chord progressions, new moods. ''The Great Mass'' is another step forward for the band, maybe one of the best bands ever in the extreme scene.

9,5  out of 10 goatheads 

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MALEVOLENTIA - EX OBLIVION (2011)

genre : symphonic black

similar bands :  Carach Angren, Dimmu Borgir, Lyfthrashyr

origin :France

strong spot : symphonic arrangements and samples

weak spot : common chord progressions, lack of identity

 Interesting compositions that lack sth extrordinary.

7,5  out of 10 goatheads 

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TORCHBEARER - DEATH MEDITATIONS

genre : symphonic/progressive death/black

similar bands :  Axamenta, Transcending Bizarre?, Kalmah

origin : Sweden

strong spot : performance

weak spot :sth groundbreaking is missing

A quite interesting album that lacks a surprising/groundbreaking element. Pretty much everything is predictable. This is not bad necessarily but in the era where 100 new CDs are released and leak every day, the listener demands sth extraordinary good.

7,9  out of 10 goatheads 

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FEN / DE ARMA split (2011)

genre :shoegaze, post-black

similar bands : Lantlos, Heretoir

origin : UK / Sweden

strong spot : the lyrics are not in French (like Alcest), trippy atmosphere

weak spot : some tracks lack diversity

I never understood the meaning of a split album but anyway, here Fen are presenting some more stuff that is very close to their stunning latest album but is somehow inferior. I didn't know De Arma before and I can say that their stuff is quite nice but they are missing diversity and strong character/originality.

8  out of 10 goatheads 

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ΗΕRETOIR - HERETOIR (2011)

genre :shoegaze, post-black

similar bands :Alcest,Fen, Les Dicrets

origin : Germany

strong spot : the lyrics are not in French (like Alcest)

weak spot :

The circle of bands that play this kind of style is slowly getting bigger and bigger. Well, I have studied some things about musical composition, so allow me to judge this album from a composer's perspective. The music is quite pleasant and trippy, the production fits perfectly, the vocals are desperate and passionate. But this shoegaze post-black  usually includes 'easy to compose'songs. Don't get me wrong, I like some of these bands (Alcest, Les Dicrets, Amesoeurs, Lantlos) but I think all of their albums are mediocre when talking about musical composition. Believe me, it is very easy to play slow or mid-tempo parts full of  minor/major chord progressions that are overused in non-metal genres. The arrangements are also very typical and very common. As a result, the music sounds stale and flat and all these bands sound exactly similar to each other. Who can tell the difference between Lantlos and Alcest or Heretoir? Septicflesh, to give you an example, use their own characteristic chord progressions and orchestrations, their compositions have clever chord progressions, changing of tone or scale in the right time, diverse orchestrations etc etc. I am sure that a composition professor would rate Septicflesh with 8 and Alcest with 3 or 4. By reading the above, you can figure out my point of view about Heretoir's album, which I enjoyed but I doubt that this can last. Last note: I exclude Fen from what I said above, they are seemingly a similar band but their music is much more advanced and sophisticated. They are simply the best band in this genre.

6,9  out of 10 goatheads 

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IGORRR - NOSTRIL (2010)

genre : electro/experimental/avantgarde/black/neoclassical/industrial etc etc

similar bands : -

origin : France

strong spot : originality, loops, diversity

weak spot : love it or hate it category

This is an album that falls in the category ''What the fuck!''. If you are open minded enough to show interest for breakbit loops, black metal outbreaks, baroque orchestrations, a little bit of folk, double dosage of perversion and tons of other things played simultaneously, then you'd better hurry up and listen to this one-man project.

8,4 out of 10 goatheads 

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LIFELOVER - SJUKDOM (2011)

genre : depressive black / rock

similar bands : Katatonia

origin : Sweden

strong spot : moody atmosphere

weak spot :production is plastic and ridiculous, mediocrity almost everywhere but the vocals

Lifelover belong in a quite famous label and thus receive a lot of publicity. But the truth is that 'Sjukdom' sounds like a demo from Katatonia, when the band wasn't technically competent enough and couldn't afford paying for a descent production. The drum machine (this is not a real drummer for sure) sounds 100% artificial and plastic and there are no drum breaks.There are also popping sounds from the mic, it seems that the band forgot to use a pop shield in the microphone. Totally childish. Now how can I judge the rest of the music? This is almost impossible, but at least I can say that Lifelover's music is full of average moody melodies and predictable song structures.

4 out of 10 goatheads 

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SUN OF NOTHING - THE GUILT OF FEELING ALIVE (2011)

 genre : post-metal/sludge/depressive black

similar bands : Callisto, Tombs, Virus

origin : Greece

strong spot : originality, grungy production

weak spot :

'The Guilt of Felling Alive'...what a title! The Greeks combine elements from lots of genres and the result sounds really solid and intense. The sound is heavy as hell and deliberately lo-fi . It reminded me of the raw productions of Celtic Frost even though the music is quite different. Doomy, melancholic, psychedelic, minimalist, extreme, unearthly. Definitely an album that deserves attention, here we see sparkles of the future metal sound.

8,8 out of 10 goatheads 

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VIRUS - THE AGENT THAT SHAPES THE DESERT (2011)

genre : avant-garde/ psychedelic metal

similar bands : Ved Buens Ende, Dodheimsgard, Code, Deathspell Omega

origin : Norway

strong spot : originality, vocals

weak spot : no new elements are presented here, the band is stuck to its typical sound

100% deranged and perverse. Virus continue their unearthly, mind-fucking journey and present an album reminiscent of their previous one ('The Black Flux' was a bit catchier than this one though). The 'avalanche' of dissonant chord progressions and riffs along with the insane vocals produce a unique atmosphere that aims the advanced listeners. My objection is that I would prefer to see Virus evolving and adding new elements to their music. Ok, the recipe was succesfull and they created a hype in the avant-garde scene but is this enough? I am sure they will get a lot of praise for this one (reviewers in web zines like lordsofmetal.nl etc are already praising this album before listening to it) but the truth is that they present nothing new here.

5 out of 10 goatheads 

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