Okkultokrati - La ilden lyse (2020)

Hiking Metal Punks

I discovered the Norwegians with their previous album, the excellent Raspberry Dawn (thanks to tomcat_ha for the recommendation, if I remember correctly) and I had relatively high expectations for their follow-up. 

The artwork of La ilden lyse reminds of Darkthrone's Arctic Thunder (covered by the Realm before) but that's not the only similarity they have with the legendary duo. Raspberry Dawn was much more rooted in kraut and psych rock, deeply reminiscent of Circle (coincidentally they also released their latest album on Southern Lord). It was, in a way, not a metal album. Their 2020 album returns to a blackened sound while still retaining some of those influences, it's gritty and belligerent but kept some of the psychedelic element that distinguished them from the pack. Their production is tight, condensed and packs a punch. There's just the right amount of rawness and it highlights the harsh black metal vocals quite well. The riffs alternate between psych fed punk, heavy metal and proto black metal and they're written in a repetitive fashion but they're freaking solid so it just puts them on a pedestal.

There's a lot of layers underneath what appears to be an unsubtle formula. There's synths in the (pretty far away) background adding a dimension that's not automatically perceptible at first. They're basically Motorhead as they're not as dumb as you would have thought but goes for the jugular at all times. It's fast, rock & roll-y but also pretty smart once you break their codes. There's super well written passages such as the atmospheric moods on "Kiss of Death"

Some bands are gonna announce that they'll branch out and include more and more influences in their sound and then fail to do so. Okkultokrati just unceremoniously does it and they do it with class and skill. Their biggest strength is their ability to combine a lot of different influences and do it in a super homogeneous way without never deviating from their main goal of riffing very fucking hard.

Falsehood - Falsehood (2017) / 82%

Nah dudes, I agree

Falsehood from Edmonton features two members from death/black veterans Begrime Exemious but explores a different style of extreme metal. Crust is basically punks playing metal (or trying to) but the lines between punk and metal is getting quite blurry. It’s possible that metalheads can play punk as well! Anyhow the quartet mixes several influences into one potent patty of aggressive and uncompromising music.

Their approach relies heavily on heavy riffs and the repetitiveness of said hard hittin’ guitars. It’s cold, dangerous and it doesn’t mess around with the puck at all. They would have broken that fucking QAnon Shaman in pieces if they had the chance. It’s thundering politically inclined metallic punk taking no fucking prisoners. A mixing pot of death metal, sludgey doom, crust and hardcore punk, Falsehood is able to digest those influences and shit us something worthwhile and captivating. The dual guitars attack of Franky and Derek are fantastic and doesn’t show off at all, they’re there for the power of the riffs and they serve the songs. The guitar tone is disgusting (in the best way possible) and while there’s distortion, it’s never sloppy and badly written. Those dudes are solid musicians and the combination of the two guitarists with a very effective rhythm section created an aural devastation. A good example of how everything is so expertly combined is the eight minutes closer “Deceiver”, one of their slower but still super urgent compositions. The drums and bass are also very very good and it's something I focused on more and more after a few spins of the album. The backend of the album is rich and the tight and focused production definitely helps.

Protect the rich, serve the state

Mindless pigs fill us with hate

The vocals of Franky are pissed off deep growls, it's harsh and full of venom. What I like is that it's not a constant barrage of vocals, it's present like any other instruments and it plays its role within the band's music. Tracks like "Descent Into Madness" features vox only midway through the four-ish minutes track but when they start, damn. That track almost has a grindcore feel to it as it ends. They're good at showcasing their riffs and they let them breathe a while too. There's a few cleaner moments ("Waste" or "Militant Swine") and they bring forward some sort of depressive post metal stylistic exploration to the fold. It's interesting and doesn't feel out of place.

The only modern thing about them is their intent to combine old school styles together but ultimately, this combination creates something that could have been released ten, twenty or even thirty years ago. Like their left leaning themes, It’s pretty timeless for punk music. Throw Asphyx, Bolt Thrower and Amebix in a garbage bin and let the raccoons do their job, you’ll end up with something close to Falsehood.

Bandcamp

Mörkt Moln - The Culling of a Great Flame (2019) / 83%

BURN IN HELL!

Mörkt Moln (dark clouds) from Gothenburg certainly don’t play melodic death metal and I’m relatively happy they don’t. The Swedish trio delves into proto black metal and inserts dynamic hardcore, goth and punk elements to their first wave black metal sound instead.

Inspired by both Amebix and Darkthrone (who were also influenced by Amebix in their own right), the eight songs record is a definite love letter to a time where metal and punk lines were blurred and where black metal was yet in its formative infancy. While I feel the lines are being quite blurry again nowadays with powerviolence, death metal and crust being thrown in a mixer together this is another type of affair.

Interlude: I’m a big snacks guy so this review was written while eating some carrot cake Oreos. While they were able to recreate the taste of a carrot cake, the white icing is a bit too sugary. It’s a welcome distraction from the normal black and white ones just like this band is a welcome change from your run of the mill Satanic black metal. The special Easter Oreo was a bit better though.

Back to our normal programming, their music is dark (see their name) and it’s composed of pretty mid-paced bangers with some longer tracks like opener “Air Burial”, the Conan themed “Cimmerian Heat” or the Mesopotamian historical eight minutes closer “Shar Kishati”. Their production is kept fairly natural and that’s certainly perfect for their sound. If you’re a fan of Darkthrone’s later efforts, it’s a similar approach. If you’re not, it’s time go hike in the Scandinavian forests and never come back! Mixing groovy, riff heavy black/punk with some doom metal (the end of that Conan song crushes) to great success, it reminds me of the hateful but tongue in cheek of The Cult is Alive but slowed down a notch. The vocals are raw, gravely and in a spot between harsh and clean, it fits their proto extreme metal vibe well. There’s also obvious black(er) moments such as “Corruptors of Youth” with its evil classic black metal church bell intro and heavy metal goodness such as the Lord of the Rings’ inspired “Dol Guldur”. It’s not technical music either, it’s even fairly loose and almost volontarily sloppy and that’s how I love it, to be honest.

All in all, Mörkt Moln are apt at mixing old school black metal with a DIY aesthetic and approach. They’re a less and more band but with a lot of ideas and big balls.

Bandcamp

Caskets Open – Concrete Realms of Pain (2020) / 78%

Balls to the Wall

The Finnish trio are really starting to become an entity of their own with their fourth album. While But You Rule, their 2010 debut album lacked most of the punk elements of their later efforts, their followups explored those areas in more details. Concrete Realms of Pain, their debut on Poland’s Nine Records (known for releasing quality doom such as Acolytes of Moros, Mansion or Lucifer’s Fall) shows the band moving forward in both experience and songwriting chops.

The main element that I always found displeasing in their albums is the inability to truly make a cohesive album while still incorporating the plethora of elements they want to include. I do believe this fourth full length is more successful at achieving that particular balance of sounds but it's still bothering me.

Ah yes, to give some context as to what the band plays... Imagine a long table where Glenn Danzig meets up with Albert Witchfinder who’s obviously tired of talking about trad doom and the newly revived corpse of Peter Steele who’s hiding a copy of his Playgirl issue to remember the good old times. At the other side of the table, Chandler argues with both Wino and Reagers about what Vitus era was the best. There’s also a bunch of punks in the parking lot drinking beer and not caring about the meeting.

Compared to their debut or To Serve the Collapse, the traditional doom elements are downplayed here. The opener “Four Shrines” almost cleanses the whole album from slow doom once its six minutes duration is done but there’s some other slower moments such as the first half of “White Animal”. It’s a good and bad way to start the album as it doesn’t exactly shows us the way the whole album will treat us. While still first and foremost a doom band, the whole thing is faster and streamlined for the most part. It also has the best production of their career, it’s as muscular as the bloke on the artwork.

This is how you do a tough guy album to be honest. Riffs solid as bricks, a booming unhinged bass and fast, thundering drums. No useless posturing, breakdowns or unnecessary elements, just balls of steel on the wall of the dungeon/gym. Speaking of manly, the vocals of Ketola are gruff and with the right amount of venomous might to bridge the chasm between doom and punk, mixing Danzig and trad Finn doom. Caskets Open aren’t a subtle band at all, voluntarily on the nose is their main objective and it works fine.

Overall, this is an enjoyable slab of beefy doom/punk but once again, the lack of cohesiveness and the tendency to want to do too much blurs the results. Sometimes, it’s better to focus on making one thing extremely well. I tried a mac and cheese pizza the other day and while I love both on their own, it wasn’t a resounding success mixed together.

Bandcamp

Hornet Murmuration – Affirmation of Antipathy (2020) / 80%

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The third solo project created by Tennessee native D.L, the young musician behind Glass Shrine and Kostnatění, Hornet Murmuration is his rawest and most unhinged one yet.

Self-recorded in three days, this demo incorporates a fair dose of punk in an already dangerous blend of black metal formulas, ranging from the obscure American Rhinocervs scene to the Slavic and French sounds. It’s chaotic but the production is quite clean for this genre, the riffs are vivid and easily audible and the fairly simple yet effective drumming gives a nice rhythm to the whole thing. The vocals are raspy and under a wall of noise under attack by a bunch of hornets. It does sound like hornets playing metal though, it's highly aggressive and it stings you but it's also organized in all its chaos.

Compared to black/punk stalwarts Raspberry Bulbs, who coincidentally just released their first album during the Trump administration on Relapse Records, no less, Hornet Murmuration are rooted strongly in modern, quasi un-unorthodoxed black metal. The Bulbs’ whole thing is to play punk with a raw black metal approach, it’s not the case of this new project. It’s not rooted in the olde eras of metal like most other metal/punk bands like Devil Master or Shitfucker like to explore, I’d say it foregoes influences and tries to be timeless. It often succeeds at it or maybe I just don’t know black metal enough to pinpoint the references...

It’s punkish in the way the riffs are written and the type of aggressiveness unravelled through the five short tracks of that demo release. While it’s uncomplicated metal, there’s still this underlying intellectualism laying around, mostly through the titles and the aesthetics of the project. It can also be found in the abrasive yet thoughtful songwriting which normally shouldn’t be as complex as it is. Affirmation of Antipathy is a strong debut demo that shows promises. It has this crisp, unrestrained take on black metal that’s oddly catchy.

Bandcamp

Meutrières – Meurtrières (2020) / 88%

Heavy Métal Français I

Arrow Through the Heart

If all the French heavy metal bands could be about castles, fortresses and other medieval themes, I’d die a happy man. Meurtrières (that’s the name given to narrow arrow slits on castles) are a new band from Lyon and they rock hard!

The quintet is heavily by the punkier side of NWOBHM (see Di’anno’s Iron Maiden), it’s fast, heavy and aggressive with strong duel guitars. There’s more than just that though, Meurtrières are multifaceted and often are on the same songs like the epic opener “A La Spatha”. In fact, the album starts with its two longest songs (both around six minutes) to prove that they don’t mess around. The second track “Alienor” explores the feminist tale of Aliénor d’Aquitaine and does it with style and panache.

Musically, I feel that the band is very strong. The bass is thick and present more than in your usual heavy metal band (perhaps due to their punk influence) and the drumming is quick like a crossbow machine gun. As it’s the case for most metal bands, the quality of the riffs will define the quality of a release and oh boy, Meurtrières are freaking maniacs. The songwriting is both nuanced and overly to the point.

The vocals of frontwoman Fleur are on fucking point. She sometimes sounds like Annick of Cauchemar but with more power, range and with a definitive punk attitude. I wish the vocals were a bit stronger in the mix though but that’s their debut album so a weaker production can be judged to be acceptable. She sings the historical French lyrics with an urgency I haven’t heard in a while. She keeps the same energy on the slower and rockier closer “La Déferlante”. That castle on the artwork seems hard to reach but I’m sure she’ll manage to find a way!

That first self released extended play kills, as intended. At almost thirty minutes, it’s pretty much a full length already and with some slight improvements here and there, mostly in the production department, they have the potential to be France’s top heavy metal band. I didn’t avoid the arrows fired at me and I’m glad I didn’t. Essential 2020 heavy metal, mes amis.

Buy/Support

Vapeur – l’Indifférence (2017)

   

Dans les vapeurs de vos cris?

Le projet montréalais Vapeur lance cette semaine sa deuxième galette et c’est certainement celle qui va révéler le quatuor rock à un plus large public par sa production sonore aboutie et sa foudroyante pochette armée de couleurs vives et psychédéliques. Après « L’effort » sorti en mai 2016, les garçons sont de retour avec «L'indifférence », un effort résolument plus ancré dans le punk et le groove. Tout comme les trucs fuckés sur la couverture, la qualité est au rendez-vous.

Les ambiances sont variées chez Vapeur. Il a presque autant d'ingrédients sonores que de choix de condiments pour tes hot dog vapeur d'après brosse. Nous pouvons passer du glam rock à tendances hard au rock garage incorporant aussi bien les influences de Malajube que des Américains de The Strokes (leur leader étant même honoré par le titre de la quatrième pièce :« Casablancasse-toi ») et au punk rock à ambiance feutrée.. Nous entendons également de profondes racines pop rock qui fait du EP un explosif mélange nourri de mélodies accrocheuses assumées. Malgré tout cela, le talent principal du groupe est de faire un rock francophone ayant comme acteur principal les guitares électriques. C’est quelque chose de rare dans le paysage rock québécois qui, ces temps-ci, nous sert des plats atmosphériques et planants (outre bien sur le son boosté de Galaxie) et c’est intensément rafraîchissant.

Les textes d’Andrew Duquette-Boyte évoquent des images pleines de folie nostalgique et sa livraison vocale délibérément fracassante convient parfaitement aux riffs de guitares acérés que Vapeur nous livre à la tonne. Ces jeunes hommes fringants nous prouvent que le rock en Français peut réellement fonctionner et frapper fort et j’en demande plus. Vaporise-moi.

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Un beau 8.5 hot dog vapeur sur 10

Dagger Moon – Citadel (2016) / 80%

Moonlit easy riding

This quintet from Washington plays an interesting sort of crossover genre. Blending the heaviness of crust with the moody darkness of doom wasn't quite enough for them. They decided to add a massive amount of synth to their music and it really works.

Sharing two members with Ilsa (one of them do the artwork for both bands), Dagger Moon are much more subdued and laid back as they don't have the same pissed off sludgey Cianide influenced bludgeoning sound. It's a bit hard to describe their style since the mix is done effortlessly and with care. The really loud synths make them sound like dangerous punks driving through an industrial city in decay on their loud bikes, they drank too much cheap beer so they're a bit drunk so they're not driving too fast. Just fast enough to create some roadkill on their way to hell. As illustrated on their vinyl release, we could also envision this big ass punk on his bike just floating around on this apocalyptic moon. This album would probably fit Stranger Things if the TV series would be even darker to give you an idea of how lush it is.

The bass has this huge, hardworking sound and it's often louder than the guitars. The drums are simple yet effective and like the compositions, they're more smooth and contemplative than heavy and suffocating. It's metal mostly because of the way the riffs are composed and the epic song structures. It can be repetitive at times but I think it fits their idiosyncratic feel and almost gives a synth drone ambiance to the album. The guitars still have some shining moment such as the ethereal leads of "Black Water" but overall, they could be perceived as secondary here despite establishing Dagger Moon as a metal band. The metal is perhaps not the first thing you'll notice but it's there and its carnal embrace with the synthrock elements is fairly nice.

The six lengthy songs combine groovy mid-paced riffs, synth influences and clean Napalm Raid-esque crusting. Their approach could also be compared to Tau Cross in spirit, a melting pot of good things related to both the metal and the punk worlds but Dagger Moon's vocals are more cryptic, buried and harsh and there's of course the omnipresent synths. Comparisons aside, there's basically nothing truly similar to them and they're pretty refreshing.

Pay what you can download on Bandcamp

Existe – Esprit sensible, monde fragile (2016) / 85%

Post-raw existential crisis


This band started by Cyril Tousignant is another vivid example of how good the Québec black metal is and how diversified it is nowadays. Now a quartet, Existe unleashed their debut album in late July and it's a strong hybrid of post, black, punk and depression.

I remember being conflicted about their 2013 EP Et de longs passages douloureux pour une harmonie recherchée. It was an underproduced effort with a lack of direction and compared to this new oeuvre, the post rock/ambient side was more important. Esprit sensible, monde fragile (Sensitive spirit, Fragile World) see the band move towards a more metal direction, now more influenced by Lifelover than the lighter side of Alcest. Nevertheless, Existe still plays a fairly diverse style full of nuances and hooks.

The album starts with a non metal track with acoustic guitars but the screams of Tousignant are downright bone chilling and are certainly a good example of the type of singing we find in depressive black metal. After this somewhat long overture, the record moves in many directions but it's always done in a cohesive way. From the punk approach of the oddly named "/!\" to the aggressive yet atmospheric black metal of "Les fleurs fanées" or "Surpopulation humaine" (and its superb shoegaze ending), it does everything well. It's hard to say what is their stylistic core, it's much more raw than most post-black, much more emotionnal charged than most traditional black metal evolving in the obscurity. The vocals, mixing harsh tones, soft spoken words and some chanting (listen to "Anxieuse"), are all in French and they're singing evocative yet sad lyrics.

Mes yeux sont grand ouvert mais mon cerveau est flou

There's a certain richness in Existe's instrumentation, it's not only focused on the guitars, the bass is thundering, overly present and really damn enjoyable. That's something uncommon for black metal. It's probably the hardcore punk influences giving a larger focus to the rythmn section as it's more often the case in punk. Furtermore, the integration of unorthodox metal instruments such as the clarinet (end of track seven) or pianos (outro) are small but pleasant touches giving the album an expanded identity.

The guitars are well crafted and the adequate production job highlights all the instruments. It's able to be both subtle and complex at the same time (see the instrumentally inclined and beautiful "Frivole"). The post rock from the previous EP is mostly gone but it remains there in spirit inside these tightly knit songs and this short but sweet album.

It's post-black with an uncompromising heavy attitude and no meandering long-winded explorations. The trip is kept brief, to the point and carefully present itself as a midway point between depressive black and post-whatever. It sometimes enters the post-hardcore realms just to borrow some elements, some attitude and come back with a stronger feel. Just like the El-Ahrairah full length (the best black album of 2016), the successful combination of emotions through raw black metal power makes this album an unknown jewel.

Existe on Bandcamp

Free download but a limited run of self-released CDs are gonna be available soon.

Rakta with Grosser and Security @La Vitrola in Montréal, July 10th 2016

*all the mediocre pictures were taken by my cellphone*



Thanks to Suoni Per Il Popolo for organizing this gig.

On this evening of July that felt more like we were in late April, I've decided to go see this interesting gig even if it was a bit out of my comfort zone but it was a rewarding experience.

Security opened the show with their blend of noise rock, Loop (the british band)-esque heavy explorations and many more influences too numerous to talk about. The duo composed of two members of the coldwave/synthpop/etc… project Dernier Sex unleashed a dark set of thundering bass and subtle yet highly evocative guitar lines. The guitarist, Anna, did some ethereal vocals as well but they were sparse, tastefully buried and not the focus of their music. The drum machine was used in an enjoyable and repetitive way adding a drone/industrial feel to their already busy mix of elements. A really good band and I’m looking forward to their studio material.

8/10

Grosser, a quintet from Calgary (or Montréal now apparently? Who cares?!) were next with their take on early punk rock/hardcore. The ubiquitous keyboard presence reminded me of Wolf Parade and it was the most interesting aspect of the band for me. The guitarist and the bassist looked like they had no fun at all compared to the dynamic and charismatic singer who was pretty damn good. The keyboardist was also adding an admirable queer presence to the band’s identity and it was a nice touch. This band felt more inclusive that what I usually see from the metal scene! Somewhat derivative except for the keys, the band’s short set was pretty cool and the weird projections were clearly a great bonus to their performance. They were composed of old (late 80s/early 90s) television samples of random and sometimes, gross stuff.

7/10

Rakta, the all girl Brazilian trio played a fantastic gig of their kraut rock infused psychedelic post punk with a lot of tribal inspirations. I was familiar with their debut album for a while now but this was pretty damn different as they played stuff from their newly released opus and it’s slower and more introspective music. With no electric guitars this time around (people told me that they had one when they toured here last year), the band relies on a hard bass presence, groovy and energetic drumming and a wide array of keyboard and electronic effects (they even had a The Doors-like organ moment!) to create their rich atmosphere. They reminded me of fellow South Americans Föllakzoid (that I’ve seen live some years ago) with the way they mixed repetitiveness and intricacy. The three ladies were very fun to watch, their tour is only starting and it’s really obvious that they really love what they do.

The part where they all gathered to play percussion for a good 3 to 5 minutes was mesmerizing and captivating. An interesting and dedicated band and they were tremendous on stage. They have my total support.

9/10

Local Sounds: Volume 2.0

Here's the second volume of this series with five projects from the great city of Montréal. They're all widely different and that's a living proof of the quality of our music scene. I will not waste any time by talking about the weather or whatever, let's start with the first band!

Eliza - A Quit Smoking Soundtrack (2014)

This young Montreal band call their music « prog de casquette » or “hat prog” and while this is a weird description, it's oddly fitting. Their blend of super atmospheric and sad alternative rock certainly has progressive rock influences but the more ethereal ones. I was reminded of the Norwegian band Gaspacho a little since they both play this sort of adventurous but still accessible rock with superb, soaring clean vocals. It's romantic and the guitars are able to create these original yet familar melodies effortlessly. These Quebecois are one of the most promising bands in Montreal and hopefully their debut full length will live up to my expectations and by singing in English, Eliza can open the doors of interntational recognition a bit more easily, they're certainly quite talented and they deserve more admiration. I've missed one of their recent gigs with She Serpent (featured on Volume 1.0) and I feel bad about it.

Free download on Bandcamp

Carnior – Post-Sauce (2014)

Carnior are about to release their third extended play (and final one since they're breaking up) but this is one of their albums released last year. The instrumental quartet is quite interesting, they play an intriguing mix of neo progressive (think of The Flower Kings' love for Yes and Peter Gabriel era Genesis) with some post rock, some electro, some psychedelic, some experimental noise and a love of jazz technics. The bass is thick and heavy in the mix and the keyboard and pianos are really cool and in your face. The guitars are obviously influenced by Steve Hackett (one of the most underrated guitarists of his time) and are particularly juicy, check out the soloing midway through “Dark foncé (sul' sofa)”, it's super good. They'll play their last gig next week (September 23rd) and I'll try to attend!

Free download of Post-Sauce on Bandcamp

Basil Oussaint – Agile (2015)
This dude really managed to get me out of my comfort zone (outside of showcasing the best local music, this is certainly one of the purposes of this series) with this album. Agile, his sixth release overall, is a joyful and eccletic blend of pop, world music, electronic, house and synthpop and it's extraordinarly catchy. It's super sexy, the beats are awesome and his vocals and lyrics (all in French) are super attractive and corny in the best way possible. Basil has basically no internet presence outside of this Bandcamp page but fans of the great Philippe Katerine's most out there material will dig this record. Bonus point for having a cat on the cover art!

Free download on Bandcamp

Golden Python – Matt Damon vs. The World (2014)
Since I saw Team America in the theaters (damn, this was more than 10 years ago), the “MATT DAMON” joke has always been one of my favorite running gags so the title of this album by Golden Python got my attention. Their first EP is a fantastic experimental indie rock record with some math rock and screamo influences with fucked up lyrics. I was reminded of Modest Mouse a little mostly because of their unorthodox musicality and weird poetry. There's almost a video game music influence here but it's all played with the traditional rock instruments, the guitars are really playing these complex and strange melodies (check out “Flat Tree / Fat Tone”). Highly recommended for those who think indie rock is boring, this is far from being mundane.

Buy the EP on their Bandcamp

Growing Pains – Mood (2015)

Released back in June, this EP is simply a stunning piece of grungy power pop/punk/alternative rock and I can't get enough of it. It's very 90s and has the same mournful but uplifiting feel early Weezer had. It's all about being concise and punchy unlike some of the more intellectual and atmospheric picks of this Volume. I really like the four short pieces on “Mood”, especially the softer one “Paradox”. I want more of this! It's sweet nostalgic music, it's accesible, melodic but has enough power in the riffs to not be a sacharrine affair devoid of intellectual integrity like most of the mainstream pop punk projects.

Live with Pluum (featured on Volume 1.0), Golden Python and 2 other bands soon @Turbo Haus


Free download on Bandcamp

Local Sounds: Volume 1.0

Here's the first volume of a series highlighting the best non metal music of Montréal, Ottawa, the province of Québec, the province of Ontario and their surroundings has to offer (hardcore, rock, punk, post rock and more). All of today's picks are free downloads (or pay what you can) on Bandcamp so there's no reasons not to support and listen to these great bands.

She Serpent – She Serpent (2015)

This Montreal quartet formed in 2014 and released their first extended play in February of this year and it's superb. The four songs release is full of heavy bass licks and thunderous guitar riffs evocating the coldness of 80s post punk, the psychedelic/kraut repetiveness of Loop and the modern contributions of Interpol, Savages or even Bosnian Rainbows. The vocals of Melanie Brenda are the highlight here, they're powerful, entrancing and possess this sort of androgynous quality befitting of the post punk style. A super great discovery, I must see this band live!

She Serpent on Bandcamp

Pluum – Pluum (2015)

Pluum (based on the word "plum", a tasty fruit) released their first EP in July and it's a pretty damn cool piece of music. Influenced by the likes of At the Drive-In, it's emotional post hardcore with some clear atmospheric and shoegaze moments. The vocals of Xavier are purely in the harsh screamo territories and it creates a sort of dichotomy when confronted with the clean guitars.The three songs are short, packed with a lot of energy and diversity and never boring. It's heavy (listen to “Monday”) but it's always quite beautiful and has these pleasing lush melodies. A very mature first effort from these guys.

Pluum on Bandcamp
Next gig @Turbo Haus

Durs Coeurs – Durs Coeurs (2015)

From Ottawa, this punk rock band formed by Patrick Pageau (the ex drummer of doomsters Cauchemar and the guitarist of the now defunct trashers of Bastardator), Durs Coeurs is frankly awesome. Even though they're the only band not from Quebec featured here, they're the sole one with French lyrics and that's pretty cool.I'm not a big conoisseur of punk but I dig their old school approach, there's also plenty of rock & roll in Durs Coeurs (hard hearts) and I freaking love the guitar tone of Pat. The vocals are manly and the lyrics are simple, well written and downright fun to sing. If you like the poppy, super fast and melodic punk of Ramones, you'll like this demo a lot. Dan Lee, the drummer of the black/thrash band Occult Burial and heavy metallers Iron Dogs drums on this and the speed he brings certainly fits their sound. Highly recommended, I just can't stop listening to this.

Durs Coeurs on Bandcamp

Angles - Lysergic Eucharist (2015)
Formed by Sean Arsenian of The Great Sabbathini (sludge), the leader of Animal Ethics (punk/hardcore/noise) and the drummer of IRN (sludge/doom), Angles is somewhat of a Montreal super band and their first release certainly proves that their collaboration is one of quality. The six minutes release is a mix of powerviolence, non metallic grindcore, some doom (the closer "Brautigan's Gun") with some sort of psychedelic/spacey vibe that's covering the whole thing (just look at the three eyed undead Jesus on the cover to have a visual summary of that). It's nasty, fast as fuck but it's not savage, it's intelligent and nowhere near sloppy. It reminds me of Kylesa but mixed with the impressive power of Nails. Bonus points for their great song titles like “Tampons In September” or “Alcoholic Cousins”. I feel bad for missing their first gigs, I'm sure it's something special!

Angles on Bandcamp

Age of Lust / Oppression / Verglas Split (2015) / 86%

Punky black metal North American triptych 

This three way split is showcasing three different sides of black metal but still in possession of a similar identity feature in a compact nineteen minutes tape and it's quite lovely. I'm starting to like the split format way more than before, I think it's a fun way to mix the different approaches of like-minded bands together.

Age of Lust is the new project of Sam Morgan who's a profilic Floridian musician known for Floridian Winter (haha? As a Quebecois, this is like saying “hot ice”) among other thing. I'm only familiar with Floridian Winter's full length as far as this is concerned (that I checked because of this split, really) but it was quite good. It's a bit hard to judge this side of the split since it's like three minutes long and this include a ninety seconds introduction but eh, I'll do my best. The intro is some melodic clean guitars and the other track is raw but pretty damn fast black, the punk element isn't as present as in the other project I mentioned. “A Breath of Lunacy” features some great lead guitar work underneath the gloomy and totally adequate screams and I wish it was longer, it's a strong song. This falls in the raw but melodic territory of black metal, a genre I always dig and crave.

These two songs served as a sort of introduction to two Quebecois bands who are feeding us three new tracks each, I thought it was odd at first to see a Floridian band alongside them but with today's means of communication and with the help of the internet, everything is possible.

Oppression, formed by members of Putamen Insula (sadly, they recently broke up) and Blackscorn is a Montréal band that I've been following since their inception. I reviewed their first demo and enjoyed their first full length released last year so it was cool to get some brand new tracks from them. They evolve in a sort of martial, misanthropic black metal/punk hybrid with French lyrics and they're groovy as hell. Their sound explores both the old schools of punk (think of French cult legends Bérurier Noir) and black metal. It has this sort of tongue in cheek violent dark humour. It's irrreverent and full of disdain for the (sometimes) disgusting societal conventions, Oppression is a necessary force against crooked cops and political abuses. 
Sovannak intertwines between clean vocals with a militaristic vibe (this includes chanting) and screams full of hate. The bass is thick, the drums beats perfect for a rebel militia parade and the guitar plays these incisive yet super catchy riffs without any frills. The angry vocals of "Esprit bestial" were a clear highlight for me, the loud bass of "Sans retour possible" were also pretty damn cool. Definitely one of Montréal's most interesting bands, they're a great example of the crossover between punk and metal and shows how well the two genres can be mixed together.

Verglas has been releasing a bunch of stuff since 2009, mostly demos but this is their first split release. J. (or Jonathan in non-black metal speech) played with Sovannak in Putamen Insula and currently plays with him in the coldwave/post-punk band Noyade so there so there's a real connection between the two Montréal based projects found on this split. Verglas (icestorm) plays a primitive, lo-fi sort of black metal with a lot of punk elements, their genre can be compared to Bone Awl (they played gigs with them back in 2012) and Raspberry Bulbs. They often use samples (see the demented French samples of their “Satanisme Juvénile” demo) but not this time, their three short songs are jam-packed with fast riffs and cold as fuck drumming. I like their rehearsal room feel, it's raw but the fast riffs are well-recorded. Their vocals are screechy and can be linked to the depressive black metal scene, they're buried underneath the guitars and this gives us a damp and dangerous atmosphere that makes me feel uneasy but happy.

I must note that their last track is called “rouge-gorge” or “robin” in English and I'm pretty sure that's the first black metal song dedicated to this particular bird. To be fair, it's a pretty lovely creature. Now, if only these guys could offer us something more substantial like a full length... No need to clean the sound, it's already super adequate for their genre, I don't like my steak burned to a crisp and likewise, I think the lo-fi approach is the best for them. Well done, fellows, it's perhaps the strongest material they ever wrote.

The tape was released by Primal Vomit based in Florida which I believe is Sam Morgan's label and I'm happy that Québec is exporting two of its best black metal bands. Age of Lust is a promising project and I look forward to more compositions by them. Pretty damn good split.

Hay Perro - Eastern Ideas of Death (2011) / 82%

Woof Woof!

Slough Feg has been one of the most interesting American bands of the last two decades and it's always a pleasure to hear some of their compatriots evolving in the same sound pool. I reviewed the mysterious Texans Blackholicus some years ago, a female fronted Feg attack and now it's the turn of Hay Perro (“there is a dog” in Spanish) to get some appraisal. From Chicago, home of the Blackhawks, this quartet's debut album is an amusing slab of Thin Lizzyesque heavy metal with a big dose of punk rock. 

Vocally wise, it's often using the hardcore punk/punk rock tropes of old with these fast paced shouted but clean vocals that are both very catchy and aggressive, think of Black Flag or Minor Threat with an added metal charm and a certain modern component. While there's a certain punk ingredient in Hay Perro's music, it's combined to the heavy metal/hard rock identity of the band and this is still their prevalent one. The vocals on the other hand are almost entirely falling into punk territories. It's still a very cohesive experience and the combination of the twin guitar attacks inspired by the likes of Priest, Maiden and the aforementioned Lizzy with the vocals works well.

The band stays on the fast lane for the whole album but there's some speed variations and there's two tracks where they give themselves the opportunity to branch out a little such as the title track, the last song of the album and its epic feel. It's a groovy record with a bunch of interesting riffs but it would had been fun to hear some longer blistering guitar solos like we can hear in their patrons' music, sure there's some like on “Vicious Beast” but they're fairly short and a bit too restrained most of the time. Anyway, it's always better to attack full on with a barrage of riffs than to add numerous leads to the deal but some more twin guitars soloing interactions would had been appreciated!

So, if a mix of heavy metal à la NWOBHM, old school punk rock and groovy hard rock doesn't interest you, you're probably reading the wrong review or you've been lost for a while. While not groundbreaking and masters of their craft, these boys (and girl) are cool enough and you'll  have a good time listening to this album if you dig the mix of styles they play.

The production job is thorough and just old school enough to give a sort of timeless sound to the album while avoiding to fall into saccharine modern territories or into the weak DIY production often plaguing young bands. Unfortunately, their second and final album Desert of Nowhere (2014) has a weaker production for some reason but the songwriting is still interesting and worth checking out. Hay Perro broke up too soon and I hope its members will reappear in new projects soon as they're obviously talented.

Hay Perro on Facebook
The album on Bandcamp

LIVE REVIEW: Dopethrone, Zaum, Greys & Mountain Dust @Turbo Haus, March 22nd 2014

Spring supposedly arrived one day prior to this gig but the weather in Montréal didn't seemed to notice as it was snowing and it was still pretty cold. It was my first time at this Turbo Haus venue and it was quite enjoyable even if I was on my own for the evening. This nice place is located near the Bell Centre, home of the Montréal Canadiens, the best hockey team ever. The location is kind of secretive, I knew the address but turns out the building is huge and has many rooms, mostly rehearsal spaces. I've encountered a dude who told me the door number for this haus. The gig was supposed to start at 20:00 but the promoters were waiting for the second band to show up so it started a bit late.

The venue was very nice, the white walls are all richly decorated with esoterical and weird black drawings and it has a small bar with cheap beer. The crowd was good, maybe 80/100 people .
Turbo Haus on Facebook

At around 21:00, Mountain Dust started their set, all dressed in checkered shirts, these English dudes from Montréal are playing a pleasing sort of stoner rock with vintage and blues influences. Heavy on the organ and lap slide guitar, their bass was also quite loud. The guitar wasn't as present as much hence their affiliation to rock instead of metal even though it's still heavier live than on their sole studio recording I've found. They had some vocals isues but the venue is to blame for that, the singer had a nice southern, garage approach fitting their sound. Pretty cool band, I'll be waiting for their debut full length. I think the slide guitar and keyboard approach of the band is refreshing, I rarely think it's a good thing for the keys to be the focus of the music but for Mountain Dust, it works.

Mountain Dust on Facebook
7,5 on 10

The second band were Greys from Toronto, never heard of them before and I didn't do any research before the gig since it's fun to have surprises sometimes. After a trek in the US including some gigs at the popular South by Southwest festival in Texas, they were back in their own country. The four guys all look like clean cut kids straight from a nice suburbia but their music isn't bad, it's simply not a band that fits on this bill. They play some sort of fast, heavy, noisy post hardcore with good hooks. Their vocals were underwhelming though, a mix of classic emo screams and punk rock, they were a bit weak. They were ok, I guess, it's not a genre I'm interested in besides At the Drive-In. They'll release their debut album this summer if you're interested in that kind of music. I think gigs with three bands are the best ones, they were the one that wasn't needed for this evening.

Greys on Facebook
6/10

I know someone linked to the Swedish label I Hate records and he really wanted me to see Zaum, a band from Moncton, New Brunswick that the label recently signed and report how good was their show before the band trek the European continent with Ocean Chief. Simply by looking at the two dudes, you know it's gonna be heavy as fuck. The bassist/singer Kyle McDonald would automatically be a dwarf if we were doing some LARPing, he has a thick body and the enormous beard to go with it. The drummer, Chris Lewis looks like a bald viking ready to destroy two or three Christian abbeys.

Their stage setup was quite extraordinary and considering it was only their third gig ever, they already know how to truly move the crowd. They had a smoke machine, some lights (mostly red) and at least ten candles with their nice logo printed on them placed everywhere on the stage. They played three songs (their upcoming album has 4) and their set was around forty minutes. It was very atmospheric with a dreamy ambiance. I liked how the drummer was facing the bassist/vocalist, there's no need for guitars, suckers! Their sound is some sort of doom/stoner deeply inspired by Om, that's cool since it's a band whose music is rarely influencing newcomers. Zaum is heavier than Al Cisneros' band though, their bass licks are dirtier and there's a mix of harsh and clean vocals. Very good band and the crowd liked the performance.

8,5 on 10
Zaum on Facebook

Dopethrone closed the evening with their nasty sort of doom/stoner metal. They played many songs from this album like "Devil's Dandruff". Their mix of sludgey Eyehategod influences plus Electric Wizard heavy doom riffs is enjoyable albeit a bit samey after around forty minutes. Vincent Houde is a cool frontman with dreads flowing around and a mighty talent for riffing and soloing. The chemistry with his two friends is also apparent, they deliver intense material and they're used to do it. Their songs about drugs (from weed to heroin) and guns are pretty dope! I missed the last few songs, maybe 1 or 2, no idea as I was  pretty sick and my cold mixed with beer made me a bit dizzy. I know I'm not a metal warrior, tell your moms. I got their last album "III" for five bucks before their set, good price for sure, I was able to spend the rest of my 20 bucks bill on beer

8 on 10
Dopethrone on Facebook

A great evening with cool bands for dirt cheap is what we got here, that's what metal and rock is all about. Finding cool, unknown places to see bands while people are too busy talking how bad the weather is.