variations on a theme

after almost two decades of listening to extreme music (mostly various forms of metal and hardcore/punk) i came to appreciate the art of black metal.

i was always intrigued by the generel aura of evil and the anti-everything stance of this genre, but was deterred by the right wing leanings (especially in my pseudo-rebellious youth phase) and the bad recording quality. then i never really came around listening to it. when i discovered celeste, hexis and other hardcore bands playing with black metal aesthetics my interest was again sparked. long story short: i now really like black metal.

below you' ll find my recommendations (though not strictly limited to black metal:

Tod Huetet Uebel

(Supposedly) named after an Anaal Nathrakh song, this Portuguese/British two man band play an interesting brand of black metal with influences from Deathspell Omega, Abigor and the likes. Highly recommended. 

Leviathan

Anyone interested in this genre or extreme metal will know about Wrest/Jef Whitehead and the controversies around his person. So, leaving that aside, i thoroughly enjoy the last few albums and the new one is due in march.

Necrosadist

From their bandcamp:

The debut full-length album, the first major step towards embodying the ideal that is Necrosadist. No restrictions, all ideas condensed into concise yet multifaceted and dynamic songwriting, making it our most complete release to date. "Abstract Satan" is a proper head-first initiation into the abyss of Necrosadist, a deluge of intense blasting violence, hints of occult psychedelia, chaotic wailing guitar solos and sombre atmospheres all pointing in the only direction possible - downwards towards Hell. 

Wreck and Reference

Quote from a bandcamp user.

This is what darkness sounds like. Dystopian, bleak darkness without a shred of hope. Wreck and Reference are one of my favourite discoveries of the last years.

 Created using only samples (also avaible on their bandcamp)

Flourishing

Death metal with a distinctive punk edge. Really a standout release imo.

Castevet

Math black metal? Obviously.

thaw

Amazing polish experimental black metal that incorporates a lot of post-metal and drone.

Chaos Echœs

Highly experimental as well, this time from France.

nostalgia

i cannot really tell you why, but today i again fell in love with music and bands i thought i had left behind in the process of growing up ;)

nevermind, it's not jazz, not in the least, but music that in my eyes defies any specific description. i would call it metallic hardcore. call it what you will, it is simply good music.

CORTEZ

a guitar, drums and vocal trio. i came across them way back when checking out bands from france and switzerland. their first record was called "initial". when this came out i really was into this kind of music and even tried to emulate this style with my mates in our band. i think comparisons to the mighty knut or tantrum are not so far off. really aggressive, a good deal of black metallish harmonies and also a good deal of crust. seems to be the way the swiss do their chaotic hardcore. they might not be so boring after all.

bandcamp

BONE DANCE

i have to admit that i am quite amazed that this type of music has survived at all, but then again that might have been my own egocentric view of the world. i am no longer into it, so it must die out since no one else has good taste in music.

this band is also quite nice in a brutal kind of way. productionwise nowhere near to the over-produced deathcore stuff. kinda reminds me of the first gaza. i really have to admit that this stuff perfectly fits my current mood.

bandcamp

KADAVAR

since nowadays i spent most of my time in the office and have no desire to connect with any people related to any music scene whatsoever, i am also kind of out of the loop when it comes to which style of music is "en vogue". fell in love with Graveyard years ago when the released their first records, always liked Witchcraft and similar bands. now i am amazed that exactly this type of music is "en vogue". found out about this band while browsing through the vinyl section of some shop. the cover imidiately what to expect and this does not dissapoint. really a good listen, but i cannot get myself to believe that i need this record on my shelf at home.

bandcamp

polish jazz | vol.1

through my polish girlfriend i got hooked on the polish music scene and only now came to acknowledge the wealth of musical talent in this country. the subjective best-of will be featured regularly on this blog.

the first band has most probably the best combination of album title and album cover ever.

NIECHĘĆ

my journey into jazz came along way from listening to hardcore and metal via discovering the so-called jazzcore scene. it's been a long way but nonetheless i still appreciate stuff that does not walk along known territory. this is one good example. thoroughly enjoyed until now. this seems to be only available on bandcamp without any cd or vinyl release.

bandcamp

LEVITY

another quite amazing band is this trio. starting off as quite unspectactular acoustic jazz trio, they have gone on to release a double-cd of chopin interpration to their most recent record to date. highly recommended. their cds are available for an almost laughable 30zl from ladoabc.com.

bandcamp

ZIEMIA PLANETA LUDZI

a bassless trio of guitar, saxophone and drums. amazing stuff.

can be bought from http://opt-art.net/de/shop/

day #1

this blog is going to be dedicated to the music i find along the endless journeys through the internet (though mostly bandcamp)