The question “what is metal?” is one often posed on these pages, because it’s not a cut-and-dried issue. I have seen people wonder why others divide the genre into sub-genres and nitpick sounds, but you kind of have to do that, especially when writing about it for a living. At the same time, there certainly is a lot of conjecture on the matter, sometimes so much that it gets irritating.

I tend to like pulling things apart and overanalyzing metal because I love the music and want to think about it as much as I can. Over the years there have been bands that have made me think and question what is metal and what types of styles constitute it. And does a band have to be heavy, ear-piercing, and speedy in order to be deemed heavy metal? One of the bands along the way that have helped with my journey is Grayceon, a three-piece progressive band out of San Francisco led by the great Jackie Perez Gratz. She’s been a sort of cellist to the stars, having played on record for bands such as Agalloch and Cattle Decapitation, and she’s also a former member of Amber Asylum and a part of criminally underappreciated Giant Squid.

What she does with Grayceon, however, is something altogether different. Yes, it has its heavy moments, and Gratz brings her incredible cello skills to the table, but this group has its own unique approach and identity, and their dramatic brand is unmistakably them. They might not scream “heavy metal” on first blush, but the more you hear them, the more it’s obvious the Grayceon belongs in the genre. Not that they need my stamp of approval. But their music is one that helped shape and stretch my understanding of extreme music and one I’ve always been grateful to have in my life.

Grayceon, of course, is not just Gratz. She’s joined by guitarist Max Doyle (who also kicks in on vocals) and drummer Zack Farwell. Their impressive run together opened on the band’s 2007 self-titled debut, went through to “This Grand Show” the following year, and then peaked with 2011’s “All We Destroy,” their debut for Profound Lore. Since then, Gratz became a mother for the first time, and the band went into a state of hibernation. They eventually reassembled, started writing again, and the result is their new two-track, 30-minute “Pearl and The End of Days,” strategically named for each cut on the record.

“Pearl” is your opener, naturally, and it’s pretty classic Grayceon in style and delivery. It runs a few ticks past 10 minutes and is dramatic and sweeping. It sounds wrapped in folklore, though that’s just because of its expansive, unfurling nature, and after some quivering strings and sweeping dynamics, it rips into a growl and violent pummeling. Gratz lets her voice get punishing and violent, the band allows sludginess to bleed into the picture, and the cinematic qualities the band has in spades really come out for a show here. It’s a killer song, one that is one of the better songs in the group’s time together.

“The End of Days” is more than 17 minutes long, and it’s a gigantic curveball for the band. They let loose and have a lot of fun here, and the lyrics, while awash in Armageddon, are caught up in the spirit of rock and roll and heavy metal, and about how if we have a chance to pick how we spend our final moments, we might pick rocking out over everything. “We rock your rolling stone,” Gratz howls at the top of her lungs, practically joyfully. The band even lets each member have a section to themselves to solo and show off and be fucking rock stars, like they’re playing on a gigantic stage, with well-wishers and disciples following along with their every move for one last night on Earth. It sounds like such a huge release for them, and while it’s a little strange to get used to at first, the song just captures you and spirits you away.

These two songs are examples of why I always have loved Grayceon so much. Their music is inventive and dramatic, they don’t sound like a purely heavy metal band, and Gratz is such a great musician, one of the most creative in extreme music. This is a fantastic bridge to (I hope!) a new full-length record and gives Grayceon a door back into the conversation. This band never disappoints, and these 30 minutes are a total treasure to witness.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.grayceon.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://store.theflenser.com/product/grayceon-pearl-and-the-end-of-days-lp-pre-sale

For more on the label, go here: http://theflenser.com/

Lycosa

Pittsburgh may not roll off people’s tongues when it comes to great metal towns in America, and that’s understandable. It really doesn’t come up in conversation amongst many people who live here either, because too many people seem preoccupied with barroom blues rock, shitty alt rock, and whatever NYC was doing three years ago. It’s a hilarious place to live.

But if you happen to attend a national metal show here, you’ll notice the crowds are healthy. People are enthusiastic for it and want to see it. Just a couple years ago, black metal legends Immortal graced our city with one of only four U.S. shows set for their tour, and despite there being about 7 inches of snow and counting on the ground, people packed Mr. Smalls and were bursting with joy for that show. And that’s only one example, of course, and metal and its appeal to our little town probably would be a bigger story if the bulk of the local media would stop kissing the asses of aging rockers and fly-by-night pop stars and pay attention to what’s bustling on the underground. We’re a metal town, and we have a pretty healthy scene that largely goes unnoticed by many of the scribes who inhabit Pittsburgh. It’s become sort of a joke with me.

Luckily that hasn’t deterred bands from taking to local venues, doing their thing, and making as much noise as possible. We’ve long boasted bands such as Hero Destroyed and Complete Failure (who are readying their first record for Season of Mist), as well as groups that pound the pavement locally such as Abysme and long-running Motorpsychos. That’s not the mention some of the hardcore-based bands that have thrived including Heartless (who put out “Hell Is Other People” on Southern Lord), Code Orange Kids (whose debut dropped late last year on Deathwish, Inc.) and Slices. We’re doing fine in the extreme music department, whether people care to acknowledge that or not.

Another important avenue for heavy music in Pittsburgh is Innervenus Music Collective, a local label that releases and champions the metal, hardcore, and punk scene, have put out two “Iron Atrocity” compilations, as well as music from bands such as Fist Fight in the Parking Lot, Invader, Sistered, Storm King and more. Now, they have two more releases that just dropped from newer bands who apparently plan to further scuff up and bloody the scene, and both records and bands will be featured in a CD release show locally tomorrow night. I’ll give you details at the end of this piece in case you’re local or plan to be in the area. It should be a killer time.

The first band we’ll talk up is Lycosa, a grimy, sludgy, dirty quartet that reminds me of bands such as older Kylesa, Black Tusk (minus the Southern rock influences), Melvins, and L7, and whose music may make you want to feel like showering afterward. Their music is heavy and muddy, and their execution is impressive for a band only together since late 2010. The band is comprised of vocalist Leech (who has a knack for inhuman squealing at times), guitarist Tree, bassist Amy (also of Motorpsychos and Molasses Barge), and drummer Chris, and their five-song debut (well, six, as there’s an interesting hidden cut) could be something that piques the interest of a label such as Relapse.

“Barbara” opens the record and, naturally, it’s inspired by “Night of the Living Dead.” There’s a burly bassline, violence, and vicious vocals that sometimes veer a little too close to pig squeal territory. I am anything but a fan of the pig squeal vocals, but they’re only there briefly, and so it’s not that big of a deal. If you like that kind of thing, you’ll be fine. “Double Barrel” is heavy and thrashy, with Leech piling on huge with his deathy vocals, and the band’s blistering treatment bruising you up. “Circles” is muddy, chunky, and there are heavily distorted basslines that feel like steel cords. “Did We Have Sex?” is violent and tongue in cheek, but it’s also kind of eerie sounding, which I didn’t expect. “24 Becomes 0” has one of the best guitar lines of the entire record, and it’s cement truck heavy. Tacked on is a surprise take on Twister Sister’s “Burn in Hell,’’ that is a little messy but a lot of fun. I like the band’s sound, and they certainly come off like they had a blast recording this thing. I’m also interested to see where the band goes from here and if they draw any attention from national labels.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/lycosametal

Grisly Amputation

On the other hand we have Grisly Amputation, a band just as heavy (if not more so) and ugly, but in a totally different way. These guys comprise a go-for-the-gut, eat-said-guts brand of grind-laced death metal that could have you thinking of Exhumed, Autopsy, and Cannibal Corpse (who hand-picked the band to open their recent show in Pittsburgh), and they certainly pull no punches (or stabs) in the gross-out department. Their music is full of slasher film-inspired gore, rotting flesh, and disease, and while it might make bile choke you having to endure this filth, it’s just so much fun for those of us who get it. The band is made up of vocalist Rob Grisly, guitarists Gene Fikhman and Garrett Twardesky, bassist Pat Bucher, and drummer Chriss Dissell, and they formed in early 2010 out of the ashes of the band Scorched, gaining a vicious reputation along the way and leading them to this eight-song debut.

“Woodshed Wetdreams,” the lead-off track, should let you know everything you need about the band from the start, with a gory horror film clip, a grindy thrash attack, and Grisly howling his promise of, “You will die.” “Scraping the Resin From Your Lungs” kicks off with the clip from “The Marijuana Conspiracy” info film before a growling, howling pit of chaos. “Liquefaction Necrosis” has a clip from “Drive Angry” built into it, and it’s a total death storm, while “Implement of Rectitude” has a murderous cut from “Gangs of New York” and an assault as vicious as the film. “Cannibalistic Tendencies” is rightfully gross and mangling; “Birthed From Defecation” is slow driving and ugly; “Hoarding Human Remains” has some painfully raspy growls and an overall feeling of macabre; while closer “A Chainsaw Swimming in Flesh” even has some guttural doom metal blended into the cut, something I’d like to hear them explore a little more, and the rest is chunky, skin-mangling bliss.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/grislyamputation

If you live nearby, the Lycosa/Grisly Amputation CD release show is Saturday night at 8 at The DEAD Horse Cantina and Music Hall in McKees Rocks. Admission is $7. Also on the bill are fellow Pittsburgh bands Storm King, Victims of Contagion, Torrential Bleeding, Lythem, and Meth Quarry. If you’re not local and want to check these bands out, links are below.

To hear Lycosa’s album, go here: http://lycosa.bandcamp.com/album/lycosa

To hear Grisly Amputation’s album, go here: http://grislyamputation.bandcamp.com/album/cannibalistic-tendencies

For more on the label, go here: http://innervenus.org/

For more on the show, go here: http://www.facebook.com/events/485509521491993/

There certainly are enough Norse legends to go around, and there are plenty that make up the annals of heavy metal. You can throw a rock at any metal festival, Wacken especially, and nail a band that builds its sound and philosophy on Viking/Nordic ideals and stories. It’s one of the many cool touchstones about metal, and it might even cause some of its listeners to go for books and actually read these tales.

Understandably, the bulk of the bands paying homage to Nordic tales are of Scandinavian descent. Perhaps the most glaring example of this is death metal warriors Amon Amarth, one of the catchiest bands in the entire subgenre, and one that has incorporated these tales into their music and their very colorful merchandise. The great Bathory is another huge example of a classic, revered metal band paying its respect to these roots, as are Enslaved, Moonsorrow, Kampfar, and the mighty Unleashed. Even some American bands have gotten in on the Nordic thing, with groups such as The Sword and Skeletonwitch getting in on the fun. But they’re not the only ones to do so, and they’re not even the best ones to try their hands at creating Viking-inspired thunder.

Also not claiming Viking territory as home, and hailing from Colorado, are Flight of Sleipnir (named after Odin’s eight-legged steed, known as the greatest of all horses), a two-man operation formed in 2008 with the explicit idea of further exploring Scandinavian legend and creating music that sounds as if it came out of a Nordic forest. Over the course of four full-length efforts together and other smaller releases, David Csicsely and Clayton Cushman, both former members of Archeronian Dirge and Throcult, also decided to play with more progressive sounds, in which they mixed into their tastes for doom and black metal, and from this union came a sound that they executed very successfully. As time has gone on, the band’s only gotten better playing together, and they really accomplished some impressive growth as they’ve gone from album to album. Their latest “Saga,” out on Eyes Like Snow, is even more proof that their machinery is growing even more effective, and it’s their most impressive record to date.

Following a 2008 demo, the band’s debut record “Algiz + Berkanan,” named after Nordic runes, was released in 2008, followed by “Winter Solstice II” EP a year later, and then their second effort “Lore” in 2010. In 2011, the band jumped to Eyes Like Snow for their excellent third album “Essence of Nine,” which showed the path that would lead the band, musically, to “Saga,” and it was sort of a hidden gem in the metal world, a powerful, emotional release that didn’t get the attention it deserved. Maybe that’ll change for the band with “Saga,” an adventure that’s truly fitting for any season or state of mind.

Naturally our “Saga” begins with “Prologue,” a track that simmers slowly and takes its time to build before giving way to a metallic explosion and growly vocals. “Reaffirmation” is full of acoustic washes, softer, folk-like vocals, proggy progressions, and warm beds of guitar work. “Reverence” is very atmospheric, as it feels like the music is moving on a sunbeam, and the rustic-style song eventually dissolves into a crackling fire. “Harrowing Desperation” brings crunch back into things, with heavier guitars, clean vocals paving the way for anguished screams, and cosmic noises that pull the song into the dark. “Heavy Rest the Chains of the Damned” has a lot of acoustic guitar, but it drives, kind of like the stuff on the last Man’s Gin album, and amid the steely, thorny goodness comes a trippy, psychedelic pocket, and a thunderstorming fury that brings the cut to a close.

“Judgment” has a true doom essence, with creaky growls, a dizzying mid-paced tempo, and some blackened edges to the guitars. “Demise Carries” is another heavy one, with some power metal punches and kicks to keep your adrenaline flowing and you merging with “The Mountain,” a cut that brings things back to the woods again, with softer vocals returning, a stirring, forest-ready spirit rising up, and winds whipping across your cheeks. “Hour of Cessation” is the  closest the band gets to its black metal roots, with killer guitar leads and a truly emotional display that lets them put their hearts on the line. “Remission” is a breath-taking instrumental built on soaring slide guitar work, and it feels like a bridge leading to the conclusion. “Beneath Red Skies” delivers that exclamation point with a crushing approach, some guitar passages that feel like old Rush, more monstrous growls, and a thunderous finish carried out by squawking wild birds. The closing “Epilogue” lets you absorb the whole story, lets the sun rise on what you just heard, and allows you to close that hard back cover with a sense of accomplishment.

Flight of Sleipnir obviously deserve more adulation and attention from metal fans, and this is as good an album as any of their on which to start if you’re new to the band. They’re excellent at blending styles and sounding as if it what comes naturally to them and not a gimmick, and their lyrical and musical storytelling is mighty and a force of nature. Luckily for those of us who have been along for their ride with this band, they’re not bound to run out of Nordic influence any time soon, meaning “Saga” is destined to be just one thrilling chapter in a larger overall story.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.flightofsleipnir.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.northern-silence.de/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.northern-silence.de/eye.htm

The dissolution of a great band obviously can be a sad thing. You grow up with a band, get used to a band, or have significant formative experiences while listening to a band, so losing them sometimes can be like parting with a best friend.

And by great band, it doesn’t have to mean Zeppelin. It can mean a band that means something to you and that, without them, part of your artistic world isn’t quite the same. Will you die? Probably not. But you’ll be upset, no doubt. That’s how a lot of people felt when SubArachnoid Space called it quits in 2010, and while they have not have been a huge band even on an underground level, for those who dug and were moved by their expansive, psychedelic works, it was a huge loss. I understand that totally, because their music always stimulated me and expanded my mind, and they always were a band that, despite how I felt about them, never seemed to capture the widespread acclaim they deserved.

No matter. Despite them not becoming a widely known and adored phenomenon like they deserved, there is some hope for some of their members. Sharing the name as the final SAS album, Eight Bells have risen from the ashes and very capably kept things moving further into space and the outer reaches of your mind that demand something more from music. Eight Bells seem more than happy to supply you with what SAS provided in their time together, but with some hugely different elements that separate this band from the group from which they kind of morphed. You’ll like it if you were into SAS, but it is nowhere near the same thing. Have I made that clear enough?

Eight Bells are comprised of former SubArachnoid Space member Melynda Jackson, former SAS drummer Chris Van Huffel, and classically trained six-string bassist Haley Westeiner, who teams with Jackson on vocals, and they provide a mighty, vital backbone to this band that is equally adventurous and riveting, providing not only something fresh to the metal world but also adding something volcanic and emotionally explosive to the rock genre in general. It could kind of use that, don’t you agree? Eight Bells are here to answer the call.

The band’s four-track, self-titled debut is out on Seventh Rule (it’ll follow later in vinyl by way of The Flenser), and I have not been able to stop listening to the album for the past month since I got the digital version of the record. There is something about it that, journey wise, I have not been able to stop taking, as I’ve been claimed by every wave of their nautical tension. As much as I enjoyed SAS and what they did together during their run, Eight Bells already have captivated me as much, if not more, than the band that preceded them. This record’s been an infectious joy to hear, and I can’t get enough of the four songs.

“Tributaries” feels a bit like an introduction to this album, one built on prog rock tendencies, experimental tones, shoegazey fire, and a thought-provoking channel that leads into the record’s highlight “Fate and Technology,” a track that gets off to an atmospheric start and trickles slowly. Then the drums pick up, their thrashier proclivities rise to the surface, only for things settle down again. We hear Westeiner’s voice for the first time, as it comes as a softer, more delicate instrument but that’s only until the song erupts volcanically, and all of the singing on the track turns to anguished wails and guttural growls (with Jackson providing some of the scary growls and shrieks). The band mashes the song unmercifully, and the bashing takes on a smashing start-stop tempo that is the most metallic stuff on this entire album.

The title cut gets off to a bouncy start, sounding a bit like a tasty Sleater Kinney-style riff that also has a little Rush stitched into it, and from there the song progresses, from airy playing to psychedelic boiling, to spirited guitar work, seemingly drawing to a close with four minutes left in its running time. But from there it transforms into something completely different, spiraling into Pink Floyd-like dark rejoicing, haunting choral calls (provided by Kris Force of Amber Asylum), and more blistering guitar work that gives the close a serious dose of oomph. Closer “Yellowed Wallpaper,” based on Charlotte Perkins Gillman, who had a story of the same name and eventually went into madness,  is trickling and exploratory for much of the song, but there also is a good bit of agitated playing, tricky riffs, aggravated drumming, and a great climactic finish that send this record from raging inferno to floating pilot light.

Eight Bells’ adventures are, as noted, mostly instrumental pieces, but they hold within them great drama and passion that cannot be questioned. When they use words, they are employed wisely and to fully enhance the stories playing out. There already was the promise of greatness before a note of music was played just based on who’s assembled here, but they go above and beyond all expectations to create a debut album that should leave a lifetime mark on your soul. That doesn’t happen every day, so make sure you don’t miss out on this explosive voyage.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.eightbellsband.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.seventhrule.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.seventhrule.com/

Let’s start the week off on the right note, with a new album from one of modern death metal’s finest, scariest, most inventive acts, Brisbane, Australia’s Portal.

Over the course of 14 years together and now four full-length albums, the band has become one of the most engaging, talked-about, feared, and wondered-about acts in all of heavy metal. You know how people are now trying to dissect Ghost, what they’re about, who is under the hoods? Portal would consider that territory as been-there, done-that, because they were the shadowy figures years ago before that band even was conceived. No offense to Ghost, but Portal created that kind of mysterious wondering.

Long ago, those who champion and celebrate Portal moved past the idea of the group’s identity and instead praised them for what actually matters: the band’s crushing, charnel, suffocating death metal that is blackened to a crisp, comparable to no other bands, and a product of one of the few truly terrifying bands in all of heavy metal. None of this feels like a cartoon ever and instead seems the product of mad men who may or may not be ready to lock you into a noose and drag you through their psychosis. You get that sense something bad really could happen in the presence of Portal, and their dabbling into Lovecraftian and truly horrific ethos is more like discipleship than retelling tales. Sure, you might laugh at what I just wrote. But if you’re not scared as fuck listening to Portal, then you’re doing it wrong. That’s fact.

This bizarre unit long has been controlled by frontman/bearer of weird costumes The Curator, who has one of the most distinct voices and sickening imaginations in all of metal, and guitarist Horror Illogium, inventor of some of the strangest, yet most mind-blowing guitar work in modern history. You don’t realize how ridiculously good the guy – and the rest of the band — is until you see them recreate their potions live. Yeah, much of their sound is buried, but not because this group isn’t incredibly proficient. They’re scary good. Rounding out the lineup is guitarist Aphotic Mote, bassist Omenous Fugue, and drummer Ignis Fatuus, who always live up to the terror this band has been creating for so long.

The band’s latest transmission is “Vexovoid,” a record that is somewhat easier to listen to and digest than their previous work. Now, don’t be misled. It is in no way going to be a cinch for a newcomer to pick up this thing and get on board. But if you’ve been listening to Portal for the long haul, you’ll notice a little less interference, a thinner blanket of noise over the album, and the whole thing buried in a shallower grave. Or maybe time has just made it easier for a careful listener to dig through the millions of layers of sound. I guess it could be that.

“Kilter” bubbles up like a fog, with mucky riffs slithering over the song, a grinding motion taking over, and The Curator’s trademark hiss leading the rotting storytelling. “The Back Wards,” a song you may have already heard on some web site or another, is dark, sinister, and dizzying, feeling like a monstrous display of mechanical death. “Curtain” opens with some unusually deliberate drumming, grimy hell rising up to the surface, and a tension that feels like a bungee cord being stretched to its limit so it can fire back and lash you across the face. “Plasm” is rubbery and demonic, with some parts that remind me a lot of “Abysmill” from “Outré,” and the noise spreads to its weird finish, where the song dissolves into fear-inducing ambiance. It’s something that returns later in the record, as well.

“Awryeon” kicks off with a tasty drum beat that, of course, gets swallowed up by the band’s paranoid chaos and mechanic bulldozing. Toward the end, a melodic sequence sets into place and repeats itself over and over, driving you to the brink of insanity. It’s not tedious or beaten into the ground in any sense and instead seems to be trying to capture you via force. “Orbmorphia” has a nice bit of progressive drumming, guitars charging and pulling, piercing leads cutting open the surface, and The Curator lurching his final words of trauma and unspeakable terror. The closer “Oblotten” is a tricky, trippy instrumental that feels like it’s trying to ease you into hypnosis but actually has something far more murderous at its heart. It builds and builds and builds until it starts to fade into a collection of slowly plucked notes that seem designed to make you sleepy. Very, very sleepy. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Portal remain one of the most disturbing, mysterious bands in the world, and their unique form of death metal just grows more obtuse, yet fascinating, as time goes on. They are one of the few inventive bands remaining in their genre and all of music, and while there are millions of pretenders clogging and choking out death metal, Portal always will be here to slice of their heads and reclaim a sound they’ve made their very, horrifically, own.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/PORTALDEATH

To buy the album, go here: http://www.profoundlorerecords.com/products-page/plr-items/portal-vexovoid/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.profoundlorerecords.com/

I don’t want to mince words today and try to make some long introduction, as usual, about today’s topic. Let me cut right to the point: If you haven’t already, you need to listen to Cloud Rat. That means right now, not after you backup your hard drive, not after you go make coffee, not after you finish that inane text message. Now.

The Michigan-based grindcore band recently put out their latest release “Moksha,” on the mighty Halo of Flies and IFB Records, and it’s already an album I’m writing down — in ink! — for a contender for album of the year. It’s explosively good and alarmingly vital, and you can’t possibly understand that magic behind this thing until you hear it for yourself. As hard as I’m going to try, I won’t be able to convey the magnitude of this 13-track release with mere words. The fury and punishment contained within these songs is unmistakable, but there also is plenty of melody, thoughtfulness and variety in their compositions, unbridled passion in their playing, and Madison, who also handles lyrics and art, is a pot boiling over vocally. You hang onto her every word, follow every line, and can’t help but get caught up her whirlwind of intensity. Not to discount the rest of the band, because they are tremendous, but Madison’s delivery and very presence is what elevates this band from very good to unstoppable.

Cloud Rat’s self-titled debut album came out in 2010, and since then they have put out a number of split releases, a couple of offerings on Grindcore Karaoke (including “Live at Vaggie Fest”), and now have responded with this volcanic document. The band also is just as weighty lyrically and philosophically as they are musically. Topics range from drugs, neglect, emotional, physical and sexual violence, poverty, racism, and sexism, and the band holds true to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle and hopes to help inspire social change and promote tolerance and respect for others. It would seem that, in 2013, that wouldn’t still have to be a platform that needs to be ingrained in others, but I’m sure anyone who follows the news on a regular basis knows we’re nowhere near fully embracing these ideals.

Along with Madison, the band is rounded out by Rorik, who handles guitars, design and layout, as well as Adrian, who’s on drums and electronic samples. As noted, while this is grounded in grindcore, there are so many other influences at play, from punk to hardcore to shoegaze to dreamy rock, and each song carries with it great weight and builds your expectations for what follows. “Moksha” also is an album that is supremely listenable, meaning it’s easy to put this thing on and get lost in it, finding yourself greatly surprised when the thing is over. It just flies by and flows so seamlessly, you can’t help but restart when it’s done.

The first side of the record begins with some easy, smeary noise on “Inkblot,” but then a riff blows up, Madison goes off, and a total fury sweeps over you, completely capturing you. It’s a go-for-the-guts assault both musically and lyrically, and it’s just the beginning. “Aroma” has a nice sludgy finish, with chugging, churning riffs, and a total impact to your chest, robbing you of breath. “Corner Space” has an airy, atmospheric start before it blows into a death metal/thrash groove. “Olympia” goes back into grind demolition, and “Widowmaker” is mean, and menacing, drowning out in a haze of bizarre noise. “Infinity Chasm” is the first curveball with pulled back, gazey music, clean vocals (Madison’s voice proves quite pretty, and she sounds a bit like Sharon Van Etten), but when you think the calm is here, it’s back to break-neck intensity and killer, metallic insanity as the track finishes.

The second side starts with “Inimitable Sea,” a song that remains heavy and aggressive, but it also adds new textures to the mix, including some guitar work that sounds a little black metal. It’s a really neat piece that shows their musical interests are all over. “Daunting Daughters” peels a bit into pure hardcore territory, with Madison howling passionately, dealing with the tumult facing her, and there’s no denying the pain behind the song. “Casse” is positively crushing and also sort of muddy, and that leads us to the second head-jerker of the record, their cover of Neil Young’s “The Needle and the Damage Done.” Generally I’m disinterested in cover songs because most of them have nothing to add to the original composition, but this one’s different. The band gives the song a different personality, a different perspective, and they take the track from delicately, painfully gorgeous, to self-destructively desperate. It’s a fucked up, incredible version of the song. “Vigil” fires one last thorny salvo, with Madison howling, “We should not exist!” and it’s onto the ambient, dreamy, piano-dripping title track that lets the record fade out on a perfect dark note.

Whatever you need to do to get Cloud Rat in your ears, do it now. The band’s web site address is listed below, and you can hear whatever of their releases interests you, including the one we described above. But also, don’t be a cheap ass. Try to grab “Moksha” while you can, since it’s in limited supply. Cloud Rat play with purpose and panic, and they’re easily one of the most exciting new bands in the world.

For more on the band, go here: http://cloudrat.blogspot.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.halooffliesrecords.com/releases/current-releases/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.halooffliesrecords.com/

I try to take suggestions from friends pretty seriously, if I trust that person’s tastes, and so when I recently was prodded on Facebook by someone to dive head first into a band’s new record, I knew I had to take heed. I won’t name the person (I try not to be a name dropper), but we certainly will get into the band at the heart of the matter, that being Vex.

I knew I had the Vex album in my inbox, so it being a Friday night and there being beer at my disposal, it seemed like as good a time as any to download the promo for “Memorious,” the band’s second album for excellently named Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, and their follow-up to 2010 debut “Thanatopsis.” I listened to the band’s debut when it came out, and I have it on my computer, but what happens often times when you’re a writer and have hundreds of promos at your disposal is things get lost in the mix. It happens all the time. It probably seems like a great luxury to have so much new music at your disposal, and it is, but it also is nearly impossible to keep track of all of it, resulting in a band such as Vex flying under my radar.

But having a chance to revisit the band anew, I approached Vex with great curiosity and a peaked interest after reading through the band’s bio materials. The Texas-based band plays an amalgamation of death metal, prog, and thrash, and while that doesn’t seem like any new stew or anything, I’m not sure many other bands pull off such a grandiose sound as well as these guys do. Basically, the recommendation I was given to seek out Vex I pass onto all of you, especially for fans of bands such as Cormorant, early Iron Maiden, Primordial, early-era Amon Amarth and groups of that ilk. The songwriting is super sharp, the band’s playing is incredibly advanced, and their storytelling should keep you tuned in from beginning to end. Also, if you’re turned off by the prog-death tag, don’t be. It’s not loopy and dorky at all. There simply is a level of playing that delves into that territory, but it never comes off as pretentious and only is sprinkled in here and there when the drama needs an added boost.

The band is comprised of vocalist Joe Jackson (not the guy with the keyboards), guitarists Michael Day and Ciaran McCloskey, bassist William Edgar, and drummer Eoghan McCloskey, and Vex formed way back in 1998, and issued their initial demo “Overview” a year later. They put out an EP in 2002, another demo in 2005, and eventually worked on a split with thrashers Divine Eve in 2010, before Vex’s debut album “Thanatopsis” landed. In a way, they’re just now gaining their stride and coming into their own, despite their years together, and “Memorious” is hands down their best work yet.

“Terra Soar,” the opening track on the record, gives you a pretty good indication as to what’s ahead: growly singing, lots of melodic guitar, a body-mashing combo of death and thrash metal, and a glorious, epic feel all around. I know the term melodic death metal is scary, and I get why, but think of Vex as more of a death metal band that has a knack for melody. “Carve My Eyes” has a watery, trickling open before it launches into classic Maiden-style guitar work and more punishing vocals from Jackson. “Astride a Grave” is the first of three instrumentals on the record, and it’s designed to take you into “No Such Thing,” a shaking, speedy, lurching song that contains some of the ugliest moments on the album. There are prog-fueled lead guitar work, heaviness that’s a little understated but still pretty meaty, and an epic quality due to the nature of the song, not its length. It is incredibly impressive. “Spectral Nature” has some cleaner tones, vocals that have a goth ring to them, and eventually an unexpected explosion where things round back to death metal and carnage.

“Away from the Sun” is a woodsy interlude piece that bleeds into the volcanic “Wasteland (How Long Ago…)”, seemingly inspired by the T.S. Elliot poem, as the track is complete with a sample of lines pulled directly from that piece. It’s a pretty dark section of the album, and it also happens to be one of the heaviest musically. “Solace In Sleep” is another interlude, setting a haunted stage for what follows, namely “Those Days Are Gone,” a vicious number that’s like a best-of containing all that Vex do well. The guitars are majestic when need be, gut-wrenching at other times, and Jackson emits both his furious growl and clean croon, proving how flexible a frontman he is. Closer “A Drinking Song” is a bit of an oddball at the end of this thing, with a tempo that doesn’t really lend itself to wild antics, and a personality that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the album. It’s a good cut; it’s just weird next to the rest of the song.

The Vex recommendation paid off big time as, ever since I downloaded the promo that fateful, brew-filled Friday night, I’ve visited with it regularly. I love how it plays with different styles but never stays with one exclusively, the sense of adventure, and how the music is both well played and emotionally connected. This an impressive records from a band that, from this point forward, is going to remain in my stream of consciousness.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/vexhomepage

To buy the album go here: http://hpgd.comoj.com/store/hpgd057.html

For more on the label, go here: http://hpgd.comoj.com/indexmain.html

http://hpgd.comoj.com/indexmain.html

It’s hard enough to tell a compelling story or convey emotion properly using words. It’s altogether different to try to do the same things without using language and still remain exciting and thoughtful, keeping an audience interested and tuned in until you reach the end of your tale.

That’s one of the reasons instrumental bands fascinate me — though often they frustrate me — because you have a group of musicians trying to put together a package of music to make your heart race simply on how they communicate instrumentally. Yes, I know the classic composers did the same thing, and there are orchestras everywhere that sweep up listeners and take them on massive journeys, so the concept isn’t new or anything. But I always find it a little extra special in the metal medium when a band can do that same thing without horrifying growls, terrifying shrieks, or dramatic bellows and still keep me tuned in and following on the edge of my seat as if I was hearing a great mythological tale.

This leads me to introducing you to Sannhet, the latest product of an ever-bustling and creative Brooklyn metal scene that’s done a hell of a lot to change the face of underground American heavy metal the last few years. It also gives us a chance to talk about the new label Sacrament Music, a venture by the St. Vitus Bar in the same borough that has been one of the premiere places to experience heavy music in all of New York City. Sannhet is one of the locals that have played St. Vitus since their formation a few years ago, and now the new label is throwing their support behind the group in an even more meaningful way, by making sure the group’s incredible music finds its way into more hearts and more ears, and if this first release by Sacrament is any indication of their future, it’s going to be a hell of a place to follow.

Same can be said for Sannhet, as their debut album “Known Flood” is an astonishing piece of work, an almost entirely instrumental record that is volcanic, experimental, stunningly well played, smart, and punishing. The trio of guitarist John Refano, bassist AJ Annunziata, and drummer Christopher Todd worked with Colin Marston on their initial record, and that seems like a really good choice. The band sometimes sounds a lot like Marston’s band Krallice with their cosmic metal and black metal experimentation, but that’s only part of the time. But no matter what they’re doing, they keep you guessing and engaged through nine songs.

“Absecon Isle” opens the album, and it’s one of those that should bring to mind Krallice, as noted, and is a whirlwind of blackness, dizzying guitar work, and surging emotion that starts things on the perfect note. “Safe Passage” is spacey, the drums pound with viciousness, and as it draws to a close it gets chunky and then eerie and chant-filled. “Invisible Wounds” continues the chants and then melts into a sludgy doom riff, picking up momentum and fury as it builds, with forceful blast beats. It then dissolves in a bed of synth drone and ambiance, with noise rising up that blows right into “Endless Walls,” that has weird things going on and people shouting in the background, and its heaviness is obvious but also a little understated.

“Moral” begins with a radio dial shifting around, and then it erupts into gloomy, doomy transmissions and a fully cathartic musical display. “Slow Ruin” has more pulverizing drumming from Todd, the track on which he really gets to stand out and be a star, though piercing guitar lines come in and slice the sucker in half, letting more ambiance float out like a cloud. That paves the way for “Haunches,” which begins in a foggy dream state but then turns into a mind-numbing black metal display very much in the same vein as Ash Borer. It’s also the one song with vocals, albeit buried infernal cries. “Still Breathing” has a clean intro like a classic metal song, then a loops plays of a man speaking about doing time, and when it seems like it’s all going to stay on the level, the drama cascades, and the band responds with one of their punchiest sections on the record. Closer “Flatlines” is full of hums and pulsations, letting you drift into nothingness as the record fades away.

Sannhet’s debut is an exciting one, and they’re one of those special bands that tell great stories without words, with only their instrumental prowess to forge the path. I’m also curious to see if the band changes at all from this point and adds more sounds and drama into what they do. If they don’t, there’s enough in their arsenal already to keep them interesting for a long time. As for Sacrament, if their future projects are as good as this one, that’ll be a label to watch.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/sannhet

To buy the album, go here: http://sacramentmusic.com/products/sannhet-known-flood

For more on the label, go here: http://sacramentmusic.com/

There are people who cannot survive without their smartphones, their tablets, the Internet, cable TV, and a bunch of things that do not exactly guarantee survival and merely help one pass the time. It might help us fight off boredom or do useful research, but we’re not going to die without any of those things. We may want to die without them, but they hardly keep us safe.

But what if you were dropped in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but your human survival skills to keep you safe, and no electronic technology to help you? What would you do? There are people who practice bushcraft, long-term survival skills used in a natural environment that often employ things such as hunting, tracking, fishing, and working with tools to maintain one’s existence. That’s kind of a sloppy explanation, but it’s basically a way for people to survive long-term in the wilderness or in nature or in an environment where all the comforts of home are not available. Not everyone is cut out for it or would be excited to do this, but those who do probably aren’t scared by too many things.

Vancouver hardcore crushers Baptists named their debut album “Bushcraft,” and I’m not sure if there’s a reason why. If they feel they need to have a little something extra, something deadlier to keep them moving through a scene that’s becoming clogged up with a ton of bands, more power to them. Survival of the fucking fittest. It’s also gotten to be quite an effort to stand out on Southern Lord’s label anymore since they’re flushed with so many hardcore, D-beat friendly, crusty bands that I’m wondering if they remember doom metal anymore. Not to be critical. They’re signing who moves them, and to do anything else would not be genuine, so this is what the Lord is right now. Baptists are another band dotting the suddenly flooding roster.

So Baptists must be wily and different in order to make people notice them and to stand out, and they prove to have some neat tricks on “Bushcraft.” Their music is a little messier and mathier than many other hardcore bands, and if they had wound up on, say, Deathwish Inc., they would have been properly placed as well. Kurt Ballou of Converge, produced the record, naturally, and all of his sonic fingerprints are here, and Baptists sound like they really benefitted from having him behind the boards for their debut. If you’re down with bands such as Cursed, Trap Them, and, of course, Converge, you’re bound to find something to like on this record. You know where this is all going.

“Betterment” is the opener and is tied together by steely doom guitar lines, shouty vocals, and strong drumming, and from there you can tell these guys have a different frame of mind than most other hardcore bands. “Think Tank Breed” opens with feedback wail much like Ballou’s noise with his band, and there are chugging riffs and vocals that reek of hardcore punk. “Bullets” is loud and throaty, with menacing growls that bubble up and a slick bluesy guitar riff that pokes a bit at Black Sabbath. “In Droves” is driving and intense, and “Still Melt” is slurry and smeary, with a hint at black metal and vocals that sound inspired by Henry Rollins. “Mortar Head” is speedy, monstrous, and even spacey and weird, which is a nice touch and should be used a little bit more.

“Crutching Trails” blends math into the picture, has some really weird compositions, and the vocals are traditionally hardcore-based. The title track explodes, has tricky guitar, and reveals some of the most spirited vocals on the record. It’s a really awesome song, the best one that’s on this record. “Soiled Roots” is slurry and damaged, with more of the Converge influence sliding back into play, while “Russian Spirits” is fast and explosive, and closer “Abandon” has talky yelling, molten punishment, and a final salvo that ends the record on a pretty good note.

I didn’t mean to insinuate Baptists ape Converge because I mention them so much here. It’s sort of a natural thing working with Ballou and with some of their creative ideas that they would draw those comparisons, but they’re not outright mimicking anyone. As noted, Baptists and many other new bands need to have something different to say and something interesting to add or they’ll just get caught up in a glut of other like-minded bands. Baptists have sounds and sparks that make them exciting and enthralling, and more of the weirdness and cosmic noises would be most welcome. “Bushcraft” is a good record, one of the more curious things Southern Lord have released since beginning their campaign to expose underground hardcore. I’m curious to see how this band shape shifts in the future and what their next record sounds like, and if it doesn’t have new twists and turns not heard here, I’ll be really surprised. I’m guessing it’ll be an even greater exploration into the dark.

For more on the band, go here: http://xdrownyoursorrowsx.blogspot.ca/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.southernlord.com/store.php

For more on the label, go here: http://www.southernlord.com/

A more recent version of Slough Feg

There are plenty of classic heavy metal bands that everyone knows about. Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Morbid Angel, what have you. They’re out there, they shaped the genre and its many offshoots, and they’re often considered some of the most influential and important bands of all time. Just go to a metal show in any sub-genre, and there’s a good chance you’ll see a T-shirt from one of these bands in the crowd.

Then there are those bands that, for some reason, fly under the radar. Their excellency cannot be denied, and though they may not have spawned the same amount of followers and fame as have the big names, they have giant pockets of rabid devotees who swear by them, and for good reason. For instance, why didn’t Manilla Road capture more hearts in their prime? They had amazing chops, wrote great songs, and seemed to land in a timeframe perfectly suited for them. You could say the same for Pentagram, a band many people revere, though perhaps chalking up the personal demons that battled Bobby Liebling for years can be explained for why they aren’t bigger.

Another of those bands is The Lord Weird Slough Feg, who originated in Central Pennsylvania before moving to San Francisco and took their bizarre moniker from a British comic book series “Slaine.” The band is now known simply as Slough Feg, and they released their excellent “The Animal Spirits” in 2010 on Profound Lore, but their history goes back pretty far. And sadly, it seems most modern metal fans aren’t terribly aware of them, at least here in the States, and that is a shame. They combine classic heavy metal, folk tendencies, and exemplary songwriting and playing into their style, and Mike Scalzi’s unique, personality-rich vocals hammer their tales home and make them one of the most interesting, compelling bands of their time and one nobody seemed to know about.

Perhaps the relative anonymity of this band can be taken care of due to a re-release of their earlier work, when they maintained “The Lord Weird” in their moniker and recorded for Dragonheart Records. Starting with their second album “Twilight of the Idols” and stretching to their fourth release “Traveller,” Metal Blade has a box set perfect for those who have tried to get their hands on these records for years (me!) and for those who aren’t terribly familiar with this brilliant group but love classic heavy metal. These make for adventurous listening and a nice reminder for how epic and emotional heavy metal truly can be when it’s done right. If you love Maiden, Judas Priest, Jethro Tull, or bands of that ilk, you need to get your hands on this collection.

“Twilight of the Idols” was released in 1998 at a time when horribly down-tuned, hair-brained nu-metal was dominating the world. These guys were as far away from that as you could be, finding inspiration in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and it’s cool to go back and hear how raw they were at the time. Scalzi’s voice had not quite matured yet, so he’s a little raspy and challenged when the high notes come, but the record showed the promise ahead and was quite glorious musically. From the bagpipes-rich opener “Funeral March,” to the incredible gallop of “Highlander,” to the Pirate folk treatment of “Brave Connor Mac” (also a “Highlander” reference, naturally) to rustic metallic of “The Wickerman” onto the band’s own title track, it’s raucous explosion that’s  a barroom blast to hear and showed furious potential to what was ahead for the band.

That promise would pay off huge two years later with “Down Among the Deadmen,” where the band finally hit on all cylinders and sounded like a total machine. This also was the album that brought the great John Cobbett aboard (you know him as the leader of Hammers of Misfortune, another favorite of this site) and continued to establish the band as one of classic metal’s great revivalists. The 13 songs should cause an adrenaline surge for those who love classic metal sounds and tales, and if opener “Sky Chariots” doesn’t knock you on your ass, then you’re hopeless. Add to that other killer cuts such as “Warriors Dawn,” an amazingly well-sung song that sounds a lot like modern Iron Maiden mixed with Irish folk; the blistering trio of attached songs “Heavy Metal Monk,” “Fergus Mac Roich,” and “Cauldron of Blood,” and the fairytale-on-fire nature of “Traders and Gunboats” that all boast some of the band’s best material of their entire run. It’s such a great record that, had it been released in 1985 when this sound was far more accepted, this would be known as an all-time classic. Eh, it is anyway, even if people don’t realize it yet.

“Traveller” followed in 2003, and it also capitalized on the band’s rousing musicianship as well as their knack for telling great stories. The album is based on the 1977 sci-fi role-playing game of the same name, and those familiar with said game surely will get a huge kick of how this thing progresses. I, for one, am not well-versed in the game, but it didn’t prevent me from enjoying the hell out of this album. They hit so many high notes on this record that it’s impossible to name them all, but some of the ones that come to mind first are the fiery opening, interconnected trio of “The Spinward Marches,” “High Passage/Low Passage,” and “Asteroid Belts”; the NWOBHM-flavored “Professor’s Theme”; the Southern rock + Queen-like harmonies of “Vargr Theme/Confrontation”; all the way to stunning closer “Addendum Galactus.” From this record, the band would move into Cruz del Sur, where they’d stay until 2009’s “Ape Uprising!”

The Lord Weird Slough Feg are one of the greatest hidden treasures in the heavy metal world, and luckily Metal Blade are bringing their brilliant early work into clearer focus. This is one of the truest, most adventurous heavy metal bands of the last 15 years, and no one sounds quite like them. These are must-have albums if you’re walking around calling yourself a heavy metal fan, and these treasures never have been easier to attain.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.sloughfeg.com/

To buy the set, go here: http://www.indiemerchstore.com/item/17803/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.metalblade.com/us/