Leucosis - Leucosis (2013)

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This is a record that's been put up on here before but it's high-time for a re-up since it's been buried by a swath of posts that have come after. Leucosis' self-titled output from 2013 is the bands pivotal release, in my opinion—Its heft hasn't been dulled by the years one fucking bit! It remains a force of brute and murky doom metal flanked by a raw and oppressive black metal, unpolished to the point of practically having a veneer of patina over every track.

Albums are often over-credited with being monolithic without actually having an over-bearing power or stature. Leucosis' self-titled is a towering monolith, with a running time of something like 75 minutes. It's a weighty vestige to second-wave black metal with a backbone of doom, often serpentining throughout itself with pure dirge, crawling and atmospherically devastating.

This whole album is exemplary but its shining achievements are what puts it above its contemporaries. Those being the way is was produced and mastered—raw and gritty. Moreover, the way the drums sound in particular is unlike anything I've heard before. It sounds improvisational and the timbre of the kick sounds burly and under-produced… which results into something completely unconventional. SOUNDS LIKE A HAMMER FROM HELL!

Leucosis - Leucosis (bandcamp)

Crypt Lurker - Baneful Magic, Death Worship & Necromancy Rites Archaic (2013)

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Every now and then, I'll glance backwards towards critically overlooked albums and resuscitate them for a few more gasps of life through this blog—That's more-or-less the function of this blog, pointing a shaky finger to the albums I like and hopefully giving them some more life.

Crypt Lurker were a flash in the pan of filthy and bloated doom metal from the outskirts of Liverpool, England, and their sound was a gargantuan accumulation of perfectly executed doom metal which flitted around the murky waters of sludge to breathe life into a genre that's more often than not way too clean with very little essence and hardly any depth.

Baneful Magic, Death Worship & Necromancy Rites Archaic is without none of those flaws, it's an incredibly heavy plod through serpentining tunnels of slowly churning guitar riffs, that flicker between the reverb drenched riffs of Witchfinder General to something even murkier, giving birth to something that reminds me of New Zealand's Meth Drinker—Caked in grime and molasses paced.

The drums on this album are spot on, the toms sound bulky and the cymbals sound like actual drum cymbals… Bonus points for using the bell on the cymbals appropriately. Listen to the 01:40 mark of 'Bearer of Two Torches' if there is any confusion. It's a kidney shot to the world of doom and sludge that these guys split-up shortly after, but this EP will live on forever!

Crypt Lurker - Baneful Magic, Death Worship & Necromancy Rites Archaic (bandcamp)

Half Goon - TERRORIZER EP (2013)

Listening to TERRORIZER will be your personal reminder that you're fucking 10-ply bud. But don't worry, you can harden that over exfoliated sun sheltered skin just by listening to this album.


Half Goon play an infectious blend of noisy post-punk/hardcore with some other musical shit in there for you to nit-pick at. It's hard not to draw comparisons to acts such as METZ and Pissed Jeans for the almost industrial like noise drone, the gritty and THC soaked biker riffs of The Coltranes and the feral attack of old Ceremony – But Half Goon bring something entirely unique to their sound, a potent energy and a unabashed sense of experimentation.

It's short, spanning only 14 minutes over 7 songs, but it packs enough clenched-fist hate to justify using that repeat button. Stop being soft. I'll tell you what, I wouldn't dare fucking miss these dudes play if they came around to Toronto.

It would be righteous if you picked the EP on the bandcamp for a name your price option, but if you're a truly broke bastard just input an amount of $0.

TERRORIZER EP

Cape of Bats - Olcott Rites (2013)

Black metal and punk at its most raw have always dipped into qualities that are synonymous with one another; filthy productions, ramen noodle like budget recordings and a certain predilection for hating shit fiercely.

Cape of Bats have been busy these passed few years popping out short releases of relentlessly ugly black metal and punk, which they kindly give us for free or a "name your price" option. Power to them. Some of the riffs on these albums are too good, take the first song 'Stygian Depths" for example, 0:27 in is like a punkier Morbid Insulter (If you haven't yet picked up "Anti-Christ Blasphemies click the goddamn link) riff played a little slower, it's kind of charming in a B-horror movie kinda way.

Cape of Bats

Youth Avoiders - Self Titled (2013)

Parisian punk fucks Youth Avoiders have been rad since their demo tape released in 2010, and remain rad with their debut self-titled LP! Fast and frantic punk that is so fucking twangy and trebly you'll think you've got Parkinson's disease. Filled with righteous hooks and melodies despite the raucous song structure, though some of the wicked over-the-top vocal melodies I loved on the demo are gone but I don't give a shit as long as that guitar tone sounds as groovy as it does.

I don't post a whole lot of punk around here, but I am going to start posting more. I like punk, get over it.

I  gave a buck towards the "name your price" option on the bands bandcamp page, feel free to do whatever you feel is right or feel free to do nothing until I post a brutal space slam death metal album.

Youth Avoiders bandcamp

Seven Sisters of Sleep - Opium Morals (2013)

The only reason this wasn't posted on SHOM before now was only due to an uncharacteristic lack of personal time and slightly less motivation to do so, because Opium Morals is the tits, the cats meow, the beggars hand, the all seeing eye, and so on and so on…

Simply put, if you do not own this record digitally/physically/spiritually you are fucking the dog, as you are without some of the best sludge metal released in 2013. I would be naive to pigeonhole Opium Morals as sludge metal and sludge only, because clearly demonstrated are influences of doom, crust, and I'll go as far as saying some D-beat as well. Heavier than a fuel tanker truck filled with bison sperm, more immense than a mountain top housing blue whales, more garage rock fuzz and bile than Keith Richards' bong and at least 1000x better than listening to new Ensiferum (Unsung Heroes of epic generic suckiness).

• I'm going to continue posting albums from 2013 you may have missed if you were too busy watching Breaking Bad and or being useless in other shitty ways you know how to be •

I'm pretty into whatever A389 Recordings does, speaking of which, where do I get my grubby mits on the Like Rats self-titled?

Seven Sisters of Sleep Bandcamp (buy)

Seven Sisters of Sleep - Opium Morals (try)

Lluvia - Premonicion De Guerra (2013)

Fallen Empire is a label that has both my attention and my respect as it is a DIY distro that focuses on unearthing black metal in all it's uncharted territory, keep your ear to the ground, I'm expecting/hoping that the label's catalogue increases with truly bleak black metal.

Lluvia released Premonicion De Guerra in late 2013, and it's likely that it has been flying under the goddamn radars ever since, why? Well it's definitely not because it doesn't hold true to black metal and all it's traditional idiosyncrasies…  Nay, this album will turn your veins black with its blistering nod to black metal, mega cold riffs, galloping drums, piercing anguished howls all swallowed up in a aphotic atmosphere. If you ever have valued my opinion, heed my advice and grab this album, whether you decide to buy the vinyl OR throw in a couple dollars at the bandcamp page under the 'name your price' option. Though if money is super tight, input $0 and download it for free and be sure to give a thank you to the dudes at Fallen Empire, don't be a thankless neanderthal, bad karma.

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I have no doubts this shit sounds so cold and foggy on vinyl (Thumbs up for how Fallen Empire set's up their vinyl displays, it's the little things man…)

Go here to buy it on vinyl
Download on Bandcamp

Ramlord - Crippled Minds, Sundered Wisdom (2013)

Crippled Minds, Sundered Wisdom is an album I have been reveling in quietly for a while now, and it's high fucking time I spread the good word about Ramlord. Blackened crust is something that has reared its ugly head like a goddamn contagion, and I'm not complaining, but in a sea of "heard this before" you should probably stand out. Ramlord DO standout. Fusing elements of blackened crust, powerviolence, grimy punk, doom and D-beat into a cohesive and formidable beast. The production is tight and gritty, retaining the raw and dissonant nature while omitting that plasticky bullshit.

This release really should reap a little more credit. It's released on a small, forward thinking, DIY type label and offered up for pay what you want. These are the types of things SHOM is (mostly) about. I know some of you reading this have your own music blogs (some far better than my own), if you like this please do throw it up on your own blog as well. If not, well… It at least feels good to try man.

(Released by Hypaethral Records, which is an upcoming label just down the street from me in Toronto)

Crippled Minds, Sundered Wisdom

Lycus - Tempest (2013)

Immensely crawling funeral doom with tempos slower than the short bus. I would get this and listen to it if I were you, but I'm not, so the decision is still yours. Doom on.

Tempest (Zippyshare)
Bandcamp

Label: 20 Buck Spin

A.M.S.G. - Anti Cosmic Tyranny (2013)

A.M.S.G. stands for "Ad Majorem Satanae Gloriam" which is Latin and means "For the Greater Glory of Satan", the only member is Angelfukk Witchhammer and he considers the music to fall under the appellation of “Holocaustik Canadian Terrorist Black Metal” and “Black Magik Terrorism”…

What the fvkk? I have my ears to the ground with anything put forth by Profound Lore Records, being a record label I trust to consistently release forward thinking metal, and A.M.S.G. are hardly an exception to this. 'Anti Cosmic Tyranny' is unique if not hard to digest, with its unabashed nature to satanism, the occult, and all that is true fucking darkness. It is to my understanding that this album was conceived when Mr. Angelfukk was serving a prison sentence for the possession and selling of guns and drugs. Black metal throughout its history was spawned from crime, so I suppose this should earn a respected head nod from within the genres puritans? Whatever, fuck all that.

I'm not even fully through this album yet as I post this, and I'm not fully certain what I've made out of it all, like I said, lots to take in and digest from this, but I can't deny the allure of the dark journey it seems to take you through… Dragging the listener into the yearning aphotic chasm of all that is unhallowed and bleak.

Anti Cosmic Tyranny
(Alternate Download Link)

Coltsblood - Beyond The Lake of Madness demo (2013)

Crushingly sluggish doom that drags on between two lo-fi tracks rife with feedback, crunchy tones and a vocal delivery that strikes me as unique to the particular genre, sometimes sounding more like powerviolence played at half speed inside a distant hollow. Unfortunately I can't get my hands on the demo, cassettes are sold out and I haven't a download link… So it goes, though if any member of Coltsblood stumbles upon this, get in touch, I'd like to give this a proper review.

If the band wishes it, I'll provide a download link for you scoundrels!

Coltsblood (bandcamp)

Harm's Way - Blinded (2013)

Harm's Way seem eager to put forth tunes that are still filled with vitriol and barbarity with their lowbrow, heavier than thou take on hardcore, and they do… But time has seen Harm's Way explore uncharted territory, allowing songs to breathe and swell over lengthier tracks, further exaggerated tension with doomy and brooding sections that sometimes lend itself for experimentation. Well shit, pretty much every track on this EP harbors an example of this whether it be subtle or blatant; Towards the end of the opening track 'Frontal Lobe' sounds like one of those chieftain war cries that you would hear on a sludge record, 'Blinded' is an all instrumental half intro and buildup that results in the track ending with a subtle whirring example of a little sound experimentation, but the best example is on the closing track 'Live to Loathe' when the drums morph into an 8-bit drum beat.

 (Thanks to the blog "I Would Have Stolen You A Whole Orchestra" for letting me steal the Zippyshare link)

BLINDED

Mumakil - Flies Will Starve (2013)

Mumakil (moom-a-keel) consider their music "blastcore", which is as fitting as it is fucking stupid. Gravity blasts and blast beats don't cause for pioneering another genre, so fucking what. "Nintendo-core" was stupid then and is sure as shit stupid now. Anal Cunt didn't profile their music under the moniker of "banging out heroine, getting blowies and stealing riffs - core", even though they were fucking qualified… Come to think of it, "Anal Cunt - core" is probably fairly accurate anyway.

I digress, besides genre inventing I have nothing but good things to say about Flies Will Starve, just as I did about Behold The Failure. The formula is simple, fast fucking tunes surrounded by a barrage of blasts, buzz-saw guitar work and vocals that your dad would fucking hate.

Pick this up. I have a pretty hefty queue of new and exciting tunes to bring to this blog so stick around, or not, but stick around because this blog will be fresher than your grandma's freshly douched… Just stick around fellas.

Eat shit.

Sincerely,


Chris D'Alessandro

PS; Flies Will Starve (Zippyshare)

Take Over And Destroy - Endless Night (2013)

Here's what's going on – I downed a quarter bottle of this Jack Daniel's honey whiskey with a couple cups of coffee in record time, this was my only breakfast and now I'm starting to feel the affects of this creative lubricant… "It's high-time I cleaned out those fucking cobwebs on my music blog so the tens of thousands (?) of my followers (Or do you guys prefer disciples?) can revel in the excitement of tunes that I certify as good." said myself somewhere in the beguiled brain-space of mine. It was either that or make a couple batches of freshly baked Rice Krispie squares… This time, the guilt of abandoning my followers (disciples?) outweighed my hunger.


So here I sit, cup of whiskey sweating, teeth unbrushed, hair uncombed, still beautiful, cracking my knuckles in eager preparation to start the writing process I was once all too accustomed with (fuck, just spilled my cup of whiskey on my desk soaking the bottom half of my "Listen To This" book while at the same time receiving a text from my pal in the band Oxtongue saying "Tell me you can sing." – I can't sing.

Take Over And Destroy sound like sewage encrusted blackened church bells. No they don't, I was just trying to be clever in my description like those dudes over at Cvlt Nation, and immediately felt stupid for what I had wrote. What they really sound like is a well mixed blend of black n' roll, sludge, and doom with a healthy dose of some organ shit.

Endless Night (320, Zippyshare)
TOAD Bandcamp

Burialkult - A Call From Beyond The Grave (2013)

I'm really fucking digging this Canadian barbarity thing going on man, this shit sounds filthy and callow (in a good sense), everything you want bestial black metal to be. Over the top with its Luciferian worship and ardently callous and putrid in its atmosphere with a sound strongly rooted in the 80's. There is also a healthy dose of thrash woven throughout A Call From The Grave, arguably earning it blackened thrash, whatever let's not get nit-picky.

Burialkult is by no means an accident or fluke, these dudes know exactly what sound they are going for, and are fully cognizant of the scene around them, letting their influences seep into the music. I can't speak on behalf of members of the band but there are undeniable influences reminiscent to bands like; Sarcófago, Venom, Beherit, Teitanblood, Blasphemophagher, Vulture Lord, Blasphemy, etc.
The lo-fi production is muddy, but not so grim and murky that it's rendered unlistenable, rather it serves as a strong point to the album which only further accentuates the instrumentation and gives it that fuck you charm only welcomed in the sewers of the underground.


Give Burialkult a warm welcome, this is their debut into the realms of fetid scum. (It's worth noting that the drummer used to be in Black Lotus, Harvest of Seasons is still an album I play much too often.)

Burialkult (bandcamp)
A Call From Beyond The Grave (Zippyshare)

Verminous - The Unholy Communion (2013)

A full decade has passed since Verminous put out anything since their debut Impious Sacrilege (which fucks your mother… Don't worry, she loves it), but here we finally are roughly 3,650 days later with new material under the title The Unholy Communion.


Straight up death metal from Sweden, no gimmickry or cheap tricks to be found here, instead we have romping ass fucking riffs, drums that have more fills than a phone-book and a festering spew of vocals. Without scruples, this is one of the best traditional sounding death metal albums I've heard all year, it has all my laurels and admiration… And once I'm finished over playing Hordes - II I'll probably spin this quite a bit.

This album further augments my infatuation for graveyards, kinda like Misfits did back in the day.

Verminous - The Unholy Communion

Sun Worship - Surpass Eclipse (2013)

Sun Worship of Germany got in touch with me about a month or so ago, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing Surpass Eclipse for SHOM. They offered to send me their vinyl in the mail, which built up a significant amount of pre-cum because I knew this was an album that would sound incredible on vinyl. And it does…

Upon receiving the package in my mail, the first thing I noticed was a note attached thanking me for taking the time to listen to their record, really it was I who should be thanking them. The second thing I noticed was how rad the packaging was; The artwork is printed with metallic bronze ink on a thick textured cobalt grey card stock (Patrick Bateman would go off on this), and the 180g vinyl itself is adorned with a super sweet illustration silk screen on it! It's quite unique from all my other records, which for any type of collector or elitist dickhead alike, is appreciated.

Sun Worship sound like the end of days, playing a blend of ambient (post) black metal that has a few coats of noise drenched in the mix. Nothing is crystal clear, nothing is overly polished nor anything overly dominant in the mix. They have hit black metal equilibrium, they have put the proverbial nail in the coffin with this EP. Two tracks spanning for 15 minutes of aphoristic black metal; Beautifully spiraling riffs which sometimes hoist that 'nekro sound' and at other times that whirring ambient sound, and drums that are bulky which I find to be quite unique bit effective within their sound. Don't be surprised to hear riffs that would make Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Krallice turn a shade of red from blushing.

Surpass Eclipse comes highly recommended, support these dudes anyway you can. I'll throw up the Bandcamp with the awesome "name your price" option as well as the option to purchase the vinyl. If you do plan to get the vinyl, let me know, I'm more than sure the band would be willing to sign it in metallic ink along with maybe a scribbled penis or pentagram on it.

Download (Zippyshare)
Bandcamp ("name your price" + Vinyl purchase)

Eibon - II (2013)

Throatruiner is a label that has had my attention and respect, for they consistently put out filthy and engaging albums that are normally spread around for free download. Fucking right Matthias!

Eibon's II; sludgy, doom ladened black metal that crawls and festers between two lengthy tracks – The two colossal tracks dip and swell like a raging monsoon, dragging the listener uncomfortably under its blackened waters… Somehow you submerge, 43 minutes later, weakened and dreary, yet breathing and alive.

What a stupid fucking paragraph to describe an album, I'm not deleting it though, I spent at least 13 minutes writing that, occasionally distracted by my incessant tapping on my laptop and scarfing down roasted almonds… Look's like were both going to have to deal with that shit man.

Eibon's II seems to break the trend of free download though, so either pay your dues on the bands bandcamp or visit the scummery of Metalchesh

Oxtongue - Where The Light Is Mute; Limited test press vinyl

First and foremost, you've really fucked the dog if you haven't heard this album yet. If you are a dweeb and need further convincing, read my original post about the album here.

Holy Mountain Printing recognized this morose cimmerian beast and decided to go ahead and press 300 vinyls of WTLIM! But until the final result, the limited test presses are in, and they are fucking beauty! (Only 5 were made available for sale) I wanted to post this here to give those of you whom I know really dig this release an oppurtunity to put your money where your mouth is… Oh, and there are only a couple left.

Here is the direct link to purchase the record!

Kokomo - S/T (2013)

I just drank two heaping cups of coffee, which for me is the equivalent to dropping three pints of raw ether and washing it down with a bottle of bourbon… Bear with me as I search my scattered brain to formulate cohesive sentences. Also, I saw the remake for Evil Dead last night so 80% of my body's blood flow is still directed straight into my raging erection. Again, bear with me fuckface.

This is what I had to say about Kokomo's "If Wolves" a couple months back, and it still applies;

"Kokomo make use of no words. They speak through instrumentation in a whirring blend of ambient post-rock, and boy do they speak LOUDLY. It's as if you are watching the world end from a birds eye view… It feels bigger than you, it's beautifully somber and bleak and you can't look away.

The bread and butter of If Wolves is the atmosphere, a dizzying hypnotic drone of palpable emotion, it all feels profound and you can't understand it, you just feel it. Maybe you don't, but maybe you're vanilla as fuck. Listen to it for yourself, if you don't once become entrenched in a series of thoughts, or feel the unsettling yet uplifting ambiance through your blood, check your pulse - you're dead."

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The recipe seems the same this time around for Kokomo's 2013 self-titled release, only this time seemingly more focused on something more minimalist in sound. It is still evocative, expansive, forlorn and entrancing as it ever was… It's not physically released yet, but the digital download is up for a 'name your price' option on the bands bandcamp. I paid a measly $2, well worth it.

KOKOMO (bandcamp)