Indian - From All Purity (2014)

Indian, from Chicago, Illinois, play an insanely robust and caustic blend of doom and sludge with the crumbling filth of crust thrown into the bubbling cauldron. This wall of noise is brought forth by swirling guitar and bass tones that are heavier than a dead dog, drums that pound and plod like a fucking migraine only to be occasionally pierced by crude and tortured vocals. Vocal duties are shared between the two guitarists, and they sound like hyenas… Hyenas that are actually wolverines… Wolverines that are rabid and starving, and possibly (probably) sexually frustrated. Pissed.

Indian on Bandcamp
From All Purity (try)

Leucosis - III (2013)

It's no secret, I like Leucosis. I've posted everything they've released on this blog at some point. The self-titled release they put out this year is still up there as one of my favorites and I continue to overplay it fervently with a stupid fucking grin on my face. If the rock you have been living under is so big that you've missed out on it, check'r out here! Or not, whatever dude.

This EP is essentially just the one track spanning for 20 minutes of frigid doomy black metal with the typical plodding around Leucosis does so well. Few bands pull of this style as well as they do, so dig in. The closer is 8 minutes of ambient drone… That's cool, but most of the time I don't really care to listen to it.

Leucosis Bandcamp

Celeste - Animale(s) (2013)

What do you do with the dead? You fuckin bury them, or burn them, or eat them, or set them off to sea, or keep them in your wall, or even sometimes carry out a sexual relationship with the deceased. What do I do with the dead? Apparently I let it rot away for months on end. I've been getting some emails (like only two, that shit hurts man) asking me if this blog is dead…

It's not dead. My motivation is dead. Along with the copious hours I used to have reserved for unearthing the less heard tunes I set out to put on SHOM. My motivation isn't really dead though, it's still there, just a little buried under real life busyness. What a stupid fucking excuse you say. Yeah, you're right. I'm going to try to keep this little baby going.                                               

•  •  • 

Celeste man. Goddamn fucking Celeste. Here's a band that doesn't know the meaning of "sub-par", not a chance. Three years since these pristine basterds have put anything out, and it's a towering heap of crusty hardcore with both feet planted in a non-traditional style of black metal. The bulk of the sound is doused in negative energy, guitars whirr along sounding like the buzz of a pissed off hornets nest, the drums sound burly and tight all the way through with a basket full of shining moment. Every goddamn thing sounds good to me.

I really have to go, I'm sitting here in a Starbucks hating the dude in front of me an unreasonable amount. And this overpriced latte sucks. Beggars can't be choosers at this hour, but I'm choosing to go home. It was nice talking with y'all. Let's do this again okay? In the meantime download this sucker.

Try Animale(s)
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)

Stomach Earth - Stomach Earth (2013)

Funeral doom and death metal hold hands on this yawning morass from The Red Chord's founder and guitarist, Mike "Gunface" McKenzie. The album plays like a blood curdling hymn to the fetid, the vocal delivery sounds like it's coming from the throat of a phlegm infested, gurgling overseer belching out commands to the peons in the chasms of hell. Everything sounds thick and immensely heavy, which is only further demonstrated when played loud, like past the point of comfortable loud. The debut album has some shining moments, and earns credit for its exploration into the genre(s) further than down-tuning and guttural secretion… But both of those are still highly present.

Stomach Earth (Zippyshare)

Sielunvihollinen - Ruttokieli (2013) [demo]

 

I know what you're thinking, "Man, I really should have went to illustration school so I could draw infanticide and other various phallic imagery for black metal bands…" and you're right, you should have because the world sure as fuck doesn't need anymore nubby fingered, grease-ball accountants.

Raw black metal from Finland that showcases some evil riffing and cold, stripped to the bone sound.

Ruttokieli

Bandcamp

A Halifax Collect review: All Pigs Must Die - Nothing Violates This Nature (2013)

     Open up your heart and let All Pigs Must Die take a big greasy shit into your soul with their second full length 'Nothing Violates This Nature.' All Pigs Must Die are a supergroup hailing from Boston and basically share the same name as Virginia's Pig Destroyer… Think about it (but not for too long you'll strain yourself.)

… Continue Reading

Every once in a while my glacial riding Icelandic buddy Birkir pesters the fuck out of me to write review after review for his music blog Halifax Collect, sometimes I acquiesce the mans request and he proudly puts it up on his music blog (which is assuredly more up to date and informative than SHOM).

If you haven't yet heard this album, take a leave from the rock you've been living under and give it a go, It's far from groundbreaking, but if you want to stupidly bang around your head and hate people 'Nothing Violates This Nature' is a suitable vessel to do so.