Palehorse - Habitual Linestepper (2008)

Band: Palehorse
Album: Habitual Linestepper
Year: 2008
Country: United Kingdom
I came across this band when I was supposed to find some music by the hardcore band Palehorse from Connecticut, USA on Spotify. But I found this band instead, which I've never heard of before.
Anyways, I liked their music, and thought their album title was pretty clever, so I did a checkup on the band. Turns out that they are a pretty known band in the sludge scene of UK. And they are sure playing sludge. Their music is fairly slow and very heavy. One thing that surprised me was the vocals that sounds a lot that something that could fit in any screamo band. If you gave the drummer some POWERTHIRST so he would drum more energetic, maybe this would be liked by all the skramz kids out there.
The band consists of a drummer, two vocalists, and two bass players. Nothing more, nothing less. Who need guitars anyway?

Song(s) you should listen to: We Cannot Love You
This song starts out pretty slow and sad, and with a really catchy bassline, that continues pretty much through the whole song. Then the sludge will squirt all it's juice over you.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt (2010)

Band: Year Of No Light

Album: Ausserwelt

Year: 2010

Country: France

Since my better half posted the Suffocate For Fuck Sake Lp and since I've been listening to this album alot recently i thought it would be in place to post it here. I actually think this album has alot of similarities to Suffocate For Fuck Sake, both when it comes to harmonies and feeling.

This album is slightly different from Year Of No Lights previous record "Nord". The first thing that comes to mind is that this record is entirely instrumental and tends to drift more towards a drone-like style of music. The light harmonies together with heavy bass, guitars and slamming drums create a massive wall of sound that makes it impossible to keep your head still.

Song(s) you should listen to: Perséphone I

There couldnt be a more perfect way to start off this album than with this song. It starts off a bit slow but soon builds up and unleashes upon you like a tidal wave. The harmonies are without a doubt some of the most beautiful stuff I've ever heard and it really moves you in a way thats very hard to describe. Just sit back and relax and let the song speak for itself.

Hiérophante

If Perséphone I is a song suitable for a yoga session Hiérophante is the exact opposite. When this beast comes on its like getting hit by a steam roller.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Suffocate For Fuck Sake - Blazing Fires And Helicopters On The Frontpage Of The Newspaper. There's A War Going On And I'm Marching In Heavy Boots (2008)

Band: Suffocate For Fuck Sake
Album: Blazing Fires And Helicopters On The Frontpage Of The Newspaper. There's A War Going On And I'm Marching In Heavy Boots
Year: 2008
Country: Sweden
Once upon a time about two years ago, I was sitting by the computer, and a friend who I hadn't heard anything from for a while wrote "HAVE YOU HEARD THIS EPIC SHIT?!" on msn. This guy was the one who once introduced me to Mihai Edrisch, so I was pretty eager about his new discovery. He sended me the album, which has the longest name I've ever seen, and I cranked up the volume. Since then I've never been the same.
Suffocate For Fuck Sake is a pretty decent band mixing a lot of different genres. But the way they're doing it is really extraordinary. This album follows the narrative of a depressed woman, starting around the time she tried to comitted suicide for the first time. She, her mom, her best friend, the doctor etc. are talking in between the songs, with the music going in the background as some kind of soundtrack. So we get to follow this girl through years of depression, from hospitalizing to recovery.
This maybe doesn't sound like much of a deal, but it's really hard to describe this album in a fair way. Just listen to it, you will get blown away.

Song(s) you should listen to: The album itself is a story, so if you're just listen to a track here and there in no particular order, it will turn out to be nonsense. But, the storytelling is in Swedish, so if you don't know the language the telling will be nonsense anyway (but there should be an english translation to be found somewhere, they printed translations in the booklet). But I will still recommend you to start with the first song Blue Lights And Sunshine. It still gets me to poop in my pants at occasions.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Obnoxious Youth - Obey Satan (2010)

Band: Obnoxious Youth

Album: Obey Satan

Year: 2010

Country: Sweden

Trashy hardcorepunk with gnarly vocals, shredding guitar-riffs and rock n'roll solos is the best way to describe this monster from Uppsala, Sweden.

Featuring members from Undergång and Pointless Youth.

OBEY SATAN!

Song(s) you should listen to: Wytches of Torment

The solo in this song alone makes it worth blasting on full volume until your completely deaf. Along with the fast guitar-riffs and possessed vocals i guarantee that you will most likely summon the wrath of hell while at it.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Mihai Edrisch - Un Jour Sans Lendemain (2006)

Band: Mihai Edrisch
Album: Un Jour Sans Lendemain
Year: 2006
Country: France
Everyone knows Elton John's song The Circle Of Life, right? Well, this is the updated more realistic version of it. The tracks of this album are titled so you get Mihai Edrisch's interpretation of life. You start with being born, you march forward, you start to live, then you fall in love. After that you suffer, but somehow you get a glimpse of hope, and forget, so you survive. Then, you die.
One interpretation is that you're going through all that, then you forget and survive, but years after you die the natural way. But since it's Mihai Edrisch, I think the interpretation should be a lot more complex. In the very end of the outro, you can hear some old wood creak, then a loud bang. Since there's a rope in the tree of the album cover, I think the creak is someone climbing up a chair, gets his/her head in the noose, then kicks the chair which crashes to the floor and makes the loud bang. I jump to the conclusion that the narrator couldn't forget, and committed suicide.

Song(s) you should listen to: Mourir
This song is that last on the album, and it stands out a bit from the rest. It starts off pretty calm and delightful, but of course the atmosphere builds up and leads to Mihai-ordinary chaos. Then it finishes with the words "Comme une dernière image, celle que je veux peut être garder de nous, je serai là, pour toujours, suspendu à tes lèvres…", which can be roughly translated to "As the last picture I want to keep precious, I'll be there forever, hanging on to your lips". As the romantic hypocrite I am, my heart is melting.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Svedhous - Despair Poetry (2007)

Band: Svedhous

Album: Despair Poetry

Year: 2007

Country: South Korea

Suicidal Black Metal from South Korea? Well thats not something you come across every day is it? Especially not when the music is so well played and great like the one created by this one man band from Busan. This demo can easily be compared to the big names in the genre like Hypothermia, Trist, Austere etc etc. Gloomy, monotonous, repetitive, atmospheric and full of despair, everything you can possibly ask for when you feel like cover all your sences in absolute darkness.

Song(s) you should listen to: Dawn With Bedewed Eyes

A pinnacle of despair and desperation. The riffing, the vocals, the horror, the beauty!

DOWNLOAD

Femtekolonnare - In Vino Veritas (2010)

Band: Femtekolonnare

Album: In Vino Veritas

Year: 2010

Country: Sweden

If Massgrav would combine forces with Satan the result would be Femtekolonnare. This abomination of pissed off powerviolence/hardcore and Black Metal has summoned a 16 song demo of anti-hippie, anti conservative and capitalist hating songs straight from hell.

It's clear that Femtekolonnare knows how to do a good demo that never gets boring, in between all the blast beats and face-melting riffing we find slower parts and movie-samples that will keep you interested for whats to come.

Both the lyrics and movie-samples are all in swedish so unfortuneatly for all you non-swedish people you probably wont understand the meanings behind the songs. Nevertheless this is a band you shouldnt sleep on, new material is on its way and this is undoubtedly not the last we've heard from Femtekolonnare.

Song(s) you should listen to: Ta En Folköl och Var Som Folk

Most likely the best anti-straight edge anthem out there. Fast, angry and even has a "sing-a-long part". Doesnt get any better than this.

Jönköping Hardcore

Jönköping Hardcore what the fuck is that? Boygirls with make-up (the bad kind, not corpse paint) who sings like little girls. This is one of the "slower" songs on the demo and is about all the good "hardcore-bands" from Jönköping. Her Bright Skies, Intohimo etc etc.

Fred, Kärlek och Jävla Dumheter

This song contains the only part of the demo remotely close to a breakdown. It's a really mean and evil one that makes you want to go on a rampage. Hippies better watch out when this tune comes on.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Ättestupa - Begraven Mot Norr (2010)

Band: Ättestupa

Album: Begraven Mot Norr

Year: 2010

Country: Sweden

In Sweden there is a myth of a place called "Ättestupa", a steep were people who had played out their role where thrown to their death. Whether this really has happened or not, Ättestupa from Gothenbourg sure knows how to make music that gives you that chilling feeling that you'll most definetly feel when standing on the edge looking down into the abyss.

Begraven Mot Norr is inspired by funeral traditions and death processions in ancient rural Sweden. This album is perfect to listen to whenever you feel gloomy or just want to calm down.

Song(s) you should listen to: The whole album really, but the first song "Den Sista Tiden" that starts of with the sound of a pouring river instantly sets the mood for the whole album. Melancholic yet sothing and beautiful.

HOMEPAGE/DOWNLOAD

Svartkraft - Den Onda Pesten (2003)

Band: Svartkraft

Album: Den Onda Pesten

Year: 2003

Country: Finland

The word "Black Metal" instantly makes people let there thoughts wander away to the coldness of the forest and mountains of Norway. However Norway is not the only Scandinavian country who has its sheer part of cold. Svartkraft is most likely spun in the darkest forest to be found in Finland by the most evil creatures of the night you can imagine.

Just look at the cover-art and you know that theres no hope to be found in this album.

Song(s) you should listen to: Elementens Fall. From the first chord you know what the deal about this is. Cold, monotonous and melancholic Black Metal. A perfect tune to just lay down and die to.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Mihai Edrisch - L'un Sans L'autre (2003)

Band: Mihai Edrisch
Album: L'un Sans L'autre
Year: 2003
Country: France
This album is a slap of desperation in your face. It starts of with an innocent intro of kids in a playground, but don't let that fool you, on the next track hell will break loose. The first half of the album is so intense you have to be prepared to get an epileptic seisure any time. After that there's some kind of interlude, so you will make it from the epileptic seisures. Then part two kicks in, which is so heartbreaking that it makes you want to curl up and die.
This is not something for those who haven't understood the charm of emotional music. They will probably just think I'm ridiculous. But even though it's almost 10 years this was released, it's still one of my favourite albums. And Mihai Edrisch's vocals are just wonderful. Their lyrics could be in African, Finnish, or the language Chip 'n Dale speaks in a Disney cartoon, the vocalist Johan would still make you understand something is terribly wrong.

Song(s) you should listen to: Everyone, really. Every song is as close to perfection it can get, and no song lack speed, emotion, or anything. But the title track L'un Sans L'autre have a really catchy bass intro, if you're into that.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées (2010)

Band: Les Discrets
Album: Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées
Year: 2010
Country: France
They say you should never judge a book by its cover. But I think the album cover of this album, made by the talented Fursy Teyssier himself, sums up most of it. Some songs are pretty light and catchy, while others are darker and a bit melancholic, therefore the grey scale. The melodies are telling quite a tale by themselves, but the masculine vocals make it even better. Unfortunately I don't know French, if I did I maybe would have an explanation for the big ass crow thing.
It's pretty hard to fit this into one genre, but I would consider it as epic post-rock. Fursy used to be a session member in Alcest, and it's definitely noticeable. Fursy is not copying any of Alcests work though, he started Les Discrets around the same time Alcest started, but haven't released anything until this year.

Song(s) you should listen to: Les Feuilles De L'Olivier
If 10 000 Clydesdale horses galopping in fury through the woods in the middle of a stormy autumn evening would be translated into a song - this would be it.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD