Hypothermia - Skogens Hjärta (2010)

Band: Hypothermia

Album: Skogens Hjärta

Year: 2010

Country: Sweden

Since this song is ridiculously long (68 minutes and 44 seconds to be exact) I rarely manage to squeeze in enough time to listen to the whole song. But just the other day I had an hour and a half long bus journy through dark and snow-covered woods ahead of me so I couldn't resist the temptation. I didn't have a outer worldly experience but it sure made the drive comfortable and relaxing. Hypothermia is perhaps the most common name in the Depressive Black Metal-scene with multiple releases in their bag. Some think that they are amazing and some say that they are just overrated, everyone seems to have an opinion on them though. With this release you can clearly tell that the music tends to drift more and more to the Depressive Rock sound, kind of reminds me of a gloomier and heavier Red House Painters with it's slow and mellow guitar-play and simplistic drumming. The production on Skogens Hjärta is without a doubt the best to feature on any Hypothermia-release to date and overall the sound is more cleaner than before. Although there is some more distorted and harsher parts which for the most part gives the song a heavier background, the focus is mainly on the repetitive and very catchy melodies. This may not be easy listening due to the length and lack of variation, besides some nice build-ups and slightly different drumming on some parts the whole song evolves around the main melody. For me that is the beauty of the song and i think it makes the song more melancholic. Like a lullaby to a suicide.

Song(s) you should listen to: Speaks for itself doesn't it?

HOMEPAGE/DOWNLOAD

Satan's Satyrs - Demo (2010)

Band: Satan's Satyrs

Album: Demo

Year: 2010

Country: United States

Graveyard pictures! Patched jeansjackets! Blackened metalpunk of Satanic proportions! All packed into one of the best and gnarliest demos I have heard this year. Satan's Satyrs claim to have sprung out of the idea of combining the powers of Electric Wizard and Black Flag. The result is raw, trashy and catchy rifforgies with clean yet dirty vocals and simple drumming. This demo makes me want to grow my hair long, break edge and take my fathers old motorcycle out for a alcohol-reeking joyride which result in chaos and sudden death.

Song(s) you should listen to: The song titled Satan's Satyrs is the best song in my opinion. The fact that it includes an organ-part in the background that gives the song a feeling of taking place in a dark mass is alone reason to listen to this song. Also it has a really sweet guitar-solo.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Of Legend - Cleric of Samsara (2010)

Band: Of Legend

Album: Cleric of Samsara

Year: 2010

Country: United States

Of Legend from Atlanta is a 5-piece band which, according to their lastfm, uses "the loudest sound equipment they can afford". Although the album-cover looks like something suitable for a power metal/viking rock-band you won't find any of that stuff here. Well I guess that if you use your imagination the vocals could resemble the sound of Thor riding across the sky hailing down thunder at the world, or the sound of a mountain crumbling to dust, whatever you find most appealing. Cleric of Samsara is as loud and dynamic as it is melodic and mesmerizing. The songs are long and has a variety of peaks, fleeting between soft mellow parts to loud and heavy parts. Although the songs can be repetitive there is always something waiting around the corner that keeps it fresh and interesting. Together with the really strong and passionate vocals it makes Of Legend a band that you definitely should not pass on.

Song(s) you should listen to: The Cleric is the last song of the album and starts off strong right away rather than gradually go from soft to strong. It relentlessly keeps pounding it's sludginess on you until it fades out and all is quite once more. A solid end to a solid album.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

V/A Grå Fraktion (2010)

Artist: V/A (Gravsten, Evilblood, Lavender, Untitled, Galge, Marching Church, Garrotte, Salome)

Album: Grå Fraktion

Year: 2010

Country: Denmark

From the country that brought us Tuborg, pølse and piskeflø comes this bizarre collection of underground Black Metal. This LP contains 8 projects where 7 of them have their debut-releases, only Garrotte has previously released something and has gained a reputation among black metal-lofi'ers. It seems like there is a strong punk-vibe in the danish underground-scene which I think is a good thing, it makes the music sound even more dirty and foul. I can imagine that this music is created by a bunch of drunk people smashing instruments at some random party while listening to Darkthrone and GG Allin.

Song(s) you should listen to: All of these bands play a similar form of music with a few exceptions. I think the band that stands out a bit from the rest is Marching Church which has a more wierder build-up in the songs, choppy riffs and stuff like that. Also the vocals are a bit similar to bands like Circle of Ouroborus. Other than that Garrotte and Salome has some really good songs as well.

HOMEPAGE/DOWNLOAD

Weakling - Dead As Dreams (2000)

Band: Weakling

Album: Dead As Dreams

Year: 2000

Country: United States

This blog needs more Black Metal if we want to live up to its name. Therefore I thought I'd upload this band that a friend of mine told me to check out. As he has been into Black Metal for quite some time he has a good taste in music, and when he talks about a band, it's definitely worth listening to. So I went home, looked them up and the first song that blasted out of my speakers knocked me out of my chair. Weakling plays a style of Black Metal that is just my cup of tea, long songs with great guitarplay and drumming topped with vocals that are characteristic to Depressive Black Metal, full of despair and pain so to speak. Its clearly that Wolves In The Throneroom has been inspired by these guys. If you're looking for extremely raw and gnarly music then you might want to pass this up but if you fancy some really great and well played BM with lots of thought and feelings behind then you don't want to sleep on this one.

Song(s) you should listen to: This Entire Fucking Battlefield. This entire fucking song is fucking great. From start to finish it's a really good but some parts in it is absolutely amazing. You will find a build-up-part about 5 minutes into the song that transfers into a blast-part at 6 minutes that makes you feel like someone just poured a bucket of cold water over you. You might also like the last minutes where the song is slowed down and turns into an mellow and epic outro.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Diagnose Lebensgefahr - Transformalin (2006)

Band: Diagnose Lebensgefahr
Album: Transformalin
Year: 2006
Country: Sweden
So, last time I told you about the vocalist Nattramn from the band Silencer, and that the rumours about him was a big reason for Silencer's "fame". So, here's the story about Nattramn, according to rumours on forums and websites.
Nattramn has had psychological problems for a while, and he has been to mental institutions every now and then. Around the release of Silencer's album, Nattramn's brother (who also had mental issues) got some new medication from his doctor and got a terrible psychosis. He stabbed two little girls on a playground with an axe, almost to death. He was arrested, but since he was mentally ill, he was sended to a mental institution instead of prison. On the mental institution he comitted suicide when he understood what he had done. This was a true tragedy, written everywhere in the newspapers.
Some people believed it was Nattramn, but it clearly wasn't. After his brother's death, Nattramn spent a longer period at St. Sigfrid Mental Hospital in Växjö. There he was offered to write and record music as therapy and to help him recover. It was later on released, and this album is the result.Nattramn has also been working on a book for quite long, and under that time it has been rumoured that he is dead. But he isn't, so the book Grishjärta will hopefully be released soon.  

Song(s) you should listen to: Honestly, I've tried to listen to this album from the beginning to the end so many times, but I find it so unpleasant. There's this uncomfortable tension going on in most of the songs, like the ones in horror movies, so you're waiting for something to happen while you're not being able to even breathe. I really forced myself to listen to it before uploading it, and found mostly industrial crap influences.
But, it's still very uncomfortable. You can play this for your children when they haven't done their homework. They will be scarred for life, and they will never ever fail a test again.

(NOTE: The doctor on the very left on the album cover is VERY much alike Bestefar, the other writer of this blog)

WEBSITE / DOWNLOAD

Silencer - Death - Pierce Me (2001)

Band: Silencer

Album: Death - Pierce Me

Year: 2001

Country: Sweden

Once upon a time I had a silly boyfriend who wanted to scare the crap out of me. He killed the lights in the room, and showed me the fanvideo of Sterile Nails And Thunderbowels. He ended up being quite scared himself, while I was quite fascinated by both the music and the visuals from the movie Begotten. I realized this guy wasn't trve, so I broke up with him and started my Black Metal-cult myself.

And though Silencer is kind of a worn out band in Sweden, it's perfect for introducing DSBM to someone. Their music combines beautiful and melancholic intros with evil and raw Black Metal. And if you can stand Nattramn's voice already from the beginning, you can listen to pretty much anything.
The reason the band is "kind of worn out" is mostly because of the stories about their mysterious singer Nattramn, You will read more about him in the next entry we make.

Song(s) you should listen to: Sterile Nails And Thunderbowels is their big hit, so to say. And I understand why. It's the typical Silencer-song, starting off with a very memorable and beautiful intro. Then Nattramn starts off with a shriek, which he normally does. And his voice is indeed one of the most charachteristic vocals in Black Metal. Some would say that he sings like a castrated goat, others will say that it is the voice of despair. Anyhow, there is a mellow part in the song which anyone will have very hard to take serious, because the vocals sounds like some retarded version of Gollum.
They also have other songs worth listening to, like the title track Death - Pierce Me, and Taklamakan.

DOWNLOAD

This Empty Flow - Magenta Skycode (1996)

Band: This Empty Flow
Album: Magenta Skycode
Year: 1996
Country: Finland
We've uploaded some new albums in a row now, so I thought we would go for an ancient one this time. When this was released I was an utterly ugly kid with crooked teeth and glasses, so I have to be honest, I don't know what was going on at the time. I would like to believe that this album was inspiring for a lot of artists to come, but I never heard of this album or this band until I stumbled over it while looking for some old Doom. Believe it or not, but most of these guys were playing in Thergothon, one of the bands that are considered to be the formers of Doom.
This Empty Flow is totally different from Thergothon. They are still creating the dark mood with huge success, but they're mixing it with a lot of other influences. There's is a huge amount of Post-Rock and Shoegaze, which is maybe not so surprising. The surprising part is maybe the Britpop-influences, making this sound like an ambient version of Joy Division.

Song(s) you should listen to: I think you should listen to the whole album. I know some die hard Doom-fans can't stand some of the songs, because they can be a bit whiny and cheesy. But they never got their stone cold hearts broken.

DOWNLOAD  

Ättestupa - Att Korsa Den Flod Som Kommer Dränka Oss Alla (2009)

Band: Ättestupa

Album: Att Korsa Den Flod Som Kommer Dränka Oss Alla

Year: 2009

Country: Sweden

Yet another release from Swedish drone-heads Ättestupa. This came out in 2009 as a cassette on Abisko and is long out of print and quite hard to come across even in mp3-format. I came across this by accident and felt like I had to share it with you. If you have been paying attention and done your homework you know what to expect from this great band by now. I personally find this release a bit more harsh compared to the other releases, adding a more heavy and evil aura to the concoction.

Song(s) you should listen to: According to me, Åderlåtningen is the best track on this 3-piece album. It starts of with some great repetitive drumming and something that sounds like a growling monster approaching you slowly but steady. Ready to sink it's teeth in you.

HOMEPAGE/DOWNLOAD

thisquietarmy - Aftermath (2010)

Band: thisquietarmy

Album: Aftermath

Year: 2010

Country: Canada

Montreal-based thisquietarmy consists of one man and his fellow companion, his guitar. Using various effect processors and other futuristic stuff that I'm too stupid to understand he creates a soundscape that lingers in the twilight between post-rock and drone. A wall of sound with lots of different melodies hidden beneath would be the best way to describe this. In other words the more attention you pay while listening the more you discover. But if you don't feel like breaking this down to the core and write an essay on every note you can just put this on while doing the dishes or whatever, it works just as good as soothing background music.

Song(s) you should listen to: Finding the Fallen is the longest track of the record and the one that I find most appealing. Also the transition from this song to the next, Unearthing the Past, is just great. The way they just float into each other is barely noticable and makes it feel like one complete song. Perfection.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Sönderriket - Etikens Dörr (2010)

Band: Sönderriket
Album: Etikens Dörr
Year: 2010
Country: Sweden
A couple of days ago I got a mysterious mail from a mysterious man, including only a mysterious link to a mysterious bandcamp site. Not even a single polite "hello"-phrase was written. Of course I got really curious, so I listened to both of the album published there. One of them was way too industrial for being my cup of tea, but this one caught my ears.
I guess some of you closeminded people wouldn't even call this music. It can be described as distorted melodies and reversed vocals, somehow managed by Mr Sandman. If you're from Sweden you will also notice this one man band's firm hand with words and wordplays. I would guess this album was made for being a complementary to his poetry, and for experimental causes.
If you're a fan of Ättestupa, the story-parts in Suffocate For Fuck Sake, or just if you're having trouble falling asleep, you should listen to this album.

Song(s) you should listen to: Jordiske Rund is a melancholic, but soothing, and very addicting song about nonsense, just like Riket Sönder. Kontraster is a darker song where the narrator is telling a story about loosing faith and being buried alive, and his discoveries while being underground.
I could write some words about every song, because each one of them has it's charm really. But I won't, just to leave you with a spark of curiousity left.

BANDCAMP / DOWNLOAD

Milanku - Convalescence (2009)

Band: Milanku
Album: Convalescence
Year: 2009
Country: Canada
Oh hi there, you fuzzy little man peach. I know what you're thinking right now; "Here comes Old Gregg, he's a scaly manfish..." But you don't know me. You don't know what I've got. I got something to show you. I'M OLD GREEEEEEEEEEGG!
And over to something quite similar, the Canadian band Milanku. Not that they're having seaweed hair and manginas, but you don't really know what to expect from these guys. First of all, they sing in French, which some Canadians do, but you still can't figure out what they're singing about. Second of all, when you're sitting there and are listening to the album, you will kind of get the feeling of a post-hardcore version of Mogwai. Then all of a sudden there is VOCALS. What the hell? Oh, it was probably just on this song... But wait, there's MORE in the other songs. They have a very strange way of presenting the vocals. They include just a little bit of vocals in the very end of the song. Probably so the ones who think instrumental bands are really boring to listen to will stand this album.
And they sure do got the funk.

Song(s) you should listen to: Mépris is the best one in my opinion. It starts of pretty generic and slow, but about 2.12 minutes into the song, the guitar riff of heaven folds out like a daisy flower.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Ättestupa - Untitled Lp (2008)

Band: Ättestupa

Album: Untitled Lp

Year: 2008

Country: Sweden

This is the debut album from Gothenburgs Ättestupa, two songs equals 38 minutes of minimalistic bliss. Listening to this makes me think of old Astrid Lindgren-movies, people hiding away in front of a fireplace in a small cabin by the woods, elders telling stories about ghosts, murderers, tragic deaths and other creepy stuff to the children, in the distance you can hear the faint sound of bells from a horse carriage plowing it's way through the thick snow. If you hav'nt been growing up in Sweden then I guess you have no idea what I'm talking about so after you've given this record a few spins you should download some Emil I Lönneberga (a popular film series based on the book by Astrid Lindgren). Then you will know exactly what I mean.

Song(s) you should listen to: The whole album, everyday, everytime, all the time. Over and over again.

HOMEPAGE/DOWNLOAD

ColdWorld - Melancholie² (2008)

Band: ColdWorld

Album: Melancholie²

Year: 2008

Country: Germany

It's November and winter is just waiting around the corner, in fact we already had the first snow a couple of weeks ago. Time to start planning for Christmas, what are you gonna have on your vegan christmas buffe, where and with who are you gonna spend the holidays and when in between all the planning and stress are you gonna have a heart attack? Well I say screw that. Instead of going through all that most normal people do I suggest that you download this album and let yourself be reminded of the beauty of the winter times. Inspired by band such as Burzum this one man band combines atmospheric black metal with cold ambient and a hint of classic music. This is a masterpiece in depressive black metal and the soundtrack to my winter.

Songs(s) you should listen to: Tortured By Solitude

This is a song that instantly sticks in your head. The main riff is what makes this song so good. In fact the word "good" is an insult to the song, it's simply amazing and one of the best riffs I've ever heard in a Black Metal-band. I remember playing this song to a friend who loved the music but said that the vocals destroyed the song for him. If your not into this kind of music I can understand that but for me the vocals is perfectly suited for this. Georg Börners monotonous chant-like vocals is filled with despair and you can really feel the pain and tormention behind every word.

Hymn to Eternal Frost

A song that stands out from the rest of the album since it's actually quite uplifting and joyfull. Don't get me wrong it still has that lonely and sorrowfull vibe to it but instead of making you want to burst out in tears it puts a sad smile on your face instead. Check it for yourself and you will see what I mean, you won't get disappointed.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Sorgeldom - Innerlig Förmörkelse (2009)

Band: Sorgeldom
Album: Innerlig Förmörkelse
Year: 2009
Country: Sweden
We've been uploading some black and white-album covers in a row now, so let's continue with that, even though this is the ugliest thing I've ever seen. This band does not include happy native africans dancing around a voodoo pole though, as it may seem from the cover. On the other hand, it does contain three very talented musicians from the dark woods of Sweden. And as I'm thinking about what would be the most epic of these two, you can read more about the album below...
This version of the album is the original, with all lyrics in Swedish. There is a newer release called "Inner Receivings" which I predict is the same, but with all lyrics translated. I don't know for sure, since I haven't listened to it.
This album is a must-listen to everyone who is cold hearted and bitter. Because this is very cold hearted and bitter. It does start off pretty calm, then the second track, which is a raw black metal-song, comes and slaps you in the face. Then it shifts from being raw and evil to more sensitive and melancholic parts.


Song(s) you should listen to: Insikter is actually just the intro of the album, but it's really the best tracks on it. It just consists of a very repetitive guitar, giving you some kind of Ättestupa-feeling. It's what I call "hippie-melancholic" - meaning that it's not that melancholic that you want to lay down and die, but you get very calm of it. Livslusten For Med Vinden is a shorter interlude, but it has the same concept with it's repetitive guitar.
Geväret Lades Fram, Processen Blev Kort (roughly translated as "the rifle was handed over, the process became short") is one of the real songs on the album which I really do like. It takes the intro- and interlude-guitar which I adore, and but it into a mixture of the raw song. And it endurances those 10 minutes a song has to be to get cred by the those "post-kinds" of people (like myself). Amazing.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD