There are bands who sing about dying and then there's Laang 冷 vocalist/guitarist Haitao Yang, who after a carkacking gone wrong was shot in the head and declared medically dead, he experienced hallucinations of the other side and had to deal with the post-traumatic stress of the incident, the result of which came more inspiration for Laang 冷 which translates to cold. The music is catharsism for Yang, joining him is bassist Willy "Krieg" Tai, while Zak King provides the session drums, for this thrid studio album.
They blend Chinese Taoism with Indian Buddhism combining them with indigenous cultures and black metal that is not always what you expect it. Reminding me of Chthonic, but also Blackbraid, where extreme metal meets traditional music and the more Avant Garde side. Sung in Mandarin Chinese, using swelling orchestations and instruments native to China such as the erhu and guzhenh they provide a soundscape to the Riluo (sunset) as Yang says goodbye to the man he once was.
Through black metal (Yequ 夜曲), indigenous instrumentation (Honghai 紅海) and metalcore angst in the vocals (Gui Xiang 歸鄉).Laang 冷 continue to write their story as a band with this impressive third album. 8/10
Void Below - World Undone (Self Released) [Mark Young]
Four songs, 30 minutes, lets go!! Whitehaven’s Void Below present their new EP for your consumption. Heavy on the Lovecraft influence which gives them an incredibly deep well to draw lyrical inspiration from, they promise a dense mix of OSDM and Doom which sounds as brutal as can be. And what follows is pretty cool, Eldritch Incarnate begins with the expected atmospheric combined with spoken word introduction and brings with it a satisfying mix of doom and death metal. It has that movement to it that keeps you onboard and has some epic riff moments that build into a crescendo that is well built and well presented.
Pillars Ov Pestilence opts for that promised OSDM approach but again filtered through that doom lens. This one absolutely reeks of the early 90’s in terms of its feel, taking influences and spinning it to suit their needs. Its pitched perfectly and stacked against Eldritch Incarnate offers a neat one-two punch that shows they are comfortable with both genres. Beyond The Black Mire, holy smokes is a sludgy, speed infused number that makes light of its run time. On this one they take the exceptional work on Pillars and then raise their game again. It has one of the gnarliest, teeth being ground down guitar tones going and some whammy bar abuse which is always acceptable. EP Closer World Undone is just a monster of a thing, imagine one of Lovecraft’s creatures made flesh and laying waste to all in its path. It doesn’t stay still bouncing between Doom to Death as they see fit, throwing solos in just for fun and its ace. Absolutely love it.
What I love about it is how clear it sounds, everything is right up and, in your face, from the guttural roars to the guitars, all of which are sat perfectly together. One of the things they get right is making these long songs stay interesting, they have put a lot into each of the songs here, imbuing them with an individuality so not only do they continually move forward each song lives by itself. It’s actually difficult to pick one song over the others as a standout because of the quality displayed here so I’ll go with Beyond The Black Mire. Fans of Doom / OSDM will lap this up and if there is an EP of the year list then it should be on it. 8/10
The Last Eon - Infernal Fractality (Soulseller Records) [Matt Bladen]
I haven't heard something this unrelentingly heavy since the final Strapping Young Lad album. This Norwegian band have put out a debut album that is unbelievable in it's technicality. Founded by Ødemark, Infernal Fractality is a psychadelic, extra-terrestrial trip though punishing extreme metal, he is inspired by mind altering trips, Luciferian ideals and the need to push boundaries.
What I love about it is how clear it sounds, everything is right up and, in your face, from the guttural roars to the guitars, all of which are sat perfectly together. One of the things they get right is making these long songs stay interesting, they have put a lot into each of the songs here, imbuing them with an individuality so not only do they continually move forward each song lives by itself. It’s actually difficult to pick one song over the others as a standout because of the quality displayed here so I’ll go with Beyond The Black Mire. Fans of Doom / OSDM will lap this up and if there is an EP of the year list then it should be on it. 8/10
The Last Eon - Infernal Fractality (Soulseller Records) [Matt Bladen]
I haven't heard something this unrelentingly heavy since the final Strapping Young Lad album. This Norwegian band have put out a debut album that is unbelievable in it's technicality. Founded by Ødemark, Infernal Fractality is a psychadelic, extra-terrestrial trip though punishing extreme metal, he is inspired by mind altering trips, Luciferian ideals and the need to push boundaries.
Consider the boundaries pushed with this record, black metal is the root here, wizardry that is brought by nordic winds, frostbitten and hyper aggressive, with influences of Emperor on The Black Legion or Immortal on Asthetamine, though on the latter only when the dubstep subsides. The fusion between extreme metal and electonic music bringing the industrial punishment of Godflesh. The Birth Of No-One mixes both well with the repeating throb of Fear Factory, swelling with an undercurrent of pulsating synths.
Ødemark brings in drummer Jarle Byberg, his unhuman playing perfect for the maelstrom that is Kosmicalypse or DMT - Infernal Fractality. Starting out with 300 tracks, things have been whittled down into the cinematic soundscape you hear on this record. For some it maybe too much in terms of just how heavy and battering it can be, but if you love SYL or Mesuggah, you'll love The Last Eon. 7/10
A Hill To Die Upon - The Black Nativity (Rottweiler Records) [Mark Young]
After a six-year break, A Hill To Die Upon return with The Black Nativity and have decided to do something a little different. A collection of classic Christian hymns, given a blackened make-over with some special guests (Nile, Extol amongst others) helping things along. It’s not a joke album, each of the songs is approached in a serious manner and given a treatment that gives them a whole new lease of life.
Hymn To Marduk (ft Karl Sanders) opens with a dusty, almost old west feel with loping drums and a guitar sound straight from the 50’s rockabilly era. It’s that unmistakable near-clean tone with a lush solo and it completely wrong footed me. In there are some quasi-middle eastern strings that betray a darker image to follow. It’s a prime opener and they do it again with an almost hard rock riff that anchors the Black Metal stomp along Venivenimmanvel.
Imagine Back In Black AC/DC with the blackest vocals added to it. It’s mad and could be one of the most original things I’ve heard this year. And then it gets weird. We Three Kings is given the metallic once over, played completely straight. And I mean completely straight. The Christmas Carol favourite is transformed, comprising some of the deepest growls, double bass and that Viking metal type of riffing that really fits.
The folk influence on these songs really shines through, a great example of this is on What Child Is This as it switches over to a clean vocal and you start to hear these in a completely new light. Left-Handed Wizard (My Eyes Look West) is surprisingly heartfelt in how it is presented, treated with a suitable reverence and is a stand-out here. That isn’t to say it’s a blast from start to finish, and I guess your enjoyment of this will depend on a few things. One of them being if you have kids and have been to carol services with their school then like me you will still bear the scars of Little Donkey.
What is apparent is how serious they have approached it. It isn’t just a walloping blast-beat Trem picked furious thing, although they throw some quicker ones in there such as Entre Le Beouf (a French Carol), given a punky spin whilst Auld Lang Syne is full of atmosphere and gently plucked strings. It’s the way they have been placed together that gives the album real sense of variety as no two songs sound the same. It’s this attention to detail that allows the songs to land so well and continue to confound you at every turn. Sacred Harp 133 is a barnstormer, absolutely brilliant.
As I said, it’s not all stormers. Minuit Chretien with its gramophone aesthetic and chanteuse style vocals could have been left as a bonus track but to be fair it is left to the end to close out the album. In terms of what it is, it isn’t a joke album. In their hands each of the songs take on new life and you will never be able to listen to them the same way again. 7/10
A Hill To Die Upon - The Black Nativity (Rottweiler Records) [Mark Young]
After a six-year break, A Hill To Die Upon return with The Black Nativity and have decided to do something a little different. A collection of classic Christian hymns, given a blackened make-over with some special guests (Nile, Extol amongst others) helping things along. It’s not a joke album, each of the songs is approached in a serious manner and given a treatment that gives them a whole new lease of life.
Hymn To Marduk (ft Karl Sanders) opens with a dusty, almost old west feel with loping drums and a guitar sound straight from the 50’s rockabilly era. It’s that unmistakable near-clean tone with a lush solo and it completely wrong footed me. In there are some quasi-middle eastern strings that betray a darker image to follow. It’s a prime opener and they do it again with an almost hard rock riff that anchors the Black Metal stomp along Venivenimmanvel.
Imagine Back In Black AC/DC with the blackest vocals added to it. It’s mad and could be one of the most original things I’ve heard this year. And then it gets weird. We Three Kings is given the metallic once over, played completely straight. And I mean completely straight. The Christmas Carol favourite is transformed, comprising some of the deepest growls, double bass and that Viking metal type of riffing that really fits.
The folk influence on these songs really shines through, a great example of this is on What Child Is This as it switches over to a clean vocal and you start to hear these in a completely new light. Left-Handed Wizard (My Eyes Look West) is surprisingly heartfelt in how it is presented, treated with a suitable reverence and is a stand-out here. That isn’t to say it’s a blast from start to finish, and I guess your enjoyment of this will depend on a few things. One of them being if you have kids and have been to carol services with their school then like me you will still bear the scars of Little Donkey.
What is apparent is how serious they have approached it. It isn’t just a walloping blast-beat Trem picked furious thing, although they throw some quicker ones in there such as Entre Le Beouf (a French Carol), given a punky spin whilst Auld Lang Syne is full of atmosphere and gently plucked strings. It’s the way they have been placed together that gives the album real sense of variety as no two songs sound the same. It’s this attention to detail that allows the songs to land so well and continue to confound you at every turn. Sacred Harp 133 is a barnstormer, absolutely brilliant.
As I said, it’s not all stormers. Minuit Chretien with its gramophone aesthetic and chanteuse style vocals could have been left as a bonus track but to be fair it is left to the end to close out the album. In terms of what it is, it isn’t a joke album. In their hands each of the songs take on new life and you will never be able to listen to them the same way again. 7/10
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