Show Me A Dinosaur - Plantgazer

 

Show Me A Dinosaur have long been one of Russia's premier blackgaze exports. Their music is poetic, beautiful and strangely transcendent. There is a deep sense of beauty throughout their compositions that makes for some of the most engaging, potent and inspiring work done in the genre in the last decade or so. Their latest album, Plantgazer is transcendent, powerful and benefiting from a gorgeous, fascinating vision. This is a truly magical album and one that seems to lure listeners into a vast and delicate soundworld you can't help but to fall in love with. 

Plantgazer shines because of its ability to balance dark and light, evil and sorrow with joy and peace. This is a record that surprises, delights and reflects the human condition, for better and for worse. Doing this with an instrumental record is a challenge, but Show Me A Dinosaur have found a way. This is a sort of reflection of a world that is rapidly changing, especially for a Russian band. One gets a sense of the sorrow and extinction the band is immersed in, but also a sense of the sublime, as you let waves of sound wash over you into something greater.

Pre-order the album!

https://showmeadinosaur.bandcamp.com/album/plantgazer

Olhava - Sacrifice

 

A good blackgaze album is meant to be meditative, something you can get lost in and never want to come out from. A good blackgaze album is a record that seems to consistently hint at transcendence, and when it does finally pay off you find yourself in whole new sonic universes you didn't know previously existed. Such is the case with Sacrifice the new album from Russian post black metal masters Olhava. This is a release that spreads its wings over a nearly ninety minute run time but which is wholly worth it, pulling listeners behind them and giving us all a reason to fall in love. 

Sacrifice is impressive because despite the extended run time, the record consistently finds ways to remain compelling and exciting. One way they do this in particular is with some truly thrilling drum performances. The marathon showing that is the blasts on the poetic "I See Myself In Your Eyes" is perhaps the best exemplar of this. The playing is energetic, creative and unrelenting, exactly what's needed to bring listeners ever deeper in. Similarly - while oftentimes artists can't sustain long form songs and keep them interesting, Olhava find a way to turn these pieces into meditative masterworks that you can't help but to lose yourself in. 

Olhava have gone above and beyond on Sacrifice to craft one of the most impressive post black metal records I have heard in a long while. Despite an extended run time Olhava find a way to make their songs compelling and endlessly addictive. These are endearing and mesmerizing anthems to times forgot and poetic visions of a world apart. There is something wonderfully human about what Olhava have done here and their ability to distill their humanity and their influences down into Sacrifice has an undeniable resonance.

Pre-order the album!

https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/sacrifice

Devlsy

Devlsy is a pretty exciting pure and wonderfully evil black metal band from the darkest forests of Lithuania. Yet, these guys are more than just a black metal band, they unabashedly bring in some interesting shoegaze and post-black metal ideas to keep things fresh and exciting. Devlsy have a clear understanding of their creative direction in a world where so many bands simply try to copy their peers. Their is a beautiful guttural destruction to some of these tracks, the harsh cries in songs like You Again speak to something older and grander than ourselves, a way forward, or maybe just a way out. Digging into Devlsy is an enlightening experience because it allows us to find out more about ourselves, touching on darker themes that so many have left behind. Compositionally these guys are tight and keep listener interest, contrasting dark and light in a tasteful way. As a whole this is the sort of group you dig in too and never wholly forget, once you've been exposed to the depth of the sound, their is no true escape.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/Devlsy

Severed Receptors

Severed Receptors is an artsy black metal band in the style of groups like Deafheaven or Abigail Williams. What sets them apart though, asides from their female vocalist, is the way that they manage to channel the post black metal vibes of bands like Amesoeurs into their sound. Though they hail from Phoenix Arizona, Severed Receptors sound awfully European. Perhaps their desert heritage is what makes them so interesting for me then. The contrast of beautiful cleans and some sick growls is excellent, I think adding a bit more raw evil though could make Severed Receptors even more interesting, as is they sound a bit laid back which takes away from the all encompassing aspect of the sound. Nevertheless, Severed Receptors make for a great listen for anyone into black metal. These guys are still developing and their basic ideas are very strong, they have a great understanding of where they're coming from and that will drive them far. I'm very excited to hear this bands evolution, it could be the start of something grand!

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/SeveredReceptors

The End

Oooh, what's this you say? Incredible blackgaze with a knack for the atmospheric? Put together by a guy whose name is Svartblod? This is like, a dream come true! Suffice to say, The End provides some most excellent post black metal that tends to be a lot rawer and more grim than many of Svartblods peers. Do not come here expecting a musician who sounds like Alcest or Amesoeurs. Instead prepare yourself for something powerful, sad, and strangely beautiful. With epic keyboard lines directly contrasting harsh and very kvlt drums The End is the kind of thing only the trvest of the trve can grasp, yet for those dedicated few The End will more than deliver. A record that truly gets down and reflects the bleakness that can be the human condition You Made The Rain Disappear... is an example of metal as art. (Admittedly, the idea of this being metal persay is debatable) Yet what really counts is that Svartblod manages to reach out and rub a little piece of his soul onto the listeners and thus create glorious, transcendent music that defies description. This may not be for everybody, yet I for one really dig the demented shouts and twisted beauty that defines The Ends' sound.

Find The End on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/theendofficialdomain

Echelon

Echelon is an up and coming avant garde black metal act from Austria. From the very little music they have out currently it seems like they paint lush but dark soundscapes with their music. Dubbed "Philosophical Black Metal" on their press release these guys seem to be willing to push the genre to a whole new level, very much gelling with the work of bands like Agalloch and Alcest. Yet these guys seemingly have their own approach to ones of metals greatest up and coming genres. Although the band seems to have a rather negative view of the world I get the impression that, much like in the work of Albert Camus, their is a glimmer of hope in the darkness. With a release date set for late Autumn great things seem to be in the work for this Austrian five piece seems to have a lot of potential and seeing them grow in the next few months should be an exciting, and wholly interesting endeavor. Mysterious and beautiful I can not wait to see what the future holds for this quintet!

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/cultofechelon

Meaning of Life-A Cry Into Desolation

Depressive black metal, now THERE is a genre to be reckoned with, beautiful and somber the music of these bands seemed destined to accompany the listener to their grave, yet, it is often hard to pull off. Meaning of Life though accomplish it with aplomb pulling together an excellent record that shows the power that Central American black metal has. This record has all of the negative vibes that make life such torment at times. A crushingly depressing and very heavy trio from Honduras Meaning of Life have created something truly magical with their latest release, A Cry Into Desolation.

My favorite part about this record is probably the epic soundscapes that this band creates using both guitars and keyboards, they are harsh and unforgiving, yet often surprisingly beautiful. The sense of doom that seems to pervade a lot of these songs only adds flavor to the tracks and makes pieces like the nearly 10 minute long Heartless seem a lot more poignant. The keyboard lines are probably a big part of this and give a sense of old school fatality to the songs, they are one of my favorite parts of this record. Their melancholic minor key melodies are not something to be easily forgotten or cast aside. Instead they rise up and take the music to a whole new level.

In conclusion, A Cry Into Desolation is nine tracks of pure black metal magic, songs that tear the soul into shreds but somehow make you feel good about it afterwards. If you're looking for a band who will bring your mind down but somehow lift your heart up at the same time then Meaning of Life is the group for you. Depressive and glorious I'm excited to see how these guys develop their sound in the future, they certainly understand how to make top notch depressive black metal, a genre so few excel in. For now, all I can say is long live Central American black metal!

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meaning-Of-Life/224790110940644

Ewigkeit

Some of you may remember Ewigkeit as the Hawkwind influenced black metal project from the great James Fogarty. You might ask, 'Why are you writing about that, that guy hasn't done anything with Ewigkeit in years!" Well, that's all about too change. Mr. Fog has a new record entitled Back to Beyond due out August 23rd and by god is it a doozy. Perfectly fusing the music of Hawkwind with the likes of Burzum this has rapidly become one of my coolest black metal discoveries of the year. Symphonic, powerful and strangely beautiful Ewigkeit has lost none of its original charm and magic. The eight tracks that make up the new record are extremely interesting and do things you rarely hear in modern metal. With fresh new ideas and lots of cool new stuff on the horizon, I for one am very glad that Ewigkeit has ended its prolonged hiatus. If you don't already know Ewigkeit then you want to check out the project right away and get on the boat before Back to Beyond takes the world by storm!

Find Ewigkeit on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/ewigkeitofficial

Entropia

Entropia is a magical post black metal band who craft exquisite soundscapes that flow nicely to immerse the listener in a sound that is both evil and beautiful. This 5 piece was founded in 2007 and since then have been releasing distinctly majestic post black metal with a bit of a blackgaze influence. Although a fair bit heavier than Alcest, there are definitely some shared aspects in the sound. They have a certain ethereal glory that very few bands can successfully emulate. The overarching power is the most impressive part for me. There is a tortured feel to the music that can't help but shine through. It allows Entropia to show their musicianship as well as making a solid artistic statement. With elements of doom and post rock mixed into a mysterious and powerful sound, Entropia prove themselves to be post black masters who will continue to release solid and enigmatic music for years to come!


https://www.facebook.com/mourningentropia