Fell Voices - Regnum Saturni

With their third album, Regnum Saturni, U.S. black metal act Fell Voices find themselves playing into abstracts and delving deeper into ritualistic chaos. The album was recorded live, a trait that means a lot to me, not only in the band's character, but also in the band's sheer sonic power.Unlike previous efforts, Fell Voices dedicate the first breath to a spoken sample by poet Mary Oliver, a poem which sets the thematic tone of the album and ties into the album's title and mythos. Gone are the repetitive and intricate melodies of the their last lp and instead the band uses tremolo riffing and black metal stylings to create a sort of drone that doesn't shamble, but rather blurs.

Bandcampers: "This One Time at Bandcamp ... I Paid for a Download"

When my allowance was bounced up to $15 a week the only logical destination for my cash was the local record shop. There, I was guided through classics like Fresh Fruit For the Rotting Vegetables, Damaged, and Among the Living. When I looked for things on my own I was left with few options or waiting on the owner to order it. Scouring the web for obscure French black metal or long out of print British crust left few options as my parents wouldn't offer a credit card and money orders/mailing cash seemed a bit too much for me at 13. Enter Napster.

I cuaght the tail-end of Napster, but fully embraced (and later suffered) Kazaa and flimsily grasped torrents. Thankfully alternatives filled Napster's gap and Myspace/Youtube became the new purveyor for previewing a band. Still, the problem was unsolved for cds/records that were out of print and without alternative means some music simply became impossible to listen to. This is why, more than Myspace, which was never great at all, Bandcamp and similar sites have filled important roles.

Bandcamp to me is so crucial because it's so simple. No friends to add, or pictures and ads to get lost in, just the music I came here for. For those of you unfamiliar with Bandcamp, it is a site tailored to each artist/label that provides the ability to sell music as well as stream full releases. Downloads typically are "pay what you'd like to" and are available in almost every format/quality (many times free downloads are an option). Mathias Huxley, half of Australia's thedowngoing, points out that "...the direct connection between artist and fan is a great way for independent artists to keep their fans up to date on their music and releases." This connection is something lacking in entities like Amazon and iTunes.

Will Butler, sole dude behind To Live a Lie Records has been on a mission to upload as much of his label's discography as possible to bandcamp, and all for free. Proudly posted on TLAL's facebook Mr. Butler claims "zero dollars made on Bandcamp and counting!" While many bands and labels stress the option to download the music for free or whatever you wish, the streaming ability has proven to be another great asset. Fellow label runner, Adam Bartlett of Gilead Media, feels that...

"Bandcamp changed the way I operate the label. They've given me an amazing outlet for streaming and downloadable audio that directly benefits the bands and the label. They filled an enormous void where many other sites tried and failed."

While Mr. Bartlett and I's backgrounds might be different, I completely agree that Bandcamp has only been an improvement for fans, labels, and the bands themselves (and hopefully is the death knell for buggy, awful quality Myspace). I spend a lot of time going through records, whether it be in a real store, or online, so having the ability to listen beforehand has been humongous.

Many labels are using Bandcamp to showcase their catalog, Grindcore Karaokee however is an unusual presence in that it is a label strictly operating through Bandcamp. Run by Agoraphobic Nosebleed vocalist Jay Randall, Grindcore Karaokee has a vast catalog of bands covering every possible spectrum of grindcore and all available for streaming or free downloads. This offers a unique and easy to access platform for many smaller acts and those who lack the means for larger physical distribution.

I'll admit my perspective might be narrow in regards to the world of trends and the music biz, being that I grew up with cassettes and saw their demise and was really a child of CDs, but in an age were people are less inclined to pay for digital files, Bandcamp has been a pleasant surprise and an effective halfway point between blog-whoring download links and artists/labels getting their names out. As Mr. Butler points out...

"The Internet is a great place, and I'm scared the SOPA thing, ISP monitoring downloading, and the whole download blog crackdown is going to affect free underground music heavily... so these are my wants to keep my releases available for free (Bandcamp) and cheap but making the money count (digital distribution via my aggregator)."

If we are entering an era of a Phillip K. Dick-like crackdowns on internet freedoms, then Bandcamp might be a strong contender for maintaining our collective wants as enthusiasts and supporters of independent bands and labels.

Interlude

With the advent of hurricane paranoia, I found myself trapped, in doors, for the weekend and due to my situation couldn't work on this illustrious blog (plus a huge workload yesterday that I'm still feeling today). That said, here's a little place filler (Sorry for the lack of a MNV!!! Next week, I promise).

From our good friend Adam over at Gilead Media, we have exclusive original artwork from RAINBATH Visual.  Having done artwork for Ash Borer, Fell Voices, and Deafheaven I have seen a lot of this stuff and absolutely love it. A little out of my price range, but hopefully not yours. Check it out on EBAY.


The fall proves to be an exciting time here in NYC, beyond the beautiful weather I'm waiting for, we get to have lots of shows. Swans, Wolves in the Throne Room and Thou, Despise You, etc. So come out if you're in the area.

Got a nice list in the making, keep your eyes peeled.

And if you're a hockey fan like me, check this out. He's not much of a goalie, and apparently he likes "4-5 songs" by Maiden, but whatever. Cool as hell.

True/FALSE

Lo and behold, another promising young black metal band pushed into the limelight by our friends at Gilead Media and Howling Mine. If Fell Voices, Krallice, Ash Borer or Barghest don't ring a bell than you've got your day set for you.

False's ferocious, non-stop, high stake style of playing paired together with omnipresent vocals and unexpected, but strangely welcomed synth accompaniments round out False's unique sound. While the two songs span roughly 25minutes, it's unfair to compare them to bands such as Wolves in the Throne Room, Fell Voices, or Leech. Instead, False employs what I can only think of describing as "upbeat" melodies (see the beginning of "Key of Passive Suffering"). Furthermore, unlike other long-song black metal bands, False doesn't rely on atmosphere and repetition, but rather impact and melody. Taken from Gilead despot Adam,

"I first heard about FALSE while sitting around a coffee house in Madison, WI with Bryan and Andy from Thou. They had just played Minneapolis the night prior, where FALSE closer[sic] the show, and everyone in Thou was entirely and completely blown away by how intense and relentless FALSE were live. Just going off their description & the obvious impact left upon them, I knew I had to hear FALSE immediately." 

Relentless would probably the best adjective to describe False as the two songs don't skip a beat in transition and even the slow(er) parts of the songs surge with such urgency it's easy to take the guys from Thou at their word. And while this is all true, there's something that doesn't quite sit right with me. 

I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but I'm not a fan of the vocals.It might be the tonality or delivery of them, but for whatever reason I can't get into them. Beyond that, my other complaint lies in the cheesy at times synth effects. Throughout "The Key of Passive Suffering" they feel a bit too over the top and flounder in a middle ground of not quite symphonic black metal. That said, everything seems to click perfectly in "Sleepmaker" where the keys sound a bit more subdued and less over the top.

Listen to the full b-side which is streaming at NPR 

Limited shirt printed by Adam of Gilead Media to go with your new LP. Looks beautiful.

Pre-orders up over at Gilead, as well as all the awesome merch we've come to expect to be spoiled with from the label. 

False-"Untitled"2011

Krallice- "Untitled"2009

There's something in the drinking water of Gilead. With 3 black metal albums released in the pass year simply called "Untitled" and the Krallice repress done in '09 by the same name. Also note the similar covers.

Parting words from the band about themselves and their sound.

"Black Metal for post-apocalyptic desolation. Reject the promise of progress and the encompassing void that constitutes fulfillment. Solace in desecration."

Battles in the NORTHLESS

Beer capital doomernuaghts Northless set off on a anti-confederacy tour beginning this Saturday in Indianapolis, and moving its way through Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, and  ending with two shows in Illinois on the 20th. I hoep to catch at least one of the shows in NYC (and I'll be sure to post some dribble here).




If you haven't checked out their most recent release, a slickly produced titan of a record released through our friends at Gilead Media, Clandestine Abuse, you're missing out. Having found itself featured in Maximum Rock and Roll, Metal Sucks, Decibel Magazine, A.V. Club Milwaukee, Northless seem to have gotten around quite well (and rightfully so). More important than any reviews, hype or anything else worthless; they got a burger named after themselves. Take that!

Look forward to a CD release of Clandestine Abuse soon from Siege of Power, especially if that heavy DLP was just too much for your non-burger eating arms. And if it wasn't, Halo of Flies is repressing that fatty for you.

Here are the dates

Saturday Aug 13 - 9:00pm

Indianapolis, IN - The Dojo

Sunday Aug 14 - 7:00pm

Philadelphia, PA - The Olive Garden - w/ Bubonic Bear, Callous and Mollusk

Monday Aug 15 - 8:30pm

NYC - Lit Lounge - w/ Mortals, Demilitia

Tuesday Aug 16 - 9:00pm

Brooklyn, NY - The Charleston - w/ TBA

Wednesday Aug 17 - 9:00pm

Wallingford, CT - Cherry St. Station - w/ Victims (SWE), Misanthropic Noise, Katahdin and Krakatoa

Thursday Aug 18 - 9:00pm

Albany, NY - Valentine's - w/ Planet Eater and Maggot Brain

Friday Aug 19 - 9:00pm

Columbus, OH - The Ravari Room - w/ Before The Eyewall

Saturday Aug 20 - 4:00pm

Chicago, IL - Reckless Records Instore

Saturday Aug 20 - 9:00pm

Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge - w/ Hunters, Coffinworm

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