- Obituary – ‘Brave‘
Obituary are a classic choice for those who are fans of the Florida based death metal scene. Their latest album ‘Obituary‘ was released on March 17th via Relapse Records and has received many positive reviews. It also reached the 184th position in the US Billboard 200. ‘Brave‘ is the opening track of the album.
Mary Kalaitzidou
- Wordclock – ‘Where Mercy Lives‘
I really just can’t say enough good things about this new Wordclock album. It easily made the top 5 of my favorite album choices for the year. Pedro Pimentel from Wordclock has already proven his skills on his previous two dark ambient albums through Cryo Chamber. But this new one, ‘Heralds‘, takes a musician that is never afraid to push or break genre limits to new heights.
The track ‘Where Mercy Lives‘ masterfully combines Pimentel’s use of bass and drums in dark ambient with the live instrumentation of album guests Amund Ulvestad on cello, George Shamanauri on trumpet and Nuno Craveiro on the Scandinavian native instrument, the nyckelharpa. The combination of all these elements brings us into almost totally out of dark ambient territory and into something that would be better described as dark/noir jazz. I hope you will all enjoy this gem as much as I am!
Michael Barnett
- Run The Jewels – ‘Call Ticketron’
The alternative hip-hop supergroup Run The Jewels yesterday aired the video for ‘Call Tickerton‘ off ‘RTJ3‘. Directed by Brad & Brian Palmer RTJ’s banger gets its ideal visualization. A giant spider, a space freak, a fake news network and RTJ on a dance uproar are more than enough for the b-movie, sci-fi inspired video. Turn the volume up and enjoy this eye-melting video. Ace!
Christos Doukakis
- Erdve – ‘Prievarta‘
Erdve were formed in 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. The band’s members had already been active in local projects. With Erdve though, they pursue an agonizing sound combining black metal, hardcore and sludge. Their themes contain domestic violence, crimes against humanity and extremism among others. Their debut album ‘Vaitojimas‘ (meaning “gibberish moaning”) will be released on February 9th 2018 via Season Of Mist.
Mary Kalaitzidou
- ＳＫＹＥＮ – ‘Drown In Misery‘
You could also dedicate your whole life listening to only a very small percentage of its everyday releases. I feel lucky getting to know ＳＫＹＥＮ, a Polish witch-house/dark rave project, whose debut album is very pleasant surprise. ‘Drown In Misery‘ is one of the most outstanding tracks of the album, Setting off in the typical witch-house style, the track takes off after the 3rd minute to a dark rave hymn with strong jazz-noir elements. If there ever were a sequel to “Requiem For A Dream” this one would certainly be one of the key tracks of its soundtrack. Until then…
Christos Doukakis
Compiled by Mary Kalaitzidou, Michael Barnett & Christos Doukakis