Grey Widow have been around for barely a year (members have been/are in Dopefight, Parole and Evisorax) and their debut, I, is a record that belies that freshness – although the record itself is far from clean and pure. This monolithic beast of an album is slow, sludgy and disgustingly dark. It’s huge in tone and the UK quartet have created an album of complete misanthropic intensity and an experience that is harrowing, dirty and agonising.
What do we have here then? Oh, just a really cool split by two really cool bands, that’s all.
Ancst hail from the Berlin DIY scene and their blend of furious black metal with a hint of melody and more than a touch of hardcore (check “Patterns & Dreamers” if you don’t believe) is deadly and wholly infectious – you’ll be throwing that old invisible oranges pose before you know it. Hiveburner come from the same scene but I know bugger all about them and they are evidently quite hard to track down on the world wide web. That’s cool though, I guess?
Nonsun are a two-piece from Lviv in Ukraine and they deal in crushing tones of doomed out sludge and droned atmospheres of wondrous heaviness. Having emailed me way back in Janauary (sorry), Nonsun definitely piqued my interest and I’ve been meaning to get around to this for three months nearly. I am a terrible person and for that, I apologise.
Goatooth – Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Keys
Alpha – Drums
San Antonio based Ecocide have sadly split up (an event which occurred some time ago), but to continue their legacy Tofu Carnage Records are set to press a collection of previously unreleased material on vinyl. Four tracks of powerful and driven sludge make up this new compilation and show that Ecocide are certainly going to be hugely missed on the crust sludge scene. Blackened choruses showcase a knack for melody and deep growls of utter contempt permeate the oppressive atmosphere of When Will It End? with rage and outright disgust at the horrors of the modern world.
Their first and self titled LP was an important record in terms of message and action, and it’s a huge shame that Ecocide will no longer continue. Their history and legacy will live on though, through When Will It End? which is a huge and heavy work, and one that consistently reveals new layers of sound and tone through repeated listens.
Heidi – Violin and Vocals, Brian Gordon – Guitar, Nick – Guitar, Brian Slaughter – Bass, Elliott – Drums
1. Despair
2. Pain
3. When Will It End?
4. Barren
This last year has been pretty great in terms of music, but also on a more personal note, 2012 was actually pretty decent. Good things happened and bad things certainly occurred, but 2012 was the year that I realised that I’d found what I wanted to do in life – and now starts the long, hard road to making that a reality. I’ve come across some incredible people in my writing life that have helped me out in more ways than they can ever know. By giving me chances, by allowing me to hear new records, to making sure that I get to see that all important band that I love, and for the people that might actually read the things that I put out there, thank you. This writing lark is a constant learning curve, and I don’t think it ever ends. I’m excited for 2013. I’m excited for the music that I’ve been lucky enough to already hear, I’m excited for the music I’m yet to hear. Despite the fact that my real life job might not exist in six, three maybe even one month, I can’t wait to see what happens in other aspects of my “career.”
Here’s a picture of Darkthrone hanging out to break up the seriousness. Oh, you guys!
Bleak Metal 