Monarch!

Throne Records is accepting pre-orders for the new Monarch, Mer Morte now. "Mer Morte is their most ghostly and hypnotical release to date, comprised of one 35 minutes long track (divided in two parts). Essential minimalistic and atmospheric Sludge here."

only 666 copies will be pressed, so get yours while they last.

Throne records

Gate Is Dope & Kayoma-Sdyeane

quickpost, two cd-r's from japan.

gate is dope is a 50 minute slab of mammoth riffs and droning ambience. i would have hoped for some groove among the doom and gloom, but overall a decent effort.

kayoma-sdyane are a bit more straight forward, and follow the teachings of sunn o))) . short bursts of sunn-like droning riffs mixed with almost bluesy basslines.

Gate Is Dope - Question

(2008, Self Released)
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Kayoma-Sdyeane - The Living Dead And The Dying Man CDR
(2008, Self Released)
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Mythical Beast

Mythical Beast - Scales [2008, Language of Stone]






first full length for Mythical Beast was released on Language of Stone, a sub-label of Drag City. they've built up some rep (at least with me) with solid split releases with both Pocahaunted & Cloudland Canyon. largely psych that at times even flirts with being stoner rock but can also swing into a trancelike rhythmic mellowness (River Blindness is a good example). the thing that really sets Mythical Beast apart is the powerful voice of singer Corinne Sweeney. she sort of reminds me at times of BellRays singer Lisa Kekaula, probably because the soulfulness that underlies her singing. a very solid debut full length that really doesn't have a weak song on it.

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sorry for the lack of updates recently, i've been tied to some real life shit. i'll try to update more frequently.

anyway here's one of my favourite splits this year. aguirre are from france and the mighty hongo from spain. i guess aguirre took their name from the herzog movie, and there's a long sample from the said movie in the first song, jagtejev69 (at least i think so, my german is a bit rusty and i've never actually seen the movie). they play apocalyptic sludge doom, somewhat remiscent of newer neurosis.

the hongo side is a little faster, not too much though. their sound is a sweet mix of epic crust and sludge. the vocalist takes a bit of time to get used to, personally i love his style but many think he sounds too constipated. then again you'd think a bloodthirsty mummy wailing death from his tomb would be, and i think he might be one. anyway all around good stuff and i hope to hear more of aguirre.

Aguirre / Hongo Split
(2008, Abitbol & Exutoire)

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The Angelic Process

i just read (a few months late i guess) that K. Angylus passed away last summer. Weighing Souls With Sand, the last Angelic Process album has become one of my all time favourite albums, and the two old albums are very good as well. there's not that many people making original, heavy and touching music these days and his passing is a huge loss. here's Weighing Souls With Sand from 2007 released on Profound Lore. i urge everyone to get the old albums as well.

rest in peace.

The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls With Sand
(2007, Profound Lore)

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part 1
part 2

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Emergency Room Comp

Emergency Room Vol. 1 [Nominal Records]

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i'm generally not a huge fan of comps, they tend to be uneven or unfocused. i usually have to sit through filler to get to the handful of songs i really like. this is definitely not the case with Emergency Room. this is the second release by Nominal Records out of Vancouver Canada. i can say that after only a handful of releases (a couple i'm also posting) that i'll be eagerly awaiting anything else that they put out. the basis for this comp is DIY punk with a creamy noise rock center. the majority of these bands are fronted by female singers which i love. i'm not going to go through this band by band or song by song, but i will say that the first time i heard Instinct by the Mutators my jaw dropped. the one misstep on this album is the closer by Sick Buildings and not even because it's a bad song. it strays more to the straight noise side of things and just doesn't seem to fit the overall sound of the album.

SIDE A:
1. DEFEKTORS-Burning Light
2. DEFEKTORS-Kick First One
3. PETROLEUM BY-PRODUCTS-Rat Face
4. PETROLEUM BY-PRODUCTS-Grossest Thing
5. VAPID-Sex Stain
6. VAPID-Die
7. WHITE LUNG-Therapy

SIDE B:
1. MUTATORS-Instinct
2. MUTATORS-VvV
3. TWIN CRYSTALS-Trinity
4. TWIN CRYSTALS-Safety
5. NU SENSAE-Graceland
6. NU SENSAE-Don't Panic
7. NU SENSAE-Peter Tripp
8. SICK BUILDINGS-The Commuter

i'm throwing in some other short samplers of some of the bands that participated (gull skull also posted Nu Sensae earlier).


Mutators/Shearing Pinx Split 12" [Ugly Pop]

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White Lung - Magazines 7" [Deranged]

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Defektors - Secret Trials/Doomsday Girl 7" [Nominal]

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Vapid - Do The Earthquake 7" [Nominal]

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