Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn (2013)

Genre: Atmospheric/Epic Black/Folk Metal
Quality: MP3@128MBPS
About: Apologies for being away so long and thank you to all who continue to follow me! Here is the album we've all been waiting for, for seven years. Unfortunately the quality is not perfect, but what do you expect a full MONTH before release. I WILL be buying this on Vinyl. And I recommend you do the same.

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The Sins of Thy Beloved - Lake of Sorrow (1998)

(Had to censor the cover because I think I said this blog was safe for work... LOL! Original Image (NSFW))


Genre: Doom Metal / Gothic Metal
Quality: MP3 @ 192 KBPS
About: As far as I know, this is the only album where a violinist named Pete Johansen is featured prominently. Why do I go straight to the violinist? Because holy mother of jesus, it is amazing. Pete does not play the violin, he makes sweet passionate love with it.

That aside, this is a simply perfect doom-gothic metal album. In every song, there is a trade off between the terrific male growls of Glenn Morten Nordbø, and the light and beautiful female vocals of Anita Auglend. He is so harsh, whereas she sounds so vulnerable.

An interesting component of this album is that while the violin is very prominent in the first three tracks, it almost completely drops off later in the album. The album as a whole seems to get a brighter feeling towards the end. For example, the three minute violin intro to track 3 "Worthy of You" nearly makes me break out in tears, but the violin chorus in track 4 "Lake of Sorrow" is (ironically) a happy little folk tune.

The feeling I get from this album is difficult to describe, but I will try. Even when you are drowning in a lake of sorrow, there is always hope.


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Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht (2012)

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Quality: mp3 280KBPS VBR
About: Here is the long awaited new album from my favorite band, and kings of german black metal. Before I even start I want to say that this is not actually Lunar Aurora, but a Trist album with the singer of Lunar Aurora on guest vocals. See below line ups from their official website.

"Andacht" (recorded 2006)

Aran: Guitars, Voice
Sindar: Keyboards, Bass-guitar, Voice, Programming
Skoarth: Guitars

"Hoagascht" (recorded 2011)

1. Im Gartn
2. Nachteule
3. Sterna
4. Beagliachda
5. Håbergoaß
6. Wedaleichtn
7. Geisterwoid
8. Reng

Aran: Guitars, Voice, Keyboards, Bass-guitar, Programming
Whyrhd: Voice

Recorded: September 2011
Format: CD, Digipak CD, 12" LP
Label: Cold Dimensions

Though, What i describe as the "true" lineup of Lunar Aurora has not been seen since 2005.

"Mond" (2005)

Aran: Guitars, Voice
Whyrhd: Guitars, Voice
Sindar: Keyboards, Bass-guitar, Voice
Profanatitas: Drums



Anyway...
If you are expecting an "Andacht 2" you will certainly not find it here. This album is self-described by the band as stylistically falling somewhere between Elixir of Sorrow (2001) and Zyklus (2002). A more experimental and atmospheric album, with some ambient sections, but not overriden by them.

"Sterna" is the first legitimate black metal ballad I've heard. "Beagliachda" has a recurring keyboard solo. The title track "Håbergoaß" (note that this album is sung in a different dialect of German) is the only song reminiscent of pre-2001 Lunar Aurora, with a driving beat. The first time I heard "Geisterwoid" I thought the album had ended and I had gone to an early demo - It's raw and brilliant. "Reng" is the best closer of any Lunar Aurora album.

Definitely this is a grower album. The first time I listened, I thought it was a joke. Now it's my 100th listen and I'm absolutely hooked. This is not a Lunar Aurora album, this is not a Trist album, this is a beast all of it's own.


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Buy (Unfortunately a somewhat dated website... go there, click "English" at the top, then search by "Lunar Aurora". The vinyl cost 30USD including shipping which took about 2 weeks. So worth it.)

A Metal Hurricane, Vol. 4

Genre: Varies, see description and track listing.
Quality: Mostly over 192kbps MP3, one is AAC.
About: I believe this is my best playlist to date. If you're here, likely you already have bands like Alcest (Track 8), Angra (10), Revolution Renaissance (14), and Grey Waters (9). But you probably don't have Yearning (1), Far Beyond (3), Enter My Silence (7), Pay No Respect (12), or Shadow Gallery (15). These are all great and very underrated metal bands! I won't say more specific things about the aforementioned bands, you should experience them for yourself.

Because of bands like Alcest, Austere and all related bands, I've been getting more into shoegaze. It is called that because founding artists generally stared straight down during live performances. I used last.fm shoegaze radio to find bands like The Depreciation Guild (5), who became an instant favorite. This song has such a great beat and I wish I was in a band because it would be such a nice candidate for a power metal cover!

I've always been into very melodic music, whether it's rock or metal or anything else. I was randomly browsing a blog, and I usually hate when music is played on music-blogs because people are probably already listening to music while browsing! But in this case it was a very good thing because I heard another instant favorite - Brother Firetribe (2). This is melodic rock but it is somewhat heavy at times, and it is interesting because it was actually founded by the guitarist/composer from nightwish! Annette is even in one song (not this one). The singer here is absolutely incredible, he is like a combination of Mark Boals and Michael Kiske which are my two favorite living singers. Powerful yet clean.

Kymera (6) is another unknown amazing melodic rock band, with another vocalist who reminds me of Kiske.

Glen Hansard (4) is an amazing singer-songwriter and the best decision he ever made was to release a movie called Once in 2006. This is direct from the movie and I'm not sure why but just seemed to fit very well in that spot in the playlist.

Serj Tankian (11) is of course the singer from System of A Down. I consider their first album a metal album, but since then the band and the recent solo projects have shifted more to a mainstream alternative sound. Here, he experiments which I really like. The album as a whole is too slow and uneventful, but this track grabbed me. I guess the disco-type beat.

Billionaires Boys Club (13) is the epitome of unknown hard rock. It features Mark Boals on vocals, and had some really enjoyable songs such as this one. It's just one of those bands that remained unknown for some reason. Lack of promotion and touring. This band would have done really well today now that we have internet to find all this great music!


Track List (1:13:22 total time):
1. Yearning - Bleak (Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal / Clean Vocals)
2. Brother Firetribe - I'm on Fire (Melodic Hard Rock / AOR)
3. Far Beyond - My Way Of Endless Grief (Melodic Power Metal)
4. Glen Hansard - Say it to Me Now (Acoustic / Singer-Songwriter)
5. The Depreciation Guild - Crucify You (Shoegaze / Chiptune / 8bit)
6. Khymera - No sacrifice (Melodic Rock / AOR)
7. Enter My Silence - Thin Red Line (Melodic Death Metal)
8. Alcest - Tir Nan Og (Atmospheric/Acoustic Black Metal / Shoegaze)
9. Grey Waters - The Truth is in Your Eyes (Depressive Black Rock/Metal / Shoegaze / Emo)
10. Angra - Lease of Life (Power Metal / Ballad)
11. Serj Tankian - Deserving? (Symphonic/Alternative Rock/Pop)
12. Pay No Respect - Only the Brave (Hardcore / Beatdown)
13. Billionaires Boys Club - Send Your Fat Friend Home (Hard Rock / Glam Metal / AOR)
14. Revolution Renaissance - Crossing the Rubicon (Power Metal)
15. Shadow Gallery - Colors (Melodic Metal / Ballad)

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Yearning - Frore Meadow (2001)

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal / Shoegaze / Doom Metal
Quality: mp3 @ 192 kbps

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Suicide Solution, Vol. 2

Genre: Depressive Suicidal Black Metal + closely related genres.
Quality: 192-320kbps mp3.
About: In these past 10 months since I made Vol. 1, I've found I'd only scratched the surface of what is actually a very deep and varied genre. I want to let the world know that, while I discover it for myself. There are countless clone bands: Fast blast beats, screaming nonsense, no melody, sounds like it was recorded with a tape recorder from a dollar store on the other side of a brick wall........ That is what this collection aims to avoid.

I wanted a collection of unique yet similar sounds and ideas, with a production value that can at least be appreciated and doesn't hamper enjoyment of each song. I personally believe I did a pretty good job. I also kept it limited to 74 minutes, the standard for a CD. (Especially hard since songs of this genre tend to be so long!). I also created a cover which will be used for all future entries in this series.

I hope you will find as much enjoyment out of these songs as I do.

1. Lantlôs - These Nights Were Ours (Kind of obsessed with this song and I think its a good playlist opener. My #1 song of 2010 and I don't see how anything can top it.)

2. Happy Days - Don't Go (Really emotional song ending in what sounds like a wolf howl. Just chilling. Since I stupidly used their cover for Vol. 1 I figured I should put them in here.)

3. Apati - Sömnlösa Nätter (Just found this "black rock" band and instantly love them. Apparently their new album that just came out is even better.)

4. Monarque - La Vallée Des Larmes (This is what I was talking about when I said "unique" sounds.)

5. Mortuus Infradaemoni - Mortuus Et Prodeunt Infradaemoni (Raw yet clear song and I just love the riff. You'll know which one I'm talking about. Not technically "depressive" but come on, it is. So underrated I had to put them on here.)

6. Silencer - Taklamakan (No idea what this song is about, but it just gets into this awesome jam part where you want to bang your head.)

7. Shining - Krossade Drömmar Och Brutna Löften (I won't argue if you say they're overrated, but this is a heartfelt completely acoustic guitar track that's melancholic and sad and a great interlude.)

8. Walknut - Come, Dreadful Ygg (Another unique band I just found and need to devote more time to.)

9. All the Cold - Coldly to Heart (Essentially the last song of the "Children of Failure" split, one of the few albums to seriously make me feel like crying as the songs are so emotional. It just keeps beating you down harder, you need to get it if you don't have it.)

10. Austere - To fade with the Dusk (This band split up recently but with this song you can hear how amazing they were. Really the classic DSBM sound but they do it so perfectly and clearly.)

11. Sad Legend - The Reaper's Song (From the newest album, it seems like something is missing but that only makes me like it a little more, I think.)

Runtime: 72:42

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Lantlôs - .neon (2010) (320kbps MP3)

Genre: Atmospheric/Depressive/Suicidal Blackened Shoegaze
Quality: 320kbps MP3
About: Yesterday I discovered this came out, and since I had listened to their album and demos before and liked them, I thought ok I should get it. But if someone had ran my face over with a steamroller I would not have been more surprised. This is a band who has matured so much over the past 5 years, from an almost blast-beat-fest on every song, to... this. Every song brings this wave of emotions, varying from anger to introspective to sad. The musical content varies along with it, there are moments of the fast aggressive black metal everyone loves, then there's passages with progressive-sounding beats and also minimalist parts. I don't know what more to say except it must be heard to be believed. New song of the year: "These Nights Were Ours."

Recommended A must-listen for all fans of the genre, in fact the multi-instrumentalist creator of Alcest is the permanent singer for this band now, and the artwork was done by a member of Les Discrets.

Neige - Vocals (Alcest, Peste Noire, Mortifera (Fra), Phest, Amesoeurs)
Herbst - Guitar, Bass, Drums, Lyrics (Epitaph, Herbst, Impavida, Líam)

Cover artwork by Fursy Teyssier (Les Discrets).

1. Minusmensch 07:49 2. These Nights Were Ours 04:41 3. Pulse / Surreal 08:21 4. Neige de Mars 05:01 5. Coma 06:07 6. Neon 07:42 Total playing time 39:41

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Alcest - Alcest / Les Discrets Split (2009)

Alcest:

Les Discrets:


Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal, Post-Rock, Shoegaze
About: I have been eagerly awaiting this for two months now, and oh man, it was worth the wait. The first track "Percées De Lumière" marks Alcest's first new material in over two years. Whereas the previous album is more commonly classified as "shoegaze", this song makes a bit of a return back to the black metal roots, with heavier riffs and black screams. Track 2 is a mostly ambient song with some clean vocals, but it serves as a decent interlude between the two artist's songs.

Now where I was really surprised was the first "Les Discrets" track. I had listened on myspace, and thought it was ok, but this track grabbed me and bitchslapped me in the face. Surprisingly heavy, great atmosphere. Track 4 was not as memorable, and i felt the 2 minutes of silence at the end was completely unnecessary. But then Les Discrets redeems themselves with Song For Mountains. It is supposedly a demo, but it sounds pretty finished to me.

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Torrential Downpour - Torrential Downpour (2009)

Genre: From Minimalist/Ambient/Atmospheric to Death/Thrash/Experimental Metal/Hardcore
About: I'm sitting here thinking how to describe this music in words, and I just can't. It's so innovative and original. A lot of it is beautiful atmosphere but each song builds to a climax of heavy thrashing guitars and flying corpses (well maybe not but it sounds like it).

The first peak of the album is "Toile" which is almost 13 minutes, and it reminds me of atmospheric black metal in style, however I don't think it technically is... If you like Lunar Aurora, Trist, Drudkh, etc. this is for you.

Then the whole album builds to a climax which is "Three Twenty (The Hologram)". They might as well call it Four Twenty (The Orgasm) because it is a melodic death/thrash masterpiece. The last track is a perfect conclusion because it is a light flowing beautiful electric guitar melody.

The band members themselves seem cool, judging by that picture above and the fact that they signed my album when i asked. With very nice signatures I might add.

This band deserves so much more exposure than it has, so if you like it PLEASE purchase it and tell your friends! I'll tell you the album comes with a lot of extra goodies as well, but I won't ruin the surprise.

Buy this album (or their EP) on their Myspace!

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