Getting Laid at Bandcamp VIII
Welcome back to hell, campers.
Yhdarl – Ave Maria (Belgium) 2011
There is no comfort, no savior, no help, no hope… There is only suffering and sorrow. Screams and shrieks of torture are echoed and layered upon beautiful distant echoing female chants that complicate and infect my mind. Am I in hell? I feel the usual pain that is sometimes associated with hell, but no… This is different, these screams are driving me insane; they won’t stop. I sense others’ pain and suffering now. It is layered upon my own. It slowly decays my body and eats away at my soul. There is a monster’s voice talking to me now, but… I can’t make it out. It is more distant than the others. WAIT! NO! I hear it much clearer now and it’s so beautiful. The screams of suffering are gone but something doesn’t feel quite right. This monsters voice is chanting now. It sounds ritualistic. I’m ripping off my fingernails. What is going on? I can’t stop this act of self mutilation. OH GOD! OH GOD! NOOOOOO! SATAN! YOU HAVE COME FOR ME! Now I’m screaming with the others and this horror has become monumental. I am now surely in hell, and the suffering is timeless, so I shall make it glorious. These screams no longer bother me. I realize I belong among them. And they are the soundtrack to my misery which I’ve always somehow desired. Around me I see flesh in flames, and the flesh of others is melting into mine; the pain of others has been merged into my own. Lying on a bed of flame while those around me cry for God’s help, I open my mouth for one final scream of agony. A man beside me reaches for me as he is skinned alive, offering comfort as I lay burning and scalped. It is in this very moment that I find I have just finished listening to Ave Maria by Yhdarl.
ENERGUMEN – Void Spiritualism 7”EP (Switzerland) 2014
This brief but dense EP is nothing short of a depraved and savaged onslaught. Blackened guitar riffs, mean and rank as Satan’s breath, lay as more-or-less background to the prominent, blasting drums. I don’t find this to be a bad thing; I actually feel that the upfront drums pack a bigger punch with ENERGUMEN’s savage playing style. There is nothing slow about this demo other than a few breaks that give the band just enough rest to go right back to shredding apart the holy name again. Void Spiritualism is the very first release from these savage warlords. Fans of Revenge, Blasphemy, Conqueror, and Diocletian — get on this now. Thanks to Spear for putting this on This Toilet Tuesday.
QRIXKUOR – Consecration of the Temple (London, UK) 2014
This is a band that I’ve been sharing with a lot of people recently (most recently our pals Howard Dean and Rob M), but have never written much about. I’ve been listening to QRIXKUOR‘s murky, spacey first demo on and off now for about 5 months. These song structures are so well thought-out that they’re nothing short of brilliant. If you can trudge through the massive reverb-laden production you’ll hear some tight and imposing musicianship. The riffs are grim and mean, while the drums are blistering and a bit technical at times. The production of this album is clearly not for everyone, but I doubt that’s what matters to QRIXKUOR. The truth is that it’s perfect for QRIXKUOR’s desolate and menacing playing style. This demo comes straight out of the crypt of lost souls that screams sorrow. Consecration of the Temple is a hell of an experience that will devastate and conquer. This is by far one of my favorite demos of this year, if not my favorite.
Sheol (שְׁאוֹל) / Fōr – Tehom/Ginnungagap (United Kingdom & Sweden) 2014
Tehom/Ginnungagap is a short and sweet monument of minacious decay, consisting of only one song from each band. Both of these bands destroy equally, but do it in their own different ways. Sheol keep their death metal simple by playing an old school style similar to bands like Autopsy, Incantation, and Grave Miasma. “Phosphagous Amorpheona” isn’t breaking any new ground, and that is perfectly fine. Sheol make up for it in massive heaviness and grimness. Fōr also keep their death metal old school, but add a much more doomy distastefulness to it. The song “To Envisage a Fuliginous Sun” is hate-filled, pulsating black puss that infects the soul. Fōr combined with Sheol becomes a bomb that explodes the second you push play. This is one of the most horrific death metal splits of this year, coming from seemingly unstoppable label. Be sure to check out tons of other killer releases from Iron Bonehead Productions here.
L’Avenir – L’Avenir S/T (Baltimore, Maryland) 2014
Sometimes I need something dark and soothing to zone out while concentrating on my work. Dark wave/Cold wave and synth pop is something that I’ve just recently begun to dabble in, and its been quite fun and quite depressing at the same time. L’Avenir, a project I just recently ran into, was created by Jason Sloan (who is in many other projects that I’ve not yet to looked into). This S/T pours bleakness and despair, but it is done in a way that it is satisfying and euphoric. The dark, warm background synth pads are complimented with dreary lead synths that add a haunting chill. The vocals remind me of a softer-sung Ian Curtis from Joy Division; beautiful , but uneasy. This is a dark album, but a very warm one, too. Zone out and get lost in it.
Guest Submission of the Week
This weeks Bandcamp artist comes from some jabroni named Christian Molenaar.
Bastard of the Skies – Bastard of the Skies (Lancashire, UK) 2008
On their Bandcamp page, Bastard of the Skies name-check Amphetamine Reptile, Fudge Tunnel, Karp, Harvey Milk, High on Fire and The Melvins. Sure, all those are present in spades, but a lurking hardcore crustiness hides beneath the surface and that’s where the band’s self-titled debut really shines. While the band’s songwriting skills may be in their infancy on this album, the intensity on display here more than makes up for it. The band has a few more releases on their Bandcamp and if they’re any indication, Bastard of the Skies are on to a good thing.
