Steve Moore - The Henge

Relapse Records / Static Caravan Records
2007
Vinyl 12" / CD




'The Henge' is the first solo album released by Steve Moore, one half of Zombi and current member of drone titans Earth. Following the success of Zombi on Relapse records, 'The Henge' has received a full release on Relapse, compared with the limited release Steve's first demo in 2003 received, and it shows how popular this brand of 'space prog' has become. Well maybe not more popular, but it is clear that Zombi's breakthrough has created plenty of interest in this fairly unique sound.
First impressions of The Henge are slightly disappointing, many of the same keyboard sounds, urgent basslines and changes in pace and key are used in a way which directly imitates Zombi. It's perhaps slightly harsh to criticise the re-use of such a distinctive palette, but it certainly won't win over critics of Zombi. However this is all far from a bad thing, the sense of otherworldy epic scale is still as compelling as ever, and this is taken much further on The Henge than Zombi have done so far.
If The Henge has used the same palette as Zombi, the results paint a completely different picture. The five tracks merge seamlessly into each other (I am hindered slightly here by reviewing the vinyl pressing), and everything is stretched out in order to wring every last drop of enjoyment out of each keyboard pattern. For me this is where the comparisons with Zombi end, Zombi being very much about the manic, horror soundtrack inspired ascension, whereas The Henge is essentially five tracks of menace and suspense with absolutely no desire to resolve or come to a peak. This is best displayed in the title track which is a nervous, tapping keyboard line, some very blunt percussion and waves of noise crashing around. Rather than being messy or overblown, it just manages to carry off the atmosphere perfectly. It's worth noting that the outro (well final track, Cepheid) is equally fantastic, drone reminiscent of Sunn O))) with melody slowing emerging from some quite brutal crashes.
For all the big words and detailed comparisons with Zombi that I have thrown at this record, it's still very accessible. There are a few lines that are really very catchy and it's not a record that makes you wait to long or suffer awkward passages, quite a relief in a album that could have so easily been a chore. I am very fond of The Henge, it's an epic (if slightly short) album which creates an unparalleled sense of awe and is very worth listening to if you like anything prog, cinematic, sci-fi or indeed simply epic (not in the typical Isis or Tool style). Ultimately a Zombi side project, but I probably like it more than any other Zombi record.


9 / 1 0


Notes

• Steve Moore recently carried out his keyboard and trombone for Earth's current UK tour
• Steve's first demo has been made available again recently, as an iTunes only download, with a vinyl repress due from Hlava records sometime soon.
  

m o r e o f 2 0 0 7

Plenty of great short records this year, splits, EPs and one sided 12"s are a completely different game to full length albums and there have been a few great examples of this.

• Corrupted - An Island Insane 7" / Vasana 7" HG Fact
  

The Japanese doom legends return with a pair of quite difficult to get hold of, but incredible 7"s. Released mailorder only by HG fact, in specially designed mailers that held the two records in solid black sleeves. Taken together these records sound like a condensed evolution of Corrupted's earlier work, steering clear of the epic expanse of 'El Mundo Frio', which basically means that we get manageable 5/6 minute chunks of Corrupted. Which is good news because it means leaden riffs, inhuman vocals and walls of perfectly sculpted noise. Vasana features an echoed clean guitar lead in part 1 before descending into awkwardly melodic dirge on the second side. It works perfectly and is the strongest of the 2 records. Corrupted rarely go wrong, each new record just seems to add a layer of excellence, and while I prefer the stronger riffs of 'Dios Injusto' and 'Se Hace Por Los Suenos Asesinos', 'Vasana' is probably my favourite short record this year.

• Orthrelm - Soft Targets v2.2 5" Soft Targets
  

Released as an accompaniment to arty/culture mag Soft Targets, Mick Barr gives his attention back to Orthrelm for the first time since the painfully intense 'Ov'. First impressions are really all to do with the concept of this record, because it is a Pink 5" with 105 seconds of music. Musically its closer to 'Asristir Vieldroix' and Octis than 'Ov' or even the split with Behold...the Arctopus, almost by definition according to the miniature track lengths. So we get about a minute and a half of blistering technicality, over what sounds this time like a pounding drum machine. An essential accessory really, though I wish my record player was more inclined to play this.

• Coalesce - Salt and Passage 7" Second Nature Recordings
  

Reviewed earlier in the year, and just as good as it was then. 'Son of Son of Man' seems to be the very clear favourite however, the slightly more oddball beats of 'I am This' are proving to be less addictive than the twisted muscular groove of 'Son of...'. Things are looking very good for Coalesce right now, though less re-releases and treading of water would be much appreciated.

• Xasthur / Striborg split 7" Autopsy Kitchen
  

One of many split records released by both Striborg and Xasthur in recent years, though this split managed to turn the tables with both Sin Nanna and Malefic contributing material completely unreflective of their recent albums. To put that better, 'Defective Epitaph' is excellent, the Xasthur track here is weak and derivative. 'Ghostwoodlands' was a bit of a let down from Striborg, yet 'The Epitome of Misanthropy' is brilliant. Shambolic, tinny and nasty; it sounds incredible. The key is however the sweet and melancholic melody on an out of tune piano that plays over the outro, which works so perfectly you don't want it to stop. Certainly the best Striborg track this year.



There have been many more interesting releases this year, I'm not going to list everything that i picked up, as little as it was, because this is really about what was best, or just struck a chord with me. Or even got me into something new. The Corrupted and Xasthur/Striborg records are sold out at source now. The split comes up on eBay quite frequently, but I have yet to see a copy of the Corrupted records. Good luck...

2 0 0 7

In Brief - 2007 has been an interesting year, filled with the usual disappointments from the big names, and brilliant surprises from the unknown. I've also seen my own tastes develop, something which won't show too much from music this year, but largely in what I've chosen to listen to the most. Boris, Eyehategod, Growing, Darkthrone, Mayhem, Xasthur, etc. have been important and it's been a good year for pushing the envelope for me. The lists I've made are going to be a lot more personal than usual, as a top ten should be, so I hope a few people will read this.


The 10 Albums of 2007

10. Sword Heaven "Entrance"
Load Records
Long awaited following a series of epic demo tapes, and finally picked up by Load records, Sword Heaven released their debut album this year. It's nasty sounding, easier to get a grip on than the various tapes, skittering and shattered noise falls over near tribal beats and fractured vocals. Reminiscent of early Swans, which is definitely an unpleasant but good thing.

9. Loinen - "s/t"
Blind Date Records
Finnish doom, very much in the tradition of mid-period Melvins. Characterised with jerky stop and start riffing, clever drum work and unique vocals. Massively satisfying to hear in a year of almost exclusively deep south / eyehategod influenced sludge, this album hits with some brutal, nasty riffs yet very much has its place in modern doom.

8. Eluvium - "Copia"
Temporary Residence Records
For me, an emotional album that is entirely about feeling and depth. Difficult to place, but in the end such a perfect sense of grandeur and subtlety with expert instrumentation. Strings and woodwinds and well as the backbone of piano push this far, far ahead of the Eluvium material that went onto the split 12" with Jesu.

7. Xasthur - "Defective Epitaph"
Hydrahead Records
Malefic gets it right again, that is all really. The big additions of live drums and strings are kept low in the mix, which turns out to be one of the strong points of this record. Thick waves of noise all but drown the bass and drums, with vocals and synths occasionally pushing through. Far into the realm of blackened shoegaze (awkward, i know) at times, but mournful and oppressive above all.

6. Deathspell Omega - "Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum"
Norma Evangelium Diaboli
Almost at the completely opposite end of the scales to 'Two Hunters', 'Fas...' is quite honestly one of the most brutally technical back metal albums I have ever heard. The album seems to work at two speeds, an atmospheric mid pace reminiscent of a blackened Gorguts and a breackneck technical blast. Disorientating and unpleasant, yet never technical for its own sake, this basically sounds like a descent into a technicolour madness.

5. Big Business "Here Come The Waterworks'
Hydrahead Records
Big Business step up their game considerably from the one dimensional, yet awesome 'Head For The Shallow'. It would be easy to put this down to the influence of the Melvins, but Jared and Coady are legendary in their own right. Better riffs than '(a) Senile Animal', choruses that are of Karp quality and the addition of a supporting guitar player all add up to make a great, great rock album.

4. Deerhunter - "Cryptograms"
Kranky
Probably the most 'indie' album on this list, and front runner for album of the year for most of the year. Catchy, clever, dreamy and danceable in equal parts, 'Cryptograms' brings up memories of the best of early shoegaze and noise, while still being completely fresh and compelling. Extremely satisfying as a pop album, yet loses nothing when taken as a whole. 'Spring Hall Convent' and 'Hazel St' are the kinds of songs that get easily attached to memories, yet only positively.

3. Oxbow - "The Narcotic Story"
Hydrahead Records
The first new Oxbow release I have been around to appreciate from the start, I originally heard these songs on the Love's Holiday acoustic tour, and while some songs still work best that way, there is no doubting the power of this album. An immediate candidate for the album of the year, the twisted pulse of this album churns out thoroughly touching moments as readily as unpleasant outbursts. Eugene Robinson completely outdoes himself, every track is a perfect performance in every way. Musically, its more of the blues/noise/rock that only Oxbow can do, this time with unparalleled depth of feeling. Pretty much perfect.

2. Do Make Say Think - "You, You're A History In Rust"
Constellation Records
After being a slightly interesting aside to my own perception of post rock for a very long time, it all seemed to suddenly make sense with this album. No emphasis on tedious 'build up' or soaring delayed guitar lines, but instead a beautiful sense of melody and unpretentious, short songs. With fall back of very natural, almost folky guitar lines and memorable sighed vocals, there is almost infinite room for an expanse of instrumentation. I find myself constantly going back to this record and humming along to every line, certainly the most uplifting album of 2007.

1. Wolves In The Throne Room - "Two Hunters"
Southern Lord
As reviewed earlier in the year, this is a fantastic album. Deep, symphonic post - black metal (if that means anything) that completely avoids cliche and sounds as lush and refreshing as it is epic and brutal. For an album so obviously black metal there is so much going in 'Two Hunters' tied to an inescapable sense of melody and emotion. Yes.



Those That Did Not Make It -

• Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity - Simply not as good as 'The Runners Four', some great tunes and it's still deerhooof, but disappointing nonetheless.
• Neurosis - Given To The Rising - Again a great album, but very much middle of the road compared with the rest of Neurosis' material. I have an extended review to post, this was a difficult call
• High on Fire - Death Is This Communion - Flat sounding and sadly a bit predictable following on from 'Blessed Black Wings'. Killer riffs, and new bassist Jeff Matz works incredibly well with the band, but it was hard to get excited about.
• Om - Pilgrimage - Fairly simply. a great album, but too short. Song writing seems to have gone backwards from the near perfect 'At Giza' as well.

Potential Additions -

I havent heard albums by Clockcleaner, Wooden Ships, Prurient, Boris & Michiho Kuhihara, Portal and Earth yet.

Jesu / Eluvium Split LP

Hydrahead Records / Temporary Residence Records
2007
Vinyl 12"


The second instalment of the Hydrahead / Temporary Residence collaborative series sees Jesu and Eluvium take one side of a limited LP each. The first instalment was an incredibly fast selling joint venture between two of Hydrahead and Temporary Residence's bigger names, Pelican and Mono, yet lacked new material, especially from Pelican. However, the second instalment promises to be much more interesting, more new material from Jesu (with a new direction) and a follow up to Matthew Cooper's beautiful 'Copia'.

Jesu are the bigger name in this package, despite the fact that all Godflesh and Napalm Death reference is pretty much irrelevant now, and Jesu has become a success story on its own. Recent releases 'Sliver' and 'Conqueror' were a lot more tuneful and melodic than 'Jesu' or 'Heartache', which didn't sit well with many fans. The barren drone, simple beats and melancholic vocals were replaced with a general increase in pace, almost cheesy lyrics and definite catchiness. Still unmistakably JK Broadrick, and still very good, but relatively unexpected. This split LP does nothing to change this trend however, the depth and bleakness is all but gone, and there is a very definite nod towards classic shoegaze artists such as My Bloody Valentine. Opener 'Farewell' is the weakest track sadly, ponderous and perhaps even irritating, but fortunately the rest of the Jesu side is good. A lot of the more unnecessary flourishes of Conqueror have gone, and the fuzzy yet clear sound that sums up Jesu is allowed to breath a bit more. Interestingly the tracks on this split are entirely at odds with the Sun Down / Sun Rise 12", which was by all means a fantastic return to type. This split LP is probably the best of the lighter side of Jesu, perhaps on an equal footing with the Silver EP, but most should stick with the Sun Down / Sun Rise 12"

For what could have initially been a closely matched pair, the Eluvium side of the this split could not be any more different. Matthew Cooper is joined by Jeremy Devine, and the tracks on this split don't have much in common with those of the most recent Eluvium record, Copia. Copia was a lush, dense and beautiful album with decadent classic orchestration that set it apart from the typical post rock crowd. 'Time Travel of the Sloth Parts I, II and III' is a lot more cut down that this, and is closer to Eluvium live shows. The track is a shifting, delicate wall of drone that sounds most like a piano led Growing. It's much lighter than say, Sunn O))), and slightly messy when compared with Growing, but the piano parts add a lot to the sound and when combined with the sometimes dramatic dynamics it creates an interesting piece of work. It isn't in the same league as Copia, its a very different thing all together, which is good rather than great.

Overall this split LP is a let down, JK Broadrick manages to turn in two good tracks that are far from his best and are perhaps more of an attempt to pursue a variety of material under the Jesu banner. The Eluvium material is better, yet far from essential. In fact since I started to write this, I have not gone back to this split and both Jesu and Eluvium remain firm favourites.

6 / 1 0


Notes

• JK Broadrick has since released a further EP on Hydrahead, 'Lifeline', which features guest vocals from ex-Swans legend Jarboe.
• Eluvium are due to make their first live appearances in the UK supporting frequent tour partners Explosions In The Sky for a UK tour.
• Copia was one of my favourite albums of this year
  

Links

• Hydrahead Records
• Temporary Residence Records
• Jesu
• Eluvium
  

Coalesce - Salt and Passage 7"

Second Nature Recordings
2007
Vinyl 7"


After eight years of break ups, fall outs and extremely limited reunions, Coalesce have finally released their first new material since the classic '0:12 A Revolution In Listening'. Massively influential and popular, yet still as relevant as Converge despite having been out of the loop for so long, Coalesce have effortlessly managed to evolve their sound, just as they did between 'Give Them Rope' and '0:12 A Revolution In Listening'. The choppy phrasing, stripped back sound and groove from '0:12...' have been taken to extremes, now backed up with incredible musicianship and an abundance of ideas. 'Son of Son of Man' sounds as if it has been broken into pieces, then messily put back together - Riffs are constantly overlapping or stopping short, and the whole track is paced in such a satisfyingly uneven way, while still managing to be thoroughly catchy. 'I am This' is similarly good, slightly more familiar, but still fantastically clever and addictive.
'Salt and Passage' is pretty much the perfect comeback release from a band as important and unstable as Coalesce. Both tracks don't rely upon any gimmicks or new elements, and are far from being tired re-treads of what they have done in the past. New Coalesce sounds muscular, fragmented and very, very catchy. Which is clearly good news.

9 / 1 0


Notes

• Salt and Passage has been printed on a massive array of different coloured vinyl, with at least 3 different colours and different coloured sleeves for some versions. The rainbow press was limited to 60 copies, though black should still be available at least, and a second press is likely.
• Coalesce recently finished a tour with their inferior labelmates at Hydrahead, The Daughters, and hopefully they'll make their way to Europe soon.
• Blue Collar Distro (run by vocalist Sean Ingram) is also carrying the bands first live DVD set, 'No Business In This Business', incorporating footage from 14 different shows. This will only be available through Blue Collar and on tour.
  

Links

• Myspace
• Sean Ingram's Blog
• Buy 'Salt and Passage' at Blue Collar Distro
  

Southern Lord Records Round Up

Greg Anderson's Southern Lord Records has been exceptionally busy of late, releasing quite a large amount of material from a variety of artists new to the label. Well, new artists may be misleading considering that Gravetemple, Burial Chamber Trio and Magistral are one-off collaborations featuring the usual suspects (Stephen O'Malley, Greg Anderson, Attila Csihar amongst others). Yet several new artists have been introduced to the label, including, Glorior Belli, Om, Weedeater, Wolves In The Throne Room and Striborg. Most offer up no real surprises considering the history of the label and fit the bill of either being black metal, drone or 'stoner rock'. Being familiar with most of these artists, ive decided to look at Glorior Belli, Wolves In The Throne Room and Magistral, the three records that presented the greatest unknown quantity.

Glorior Belli - Manifesting the Raging Beast
The French black metal trio return with their second album, and first for Southern Lord. First impressions of this album are unsatisfying, its disappointingly straightforward for a black metal album. The production is sharp and clean, the musicianship is tight and varied and there are no overblown keyboard lines. Unfortunately this results in an album without a particular sound of its own, where even the vocals are forgettable. Solid, tight and much more listenable than most black metal, yet not bleak enough to be sucked into and reliant on too many familiar riffs. There are however some catchy and quite clever parts scattered around this record, usually when the band drop to a mid pace and actually show off. The solo at the end of final track 'Altered Verses' is overblown and all the better for it, while the more relaxed pace lets the drums breathe and we actually get some interesting fills. 'Manifesting the Raging Beast' is a decent album, and would be good listening for someone who likes the idea of well produced black metal, yet it would fall short for fans of say Xasthur or Striborg for the same reasons

6 / 1 0


Stephen O'Malley & Z'EV - Magistral
Another SOMA collaboration, adding to his list of recent joint outings including KTL (with Pita), Grave Temple (with Attila Csihar and Oren Ambarchi) and Aethenor (with Daniel O'Sullivan and Vincent de Roguin). While O'Malley is famous for his droning guitar work, Z'EV is a reknown experimental percussion artist. This was always going to be a challenging (bordering on pretentious) record which would stand or fall depending on how the two managed to work together, especially considering the usual lack of percussion in O'Malley's work. What we have ended up with is something initially impenetrable that with further listens reveals itself to be astonishingly atmospheric and clever. The breadth of sound is balanced perfectly, in that Z'EV provides the momentum and tension, with SOMA filling all of the available space with undulating, twisting noise. This record works entirely because of the percussion. Over the course of the record the percussion becomes more and more pronounced and never fails to catch the attention. O'Malley is flawless as usual, perfectly complimenting Z'EV, the only failing being that it does lack variety. 'Magistral' is an excellent collaboration, with considerable niche appeal i.e. fans of SOMA and Z'EV, as well as fans of ambient music in general.

7 / 1 0

Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters
More black metal on Southern Lord, and straight off the back of releasing the vinyl edition of Wolves' last record 'Diadem of 12 Stars', their new album 'Two Hunters' comes onto SL first. First thing to catch the attention about this album is how long the tracks are, there are only four, three of them clocking in at around ten minutes, which is certainly sign of something a little different. 'Two Hunters' sounds different as well. 'Diadem of 12 Stars' was a fantastic, progressive and really quite melodic black metal record, and 'Two Hunters' builds on this considerably. With a more dense sound and a lot more variety and experimentation in structure and instrumentation, the album comes out as something very similar to post-rock, yet with the fury and despair that you would expect from black metal. 'Two Hunters' might not have the brutal edge of many black metal albums, but the epic and bleak picture that it paints is utterly compelling. Opening track 'Dia Artio' is elegant and un-metal, and works as a five minute introduction to the mood of the album, and really makes it clear that this is not going to be a stereotypical black metal album. Instead, 'Two Hunters' is an incredible album, while thoroughly black, more than enough new elements are introduced that don't seem contrived and don't clash.

9 / 1 0


Notes

• Wolves In The Throne Room look set to become a regular with Southern Lord, and have already toured with Sunn O))), Earth and Weedeater. Their current tour is (for the most part) with Jesu. A European tour would be much appreciated.
• The next major release on Southern Lord is the highly anticipated new record from Om. Entitled 'Pilgrimage', it will be Om's first double LP. SL recently issued a sample track online, and it can probably be summed as more of the same, only with more riffs and better production.

Links

• Southern Lord
• Glorior Belli
• Wolves In The Throne Room
  
• Stephen O'Malley
  

Boris @ Nice 'n' Sleazy's

After another year of hard work, both in touring and release schedule, Boris return to the UK for a largely sold out tour, including this packed date in Glasgow. As has become the norm for Southern Lord bands on tour, talk concerning this gig has either focused upon the merch available or how 'posers' who turn up for the merch are tossers and don't deserve the tickets. Which is all a bit of a shame, Boris have recently released a formidable run of albums and EPs, most prominently 'Pink' and 'Rainbow', both of which contributed to the show. In short Boris are still at their very peak, and the increasing variety of their material indicates a band that are far from stale.

The set tonight includes a large chunk of 'Pink' including both the post rock and heavy rock sides, culminating in a gorgeous rendition of Flood, perhaps the pinnacle of Boris' career so far. Before Boris though was the questionable support, local 'electro doom' one man project Loss Leader. Playing guitar and singing over laptop backing, he immediately hit problems with the backing going out of sync almost immediately after about 30 seconds. After a couple of attempts he resorted to playing an improvised, Khanate inspired (yet particularly uninspired) few minutes of doom. Sadly it just doesn't work tonight, and the set is abandoned abruptly. After listening to a few tracks away from the gig, Loss Leader has a very interesting m83 mixed with some Joy Division type sound, which seems a baffling relation to doom, but would be well worth checking out.

After the extremely brief support, and the novelty of the merchandise stall wearing off, Boris come to the stage quickly and kick off the evening proper with 'parting'. A straightforward and easy opener to the evening, it seems to set out the band's agenda for the evening i.e. waves of feedback, riffs and some great vocal melody. Sadly this rules out the Melvins inspired sludge of Amplifier Worship, but you can't have it all. A nice mix of tracks are played across the rest of the set, including tracks from Heavy Rocks, Akuma No Uta, Rainbow and more from Pink. The heavy rock mid section of the set is utterly exhilarating, Atsuo's drumming being a major high point. For a band that do rock and roll so well, Boris are equally if not more impressive at droning post rock soundscapes. Of which 'Flood' is a perfect example, and is the highlight of the set and a perfect second half. Boris play a slightly truncated version tonight, around 35minutes compared with the 70 minutes and four parts of the original album.

The performance is near perfect and every movement works wonderfully. The band moves quickly through the quieter parts, yet the cacophonous, feedback drenched outro is milked for everything it is worth. Atsuo steals the show at this point, abandoning his drumkit and concentrating upon hammering the gong at the back of the stage, making perfect use of what could have been a gimmick. But Boris are far from being a band that could ever be seriously accused of being gimmicky, and they work through a varied set which is absolutely seamless. The only criticisms tonight are that most people cant actually see the band and we don't get an encore.

Boris may be constantly evolving their sound yet as long as they are willing to play the likes of Flood, Feedbacker or Absolutego live they will continue to be an incredible live band.


Notes

• Boris have a packed release schedule this year, so far this year they have released - Walrus/Groon, Rainbow LP + Boxset, Split 2xLP w/Doomriders
• A live 2xCD with Merzbow is on the way, as well as a split 10" with Stupid Babies Go Mad
• The UK tour culminates with a date at Koko in London with Isis and Oxbow (full band, not the Oxbow acoustic duo that toured the UK with Isis)

Links

• Inoxia Records
• Boris Homepage
• Southern Lord
• Hydrahead Records
• Nice N Sleazy Homepage