Morning Glory - The Whole World Is Watching

Artist: Morning Glory
Album: The Whole World Is Watching
Genre: Melodic Punk
Origin: USA
Year: 2003

Morning Glory is the side project of Ezra from Leftover Crack. It is just about the most melodic an album can be while still feeling entirely like rough-around-the-edges, street punk. This is partly an affect of the low-tech recording and production, and partly just a matter of attitude (with songs like "Gimme Heroin" and "School is Bullshit" you know these guys aren't going mainstream anytime soon). In any case, this album is catchy as hell. The last few tracks are off The Suicide Singles.

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Electric Wizard - Electric Wizard

Artist: Electric Wizard
Album: Electric Wizard
Genre: Stoner Doom Metal
Origin: UK
Year: 1995 (this is the 2006 re-issue)

Electric Wizard is often named as the best that doom metal has to offer. And I can't really say I disagree; this is some really heavy, primo metal music. Jus Oborn is the main man behind Electric Wizard, doing guitars and vocals (and as far as I know the song-writing as well) for this album. I think Electric Wizard reached higher peaks, in particular with Dopethrone, though this is still one of the better doom metal albums I think I've heard. This re-issue includes two bonus tracks which were taken from the Doom Chapter demo.

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Myrddraal - Blood on the Mountain

Artist: Myrddraal
Album: Blood on the Mountain
Genre: Black Metal
Origin: Australia
Year: 2001

Myrddraal is another band I initially looked into for the band name, and it was once again worth my while! They play rather raw black metal with a feeling of otherworldliness, which is fitting since they take much of their lyrical content from the Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels (RIP Robert Jordan). Dumai's Wells is probably my favorite track, with the haunting intonations of Mazrim Taim toward the end: "Ashaman raise a barrier to the skies, Ashaman KILL!" Daughter of the Night is also a pretty cool track (it's about Lanfear for y'all biscuitheads).

Fun Fact: According to Metal-Archives, the former bassist is now involved in professional wrestling.

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Burst - Prey On Life

Artist: Burst
Album: Prey On Life
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Year: 2003
Origin: Sweden

To me Burst sounds somewhat like Mastodon with different vocals and better song-writing. It's got metalcore elements and sludge elements, but mainly it's just awesome progressive metal. I really like every song on this album.

band site

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Nokturnal Mortum - Lunar Poetry

Artist: Nokturnal Mortum
Album: Lunar Poetry
Genre: Folk Black Metal
Origin: Ukraine
Year: 1996

Nokturnal Mortum plays some of the best folk black metal I've heard. And I like them enough that I can pretend they aren't clutching to that sad nazi gimmick. This is a very early release for the band, and it might be their best. On Metal-Archives it has 4 reviews, averaging 100% - not bad! The later works, including To The Gates of Blasphemous Fire and Weltanschauung, are also worth checking out. I have no clue if the melodies are at all accurate to traditional eastern european folk music, but they are certainly compelling, and the band does pretend to care a lot about their heritage. The (awesome) bonus track was added on the 2001 re-release.

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Agnostic Front - Victim in Pain

Artist: Agnostic Front
Album: Victim in Pain
Genre: Punk
Origin: USA
Year: 1984

This is the classic from the fairly well-known hardcore punk band Agnostic Front. It's inspiring, chant-along kinda stuff. I guess Blind Justice is the most famous (and probably the best) track, and it's been covered a few times, including one by Napalm Death, paying tribute to a major punk influence. This album has a ton of awesome tracks, and it really doesn't have any flaws I can think of, though I recommend avoiding a lot of Agnostic Front's later material.

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RX Bandits - The Resignation

Artist: RX Bandits
Album: The Resignation
Genre: progressive ska rock
Year: 2003
Origin: USA

I really appreciate everything this band stands for, musically, politically, and culturally. The RX Bandits are a hippie ska band that have taken on elements of reggae, progressive rock, pop, hip-hop and hardcore (sounds like a lot, but you'll hear it when you listen). Their best songs are probably those that are reggae based (Overcome: The Recapitulation <3), href="http://www.rxbandits.com/">band site

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Mystic Forest - Waltz in the Midst of Trees

Artist: Mystic Forest
Album: Waltz in the Midst of Trees
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Year: 2002
Origin: France

Mystic Forest draws very heavily on classical music as can be guessed from the album title, though most of the classical compositions used are not actually waltzes. You may also hear an accordion in passages that sound very traditionally French. In just about every song the beginning is one of serene beauty which quickly switches into fuzzy atmospheric black metal. I enjoy the album Romances equally, I only chose to post this one in particular because I had the files handy.

band site

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Detestation - Agony of Living

Artist: Detestation
Album: Agony of Living
Genre: Crust / Anarcho-Punk
Year: 1997
Origin: USA

Detestation is a crust anarcho-punk band with female vocals from Portland, Oregon. If you are familiar with other female-fronted crust punk acts like I Object! or Mankind? or A//political, this is a pretty standard but very enjoyable album. The music is furious and dense and seemingly a bit more metal than their counterparts, and the lyrics hit the typical animal rights and class war topics as well as a pretty heavy dose of depression.

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Menace Ruine - In Vulva Infernum

Artist: Menace Ruine
Album: In Vulva Infernum
Genre: Drone / Ambient Black Metal
Year: 2008
Origin: Canada (Quebec)

Yet another great black-ish metal band from Canada. And this duo is really out there: droning atmospheres and hypnotic synths, with subtly insistent clean vocals along with the distant sounding drums and shrieks. This is only their demo, but it is definitely going to make my top-ten albums of 2008. They have already released two additional full-lengths, which I would love to hear if they are half this good.

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Dead Prez - Let's Get Free

Artist: Dead Prez
Album: Let's Get Free
Genre: Revolutionary Hip-Hop
Year: 2000
Origin: USA

Dead Prez is a revolutionary hip-hop duo, with an extra emphasis on the 'revolutionary'. These guys are very angry about things as they are in the US, and they mean to do something about it. This is probably the most 'serious' rap music I have ever heard. They aren't against having a good time, as can be seen in the slightly more upbeat songs "Mind Sex" and "Happiness", but the lyrics are thoughtful and the focus on revolutionary social change is always clear.

I'm not sure how I feel about the "Revolutionary But Gangsta" stuff they have made more recently. I understand about solidarity with the oppressed and all that, but on this album they made a big point about mainstream rap culture being counterrevolutionary, and I'm worried that they might be moving toward that. It seems that they release an album every election year, so the new one should be out soon.

Anyway, this here is one of my favorite hip-hop albums; I highly recommend it.

artist site

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Sin Dios - Ruido Anticapitalista & Alerta Antifascista

Artist: Sin Dios
Album: Ruido Anticapitalista & Alerta Antifascista
Genre: Anarcho-punk
Year: 1991 & 1993
Origin: Spain

This is a reissue album comprised of two eps from Madrid squatter punks Sin Dios. I don't understand much Spanish, but from their name ("Without God") and the album titles, I can guess the lyrical content pretty easily. The songs are everything you could hope for from a good anarcho-punk band: fast, short, angry and inspiring.

band site

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Aarni - Bathos

Artist: Aarni
Album: Bathos
Genre: Doom Metal / Psychedelic Rock
Year: 2004
Origin: Finland

Aarni is a funeral doom metal band that has mostly abandoned the genre in favor of experimental, psychedelic melodies and strange sound combinations. As you listen to this album the first time, you will never be sure what's going to come next, but you know it will be interesting. All instruments are played by Master Warjomaa, including the prominent flute; the other band members listed on the website and album notes do not have a physical existence. As well as being musically unexpected, Aarni makes lyrics in a ridiculous variety of languages and topics. And the cd case for Bathos is really neat if you decide to purchase it. I also recommend Aarni's split with Umbra Nihil, which is a bit more in the funeral doom tradition.

band site

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Nae'blis - Beyond the Light

Artist: Nae'blis
Album: Beyond the Light
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Year: 2004
Origin: Sweden

Beyond the Light is the first full length release from the Swedish one-man black metal project Nae'blis. It doesn't really compare to the masterpiece of depressive black metal that is Sketches of Reality (which is also posted on this blog) or the split with Dominion, but I had to have anything I could find by this artist. And you should still download this, because it's a high quality atmospheric black metal album, and a prelude to the greatness to come.

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power metal mix

It's not an album this time, just a collection of a few great power metal songs I uploaded for someone. And sharing is caring, so here it is. Note: if you haven't heard these, you should, power metal fan or not.

songs:
Rhapsody - Holy Thunderforce
Black Abyss - Time
Blind Guardian - Into the Storm
Stratovarius - Black Diamond
Wizard - Witch of the Enchanted Forest

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Ska-P - Lágrimas y Gozos

Artist: Ska-P
Album: Lágrimas y Gozos
Genre: I'm gonna let you guess on this one
Year: 2008
Origin: Spain

This is the newest release from the slightly pop-y Spanish ska punk band Ska-p. I've only listened to it once so far, but I think it's a quality album. The first track, Ni Fu Ni Fa is especially fun to listen to. The band's typical leftist political stance seems to be present, though I don't know enough Spanish to be sure. I wish I knew why that cat has a boomerang.

band site (be warned: it plays music automatically. I hate that shit.)

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Panopticon - Panopticon

Artist: Panopticon
Album: Panopticon
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2008
Origin: USA

Panopticon is a one-man black metal project from Kentucky. He is part of the new and growing (I hope!) RABM scene (red & anarchist black metal). He makes his anarchist philosophy clear in Flag Burner, Torch Bearer, ...Speaking..., and I, Hedonist, not to mention the quote in the intro track, which I'm pretty sure is from Emma Goldman. I've heard some people say that it's ridiculous for a black metal band to have leftist politics, but I really don't see a good reason for that. Black metal was not political in the beginning, the nationalists weren't present until more recently. I think the only reason fascism has been so common in black metal is for the shock value; I guess Satanism just wasn't evil enough anymore. And in fact anarchism is much more in line with black metal's rebellion against modern society. Anyway, the music on this album is quite good atmospheric metal, regardless of the politics. The last track is a cover of I.C.B.M. by the crust punk legends Amebix.

"Tonight all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people. "
- Flag Burner, Torch Bearer

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NOTE: this one's not on mediafire, so when the link expires, leave me a comment so I can re-upload.

Carbon Based Lifeforms - World of Sleepers

Artist: Carbon Based Lifeforms
Album: World of Sleepers
Genre: Psychedelic Ambient
Year: 2006
Origin: Sweden

This is music for times when you just want to chill. It's rich with the interesting note-progressions common to psychedelic electronic music, but it's also music that doesn't rush itself. None of the tracks on World of Sleepers are 'goal-oriented' the way so much music in the western tradition is. Carbon Based Lifeforms just asks you to go with the flow, and it'll end wherever the music happens to end up. Also, they get bonus points for references to abstract mathematics.

artist site

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Woods of Ypres - Against the Seasons: Cold Winter Songs From the Dead Summer Heat

Artist: Woods of Ypres
Album: Against the Seasons: Cold Winter Songs From the Dead Summer Heat
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Year: 2002
Origin: Canada

Woods of Ypres aim to play "summer metal", music that captures the harshness of the season so often ignored by nature themed metal bands. This is the band's first demo release, and it is based more in black metal, whereas the later albums are essentially heavy metal. On all of their releases the melodies are beautifully written by guitarist/vocalist David Gold, who I think is the frontman, but for some reason the keyboardist is front and center in every photograph.

band site

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Hammerfall - Crimson Thunder

Artist: Hammerfall
Album: Crimson Thunder
Genre: Power Metal
Year: 2002
Origin: Sweden

I've gotta admit, I appreciate a power metal band that isn't afraid to come across as a little gay. I'd say this album is somewhere between Gamma Ray and Manowar on the power metal spectrum, with the catchiness and solos of the former and the cheesy posturing of the latter. Hearts on Fire is a just plain uplifting song, and I think you'll find yourself singing it in the shower.

band site

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Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape

Artist: Sigh
Album: Imaginary Sonicscape
Genre: Psychedelic Black Metal
Year: 2001
Origin: Japan

This is my favorite (and the weirdest) release from Japanese avant-garde black metallers Sigh. I've seen someone describe this as "King Crimson decided to take on black metal", and I think that's a good way to think of it, with a hint of Mr. Bungle as well. Crazy keyboards are abundant on this album, but the guitars take the melody more often than not and pull off a couple excellent solos along the way. Several different and interesting vocal styles are also thrown in for good measure. If you are looking for straight-up black metal from this band, go for Scorn Defeat or Hail Horror Hail instead.

It feels like I've been posting a lot of Japanese music recently. Hey Rest of the World: you've got some catching up to do!

band site

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Boris - Akuma No Uta

Artist: Boris
Album: Akuma No Uta
Genre: Drone/Stoner Rock/Psychedelic Rock/Doom (says metal-archives)
Year: 2003
Origin: Japan

Boris goes from crushingly heavy, full-on droning walls of distortion to upbeat garage-punk (still crushingly heavy) to beautifully psychedelic guitar melodies, all in the same album. I saw Boris live about a year ago, and it was definitely the loudest show I've heard and also one of the most mentally-encompassing. This music can bring me into a trance and then start me banging my head and sometimes even singing along. This might be music for headphones, just don't turn it up too loud or the bass might stop your heart.

band site (it's got a very interesting layout. check it out!)

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Choking Victim - No Gods No Managers

Artist: Choking Victim
Album: No Gods No Managers
Genre: Crack Rock Steady (punk)
Year: 1999
Origin: New York

This is one of the best punk albums you will ever find. Self-proclaimed as "Crack Rock Steady", they play angry punk with ska and extreme metal influences, with Stza delivering one of my favorite black metal shrieks. The music is solidly based in punk, but it is surprisingly complex and filled with catchy melodies and crust-like intensity. These (former?) squatters fill their songs with lyrics about international politics and economic reform, revolution, killing cops, anti-Christianity, the general shitty-ness of life, and killing more cops. The band has since reformed as Leftover Crack (one of the original members of Choking Victim died, but I'm not sure if that's the reason they broke up), which I have been lucky enough to see in concert 3 times, and I highly recommend catching a show if they come to your neighborhood. Leftover Crack plays pretty much the same music (sometimes exactly the same - write some new songs damnit!), which is also great and I will upload some if I get a request.

Also! as an added bonus, I threw in a nice version of 500 Channels by Guerilla Poubelle. It's in French!

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Michael Franti & Spearhead - Yell Fire!

[Barack Obama being given the cd by a fan. Not even photoshopped!]

Artist: Michael Franti & Spearhead
Album: Yell Fire!
Genre: Reggae, Hip Hop
Year: 2006
Origin: USA

I was first introduced to Michael Franti at the Power to the Peaceful festival that he puts on every year, which was originally a rally to free Mumia Abu-Jamal I believe, but it has become a huge concert and anti-war/hippie gathering in San Francisco. He's a hip hop artist who draws heavily from funk, reggae and rock. This album was written and recorded largely in Kingston, Jamaica and it really became a down-tempo reggae recording where he utilizes his full vocal range rather than rapping. The songs are very catchy, and the lyrics are inspired by his visit to Iraq, Israel and the occupied territories of Palestine. "The thing that I found when I was in war zones was that nobody wants to hear songs about war. They want to hear songs about connection to people, and songs about love and life, songs that make them dance." (quote from his website) Time to Go Home is especially one of my favorite songs in the world.

band site

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Infected Mushroom - The Gathering

Artist: Infected Mushroom
Album: The Gathering
Genre: Psychedelic Trance
Year: 1999
Origin: Israel

This is an album from the early days of Infected Mushroom and the Israeli psytrance/goa scene. The Israeli government does some crazy things, but you've gotta love jewish people, they're just so damn creative! This album might not be quite as deep as Classical Mushroom, but it's still some of the best electronic music I've had the fortune to hear. With some trance artists I start to feel that they aren't offering enough melody to go along with the pounding beats, but Infected Mushroom keeps me interested with every song. I haven't heard much of this duo's more recent work, but it seems like it is going in the direction of mainstream trance/rock, which would be fine if it didn't mean leaving behind this great style of unique electronica. Psycho is the "hit" single from this release, but the album is equally exciting from start to finish.

artist site

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NOTE: this is a little weird because the whole album was too large for Mediafire. SO, the final track from the album is uploaded separately.

Gallhammer - Ill Innocence

Artist: Gallhammer
Album: Ill Innocence
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2007
Origin: Japan

Gallhammer is an all-female black metal band from Tokyo with influences from doom metal and crust punk (if anyone knows any other good all-female bands, please leave me a comment). A lot of the songs on this album have a definite crust backbone (Killed By the Queen in particular is very Amebix-esque). There are also some more down-tempo, melodic black metal pieces that can only be described as twisted. This isn't especially technical music (it's black metal/crust after all), but the songs are well put together and the growls are terrific. Gallhammer also has another full-length from 2003 and a slew of demos, none of which I have heard.

EDIT: Ok, I've come across Gallhammer's other full-length, Gloomy Lights, and it has more of a crust punk feel to it. It's good, and I would definitely recommend it to crust fans, but I think I prefer Ill Innocence as an overall album.

band site

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Intro5pect - Intro5pect

Artist: Intro5pect
Album: Intro5pect
Genre: (Electro-)Punk
Year: 2003
Origin: USA

Good old school street punk with killer electro beats. You might expect something like this to be over-produced (one of the big problems with newer punk bands like Against Me), but they stick to the fist-pumping, chant along, too fast style of punk without any compromise. The songs are quite catchy though, and they are host to some passionate lefty, working class lyrics. They are from southern California, but the keyboard player is from Reno - represent!

band site

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Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance

Artist: Pagan's Mind
Album: Celestial Entrance
Genre: Progressive Metal
Year: 2002
Origin: Norway

Pagan's Mind will sound familiar if you know progressive power metal like Symphony X. It will sound familiar, but it won't just be more of the same. The depth of the song-writing is unparalleled, even among progressive rock/metal bands. I get the feel that this is sort of a concept album (aren't all prog albums?), though I can't really be sure since I don't listen to this for the lyrics; it just progresses between songs on this long, full record. The band has some other solid releases as well, but I think Celestial Entrance is definitely the best. And I'm not sure if this should influence you or not, but on metal-archives it has 6 reviews with an average of 95% (half of them said 100%).

band site

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Flower Travellin' Band - Satori

Artist: Flower Travellin' Band
Album: Satori
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Origin: Japan
Year: 1971

This is a psychedelic rock gem from Japan, the home of some of the weirdest psychedelia I've come across. There is a notable Black Sabbath influence and I think it is heavy enough to please any heavy metal fan (and it's listed on metal-archives), but I would stop short of calling this a heavy metal album. It's just too... hippie. The whole album might as well be a single track, for how all the songs seem to build off each other, and you just might feel that you are on a deranged trip in the time of Hunter S. Thompson.

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Darkspace - Dark Space II

Artist: Darkspace
Album: Dark Space II
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient
Origin: Switzerland
Year: 2005

Darkspace's most recent album, creatively titled Dark Space III (the song titles are equally creative), is much more of a standard black metal release, though rather atmospheric, and it seems to have gained quite a few fans among internet black-metallers. But Dark Space II (this album) is much more interesting, and it is what I think you should listen to! It is very ambient, which is fitting for a band that claims to be going for a sound "like the nothingness of space". Here you will find three very long tracks (dark 2.8, 2.9 and 2.10), with rather slow, hypnotic guitar parts, minimal synths and a fuzzy production that adds to the droning feel. I wouldn't recommend this for someone's first black metal experience, but if you enjoy black metal or dark ambient, this is a record for you! Also, the guy from Paysage d'Hiver is in this band, just so you know.

band site (nothing much there at the mo)

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Sleep Terror - Probing Tranquility

Artist: Sleep Terror
Album: Probing Tranquility
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Origin: USA (Seattle)
Year: 2006

I'm not normally a big death metal fan, so for me to listen to it death metal needs to be really good or really weird. This album is both. It's a purely instrumental album from a band that is now a one-man outfit (I guess some of the band's other material has death metal style vocals... but I just can't imagine that fitting in very well). The album is filled with technical guitar wankery that will please fans of Necrophagist (I am also a fan of Necrophagist), but the songs tend to be jazzy or funky as much as they are heavy.

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Lunar Aurora - Elixir of Sorrow

Artist: Lunar Aurora
Album: Elixir of Sorrow
Genre: Black Metal
Origin: Germany
Year: 2004

Lunar Aurora is the band I've listened to the most in the past year, and I wish I had found out about it sooner. It's a band that makes very dense, atmospheric music that is quite clearly black metal but is also somehow different from anything else I've come across. In fact, the only thing I ever really dislike about Lunar Aurora is the occasional use of battle/screaming samples, which is really unnecessary for a band that crafts such amazing dark atmosphere with every song. The album Andacht is my favorite, but this one is fantastic as well! If you are a fan of Drudkh, I think you will definitely enjoy this.

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Ningizzia - Dolorous Novella

Artist: Ningizzia
Album: Dolorous Novella
Genre: Symphonic Black Doom metal
Year: 2003
Origin: France / Sweden

If you think of Novembers Doom, My Dying Bride, Swallow the Sun, etc. as death doom metal, then this would be black doom metal. One of the members of Ningizzia is also the man behind the very similar sounding Forest of Shadows. I find the songs to be catchier in general than most doom metal, which is a product of some quality guitar riffs. This album features violin and flute parts as well as some well-integrated synths. If you are into slow, melancholic music, I predict you will love this album.

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Lik - Besvärtade Strofer

Artist: Lik
Album: Besvärtade Strofer
Genre: Black Metal, Rock
Origin: Sweden
Year: 2005

The music is rather atmospheric in a black metal sense, but it doesn't really utilize black metal guitar riffs. In that way it is very similar to the Dornenreich album I posted a while back. It is elegant, beautiful and mystical. The band members seem to also be in Armagedda, though I don't hear too much similarity myself, and I personally enjoyed this quite a bit more than the Armagedda album I have.


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YOB - The Illusion of Motion

Artist: YOB
Album: The Illusion of Motion
Genre: Doom Metal / Sludge
Origin: USA
Year: 2004

Though I think The Unreal Never Lived is YOB's finest album, this is another wonderful release from the Oregon based doom metal / sludge band. YOB sadly broke up in 2006, but the guitarist/singer started a new band named Middian (unless the bullshit lawsuit by Midian forces a name change), which is supposedly much more rock oriented. The music on this album is crushingly heavy and is made up of 4 very long songs, but it doesn't really ever get bogged down in mundaneness or repetition, the flaw of many similarly styled bands. The growls and the clean-ish vocals complement each-other nicely.

UPDATE: yAy! YOB is back! party time!

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Tvangeste - Damnation of Regiomontum

Artist: Tvangeste
Album: Damnation of Regiomontum
Genre: Symphonic Black Metal
Origin: Russia
Year: 2000

The word 'epic' gets thrown around way too much when it comes to metal music. But if I was ever going to use it to describe black metal, it would be for the first track of this album, "From Nameless Oracle". The song is 13 minutes of feeling like you're taking part in some ancient mythology. The drums are programmed on this album, not the real deal, but they are programmed rather well and it never feels out of place with the music.

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Keny Arkana - Entre Ciment et Belle Étoile

Artist: Keny Arkana
Album: Entre Ciment et Belle Étoile
Genre: Hip-Hop
Origin: France
Year: 2006

Keny Arkana is a revolutionary hip-hop artist of Argentinian heritage, living in Marseille. This album title translates to something like "Between Concrete and Beautiful Stars". She is a very political artist, being a part of the alter-globalization movement. This album includes La Rage du Peuple, which I suppose is her hit single. I don't know a lot about hip-hop music, but I know that from the perspective of a rock fan, this is what I think hip-hop should be. She is clearly very angry and passionate about her lyrics, without being the kind of gangsta-rap some people might be expecting.

artist site

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Dornenreich - Hexenwind

Artist: Dornenreich
Album: Hexenwind
Origin: Austria
Genre: Black Metal, Rock
Year: 2005

I have seen a few mediocre reviews for this album, but I greatly enjoy it so I will try to give you a more positive idea of the record. The guitar is usually rather soft and the riffs are not the typical harsh black metal deal, the drums are not exactly thundering, and the vocals are pretty much a whisper through most of the album. But at the transition from the introduction into the second track the music makes a dramatic increase in intensity, and it will have you banging your head almost in spite of yourself. Although I would still consider it a black metal album, Hexenwind is kind of like blackened rock music, similar to Lik or Spear of Longinus or, to a lesser extent, Dimmu Borgir's Stormblast.

band site

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Planet Smashers - Unstoppable

Artist: Planet Smashers
Album: Unstoppable
Origin: Canada
Genre: Ska
Year: 2005

The Planet Smashers deliver upbeat ska with the best of 'em. This delightful album highlights the horn section and will have you tapping your feet. Each song has its own vibe, though the album is unmistakably the Planet Smashers throughout.

band site

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NOTE: Sorry to everyone who took it while it was missing track 1. It's fixed now!

Nae'blis - Sketches of Reality

Artist: Nae'blis
Album: Sketches of Reality
Origin: Sweden
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2007

I first looked into this because I'm a dork and I liked the name, but this ended up being the best new album I heard last year. The atmosphere crafted throughout this record is bleak and touchingly beautiful. The guitar riffs are blended perfectly with organ and piano parts that are both haunting and sinister. Far from any suicidal feelings, this music enhances the beauty of life.

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Behind Enemy Lines - The Global Cannibal

Artist: Behind Enemy Lines
Album: The Global Cannibal
Origin: USA
Genre: Crust Punk
Year: 2003

Behind Enemy Lines is the new heavier, more metal-ish incarnation of Aus Rotten. The band maintains the same political fury while up-ing the musical intensity. This album flows from one song into another in a way that very few other punk albums have achieved, and in that sense this record feels timeless. On the other hand, Behind Enemy Lines is particularly relevant for delivering hard-hitting, intelligent commentary on current issues in the US and throughout the world, from the occupation of Iraq to the development of new "nonlethal" crowd control by the US military. While the lyrics aren't anything particularly unexpected for someone familiar with left-wing politics, I find the message to be more poignant and intellectual than the great majority of political music.

band site

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Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness

Artist: Primordial
Album: The Gathering Wilderness
Origin: Ireland
Genre: Dark Metal
Year: 2005

This album is a masterpiece. Primordial has many great releases, but this is the zenith.

I think I can safely say I have heard a lot of sad and depressive music before, but this is the only album I can truly describe as "sorrowful". There are very few pieces of music that have this kind of emotional impact on me. But although it is the height of mournful music, it would be incorrect to say that the emotions I experience are negative. Music is often the most sad when it is accompanied by the most beautiful and haunting melodies. The vocals are anguished without being unpleasant, and the guitar riffs are epic without any hint of being overly drawn-out.

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