Nadja - Belles Bêtes

Artist: Nadja
Album: Belles Bêtes
Genre: Drone
Year: 2009
Origin: Canada

This is the latest (and my introductory) album by the Canadian drone duo known as Nadja. Sometimes drone can be like the noises your refrigerator makes when it gets old, and I admit that I've never been a big Sunn O))) fan. But this comes at the genre from a more relaxing, shoegazey angle.

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Trimonium / Plagued split

Artists: Trimonium & Plagued
Album: split ep
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2007
Origin: Germany & Ireland

I originally searched out this album because it's the only release by Plagued, the one-man black metal project of Nemtheanga, the vocalist for the amazing Primordial and Void of Silence. I had never heard of Trimonium, despite having three full-length albums under their belts. Here each band provides one excellent 8-minute track of memorable pagan-style black metal. Of course Nemtheanga's voice is a haunting and wonderful highlight, though mostly in the traditional black metal growl. I could definitely wish for another Plagued album, and I think I will look into Trimonium's other works as well.

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Sylvester Anfang II - Sylvester Anfang II

Artist: Sylvester Anfang II
Album: Sylvester Anfang II
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Year: 2009
Origin: Belgium

This band is a bit of a mystery to me. Apparently this is a new offshoot of the original Sylvester Anfang, who I am unfamiliar with. They claim to play "Funeral Folk" music, but really it is more along the lines of ambient, psychedelic krautrock. For the most part it is not as creepy as the album art would lead one to believe, sort of like a more-accessible, less-droning Aluk Todolo. Thanks to the nice woman on last.fm for the recommendation!

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De Silence et d'Ombre

Artist: De Silence et d'Ombre
Album: Ascension
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Year: 2009
Origin: France

This French one-man black metal act deserves more attention than it receives. He combines some of the ambient atmosphere from Darkspace with some of the tortured harshness of Smorzando and throws in a few more melodic moments to craft a very nice album. I think this release is actually a combination of the band's two demos, which gives the second half a different feel from the first, but both are excellent. Sorry for the large file-size; I promise it's worth it!

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Morne - Untold Wait

Artist: Morne
Album: Untold Wait
Genre: Sludge / Crust
Year: 2009
Origin: USA

Morne is another crust band that plays atmospheric, sludgy music that is very reminiscent of Fall of Efrafa. The band-members hail from a notable crust-punk background, from bands such as Disrupt and Filth of Mankind, but they obviously have been influenced by post-metal just as much. This is a style that I think is really starting to take off, and I can't say I'm sorry.

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Fuckmorgue - Down Forever

Artist: Fuckmorgue
Album: Down Forever
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2004
Origin: Canada

I almost didn't take this when I first saw it because of the band name and album art. But then someone mentioned crust influences, and it seems that at least one out of four interesting new black metal bands comes from Canada, so I gave it a shot. I was surprised in a very good way! It's grimy and harsh, but experimentally so. The vocals will probably turn some black metal fans off: she screams in a crusty but tortured voice - think somewhere between Detestation and Thorr's Hammer. The album and songs are rather short, and I like all of 'em, even Where He Goes which only has one repeated line to the lyrics.

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Dessa - False Hopes EP

Artist: Dessa
Album: False Hopes EP
Genre: Hip-Hop
Year: 2005
Origin: USA

This post was partly prompted by my noticing that P.O.S. - Audition is by far the most downloaded thing I've posted here. Dessa is the sole female rapper in P.O.S.'s Doomtree collective, and who doesn't like a good femcee? She's into poetics (she seems to think of herself as a writer more than a musician), and her lyrics are similarly personal in nature to the P.O.S. album. I think there are somewhere around 12 cds titled False Hopes by the various members of Doomtree; the only other I've heard is the group release, which is quite good.

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