With my last surge throughout the bowls of Sludge Metal, i guess it was time to talk about Kylesa, they play a more by the numbers form of Sludge, truer to the purest form of Sludge, mixing in some way Doom Metal, Hardcore Punk and Stoner Metal, with a couple of twists and turns in between. So what “Time Will Fuse Its Worth” is all about?

After a smallish “Intro”, you get right to the heart of it with “What Becomes An End”, shouting vocals, dual guitars, and the weird production, it sounds and feels like hardcore punk, nevertheless it shifts and turns into something else, more like instead of playing straight Sludge, they play all the genres in separate, because even though I’m trying to fit this into a genre, they are crossing a lot of them, musically speaking it’s quite well played and interesting, “Hollow Severer” is one groovy track, starts and works its way in with shouting vocals and sludge like riffing, great track, “Where The Horizon Unfolds” starts a bit slow, but when it gets on going, it gets going (almost in a Mastodon kind of way), solid track.

“Between Silence and Sound” is what i could call a pseudo-intermission, it’s a short instrumental/short music, it’s actually a good mix, then you get “Intermission” and it is what it is…a intermission, mostly a drumming workout, not bad and not too big, but after the last one it’s kind of weird, “Identity Defined” is a speedier track, opening up to a … experimental doom track, with some psycho guitar work, just like in the 60’s, Stoner Metal all the way, and not bad at all, “Ignoring Anger” and “The Warning” are straight to school, sludge metal, another pair of great tracks, building up to the finisher “Outro” that just shows off the double drumming.

Well, it seems they do have 2 drummers, not to put it down, but the single Mastodon drummer, brings more speed, twists and turns, more overall quality and originality, I don’t understand very well the 2 drummers thing, i hope its not to just show off (or i hope not), since i wouldn’t classify the drumming as one of their stronger features, being those the shouting 3 way diverse vocals and the guitar work, oh well its a interesting album nevertheless, but if i had to choose, i would put Mastodon and Intronaut first, but if your into Sludge you might want to check them out.

Official Site Kylesa

Kylesa - Where The Horizon Unfolds

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Do you know Gorguts?! Luc Lemay is back with Negativa, his new project.

When I heard that, from the ashes of Gorguts, a new band was being assembled, I became very curious to know if it was Gorguts alike or a complete new band. Well… Surprise surprise! It’s Gorguts alike. «Obscura» alike, to be more precise.

The question is: Is this EP up to the Gorguts high-standards?.

Yes and… No.

In this three song EP we are taken to a place were Gorguts had left us with the «Obscura» album. But the thing is: Gorguts had already grabbed us by the balls in «Obscura» and taken us to «From Wisdom to Hate» - an album close to perfection. With this Negativa EP, it’s like going back instead of going forward. Don’t get me wrong, the songs are pretty good, but after all this years I expected a bit more, an evolution. Damn, I expected much more. Nevertheless, I’m happy Gorguts soul is back and I’m still salivating for a new full-length record.

“Chaos in Motion” opens up the EP. It starts with a string pick-tapping and some dissonant chords. Then the blast beats comes in. Typical «Obscura» playing [Prepare to listen to this EP several times before you can truly enjoyed it. You all know how «Obscura» sounds and how dissonant, complex and chaotic this sound is].

Great verse-to-chorus section. I missed these passages. Gorguts are back! Ermm… Negativa… Negativa are back…

“Taedium Vitae” is a more slow doomish song. Maybe more in the vein of «From Wisdom to Hate» but more dissonant and sick. The middle section is close to… Well… Close to… Close to the opposite of a beautiful melody ^^ Very sick passage. A more speed-up passage follows end then it finishes up with a similar start but with guitar noises in the middle and the end of the section.

All three tracks end up with noisy stuff, it’s kind of boring.

“Rebellion” brings up the fast blasts again. More typical «Obscura» playing. Fast dissonant stuff. Did I mention “chaotic” riffs? Oh, and chaotic riffs. There’s a slow passage also in «From Wisdom to Hate» style. Well, it’s Luc’s style to be more exact.
The track finishes with some more guitar noises. *ironic mode on* Wow how cool, ending all tracks the same boring way *ironic mode off*.

That sums it. Nothing new with this EP. But, for the sake of Gorguts, it deserves a few listens. I’ll be waiting for the full-length album.

Negativa - Chaos in Motion

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Unfortunately, YOB has been disbanded early this year. “The Unreal Never Lived” is their 4th and latest album [2005].
OK, so why am I writing about this one year old record? Because it kicks major arse and all of you doom lovers should listen to it.

So here we go!
“The Unreal Never Lived” ignites with “Quantum Mystic”. This eleven minutes song just rocks so much that I could listen to it all day. It has great riffs and a pace that induce us to headbang for eleven minutes. Amazing tune.

“Grasping Air” follows. This one starts with some more slow riffage. Doom style. Heavy and sick as hell. The doom pace goes trough out the all song. Near the end we have a solo section with great drama feeling. Another great song, no doubt.

Next in line is “Kosmos”. This one has a more hypnotic vibe. Good song tough a bit less interesting to me.

The record finishes with the twenty one minute track “The Mental Tyrant”. It’s a more melodic tune at first. It starts with some clean guitars. This goes on for about three minutes and then the overdrive steps in. The same ambience is explored until the point where the pace gets really slow. A new section evolves with a heavy dissonant riff. In the middle of the song we get to hear some more slow as shit riffs. Really heavy material going on. Sixteen minutes pass by since the beginning of the song and then one more slow heavy riff comes in and the drums turn a little bit “faster”. The song eventually ends [no shit!].

It’s incredible how YOB manage to, with slow - basic riffs, create tremendous songs. YOB are like the Black Sabbath of doom. Their riffs are so memorable. If you are into stoner doom then you should really listen to this amazing record.

YOB - Grasping Air

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Moonspell is one of those bands i never got into, maybe it’s because it goes for the slower and orchestra arranged Gothic/Doom, that i’ve never embraced, anyhow they did made a couple of great albums, actually being Wolfheart my favorite (can’t really pinpoint why, maybe because it was the first and therefore the one that had the strongest impact for me…), that was 1995, a couple of years have passed and we have a new album, “Memorial” is here and what a pleasure it is.

There seems to be a shift on Moonspell, sure it still goes for the Doom/Goth approach, it still has that Moonspell trademark sound, it still goes for those Gothic melodies, but the sound is harsher, the vocals are harsher, its heavier, approaching the power/speed realms of Death/Black Metal than the murkiness slow drive of Doom/Goth (yeah it does look like i love Doom/Goth), its quite…refreshing, from the single “Finisterra” you can actually see what has changed, more pummeling drumming, more growling, niceeeee, is it a great song… well not good, not great, its a bit simplistic, and with little arrangements for a Moonspell song, but it sure gives a clear sign of intentions.

Continuing with the album, it just keeps getting better, songs like “Memento Mori“, with its Goth meets Death, or the catchy Doom Rock with “Blood Tells”, there are plenty more with “Sanguine”’s trademark whispers with all out Goth Metal or maybe the out of nowhere electro goth of “Proliferation” what in the hell?, i feel my balls tingling, this is great stuff, “Once it Was Ours” is also such an atmospheric show, delightfull, you even have some treats, like a “straight out of the can” Goth from “Luna” with it’s “oh so sexy” clean female vocals, the album ends with “Best Forgotten” and its quite the finishing tune, damm it’s one of those tracks you listen a entire album just to listen to it, it has all what made this album what it is.

Moonspell for sure surprised me, from latter efforts, production and songwriting were always first rate, but this one at least for me is flawless, musically speaking it’s not perfect but this turn to a more aggressive sound, i think, more than made up for it, it sure feels good listening to it, even with some interludes, everything is balanced, and you can listen to it in one go and enjoy it as a whole, great work from Portugal’s greatest metal band, if your into Doom, Goth, Death…HELL if your into Metal this one is a keeper.

Moonspell-Finisterra

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