/r/RABM/

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Leucosis - "Pulling Down The Sky" (2011)


LEUCOSIS "Pulling Down The Sky"

Year: 2011
Genre: Ambient Black/Doom Metal
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Opening
  2. Pulling Down the Sky
  3. Approaching Lucidity
  4. Intermission
  5. Invention of the Monsters
  6. Hymn to the Forest of Pixels
  7. Incarceral Form
  8. The Hanging
DOWNLOAD

Another release sent to me for a review by the band themselves. It isn't quite "cascadian black metal" (they're from Santa Cruz, California), but it's definitely influenced by the Cascadian scene (especially Velvet Cacoon / Clair Cassis). Their style was described as "ambient black metal" and "transcendental black metal with sweeping dynamics", but for me it's more like blackened doom/drone. The quality of production isn't the best, but still quite good for an underground BM release. This album is available for purchase by email (leucosis.band{AT}gmail{DOT}com) and costs $5, but it's free for download (the download link was provided by the band).

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Black Monolith - demo (2011)


BLACK MONOLITH "s/t demo"

Year: 2011
Genre: Blackened Crust
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Dead Hand
DOWNLOAD

Great one-song demo by a new San Francisco-based blackened crust project called Black Monolith. At first it sounds like metallic crust, but the 2nd part of the track is more black metal, and the quality of production is really good for a 1st demo. I'd say this release is very promising, although I don't know much about this band.

bandcamp

Axidance & Заводь - split (2011)


(A)XIDANC(E) / ЗАВОДЬ "split"

Year: 2011
Genre: Blackened Crust, Neocrust, "Rock Noir"
Country: Russia / Ukraine

Track List:

(A)xidanc(E)
  1. Пoкa Дoгopaeт Пocлeдний Кocтep
  2. Ha Paзбитыx Cкaлax Oтчaяния
Заводь
  1. Oдa Cвиньям И Их Пacтyxaм
  2. B Кaнaвax (на стихи Б. Пастернака)
  3. Клeймo Heизлeчимocти
  4. Пpoщeниe B Myкax
DOWNLOAD


Those guys from Kharkiv are incredibly productive - not so much time has passed from the release of their latest EP, and here's another portion of their work: a split album w/ Axidance. When compared to previous releases of both bands, it sounds a bit different: Axidance became more of a BM band than a neocrust one, and Заводь's sound became more melodic and less brutal, with slightly more decipherable vocals. It's probably what they call "noir rock"... This album also contains some elements of shamanic folk music and tribal chants (on Axidance's side).

And for those who wondered how to pronounce "Заводь". It is ['zavədʲ],with z and v pronounced like in English; a - like u in the words like "nut", stressed; ə - rather like a in "about", unstressed. The soft "d" in this word has no English equivalent... maybe like d in "dew"? Anyway it's wrong to pronounce it with hard "d" (like in English), because you'll get "завод" which means "factory"; but "заводь" means "river creek".

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Nåthruzym - demo tracks (2008)


NATHRUZYM "demo tracks"

Year: 2011
Genre: Black/Viking Metal
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Beast of the North and Twisted Steel
  2. Demons of Winter is Shadow
  3. Blessed are the Fearful
DOWNLOAD

One more band from Vermont, and they're playing really excellent music! According to what one of their members wrote on our forum, we can be sure that Nåthruzym are on our side. These three tracks are available on their myspace and reverbnation pages, but I have no idea where to get their other releases.

The name 'Nåthruzym' is derived from local Northeastern folklore, relating to a composite mythology of Norse and Abenaki (Native American) legends.  

Into The Rhine - demo (2011)


INTO THE RHINE "demo"

Year: 2011
Genre: Blackened Neofolk
Country: USA

Track List:
  1. Gods of War
  2. Blackened Lungs
  3. No Rain, But Thunder
  4. All That Remains
DOWNLOAD

 Into The Rhine are a new blackened folk project from the northeast of Vermont, US. According to them, they're all pretty much green anarchists as opposed to red and black ideological spectrum. Their music is mostly acoustic folk, but with harsh "blackened" vocals. I recommend these tracks to all of you who enjoyed Legion Of Moon, but want something with better quality of production.


myspace

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Voland - "Voland" (2008)


VOLAND "Voland"

Year: 2008
Genre: Symphonic Black Metal
Country: Italy

Track List:
  1. Leningrad
  2. Il Generale Inverno
  3. Il Lago dei Ciudi
DOWNLOAD

Voland are a sympho-black metal duo from Bergamo (northern Italy). Their song "Leningrad" was posted to our facebook group with the following annotation: "Italian RABM from my city! there isn't place for the nazi scum..." While I don't know if Voland themselves define their style as RABM, their lyrical message is quite clear: they sing about the events of Russian history in WWII, most notably - about the siege of Leningrad. Good stuff, but I'm afraid that a lot of national bolsheviks and similar types will like this EP too...

Voland is the name of Satan in M.Bulgakov's "The Master & Margarita". While Bulgakov's political views were anything but leftist, "Master & Margarita" is one of the greatest Russian-language literary works of XX century from any point of view.

The music is good, but doesn't really stand out of the line of other not so well-known symphonic BM. The vocals are either clean or growls, almost no typical BM screaming on this EP. The overall quality of production is fine, but they definitely need a real drummer. I know there's a shortage of good drummers everywhere, but the programmed drums are the weakest part of Voland's music.
myspace

P.S. This EP is freely distributable under Creative Commons license.

P.P.S. Unfortunately I don't have an opportunity to check my mail (let alone answering to it) right now. Hope I'll do it this weekend...