Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II by Earth (2012)

Kind of Like: Grails, Sun O))), Electric Wizard
Genres: Drone, Doom, Stoner Rock, Sludge, Post-rock
Spotify: Ya
Preview: Myspace


You may remember Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I, from last year.  That was one of my favorite albums of last year.  I was wondering if the "I" at the end implied there would be more to come, and looky here.  This leaked a while ago; I saw Music As Heroin featured this.  But, this is my first go at listening to it. I am only a minute into the first song and can tell this is going to be another stripped-down, laid-back, introverted adventure (introverted adventure? LOL).  As a listener, you really get to bask in the tones of the instruments.  Compared to their earlier works of drone metal, Angels I and II is more like being in a desert.  A dark, heavy, experimental desert.  Perhaps one of Dali's deserts?

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Lost in the Glare by Barn Owl (2011)

Kind of Like: Elm, Earth
Genres: Drone, Psychedelic, Ambient, Experimental
Preview: Myspace

"Barn Owl is a drone / psychedelic band from San Francisco, California, formed by Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras (Elm) in 2006."
-Last.fm

“Barn Owl’s specific brand of drone-noise is akin to placing your ear against the Dalai Lama’s stomach and catching the sound of his reincarnation juices flowing”
-LA Weekly

Time for a chill out sesh.  I had a bunch of shit to do today still, but now I kinda just feel like laying around and listening to this.

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The Gorgon Tongue: Impale Golden Horn & Forbidden Planet by Horseback (2011)

Kind of Like:  Merzbow, Stars of the Lid, Jodis
Genres: Sludge, Ambient, Metal, Drone, Doom
Preview: Bandcamp

"HORSEBACK’s ‘The Gorgon Tongue: Impale Golden Hom and Forbidden Planet’ brings together a reissue of Jenks Miller’s 2007 offering, ‘Impale Golden Hom’ with the new work of the ‘Forbidden Planet’ Lp. ‘Impale Golden Hom’ is a work of lush, blessed out drone a la Flying Saucer Attack and Loop. It’s beauty is in stark contrast to ‘Forbidden Planet’; a decidedly harsh record with its sinister tones and abrasive, distorted black-metal vocals."
-rlslog

Get ready to zone out.

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Tunnel Blanket by This WIll Destroy You (2011)

Kind of Like: Caspian, Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Godspeed
Genres: Ambient, Post-Rock, Drone
Preview: Myspace

"This Will Destroy You was formed by guitarists Chris King and Jeremy Galindo, bassist Raymond Brown and drummer Andrew Miller in San Marcos, Texas, in 2005. They had met through mutual friends, and played together in various different bands throughout high school, before the line-up was finalised by around 2002. Early iterations of the band experimented with vocals, sung by Galindo, but after recording some tracks they decided the results were “awful” and didn’t fit in with the rest of their music. The band then tried writing different tracks, one of which was instrumental. Chris King said in an interview with BBC Northern Ireland, “we were … writing different kinds of songs and we wrote one [instrumental] song, and we were like, that works, lets go for it!” The band took it’s name from an early song that they were originally going to call “This Will Destroy You”, but this was rejected for being too pretentious. The band found the name “hilarious”. When asked whether he wished the band had chosen a different name, King said to Rock Sound, “It’s supposed to be a little bit obnoxious. There’s something about people automatically hating you before you play that’s kind of endearing. It gets to the point where it’s over-the-top obnoxious. It’s an attention-grabber and people will check it out I guess. Even if they hate it.”
-Last.fm

This is borderline doom, but not enough for me to say it is.  Definitely drone and post-rock.  I am not reviewing shit today, just wanted to throw some stuff up here.

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Beileid by Bohren & Der Club of Gore (2011)

Kind of Like: Earth, The Kiliminjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Heroin and Your Veins
Genres: Jazz, Doom, Drone, Ambient
Preview: Myspace

Ready for something pretty different?  How about a fusion of doom and jazz to put you in a state of catharsis?  Three songs, one is 7 minutes the next 13 and the last is 14.  These guys are from Germany, as you may have guessed.This album is a trip, enjoy the ride.

"They play a crossover of jazz and ambient, which they self described as an “unholy ambient mixture of slow jazz ballads, Black Sabbath doom and down tuned Autopsy sounds”. Over the years they have continously reduced and compressed their music to extremes. Originally, the members of Bohren, who were school friends, started out playing in various hardcore bands such as 7 Inch Boots and Chronical Diarrhoea in 1988. Driven by the idea of a more unique style of music, they formed Bohren (German word for drilling) in 1992 to play, as they called it, “doom ridden jazz music”.  "
-Last.fm

Trip Out Here

The Quiet Divide by Black Swan (2011)

Kind of Like: Eluvium, Stars of the Lid, Demdike Stare
Genres: Ambient, Drone
Preview:  Bandcamp

This album is....ambient.  Very ambient.  This is not gonna be something you rock out in your car to, but it would be excellent for a cozy evening/day.  The cover says a symphony of misery and sorrow, but I think at times it expresses hope.  However, there is a dark side to this album that reminds me of Demdike Stare, so maybe it isn't so cozy after all.  Hell, just listen to the preview, I'm only into the third song.  I heard there is a hot lesbian scene in this though with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.  Wait a minute...

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Guiltless by Indian (2011)

Kind of Like: Zoroaster, Weedeater,
Genres: Doom, Metal, Sludge, Drone, Hardcore
Preview: Indian's Myspace

"A truly uneasy listen that will drag you into the abyss and spit you out of the other side shaking, confused and very much an Indian fan. Brave it to the end and you'll be rewarded. Absolutely fantastic."
-OneMetal.com

"One thing I dig throughout the album are the vocals that sound like the death calls of ten thousand ghosts. The sludge & crusty drumming is off the chain. Plus, the guitars create this wall of drone that act as a layer of tension between all the other sounds. There are moments on Guiltless where the band finds this space of sinister emotion that actually energizes the listener."
-CVLTNation.com

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New Album by Boris (2011)

Genres: Electronica, Experimental, Drone, Sludge

Boris is a band my friend Kenny suggested I follow.  When I saw that the new album "New Album" by Boris had leaked, I initially thought it was either Heavy Rocks or Attention Please, which were announced to be released this spring.  I thought that this was one of those and somebody didn't know which it was.  However, the album art was something I hadn't come across (still really cool-looking).  After a little research, it turns out this is actually called "New Album" and is a planned to be a Japan-only release.  So, I take it they are releasing three albums this spring?  Ridiculous.  This  record features different versions of several tracks and includes the track "Hope" that is set to be on Attention, Please.  A lot of this sounds a lot different from what I have heard from Boris thus far.  I am annoyed that whoever opted to provide this rip decided to erase the japanese titles and replace them each with "japanese title".  Oh well, hopefully some of these songs will be on either Attention Please or Heavy Rocks so they can be identified in the future.

I had also been curious how all of them were doing through all of the stuff going on in Japan, here is what they had to say:

"Boris expresses our condolences to everyone who passed away because of current unexpected earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, and also our deepest sympathies for all of the people who have a hard time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. All Boris members, our families and staff are safe now. Thank you very much for kind words and thoughtful messages. Hope, Boris "


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Oh Brother by Joan of Arc (2011)

Genres: Experimental, Shoegaze, Drone

When I saw this I thought, is this the same Joan of Arc that just released Life Like.  It turns out it is, but this certainly isn't your daddy's Joan of Arc.  This is a vinyl/digital release only.  I could see this best suitable for vinyl release for sure because each song takes up one side of a record, so there are four 20 minute songs making up this album.

"Oh Brother (Joyful Noise) is one of the group's wiggiest albums yet. Or maybe that should be "groups'," since each side of this two-LP vinyl-only release contains a 20-minute composition played by a different combination of personnel; mastermind Tim Kinsella is the sole constant linking the four lineups, which include Hella drummer Zach Hill, Lichens drone maker Rob Lowe, and local jazz-percussion monster Frank Rosaly. The individual tracks are as unpredictable as Kinsella himself; they veer from frenetic free jazz to shroomy psych-drone to contemplative fingerpicked guitar interludes. There's even an occasional bit of the angular post-posthardcore commonly associated with his name, though I expect he includes that just to tease anyone still hung up on Cap'n Jazz."
-Chicago Reader

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Windmills by the Ocean II by Windmills by the Ocean (2011)

Kind of Like: Pelican, Red Sparowes, Latitudes, Earth
Genres: Sludge, Post-rock, Drone

The members from this band went on to form suchbands as 27, Anodyne, Isis, and Red Sparowes.  Apparently they have come back together to make more music because this came out a couple weeks ago. Here is a little bit more about them:

"These rock-based songs incorporate so many elements of “drone” the group could almost reside next to their celestial forefathers Sunn O))) and Earth, except with more melody… and drums. However, the usage of keyboard and electronic elements alongside several guitars make the album more comparable to Sigur Ros than Black Sabbath, but without compromising any of the heavy metal elements the members have become most-known for. The additional usage of improvisation and mild repetition allows the listener to relax into a slow headbang across five songs that each surpass the six-minute mark. But what makes this album most impressive is the triumphant, anthemic feel to it, especially considering the group never even made it to the live setting."
-Last.fm

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Deep Politics by Grails (2011)

Kind of Like: Earth, Red Sparrowes, Sun O)))

Genres: Drone, Doom, Post-Rock, Ambient

If you liked the new Earth album, you probably will like this.  It has more of a fullness to it; it isn't stripped bare like Earth's new album is.  Plenty of drone and doom going on here, but still a pretty laid back record.

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Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 by Earth (2011)

Kind of Like: Sun O))), Boris, Electric Wizard
Genres: Drone, Doom, Sludge

Chillest album of 2011.  An hour long of guitars, drums, bass, and a lone cello.  Surely, this will be boring to some.  The guitar tones are delicious though, and it's just the kind of music you let wash over you.

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