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  • NEW MUSIC : Ghost Bath, Chaos Divine, Marijuanaut Compilation

    Jan 2 • News, The Slumbering Ent • 3574 Views

    First post of 2015 indeed and there is no better way to get the year running by jumping headlong into all the new music around.

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    1. Ghost Bath

    My knowledge of Chinese metal ends at the rather inviting brand folk metal of Tengger Cavalry. But there is something beautiful brewing beneath all that veil of secrecy in the country. Ghost Bath from the north western city plays a brand of black metal reminiscent of Deafheaven, but dare I say it, more catchier and without the brouhaha surrounding the former. They’ve been recently picked up by Northern Silence Productions, probably the best place for bands on a similar vein (Nasheim, Saor , Woods of Desolation), and are all set to release their brand new album Moonlover through the label.

    Check out this sublimely melodic new single ‘Golden Number’, below.

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    2. Chaos Divine

    Although Australia’s progosphere seems to be fronted by bands like Karnivool and Voyager, there seems to be a second tier of far more interesting bands like Cog and Chaos Divine. The latter, Chaos Divine, released back in 2011 one of my personal favorites titled the ‘The Human Equation’. 2015 seems to be geared towards their third effort titled Colliding Skies. Check out their single from the same, which still bears all the marks that made The Human Equation such a brilliant listen.

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    3. Marijuanaut Vol 1 & Vol 2 (Compilations)

    Most of us here have had a steady penchant for the more the slower style of metal, sludge/stoner/doom. And there’s nothing better than being served a chunky bunch of songs that leaves you entrance you like the herb itself. All this thanks to the Italian mag Doommabbestia dedicated to the purveyance of the art. Oh and there is Cthulhu smoking up which is always cool.


     

     

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  • THE ENTMOOT: END YEAR RECOMMENDATIONS PART IV

    Dec 31 • Articles, International News, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 3217 Views

    And now we come to the final list of our rather large, 4 part,  end of year recommendations. View all the previous through the links provided below.

    Part I

    Part II

    Part III

    Note: The list is in no particular order and the numbering does ‘NOT’ signify ranking. Also as is subject to individual tastes, all of these albums need not fit the definition of ‘metal’.

    Final

     ENTMOOT – PART IV

    1. Thou – Heathen (Gilead Media)

    Summit was great but with Heathen, Thou have necessarily perfected their brand of abrasive, misanthropic sludge doom and delivered a smasher.

    – Anoop Bhat

    2. Mekong Delta – In a Mirror Darkly (Steamhammer)

    The band has a solid collection of songs here and is in top form right through the album. Very bad album cover though that doesn’t do justice to the music. These songs are equal parts intricate, progressive and kick ass all around.

    – Dinesh Raghavendra

    3. Internal Rot – Mental Hygiene (Blastasfuk Records)

    Turned out to be one of grindcore’s finest in 2014. Crunchy grind that tears up the listener to shreds.

    – Dipankar Mohanty

    4. The Wounded Kings – Consolamentum (Candlelight Records)

    Another band that’s just lost its female lead singer, Wounded Kings haven’t released a bad album yet. Driven by monolithic riffs and massive structures, this album doesn’t do anything very different from a lot of other doom albums of the moment; the difference lies in the superior songwriting.

    – Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

    5. Scribe – Hail Mogambo (Independent Release)

    While not being one of their best works, it is definitely worth listening to and a lot of fun.

    – Mohammad Kabeer

    6. Nero Di Marte – Derivae (Prosthetic Records)

    Their last album frankly was a bit of a dampener, personally. I found it was more of an opportunity wasted where they clearly tried to be something along the lines of Hacride or Gojira, while not putting their own spin on it. You could say that this year they seemingly tried to sound like Ulcerate, but I guess they’ve found where they finally fit. I’d say they’ve hit gold. A much more atmospheric Ulcerate I’d say.

    – Nishanth

    7. Camera – Remember I Was Carbon Dioxide (Bureau B)

    This is far from being a krautrock gem or a masterpiece but it ranks so high on my list because I love krautrock and this is krautrock done exceptionally well. Sure, it is far from original since it’s hard to actually tell it apart from, say, Neu! or Cluster or Kraftwerk, but that can also be used as an argument in support of how good this really is. The occasional jam band/space rock tendencies also make it a real treat to listen to.

    – Rohit Chaoji

    8. The Skull – For Those Which are Asleep (Tee Pee Records)

    Erasing the memory of that last Trouble album, Eric Wagner and his veteran doom cohorts turn in an album of powerful, passionate and memorable heavy doom metal. Contrary to another doom pioneer’s album title, this is one album that Shows Them How It’s Done. Retro but fresh, classic and vital.

    – Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

    9. Doom: VS – Earthless (Solitude Productions)

    Earthless is Johan Ericson’s genius at work. Over 50 minutes of heavy, maudlin doom with a strong Saturnus holdover. The music here is emotional, melancholic and extremely beautiful. It grips you, consumes you and then some, easily their best.

    – Anoop Bhat

    10. Greenleaf – Trails and Passes (Small Stone Recordings)

    The riffs are long, the drumming is intense, the vocals are ferocious, and the album has a very 70s feel to it. The production is very clean and the entire album has an early Deep Purple influence. The band is clear, crisp and the sum is so much greater than the parts.

    – Dinesh Raghavendra

    11. Oraculum – Sorcery of the Damned EP (Invictus Productions)

    – Dipankar Mohanty

    12. Lord Mantis – Death Mask (Profound Lore Records)

    – Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

    13. Jarhead Fertilizer/ Purge Split (Cricket Cemetery)

    Some really great tunes by Jarhead Fertilizer!! Love how they mix  the complexities of  post hardcore with the raw power of powerviolence!!

    – Mohammad Kabeer

    14. Nightbringer – Ego Dominus Tuus (Season of Mist)

    Nightbringer’s fourth album is easily their best work till date. Although this marks a slight departure from their mid-paced sound, laden with twisted melodies, the more direct approach with faster, more aggressive songs separate it significantly from other bands that play in a similar vein. The songs are on an average, 6-7 minutes long, resulting in tracks that are long enough to let an idea develop, but not too long to make it a grating experience. Ego Dominus Tuus never turns into a chore to listen to, despite its massive length of 71 minutes, which is honestly a long play time for a metal album. Definitely the album of the year for me, owing to its high memorability and replay value.

    – Rohit Chaoji

    15. Hideous Divinity – Cobra Verde (Unique Leader Records)

    Both SepticFlesh and Hour of Penance were major disappointments in light of how much I enjoyed most of their previous releases. There were a few handfuls of great songs, but then not enough to warrant a revisit, while Hideous Divinity’s sophomore effort comes chock full of it and more than makes up for the loss.

    – Nishanth

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  • Rock geek’s pick of 2014

    Dec 31 • Articles, Indian News, News, Releases • 2672 Views

    Time has finally come to say goodbye to one of the best years that the scene has had may be since we were all but little kids running around with cassettes….(Sooo did that !!). So to round this year up, we decided to put down a mixtape of sorts of what we thought were the rock albums that created more than a ripple in the music scene. Young or old, these bands knocked it out of the park and killed it at gigs…so lets hit play !

    Skrat
    Boy o Boy did we love this band’s third album release THE QUEEN. While the songs on Bring out the Big guns may have given you a laugh or two with its fun themes, The Queen is as bad ass as can be. The first hearing of this album took us back to the good old days of Velvet Revolver and the likes..definite must have for 2014
    TRACK PICKS–Machete, Choke and Broke, Bang Bang Bang and Stomp

    The Supersonics
    One of the three Kolkata bands that made it to our must hear list this year. Bringing post punk back was the name of the game when this band made their come back with this album Heads up !!.Hummable tunes and smooth flowy guitars make this for a nice and easy listen
    TRACK PICKS–Come Around, Strawberry, Into the Dark

    Ganesh Talkies
    If its a total fun time you want then In TECHNICOLOR should be on your play list for sure. Mix Bappi da with garage roock and what you get is this band who killed it in this year’s festival schedule
    TRACK PICKS–item song, style, dancing dancing, disco daze

    Underground Authority
    TV reality shows, numerous live gigs and a huge fan following already greeting the kolkata veterans when they launched their aptly titled debut album YOU AUTHORITY. If you havent heard them, its high time you should !!
    TRACK PICKS- Kash Meri girlfriend, Hogi Subah, Microphone

    Hoirong
    Coming out of Delhi, this band brought the streets of the city to life in their album DANDANIYA APARADH. Chaotic noise rock or whatever you may call them, they are a band which you have to see to understand the underbelly of their home city ..
    TRACK PICKS–Kutta, dandaniya aparadh, dont mind

    Space Behind the Yellow Room
    Conversations that Determine a life(phewww thats a long name..) this young band from Bangalore cuts across genres of prog and ambient rock with minimal vocals.
    TRACK PICKS–concept album that really should be heard on its entirety.

    Sell your beats online at ReverbNation.com

    The Superfuzz
    You cannot help but be excited when the band that made you love Indian Rock finally releases an EP that too with your favorites from the years gone by. Inner City Waster
    TRACK PICKS– School, What Every Kid Wants, Rat in the dirt, Manu is a dumbass

    Faridkot
    Our special pick for this section. Since we are talking comebacks, this was definitely one of them when this hindi rock outfit made it back to the scene once again with PHIR SE (yayyy on the word play)
    TRACK PICKS–Jats, Aina, Nuts, Suno

    Tejas Menon
    One of the youngest song writers in the scene, this guy launched his debut EP which also features the great Warren Mendonza. Small Stories is an album perfectly made for your sunday afternoons lazing around
    TRACK PICKS-Philosophy, Braze, Until the end

    The Colour Compound
    Soft summer afternoon light music that will make you feel good about life fluid acoustic guitars and perfectly clean vocals featuring aditya ashok of shaair and func fame and rohan majumdar from bay beat collective this is a coming together of different music tastes to make on tight album which will help you feel the warmth of the sun when you listen to it
    TRACK PICKS– You make me, turn back time, you are everywhere and Brighter days

    SNEAK INS-Zoo, Donn Bhat Passenger Revelator, Until We Last..

    Now thats one hell of a playlist eh !!…..buy them  but do not miss them.
    HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

    Your Rock and Roll Geek

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  • Uncle Martin: My 2014 playlist

    Dec 30 • Articles, Indian News, News, Releases • 2603 Views

    When 2014 came around, I knew one thing – this would be Indian metal’s year. Looking back at it, there’s very little to prove otherwise. We saw releases by the top Indian metal acts – from Demonic Resurrection to Undying Inc to Scribe to Bhayanak Maut, as well as intriguing singles from the likes of Zygnema and Providence that was probably a taste of things to come. Here are the songs I had on repeat the most often this past year.


    Bhayanak Maut – XOXOXO
    If there was a mammoth (sort of) concept album that really turned heads this year, it was Bhayanak Maut’s surprise album, Man. It dropped out of nowhere on Halloween, and couldn’t have been a better way for the Mumbai metal band to say trick or treat in the most twisted, scariest way possible. One of those characters who showed up at your door would have been the perverted serial killer with a thing for cheerleaders, the subject of the groove-heavy “XOXOXO.”

    Demonic Resurrection – The Demon King
    I’d put this entire album down if I had to, but the title track from the extreme metal band’s fourth album is a great example of DR’s evolution. The music has got a lot more tech metal elements, but “The Demon King” drives one massive riff home throughout, with Mephisto’s regal keys being a bedrock layer.

    The Demon King album cover

    The Demon King album cover

    Scribe – The Fumanchurian
    Yes, in retrospect, it’s disheartening to know that Vishwesh is no longer the frontman for Scribe – this track is complete proof that what he does for Scribe can’t be imitated and truly makes them one of those unique Indian metal bands.
    Hail Mogambo

    The Shreyas Skandan Project – Astron Nomos
    The main man behind Limit Zero, Shreyas had a few collaborations on his band’s first album Gravestone Constellations, from Keshav Dhar to Siddharth Basrur, but with his solo project, he travels out to space with his trippy lead single. It’s the best parts of artists like Animals as Leaders and Plini made into almost easy-listening metal.

    Feeding In Atlantis – The Firefly
    Now here’s a name that needs more light. These Goa experimental metalheads really caught my attention when they released their first single. There’s been a slowdown and no word on that album called Releasing The Kraken, but here’s hoping there’s much more tight, baffling prog metal from Feeding In Atlantis in 2015.

    Undying Inc. – Ironclad
    Is there anything left to say about Undying Inc., the monster metallers who completed a decade together this year? Their EP’s title track was a testament to just how much heavier and groovier they can get, with each member playing the shit out of their respective instruments as Shashank Bhatnagar unleashes the beast within during the outro.


    Trigger – Yakuza
    A wide look at the kind of upcoming bands from Delhi will tell you they are broadly influenced by either Skyharbor or Undying Inc (prove me wrong). Trigger fall into the latter, with some insane metalcore influences that really make “Yakuza” one of my favourites this year.

    Aberrant – Collateral Damage
    There are no second thoughts about including any song off Aberrant’s debut EP Aberrant on this list. All five tracks are a blast, but it’s their opening track that really hits hard – riffs and beats getting absolutely frenzied between killer grooves. This band is going places and there’s very little doubt about it.

    Skyharbor – Evolution
    The first single off the prog metal band’s second album Guiding Lights, this song just proved how important second impressions are. For Skyharbor, Evolution showed a side that stayed true to their djent roots but also explored a new direction, vocalist Dan Tompkins outdoing himself, even beyond his work with TesseracT. This is evolution, indeed.

    The Down Troddence – Nagavalli
    Granted, it wasn’t necessarily a song that was first heard in 2014, but Bangalore’s The Down Troddence made a big mark with their album, How Are You? We Are Fine, Thank You, taking it to newer cities and wowing audiences with their brand of monster folk and groove metal. Nagavalli is the best example of that.

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  • THE ENTMOOT: END YEAR RECOMMENDATIONS – PART III

    Dec 30 • International News, Most Popular, News, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 3045 Views

    Here is the third part to our list. You could view the first part here and the second part here.

    Note: The list is in no particular order and the numbering does ‘NOT’ signify ranking. Also as is subject to individual tastes, all of these albums need not fit the definition of ‘metal’.

    Final

    ENTMOOT – PART III

    1. Spectral Lore – III (I,Voidhanger Records)

    This beautiful atmospheric black metal double album is a rewarding listen if you have the patience to sit through its mammoth length of 90 minutes. Compared to most atmospheric black metal, this is very “clear” and dynamic in nature, with sorrowful melodies hitting you from every angle. Think of Vinterland without the obvious Nordic vibe and a much greater focus on “epic” songwriting and a lot of dark folk influences. Benjamin Vierling’s ever-brilliant artwork is befitting this album.

    – Rohit Chaoji

    2. Nothing – Guilty of Everything (Relapse Records)

    Didn’t expect to see this here now did you? A really great  album  which mixes some really dreamy shoegaze with  hard fuzzy Smashing Pumpkins like rock, adding to this immensely are the abstract yet powerful lyrics.

    – Mohammad Kabeer

    3. Ringworm – Hammer of the Witch (Relapse Records)

    40+ minutes of balls-out, unforgiving, in your face metallic hardcore without any semblance of pretension whatsoever.

    – Anoop Bhat

    4. Alunah – Awakening the Forest (Napalm Records)

    With a pagan lyrical ambit that reminds me of classic British folk rock, Alunah has emerged as a reliably beguiling doom act. Their warm sound and mystical vocals go perfectly with folkloric topics they deal in. This album isn’t really an advance on White Hoarhound, but in this case it’s a question of not needing to fix what isn’t broken.

    – Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

    5. Obscurity – Vintar  (Trollzorn Records)

    For me, folk/pagan metal has faded. Gone is the charm that they once held. But all hope is not lost, at least not the style that once was indeed  worth your time. Obscurity’s Vintar might have well taken up the mantle in that regard.

    – Nishanth

    6. Godhunter – City of Dust (Battleground Records)

    From Tucson, Arizona come Godhunter, a sludgy, doomy grinding monster that piles on one killer riff after another. This album is a rare beast that doesn’t sound like anything else out there. From spoken word pieces by Chris Hedges to unusual melodies to the quality riffage this is an album that has made me a Godhunter fan for life.

    – Dinesh Raghavendra

    7. Wrong – Doomed from the Start (Independent Release)

    Some really raw bass and drum powerviolence, not for the faint of heart!

    – Mohammad Kabeer

    8. Darkspace – Darkspace III I (Avantgarde Music)

    Darkspace continues where it left off with Dark Space III and delivers another dense, trance-inducing miasma of black metal/dark ambient. The songs are of a much longer length this time and are surprisingly much more melodic. A must-listen if you have the patience to sit through it.

    – Rohit Chaoji

    9. Tortorum – Katabasis (World Terror Committee)

    Makes for a really good listen when compared to similar sounding releases dominating the landscape of 2014. Has a ring of great atmosphere to it and doesn’t shy away from melody, which in fact gives it an edge.

    – Dipankar Mohanty

     

    10. Woods of Desolation – As the Stars (Northern Silence Productions)

    I rate the releases from Saor and Nasheim, both on the same roster, lower than this opus. ‘D’ has outdone himself again. Atmospheric black metal at its finest.

    – Nishanth

    11. Horrendous – Ecdysis (Dark Descent Records)

    Confident, dynamic and downright mind-blowing. This is death metal with pizzazz.

    – Anoop Bhat

    This is just a well made death metal record. Ok, it has a copious amount of melody but in no way its saccharine.

    – Dipankar Mohanty

    12. Wwhirr – Modern Hypocrisy (Independent Release)

    A bass and drum powerviolence band that just goes to show  how pivotal the instrument  is to the genre.  Here is a band  that  explores the roots of this genre in punk rock, rather than hardcore, the result of which  is some  really laid back,  bouncy powerviolence.
    – Mohammad Kabeer

    13. Sorcier des Glaces – Ritual of the End (Obscure Abhorrence Productions)

    This is atmospheric black metal at its best and exactly what a listener should expect from the genre. Its melodies have that hypnotizing effect.

    – Dipankar Mohanty

    14. Swallowed – Lunarterial (Dark Descent Records)

    I always tend to dismiss newer “old school” death metal bands as derivative crap, unless something catches my attention. The artwork is usually a good indicator. If it looks like it would fit on a 1980s thrash metal album, it most probably sucks. Lunarterial’s album cover reminded me of the album cover of “Nothing But the Whole” by Emptiness, also released this year. While that album is good (almost made it to the list), this album pretty much sounds like the cover artwork in audio form. This is some really twisted death/doom with a good sense of songwriting that keeps it from sounding too directionless or random and probably the best death/doom in recent years.

    – Rohit Chaoji

    15. Ogre – The Last Neanderthal (Minotauro Records)

    “The Last Neanderthal” is a kickass comeback from Ogre. It still has 6 really good songs and while their music is very derivative and they are heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, Pentagram and 70s hard rock, but few bands can mimic their inspirations as well as Ogre do and for that I am grateful.

    – Dinesh Raghavendra

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