Necros Christos "doom of the occult"

If there was any death metal album that you should've checked out in the year 2011, it was "Doom of the Occult" by Necros Christos. This german horde has really locked in on the whole doomier death vibe, occasionally tossing in or opening with fast blasts and thrash's, Necros' more often sets the tempo at a mid-pace or slower. This helped in creating one of the most headbanging friendly Death Metal experiences I've had the pleasure of hearing in a while, though that's not to say it's so straightforward. In between each track is a multi-instrumental interlude that sounds like a mix of ethnic middle eastern, Indian, and European music, helping to conjure up images of doom, gloom, and deities of another realm. The production on this guy is perfect! A very crisp sounding record without being over produced, and on top of this all, vocals feature an outstanding echo, giving the deep death growl another dimension. There is absolutely nothing I'd change about "doom of the occult", it's exactly what I look for in Death Metal, it's epic, the vocals are great, the production is spot on, and a plus is that the layout was exceptional, with a gatefold sleeve, poster, and booklet inside! Make sure this slab of death finds it's way into your collection.


Band Origin: Germany
Sample Track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2MJ37JrHcY
Merch: http://www.theajnaoffensive.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=6&Itemid=31

Whitehorse "progression" Vinyl and Review

Doom, Dooom, Doooooom! Get the idea? This is what best describes Whitehorse's newest, entitled "progression". This is one hell of a slab of cavernous sounding, sludgy, apocalyptic...you guessed it, doom. "Progression" crawls along at a slow and steady pace, with deep bass-y tones and deep, growling,  reverb soaked vocals, with only a brief foray into a higher pitched, blackened, vocal styling. The guitar tone is super sludgy, sometimes similar to Thou minus any harmonic parts or interludes. This record just keeps grinding away, the tempo is almost constant. The bass is very hypnotic, very similar to the groov-ish bass on the first High on Fire album at times. What I found to be a major plus were the samples that frequently accompanied the other instruments, mostly bits that sounded like cables of bridges snapping and buildings crumbling in the distance, increasing the feeling that this album represents a great decay or a collapse of the society that we know today, a true album for the post-apocalypse!  Overall "progression" holds a similar pace throughout, without any melodic parts or solos. The one exception would be the final track, "remains unknown", the guitar work brings to mind a more death/doom sound rather than sludge. 

  If you like your doom very sludgy with slight nods to slow death and experimental metal, or if you like music that sounds like the world in a post nuclear war state, Whitehorse may have written just what you're looking for. 

Pressing Info>

500 copies, either black or black/blue vinyl on At A Loss Recordings

Mixed and Mastered by James Plotkin

Band Origin: Australia
Sample track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVgQCTQ4aMo

Whitehorse merch/info. available at:

http://www.bluecollardistro.com/atalossrecordings/categories.phpcPath=719

http://www.getonthehorse.com/

Morne "untold wait"

record and short review...

With an upcoming look at Morne's newest album "asylum"imminent, I figured that a quick word about their previous work couldn't hurt!

 "Untold Wait" could quite possibly be one of my favorite records that I've jammed to lately, what a ripper of an album, though it doesn't necessarily start out that way. It begins with a long intro, that pulsates along for some time, but at no point did I ever lose interest or feel bored. All the instruments, violins and cellos included, add enough layers to really keep my brain entertained. Finally at probably 8 minutes in, the intro kicks out into the second track with some fast paced guitar work and drumming, bringing to mind equal parts Integrity, Hellshock, and Amebix, though at no point does Morne ever get thrashy.  From here on out the album is very consistent, filled with fast crusty fury, mingled with Neurosis-esque interludes and atmosphere.  Never did the gruff vocals come off as abrasive, and though this album is pretty crusty, I'd say the production value is pretty similar to recent Neurosis releases, clean, yet not too clean. All in all "untold wait" is an extremely solid release. A word of advice: I'd invest in it before the record sells out, especially considering that Morne has recently signed to Profound Lore.
It's available from a handful of distro's for a very good price (usually $12.00 or so).

Band Origin: Boston
Check out Morne's site/merch at: http://morneband.com/
Check out a track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_vZi3zK0l8&feature=related

The vinyl of "Untold Wait" was released by Feral Ward records, comes in a heavy stock sleeve/jacket on 180gram vinyl.