Shoegaze – Page 12 – Wonderbox Metal

N/ill – Black Marble Carapace (Review)

This is the latest EP from Germany’s N/ill. N/ill is a one-person project playing Ambient/Industrial/Drone/Electronica/Rock.

This is a collection of dark soundscapes that use electronics and sounds to create atmospheric pieces that are reminiscent of Shoegaze Post-Rock only from an Industrial/Electronica standpoint.

The songs are slow builders and rise and fall like the ebb and flow of the tide. Rather than sounding organic though these tracks are largely artificial sounding, but not in any bad way. They come from a place of technology and show that this is not any barrier to evoking real feelings in songs.

When vocals appear they are ragged and heartfelt, lending the tunes the feeling of a singer like Mark Lanegan set to a backdrop of Nine Inch Nails-styled proto-Industrial Rock mixed with a synthetic Earth. Or they are female and come across as a stitched together sample that permeates the music like permanent ink.

These compositions are well written and the 33 minutes of music here comes across as a bleak soundtrack to a post-modern film. Each track has its own identity and it covers a diverse range of genres and styles across the 7 songs.

Before listening to this I wasn’t sure what to expect – the cover and the name didn’t give much away, so I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the contents.

This release has the potential to transcend the usual genre limitations and make a mark for itself. With the right exposure/backing it could do well.

Black Marble Carapace is the product of a very talented individual. If you’re looking for something a little different then check this out and lend him your support.

Autumn’s Dawn – Gone (Review)

Autumn’s Dawn are an Australian Post-Black Metal band and this is their début album.

The band play an interesting style of music that has its origins in Depressive Black Metal but has developed into more of a Shoegaze, Post-Rock entity which has plenty of melody and even an Indie feel in places.

This may be an album rooted in the darkness of Black metal but it has long transcended those beginnings and now travels waters brighter but no less melancholic.

The songs are relatively upbeat and feature very atypical clean vocals; atypical in that they sound more akin to the type of voices used in commercial stadium faux-Metal than this kind of music. Harsher screams are also used and these are more in keeping with the style. The clean vocals really do add a differentiating point to the tracks however, although I imagine they’ll be quite contentious for some purists.

This is Post-Black Metal and Shoegaze but without the deep-seated misery that those kind of bands usually revel in. The darkness is there, certainly, but the driving Rock influence to their sound buries it under hopeful harmonies and Post-Rock melodics. The album has more in common with Katatonia and Paradise Lost than it does with bands like Forgotten Tomb.

This is somewhat of an eclectic album as it’s rare to hear Rock, Shoegaze Black Metal and Indie all in one place. Not only do we have that here but the band do an exceedingly good job of keeping it from sounding disjointed or messy.

Autumn’s Dawn are somewhat of a unique band in many ways. Although this will inevitably mean that a lot of people won’t take to this and it will slip through the musical cracks, it also means that for those who are willing to give it a chance this is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.

In a way it’s a real shame as with the right backing and exposure there is a lot of potential for a much wider audience for Gone, and all without compromising the artistic integrity of the music.

Time to try something a bit different and give Autumn’s Dawn a listen.

Australasia – Vertebra (Review)

Australasia are from Italy and play Post-Black Metal Shoegaze.

Well, I love the album cover, so that’s a good start.

These are largely short compositions although they have all of the time they need to make themselves felt.

These are songs that are as emotive and translucent as any in the style. They take the listener through the usual gamut of emotions typical of Shoegaze releases of this nature.

Post-Black Metal comes about when Black Metal and Post-Metal meet, as can be expected from the name. The addition of the Shoegaze tag usually specifies something similar, only in my experience tends to mean that the band have a fragile, brittle sense about them; not in any negative way but rather in the sense of everything being pushed and focused into making the songs as expressive and emotive as possible.

In Australasia’s case the emphasis is on the Post-Metal side of the equation rather than the Black Metal side, (although this aspect of their sound is still present). In addition to this the band also employ some Electronica influences and use this as a further aspect to their sound.

All of this describes Australasia perfectly as they have the hauntingly fragile delivery and highly evocative emotional appeal that typifies this kind of music. And they do all of it very, very well.

There are largely no vocals, so the instruments take centre stage. The only exception to this is some female vocals which are strong and assured; they appear very briefly as a small but important enhancement to a few tracks.

A recommended listen for seekers of sensation everywhere.

Horizon – Don’t Let The Time Pass You By (Review)

Horizon is a one-man project from Finland. This is his second EP.

This is a short release containing Ambient soundscapes, Neo-Classical sounds and moments of Shoegaze that are all perfectly suited to night time reflection and introspection.

By its very nature a release such as this will be atmospheric and emotive and Horizon does a good job of playing to the innate strengths of the style.

There is also a good amount of variety of composition and delivery apparent in these 5 songs. We get ambient textures, piano, drums, bass, electronica, guitars and other sounds all used to create a vivid palette of emotional resonance with the listener.

This is strongly written music and creates the right mood of darkness with a hint of light; music for when night is starting to fade and dawn is approaching.

The compositions are mature and although they have elements of melancholy the overall beauty of the tracks doesn’t let this become overly negative.

The slight Electronica influence is subtle enough to have a positive impact on the songs without becoming stifling or overwhelming; rather it’s another string to the artist’s bow that he uses to enhance the songs and give them a modern flavour.

This is a very good EP and my only real criticism, such as it is, is that it’s a very short release. Apparently he’s working on a full album so hopefully this will make an appearance at some point in the future. Keep a close watch for it.

In the meantime, get a hold of this little gem. Sit back, relax and take it all in.

Apnea – Silent Cities (Review)

Apnea are from New Zealand and this is their début EP. They play Post-Black Metal.

This combines Black Metal with Post-Metal and Shoegaze to create an evocative EP of fragile beauty and delicate power.

The songs build, crest and blast their way to moments of melancholy and bitter negativity. Apnea’s sound is the sound of a mellow summer’s day being clobbered to death by an unruly dusk. It’s this mix of beauty and harshness that gives this kind of Shoegaze Post-Black Metal such a haunting sound and such a lasting appeal.

Apnea have a good production that bucks the trend that these kinds of bands usually follow of having a paper-thin sound. The drum presence in particular is immense and it is refreshing to hear a band like this with a rather crushing sound in many respects.

Apnea also stand out from the crowd in having some real moments of Black Metal fury in their sound. This ferocious attack combined with the softer moments and Post-Metal explorations make for a highly enjoyable listening experience.

Overall this is a hugely impressive EP, especially for a first release.

As this EP is a couple of year old now, let’s hope that they will have a début album ready soon. If they can replicate what they’ve achieved with Silent Cities then it’ll be something I’m quite excited to hear.

Suffering in Solitude – A Place Apart (Review)

Coming from the US, Suffering in Solitude play Depressive Black Metal/Post-Black Metal.

This is their début album and it’s clear a lot of time has been put into these songs. Every second is designed to wring out the maximum emotion and melancholic feeling in the listener.

Wistful feelings of melancholy pervade all aspects of this release with the band going for a beautifully tortured delivery through their chosen musical medium.

The first song Inside Out sets the scene with plaintive tones and a droning, Shoegaze, ambient feel. Purely guitar, it relaxes you in and promises nothing but exquisite loneliness. The full band experience joins for the next song Entrance and the joyous feeling of surrendering to the worst is realised.

When the vocals make an appearance on the third track Exit (Time Lost) you’re already absorbed in the instrumental sound the band have created so far and it’s almost surprising to hear them. The vocals are high pitched emotive shrieks, reminiscent of Deafheaven. The final track Placed Apart even offers some ethereal cleans, used sparingly to great effect.

The songs offer a timid, fragile Post-/Depressive Black Metal sound full of woe, hopelessness and grief. It’s done with style and obvious talent.

The band hone the build-and-release nature of Post-Metal and give it a Shoegaze Black Metal covering. It works exceptionally well and makes for a compelling, emotive album.

Relatively short at 27 minutes, this is nonetheless a worthy release to sink your negative feelings into. At the end though catharsis is achieved and there is almost a feeling of hopefulness remaining. Almost. For who knows what will come next?

Leather Chalice – Luna (Review)

Leather Chalice are from the US and this is their latest EP.

One track, almost 16 minutes in length; this is a heady fusion of Black Metal and Post-Hardcore.

Luna starts off with samples and noises before slowly introducing the drums and a lightly strumming guitar. Very soon we’re into shoegaze lo-fi territory with the band tentatively picking their way along to a backdrop of strange and unusual sounds.

This abruptly changes to a 70’s inspired piece that has some lovely rumbling bass and emotive guitars. The vocals also start and we’re treated to some real throat-shredding screams.

The guitars have a nice 70’s Progressive feel to them and the whole thing feels analogue and very down to earth. Lo-fi this may be but it’s rich in content and feeling with the band exploring their chosen path with passion and verve.

I love that you can hear the bass and it adds a lot to the song rather then just being under-utilised as in most bands.

As the song progresses things get more upbeat and venture closer to raw Black Metal while keeping the overarching theme of the track intact.

The quasi-Industrial sounds are brought to the fore once more two thirds of the way in before blasting off again for the final run.

I could listen to this kind of music all day. There’s something very honest and open about music which on one hand seems like it has been thrown up quickly and is only held together by the thinnest of threads, whilst on the other hand feeling timeless and like it will undoubtedly endure for a long time to come.

Take a chance, lift the Leather Chalice up and take a good hard listen.

Cut the End – Dawn’s Death to Dusk

After their good-but-rather-average 2008 release The Beauty is Inside, Cut the End returned in 2011 with something very special indeed.

Death Metal gone post-rock. Post-Death Metal? Cut the End could very well be to Death Metal what Enslaved are to Black Metal. Here we have some epic length songs that rely on solid writing and delivery to entrance the listener in each and every turn.

Imagine a band like Cult of Luna if instead of a hardcore/post-rock background they had a Death Metal one with some nice thrash-y riffs sprinkled liberally around. The songs grow and grow, twist and turn, in the pleasing manner of old-school thrash epics such as The Call of Ktulu, etc. High praise I’m sure you’ll agree, but this band are something a bit different and more than live up to it.

If you are a bit tired of Death metal and are looking for something a bit more, yet still within the Death Metal genre then this is the band for you. Or maybe you like your post-rock and shoegaze, but wish is had a bit more bite? This is the band for you.

Have a listen and I’m sure you’ll be hooked.

https://myspace.com/cuttheend