From time to time, a band comes along that completely blows everything else out of the water, and the last few months have been packed with incredible surprises, like Septaria (review coming soon) and this astonishing band from Iceland, simply called Múr. Their self-titled debut album is a masterpiece that demands attention. 

 The record kicks off with the epic "Eldhaf," a nine-minute journey that showcases the band's ability to craft grandiose, melodic post-metal. But it doesn’t stop there—Mur effortlessly transitions into fierce, relentless death metal, at times evoking the intensity and complexity of Gojira. 

This momentum carries through into the next track, "Frelsari," which delivers crushing riffs and hard-hitting rhythms, further redefining what we can expect from modern metal. Elsewhere, "Messa" dives into electronic elements, creating a vicious blend of Strapping Young Lad’s chaotic energy and Gojira’s precision. 

Then, "Heimsslit" sees the band returning to their post-metal moments, weaving spacious and contemplative atmospheres that add depth and contrast to the album’s already dynamic sound. 

The closing track, and personal highlight, "Holskefla" delivers more punch than an enraged bull. It begins with a subtle, melodic guitar intro, luring the listener into a false sense of calm before erupting into massive, bone-crushing riffs, played with a precise, almost militaristic rhythm that commands attention. This track alone proves Múr’s unrelenting force and musical prowess. 

 Snatched up by Century Media, Múr is an album brimming with potential—a testament to a band that’s not just making waves but destined for even greater things. Their unique blend of intensity, complexity, and sheer power is bound to elevate them to the next level in the metal scene. (8/10)

Jason Hicks

Band info: https://www.facebook.com/mur.official.band

Label info: https://www.centurymedia.com

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Black Aleph's debut album, Apsides, is a sonic journey that unfolds through layers of atmospheric weight and textural complexity. Consisting of Lachlan Dale (guitar, effects), Peter Hollo (cello, effects), and Timothy Johannsen (percussion), the Australian trio masterfully blends elements of post-metal, ambient, and experimental rock, weaving together influences from the likes of Neurosis, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sunn O))), and Earth.

Opening with "Descent," the track immediately sets the tone with a dark, brooding atmosphere that feels almost claustrophobic and ritualistic. The haunting combination of dissonant guitar riffs, throbbing cello lines, hypnotic beats and dark chants instantly draws the listener into a world that feels heavy and foreboding. The use of effects adds an additional layer of menace, making this track a powerful introduction to the album's thematic exploration of space, tension, and inner conflict.

However, as the album progresses, Black Aleph begins to shift gears, leaving behind the almost claustrophobic intensity of "Descent" for a more expansive and contemplative sound. The influences of Arabic music become more apparent, especially in tracks like "Ascension," where the intricate, almost hypnotic rhythms blend seamlessly with the ethereal, echoing sounds of the cello. This shift in tone creates a dynamic contrast, allowing the music to breathe and open up, transforming from moments of tension into waves of introspective calm.

This album is a bold and adventurous exploration of sound, texture, and atmosphere. The lack of traditional song structures gives Apsides a fluid, organic quality, but also a sense of unpredictability. It's a journey through sonic landscapes that feel at once alien and familiar, with every moment offering something new to discover. For fans of dark, atmospheric music with a profound emotional depth, Apsides is an essential listen. (8/10)

Jason Hicks

Band info: https://blackaleph.bandcamp.com

Label Info: https://www.artascatharsis.com

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On their latest release, In Resonance Nexus, earthtone9 embark on a journey of rediscovery, reconnecting with their core sound while pushing their boundaries further than ever before. Known for their intelligent and nuanced approach to music, the band reflects on creating what they describe as their heaviest and most melodic work to date. In this interview, earthtone9 discuss the creative process behind In Resonance Nexus, their collaboration with producer Lewis Johns, and offer insight into the album’s exploration of themes like perception and reality.

In Resonance Nexus is described as rediscovering the essence of earthtone9. Can you share more about the journey of finding this core and how it influenced the creation of the new album?

We changed our approach for the writing process of IRN. We primarily used home studios instead of gathering in a rehearsal room. This meant that ideas were more fully realized without compromise or negotiation, and in turn this meant we leaned into some aspects of our sound that had fallen away over recent times. 

We wanted this album to have an urgency and savagery that had been missing from our post 2010 work.

Your music has always been praised for its nuanced palette and intelligent approach. With In Resonance Nexus being both your heaviest and most melodic work to date, how do you feel the band’s sound has evolved? How did you balance these two contrasting aspects during the songwriting and recording process, and what challenges did you encounter in achieving this balance?

It feels to us like finally have enough perspective and experience to draw upon all the era of the band and combine them into compelling music. There have been periods of time when heavy, aggressive music stopped being interesting to us and we focused on melody and melancholy.
Now we’re able to fully combine all the elements of our sound in a coherent way. Balancing the contrast comes naturally to us at this point.

The collaboration with producer Lewis Johns has been highlighted as a significant factor in bringing the intensity and drive back to your music. Can you elaborate on how working with him shaped the final sound of In Resonance Nexus?

Lewis is a very good musician, music technology technician, music arranger and communicator/interpreter…basically all the attributes that support and drive a band to realise their musical vision.
Lewis brought to the table tones, post-production elements, instrumental parts and a mix that we wouldn’t have naturally gone for. All these aspects contributed to making the album what it is.

The lead single "Oceanic Drift" features lyrics that reflect on the concept of things not being what they appear. How do these themes of perception and reality play out across the rest of the album?

The idea of the perception vs reality gap is a reoccurring theme. There are so many dimensions to it: Personal delusion, accidental and intentional misinformation, group think, mythic figures who embody the trickster – it’s such a rich seam for inspiration.

After such a long hiatus, what motivated you to come together and create new music again? How did the creative process differ this time around compared to previous albums?

Creating and collaborating on music was an incredibly important anchor point for Joe, Owen and I during the lockdown era. Writing and being in regular contact, and creating music for its own sake was a joy.
After a while we felt like the music was earthtone9 and that we had some very strong material. The main difference is that we weren’t working to a deadline, we had the bones of 30 something songs to choose from and around 20 songs were completely finished.

With In Resonance Nexus marking a significant point in earthtone9’s journey, what are your hopes and plans for the future? Are there any new creative directions or projects on the horizon that you can share with us?

It would be killer to keep the momentum going, to play shows regularly and to release new music every 18 months or so. We’ve been so start-stop for a long time and want to change that.
We have a really loyal core fanbase and want to do events directly with and for them. We still figuring out what that looks like but it’s going to happen.

Follow earthtone9 for more info and updates: https://www.facebook.com/earthtone9

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Hail Spirit Noir, the Greek progressive black metal band known for their genre-blending sound, has once again pushed the boundaries with their latest album, Fossil Gardens. This new release marks their most extreme effort to date, incorporating more black metal elements while maintaining the psychedelic and experimental flair that has become their signature. In this interview, the band delves into the inspiration behind their intense new sound, the philosophical and scientific themes that shape the album, and the collaborative process that brought Fossil Gardens to life. 

"Fossil Gardens" is noted as your most extreme effort to date, incorporating more black metal elements while maintaining your signature psychedelic sound. What inspired this shift towards a more intense and chaotic soundscape, and how did you approach the songwriting process for this album?

Like all our records, it's never been a conscious decision. Things usually turn out the way they do of their own accord and more often than not totally different from what we might have had in mind. We are surprised ourselves, hah. To my ears, it's a natural progression from Eden's sort of mellower approach, not a reaction but a continuation as there are elements from all our albums plus new ones. The process was the same as always; Haris comes up with the basic structure, and then Demian and I add the guitar parts and change things around to finalize. Sakis and Foivos add their own touch with their suggestions.

The album explores philosophical and scientific themes, particularly the struggle to unravel the secrets of the universe and transcend space and time. Can you elaborate on the lyrical and conceptual inspiration behind "Fossil Gardens"? How do these themes influence the music and the overall atmosphere of the album?

The album title is a way to describe the universe, basically. We were talking about the album theme with Haris and had an image of a museum of dead concepts as their exhibits, or concepts that are about to become obsolete but still provide the world with meaning, fuel if you will, just like fossils do. Because in time everything will perish and every idea or concept we cling to today will morph into something vastly different. It might even end up with a different meaning altogether. In the vast expanse of the cosmos, it's a garden from which all things stem and everything goes to die. It sounds bleak, but every song is almost triumphant as we discuss these topics as a celebration of every fault and failure that makes us want to explore and expand our senses. To be honest, lyrics come almost after the music's done or at least when we have an idea of what it's going to sound like. Usually, the music informs the lyrics, but we have a basic concept beforehand.

You worked with Dimitris Douvras and Magnus Lindberg on the production of "Fossil Gardens." What was it like collaborating with them, and how did their expertise contribute to the final sound of the album?

Douvras has been working with us ever since the final Transcending Bizarre? album. It was a no-brainer that he would record and mix the album as we can't think of anyone else at this point to put up with the amount of work our projects require. He also possesses a keen ear for sounds, and his suggestions have proven invaluable. We were looking for someone with a different approach to mastering this time, which is why we opted not to use Alan Douches. We particularly love Lindberg's work on the Cult of Luna albums, and generally, he has managed to augment the sound without sacrificing the tones Douvras slaves over. Not an easy feat, let me tell you.

The visual side of the album, crafted by George Baramatis and Dimitris Katsenos, plays a significant role in portraying the abstract vision of "Fossil Gardens." How do the album's visuals complement its musical and thematic content?

There's a little of the lyrics of every song in the cover artwork, both by coincidence and by design. When we first saw Baramatis's artwork, we were blown away as it encapsulated everything we felt the album's sound should project. Looking at it while listening to it, you should feel like you're taking a dive deep into that void through sea shells and bone alleys. Katsenos managed with his artwork to give a visual representation for each song, and this makes the booklet even more immersive.

"Fossil Gardens" is seen as a continuation of the journey started with "Eden in Reverse," but with a more aggressive and extreme approach. Can you discuss the transition between these two albums and how your music has evolved during this period?

As I said, it wasn't a conscious decision. I mean, some people thought we were going to go full synthwave because of Mannequins, but that was a one-off experiment. "Eden...." was released right around the time COVID put a halt to everyone's plans, so maybe that made us a bit frustrated. Well, it obviously did, and I could blame that for the album's sound. Or maybe we spent a lot of time listening to albums of '90s black metal and even new releases that kind of had a '90s vibe to them, like the new DHG album, which was breathtaking, and the impressive Stormkeep album. Fans have commented that with every album we jump forward a decade, so this time it was bound to be the '90s. I can't really say if our process got more sophisticated or if it's exactly the same. If anything changed, that's probably our tastes and current influences. Even the so-called return to our previous sound doesn't seem like that to me. Simply because black metal vocals are the majority on the LP, that shouldn't in itself mean that. "Eden..." didn't require them, and the new songs called out for them.

Haris mentioned that the album has a solid yet abstract sound production, aiming for the listener to perceive the music as a whole rather than the sum of individual parts. How did you achieve this cohesive sound, and what challenges did you face during the production process?

The idea was to create a wall of sound that you would crush against, but a wave that would carry you towards the source. Massive yet immersive. Haris, being the main composer, had a pretty clear vision of what he wanted the album to be, so he guided Douvras towards the end goal. But it was Douvras who managed to get out of us the required performances and then added his ear to the mixing process. I can't think of any challenge in particular other than proving a real challenge for me to record vocal-wise as I hadn't done that in quite a bit and I didn't know how they would turn out.

Order the album here: https://hailspiritnoir.com

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Norway's Shaving the Werewolf, known for their unique blend of noise rock and mathcore, has released a captivating animated music video for their single "Sentient Husk." The track is from their latest release, the God Whisperer EP.

The video depicts a dystopian future where misery and pollution dominate, and wealth is grotesquely uneven. "The video is a septic mess showing a general apartment complex from the future," says vocalist Ottar. It portrays people resorting to chemical solutions to cope with the harsh realities of depression, alienation, and hopelessness, while a central figure with a god complex thrives on their misery.

Since 2010, Shaving the Werewolf has delivered a provocative mix of power violence, noise rock, and mathcore, leaving an indelible mark with their intense live shows and unique sound. Watch the new video for "Sentient Husk" below.

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Bearing in mind the image encapsulating this album, a slightly gothic looking skeletal (?) butterfly against a wintery tree backdrop, one could easily pass it by. Though the merest sliver of curiosity might remain. It was this modicum of interest which resulted in me hitting play. Dropping any preconceived notions, I mentally prepared for what was to follow.

"Cruel Words" commences on a post-rock note with "Mine to Break"; a cavalcade of dreamy high chords. However, if there's any track which begs to be ‘stuck with’, it's this one. The rhythm unhurriedly builds in pace accompanied by a passionate voice and an unhurried guitar. And then, abruptly, it's as if the sky falls. The passionate voice amps up in emotion and the aura is that of palpable frustration, anger, grief (draped in pitch black). In short, a fantastic opening which heightens the senses leaving one crushed though especially eager for more. I wasn’t prepared in the slightest.

The second track, "Pain is a Wasteland", smothers the still quivering psyche with a loving caress. Though there's an unmistakable menace lurking beneath the surface, a feeling that at any moment a storm will break the sun's warmth. It does, though not with the same fury the first track exhibited. This is more a slow-burn with a structure much like a nagging migraine which builds to staggering intensity. Fans of Neurosis (and the like) should have their interest perked at this juncture.

The album continues to batter the senses with the utilization (and excellent manipulation) of synth, piano, guitars and a voice overflowing with emotion and range, a combination resulting in an exquisite and definite delicate balance of calm, melancholy and the transition to its direct opposite; a heaviness, a dirge/sludge presence akin to trudging through molten lava.

Staggeringly the quality of this album remains extremely high throughout even though a few tracks dip into double digit lengths it somehow still manages to hold the listener in thrall. Standouts include the opener as well "Dead Butterflies". With a haunting aura which brings to mind Danny Boyle epics such as "Sunshine" and "28 Days Later" there's little doubt that Déha (it is at this point that I should mention this is the artists name, the genius solely responsible for this) could well place cinematic audiences on the edges of their seats if he had such the desire. The album also contains a cover; a re-envisioning of "Saturnine" by The Gathering. However, for the ultimate Déha (goosebump) experience the acoustic reprise of "Mine to Break" is a must listen.

In conclusion, if you've never heard of, or even seen, a Déha album, now is your chance. Understandably, one may have reservations upon audio bursting at the seams with synth attributes, post-rock and sludge sensibilities with an atmosphere as thick as heard here. Drop them and dive in! For the mastery contained herein is perilously close to a religious experience. (9.8/10) 

Cult

Band info: https://www.facebook.com/burningworldrecords
Label info: https://www.facebook.com/dehamusic

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