Dying Will Be The Death Of Me

I started this page in order to write my own music reviews. I'm mainly into Black Metal and Death Metal, but other stuff is sure to be added sooner or later.

[pstudt]

Hello, I've started a new blog over at http://dyingwillbethedeathofme.wordpress.com/ so there will be very few posts going up on here in future. If you've enjoyed my tumblr posts then please check out my new blog as well.

[pstudt]

Salem - "King Night" (IAMSound Recordings)

Having already heard their bass heavy sluggish, screwed and skewed remixes of Gucci Mane, I had an idea of what this album would sound like. Oof! This album is fantastic. The sluggish, dragging tempos, stuttering Michael Watts style chopping of the beats and pitch dark swarming synths all come together to make some really intense crawling Witch House. Although that genre name is pretty much an internet joke, it’s really appropriate here; this is the electronic soundtrack to witches cooking up potions with frogs and puppy dogs tails. Influenced seemingly from hip hop equally as much as house, with the addition of sampled rapping on several songs, this is excellent music for hubbling, bubbling, toiling and troubling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtRNMG6DDzw

[pstudt]

Death Grips - "Ex-Military" (Self-Released)

With bass heavy beats, frantic sampling and one of the angriest sounding MCs ever, this is hip hop unlike any other. Featuring Zach Hill from Hella on drums and, the otherwise unknown to me, MC Ride, this is rough and heavy hip hop with a punk approach to roughly edited samples and hollered vocals. Sounding like a really angry RZA, MC Ride gets over mainly due to his constant boisterous shouting, not necessarily his lyrical content. At several points there are large recognisable samples, sometimes playing with little or no accompaniment, which reminded me of the Beastie Boys’ ‘Paul’s Boutique’ album. Other parts of the album also reminded me of El-P’s ‘Fantastic Damage’ album or even Fever’s ‘Too Bad, But True’. If you’re a fan of any of those albums, or can listen to aggressive hip hop with an open mind, then this is definitely a highly entertaining album.

[pstudt]

S.C.U.M. - "Again Into Eyes" (Mute Records)

Although their painfully hip appearance put me off from listening to their music at first, this album is actually really good. Initially sounding like a mixture of Interpol, Nick Cave, Killing Joke and a little bit of Joy Division; this is swaggering dandy indie goth-lite. Starting from track six, ‘Sentinal Bloom’, the second half of the album is dreamlike and ambient. Like an even more abstract version of the Jesus and Mary Chain, this sound is just getting tiresome when the final track brings in disco beats. This album is almost a triumph of style over substance, but thankfully there are some great tunes here too; well worth checking out.

http://www.myspace.com/scum1968

[pstudt]

Oneohtrix Point Never - "Replica" (Software)

Apparently this is the first Oneohtrix Point Never release to be crafted on modern software, rather than the vintage equipment Daniel Lopatin has favoured on previous releases. Sound wise you’d not know it however; this album is based on warmly humming ambient sounds, floating together and gradually developing. Tangerine Dream would be a good comparison, as would any number of eighties science fiction soundtracks. Almost entirely beatless, when there are beats, as on ‘Nassau’, they are somewhat reminiscent of Autechre material like ‘Chiastic Slide’. Although very slow to develop, this is an entertaining release that’s well worth the time it takes to get going.

http://pointnever.com/

[pstudt]

Wold - "Freermasonry" (Profound Lore Records)

Unlike previous Wold albums, I couldn’t really call this music Black Noise. I’ve not really kept up to date with their previous two albums, but 2007’s ‘Screech Owl’ was black noise by default due to being extremely harshly produced black metal. With this new album the band seem to have evolved to pure abstract droning noise. The vocals, whilst heavily distorted, are very far from typical black metal vocals as well. I think I preferred the older stuff, but this is still worth checking out if you’re, like me, interested in what goes on with the fringes of the black metal scene.

[pstudt]

Lugubrum - "Face Lion Face Oignon" (Aphelion Productions)

The world’s finest purveyors of brown metal have returned! This album is like black metal covered in a layer of soggy dead leaves, the guitar is a little too friendly and soft sounding, whilst the drums are also kind of chipper sounding and bouncy. The vocals, meanwhile, are throat burning twisted rasps invoking brown pixies for some nefarious purpose. All of this makes the bands music sound ridiculous, it’s not it’s just rather outlandish and difficult to describe. When in full flight it sounds rather like a funky take on black metal played as krautrock. I particularly enjoyed the vocals on ‘Jaffa’, which sound like drunken trolls hazily recalling their earlier sanity. Melancholic but cheerful and playful; grizzly, gravelly and fun! This is yet another great album from a unique and special band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQvUMiGEc5Y

[pstudt]

The Best Albums of 2011.

Prurient – “Bermuda Drain” (HydraHead Records)

When I originally reviewed this album, I jokingly referred to it as possibly the pop album of the year. It has since been the album I have listened to most this year. It's bloody good.

Djevel – “Dødssanger” (Aftermath Music)

Liturgy – “Aesthetica” (Thrill Jockey)

Caina – “Hands That Pluck” (Profound Lore Records)

Tyler, The Creator – “Goblin” (XL Recordings)

Cave In – “White Silence” (HydraHead Records)

Krallice – “Diotima” (Profound Lore Records)

Jay-Z and Kanye West – “Watch The Throne” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)

Begrime Exemious – “Impending Funeral Of Man” (Dark Dsecent Records)

Deafheaven – “Roads To Judah” (Deathwish Inc.)

[pstudt]

A$AP Rocky - "LiveLoveA$AP" (Sony/RCA/Polo Grounds)

This is A$AP Rocky’s debut mixtape released in October, after several months of posting songs on YouTube. Although from Harlem, Rocky’s style and flow is very much indebted to the early releases from Three 6 Mafia and also to sippin on Codeine, which he loves to mention. He rhymes with an energetic fun pace, although the influence of screwed music can be heard throughout; there are occasional slowed vocals and stuttered beats. He sounds great rhyming over the ambient, atmospheric beats that are the trademark of Clams Casino, with other production also handled by the similarly Mystic Stylez loving Spaceghost Purrp. With guest spots from A$AP Twelvy, A$AP Nast, A$AP Ferg and SpaceGhost Purrp, it seems like the A$AP Mobb could have a really good year in 2012. This album is definitely well worth checking out.

[pstudt]

Peopling - "Peopling EP" (Self Released)

Peopling are clearly heavily influenced by the Butthole Surfers. Everything on this EP carries the hallmarks of that band; distorted sneering vocals, drums that are like a constant over the top military roll, guitars singing and whining discordantly and a general irreverent noisy demeanour throughout. Sounding most like the Buttholes as they were on ‘Independent Worm Saloon’, especially because of the somewhat Ministry-esque heavy handed drumming, all this is not a bad thing. After all the Buttholes haven’t done a new album for ten years, and not a good one for fifteen years. Most importantly, buried beneath the squalling feedback, this is a fun record. Seek it out and enjoy!

[pstudt]

Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka Flame – “Ferrari Boyz” (1017 Brick Squad/Warner Brothers)

With beats by Southside and Drumma Boy, you know what to expect here; lavish stuttering hi-hats, menacing basslines, the distinctive drawl of Gucci Mane and the energetic crunk rap of Waka Flocka Flame. Both Waka and Gucci continue to talk about their favourite usual topics; decrying the actions of fake gangstas, tauntin’ the cops with crack slangin’, their popularity with bitches and putting hoes on the game. On ‘Feed Me’ Gucci includes the kind of crazy metaphor he does so well, when he talks about ‘Zombies on a pole, screaming feed me, feed me, feed me!’, whilst on the albums title track he addresses his critics, saying 'Got my head held up, 'cause I think I'm handsome, while the media portraying me like Charles Manson'. Despite several guest appearances (from French Montana, Titty Boi, Wooh Da Kid and Slim Dunkin’ among others), this album still manages to sound like a coherent duet album. At times the double time rhyming, generous hi-hats and boom of the bass come together, to the point where the tracks’ tempo is somehow blurred. Although at a full hour long, I felt that a couple of tunes could’ve been dropped, if you’re previously a fan of Gucci Mane or Waka Flocka, then this album is a definite must.

[pstudt]

Nuclearhammer / Begrime Exemious - "Heretical Serpent Cult (Split CD)" (Dark Descent Records)

Starting with a sample from Taxi Driver, Nuclearhammer go on to play some pretty cool bestial thrashing black/death. This is nothing exceptional, but nothing wrong either; rough but not ridiculous production, scratchy buzzing guitar sound, echoed old school rasping vocals and big set of biscuit tin drums, excellent.

Following on from their fantastic album earlier in the year, Begrime Exemious have carried on sounding much the same. The drums and bass are, as before, considerably higher in the mix than the guitar. Considering the really loose biscuit tin sound of the drums and swaggering clang of the bass this can only be a good thing. This is what gives the music it’s really unhinged manic sound. Yet more fantastic work from these guys.

http://www.youtube.com/nuclearhammertyrants

http://www.myspace.com/begrimeexemious

Grave Upheaval / Encoffination - "Split" (Psychedelic Lotus Order)

On their half of this split, Grave Upheaval have excreted some very slow, droning, doom death metal. The vocals sound like gargling gravel to wash down a handful of xanax, the guitars, bass and drums are all so murky they are impossible to distinguish from one another. I’d actually really like to hear the band produced a whole album of this deliriously slow churning noise.

Although they are the slightly more conventional of the two here; Encoffination have also turned in molasses slow doom death brutality. Again this is ridiculously slow, gravel for vocals, suffocating crushing slow death. I enjoyed this a whole lot more than their other stuff that I’ve heard, but I’m still undecided.

http://www.myspace.com/graveupheaval

http://www.myspace.com/encoffination

Father Befouled / Demonic Rage - "Split" (Dark Descent Records)

Coming from the same guy who is responsible for Prosanctus Inferi and Black Funeral, this new Father Befouled track is fucking great. With a bit of Morbid Angel, Immolation and Incantation all showing, this is really enjoyable; technical but with an old school approach and production to match. Their 2010 album released on Relapse Records is also very highly recommended.

Demonic Rage have gone for super rough production here, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. This track is a dense fog of stifling, droning, fuzzy and clanging, disease ridden death metal. So altogether, highly recommended then. 

http://fatherbefouled.bandcamp.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrvhgvIyTH0

[pstudt]

Antropofago - "Beyond Phobia" (Self-Released)

Playing melodic yet brutal modern death metal, Antropofago hail from France and this is their debut album. The production is crisp, bordering on slightly over produced, the vocals are growled throughout, although nothing exceptional. Too be honest, I didn’t massively enjoy this album, but that’s my own taste; it’s actually a pretty good example of this kind of At The Gates influenced melodic death, sadly that is a sound that’s been done to death in the last few years. Antropofago will need to develop their own sound if they are ever to stand out.

[pstudt]

Various – “White Eye of Winter Watching” (Hospital Productions)

At over three hours long, this is a formidable treasure trove of noise artists. Released on Hospital Productions representing ‘a dynamic compilation that brought together many of the genres that the label has explored’. Showcasing a diverse mixture of styles; abrasive power electronics, grinding field recordings, dirges and drones, whilst this may not all be to me liking it is always interesting. I particularly enjoyed the screaming noise of the Sutcliffe Jugend/Prurient collaborative contribution, the dark throb of Contrepoison and the ambient industrial scraping of Grey Wolves. There’s a lot of ground to cover here though, the diversity of the selected tracks makes this a great introduction to today’s noise scene; as it was for me to be honest.

[pstudt]

Lil' B - "I'm Gay (I'm Happy)" (Amalgam Digital)

Lil’ B is nothing if not prolific, having released five albums of original material in the last two years, as well as countless mixtapes. His style might be taken by some as the epitome of the kind of lazy, unlyrical MC that is destroying quality hip hop in 2011, but actually that couldn’t be further from the truth. Constantly pushing ideas of unity, positivity and love, he is a breath of fresh air amongst the endless thug clichés of the genre. This controversially titled album (meant as a message of support to the LGBT community) features some of his best and most lyrical work to date. As always, Lil’ B sounds great backed up by the atmospheric ambient beats of Clams Casino; indeed the highlight of this album is the Lost Boys soundtrack sampling ‘Unchain Me’. It may be a big headed stretch when he refers to himself as ‘the God MC like Hova’, but he’s so lovable he not only pulls it off, but makes it a hot track to boot. Don’t hate, just share in Lil B’s loving style.

http://www.basedworld.com/

[pstudt]

Flourishing - "The Sum of all Fossils" (The Path Less Travelled Records)

Although they’ve not released an album themselves this year, the influence of Portal has been widely felt in death metal this year; Begrime Exemious, Mitochondrion and even Disma have all drunk at that dark well. Flourishing are an amazing example of exactly this twisted style. Sounding like they’re encrusted in the dustiest mud, this is manic clanging death metal. Bass plays a prominent role, more so than the guitar to some extent. The drums clatter into the background, whilst the vocals are gruff and growled like a leprous caveman. Standing far apart from the sleek over-produced modern sound of deathcore influenced death metal, showing influences from Gorguts and Immolation, the band still maintain their own sound. This is a fantastic album, a late addition to the years better albums.

http://www.myspace.com/flourishing

Also, check out an interesting interview with the band:

http://www.hailsandhorns.com/interview/garett-bussanick-of-flourishing-talks-about-their-new-album-how-they-release-music-and-signing-to-the-path-less-traveled/

[pstudt]

E-40 - "Revenue Retrievin' (Overtime Shift)" (Heavy on the Grind ENT./Sick Wid It Records)

E-40 - "Revenue Retrievin' (Graveyard Shift)" (Heavy on the Grind ENT./Sick Wid It Records)

So, I’ve not exactly been quick in reviewing this album (it was released in March), but here E-40 continues to release music in difficult to digest large quantities, with another double album following on from the double album he released in 2010, and a triple album announced for February 2012.

The ‘Overtime Shift’ disc seems to be the stronger of the two, with some really great booming basslines complimenting what is otherwise similarly sparse 808 beats to those featured on last years ‘Day Shift’. E-40 has definitely escaped the shadow of the short lived hyphy movement and managed, as ever, to stay relevant. That said however, this album still features the same mixture of mellow and hype tracks that Forty Water’s been bringing since ‘My Ghetto Report Card’. Bubbling synths, booming basslines and that old school Oakland funk (‘Takin’ Em Back’) all feature backing up that inimitably fun flow as ever. I did particularly enjoy hearing the Beastie Boys being referenced in ‘Beasting’, elsewhere Fonzarelli continues to sound great over his son Droop-E’s beats, as on ‘I Am Your’, ‘Concrete’ and ‘Barbarian’. ‘That Candy Paint’.features Slim Thug and Bun B sounding reenergised and more interesting than they’ve managed to on their own albums in recent years.

Ultimate E-Feezy is unlikely to either gain or lose many fans with this album; definitely recommended if you’ve liked his music in the past.

http://www.myspace.com/e40