MRR: Oslo rising

I already posted a link to these pics awhile back, but it's still pretty cool to see Haust and Okkultokrati reblogged at MRR: http://maximumrocknroll.com/2010/09/13/monday-photo-blog-oslo-rising/

Haust/Okkultokrati live pics, 7" repress, etc.

Check out pics from the Haust/Okkultokrati official record release show on Friday the 13th: http://okkultokrati.blogspot.com/2010/08/photos-from-haustokkultokrati-show.html
Also note that Okkultokrati's debut 7" "Knarkskog" is being repressed: http://okkultokrati.blogspot.com/2010/08/knarkskog-repress.html
100 copies, red vinyl, totally crucial. The shirts are pretty bad-ass too (even my wife likes it), though I've yet to cut the sleeves off mine as directed.

Sirius playlist week #30

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU, all metal/punk to coincide with the new podcast:

01. TALK 1
02. Waklevören - Attakk
03. Eskatol - Fane av løgner
04. Årabrot - End of the world / Revelations
05. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Positivt tankande
06. TALK 2
07. Grave - Liberation
08. Obliteration - Exterminate
09. Liket Lever - Levande begravd
10. Knugen Faller - Jag vill inte vara med
11. TALK 3
12. Haust - Anti-reproductive
13. Underachiever - Cut a smile
14. Pointless Youth - Damaged head
15. Wolfbrigade - In adrenaline
16. Darkthrone - I am the graves of the 80s
17. TALK 4
18. Nekromantheon - We're rotting
19. Slugathor - The smoke
20. Tyrant - I'll burn that bridge (before you can cross it)
21. TALK 5
22. Bitch Boys - Automobile
23. Mögel - Jag är så rädd
24. Okkultokrati - On mouth of hells
25. Victims - Another way to die
26. Nitad - Stockholmsnatt
27. TALK 6

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Podcast: Nekromantik Norway

MP3: Waklevören - Oslo spy

Not that it needs to be reiterated, but Norway's been ruling the scene when it comes to filthy metal/punk. Darkthrone, Obliteration, Okkultokrati, Haust... all top-notch acts. See also: Waklevören. I'm making a mix, it'll be posted this weekend and it'll include this track.

Waklevören - Oslo spy

Nils Bech
Look back
Fysisk Format

It's always refreshing to see a label with so much devotion to good music that it'll have a multitude of acts spanning a variety of genres on its roster. It's the mark of a true music fan; someone who's not afraid to take risks and stick two fingers up to the naysayers and proudly state: "This is what I like and I'm releasing it!" Norwegian Nils Bech, is one of the non-metal acts on Fysisk Format, his laid back, retro-styled electropop sitting alongside the fist and fury metal battery from the likes of Obliteration, Haust or Okkultokrati. It has to be said that there's a time and a place for "Look back"; It requires a certain frame of mind before someone could take the entire album in one sitting, but that doesn't mean it's a bad release. It's just conducive to pre-planned, late-night, candlelit ambience rather than any summer drive-time fervor. And when it kicks off in that kind of subdued atmosphere, it can be simply wondrous. Vocally, Bech is probably what a Morten Harket and Morrissey hybrid would sound like if they had been releasing stuff in the early '60s. Sure, his music might be classed as electropop but, with its definite retro leanings, it sounds more like the male counterpart of Goldfrapp's "Felt mountain" than the '80s disco companion of "Scoundrel days". The term 'crooner' springs to mind often on this and, if there's one main criticism of Bech, it's that his English pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired. Generally, English sung in a foreign tongue adds a certain mystique to an album and, while that's true on a lot of "Look back", Bech's approach can be slightly off-putting at times. The songs on here are well done and, while there's a good buzz around Nils Bech, the vocals really taint this release in places. Best tracks on here are the upbeat "Medieval times" and the distinctly Björk-y "French affairs". A good album that's definitely original. Unfortunately, it would have been much better if Nils had sung på norsk.
- John Norby

Sirius playlist week #28

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Håkan Hellström - Kann ingen sorg för mig Göteborg
02. TALK 1
03. Enforcer - Katana
04. Existensminimum - 1993
05. Ludwig Bell - Kärlek slutar alltid med bråk
06. TALK 2
07. Karla-Therese Kjellvander & The Rockridge Brothers - New season
08. Lapko - Summer nights
09. CEO - No mercy
10. Night Minutes - Lord I can never be your mirror
11. TALK 3
12. Dungen - Marken låg stille
13. My Brother the Wind - Electric universe
14. Rigas den Andre - W.A.S.P. (R2 remix)
15. TALK 4
16. Waklevören - Oslo spy
17. Okkultokrati - Tail of the snakewind
18. Haust - Vomiting
19. TALK 5

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Haust
Powers of horror
Fysisk Format

It's a nasty piece of work, this second album by these Norwegian upstarts. Well, technically, it's their third full-length, as their 2005 self-financed debut was picked up by Fysisk Format and re-released with a different tracklist three years later. For the sake of argument though, let's just go with the second album and state upfront that it's one of the most maniacal releases out there at the minute. Like their debut, "Powers of horror" bases itself on a solid, if rather unconventional, punk foundation with distinct metal overtones, all of which meld together to produce a filthy collection of semi-complex punk metal that stands alone in terms of creativity while remaining firmly embedded in both genres' formative roots. This album sounds a little cleaner than its predecessor, but that's not to say it's a sanitary release by any means. In staying true to the extreme side of the label, Haust doesn't release music; rather they spew forth a barrage of unrelenting vehemence with a total disregard for public safety. It's this approach that encapsulates total musical violence at its most harrowing, with vocalist Vebjørn Guttormsgaard effortlessly tying all the elements together with a brutally savage output. Standout tracks? It's hard to say since -- and this may sound like the old cliché -- every track on here is a contender. Does it better what Haust did on "Ride the relapse"? It depends on what angle you're coming from. Take seminal Dutch deathsters Pestilence as an example. Did you adore the grime of "Consuming impulse" and feel just a little wary of the relative tidiness of "Testimony of the ancients"? Both awesome albums in their own right, but the latter just hinting at what might come a few years down the line. Of course, there's not nearly as much variation in cleanliness on the two Haust albums, but the difference, however slight, is definitely there all the same. It's very unlikely they'll change as much as Pestilence did, though. That aside, the more I listen the more I think that "Ride the relapse" just pips this at the post. Not by much, mind. Regardless, they're two lethal albums! Just buy both and make your own mind up.
- John Norby

New Next Life EP in July

Manic videogame metal act Next Life will be releasing a new CDEP called "Resurrection" on July 5 via Fysisk Format. If it's anything like their recent split with Haust, I'm sure it'll be killer.

Sirius playlist week #25

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Baby Alice - Piña colada boy
02. TALK 1
03. CEO - Come with me
04. Faster Katt - The girl and the crow
05. EL-SD - Walking sideways
06. Masshysteri - Dom kan inte höra musiken
07. TALK 2
08. Champagne Riot - The champagne anthem
09. Khoma - In it for fighting
10. Dear Euphoria - Rescue
11. Haust - Anti-reproductive
12. TALK 3
13. This Is Head - 0011
14. Familjen - Det var jag
15. Mikkel Meyer - Tunge (feat. Non)
16. TALK 4
17. Rasmus Kellerman - The greatness & me
18. Grande Roses - The astronaut
19. We Live In Trenches - White knuckles
20. The Amazing - And it looks like today
21. TALK 5

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

MP3: Haust - Anti-reproductive

"Buried by billions of unique snowflakes of hate." The visual is just as vile as the music and I wouldn't have it any other way. Anti-life, anti-reproductive: a sign of the times. Take a look around, things are only going to get worse. Thus "Powers of horror" is my #1 album of the year -- you will not hear a band with a darker, more bleak and negative outlook than Haust, they are the pioneers of the new dystopia.

Haust - Anti-reproductive

MP3: Brutus - Solution

Warmth and sunshine has finally arrived in the PacNW. That means it's time to put all my best feel-bad music (Okkultokrati, Haust) on the backburner and bust out some classic 70s-style heaviness. As always, Transubstans Records delivers the goods, so here's a track from a recent release of theirs: the self-titled debut of Swedish/Norwegian bruisers Brutus. Don't expect any curveballs with this one, it's a straight-up blues jammer with big choruses, plenty of swing and a refreshing lack of pointless psychedelic interludes. When done right, as Brutus does, this sort of thing never gets old.

Brutus - Solution

Sirius playlist week #23

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. TALK 1
02. Dear Euphoria - Coming down
03. Magnus Pelander - A sinner's child
04. Monzano - Grand siblings
05. TALK 2
06. Haust - Pointing and laughing
07. Pets - A good day for telling lies
08. Adventure Of - Time will tell
09. Swedish House Mafia - One
10. TALK 3
11. Supersci - Snap out of it
12. Pearl Fiction - The ruby fever
13. Britta Persson - Meet a bear
14. TALK 4
15. Nidingr - Reginsmol
16. The Bear Quartet - You you you you you you
17. Grande - You are the night
18. Rasmus Kellerman - The greatness & me
19. TALK 5
20. Susanne Sundfør - The brothel

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Sirius playlist week #22

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Kopfer Kat - UberVolt
02. TALK 1
03. Pan Sonic - Radio Qurghonteppa
04. Johannes Heldén - Vortex count
05. Dear Euphoria - No more time to weep
06. TALK 2
07. The Bear Quartet - We're not gonna make it
08. The Shock! - In silence
09. MF/MB/ - The big machine
10. TALK 3
11. Familjen - När planeterna stannat
12. Kausal - The conquistador
13. The Nature - Din medicin
14. TALK 4
15. Ignatius - Så jävla religiös
16. Okkultokrati - Tomb City rockers - Pungent stench
17. Haust - Anti-Reproductive
18. TALK 5
19. Carolina Wallin Pérez - Utan dina andetag

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Monday is Memorial Day

That means two things. First, there will be no repeat of my radio show, so if you want to listen, you'll need to tune in on Sunday (that's 11pm ET on Sirius XMU). Like always, I'll be playing a ton of great new music (The Bear Quartet, Dear Euphoria, Pan Sonic, Haust, etc.). Secondly, updates here will probably be pretty sparse as I'll hopefully be off doing other things besides sitting in front of the computer. Thanks!