Moloken's excellent album "Out astral circle" will receive a much-needed vinyl release in May via the band's own in cooperation with . 300 copies, 100 color + 200 black. If you've seen the stellar job they did with the CD layout, I bet this will look killer.
Moloken have started to line up dates for a European tour in May: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=173762508&blogId=529242787
Moloken's full European tour diary is now online: http://www.moloken.net/
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Champagne Riot - THe champagne anthem
02. TALK 1
03. C.Aarmé - Bodybuilding
04. Mattias Alkberg - Andra känner
05. Asha Ali - The time is now
06. Karin Ström - Hon som älskade dig
07. TALK 2
08. Masquer - Bang bang
09. Mikkel Meyer - Tartar
10. Rising - Grail of bone
11. TALK 3
12. Sambassadeur - Days
13. Tortyr - Joag
14. Franke - Exil riktas inåt
15. Madamm - Lately I've been so blue
16. TALK 4
17. Taggarna Ut - The secretary
18. José González - In our nature
19. Moloken - Followers
20. Kitty & the K - Iamamf
21. Joel Alme - You will only get it once
22. TALK 5
23. The Movements - Going to your house
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.
MolokenWhile Moloken's wonderful debut release "We all face the dark alone" showcased a band with the potential to deliver high-quality, sludgy metal, it only hinted at the abundant genius held within the ranks of this Swedish quartet. Only a year later this ingenuity has been fully realized in "Our astral circle" as we find an outfit that has honed their songwriting skills to as damn near perfect as is humanly possible. Moloken have demonstrated that post-metal doesn't have to be a one-dimensional entity, and they've done it with such style that they have created a versatile body of work that defies genre convention. There's everything on offer here, from the ethereal uneasiness of "Untitled II" to the metal savagery of "My enemy" to the doomed despair of closer "11"12". There's also a certain looseness about this album, as if the band have felt their way in the studio rather than laboring over every minor detail, but that's not to say that this is a sloppy recording. Far from it, in fact. To have this music any tighter or, indeed, cleaner would render it simply good rather than great. Integral to this characteristic is a superior production, which allows the nuances of each instrument to shine through and affords "Our astral circle" a genuine, warts-and-all, quality. In the realm of Moloken diversity is king; delicate passages punctuate abrasive walls of sound and everything comes together to produce an album that is central to this band's ethos: semper heavius maximus!
- John Norby
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Bröderna Lindgren - Annan sort (feat. Britta Persson)
02. TALK 1
03. Rigas - Tonite
04. Sienna Root - The road to Agatha (Ahir Bhairav)
05. The Gentle Act Incident - The city doesn't know me
06. Asha Ali - Hurricane
07. TALK 2
08. Agent Side Grinder - Die to live
09. Moloken - My enemy
10. Boys of Scandinavia - Good looking
11. TALK 3
12. Sivert Høyem - Moon landing
13. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
14. The Movements - Save me
15. TALK 4
16. Mikkel Meyer - Tunge (feat. Non)
17. Sahara Hotnights - Impressed by me
18. Samuraj Cities - The weekend is almost over
19. TALK 5
20. Adjagas - Mánu rávdnji
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.
Portuguese blog Art is Fucking Dead interviews Norrland dark hardcore act Moloken: http://artisfuckingdead.blogspot.com/2009/09/entrevista-moloken.html
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Joensuu 1685 - I'm on fire
02. TALK 1
03. Boy Omega - Dinosaur drugs
04. Katatonia - Forsaker
05. Moloken - Die fear will
06. TALK 2
07. Rising - Dead kings
08. The Cardigans - Erase/rewind
09. The Amazing - Dragon
10. TALK 3
11. The First Miles - Black heart
12. [ingenting] - Medan vi sov
13. Skriet - Kärlekens land
14. TALK 4
15. Abandon - It's all gone
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.
Along with The Amazing's self-titled debut (discussed briefly here), my pick for September's album(s) of the month would have to go to Moloken's "Our astral circle". Yes, [ingenting]'s new record is also brilliant and well-deserving of praise and Abandon's "The dead end" is likewise incredibly powerful, but I've listened to Moloken a heckuva lot more often that anything else. Now if you remember, I wasn't that impressed with the band's epic debut EP, but it did show promise and on this new effort they have delivered in full. Once again, the band sound is rooted in heavy, dark hardcore ala "Souls at zero"-era Neurosis, especially considering the prominent bass presence, but they're also not afraid to go full-on metal when necessary. They're also unafraid to show off their chops either, as you'll hear on the song I've posted today. Some of their flair is subtle, but any musician should recognize that this rhythm section is a monster and that those long instrumental passages kick serious ass. Kinda like Tool minus the pretentious restraint, I'd say. And with better songs too, though that's not saying much considering Tool has always been way more about craft and mood than catchy riffs. Anyhow, this is a great release with broad appeal to all fans of heavy music, whether it be crust, doom or whatever. I hope other metal fans take note.
Moloken - Die fear will
Norrland doomcore act Moloken have finally released their debut full-length album "Our astral circle" and are streaming it at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/moloken
RIYL early Neurosis (I do). Also check their page for European tourdates starting in mid-October.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Samtidigt Som - Vid min sida
02. TALK 1
03. Tortyr - Ingen anger
04. Tribulation - Beyond the horror
05. The Fine Arts Showcase - Lovesick
06. TALK 2 (Umeå Punk City set)
07. The Bombettes - Oh boy
08. Industri Royal - Location location location
09. Regulations - Different needs
10. Moloken - Followers
11. Inständg - Kött är mord
12. Knugen Faller - Jag vill inte vara med
13. The Rats - Everything is a trap
14. TALK 3
15. Elmo - Blind heart
16. Logh - Forest eyes (RBG version)
17. Shining - Plågoande O'Helga plågoande
18. TALK 4
19. NEI - City of gold
20. Svart - Honey, honey
21. Fare You Well - It's almost over
22. TALK 5
23. Samuraj Cities - 2 close 2 yr hrt
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.
Umeå-based label Discouraged Records reports that the new Moloken album "Our astral circle" is done and sent off for mastering. No release date yet, but samples should be online soon. Also in the works, new 7"s from both The Pookie Syndrome (due out June 6, samples here) and grind/spazz-metal act Soldier One. More details: http://www.discouragedrecords.com/index2.html
Norrland hardcore/doom act Moloken is keeping a studio blog at myspace while they record their debut full-length "Our astral circle": http://www.myspace.com/moloken
MolokenGlad to hear someone emulating "Souls at zero"-era Neurosis rather than that band's monolithic, latter-day sound. Do that and you're only setting yourself up to fail. Instead, we're treated to crusty metal that's totally bass-driven with a similarly progressive, apocalyptic bent and a strong hardcore rooting. But no, not the usual mid-tempo sludge, thank goodness. They've got a healthy dose of northern darkness too, though I wouldn't put them up against the mighty Breach yet. Anyhow, this EP consists of one epic 15-minute track broken into three sections and while the rhythm section is exceptionally strong, the guitars and vocals don't add much more than texture. At least they're buried in the mix behind the bass because that's where Moloken shines. Gnarly tone, too -- like a cross between Man is the Bastard and Rush. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.
- Avi Roig
