Due to a bummer last-minute scheduling change I managed to miss most of The Devil's Blood when I went to The Decibel Magazine Tour last Friday -- sorry, but leaving work immediately at 5 to commute an hour+ to a show that starts at 6:30 just isn't happening -- but it wasn't all bad because In Solitude absolutely tore it up. I've been a fan of the band's self-titled debut for awhile now, but their most recent release "The World. The Flesh. The Devil" just didn't do much for me until I heard the songs live. What sounds lifeless and meandering on record came alive with the extra oomph they added on stage. Too many metal bands are soulless and too technically exacting in-person, but not In Solitude. As for Watain, my tolerance for black metal is fairly minimal these days so I would've probably been fine simply smelling them setting up and thinking "yup, I get it." I lasted 3 songs and retreated back home to a local band houseshow that was far more my thing (Gun Outfit/Family Stoned).
Here's yet another thing I meant to post about ages ago and was only just reminded of: Tonight I am going to see In Solitude/The Devil's Blood/Watain in Seattle. Guitarist Henrik Palm currently plays with In Solitude and also (used to?) front Sonic Ritual. Sonic Ritual also features guitarist Linnéa Olsson whose new band is Crucifix in a Death Hand, together with Janne Jarvis (ex-Warrior Soul, Hate Gallery). "Do androids play electric guitars?" is the band's debut 3-song EP and it's a great example of heavy, hook-laden rock'n'roll. It's also now available for free download via Bandcamp, so hook it up! And to add an extra layer of spooky coincidence, I also just happened to sell my last distro copy of Sonic Ritual's debut 7" via Discogs as I was doing this writeup. Perhaps I need to talk up my dead stock more often?
The most succinct way of describing Sweden's Mordant is to say that it's like a 3-way blend of Watain, Nifelheim and Carpathian Forest with a hint of the rhythm guitar sound from "Slowly we rot" and miles of melody in the mix. If that sounds like it might float your boat, then I would suggest you buy this right away. If, like me, you find the aforementioned bands quite patchy in their output then I would be wary of parting with your hard-earned for this. There are some really killer moments on "Black evil master", with all of "Council of evil" as a prime example, but the flipside of that is that a lot of the material sounds the same, despite the wealth of riffage on offer. There are also some subpar moments on the album, such as "Retaliation of the dark" which -- if you were to replace Bitchfire's (yes, I know!) vocals with John Tardy's -- would sound like a bonus track on Obituary's "Back from the dead" stinker. Despite its initial promise and many cool moments "Black evil master" is a pretty average album that doesn't have a hope in hell of standing the test of time. - John Norby
Swedish metal acts Watain and In Solitude will be touring the US together alongside Behemoth and my wife's favorite band The Devil's Blood this coming April as part of the Decibel Magazine Tour: http://www.decibelmagazinetour.com/
Actual dates to be announced January 24.
As much as there seems to be a singing of praises for Oslo's true kvlt black metallers Svarttjern's second album, I'm not enamored by it in the slightest. The production is, without question, a hefty lesson in annihilation-by-metal, but it's completely wasted when the music it's enhancing is nondescript in the big black metal picture. There's nothing exciting here at all; not even the obligatory mid-paced-into-fast-paced-into-mid-paced mid-album track (in this case "I AM the path part II") that normally elicits a "Let's fucking slay!" reaction works here. The riffs are just way too... crap. I'm sorry to have to use the word, but boring just doesn't cut it at this moment in time. Neither Kerry King's long-and-pointy nailband nor Watain's applied-as-if-it-were-just-thrown-on-but-really-it's-contrived-as-fuck corpsepaint can make up for the fact that Svarttjern are a very average black metal band. I've just noticed that there are a lot of hyphens in this review. Fuck, that's how bored I am listening to this album -- I'm actually counting hyphens. I'm -- actually -- counting -- hyphens. We're up to 29 now. Time to fire up "Sworn to the dark" and wash this muck outta my earholes. - John Norby
Best album: Robyn - Body Talk
Best artist: Robyn
Best song: Robyn - Dancing On my Own
Best group: Johnossi - Mavericks
Best folk/visa: Blandade Artister - Sonja Åkesson Tolkad Av
Best hardrock/metal: Watain - Lawless Darkness
Best jazz: Dan Berglunds Tonbruket - Tonbruket
Best songwriter: Klas Åhlund & Robyn - Body Talk
Best female artist: Robyn - Body Talk
Best male artist: Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise
Best newcomer Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli
Best producer: Red One
Best international success: Red One
Best lyrics: Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise
Best urban/dance: Familjen - Mänskligheten
Best Innovator: Iamamiwhoami
Synth: Code 64 - Trialogue () Cryo - Hidden Aggression () Page - Nu () Social Ambitions - Almost gone ()
Hardrock/Metal: Ghost - Opus Eponymous () Watain - Lawless Darkness () Khoma - A final storm () Dark Tranquility - We are the void ()
Rhythm: Haci Tekbilek - Türlü () Helt Off - Marknadens Soldat () Million Stylez - Everyday () Serengeti - Standing Steady ()
Jazz: Elin Larsson Group - Live and Alive () Lekverk - Everyday () NEO (Nässjö Extreme Orchestra) - NEO () The Country - The Country ()
Punk/Hardcore Antipati - Frågor som rör det allmänna () Hårda Tider - Gatan Kallar () Old Fashioned Ideas - We're in this shit together () The Baboon Show - Punk Rock harbour ()
Hip-Hop: Academics - Tare Lugnt 4 () Carlito - Guldburen () PH3 - Löser ett fall () Zacke - Visst är det vackert ()
Rock: Bad Hands - Take The Money And Run () Dundertåget - Dom feta åren är förbi () Pascal - Orkanen närmar sig () The Bear Quartet - Monty Python ()
Folk/Visa: Anders Svensson, Magnus Gustafsson, Susanne Gustafsson, Anders Löfberg, Jörgen Svensson - Bålgetingen, Låtar efter August Strömberg () Mats Edén, Daniel Sandén-Warg, Leif Stinnerbom, Magnus Stinnerbom - Anno 2010 () OK Star Orchestra - Sound Classique () Ola Magnell - Rolös ()
Experimental: Ombudsman - And His Father Was A Great Machine () Erik Enocksson - Man tänker sitt () Leif Jordansson - The Comet / The Doll Maker () New Tango Orquesta - Vesper ()
Singer/Songwriter: I'm Kingfisher - Arctic () Daniel Norgren - Horrifying Death Eating Blood Spider () The Tarantula Waltz - Did Not Leave To Find But To Forget, To Leave Behind () The Tallest Man On Earth - Wild Hunt ()
Best live act: Anna Von Hausswolff The Tallest Man On Earth Masshysteri Robyn
Best unsigned act (in collaboration w/P3 Lab): Alice B Katakomb Ascend Broken Boys
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on February 4 at Nalen in Stockholm. More info: http://www.manifestgalan.se/
Best album: Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli Robyn - Body Talk Säkert! - Facit The Radio Dept. - Clinging To a Scheme
Best artist: Håkan Hellström Johnossi Oskar Linnros Petter Robyn
Best song: Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life Daniel Adams-Ray - Gubben I Lådan Eric Saade - Manboy Erik Grönwall - Higher Johnossi - What's The Point Mohombi - Bumpy Ride Oskar Linnros - Från Och Med Du Robyn - Dancing On my Own Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking Swedish House Mafia – One
Best group: Dungen - Skit I Allt Hästpojken - Från Där Jag Ropar Johnossi - Mavericks Kent - En Plats I Solen The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme
Best folk/visa: Blandade Artister - Sonja Åkesson Tolkad Av First Aid Kit - The Big Black & The Blue Jonas Knutsson - Blåslåtar Ola Magnell - Rolös Toni Holgersson - Ibland Kallar Jag Det Kärlek
Best hardrock/metal: Ghost - Opus Eponymous Khoma - A Final Storm Pascal - Orkanen Närmar Sig Sabaton - Coat Of Arms Watain - Lawless Darkness
Best jazz: Dan Berglunds Tonbruket - Tonbruket Goran Kajfes - X/Y Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet - Echoes Oddjob - Clint Peter Asplund Quartet - Asplund Meets Bernstein
Best songwriter: Annika Norlin & Henrik Oja - Facit Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise Klas Åhlund & Robyn - Body Talk Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli Pernilla Andersson - Ö
Best female artist: Anna Von Hausswolff - Singing FromThe Grave Britta Persson - Current Affair Medium Rare Pernilla Andersson - Ö Robyn - Body Talk Säkert! - Facit
Best male artist: Daniel Adams-Ray - Svart Vitt Och Allt Däremellan Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli Salem Al Fakir - Ignore This The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
Best newcomer: Anna Von Hausswolff - Singing From The Grave Ceo - White Magic First Aid Kit - The Big Black & The Blue Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli Swedish House Mafia - Until One
Best producer: Adrian Lux Joakim Åhlund & Håkan Hellström Klas Åhlund Max Martin Red One
Best international success: Dungen Max Martin Red One Robyn Swedish House Mafia
Best lyrics: Annika Norlin - Facit Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise Ola Magnell - Rolös Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli Plura Jonsson - Kärlekens Väg - En Mässa
Best urban/dance: Boeoes Kaelstigen - Tanum Teleport Familjen - Mänskligheten Petter - En Räddare I Nöden PH3 - PH3 Löser Ett Fall Swedish House Mafia - Until One
Best Innovator: Johnossi Robyn Nomy Magnus Weideskog Iamamiwhoami
Winners will be announced at a ceremony at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm on January 17.
Necronaut, the solo project of ex-Dismember drummer Fred Estby, has posted the complete guest lineup for his upcoming album: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=414772938&blogId=538096458
For those that aren't so good with names, the list includes members from Entombed, Death Breath, Autopsy, At the Gates, Watain, Graveyard and more.
The first thing you'll notice about this fourth studio full-length from the Swedish purveyors of stench-laden black metal is just how polished it is, at least in relation to anything they've previously vomited forth. It's a strange listen in that such a hefty production sounds great, even though it doesn't fully represent what was expected of the mighty Watain. The music itself is clearly representative of the Swedish horde though, with plenty of riffs that are instantly recognisable as Erik Danielsson and his cohorts, but there's something else in here. Other familiar black metal element has crept into the foray and, as much as some may try to deny it, it must be said that there's a slight tinge of Norway on "Lawless darkness". Or, to be more precise, there's a slight tinge of Dimmu Borgir on "Lawless darkness". Is that a bad thing? Well, yes and no. Dimmu Borgir is Dimmu Borgir and Watain is Watain. They're two definite entities that tread their own ground and pretty much do what's expected of them. For the Norwegians, it's black metal at its most polished, a big budget, high shine, mass appeal madness that works. For the Swedes, it's down and dirty, filth-ridden, black mass uneasiness. That works. Whether or not the high of their extreme cult status has now found Watain aspiring to the grander levels that Dimmu enjoys remains to be seen and, no doubt, will become clear with future releases. Listening to "Lawless darkness" though, it seems as if the journey may have already begun.
As a standalone black metal album this is damn fine stuff, standing head and shoulders above much of the material currently saturating the scene. As a Watain album it's... slightly unexpected. It's definitely a grower and it's definitely s(l)ick stuff, it just doesn't quite reek of the 666-year-old pig's blood that "Sworn to the dark" or "Casus luciferi" did. The sparse leads on the album, I don't think work. Most of the time they knock whatever true menace is currently growing off kilter and generally deaden the impact of the song. The most enigmatic of the tracks on offer is without a doubt the 14-minute closer, "Waters of ain". Throughout its duration it displays Watain at their most venomous, yet, equally, at their most mainstream. It's a great track. It's an odd track. Part of it is a Watain track. Part of it isn't. For the most part, "Lawless darkness" is a great album that I'll return to when I'm in the mood for some quality black metal, but If it's a true sense of impending doom I'm after, I'll just blast "Casus luciferi" instead. - John Norby
Watain will be coming back to North America in November to support Behemoth on what they're calling the "Lawless States of Heretika Tour". Dates:
11/04 - Club Soda, Montreal, QC
11/05 - Opera House, Toronto, ON
11/06 - Mr. Smalls, Pittsburgh, PA
11/07 - Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
11/08 - Station Four, Minneapolis, MN
11/09 - Granada Theatre, Lawrence, KS
11/10 - Marquis Theatre, Denver, CO
11/12 - Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR
11/13 - El Corazon, Seattle, WA
11/14 - Rickshaw, Vancouver, BC
11/16 - Boardwalk, Sacramento, CA
11/17 - Slims, San Francisco, CA
11/18 - House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA
11/19 - Ramona Main Stage, San Diego, CA
11/20 - Marquee Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
11/21 - Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
11/22 - Palladium Showroom, Dallas, TX
11/23 - Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
11/24 - White Rabbit, San Antonio, TX
11/26 - Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
11/27 - Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
11/28 - Club @ Firestone, Orlando, FL
11/30 - Jaxx, West Springfield, VA
12/01 - Peabody's, Cleveland, OH
12/02 - Irving Plaza, New York, NY
12/03 - Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
12/04 - Toad's Place, New Haven, CT
Mordant
Svarttjern
Watain
