Swedish self-explanatory duo Trummor & Orgel will release their third album "Visions" on November 18 and also have a new website to match: mmororgel.com/" target="_blank">https://www.trummororgel.com/
There will be a record release show at Södra Bar in Stockholm the night of the release.
One more dose of aural filth to close out the week! (see also m/?n=32186">here and m/?n=32193">here) Obliteration are a relatively young band from Norway with one album under their belt on Nocturnal Culto's Tyrant Syndicate label and a new one on the way at the end of the month from Fysisk Format, so that alone should already give you a decent idea of what they sound like. For those still in the dark, that means disgusting old-school death metal. Think Autopsy, Possessed, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Bathory, etc... you get the picture. maybe not as much raw anger as those other tracks I posted earlier, but certainly just as ugly and brutal. "Ingesting death" is the first track from "Nekropsalms" -- play loud!
Obliteration - Ingesting death
"Tomorrow, in a year", the Darwin-inspired opera scored by The Knife, will be hitting the road for a few European dates:
11/27-11/28 - Large Hall, The Concert Hall, Aarhus (DK)
01/08-01/09 - La Pallas, Athens (GRE)
01/29-02/01 - Dansens Hus, Stockholm (SWE)
06/05 - Städtische Bühne, münster (GER)
For more details and ticket info, go here: ma.dk/" target="_blank">https://www.hotelproforma.dk/
Siena RootThe new Siena Root album, their fourth overall, is a serious jammer, though not necessarily of the type I usually go for. Instead of the usual retro hard-rock served up in snappy 3-6 minute packages, the band stretches their chops to create two extended "suites", each about 25-minutes long and conveniently dissected into smaller tracks on CD. The first half, "We", is the more straightforward of the two and features the band in standard space-ballad mode, transitioning into a heavy tent-revival refrain before taking their their planetary caravan "in the desert", zooming "over the mountain" and coming back home again with "as we return", as each section is conveniently subtitled. It's the kind of piece that works best as a soundtrack to a long drive, not so much for casual listening. As for Suite II, "The road to Agartha" (what?), that's where they get real, let down their guard, and fly their freak-flag high. The Beatles may have embraced a bit of Eastern mysticism and indulged in a bit of sitar in their time, but they never rocked out like this with full Indian flair, dueling flute solos, copious hand-percussion implements and other non-standard rock tropes. This is where the extended format works best, where Siena Root can be as self-indulgent as they need, get it out of their system, exorcise their demons, or chase down whatever it is they're after. Likewise, I also think it's the far superior of the compositions, though again, not necessarily for easy, everyday spinning unless side-long psych-jams are your main deal (you dirty hippie). "Different realities" is nowhere near Siena Root's best album, but they were successful with their intentions and that's worth something. It won't ever end up in my steady rotation, but I plan to enjoy it whenever the proper occasion should arise (again, see: road trips).
- Avi Roig
Sons of God, aka Swedish noise artists Leif Elggren and Kent Tankred, will be performing a short series of US dates this week together with like-minded countrymate Joachim Nordwall (The Idealist/Skull Defekts):
11/06 - massArt, North Hall, Boston, mA
11/07 - Issue Project Room, Brooklyn, NY
11/09 - Philadelphia Sound Forum (Vox Populi Gallery), Philadelphia, PA
Labrador Records has posted the new Sambassadeur single "Days" as a free download: https://www.labrador.se/days/
Swedish hardcore act Kvoteringen are streaming a new track off their forthcoming LP "Samhällets förrädare", due out on Feral Ward very soon: myspace.com/kvoteringen" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/kvoteringen
more Scandinavian ugliness, this time courtesy of Denmark and The Psyke Project. I've covered these guys in the past, but felt like they fell off a bit with 2007's "Apnea", so I didn't pick up on their latest release "Dead storm" as quickly as I should have. Now I'm playing catch-up and I'm happy to report they're back on track. There are few bands as relentlessly brutal as The Psyke Project, so it's not much of a surprise when I see their biggest, most oft-cited criticism is also their biggest virtue. No doubt, it is exhausting to sit through 50+ minutes of pummel, but trust me, it isn't all like this one track and the payoff is worth it. The band does dabble in bits of melody and dramatic postrock dynamics, but of course it's the endless breakdown that I want to focus on today. There's no hooks, no respite; just endless atonal riffing and screaming ala "Damaged I". Ugliness and anger; let me have it, let me feel it. "No one comes in" = "Leave me be". Broken.
The Psyke Project - Cursed with care
Norway's Bigbang will support Phantom Limb on tour in the UK in December:
12/08 - Ruby Lounge, manchester
12/09 - Classic Grand, Glasgow
12/10 - Cluny 2, Newcastle
12/11 - tbc, Bristol
12/12 - tbc, London
12/13 - The Yardbird, Birmingham
12/14 - Latest music Bar, Brighton
12/15 - Bush Hall, London
Swedish doom act Saturnalia Temple has signed with US label The Anja Offensive (Watain, Deathspell Omega) for the release of their self-titled debut full-length. The band aims to record over the winter for a summer/autumn 2010 release.
Swedish experimental/noise/visual artist Ronnie Sundin will release his final "quiet" album "Sunspots" in a limited edition of 50 LP copies via Komplott. Each copy will feature individual hand-made covers using linoleum cuts created and printed by Sundin himself, as well as hand-written text in red ink. For full details, go here: mplott.com/" target="_blank">https://komplott.com/
In related news, volume #2 of Ronnie Sundin's comic book+7" project "Very friendly" is just about ready and will be subtitled "Walk Like Zombie man". This issue, if you want to call it that, will feature two main stories; one about his 2006 trip to Spain and encounter with composer Francisco López and the 2nd about his attempt to decipher the early 80s German cult film mdb.com/title/tt0087129/" target="_blank">"Decoder" which features William S. Burroughs as well as F.m. Einheit (Einstürzende Neubauten) and Genesis P. Orridge (Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV). Expect a December release.
Check out the video for "Holiday", the latest single from Swedish electropop duo Cartwall (feat. SR P3 host matilda Kihlberg): m/watch?v=8_uhhtqxkvc" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_uhhtqxkvc
The group's self-titled debut album is out now via BD Pop.
The Washington Post Express profiles Finnish folk-metal act Ensiferum: m/content/2009/11/ensiferum-from-afar.php" target="_blank">https://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/11/ensiferum-from-afar.php
Swedish old-school punks Trojne are back with a couple new tracks at myspace, recorded recently with frontman mikael Borjesson's 12yo son Niklas Borjesson on drums: myspace.com/trojnesweden" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/trojnesweden
In semi-related news, mikael also has worked on some new solo stuff very much in contemporary Thäström style which can also be heard at myspace: myspace.com/borjesson" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/borjesson
I don't have money to burn, but if I did, I'd put out a comp with the best, most nihilistic, purely negative and dystopian-minded bands Scandinavia has to offer. And I don't know about how things look from where you sit, but I consider it to be the sound of our current zeitgeist and guess what? There are more than a few excellent specimens that fit the bill -- Haust and Hebosagil are two prime examples I've brought up in this context before; Frivolvol makes it a trinity. Listen, it takes a lot of effort to sound this ugly and it's obvious these dudes are
Frivolvol - It smells like something died here