…in english please!
„This album features so many memorable guitar harmonies and rivals Inter Arma for doom(ish) album of the year.“ – high praise from Khemmis, who talk about Chained to Obivion, Sprit Adrift’s debut album. An impressive premiere nobody even mildly interested in all things doom should've ignore (mea culpa!), and one that even was projected a few months early by the similarly impressive Behind – Beyond. Even more impressive: Spirit Adrift is the brainchild of sole member Nate Garrett, who expressly underlines his capability here with stellar songwriting, crushing instrumental skills and an sheer excellent vocal performance. So thanks a thousand times for the hint, Khemmis! And while you let the 5 songs on Chained to Oblivion majestically creep under your skin, take some time to reflect on Sprit Adrift’s final account of 2016.
On Hunted, Khemmis can keep all the promises their formidable debut Absolution gave 15 months ago, and let fans of Pallbearer and Crypt Sermon alike lick their tongues: nobody in 2016 managed to bridge the distance of epic traditional doom and grand melodies better than the band from Denver, CO. Thus it comes as no surprise, that the four-piece managed to storm the upper ranks oft he end oft he year charts by Decibel magazine. Hard to tell, to which heights the rapidly evolving Khemmis might rise in the years to come. But it sure will be a pleasure to witness.
Without trying to undersell the five previous records by the Swedes, List makes one thing clear: Martyrdöd have surpassed themselves. Through 38 minutes, the band from Gothenburg burn down everything along their way, and whip their D-Beat through crustpunk over death metal and let it crash straight into hardcore, while still maintaining their hypermelodic guitar escapades that find the fine line between rough brutality and dizzying epicness. Martyrdöd have always been an exceptional band, but manage to tighten the screws of perfection on List further than ever. Mikael Micke Kjellman and his records of the year:
Simplified, black Rock’n’Roll to the bones is what the press release already told us very apt about Hodja in times of their debut The Band, but what it didn’t tell us, was with how much soul, gospel, blues and feeling the multinational band charges their sound up with. Besides Reverend Shine Snake Oil Co. some might think about Tom Waits or Captain Beefheart, but in the end, the three-piece is cooking their own soup, and makes albums, that feel as if you’re right their with them, participating in their recording voodoo-sessions. This years Halos walks along that line consequently, and manages to effortlessly shake out some immediate sweating hits like Gazelles. And as soon, as Hodja slow down a bit, and draw back into invincible melancholic songs like Broken Engines, the gem Halos becomes more than the sum of ist parts.
5 years have passed since [amazon_link id="B005R07TMK" target="_blank" ]In Passage[/amazon_link]. On the one hand you can hear these 5 years in the wide, atmospheric, but never completly graspable dreamscapes on [amazon_link id="B01LE0A8R4" target="_blank" ]Hibernation[/amazon_link], on the other hand one can get lost immediately in the timelessness of the fourth record by Immanu El. Seems logical, that the musical preferences of keyboarder and producer David Lillberg cannot be held back by the boundaries of the year 2016. [Don't miss Immanu El on the upcomming tour!]
Devil Music feels a jewel out of time. It’s rare these days to find such unrestrained ecstatic records like The Men’s first record in almost two years: the infectious energy, that was documented on analogue 4-track by Jordan Lovlace and Jonathan Schenke was set free by Rich Samis, Kevin Faulkner, Nick Chiericozzi and Mark Perrosic over the course of just one weekend. No wonder that the first bands that come to mind after these driven 35 minutes are excessive maniacs like the Stooges or MC5. The Men did their homework - and Nick Chiericozzi a little list for the Heavy Pop advent calendar.
Not a year passes without new quality material by Justin Pearson. In fact in 2016 the boss of Three One G added a very pleasant gem to his discography, the follow-up to Head Wound City’s self titled EP from 2005. We might have secretly given up on new material by the supergroup consisting of members of The Locust, The Blood Brothers and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which makes it especially cool that Justin Pearson and pals managed to not only tackle the great expectations, but maybe even surpass them on their official debut LP. And Pearson? Already hard at work on his next projects, for example the first album by Dead Cross or shooting videos for Planet B....
Kühl, dunkel und streng treiben Theresa Adamski, Sebastian Ploier, Philipp Forthuber ihr Zweitwerk hinein in ein scharfkantig funkelndes Minenfeld zwischen The Cure und Joy Division – ein atmosphärisch geheimnisvoll dräuendes Minenfeld. Mindestens ebenso imposant wie die Tatsache, dass sich Crystal Soda Cream inmitten dieser überlebensgroßen Referenzwerte letztendlich dank der schieren Qualität von Work & Velocity mit geradezu traumwandelnder Präzision behaupten können, ist auch die Erkenntnis, dass das Wiener Trio hier über zehn abgründig faszinierende Songs dem eigenen Soundcharakter nicht nur immer weiter definiert, sondern ihm auch beständig neue Facetten einverleibt hat. Der hiesigen Speerspitze in Sachen Postpunk und Dark Wave gelingt damit der Spagat: Eine Platte von hoffnungsloser Melancholie und dystopischer Schönheit.
It’s a bit hard to keep track with all the different projects Max Rieger is involved in: Besides the constant assault of Die Nerven, his very own label All Holes Records gave off some black metal shots from the hip, the first and only live performance by Jauche was made available, and his name showed up on even more credits of other artists like Karies. And still, it feels like in 2016 All Diese Gewalt's sophomore album Welt In Klammern stood above all of that, a fascinating record, unfathomably pulsating between pop, drone and electronica, that creates atmospheric and imaginative soundscapes.
Mastodon did it over the course of four albums, Thrice dedicated a row of EPs tot he topic, but nobody realized the concept of the four elements as consequent and strong as Bell Witch did on their second LP Four Phantoms. Four epics of abysmal darkness glow below Billy Anderson‘s fantastic production, again – as previously on Longing – celebrating doom at its most overwhelming. It’s a special honor to have Dylan Desmond representating Bell Witch for the closure of this years Heavy Pop advent calendar.
