The bottomless wellspring of Bandcamp is overflowing with great shit just waiting to be discovered. This series aims to shine light on the freshest emanations and foulest incantations from its darkest corners, a few artists at a time. Here’s the eighth installment for your vulgar delectation. Enjoy.
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Artist: Anhedonic
Year: 2017
First up, that cover image is immaculate. Credit to Mitchell Nolte Art, truly astonishing. Now to the music: Anhedonic is the blackened death brainchild of US artist Chase Funk and he’s just unleashed his debut EP ‘Metanoia’ to terrorise your eardrums. This is the stuff I like, blackened death that doesn’t just claim the title from some rasps and blasts but actually goes for a grim black metal atmosphere. The first track ‘I Belong to Chaos’ is the perfect mood-setter, an ominous cloud of negative energy slowly latching its tendrils into you before the universe caves in with the onset of ‘Stargazer’. The heavens open, transcendence takes hold; you can almost feel yourself rising up into the void as the music swirls around you, lifting you up on morbid cadence.
As it’s a rather short EP and consists of just another quick interlude and a final track ‘A Dead Life Into A Living Death’, I won’t kill all the mystery by going into a blow-by-blow about it. I’ll just leave you with this: this EP is great. Dynamic, violent and refreshing; I haven’t heard so much done with two songs in a while. Head to his Bandcamp and support, the EP is at name-your-price but he’s doing it all independently so any donations go towards getting physical copies and merchandise printed. Hails.
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Artist: Ploughshare
Year: 2017
Australian black/death/doom trio Ploughshare released their debut EP ‘Literature of Piss’ a few months back now and holy fucking shit is it good. They descibe themselves as a “sepulchural din” and that overall nails it; there’s plenty of raw crypt-creeping bleak dissonance here but it’s balanced out with a savage, unhinged cacophony.
Great riffs, feral atmosphere. Underlying it all is a black core of cruelty, too: this EP will tie you to a chair and beat the shit out of you until you can’t breathe, see or control your own bladder. Four tracks long with the third a monumental 17 minute trip through the spectrum of human despair and depravity; this is outstanding in every way. If you’re lucky there might be a few tapes left on their Bandcamp but either way, do not miss this.
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Artist: Devourer
Year: 2017
When I say Swedish black metal, what do you think of? Well, that’s pretty much what you get here, which is in no way a bad thing. Two man project Devourer has been at it for fifteen years and it shows. It’s furious and melodic with frequent forays into atmospheric or flat-out heavy deathlike territory. Nothing that reinvents the wheel so to speak, but hey, innovation is not the only way to make a great album.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a dynamic and exciting ride within the realm it plays in. From the atmosphere of the title track ‘Across the Empty Plains’ to the glorious attack of personal highlight ‘Deeds of Rancour’ that follows hot on its heels, Devourer take you through everything great about Swedish black metal. And they do it well.
The project has been total DIY for fifteen years and I really can’t say a bad word about it, so grab a name-your-price download from their Bandcamp and help spread the scriptures of Devourer ever further.
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Artist: Blyh
Year: 2017
Fresh meat. German duo Blyh have smashed out their debut album ‘Transparent to the World’, and it’s a solid listen. An amalgam of many modern black/blackened styles swirled together and blended until they create a fresh tasty brew; conjuring a cornucopia of negative emotions that only get stronger as the album progresses. The glorious, sprawling title track is where everything really starts to hit home, and that continues until their interesting take on Songs : Ohia’s ‘Tigress’ brings proceedings to a close. It’s great when a band isn’t afraid to cover a song in their own style and they definitely succeed here as they twist and adapt the material to their own devices.
Also a fair point of difference are the varied vocal samples lifted from what appears to be current sources like Dexter or Ghost Adventures; there’s even what I swear sounds like a sneaky “My Name is Jeff” in ‘So Willingly Dead’, which adds to the whole fuck-it nihilism that also runs through the project. Memes in black metal? Sure. It’s not much weirder than hearing Russell Crowe when you push play on Satyricon’s ‘Volcano’ (which might be a bad example, but that album had some bangers so fuck you).
Great stuff, you’d do well to remember the name Blyh. If everything stays together for them I’ve an inkling you’ll be hearing it many more times in future.
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Artist: Wounds of Recollection
Year: 2017
The pain of a solitary existence in the modern world has long been a topic of artistic expression, often by necessity. Another man finding cathartic release through isolation in sonic form is US atmospheric/post/depressive solo act Wounds of Recollection, who’s just released his fifth album ‘The Nail in the Meadow’. A yearning, at times savage tug at the heartstrings with some truly beautiful moments hidden within, it’s a creation made from all too familiar feelings of detatchment and dull aches that only gets better the deeper you delve into it.
Misery always loves company, so snap this up at name-your-price download and be embraced by its raw charms. If you dig it the rest of his discography is also well worth a look.
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Artist: Nokturnal Winter
Year: 2017
And finally, I was alerted to these fine young men by a good friend and I want to show ’em some support. Straight out of high school USBM hellions Nokturnal Winter may be fresh on the scene but they follow the old ways; debut demo single ‘Fall of Man’ is rawer than hell embryonic black metal made for the sake of it. No pretensions or put-on kvltness, just primitive, primordial evil.
The track itself shows huge potential. Vocalist Abbadon Nokturnus has a fair rasp on him and the whole band will only improve with time; remember, it’s enthusiasm like this that created the genre and made it what it is today.
I’d love to see these guys go further. Total hails gents, more power to you.
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Submissions for possible inclusion in future Volumes welcomed.
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