ninehertz

A round up of nine recent releases in bitesize review form...

It is a globe-trotting edition of our monthly roundup, but we start in London with Unmother and their Fiadh Productions released State Dependent Memory album. If I had a better working knowledge of black metal this would be a full-length glowing review, but we’ll all have to settle for this mini glowing review instead. Described as arising from “urban atmospheres instead of pastoral mysticism”, it manifests through a grey, smog-filled tension, filled with experimental energies that recall the great Altar of Plagues. There’s a tangible electricity to it album long making for an exciting listen.

We head north next, finding Pict in Glasgow, releasing the four track The Nomad. This is an incredibly grand offering for a debut, combining the largesse of atmospheric/post-black metal with progressive metal of various flavours, bringing obvious reminders to the likes of Conjurer and Dvne. I hear elements of Kylesa at one point, a more metallic hardcore segment elsewhere, a gothic doom mood frequently cast. It’s not perfect, but they have crammed so much in here its hard not to be impressed.

Into mainland Europe brings us Ombrée from France. Their album Calvaire, released on the Ukranian label I Shall Sung Until My Land is Free, is a poignant ode to the artist’s father who died a year ago. It is ambient drone for the main, with on-point gothic sounds providing the backing – church bells, cawing crows – within the minimal, but inherently dark setting. There are occasional sparks of scratchy static, thuds of far-off noise, hints of moving more towards drone doom than the median ambient always there. It ends with guitars striking into a storm, the sounds of rain and a thunderous noise before closing back where it began with the chime of a bell.

Staying in France, I like to think that there’s a field over in Lyon with Jais playing their chilled, instrumental stoner rock to the grasses and winter flowers, dreaming of warmer days to come. Echoes from the Past (out on Le Cri Du Charbon) is bright and relaxing, taking notes from Karma to Burn as is only right for the format. It is much better when the stoner fuzz enlightens psych colour than when it approaches from a more generic hard rock angle where it falls flat. The closing Sons of Unity's interesting shimmering noise collage beginning gives way to southern-stoner guitar, maybe at a stretch recalling the likes of Five Horse Johnson. It is a brief but enjoyable little record.

Moving East takes us to Bongladen in Germany, and their Live in the Void EP. The band name gives away its stoner/doom origins, which contain some lovely moments – the sweeping psychedelia of the stars on Magic Lamp, the stoner rock guitar opening of Sun or the fuzzy, doomy end of Titan chief amongst them. Aside and in-between the songs strain a little, as if not fully formed, but there’s enough here to warrant further attention for where they go from here.

Along similar genre lines, but half a world away in Indonesia, Preacher’s Spiritual Guide is more on the purer doom side, right down to the drug espousing sample opening and bong-noise closing to Endless, its effect-addled stoner-doom heaviness and the occasional lapse into straight up Electric Wizard worship, which is unsurprising when it arrives. But there’s a lot of individual good in here too, the vocal delivery style varies in interesting ways and the raucous stoner riff on the self-named song is a lot of fun.

To the Americas we venture for our final three. We change up musically too with Mexico’s Porfirio and their eccentric Disputa Entre La Ira Y El Silencio. There’s a lot to take in – taking off at a pace in a crust manner, tipping into grind, there’s some clear sludge influence within as you find yourself wilfully caught up in its manic hardcore flow. Those changes of pace upset your balance song to song, powerviolence to murky sludge, even to the garage rock spirit of Treceava Cría, although the squawking vocals dispel any sense of normalcy. It’s highly enjoyable and unpredictable, with the Black Flag inspired Trunk of Hell being the highlight.

Argentina is usually where we find the brightest heavy psychedelia, but Mërgim are much heavier, with Vlorë exploring an imagined boundary point between post-metal and gothic-end doom, most impressively heard on the opening Vlorë I with its grimy covering and dual vocal combination (one guttural, one ghostly shrieks) dominating the atmosphere while mournful guitars take thoughts to the Peaceville doom trio era. It makes for an overcast, intriguing and impressive concoction.

And finally, up in New Orleans, a return to warm the soul – Suplecs, the grand old stoner rock heroes of an era or so ago are back unexpectedly, with new album Hymns Under a Blood Moon Sky out on Ripple Music. Their Sad Songs… Better Days album was a low-key classic back in the genre’s heyday, so this is mightily welcome. The new music shows they still have a lot to offer too, bridging stoner rock and grunge throughout, a splash of blues and nods to Fu Manchu (and Lynyrd Skynyrd oddly, on Mountain) appearing on occasion. It is at its best when upbeat and punchy, and the slow, swinging, horn-supported doom blues of the closing La Ti Da is fantastic.