Sello: Wave Records Formato: Album CD + Bonus Tracks País: Germany Fecha: 11 May 2015 Estilo: Darkwave, Post-Punk, Shoegaze
Bleib Modern, once a solo project founded by Philipp, now became a band consisting of 5 members. Everything changed in the last months. There is almost nothing left of the Depeche Mode sound. From electric instruments to guitars, bass guitars and smooth drum beats. The vocals are psychedelic, sad, but beautiful. Philipps lyrics are very well written, it’s all about •no love‘, depression and hate. On their new and also first album, we will enjoy 10 songs that will take you on a trip into an awesome atmosphere. I can say, that this band knows how to use reverb and delay effects!
We can look forward a great future of this new coldwave / postpunk band, and maybe we will be surprised by more and more changes, too. On the CD, there will be 8 bonus tracks, for example the LOWS EP, Philipp released in August 2014.
Sello: Prophecy Productions Formato: CD, Album País: Germany Fecha: 10 Feb 2012 Estilo: Post Rock, Indie Rock, Heavy Metal, Shoegaze
An elegiac and sublime album of enraptured beauty
On their second album, “Ariettes Oubliées…”, Les Discrets appear significantly matured in many aspects. Teyssier’s artistic vision is clearer than ever, and his vocal performance shows a big progression in comparison to past recordings. Winterhalter contributes arguably the best and most diverse drum performance of his carreer, and the sensitive, poetic lyrics of Audrey Hadorn add a further dimension to the album. The album’s tenor is more severe, yet the bittersweet melancholy and almost painful yearning – both characteristic of the debut album, “Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées” – here they are more moving than before. “Ariettes…” is an elegiac and sublime album of enraptured beauty that develops Les Discrets’ characteristic style in the hybridization of Post-Rock, Doom Metal, and Shoegaze convincingly in every element, to every extent,and which will cement the band’s status as a cornerstone of a new, thrilling music genre.
Black Autumn – Rivers Of Dead Leaves Label: Antichristian Front Records Format: CD, Album Country: Spain Released: Dec 2008 Style: Shoegaze, Black Metal
Germany’s Black Autumn is a one-member project of M. Krall. According to Metal-Archives, the band has been in existence since 1993 and there have been a slew of releases post-2003, all of which have evaded me. This includes the debut album released last year, Ecstasy, Nightmare, Doom. Rivers Of Dead Leaves was the first taste of Black Autumn that I had and the first thing that struck me was its eclectic make-up. In essence, this album is all about abstract, sluggish, melancholic riffs that usher you into an utterly bleak and depressive world. But there is a lot more to this album than the standard depressive black metal album. The most noticeable aspect is the portions that lean towards ambient and industrial music. There are even some neat movie samples to be found on the album (Blade Runner on Ashes for example: “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those … moments will be lost in time, like tears…in rain.
Time to die.” – fits like a charm). The sheer variety of the riffs is also something to take of note. It’s not all tremolo picking all the time like some of these 2-bit bands that pass off as bruisingly depressive black metal. In fact, there are hardly any blastbeats at all to be found. Here’s where you get Godflesh-lite drum machine goodness instead – with a lot of passages harbouring some extremely cool double-bass work. The guitar tone is absolutely crushing and is somewhat reminiscent of a polished version of that found on Blut Aus Nord’s The Work Which Transforms God. A lot of the gloomy melodies found on the album tread on folkish routes bringing to mind names like Current 93 and Death In June. Don’t worry though, there’s enough firepower in them to keep things engaging and not turn into a snoozefest. Krall opts for a reserved vocal approach rather than an out and out psychotic shrill that is usually the weapon of choice in this genre. The vocals are heavily distorted and have a very cold, electronic, industrial feel to them which fittingly complement the despondent atmosphere.
The keyboards and electronics utilized are done so in a very optimum manner while still maintaining minimalistic ambitions. As mentioned, Black Autumn seemingly draw inspiration from a variety of bands, not limited to black metal and this fact ensures that you don’t lose interest midway through the album. Elements of Shoegaze, Funeral Doom, Industrial Black Metal, Dark Ambient, Folk and hell, even bits resembling the melodic eccentricities of Amoral. The songs are very consistent and the only song I didn’t like as much as the others was A Darkness Profound. The standout track of the album is A 1000 Years In The Water – magnificent music. There seems to be a whole story woven around the character of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The famous painting of Ophelia by the English Sir John Everett Millais is printed on the CD even. All in all, excellent fare for a black metal fan and if you call yourself one, you should certainly pick this one up. Black Autumn is one band whom I will surely keep an ardent eye on.
