Probably not, but I certainly have missed you. In the 2+ years since I (ostensibly) shuttered Idiot In Remission, things have changed - I left a two-year relationship, finished university, started graduate school, developed a passion for powerlifting (of all things) and, as of yesterday, submitted my thesis, effectively concluding almost twenty consecutive years of education as I await formal recognition of my Master's degree by the university. As I enter a new chapter in my life - namely, bidding Montreal, my home of six years, farewell - and find myself confronted with the existential horror of being in my mid-20s and attempting to break into the job market, I've decided to reactivate Idiot In Remission.
Looking back on my posts from 2014 (and earlier) brings me a mixture of nostalgia and embarrassment - this blog was a pivotal outlet for self-expression during a tumultuous time in my life. Perhaps I'm seeking to recapture that juvenile spirit, or perhaps I'm simply yearning for that self-expression. Regardless, it's 2017, and I have a lot of ideas for Idiot in Remission that I'm itching to bring to fruition. But for now, let's break the blog back in with my top 10 of 2017 so far:
10. Hellripper - Coagulating Darkness
Coagulating Darkness is the debut LP from Scottish one-man black/speed metal project Hellripper. The genre fusion, epitomized by Venom's rabid, seminal, NWOBHM-on-steroids approach, has proven a fruitful one, with plenty of modern acts such as Midnight, Chapel, Omega, and Black Fast churning out fist-pumping, razor-sharp heavy metal riffs accompanied by throat-shredding vocals with the subtlety of a jet engine. Hellripper, a relative newcomer, nevertheless hits the ground running with 'Bastard of Hades'. The record is a too-short tour-de-force chock full of catchy riffs, excellent songwriting, and a surprising amount of groove. It might lack the brooding, dejected atmospherics of its black metal contemporaries, but Coagulating Darkness' strength comes from its obtuseness. In a genre where minimalism is king, Hellripper's guitar solos, speed metal riffs, and the unbridled insanity of its songs are a breath of fresh air. This project has huge potential, and I can't wait for what comes next.
Stream Coagulating Darkness here.
9. Old Tower - Rise of the Spectre
Old Tower is a secretive dungeon synth project hailing from the Netherlands. Now, I know what you're thinking - what the hell is "dungeon synth"? Thankfully, someone did a better job of explaining than I ever could. Go read this. In short, dungeon synth is an offshoot of dark ambient that evolved concurrent with black metal, but never really experienced as much of an explosion as the latter. Think the cheesy synth opening to Burzum's Det Som Engang Var, or Summoning's Lugburz. Regardless, Old Tower delivers a droning, haunted, ominous experience that straddles the oft-fine line in dungeon synth between too cheesy and sublimely beautiful. This is dusty, melancholic music that could be the accompaniment to silent horror movies in the vein of Nosferatu. Droning, plaintive synth lines punctuated with subtle symphonic elements and an echoing bass drum round out the experience. This is one of Old Tower's finest releases yet.Stream Rise of the Spectre here.
8. Sorority Noise - You're Not as ____ as You Think
Stream You're Not as ____ as You Think here.
7. Oiseaux-Tempête - AL-'AN ! الآن (And Your Night Is Your Shadow - A Fairy-Tale Piece of Land to Make Our Dreams)
What a title. French experimental post-rock collective Oiseaux-Tempête, inspired by a journey around the Mediterranean, the recent political turmoil in the west, and the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, released their fifth studio album this past April. Making post-rock in 2017 usually means one of two things: either you're an old fixture of the genre continuing to explore your own vision (see the new Godspeed You! Black Emperor LP set to drop in September), or you're a part of the now-tired third-wave that took inspiration from Explosions in the Sky and are releasing tired, cookie-cutter instrumental rock with faux-emotional delivery. Exceptions, of course, exist, but Oiseaux-Tempête (and the new Grails, but we'll get to that later) prove that the divide isn't as clear cut as you might think. Sure, the project purveys yawning, droning sonic soundscapes, but those seemingly-hackneyed musical choices are balanced with the project's striking blend of sitar, 'oud, tabla, and traditional rock instruments. Far from being gimmicky, the unique instrumentation on AL-'AN! creates an atmosphere that's beggars comparison; transcending the sample-based tension of their previous outing Utopiya. This is a truly unique sounding record that can't be adequately described in a brief review.
Stream AL-'AN! here.
6. Black Cilice - Banished From Time
Mysterious Portugese black metal project Black Cilice is notable for one thing that becomes apparent within the first few seconds of listening to their new release Banished From Time - that this is black metal at its most inaccessible, most cacophonous (although the new Obskuritatem gives Black Cilice a run for its money), and most uncompromising. The guitars sound like they were recorded into a computer microphone, and the crash of the drums is almost utterly lost in the grainy fuzz of the atmosphere, and yet there's something intriguing about Black Cilice's music that keeps drawing me back in. It's an intriguing mix of total sonic maximalism and minimalism. The music resolves into a pulsating morass of guitar riffs, punctuated with the frenetic pound of snare and bass drums. Vocals are soaked in reverb, and practically inaudible, railing against the wall-of-sound produced by the guitar and drums. Ultimately, while it may scare away Deafheaven fanboys, Black Cilice's music is one of the finest examples of raw black metal done right.
Stream Banished From Time here.
5. Elder - Reflections of a Floating World
The fourth outing from Massachusetts-based band Elder has the band continue to do the impossible - making stoner/doom interesting. For a genre that has struggled to fill the massive shoes left by Electric Wizard, Cathedral, and Sleep for so long, Elder are one of the finest modern iterations of the genre, and have been masterfully blending the riff-based drive of stoner rock with the slow, thunderous pace of doom metal. Reflections of a Floating World, like its predecessor Lore, makes excellent use of progressive rock elements as well, reconciling the thick, Iommi-like drive of Kyuss with the more theatric virtuoso fluorishes of Yes. The result is a stunning journey through riff-based soundscape that only ever lets up for clear-skied atmosphere to shine through. Barring a surprise release from one of the genre's greats, this may be the greatest stoner rock/doom outing of 2017.
Stream Reflections here.
4. All Them Witches - Sleeping Through the War
Nashville psych quartet All Them Witches bring their signature jam-band-meets-blues-meets-experimental-meets-stoner-rock to heel on their newest outing, Sleeping Through the War. Swaying between gentle psychedelia and fuzzed-out distortion, All Them Witches have always been notable because of their jack-of-all-trades approach to their sound, which evades both comparison and imitation. Opening song 'Bulls', which introduces the record with a gentle guitar chord before launching into a heavy riff, demonstrates the band's strengths perfectly. As the band's fifth release, Sleeping Through the War sees the band continue their meticulous ability to transition between influences, moods, and textures. Their requisite desert rock banger 'Bruce Lee' aside, the album is a masterful synthesis of various different styles. In this regard, it's short-sighted to call All Them Witches a master of none, because in the fertile niche they play in, they are the undisputed masters.
Stream Sleeping Through the War here.
3. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
Mount Eerie, the project behind lo-fi and indie folk figurehead Phil Elverum (also of the Microphones), are notable for their vast, diverse catalogue over a career spanning nearly a decade. The project's latest release, A Crow Looked At Me, arrived earlier this year a few months after the death of Elverum's wife Geneviève. As such, to call it heart-wrenching would be an understatement. A Crow Looked At Me is deceptively minimalist - most songs feature Elverum's crooned vocals, his guitar, and not much else. Even Elverum's lyrics are stripped back, as he numbly recites his experiences dealing with his wife's death - meeting with their counselor, at first walking hand-in-hand, then driving when his wife became too weak; receiving a backpack in the mail for his daughter that Geneviève had bought in secret, among others. The defining feature of this record, thus, is its ability to convey Elverum's raw, unfiltered grief. Perhaps abetted by the bare-bones instrumentation, forcing the listener to pay attention to Elverum's voice, this is one of the most emotionally visceral releases I personally have ever heard. A Crow Looked At Me's ability to elicit such a powerful emotional response makes it difficult to sit through more than once - arguably its most striking quality is its ability to convey emotion through music. In this regard, A Crow Looked At Me is one of the most emotionally raw releases of the year, and potentially of all time.
Stream A Crow Looked At Me here.
2. Havukruunu - Kelle Surut Soi
Two years after the release of their sleeper hit Havulinaan, which lit up the black metal underground with its breathtaking black/folk metal fusion, Finland's Havukruunu return with an even more brazen sophomore LP on Kelle Surut Soi. Havukruunu's formula is as simple as it is effective - channel the general instrumentals of Primordial, Drudkh, and Horn, distil the atmospherics into misty, yawning soundscapes, hammer them home with folk riffs that would make Isengard blush, and wrap things up with unique vocals that sound like a Berserker gearing up for battle. While the project favors longer songs that allow them to show off their songwriting and riff-writing mettle, Kelle Surut Soi never suffers from boredom. This is black metal at full speed, and never falters for a moment. More notably, Kelle Surut Soi eschews the darkness Havukruunu toyed with in the past, in lieu of anthemic, upbeat folk metal rooted within a black metal context - think Hammerheart if Quorthon used more blast beats. Even as folk metal lapses further into "melodeath with violins", the black metal underground manages to keep folk metal alive and well, and nowhere is this clearer than with Havukruunu.
Stream Kelle Surut Soi here.
1. Slowdive - Slowdive
Speaking of comebacks, twenty-two(!!) years after their third LP Pygmalion led to the band's untimely end, British shoegaze pioneers Slowdive return with a new, self-titled LP in what's become one of the most divisive reunions of the year. The biggest question that has emerged around Slowdive's newest release has been, namely, how can a band who achieved fame via adolescent angst (even by the band's admission) possibly live up to the hype and semi-mythical status Souvlaki has earned in the underground? A precedent exists with My Bloody Valentine's m b v, a flash-in-the-pan 2013 release that achieved only lukewarm praise, and was unable to follow up the legendary Loveless. Nevertheless, Slowdive's reunion LP, in my opinion, stands by itself as a unique blend of old and new. Straddling the divide between the dreamy, goth-inflicted melancholy of Souvlaki and the minimalist, more experimental Pygmalion, Slowdive delivers a mature, meticulous sound that manages to reflect the nearly twenty-year gap between albums - it's unmistakably the band that wrote 'Souvlaki Space Station', but the adolescent despair has been replaced with a more measured, yet equally emotional feeling. I was fully prepared to be disappointed, but Slowdive, in my opinion, managed to deliver on the hype.
Stream 'Sugar For the Pill', from Slowdive, here.
Honorable Mentions:
Blanck Mass - World Eater
Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
Ride - Weather Diaries
Drab Majesty - The Demonstration
Crurifragium - Beasts of the Temple of Satan
The Cherry Wave - Shimaru
The Black Angels - Death Song
Forest Swords - Compassion
Emyn Muil - Elenion Ancalima
Tchornobog - Tchornobog
Algiers - The Underside of Power
Xiu Xiu - Forget
Brand New - Science Fiction
Incantation - Profane Nexus
King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizzard - Murder of the Universe
[Thee] Oh Sees - Orc
Toro Y Moi - Boo Boo
death's dynamic shroud.wmv - Heavy Black Heart
Upcoming releases I'm excited for:
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers
Dälek - Endangered Philosophies
Street Sects - Rat Jacket
Archgoat - LP 2018
Airiel - Molten Young Lovers
The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Always Foreign
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Midnight - Sweet Death & Ecstasy
Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrice Woven
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Midnight - Sweet Death & Ecstasy
Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrice Woven
And that's all for now! I hope to do a bunch more with the blog in the near future, including expanding a little bit more to my other hobbies.
Reviews for death's dynamic shroud.wmv and Oh Sees' new records coming soon! Stay tuned...
~-IIR
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