2021: Stasis

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200: Alda

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 200 features an interview with Michael Korchonnoff of Alda.

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Alda Interview

I first heard Alda through the Replenish Records Bandcamp; their Tahoma album was one of my very first Bandcamp Picks, and has kept me company on many a long train ride since then. With a new album out, I decided to e-mail some questions to the band about their past and future, which drummer/vocalist Michael Korchonnoff was kind enough to answer.

Bandcamp Picks - Fuck The Facts, Alda, Anopheli, Myrkur

DoC faves Fuck the Facts return with their best album yet. Desire Will Rot sees the always eclectic québécois quintet diversifying their sound further with some OTT metal moments on top of their usual mix of grind, death, doom, and hardcore. A band that breaks the mould and then stomps it into dangerous little shards. Magnifique. [$4 CAD]


Alda, one of my first ever Bandcamp Picks, finally deliver their long awaited (by me at least) third album. Passage continues where its predecessor left off, combining atmospheric black metal and folk, with more confidence and stronger performances (particularly with the vocals). An album for long walks in the woods; it may not deflect any Agalloch comparisons, but it shows the band is coming into their own. [€6.90 ]


It's amazing what a difference one instrument can make; Oakland CA's Anopheli might be just another band following in Tragedy's footsteps if it wasn't for the addition of a cellist. The Ache of Want puts her front and centre and lets her drive the music, the end result being even more apocalyptic than this kind of dark crust usually is. One of the best, most compelling hardcore albums I've heard this year, and it's available as a "name your price" download.


Well, the cat's out of the bag on Myrkur's Amalie Bruun; her dance pop and shoegaze background is now common knowledge. Honestly, Myrkur's full length M would benefit greatly from embracing that background a little more. The straight ahead black metal moments are a little generic, and songs that lean too heavily on her (admittedly pretty good) clean vocals dredge up comparisons to the Ghosts of Goff Metal Past (anyone who got a Century Media Identity comp back in the day will know what I'm talking about). But the album's sublime opener (not to mention their contribution to this year's Adult Swim singles collection) suggest that Relapse's faith in the project isn't misplaced, just a little premature. [$10.99 ]

Bandcamp Picks: Replenish Records

Replenish Records, out of Washington DC, are a small label well worth supporting. Not only are they commendable for their varied mix of metal and hardcore bands, they seem to eschew any goal other than spreading good music. As they say on their Facebook page, "All of our releases will always be offered for free stream and download. We only ask that you help spread the contents of each download as far and as wide as possible and support what these bands are doing for music." To that end, they've made their releases available not just on Bandcamp but through Mediafire as well.

Like Agalloch, Alda hail from the Pacific Northwest - and indeed, they sound like a rougher, less post-rock addled Agalloch. "Hypnotic" is a word I've seen used to describe their Tahoma album, and it's a fair assessment. Expect this one to grow on you with successive listens. A welcome addition to the forest metal oeuvre. [Not sure why, but this album is also available through Pest Productions, who I did a post about not that long ago.]



Though they've only released one full-length, Mexican crusties Bio Crisis are already getting a lot of love; they've been confirmed for this year's American edition of the Obscene Extreme Festival, which means more love is on the way. D-beat hardcore in the glorious Swedish style, En Memoria Al Dolor mixes in the occasional sombre post-rock moment to create an album that's always furious but never one-dimensional.



Cleveland has long been the home of great hardcore bands like Ringworm and Integrity; but unlike their ultra-metallic brethren, Little Sister are on the fast and crusty side of the HC spectrum. Their self-titled EP speeds by like a turbo-charged, grindier Tragedy. The band have apparently split up following one last show; shame I discovered them so late, but I look forward to hearing what their members do next. The four songs on this EP are a sign of great things to come.



Rituals are from Arizona, and I dare say their Southwestern environment played no small part in developing their eerie, desolate sound. On their self-titled debut, they mix sombre, reverb-heavy (damn near surf rock) guitar licks with heaving doom, like a desert-born Cult of Luna. Crushingly heavy and psychadelic, but I don't recommend this album be used with any mind-altering substance. The trip would be brutal, and you may not make it back.



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