Bandcamp Picks - The Crown, Demonical, Synapse Misfire, VHS

It is with no small amount of pleasure (and relief) that I declare that not only is there a new album from The Crown, but it doesn't suck. Few bands are as successful at crafting death metal that's catchy and fun without sacrificing its fundamental brutality - Cobra Speed Venom is at once thrashy, black, and rocking. It's not quite as good as Deathrace King or Crowned in Terror (two of the best death metal albums ever released); and I miss drummer/founder Janne Saarenpää's reckless blastbeats. Still, as a reminder of why the Crown were such a force at the turn of the millennium, this album acquits itself nicely. Bow down and hail your king. [$9.99]



A new singer isn't the only change afoot for Demonical. In addition to the old school Swedeath this band made their bones with, Chaos Manifesto is peppered with melodic mid-paced stompers akin to Amon Amarth. Anyone following the left hand path long enough should have seen this coming. [$7.90]



Formed by members of Helmsplitter and Waco Jesus, Synapse Misfire are underground lifers in the service of death. Their debut release Losing The War Against The Sands Of Time delivers a mix black, thrash, grind and death metal with ruthless efficiency. A band that never overstays a genre or their welcome. [$6.66]



Get the popcorn ready, as DoC friends VHS have released their much-teased second full-length. The New Batch is a celebration of low-budget horror and no-frills death metal, with 16 pithy tracks that hit and split with all the fun and brevity of a good horror anthology. Grind and rewind. [$7 CAD]

Mixtape 49 - Code Error

Here is the 49th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Arif Rot about his new grindcore supergroup Code Error.

Bandcamp Picks - Greber, Vile Creature, Leechfeast, Hundred Year Old Man

DoC's new friends Greber forgo guitar histrionics, limiting their grind/doom assault to just bass, drums and vocals. Surprisingly full-sounding despite its minimalist approach, Cemetery Preston at turns punches you in the throat with full on speed and blankets you with sub-sonic rumbling. Bass to break faces. [$9.99 CAD]



Also based out of Ontario, Vile Creature are another duo making a hellacious racket. Over the course of its four trudging tracks, Cast of Static and Smoke punishes the listener with thicker-than-molasses riffs and throat-ruining howls, while the lyrics paint a bleak picture of machines overrunning humanity. Baptized in a river of metallic sludge. [$6 CAD]



Slovenians Leechfeast have been plying their trade under the radars of most people (okay, me) for almost a decade. Neon Crosses, a co-release between 3 labels, veers from hateful sludge to mournful funeral doom and back again, with each oppressive chord landing like an anvil falling off a slow-moving truck. Kings of anti-speed. [£4]



Leeds band Hundred Year Old Man have been slowly building momentum with a succession of EPs. Their newest, Rei, combines simple riffs with atmospheric interludes to arrive at a Will Haven/Cult of Luna style of catchy doomgaze. With extensive drone and noise sections, their partnership with the similarly experimental Gizeh Records makes perfect sense. The EP is available as a "name your price" download.

Mixtape 48 - Rotten Sound

Here is the 48th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Keijo Niinimaa and Mika Aalto of Rotten Sound.

an interview with Greber

Ontario's Greber make a hell of a racket for two guys without guitars. Cemetery Preston, the duo's third album, makes the most of Steve Vargas' thunderous drums and Marc Bourgon's buzzsaw bass sound. Ever a fan of outliers and innovators, I reached out to the band to find out more about how they arrived at their unique doom metal/grindcore crossroads. Marc was kind enough to answer my questions.

Mixtape 47 - Heckler

Here is the 47th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Swiss hardcore punk trio Heckler.

Bandcamp Picks - Special "Fallen Empire is Awesome" edition

[All these releases were labeled as "name your price" downloads at the time of writing. That could change, so it's best to grab them ASAP.]

Based in Portland, Oregon, Fallen Empire Records has quickly become my favourite record label due to a regular stream of Bandcamp releases that break the mold but not the bank account.

The label has re-released the epic split Sol for the benefit of people like me who missed it back in 2013. Opening up with the half hour "Sol Orobouros", Portland's Mare Cognitum recalls Dawn's sweeping masterpiece Slaughtersun before their savagery morphs into a droning soundscape. Athens' Spectral Lore takes a more psychedelic approach with their own cosmic black metal epic, "Sol Medius". The split finishes with the ambient track "Red Giant", wherein the two bands combine their talents for atmosphere and experimentation. I'm proud to share a name with a work of such soul-crushing darkness.



Hailing from the Czech Republic, one man band Kostnatění brings an eclecticism to their music that I've come to expect from Czech metal bands. Konec je všude is a throwback to the raw early days of black metal's second wave, combining folky riffs with dissonance and thrashing drums, trading refinement for an exuberance that can't be faked.



I know very little about Arkhtinn, except for a slew of two-track releases where they navigate between punishing speed and transcendent drone. Album VI  (their 5th release in just 2 years) continues the band's tradition of not only numbered releases, but pairing an epic black metal track with with an ambient one. Cosmic keys to cannabinoid times.

Featuring members of the same musical collective that produced Arkhtinn, Mahr shares many of the same facets as its sister project. At turns ethereal and claustrophobic, Antelux is a median between Arkhtinn's bludgeoning and ambient impulses. Credit to Fallen Empire for putting the "fear" back into "atmospheric black metal".

Mixtape 46 - MoE

Here is the 46th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Oslo trio MoE.

Bandcamp Picks - Wake, Violent Opposition, Aureole of Ash, Misery Index

I have seen the future of grindcore, and it is Canadian band Wake. Bolstered by a production that's a quantum leap forward from their previous releases, Misery Rites is so fast it frequently sounds like two bands playing simultaneously. The band are no slouches musically, either, starting and stopping on a dime while sharing the experimental tendencies of late period Napalm Death. Once its 26-minute running time is over, I can't wait to hit play again. [$9.99 CAD]



Bay Area trio Violent Opposition will dispel any notion that grind is inherently sloppy anti-music. Exemplifying what the band describes as "Zappa grind", Utopia/Dystopia is ridiculously technical and impossibly tight, packing more convoluted riffs into 2 minute songs than you can shake a Rush album at. Somewhere in their doomsday bunker, Creation is Crucifixion is nodding and smiling. The album is available as a "name your price" download.



Hailing from the German town of Münster, Aureole of Ash may be relative newcomers but display the songcraft and savvy of veterans. Morbid Reality adopts the legendarily gnarly Swedish guitar tone in the service of short blasts of grinding power violence, wisely slowing things to a feedback-soaked crawl to let the damage sink in. The likes of Rotten Sound had better start looking over their shoulders. The album is available as a "name your price" download.

After their disappointing last outing (The Killing Gods wasn't bad, just badly in need of an espresso), I'm happy to report that Misery Index are firing on all cylinders with their latest single. "I Disavow" is a reminder of why this band is so special - they're death metal OGs who dedicated their talents to crafting the fastest, most sophisticated music that can still be labelled "grindcore". Coupled with a reverential cover of Nailbomb's "Wasting Away", my faith in this band is officially renewed. [$2 USD]

Mixtape 45 - Third Culture Kings

Here is the 45th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Jan Johansen and Alap Momin of Third Culture Kids.