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Khost – Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us (2024)

Finally there will be a new Khost album, and an album it is! Unlike many releases nowadays, the band (and label) did not settle for a ‘vinyl length’ of 37 minutes. Or did they? There actually will be two different vinyl versions with 11 tracks (40 minutes), but also a cd version with 18 tracks (70 minutes)! The cd not only has more tracks, but the tracks are also in a different order.

The sound is largely what we know and love Khost for. Very slow and dark doom metal with deep grunting vocals. There appears to be less use of electronics, except on the somewhat technoish/poppy “Face”. Some of the tracks do sound very industrial.

Among the extra tracks there is a somewhat more ‘normal doom’ track called “Define the Edge of Someone” which is more moody and with normal vocals. Also among the extra tracks is one of the dark ambient tracks with film samples that the band makes more often and two remixes.

I particularly like the slow, dark tracks. Perhaps “Many Things…” is not really surprising, but I still do not know much music in this style, while I like it a lot. You will have to wait until 20 September though, or go over to the label’s website or Soundcloud to have a listen in advance.

Links: Khost, Cold Spring

Khost – Buried Steel (2020)

Every once in a while I feel like playing “funeral doom metal”. Yet slower and darker than much doom. I prefer the music to be without vocals (and with electronics), but there are a few bands whose vocals are good enough.

I was somewhat surprised when I found two such bands on the not-exactly-a-metal-label Cold Spring, Sutekh Hexen and Khost. Khost have made a few excellent albums, very dark, very slow. And here is their latest.

“Buried Steel” opens with more of a Godflesh-type industrial metal track, slow, but not as slow as Khost can get. A good track though. The second track is like that too. Then comes the magnificent track “Intravenar” with a slow techno beat, extremely low vocals and minimalist background sounds. The next few tracks are more comparable to earlier material and “funeral doom” is a good description. Great tracks to. I like the long ‘sample tracks’ in between less so though.

As closer off there is a remix of “Intravenar” by Mothboy! Not a better version than the original, but an amusing reference to another kind of music.

A wonderful new album. I am not yet sure if previous albums are better, but the new album is slightly different.

Links: Khost, Cold Spring

Black Earth – Gnarled Ritual Of Self Annihilation (2019)

Discogs.com

In the early 1990’ies some black metal heads started to make ‘other music’, electronic music. Some sort of ‘sub-scene’ emerged with melodic acts such as Mortiis and Cernunnos’ Woods and darker projects like Profane Grace and Darkness Enshroud. Collectively the music was often called “ritual music”. Here and there the guitars were not entirely abandonned and a project such as Abruptum made what nowadays would be ‘drone metal’ or something.

Cyclic Law has found a contemporary project from Spain that makes me think of these “ritual music” days. The band-name does not ring a bell, but this is not the first release. There is a split with Sewer Goddess which may place the band in the right music corner for the listener of today.

The music is dark, minimalist, with muffled voices, droning guitars, samples and what not. Perhaps a description could be that Black Earth sounds somewhere between Equimanthorn and Khost.

Initially I was surprised about this album. It took me back a couple of decades and after some “ritual music” I started to play old black metal (yet briefly). “Gnarled Ritual” itself did not really keep my attention for the whole 45 minutes. Perhaps another run will point to details that I missed.

I think people who like the drone type of metal, especially the darker bands in that style, may want to try “Gnarled Ritual”. People who know the music I started this review with could be transported back like myself when listening to this album.

The album is in a way interesting, but not terribly good for my taste, but bringing back memories is a quality too. Out September 27th.

Links: Black Earth, Cyclic Law

Hadewych – Welving (cd 2018)

You can leave the making of weird music to Peter Johan Nijland. Nijland is probably better known for his project Distel, but he has other projects too and Hadewych is not a new project either. I know Hadewych’s previous full-length (untitled) in the 2009 rerelease, but judging Discogs I missed a range of smaller releases.

Hadewych found its way to Malignant Records which will certainly improve the spread of the release. “Welving” is an odd release on Malignant though. Just as on the debut, the music has quite a lot of guitar. Sometimes the music reaches towards (industrial) metal, most of the time it is dark and ‘droney’ though (with or without guitars), sometimes slightly ritualistic. The combination of guitars and dark electronics brings memories of bands such as Necro Deathmort or The Body. The mix between dark and ‘sweeter’ sounds made me think of Dream Into Dust as well. It is not like Hadewych really sounds like these bands, but just to give you an idea of the odd sound.

“Welving”, just as on Distel releases, contains poetic lyrics, often in Dutch. The album is somewhat short, but contains good to exceptionally good tracks.

Indeed, recommended!

Links: Hadewych, Malignant Records

Näo * Näo (cd 2011)

I might have never heard of Näo had they not played at this year’s Summer Darkness festival. Not that I saw them, but when I was checking the schedule to see what I missed, the Soundcloud tracks of this project sounded interesting enough to get myself the whole second album. This album certainly is interesting! It sounds like almost nothing I know, perhaps the closest comparison would be Hadewych. Näo makes ambient music with a lot of IDM influences, strange beat-experimentations and after a while things go over in something that I think is best described as psychedelic rock, sometimes soft and 70’ies, often closer to drone doom metal or something, always instrumental by the way. Carefully built up tracks with tons of ideas and a unique sound. Not my usual kind of music (but what is usual with the ever growing width of my musical taste?) and perhaps not (always) sublime, but certainly very refreshing and interesting. I need to play me that Hadewych album again some time soon too!
Links: Näo, Ant-Zen

Ultraspießer * Tight Fisted Bastard (2011)

A rather ‘mysterious’ Dark Matters release. However this project seems to have more material available, I cannot find it on Discogs. The Dark Matters list on Discogs seems rather complete, but no Ultraspießer. “Tight Fisted Bastard” is a weird release. Weird soundscapes, slightly noisy, sometimes a bit ritualistic, hard to describe actually. There are guitars in it, drumming, distorted sounds, so in a way it is one kind of drone (contrary to the low frequency dark ambient explanation of that term). The release is somewhat interesting, but not really my thing. It is nice to hear what weird music there is out there though.
Link: Radical Matters

Therradaemon * Den Mørke Munnens Språk (cd 2011)

I am not a big follower of the style of dark ambient. Most of it is too monotous for me and not dark enough. I do not think I have anything of Northaunt, but I have seen the man live a few times. Therradaemon is a new project of Hærleif Langas of Northaunt. There is one word to describe this album: drone. “Language of the dark mouth” lasts about an hour, but has only four tracks. In these tracks you will not hear much more than drones, deep and long-stretched sounds. Certainly it is a challenge to work with such a concept, because how can you make an interesting release with a sound even more minimalistic than dark ambient? Coph Nia and Mindspawn managed to make the very interesting “Erotomechaniks” and I must say that Therradaemon also creates a very dark atmosphere. This album is certainly more interesting than many of the dark ambient releases that I heard recently.
Links: Therradaemon, Cyclic Law

Machinist * Of What Once Was (cd 2011)

Quite by accident I learned about a new Machinist cd, I missed the previous one. Machinist is a Dutch “drone” outfit that created some pretty dark ambient, but this new album is more ‘soundscapish’. Two long tracks that mostly seem to consist of long strengted guitar sounds (so ‘drone’ as description is not a bad one), but like the first track goes “Mono Tone”, a bit too monotone for me. Nice packaging though and released by a label unknown to me.
Links: Machinist, Moving Furniture Records

Parhelion * Midnight Sun (cd 2010)

“Midnight Sun” is a 60-minute album with 12 tracks of soundscapes and drones. The music sometimes gets a noisy edge, is sometimes rather dark, but remains ‘soundscapish’. The tracks have a variety of atmospheres which makes that I like some tracks, but others not at all. The overall style seems to be “drones”, not necessarily because of low frequency drones, but also because the music seems to be created with guitars and effects rather than just electronics.
Link: Cyclic Law

Luna Dopa * Dead.Circuit * Awake For The Black-Out Procession (mcd 2010)

It is not really the time of the year to release dark drones, is it? Inspite of that here we have a 20 minute 3″ cd with one track of Dead.Circuit and one of Luna Dopa. Dead.Circuit created a slow and monotous drone track. Low frequencies, almost no other sounds, a nice track. Luna Dopa also contributed a minimalistic track which is more soundscapish, but adds some guitar sounds (?) which I find not particularly appealing. The parts without the guitars are nice.
Links: Dead.Circuit, Luna Dopa, Industrial Culture