Assembled from the ashes of seminal grindcore band Discordance Axis, and featuring Mortalized’s Takafumi Matsubara laying down some absolutely blistering guitar riffs without ever catching a break, GridLink dare you to take a breather. Though they’ve recently experienced tragedy and been forced to go on hiatus indefinitely, New Jersey’s GridLink have amassed what might be the single most consistent and uniformly impressive catalogue in grindcore. ![]() By no means “easy listening,” Fire! Orchestra are about as challenging as they are fascinating, showcasing the raw power of free jazz through pristine, vintage production and spellbinding arrangements. In fact, many of the band’s song structures share more in common with Krautrock than anything else, crafting a hypnotic backbone for the orchestra to battle over. ![]() With the push of a sole, mesmerizing bass line, the band clash zealously with a myriad of sharp sounds and increasingly unruly tones before reaching a screeching fever pitch and collapsing into themselves. Pushing the big band model to its most deconstructed, nightmarish extreme while throwing in a smattering of free jazz dissonance and the feverish vocal performance of one Mariam Wallentin for good measure, the aptly-titled 28-musician ensemble present a wild, uncompromising vision as gritty as it is rewarding. Trial track: “Entranced by the Wolfshook” from Aura (2013)Įver wondered what it would be like to spend an hour inside the mind of singer/songwriter Scott Walker circa 1995 onwards? Look no further than Sweden’s experimental big band group Fire! Orchestra. With a full-length reportedly in the pipeline, Bölzer are well on their way to becoming a staple of their respective genre. Though their catalog isn’t exactly sprawling, with only three short EPs under their belt, all of it is deliciously frenzied and massive, their 2013 sophomore Aura being a personal favorite. Rich Bitch electric guitar, a drum set and a mixture of low gutturals and tortured howls, the duo explore a myriad of pagan and occult themes while creating some of the most distinctive and atmospheric metal of its kind. The duo themselves have likened their name to “a powerful force or blow or strike that has no regard for the consequences or repercussions.” Armed with a 10-string B.C. Trial track: “Tzar Morei” from Ujubasajuba (2014)Ĭan someone please explain to me how in the hell Zürich-based blackened death metal band Bölzer are a duo? Sounding like Beelzebub himself rising from the ground, the duo has a real knack for crafting absolutely immense-sounding death metal with just enough black metal to lend their music a thick, billowing atmosphere. Without sacrificing cohesion, Kairon IRSE! have successfully distilled their influences into a massive, cathartic sound, providing a thrilling example of shoegaze done right. With haunting, timid vocals reminiscent of Sigur Rós’ Jónsi laid atop a dynamic wall of wailing guitars and powerful, walloping drums, Ujubasajuba deftly balances the cosmic and the cacophonic to deliver a potent and incredibly consistent dose of reverb-drenched chaos. Though their 2011 debut didn’t make much of a splash upon release, 2014’s Ujubasajuba was a late year discovery that forced many music blogs to reconsider their year-end lists. Hailing from the small town of Kaustinen near the western reaches of Finland, Kairon IRSE! are anything but slight A heavenly cross between the noisy, textured theatrics of early 90’s shoegaze acts (My Bloody Valentine for one) the crescendo-based tension and release of post-rock and the dense psychedelic atmosphere found on early Spacemen 3 records the results of this massive concoction are nothing short of spectacular. ![]() In an effort to save time and energy, here are five lesser-known artists and groups of various countries and genres to look out for! Happy listening! For some, digging is the fun part for others, it’s grunt work. As we slowly embrace our impending all-digital future, discovering new artists has become increasingly difficult to prioritize, with many smaller, weirder gems falling through the cracks. ![]() If you need new bands to listen to, look no further than Samuel Provost-Walker’s recommendationsįinding new music in 2015 can feel pretty overwhelming.
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