Princess - Grim Energy

Coming across like a stomp-heavy Dead & Divine, this

EP by Princess has some great sludge/stoner grooves

pounding out the speakers. The overall feel is hardcore

with a metallic feel to the guitars and the vocalist hits

the mark with some fine bellowing that slips in the odd

clean refrain.

The rhythm section are low slung and rumbling, with

a frantic delivery that is on the right side of brutal.

The riffs are powerful and have a sense of melody that

is sometimes lacking in this genre.

This is an accomplished first release that had me jumping

up and down.

Listen

Free download from Bandcamp

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Equal Minds Theory - S/T

Band request from Russia.

Not sure what they are putting in the water over there

but it sure makes the music heavy!

Here is their press release:

Equal Minds Theory - face melting/bone crushing mathcore

band from Russia - five-headed fire-breathing beast, consisting

of the most frostbitten and psychopathic representatives of Norilsk,

Domodedovo, Moscow and Troitsk. Together they make music

that forces even the most evil demons of hell to hide in a corner

and beg for mercy. But no quarter will be - it's known for everyone

who has ever watched the EMT live: the band is famous for the most

dynamic, entertaining and insanely intense live shows on Russian

heavy scene. EMT also gave countless concerts over Russia and

beyond and shared a stage with such bands like Cephalic Carnage,

Burst, Psyopus and Ion Dissonance.

This translates to some chaotic experimental hardcore with prog-metal

flourishes that has riffs that stomp over you. With throat shredding vocals,

this album would please anyone who was into Norma jean and their ilk.

Complex song writing ensures that your attention is always held and some

varied ambients effects drift in and out among all the aggression. for good measure.

Listen

Free download from Bandcamp

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Hollow Leg - Instinct

This duo come from Jacksonville, Florida and like

Black Cobra, make up for any other band members by

playing everything LOUD!

This has a good, heavy sound and is a mix of sludge and

doom with stoner influences in the song arrangements that

make sure that there is a definite groove to some of the riffs.

The vocals are spat out with hardcore venom to really make

the tracks bite. Proving once again that one guitar can make

one fuck of a noise, this is a pounding beast that rocks as well.

Free download from Bandcamp

Flightless - The Descent

Here is some Hardcore/Sludge/Crust noise from

Australia.

Heavy and intense, Flightless unleash a Converge

type barrage of sound which has a very raw sound

to it. There is some nice metallic riffing going on

here and a dense, solid feel to things.

The vocals are up in the mix a bit too much for

my taste but if ya want some aggressive tunes in

your face, give this a listen.

Free download from Bandcamp

End of Transmission

Well, it does not really come as surprise to any of us but Mediafire have

removed all my links.

After the mindnumbing time I had when Rapidshare lost all my files

at the beginning of this blog and I replaced them all, I am not going to

spend all my time re-upping the links again.

Some blogs are shutting down because of this but for me, it has never

been about just having a link of a new album for DL purposes.

I started this to write about the music that made me jump up and down -

a brand new release or something from many years ago, the only criteria

was that it sounded fucking great.

So my faithful download monkeys, what happens next?

I will still continue to review albums but there will be no DL links .........

goodbye to most of my followers then!

I will still continue to review bands that send me albums - and if they

want or provide links, these of course will be upped.

I will still continue to review bands that have free downloads on Bandcamp -

shit loads of good stuff out there.

I will still rant about things with no regard for your feelings or beliefs!

Interesting times ahead - this purge may die down after a while but I will

still be here telling you that you are wrong and I am right!

Gong - Camembert Electrique (1971)

This was going to be about Gong, and this, the

first album in the "Radio Gnome" trilogy but with

the closure of Megaupload I feel a few words are

in order to placate my faithful download monkeys.

Seeing some blogs with all links on MU having to

re-up or in some cases start again, all mine are on

Mediafire - can that be far behind?

I have already been fucked over by Rapidshare when

they lost my files and do not really fancy going down that

route again. Music blogs will surely be among the up

coming shit storm.

If I get taken down, I will stick with the same title - in

whatever format it will be in, look for Black Insect Laughter V2.

Anyway, the Gong album is one of their best, jazz-space rock

with the Canterbury vibe going on.

Buildings - Melt, Cry, Sleep (2012)

Request from Record Label.

doubleplusgood Records have a new release on Feb 21st

from the band "Buildings" and it is definitely something

you should check out.

Buildings play aggressive math/hardcore but tempered

with a noise rock vibe.

The songs are as tight as fuck and the production makes

sure that all the instruments are clearly heard so the

arrangements can really kick you in the face.

The guitar riffs intertwine with the bass which has its own

fair share of riffage - the yelped vocals sit nicely in the mix.

Yes, the AmRep sound is here but it is not just a mindless copy.

Video they have made Here

Order "Buildings" and other bands Here

Zechs Marquise - Getting Paid (2011)

With three brothers in this band all sharing

the surname of Rodriguez-Lopez, you might

feel you have some idea of what this album

will sound like.

Although having the same impressive technical

chops evident in ATDI & The Mars Volta, this

is a much airier, lighter affair. As winter drags

on here in the UK, Zechs Marquise is the sound

of the summer - prog-funk anyone? The guitar

sound that we love from the magic hands of Omar

is here but played with a more delicate touch.

Horns, latin rhythms and a fluid composition style

help meld this mix of prog/psych, Parliament funk

madness into a streamlined album that is a lot of fun.

If you are after something to help throw off the shackles

of winter and you are not expecting to violently headbang

all the way through, get a copy.

Buy from Bandcamp Here

Revok - Grief Is My New Moniker (2011)

Some post-hardcore/noise rock from France for you.

Revok play fast and hard but with a restraint that

stops it being utter chaos. Tautly wound and intense,

the songs deliver with style and atmosphere, the

twin guitars judder and snake around the riffs - it's

a heavy mix but thankfully, the noise rock sensibilities

mean that the band know that there is so much more

than just screaming and playing fast.

Because they are good guys, free download Here

Without God - Lambs To The Slaughter (2011)

Here is some Russian stoner/sludge/doom for you.

The first thing that hits you is how thick all the

tones are - no tinny or fizzy instruments - everything

sounds massive and powerful, for me this is exactly

how stoner doom should sound.

These guys have taken Sleep, Electric Wizard and

of course Sabbath and added their own melting

pot of fuzzed, hypnotic riffs - reverb drenched vocals

and huge sounding wah-wah leads that just sound great.

While Without God have not re-invented the wheel, what

they do offer is a superb album of songs that I have found

myself playing again and again.

Facespace

Tad - God's Balls (1989)

Produced by Jack Endino, his stripped down recording

techniques brought out the raw sound that made Tad

a beast to be feared.

Tribal drumbeats mixed with 70's heavy guitar with

Sabbath type riffs put them apart from the other emerging

Seattle bands who had a sound rooted more in blues or punk.

This is their first album which was released on Sub Pop.

Commercial sales never matched the critical acclaim and

despite later albums getting more airplay, they were always

overshadowed by those "other" bands.

Feel the heaviness.

Band info

Yes - Close To The Edge (1972)

Possibly one of the greatest prog- rock albums ever created.

Aethyr - Nihil Grail EP (2011)

Band request from Moscow, Russia.

Another BM band sending me stuff to review. I still

know next to nothing about this genre but will do my

best. This is not the corpse painted vomiting of the BM

mainstays (if it were, I would politely decline to review)

but has many elements of drone, dark ambient,

atmospheric passages which die-hards may sneer at -

but fear not, the sound is still de-tuned, distorted guitars

and crushing drum elements with the bass sounding like

a bulldozer digging out your frontal lobes.

There are only two tracks but as each one is almost 9

minutes long, it gives the songs plenty of time to build

up to menacing climaxes - I would of liked maybe another

track to really get my teeth into though.

If your tastes stretch to Wolves In the Throne Room or

The Atlas Moth, give this a Listen.

Download for free + some other releases at Bandcamp

Facespace

The Icarus Line - Mono (2001)

Some riff driven, punk rock'n'roll coming atcha!

Raw and agressive throughout, The Icarus Line

still retain an ear for melody which cause the hook

lines to sink into your ears. Hard-hitting songs

with arrangements that twist and turn, this album

races along, delivering healthy doses of noise-rock

which propel the music into hardcore territory.

With a great raw sound and urgency sometimes

missing from music, give this a play.

Band Info

Jethrine - Wildlife EP

Band request from Portland, USA.

Jethrine are taking a hiatus but on the strength

of this EP, should get back and do some more

recordings!

This is prime punk/noise rock which gleefully

takes the AmRep template and runs amok. The

rhythm section have the technical chops to pull

off the dizzying time tempos and staccato song

structures that make this sort of thing so thrilling

but still have a looseness that sounds like a band

playing on the edge of chaos.

Vocals get yelped in the best Yow/Mackaye style

which suit the strangely bizarre/imaginative lyrics.

There is also a tasty Roky Erickson cover.

Abrasive and energetic, Jethrine join the ranks of

newer bands like United Sons Of Toil, White Drugs

and We'll Go Machete who are doing their own take

on this genre.

Listen

Because they are good guys, there is a free download from Bandcamp

Facespace