New from Sol y Nieve: Nemorensis & Hellebore

Today I'm featuring two releases currently available for a discounted pre-order from Sol y Nieve. It's been a few reviews since I touched on something purely black metal, so this is a perfect fit. I've always been thrilled with Sol y Nieve's releases and these two show the label continuing a tradition of working with bands that are unheard yet as talented as larger names. I'm super excited about these two tapes, so let's jump right in.

Starting things off here is Nemorensis, with its epic offering, "The Lady In The Lake." Clocking in at 27:27, this is a monolithic beast that works in movements more than functioning like a song rooted in rock structure. The opening section has a slowed down, ethereal gloom that features a melody that strongly reminds me of Depeche Mode's "Policy of Truth" at about 20% of its normal speed. It's haunting and beautiful, but feels somewhat like drowning or falling into an unplanned, drugged sleep. The ominous nature of this otherworldly drone begins to peak as chants and voices emerge, as if carried across great distances by an unexpected wind. As soon as I'm almost entirely lulled into calmness, I'm startled by the dissolution of peace as electric guitars are introduced. Dissonance begins to take hold, yet the guitars begin as merely an extension of the droning ambiance, slowly growing into something entirely of independent. Like an ancient evil awakening from slumber, it rises slowly into view, growing more dreadful by the minute, dripping with grime and reeking of death. With a transition so slow it's almost unnoticeable, the music shifts from droning guitars to a more aggressive, decidedly black metal approach, with a jagged pulsing approach that all but buries the distant percussion. By the end, the song builds to a radiant, glistening passage that feels like a rawer cousin of Lustre. In case my words don't make it obvious, this is already one of the most exciting things I expect to hear this year. Sol Y Nieve's release of this  gem is limited to 100 cassettes, packaged in a plastic case with a heavy stock J-card and a scroll attached with twine.

As if one massive, spacey black metal release wasn't enough, Sol y Nieve will also be releasing Hellebore's "Anouof Thwo." I have no idea what the title means, but the album art leads me to believe that the cosmic atmospheres have a lyrical direction that matches. While I don't listen to too many bands that take ambient black metal this far, this release genuinely captivates me. While my initial listen left me slightly confused and uncertain about my feelings, repeated visits have planted this in my head. Pounding rhythms and oddly textured leads are par for the course here, but this does not make for a straightforward listen. I'm all for unorthodox, and Hellebore seems keen on delivering just enough strangeness for me to be hooked without running the risk of scaring away more traditional listeners. Even the mellower interludes here (like stunning yet brief centerpiece "Udrea") have an unearthly feeling that isn't quite sad so much as detached, which really adds depth to the experience for me. The vocals have enough reverb to resonate across the void yet they aren't as buried as many similar bands might have them, allowing for a more balanced approach that still yields a raw coldness that pleases me. This surprised me in many ways and I'm glad I gave it a full and fair listen. It's limited to 100 copies on cassette with a heavy stock J-card and a button.

Year End Extravaganza: Split Albums of 2012

Split albums seem to be regaining popularity in the extreme underground lately. They provide a great opportunity to hear a new artist while also obtaining new tunes from an artist you already love. If you're adventurous like me, oftentimes a split album is an easy way to discover multiple new bands all at once. As with my last list of concerts, I feel there were many stellar split albums released this year that deserve a mention on this blog in one way or another, but I'm not really inclined to prioritize. I will also apologize for not providing full details on each split here, but each of these was worth mentioning in its own way and I think I can let the music speak for itself wherever possible. Also, yes I have twelve releases on this list rather than a rounded number. I could have listed an even greater amount, but I'm trying to show something resembling self-restraint here.

A Pregnant Light/SADOS- "The SkyConspired Against Thee Before Thy Bones Had Dried" (Colloquial Sound Recordings)

This split was the second release from the ferocious A Pregnant Light, and so far the only utterance from the jagged and intriguing black monument of SADOS. Each group provided one lengthy song for this split, and it's a monumental experience. The dichotomy between these two artists shows the perfect nature of a split release.

Adversarial/Antediluvian- "Initiated in Impiety as Mysteries" (Nuclear War Now! Productions)

If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you know some of my favorite keywords are filthy, hideous, and fuzzy. This swampy death metal release lives in the middle of some unknown territory directly between all of those terms. It's ugly and wonderful in every way I'd want. Adversarial and Antediluvian each contribute three menacing tracks, so grab this split while it's still available.

Batillus/Whitehorse (Vendetta)

As a fan of both extreme music and extreme beards, I've long held a soft spot in my heart for Australian death/doom maniacs Whitehorse. This split was my introduction to Batillus, and I'm quite grateful for it, as their contribution here is equally crushing and fantastic. My only regret is that they didn't accompany Whitehorse on their tour dates down here in Florida. Next time, Batillus, next time.

Cara Neir/Ramlord (Broken Limbs Recording)

This split caught me slightly off guard, I'll admit. I grabbed it on a whim, having heard just a bit of Cara Neir's music before, but I was quite pleased. In fact, I wrote a review of this album a few months ago that will do it better justice than this abridged snippet could. Check it out.

Barghest/False (Gilead Media)

This monster of an album would be a likely contender for album of the year if I were making such a list, split or not. To put it simply, Barghest's violent and scathing assault is the perfect complement to False's ethereal yet driving black metal. There isn't a bad moment on this album, and I'm always eager to flip it back over and play the other side when it's finished. If you don't already own this in some format, get on it.

Fossils/Winters in Osaka- "Celestial Hieroglyphs" (Cardinal Records)

This fantastic noise collage came into my periphery somewhat by accident. In a series of clicking "related videos" on youtube, I came across the sampler for this split and was sold. It's beautiful and scratchy. It's definitely on the safer end of the noise spectrum for those not yet comfortable with the harsh noise wall business. There's a good bit of sonic experimentation and trickery occurring here, which is perfect for me.

Grave Upheaval/Manticore (Nuclear War Now! Productions)
Another split from Nuclear War Now! that embodies my love of ugly, murky metal. Grave Upheaval are a mysterious group with members of the legendary Portal. The music is exactly what you'd expect for anything associated with Portal, but on the more primitive side of things. Less technicality, more horror. Manticore play more of a blackened death assault, with vocals that verge on the decipherable and a slightly less dense sound, but make up for it with unrivaled aggression.

Hell/Thou- "Resurrection Bay" (Pesanta Urfolk/Gilead Media)
Neither of these bands should be too foreign to most folks who are keeping an eye on the metal underground as a whole. Hell provides an ominous descent into despair and misery with their unique brand of churning sludge. Thou follow up with a ritualistic and jagged dirge of their own. The whole affair is tortured and violent, as you'd expect from either group. It's a stellar introduction to either of these bands for those not yet initiated.

Horseback/Njiqahdda/Venowl/Cara Neir (Handmade Birds)
This massive split is another album that just blew me away this year. I've subjected other folks to it on the road, I've forced my friends to sit and listen to it in my room, and I've written a review of it that says everything I could say here and more. Give it a read.

Sadness Saturn/Golden Raven (Handmade Birds)
This fantastic cassette holds the distinction of being the very first album I reviewed here on Black Metal and Brews. It's still an exciting and challenging listen for me, and it's interesting to read back my old review and see how differently I was writing just a few months ago. It's only fitting that this winds up on my list for the year's end.

Trist/Nuit Noire (Fallen Empire)
This 7" was one of those albums that took me by surprise. I'd heard the name of each group countless times but never really bothered to listen. As you can tell by the review I wrote last month, I regret not having heard these groups earlier.

Yellow Eyes/Monument (Sol Y Nieve)

As with a handful of these wonderful albums, this one already received high praise on my blog a couple months back. This also received high praise for its packaging from my friend Jon, who runs The Inarguable. The tape is as beautiful as the packaging it's been given. 

Free Music Friday: Yellow Eyes/Monument split cassette

Today's Free Music Friday was directly caused by a previous review I made. While finding the proper links for folks looking to hear Yellow Eyes' debut cassette, I happened across information about this little wonder. Monument were a band I had heard of before, but had not yet heard. Given how strong my love for Yellow Eyes' debut was, I refused to even peruse the tracks on bandcamp and simply placed my order. While some may view this as a risky move, I knew it would be impossible to grasp the intensity of this music without holding it in my hand and listening to it through my stereo system. When it arrived in the mail (a week ago today) I was thrilled. I was spending the afternoon with a friend and didn't have the opportunity to listen to it, but I kept sneaking peeks at the tape and daydreaming about the music contained within. I told myself I'd hold off for a few weeks before featuring this band again in my blog. This morning I decided against that. This cassette needs to be featured now, while actual purchase is still an option for those who aren't merely content with a free download.

Starting things off with Yellow Eyes' contribution to the tape, I'm immediately aware of two things: they've added a new member to the band since their last recording, and these songs are noticeably longer than any track on their first cassette. Opening track "The Solid Chime of Matching Bone With Harder Strength" slowly creeps in with distant ambiance, which builds towards a full force aural assault that the band carries through both of their tracks here. Anything nice I said about the first cassette is equally true, if not enhanced upon, in this release. The drums are perfectly produced, and the guitars are fuzzy enough to create a great atmosphere but nothing of the musicality is lost. The first song is nearly ten minutes long, which gives me hope that soon Yellow Eyes will be crafting epics upwards of ten minutes in length on their next effort. Few bands can hold my attention for such a span, but Yellow Eyes certainly know how to keep me focused. Rather than dully plodding along, these two tracks sound equally chaotic and beautiful. The peculiar high-pitched dissonant leads that caught my attention on their debut are still here, but are fused with rhythmic passages that complement them perfectly. This music makes me feel like I'm marching towards my death through heavy rain. It's truly brilliant.

Flipping the tape over, it's time for an introduction to Monument. Like Yellow Eyes, Monument provides two lengthy tracks here. Judging by the image on the insert, it's safe to say this is a solo affair, which makes the fullness of this music even more impressive. Monument's opening track "Milchama (Wound)/Coughing Up the Blood of Hope and Love" starts with a very warm feeling drone, almost like the one ray of sunlight making its way through complete darkness (I'm assuming this is the Milchama part). When the drone fades out, Monument conjures up a swirling mess of lo-fi black metal perfection. This side of the cassette has that fuzzed out feeling I love so much, where I get the feeling that the band is performing in the middle of a foggy forest and I'm hearing the music from about a mile away. This music feels much more ritualistic and purposeful than a lot of newer bands, which gets a huge thumbs up from me. There are many slower passages here, that lack not in intensity, but merely serve to create a stronger atmosphere. It's clear that while the music is slightly more stripped down than the A side of the cassette, it's intentionally so, and the mood is denser and darker here. With the bleak beauty of Monument and the spiraling fury of Yellow Eyes, this tape is perfectly paired without simply containing two identical artists.

For those who haven't already made their way to the bandcamp page for this release, I advise you do so now. It's listed at "name your price" and it's required listening whether or not you have a cassette player. If you're into the experience of owning a physical copy, this tape is one of the most well packaged cassettes I've ever received. It's clear that Sol Y Nieve is committed to creating some of the most attractive album experiences, inside and out. Click the label's name to obtain your own copy of this masterpiece for only $5 if the free download just won't cut it for you. I know it wouldn't be enough for me.