Dead Hour Noise - Slow Burn

Labels: The Ghost Is Clear Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 07 March 2025

Tracklist:

1. Mourning Doves

2. Pinioned

3. Slow Burn

4. Voices

5. Arson

6. Solstice

7. Closed Sicilian

8. Barren

9. Fools Gold

10. Supersonic

11. The Things We Say

It would be wrong of me to ignore that March was a barren month (post-wise anyway). I felt a shift in my motivation to write, which might sound odd given that last month was actually the strongest month  the blog's had for a long time (viewer-wise). I am slightly dubious about those numbers though, as engagement has been way down but I have a plan of sorts. That plan starts tonight with one of the newest releases to come from US label The Ghost Is Clear Records and US/CAN label Zegema Beach Records. 

Dead House Noise reside in Michigan, USA and Slow Burn is their fourth full-length. They're now into their 12th year as a band and their ZBR connection goes back to the 2020 Tomb Tree tape release of their album Sleeping Dogs, which was followed just over a year later by the tape release of their split with Deeper Graves, also via Tomb Tree.

I’m waiting on several record orders and I’m secretly hoping they all drop at once (that’d be so exciting!). One record has arrived that I’ll be writing about next and which, I’ll be keeping a secret for now. I want to try to kick off April with a bit of a flourish so I’m turning to the newest album from US band Dead Hour Noise. Released via two of the sickest and most prolific North American/Canadian labels in existence today, I don’t want to wait any longer.

DHN mixes everything from emo/powerviolence with hardcore, sludge and everything in between to create a collage of sound that’s quite frankly the auditory equivalent of every vice you can think of. Opening with ‘Mourning Doves’ proves exactly that, as the crushingly fast early bars give way to mathcore laden screamo and groovy sludge n roll (at least that’s what I’m calling it). Imagine Every Time I Die, Refused, Crowbar and Frontierer joining forces and you wouldn’t be too far off.

Comparisons aside, it’s hard to explain how energised I feel listening to this. I’m guilty of sleeping on bands and I always regret it. The insane intensity of ‘Pinioned’ once again conjures that feeling of guilt (or FOMO) as DHN launch into a frantic blast of grinding yet groovy hardcore/metal. I don’t want to label them as one thing or the other and as the heart rate drops with the help of guitar-led ambience, resting is no option.

The album’s title-track ‘Slow Burn’ is anything but. Panic chords and crazed percussion combine with passionate harsh vocals (and floor-splitting breakdowns) to throw you right off the scent. I’d hate to be my neighbours right now as the throat-ruining screams of ‘Voices’ kick in. While there are elements of the sassiness of SeeYouSpaceCowboy in places, DHN really just do their own thing and do it well. It’s crazy when you realise that there’s just the three of them.

‘Arson’ starts with more ominous guitar ambiance that leads to off-kilter, slamming heaviness but with more obvious melody too. DHN know how to write a heavy song that ultimately sounds way more than that. ‘Arson’ is filled with constantly shifting patterns that change your perception of their music, in a good way.  Talking of shifting things, the riffs that open ‘Solstice’ are amongst the wildest on Slow Burn so far. The vocals take on a slight black metal form, while the drums blast like there’s no tomorrow early on. After about ninety-seconds, the pace drops to reveal a slower tempo, dialled-back guitar and prominent bass jabs. 

It may be a ruse but it works as things start to pivot back in a more chaotic direction a few bars later. This is the album’s longest song so DHN are forgiven for changing things up a bit. The latter half of ‘Solstice’’ is mostly calmer and more introspective with swathes of keys swirling around at times. From a sense of near tranquility, ‘Closed Sicilian’ rips through the serenity in belligerent fashion. The instrumental sections are filled with mind-bending time signatures and when the vocals are present, there’s a heavy noise-rock vibe going on. 

Sloth-like, sludgy tones greet you on ‘Barren’, which is most definitely a song of two halves. The former is slower in tempo while the latter is a proper mixed bag, though it does finish as it started. The feedback that closes ‘Barren’ flows straight into ‘Fools Gold’ and it’s stupidly intense percussion, where said intensity is pretty much maintained throughout, even when the pace does slow. It’s a lesson in how a band can sound heavy in all forms.

Being at penultimate song ’Supersonic’ already seems insane. What does not though is the danceable nature of the song and it’s many elements (especially those riffs). There’s mathcore mixed with noise-rock mixed with powerviolence and sludge. A proper mix made in heaven. Closing with ‘The Things We Say’, Dead Hour Noise provide you with one last gasp of air before they cut off what’s left. 

Slow Burn is frenetic and fantastic, from beginning to end. I’m planning on getting a customised iPod with expanded memory in the near future (because I can no longer stand the anti-music stance that Spotify is taking and I miss my old iPod Classic as well). When I do, this album will be the first one I put on it. I’ve slept on Dead Hour Noise for too long. They’re excellent!

You can stream and purchase Slow Burn digitally from Dead Hour Noise below:-

Dead Hour Noise - https://www.facebook.com/deadhournoise/

Physical vinyl copies are available to buy from the labels below:-

The Ghost Is Clear Records - https://theghostisclearrecords.limitedrun.com/products/865169-dead-hour-noise-slow-burn-12

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/dhn / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/dhn

The Ghost Is Clear Records - https://www.facebook.com/TGICRECS

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

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Public Grave - Grotesque Mutations

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 28 Feb 2025

Tracklist:

1. Patient Zero

2. Grotesque Mutations

3. Lockdown Brutality (feat. Tim Köhler)

4. Faking The Cadaver

5. Walking Corpse Syndrome

6. Forced Fed by Blunt Weaponry

7. Human Organ Harvesting

8. Kill Eat Resurrect Repeat (feat. Larry Wang)

Seven years on from their debut album Cadaverous Resurrection, German death/slam quartet Public Grave return with their second full-length Grotesque Mutations. This album features guest appearances from members of compatriots Knockdown Brutality and Taiwanese brutal death metal/grindcore band Gorepot. While I may sound like I know what I'm talking about here, Public Grave are completely new to me, such is the ever shifting (and growing) musical landscape I try to inhabit. 

Here we go; the chilling hospital samples and screams that make up album opener ‘Patient Zero’ depicts a scene of horror, which is befitting of Public Grave’s imagery and sound. It immediately flows into the title track ‘Grotesque Mutations’, which is an upbeat/thrash filled slab of extreme metal. it seemed as though the intro’s volume on the recording was higher than the song that bare’s the album’s name, but I’ll reserve judgement on that.

Next up it’s ‘Lockdown Brutality’, featuring Tim Köhler from Knockdown Brutality. It leans much more towards slam and the volume is definitely higher, which puts pay to my earlier comments. Aside from the gnarly vocals delivery, it’s the percussion that really leads the way on this record, with the guitars somewhat deeper in the mix at times. There’s a subtly humorous side to Public Grave too. Naming a song ‘Faking The Cadaver’ could either be a nod to US slam/brutal death legends Waking The Cadaver or just a clever play on words, but whatever the answer, the song itself is generously filled with breakdowns and guttural vocals.

If it’s succinct death metal you’re after, ‘Walking Corpse Syndrome’ is definitely that! It’s the shortest song on Grotesque Mutations aside from the opener and because of that Public Grave are even more focused on delivering the best music they can. With the stark imagery conjured by the title ‘Forced Fed Blunt Weaponry’, the mood switches between the band’s usual up-tempo bludgeoning and more mid-tempo, old-school atmosphere. Public Grave don’t stray too far away from their characteristic sound but there’s definitely something extra going on here.

As they reach the album’s final two songs, ‘Human Organ Harvesting’ offers up more groove with added mosh sensibilities. The tempo changes led by the percussion are handled really well, while vocals and guitars compliment each other. On album closer ‘Kill Eat Resurrect Repeat’, Public Grave are joined by Larry Wang of Taiwanese band Gorepot and it’s a match made in brutal death heaven! Larry’s vocals add an extra layer of extremity to the recording and Public Grave feed off of it, loosening the reigns even further.

Grotesque Mutations is a strong death metal release that will appeal to those who already obsess over the style. Public Grave themsevles are very proficient musically and seem to mature as the album progresses. A solid performance all round.

You can stream Grotesque Mutations via all the usual outlets (except for Bandcamp curiously). They're linked up here - https://publicgrave.de. Physical records, CDs and other merch is available here - https://publicgrave.de/shop/.

Public Grave - https://www.facebook.com/publicgrave

Raging Speedhorn - Night Wolf

Labels: Spinefarm Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 06 March 2025

Tracklist:

1. Blood Red Sky

2. Buzz Killa

3. The Blood Code

4. Can't Stop

5. Every Night's Alright For Fighting

6. Night Wolf

7. DOA

8. Comin' In Hard

9. Dead Men Can't Dance

10. Dead Reckoning

UK high-octane sludge royalty Raging Speedhorn have just released their seventh full-length Night Wolf  via Spinefarm Records. The Corby sextet have kept going though line-up changes and hiatuses to reach twenty five years, having released their self-titled debut album at the turn of the Millennium. It's great to have Raging Speedhorn firing on all cylinders again and their return will be another much needed boost for UK heavy music.

After a slightly foreboding intro, ‘Blood Red Sky’ fills the speakers with groove-laden riffs, thunderous bass/percussion and RSH’s familiar dual-vocal onslaught. Musically, their impact over the years has been notable and doesn’t need re-telling. Here, their sound is both mature and revitalised at the same time. A honed take on hardcore and sludge, Night Wolf doesn’t need lengthy songs and ‘Buzz Killa’ shows why. It retains it’s heaviness while being catchy in the right way, which is something RSH have consistently delivered.

The bass that kicks off ‘The Blood Code’ is glorious and as it’s joined by the rest of the band, you’re in for them at their heaviest. There’s a simplicity to it that’s hard to ignore and that’s why it’s so enjoyable. Sounds great at full-volume too! ‘Can’t Stop’ takes the sound of NOLA sludge and RSH inject it with a heap of UK rock n roll flair. Being one of the shorter songs on Night Wolf, it’s gone by before you know it.

With a song-title that’s a play on the famous Elton John song, ‘Every Night’s Alright For Fighting’ is… perfect for just that. Riff-fulled mayhem in the catchiest of ways. At the mid-point of the album you may be thinking that Raging Speedhorn have lost some of their more dangerous/rougher edges over the years. You’d be right, but that doesn’t mean their sound can’t evolve at the same time. 

The album’s title-track drags you into it’s latter half with all the groove you’ll ever need on record. Once again, the dual-vocals provide a lot of colour (despite the harshness), while the instrumentation carries itself perfectly. I think the mixing/mastering captures a slightly more polished version of the band, which is definitely a snapshot in time.

The latter-half of Night Wolf is way more to-the-point and ‘DOA’ proves that in a succinct three-minute blast of sludgy hardcore that has all the tempos covered. Destined to be a live favourite for sure. The sound of feedback during the intro to ‘Comin’ In Hard’ is something that’s been missed so far. It subsides, giving way to yet more Southern drawl and dixie-esque influence. Everything’s definitely “comin’ in fast” here.

Penultimate rager ‘Dead Men Can’t Dance’ dials up both the heaviness and the upbeat nature of RSH’s song-writing just when you thought things might slow down. Absolutely brilliant! Ending with ‘Dead Reckoning, the reckless punk nature of early Speedhorn comes back to roost. The fact that they pack as much music into this final song as they do into all the rest is testament to their love for what they craft.

I needed this tonight but I didn’t appreciate how much until Night Wolf finished. While I’m more familiar with the Speedhorn of old, I can’t ignore what they have become now. Twenty five years into a career that’s helped shape the UK underground, they’re bound to reach new ears with this album. Long may they continue to cause chaos!

You can watch the hilarious video for 'Every Night's Alright For Fighting' via Youtube below:-

Physical copies of the album, as well as merch, can be purchased via Spinefarm Records here:-

https://spinefarm.tmstor.es/products/search

Raging Speedhorn - https://www.facebook.com/ragingspeedhorn

Spinefarm Records - https://www.facebook.com/spinefarm

Coma of Eris - Coma of Eris

Labels: Middle-Man Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 14 Feb 2025

Tracklist:

1. You're Trying To Save A Skeleton

2. Expectance

3. Cloud City Demolition Company

4. A Dip In Lake Drowning

5. Archers Take Aim

6. Someone Half-Assed It or An Idiot Tried Too Hard

7. Uneven Exchange

8. I Will Become Turbo Man

9. Graphs of Trez

10. More Than Just Lost

11. Dozing Past Decency

It's been eleven days since my last post here but it feels like eleven weeks (or even years!). So much has happened globally recently that this kind of falls into insignificance. Obviously, I'm talking about what's been going on in the United States and what's been coming out of the elected "President's" mouth. I think that's also why Coma of Eris came into being.

A coming together of Coma Regalia and Apostles of Eris, alongside members of Saetia, Our Future Is An Absolute Shadow and Deracine (amongst others). Their self-titled record was released (digitally) merely a couple of weeks ago via Middle-Man Records and Zegema Beach Records. with tape copies due in late March/early April. 

‘You’re Trying To Save A Skeleton’ opens up the album from this brand new skramz supergroup (if I’m allowed to call it that!) and it’s exactly what you’d want to come from Coma Regalia, Apostles of Eris, et al. Emoviolence-like explosions greet you through the vocals of both Dave Norman and Edie Quinn, while the instumentation from Edie, Jesse Mowery, Tom Schlatter and Jason Wolpert provide an equally heavy backdrop of guitars and percussion. ’Expectance’ follows with a lot more guitar melody that mainly comes to the fore during the song’s quieter moments, in between layers of feedback and screamed/sung dual-vocals that add heaps of humanity. The mixing and mastering from Edie helps to bring that same feeling out of the recordings as well. 

Almost half of the songs here barely surpass ninety seconds but in the case of ‘Cloud City Demolition Company’, things hit a bit differently. The guitar work is a lot more mathy and technical here, though that leads to a more engrossing song in the end. The panic-chord harmonics and skittish time-signatures will appeal if you’re craving that right now. ’A Dip In Lake Drowning’ is not only a cleverly worded song title but also a brilliantly delivered song, as Coma of Eris show their more downtempo emo side (if there’s such a thing!). It sounds a lot more old-school to my ears anyway. That old-school nostalgia lasts mere seconds as they launch into ‘Archers Take Aim’ with yet more screamo abandon. With that being said, the clean vocals that hover over the harsh screams don’t banish that feeling altogether.

Given what I wrote in my opening paragraph above, ‘Someone Half-Assed It or An Idiot Tried Too Hard’ pretty much describes the current political climate better than I ever could. It’s also a damn good song that embodies the rage that the collective members feel right now.m ’Uneven Exchange’ is a much more brooding song, as it’s intense opening gives way to a sound that’s a lot more atmospheric. I’d go as far as to say that it’s probably my favourite song on the album. Going from brooding atmosphere back to more familiar screamo territory on ‘I Will Become Turbo Man’, Coma of Eris once again show their class with a whole heap of everything that makes the sub-genre so great. When you listen to it you’ll know what I mean.

There’s an unexpected groove/funk layer to ‘Graphs of Trez’ that’s completely welcome. I often feel that bands seem to forget about the latter few songs of an album and in doing so, they come across as a bit formulaic. That’s not the case here. It reminds me of when members of Glassjaw formed Head Automatica. Moving into penultimate song ‘More Than Just Lost’, Coma of Eris strip things back to a simpler approach before another explosive ending. The record’s final song ‘Dozing Past Decency’ is an amalgamation of everything that’s made this album so good. From uptempo highs to atmospheric lows and downtempo realism. 

This record is made up of great musicians and even greater people. It’s hard to put into words how strange things are politically right now but at least we have music to get us through. Coma of Eris are here to remind us that there’s another way. Make America Less Reliant On MAGAlomaniacs Again.

You can stream and purchase the album digitally from both labels below:-

News on physical tape copies will be available from both Middle-Man Records and Zegema Beach Records below:-

Middle-Man Records - https://www.facebook.com/middlemanrecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Canary Bones - Demo

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 03 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. I Heard You Die at the End

2. Pearls Before Swine

3. Hard Year

4. Service Delivery Failure

Later this year I'll be able to celebrate fifteen years of writing and building this blog. Even after all that time I still love receiving messages/e-mails from bands who have discovered This Noise Is Ours through other reviews I've written. In January I wrote about the recent 7" release from Australian post-hardcore/screamo band Keratin, which led to David from fellow Australian noise rock/post-hardcore band Canary Bones reaching out about the band's debut demo.

The Naarm (Melbourne, Aus) sextet released their four-track debut demo early last month. Their sound is recommended for fans of everything from the grunge rock of Helmet and Sonic Youth, to the alt/noise of Jesu and Swans, right through to the early punk/post-hardcore of Fugazi and Hüsker Dü, as well as the likes of At The Drive-In, Botch, Coalesce, Deftones and Poison The Well. Those influences are both varied and music (sorry!) to my ears. Let's dive in...

I couldn’t wait to get home from work today. Aside from being able to order the debut tape from a new UK death metal band (featuring members of bands I’ve been a fan of for years), I wanted to also delve into some new music by a band that reminds me of why I started writing in the first place. Enter stage right Canary Bones. Starting with ‘I Heard You Die at the End’, the sextet provides a groovy/danceable take on noise rock. It’s predominantly mid-paced, which is a nice change of pace given what I’ve been listening to of late and is catchy too.

‘Pearls Before Swine’ is much more riff-laden, especially thanks to the melodic/metallic delivery while the overall feel of the song is heavier. That owes a lot to the organic and raw mix on the demo, which nails down the sextet’s sound even though it’s surprisingly brief. We all get to a point in life where every year is considered a ‘Hard Year’ but Canary Bones condense post-pandemic life into less than four minutes of punk-fuelled noise that describes the tiredness both they and we all feel now. Being careful how I word this next sentence; there’s a similarity between the snotty old-school punk of the UK and the sound crafted by Canary Bones here.

The demo ends with the excellent ‘Service Delivery Failure’, which is something we can all relate to here in the UK. The slightly harrowing sample at the beginning leads to lone guitar lead-work and ambient distortion, as things build slowly. This is where the band’s post-punk influence grows and takes center stage. It’s simplistic and almost primitive but at the same time it’s cleansing too, showing the many layers this band has.

Ultimately, any band worth their salt has worked their way up from the bottom. I don’t use the word “bottom” in a derogatory way, just as a term to differentiate those bands from others that were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Canary Bones are just starting their journey and their demo is a snapshot in time, a strong one at that. It’s always hard to tell where a band is headed after just one release, but the only way is up if this is anything to go by.

You can stream and grab a digital download of the Demo from Canary Bones via bandcamp below:-

Canary Bones - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565754681613

Faithxtractor - Loathing and the Noose

Labels: Redefining Darkness Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 10 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Noose of Being

2. The Loathing

3. Fever Dream Litanies

4. Flooded Tombs

5. Ethos Moribund

6. Caveats

7. Beholden to Nightmare

8. Cerecloth Vision Veil

There's an abundance of newly released US death metal doing the rounds right now. As a nation, it has always been prominent but the genre just seems to be growing exponentially over there. After a brief dalliance back in time with my last review, I'm back in the present (sort of) with the 5th and newest album Loathing and the Noose from US duo Faithxtractor. It was released in January and is their second on Redefining Darkness Records, following 2023's Contempt for a Failed Dimension. 

Three days ago I turned 39. How the hell did that happen! Faithxtractor are on hand to help me forget that I’m one year closer to 40 thankfully, with their new album Loathing and the Noose. Launching straight into ‘Noose of Being’, the duo’s death metal is surprisingly metallic and technical, for a sound that’s also so intense. The percussion brings most of that intensity, while the bass adds heft lower down. The guitar work provides much of the atmosphere and musical imagery while the deep vocals remind you that this here album is very much from the US. 

‘The Loathing’ picks up right where the opener left off, albeit for the momentary pause in between. It’s blisteringly fast tempo-wise yet there’s still plenty of time for Ash Thomas and Zdenka Prado to pack it full with subtle and short moments of introspection, as well as mind-bending musical expression. The continuation straight into ‘Fever Dream Litanies’ keeps the momentum level high, while the song itself flits between an illusion of mid-paced death metal and more familiar aural battery. This album is so good and I’m not even three full tracks in yet!

All eight tracks here only just stretch past the 37 minute mark, so there isn’t any time to waste on gimmicks or ponderous interludes. Neither of which are in Faithxtractor’s nature. ‘Flooded Tombs’ goes all out straight away with the nastiest off-kilter death metal you’ll hear anywhere. The instant switch between insane tempos and pensive, yet uneasy atmospherics make the song all the more engrossing. The stupidly good solos and utterly heavy ending help as well!

The scarily fast groove/thrash musicianship and tempos that kick off ‘Ethos Moribund’ dig their heels in, providing an intense backdrop to a killer death metal song filled with intricacy and melody. Speaking honestly, Faithxtractor was a band that was always on the periphery for me; however, not anymore. ‘Caveats’ presents an eerie facade during it’s intro before the duo leap back into yet more technical, maniacal death metal. 

Before you even have time to blink, you’re up to the album’s penultimate song ‘Beholden to Nightmare’ with it’s blistering percussive battery, constant metallic guitar mastery and gnarly vocals. It’s an explosion of extremity that shows no sign of relenting. Closing out Loathing & the Noose with ‘Cerecloth Vision Veil’ is a masterstroke as Faithxtractor pivot from frenetic up-tempo death metal to something that’s more mid-paced and old-school sounding (at least for a time). It’s not too long before everything’s turned up to 11 once again, mixing tempos and ultimately ending on the highest of highs.

This album is a revelation. Dark and brutal enough to satisfy extreme metal’s hardest of junkies while having the melody and lightness (if that’s the right term) to be able to gather in new listeners, who’re maybe taking their first steps into heavier realms. Brilliant!

You can stream and purchase the album on all formats via bandcamp below:-

You can also purchase physical copies from Redefining Darkness Records here - https://www.redefiningdarkness.com

Faithxtractor - https://www.facebook.com/Faithxtractor

Redefining Darkness Records - https://www.facebook.com/redefiningdarkness

Sulfur - La démone Premiere

In just over ten days time, Canadian label Tomb Tree will be releasing a brand new split tape featuring UK emoviolence bands Sulfur and Martin Randal Travel (who have sadly called it a day according to their Instagram page). I am thrilled to be able to premiere Sulfur's track 'La démone'. I can't tell you how excited I am about the fact that two new-ish UK bands are being released by a label halfway across the world, who in turn are championing them across the whole damn world!

Before I post the fresh YouTube stream of the song (courtesy of Tomb Tree/ZBR), here are some words about the song from Sulfur:-

'La démone was the first time we'd sat down and written a slow burner of a song so I decided I wanted to make the lyrics hit as much as possible. Written about my struggle with bulimia, it's almost a chronological walk through the most intense part of the disorder that I'd dealt with right up until the point before I really broke out of that cycle. 

Thankfully, a song we'd put that much work into could go on a split with some of the people who helped us get involved in the wider UK emo scene. Kush especially has done so much work to help grow the scene and allow newer bands to make their way around the country.'

Without any more delay, here's 'La démone' in it's violent, radiant glory:-

As for the tapes themselves; here's a picture of the lovely Primary swirl variant /20:-

Sulfur Instagram - @sulfur.hc

Martin Randal Travel Instagram - @martinrandaltravel

Tape copies will be available for purchase on February 24th via Tomb Tree here - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/tomb-tree-tapes and here - https://zbrusa.com/collections/tapes.

Tomb Tree - https://www.facebook.com/tombtreetapes

Yarostan/Aleska - Split 2xLP

Labels: Bad Mood Asso/Bike Punk Salamanca/Bus Stop Press/Crapoulet Records/Longrail Records/Seaside Suicide Records/Self-Released/Smart & Confused/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/CDr/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 04 Apr 2019

Tracklist:

1. Yarostan - Des parkings pour admirer

2. Yarostan - Nous contre nous

3. Yarostan - Effondrement

4. Yarostan - L'inertie du mouvement

5. Yarostan - Commencement

6. Aleska - (Re)commencement

7. Aleska - Indispensables

8. Aleska - Vanite Illusoire

9. Aleska - La Derniere Lueur

10. Aleska - Construire

11. Aleska - Un Enternel Recommencement

12. Aleska - Detruire

14. Aleska - Quand La Lumiere Disparait

For the first time this year I'm jumping back into my ZBR roster review series, due to focusing my attention on 2025 releases where I can. This particular split is a special one, as it combines two albums (Yarostan's Self-Titled debut and Aleska's 2nd album Construire ou detruire). ZBR made a limited run of tapes in April 2019 for this comp, while many of the labels mentioned above helped make vinyl, cdr and additional tape runs for Yarostan's album while Aleska self-released their record on LP and cdr. I'm going to write this review as if I was writing about both albums separately, to try and make things slightly easier.

Yarostan are first with their self-titled album, opening with ‘Des parkings pour admirer’. Ringing feedback leads to semi-melodic post-hardcore that’s rooted in the sound of the early 00’s, to my ears. The instrumentation is lovingly performed and the mix of both harsh, and clean vocals make it more accessible than at first it might appear. Having already reviewed the 2022 album II, as well as being the proud owner of a copy of Cinq (the 2020 five-way split), I’m familiar with the band’s newer recordings but not so much their earlier ones.

‘Nous contre nous’ is a glorious piece that builds with an extended instrumental that takes up almost the entirety of it’s first half before Yarostan’s heaviness takes over for a short while. What’s great about this song is that the heaviness doesn’t detract from it’s atmosphere (it actually adds to it) and the mathcore-esque ending gets the heart rate going.

Sometimes, sitting and just listening to music without trying to dissect it for review purposes is lovely and I’m trying to do it more this year but so far February’s been a slow month for various reasons. Listening to ‘Effondrement’ nearly brings a tear to my eye because it itself sounds so emotive. I’m also reminded that being shackled to a computer all day and then again most evenings doesn’t help either.

Yarostan’s penultimate song ‘L’inertie du mouvement’ brims with both noisy punk attitude and emotion-filled post-hardcore. It’s a song that makes use of their heavier side early on before the second half sees a retreat. Gentler instrumentation from the band is joined by additional brass tones as it reaches it’s conclusion with ambience and French spoken-word.

The grandest song of all on Yarostan’s self-titled album and indeed this split is ‘Commencement’; all twelve+ minutes of it. Aa you’d expect, it’s a slow build but one that’s filled with anticipation. It’s instrumental, moving through different passages of gentler melodic guitar and percussion, to heavier sludge-like riffs and off-kilter time-signatures later on. Again, they use spoken-word elements to dramatic effect. It finishes as it began before segueing into cinematic, yet distorted guitar noise.

The second side belongs to Aleska’s album Construire ou detruire and as if it was meant to be, it opens with ‘(re)commencement’, which acts as an intro and leads into ‘Indispensables’. It’s here that I understand why ZBR chose to put Aleska alongside Yarostan on this split. Their take on post-hardcore is very similar musically but with the addition of much more caustic screams. It’s great. There’s a slightly unnerving edge to ‘Vanite Illusoire’ thanks to it’s earthy heaviness, though that uneasy feeling is soon banished by more excellent musicianship and song-writing craft. It kind of reminds me of the twinkly emo/screamo of UK band Healing Powers.

From what seemed like an urgent demeanour from Aleska, ‘La Derniere Lueur’ changes things with a slower tempo and airwaves filled with precise drumming/guitar work that deserves your full attention. Those harsh vocals take hold later on alongside their more familiar passion and poise. ’Construire’ is as long as the song it follows, just with more of an At The Drive-In influence in places. It’s more mathy than others on the album too. Basically the culmination of this song is just top-tier post-hardcore/metal delivered in a way that sounds pretty retro, which is always fine with me.

Aleska’s urgency is back in spades on ‘Un Eternel Recommencement’, though only for a short time and for greater impact as a result, because as soon as they’ve started they too retreat slightly into a lighter mid-section that’s followed by more off-kilter trickery. Their majestic long-player comes in the form of ‘Detruire’. True to form and just like Yarostan did, Aleska provide a lovely track filled with cinematic melodies all of their own. I’m imagining at this point what it would be like if both bands just did a proper collaborative album together. It would certainly be a spectacle.

After such a journey, album closer ‘Quand la lumiere disparait’ sounds very lo-fi to the ear initially before there’s one last gasp for air from the lungs of Aleska. Joined by subtle blues/jazz tones, it still has a lot of personality as it drags you through a violent end. 

Trying to reflect on both albums individually and in terms of this split release without repeating anything I've already said is tough. There's a real affinity between both bands and it shows, especially when both albums sit so well alongside each other. Having spent all my time so far this year listening to new 2025 releases, going back in time a bit doesn't hurt, especially when the music is a flawless as it is here.

You can stream and buy the individual albums on all formats from both bands here:-

 

Note: Aleska has one copy of the ZBR split tape still available via their bandcamp page.

ZBR also has one other copy available here - https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/yarostan-aleska-split-2xlp

Yarostan - https://www.facebook.com/yarostanband

Aleska - https://www.facebook.com/Aleskaband

Bad Mood Asso - https://www.facebook.com/assobadmood

Bike Punk Salamanca - https://www.facebook.com/seitanshellbikepunks

Bus Stop Press - http://busstoppress.weebly.com

Crapoulet Records - https://www.facebook.com/Crapouletrecords

Longrail Records - https://www.facebook.com/longrailrecords

Seaside Suicide Records - https://www.facebook.com/seasidesuiciderecords

Smart & Confused - https://www.facebook.com/smartandconfused666

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Malauriu/Sinoath - Scuru/Symphony of the Scythe Split 7"

Labels: Doomentia Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Malauriu - Scuru

2. Sinoath - Symphony of the Scythe

Czech extreme metal label Doomentia Records recently gathered together two bands rooted in Sicily (Italy) for a split 7" of epic proportions. Featuring one song from both Malauriu and Sinoath respectively, it's a proper nod to the old-school way of doing things. Split releases like this don't come round very often, what with the current fashion of bands shooting for collaborative albums instead. Malauriu is a duo that has been active for over a decade now (splitting time between Italy and the UK), while quintet Sinoath stretch all the way back to 1990.

Malauriu started out as a black metal band before heading in a more experimental rock/darkwave direction (according to Metal Archives) and it’s their song ‘Scuru’ that opens this split. Their sound contains all kinds of elements from ambience to orchestral organ/synths and the black metal that signalled their formation. As somebody who isn’t a huge fan of the recent dungeon synth explosion, nor symphonic metal in general, the extreme metal that forms the backbone of this song is perfect and I really appreciate the honest approach that Malauriu takes.

Sinoath have many years of recording/performing experience under their belts compared to Malauriu (who haven’t exactly wasted any time themselves) and ’Symphony of the Scythe’ is a hellish soundscape filled with raw black/death metal. It’s very European sounding as you’d expect and the addition of both brass, and classical piano textures add bombast where there was none before. The solo towards the end exhibits their musical prowess even further.

This split is executed brilliantly as it showcases two bands from the same region/country who both have their own unique interpretation of extreme metal. At first Malauriu didn’t hit me properly but their music is catchy here and it soon grew on me, while Sinoath’s old-school rawness was unexpected before being overpowered by classy instrumental layers. Sometimes, it’s easy to form expectations as long as you’re prepared for them to be shattered. Mine were here but in a very good way.

You can stream and download this split digitally below:-

Vinyl copies are also available to purchase from bandcamp above, as well as from Doomentia Records here - https://www.doomentia.com/7/.

Malauriu - https://www.facebook.com/malauriuofficial

Sinoath - https://www.facebook.com/SinoathOfficial/

Doomentia Records - https://www.facebook.com/doomentia