ANDTHECANARYFELL - Alluvium (feat. Gabe Reasoner) Premiere

May 26th (next Monday) will see the release of the new EP As The Ice Melts by Minnesota, US emotional hardcore band ANDTHECANARYFELL. It's being released as a run of 81 tapes via Tomb Tree and this evening It's my pleasure to be able to premiere the song 'Alluvium', which features Gabe Reasoner (of fellow Minnesota band Careful Gaze, if my intense last-minute Googling is correct!). 

You can stream the song on YouTube below:-

ANDTHECANARYFELL were kind enough to provide some insight into the song and the EP as well:-

“ 'Alluvium' is the fourth track off our upcoming EP 'As The Ice Melts'. Each song on the EP can be interpreted as a different perspective of an apocalyptic scenario. One interpretation of 'Alluvium' can be the way flora and fauna succumb to a disaster, but there are many human layers to the lyrics, as well. This is also the first atcf song that musically starts with fierce intensity rather than a crescendoing intro."

I’m not going to give too much away about the full EP, but what I can say is that it’s going to surprise you a lot with it’s atmosphere and downtempo heaviness, while at times sounding resolutely upbeat. ‘Alluvium’ itself as a song has a more blackened-hardcore/emoviolence sound going on, though ANDTHECANARYFELL close it out with more grandiose heaviness.

Keep your eyes peeled for incoming pictures of the tapes from Tomb Tree on Instagram at @_tomb_tree_. 

Also, keep up to date with ANDTHECANARYFELL here - https://linktr.ee/andthecanaryfell.

Physical tape copies will be available on May 26th via ZBR/Tomb Tree's web stores below:-

CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/tomb-tree-tapes

USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/tapes

Replicant - Hypochondria of the Machine 7"

Labels: Self-Released/Transcending Obscurity Records

Formats: Digital/Vinyl

Release Date: 20 Dec 2019/21 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Hymns of Distress

2. Limbic Thrust

I decided to reach for something a little shorter this evening. I initially thought this two-song EP from US tech-death band Replicant was a fully fledged 2025 release until I dug deeper. It was originally self-released digitally by the band back in late 2019 and Transcending Obscurity Records elected to give it it's first physical release in January. The time and care that's going into re-issuing older material now is great to see. Bands and labels are really upping their game in that regard, with this 7" being no exception.

I fear this release will send me down yet another musical rabbit hole and honestly, I’m here for it! ‘Hymns of Distress’ is brimming with avant-garde yet ferocious modern death metal. It’s blasting percussion and thunderous bass are matched by the guitar, with it’s sometimes metallic/sometimes downtempo riffing. The vocals have an old-school guttural sound (from a time before pig squeals). 

‘Limbic Thrust’ is a couple of minutes shorter than the EP’s opener but that’s fine because Replicant choose to slow down the tempo (albeit subtly), providing a song that’s surprisingly catchy and memorable as a result. I can completely see why Transcending Obscurity chose to give this a vinyl release. It’s a great introduction to Replicant for those unfamiliar.

I’ve read comments by people saying that this EP is too short. I would agree if it wasn’t for that fact that it’s songs are of the highest quality. This is your cue to go and seek out their releases new (and old).

You can stream and purchase this EP digitally from Replicant below:-

Physical 7" copies and various other merch items/bundles can be purchased from Replicant/Transcending Obscurity Records here - https://replicantband.bandcamp.com/album/hypochondria-of-the-machine

Replicant - https://www.facebook.com/replicantnj

Transcending Obscurity Records - https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords

dagerman. - tragedie | VIVERE

Labels: Self-Released/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Digital/Vinyl

Release Date: 24 Oct 2024

Tracklist:

1. luogo | PROGETTARE

2. inquietudine | SUBLIMARE

3. oggetto | PRODURRE

4. attesa | ESISTERE

5. niente | AVERE

6. direzione | OPPORRE

7. equazione | AMARE

8. domande | FINIRE

Somehow, we're made it to the month of May already. Being in the fifth month of 2025 isn't really that significant except for the fact that new Italian band dagerman. is also the fifth Italian band I have featured here this year. It all started with the exceptional instrumental/progressive guitar work of Federico Favaro, followed by the black/death/doom of both Malauriu and Sinoath, as well as more recently the epic post-hardcore of Chivala. tragedie | VIVERE was digitally released by dagerman. last October and just over a month ago it was given the vinyl treatment by Zegema Beach Records.  

Honestly, I’m going through one of those phases where I want to write/don’t want to write/am feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of music there is to write about. I need to get back in the saddle though and what better way to do it than with another fantastic Italian band. If you’re familiar with Zegema Beach Records (and by now you should be!), you’ll know roughly what to expect. dagerman. starts tragedie | VIVERE with ‘luogo | PROGETTARE’ and it’s every bit as dramatic as promised. An emotive mix of striking Italian lyricism and off-kilter post-hardcore that’s much slower in tempo than usual (at least on initial listen).

‘inquietudine | SUBLIMARE” is the perfect coming together of both frenetic screamo/emo-violence and abject beauty. Poetically delivered vocally, as the instrumentation behind crashes, stomps and captivates with dramatic melodies, it embraces you. There’s more obvious urgency as the release progresses and ‘oggetto | PRODURRE’ embodies that urgency with yet more heart-on-the-sleeve passion, coupled with passages of raging intensity. As it ends, it draws out the frustration I’ve felt over the last couple of weeks.

‘attesa | ESISTERE’ starts off with the most unexpected panic-induced riff. It immediately lights a fire in both dagerman. and in myself, as the song flows from off-kilter mathiness to groovy punk and back in the blink of an eye. It’s the aural equivalent of a kick up the arse and it’s brilliant! After that moment of chaos, ‘niente | AVERE’ comes into view like a beacon of calm but don’t let that intro section fool you. It’s not long before dagerman. flip the switch in favour of a solid mix of epic post-hardcore and constantly shifting emo-violence. 

The latter half of tragedie | VIVERE doesn’t change direction as ‘direzione | OPPORRE’ moves through various phases, embracing everything that shapes dagerman.’s sound. The lovely indiemo feel that surrounds you at the start of ‘equazione | AMARE’ is one that should really stick around (it has that La Dispute vibe going on), which isn’t actually that far off as a comparison actually. dagerman. bring the feels here. 

Closing out with ‘domande | FINIRE’, there’s a strange feeling of peace and tranquility amongst the heaviness. Maybe that feeling is subjective because I haven’t been able to properly focus on music recently or because this album cleanses the senses and transcends conscious thought. Either way, it’s a brilliant body of work and another example of how rich Italy’s musical community is.

You can stream and purchase the album as a name-your-price download from dagerman. below:-

Physical copies are available from Zegema Beach Records below:-

CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/dagerman

USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/dagerman

dagerman. - https://www.instagram.com/dagerman.band/

Zegema Beach Records - https://bsky.app/profile/zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social

Obsidian Scapes - Obsidian Scapes EP

Labels: Darkness Shall Rise Productions

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 27 Feb 2025

Tracklist:

1. Endless Sea Of Dead Mirrors

2. At My Funeral (Sigh cover)

After a week away, losing track of time and days, I'm feeling truly refreshed. I pretty much ignored all the usual trappings of modern life (where possible), in favour of walking, fresh air and family time. Having a few more days until reality bites again means that I can get back into writing and as it's the 1st of May (well, it was at the time of writing this) there's no better time to do it!

Coming to the end of my current "loose" review schedule means that I get to shine a light on some newer and more obscure bands beginning with German doom/death act Obsidian Scapes. Their debut EP was released back in February via fellow German label Darkness Shall Rise Productions, acting as a precursor to their first full-length album, which is set for release next month. Consisting of an original track called 'Endless Sea Of Dead Mirrors' (that appears on the aforementioned album) and their own take on the song 'At My Funeral', which was originally released by Japanese avant-garde black metal band Sigh.

As cyclical as extreme music is, death metal continues (for now) to take centre stage. Doom in it’s various forms currently dwells in the background, though that may be about to change. Obsidian Scapes are helping to lead the charge for low and slow bands in 2025 and it’s easy to see why. ‘Endless Sea Of Dead Mirrors’ is teeming with downtempo and downtrodden instrumentation, as well as tortured vocals. While slower tempos command a lot of space throughout this song, there’s also a layer of faster musicianship and even some semi-melodic vocals that might remind you of The Blackening-era Machine Head (apologies if my comparison is off here!).

While that original composition from Obsidian Scapes really hits a high bar musically, their cover of ‘At My Funeral’ by Japanese band Sigh was always going to be a tough one to pull off given their English language preference. It works well, especially with the addition of off-kilter tempos and keyboard-like melodies. Honestly, it’s a welcome escape from the constant blasting death metal that’s filling the underground airwaves at the moment.

Obsidian Scapes have set their stall out early and in doing so, they’ve shown how exciting their music is. This is evidence of what’s to come on their debut album. In a time when bands need to differentiate themselves from others, Obsidian Scapes have given themselves an immediate launchpad. Great stuff.

You can stream and purchase the EP digitally via Bandcamp below:-

Obsidian Scapes - https://www.facebook.com/profile

Physical copies can be purchased from Darkness Shall Rise Productions here:- https://darknessshallrise.de/

Darkness Shall Rise Productions - https://www.facebook.com/darknessshallriseproductions