Niboowin - Breathing

Labels: Dingleberry Records/IFB Records/Mosh Potatoes/React With Protest/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 18 Feb 2018

Tracklist:

1. Resting Peacefully

2. Raided

3. Careless Conscious

4. New Dawn

5. Eager Burden

6. Silhouettes

7. Chasing Sanctuary

8. Ashes Ignite And Awaken

I was so sure that I'd already reviewed this album, but going right back through what I'd already written about told me otherwise, so I'm making up for it now. Breathing is to date the only release from the US quartet that makes up Niboowin (ex-Old Soul, Dakhma etc). Niboowin plays black metal-infused noisy screamo, I guess. Whatever happens from here on out, It's Niboo-for-the-win!.

If you enjoy the likes of Dawn Ray’d and bands from the Alerta Antifascista Records roster, you’ll enjoy the sounds created by Niboowin on Breathing. Album opener ‘Resting Peacefully’ has a slightly crusty edge to it, alongside really authoritative guitar work, adding to the percussive blasts and proper emotive screams. There’s also a subtle heap of technicality thrown in for good measure.

‘Raided’ plays on Niboowin’s post-metal/rock influences a little bit more, even though those textures don’t play a huge part in the song as it quickly ratchets up in tempo and intensity. This album is so good! ‘Careless Conscious’ instills the quality of the musicianship on show, into you as a listener and I promise that if you’ve got this far into the record you’ll be hooked.

The mood and atmosphere dealt by ‘New Dawn’ is one of fresh belief, and hope, as the title suggests. It’s glorious instrumental build-up is light and upbeat, and even when the full band kicks in with menacing heaviness, it still feels so. I dunno, maybe cathartic might be a better descriptor. Either way, it’s great. Note: bands who don’t publish their song lengths on bandcamp are really onto something. This subtlety works in Niboowin’s favour here as it encourages you to invest time and listen till the end. It’s far too easy in today’s society to let your attention span own you (I should know).

The album’s later half starts with ‘Eager Burden’, which is decisively fast and noisy. It provides a bit of a jolt that’s unexpected, even if you don’t need one. Talking of jolts, the off-kilter hardcore/noise rock of ’Silhouettes’ is amongst the heaviest thing you’ll hear on Breathing. When it’s balanced by the melodic/post mid-section though, it’s so satisfying. 

‘Chasing Sanctuary’ will make you think warm and comforting thoughts fleetingly before being wrenched back to the present. The quiet/loud, soft/hard dynamic employed by Niboowin is at it’s most potent here for sure. Ending with ‘Ashes Ignite And Awaken’, it all feels like Breathing is over too quickly. It’s much better to have one stellar album than ten mediocre ones. This is that stellar album. Grab it while you still can!

You can stream and purchase Breathing digitally from Niboowin here:-

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

Physical copies are available from the labels and links below:-

Dingleberry Records - https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/1088285561

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/niboowinbreathing

Zegema Beach Records USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/niboowin-breathing-12

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/DingleberryRecords

IFB Records - http://www.ifbrecords.com

Mosh Potatoes - https://www.facebook.com/moshpotatoesxvx

React With Protest - https://www.facebook.com/reactwithprotestdiy

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

Old Soul - Blue Heron

Labels: Dingleberry Records/IFB Records/Maniyax Records/Mosh Potatoes/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 01 Jun 2016

Tracklist:

1. Typha

2. To Have Loved And Lost

3. Herons' Dance

4. Transcendence And Happenstance

Over the last few years, I've been (not so) secretly trying to complete or at least build-up a collection of discographies of certain bands, with Old Soul being one. Their 2016 four-track LP Blue Heron has so far eluded me, but I've also taken my eye off the ball a bit. I was reminded of this fact because it was the next ZBR release on my list to write about, as part of my ongoing ZBR roster review series. 

It was released via a collaboration that included a bunch of incredibly active labels; Dingleberry Records, IFB Records, Maniyax Records, Mosh Potatoes and Zegema Bech Records. I don't know exactly how many copies of this LP were pressed but I know it came on black vinyl and to this day it is Old Soul's last recorded material to date.

Old Soul have always been a viciously engaging band, mixing black metal with screamo/post-hardcore and on Blue Heron that sound was taken to it’s most emotive peak. Opener ‘Typha’ very much spreads Old Soul’s music out towards post-metal territory, certainly more so than before. That being said though, introspective dreamo provides respite too. As openers go, this is so cinematic and sets you up for the rest of the LP.

The use of sampled spoken-word on ‘To Have Loved And Lost’ is perfect, as it accompanies the long instrumental passage that opens the song. At nearly nine minutes, it’s definitely one to get lost in. When the full band opens up about three minutes in, their percussive black metal blasts sit comfortably alongside the melodic riffs and the harsh screams, before feedback-laden noise takes things down a notch or two later on. There’s still a cinematic quality to it but it’s also more menacing.

It’s easy to overlook just how progressive Old Soul were at times and ‘Herons’ Dance’ shows why, as it’s a deceptively off-kilter song with maybe even some psych-elements in the riffs (a la Japanese screamo/post  metal maybe?), albeit subtly. 2016 was a golden year for screamo and screamo-adjacent music I feel. Old Soul helped make it so with this release for sure.

LP closer ’Transcendence And Happenstance’ washes over you in such a gentle fashion at first, while slowly building with percussive layers and increasing volume. Even when it get’s heavier, it’s tempered back in such a way that it stays gentle, which is very clever musically. It ends with a calming orchestral outro. A very fitting way to end a record that still stands as the last release by Old Soul. 

As bands in the screamopshere go, Old Soul were one of the more prolific. They were around for about 7 years and members now play in other bands, including Niboowin. 

You can stream and purchase Blue Heron digitally from Old Soul below:-

Old Soul - https://www.facebook.com/OldSoulband

Physical copies can still be purchased via the links below:-

Mosh Potatoes - https://moshpotatoes.bandcamp.com/

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution

IFB Records - http://ifbrecords.blogspot.com

Maniyax Records - https://www.facebook.com/ManiyaxRecords

Mosh Potatoes - https://www.facebook.com/moshpotatoesxvx

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

Also, head back here on the evening of Thursday 24th Feb, as I'll have a special post up featuring a brand new ZBR release!

Foxmoulder/Eaglehaslanded - Split LP

Labels: Boslevan Records/Desordre Ordonne/Don't Live Like Me Records/Koepfen/Krimskramz/Mosh Potatoes Records/TRVS Records/Zegema Beach Records/0331 Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 22 Aug 2015

Tracklist:

1. Foxmoulder - Tempered III

2. Foxmoulder - Needless/Anxious

3. Foxmoulder - Antrim

4. Foxmoulder - Shame

5. Foxmoulder - Increments

6. Eaglehaslanded - Intro (Nightmares In Suburbia Pt. III)

7. Eaglehaslanded - Заклятые Враги

8. Eaglehaslanded - Mora Samo Da Se Umre

9. Eaglehaslanded - Got A Flower

10. Eaglehaslanded - Tworatz

11. Eaglehaslanded - Grobljanska

12. Eaglehaslanded - 1000 Palms

Oh my how time is passing. It's 1st October already and it's the last day of my holiday (minus the weekend that's coming up). I've spent time outside, socialising with friends and family, sorting out adult stuff and in between all of those things, I've found time to listen to music too. Not written as much as I'd hoped but the sudden progression to Autumn might give me a kick up the backside in that respect.

As has been my aim lately, after every two scheduled reviews comes one tracking the constantly expanding roster of USA/Canadian label Zegema Beach Records (for those who're new to this series), according to their bandcamp release order. Today I'm writing about the 2015 split 12" that featured Canadian band Foxmoulder and Russian band Eaglehaslanded. It features five songs from Foxmoulder and seven from Eaglehaslanded. It was released with three different screen-printed covers; white print on blue cardboard, black print on red cardboard and red print of siege cardboard. The record was pressed on black vinyl, though I'm unsure of the exact number that were released.

Split 12”s have become increasingly more popular with bands over the last few years, probably due to the fact that pressing 7”s have become more expensive (that’s what I’ve heard from band/label friends anyway). That and because the former allows for more songs. Foxmoulder’s side of this one contains five. As with their previous recordings, their screamo is fast, short yet very expansive at the same time. ‘Tempered III’ starts off at a hell of a pace before the tempo and instrumentation slows, giving you a sludge/hardcore-like sound. ‘Needless/Anxious’ is angular, jangly emo-violence/math and it’s ace. Foxmoulder have always been very expressive musically and it shines through here.

On ‘Antrim’, there’s the realisation that Foxmoulder’s approach/formula to their music is really the element of surprise. There are some proper heavy bass-drop/breakdown-like parts within the song, amongst the off-kilter hardcore that makes up it’s backbone. They’re not full-on breakdowns but nestle deeper in the mix subtly. Good stuff. The aptly named ’Shame’ follows instantly and in doing so, retains so much momentum. It goes from fast to almost crawling pace mid-way through before a solid injection of punk and just utter madness. This is definitely amongst Foxmoulder’s best material to date.

Their closing song ‘Increments’ amalgamates all of their energy and song-writing skill, packaging it into what is (for them) a long song. It’s entirely instrumental and it’s atmosphere is undeniable. Post-hardcore with metal influences this time, yet still unmistakably Foxmoulder.

While those songs could work so well on a standalone release, there’s still the small matter of split mates Eaglehaslanded. They’re somewhat more chaotic yet also more experimental too. Their opener ‘Intro (Nightmares In Suburbia Pt. III)’ is filled with electronic music akin to chiptune. ‘Заклятые Враги’ is very much where the chaos comes in, with abrasive emo-violence and high-pitched screams aplenty. It’s the same on ‘Mora Samo Da Se Umre’, which to be frank is utterly mental and it’s slightly more lo-fi sound does nothing to dampen things. They remind of some of the Japanese bands like Tetola93 and Shuly To 104kz, whom I’m sure they’ve been compared to before.

The flowing nature of ‘Got A Flower’ wrestles away some of the intensity, which isn’t necessarily a band thing. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that means it’s easy-listening though, as it still has it’s moments and Eaglehaslanded still want to obliterate through sound. ‘Tworatz’ is another electronic song, except this time it’s also joined by the full band mid-way through. I don’t want to call it shock value, but that’s kind of how it feels and it’s cool!

Their penultimate song ‘Grobljanska’ has a much more serious tone to it. The spoken-word sample at the start is stark and what follows is equal to it. That tone even manages to breakthrough the constant feedback from the guitars, adding to the sense of foreboding that’s not been present up until now. ‘1000 Palms’ closes out the split in very similar fashion to how Foxmoulder closed out their side. The guitar playing and melodies are unexpectedly beautiful and the ambient waves underneath give a totally different perspective to the band’s sound. 

For me this is peak split. Both Foxmoulder and Eaglehaslanded still exist and haven’t gone away. Here they both show their best and bring out all kinds of feelings in you as a listener. Now, as the sun comes out around me I feel energised and happy. 

You can stream and download the split via both bands here:-

Foxmoulder - https://www.facebook.com/foxmouldertoronto

Eaglehaslanded - https://www.facebook.com/eaglehaslandedsuburbians

Physical copies are still available from the labels below:-

Krimskramz - https://krimskramz.com/produkt/005-foxmoulder-eaglehaslanded-split-12/

Mosh Potatoes Records - https://moshpotatoes.bandcamp.com/album/eaglehaslanded-foxmoulder-split

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/foxmoulder-eaglehaslanded-split-12

Boslevan Records - https://www.facebook.com/BoslevanRecords

Don't Live Like Me Records - https://www.facebook.com/dontlivelikeme

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

Krimskramz - https://www.facebook.com/krimskramzstuff

Mosh Potatoes Records - https://www.facebook.com/moshpotatoesxvx

TRVS Records - https://www.facebook.com/trvsrecords

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