Maiestrit. Turns out its a rerecording/reimagined version of an older album called Maiastru Sfetnic, didn't know that, sorry. Also has two bonus acoustic tracks of 'A-vînt în Abis’ and ‘Plecaciunea mortii'.

Neel wrote:
Negura Bungent's new album is fucking awesome.its out already?

Neel wrote:
Maiestrit. Turns out its a rerecording/reimagined version of an older album called Maiastru Sfetnic, didn't know that, sorry. Also has two bonus acoustic tracks of 'A-vînt în Abis’ and ‘Plecaciunea mortii'.oohh ok! just a small money spinner for Neguru & Co.Maiastru Sfetnic was a great album on its own,who wants to hear a "reimagined" version! :P

Been tripping on 11th Hour by Burden of Grief. Fantastic album. Also Fea Jur by Lye By Mistake who sound like the Mahavishnu Orchestra gone totally insane.

DRUDKH- MICROCOSMOS Digipack CD
(fantastic!!!)

NINE INCH NAILS- PRETTY HATE MACHINE CD

Spent most of the festival listening to music and throwing up. Will skip details of the spew but here's what I listened to. Farflung - When Science Fails is a fantastic album of space rock/psychedelia. Hardly anything on this album can even be called rock and it mostly reminds me of a groovier Tangerine Dream. Then heard Chrome's Red Exposure which Farflung claim to be hugely influential on them and it was pretty much like listening to a slightly more upbeat Farflung in a lot of ways. Very trippy couple of hours before I moved on to some Salem's Playing God and Other Stories. This Israeli band sounds pretty good with their extreme metal hodgepodge even with a muffled drum sound and some very weird female vocals. Gave Armored Saint's La Raza another shot and it's a pretty dull album with maybe 2 songs that got me nodding along. Brant Bjork's Gods and Goddesses is more of the same from the man and too bloody chilled out. Everything sounds the same except for the last song, Somewhere Some Woman which is pretty good and the only one that sticks in my mind.

Pensees Nocturne - Grotesque is a very impressive follow up to last years debut from this one man French project. The classical music with black metal mix of the debut has given way to a much more smooth but also very experimental take with everything from classical music to the blues serving as garnish to some truly feral and savage sounding black metal. Check this one out people.

Heard Écailles de Lune by the much lauded in some circles, much reviled in others Alcest. It struck me as fairly inoffensive black metal - that was trying to be 'different' but not ambitious or imaginative enough to really go all the way. Good album that just might grow on me with more spins.

Ylem - Dark Fortress I loved the last album these guys did but Ylem is a different beast. Kinda like Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us it is more of a hard working album than a good one. As in, it seems to me like the band spent a lot of time on trying to make the album interesting without it developing organically. For all that, Ylem has a LOT of good moments. This again will need a lot more spins before I can entirely make up my mind on it. I wish the production had not been so clinical though.

Inerrant Rays of Infallible Sun - Current 93/OM: I got this primarily because I like Current 93 a lot. My liking that band is a bit of a mystery to me since they are very minimalistic and it is mainly just David Tibet ranting about death, religion, lust, evil etc; kinda like a more educated, well read and articulate Jim Morrison (with none of Morisson's Love Me Two Times, sillyness). But there's soemthing about his voice and rants that strikes a chord. Anywhoo, the Current 93 track was one of the livlier things the band has done from a musical perspective and the OM track was nothing short of spectacular - the best song I've heard by these guys. I think its a combination of an acceptable song length - only 8 minutes (as opposed to the 20 minute songs they were playing on another album I heard by these guys. Man, that bored me to tears) and the fact that the riff is about one of the best they've ever written. Very satisfying album overall, if really depressing apocalyptic diatribe is what you are in the mood for.

GxMx wrote:
Neel wrote:
Maiestrit. Turns out its a rerecording/reimagined version of an older album called Maiastru Sfetnic, didn't know that, sorry. Also has two bonus acoustic tracks of 'A-vînt în Abis’ and ‘Plecaciunea mortii'.oohh ok! just a small money spinner for Neguru & Co.Maiastru Sfetnic was a great album on its own,who wants to hear a "reimagined" version! :P

This might actually be worth checking out Vik. Has a thicker sound than the original album, much better production values and the songs have some new parts added here and there along with a slightly more prominent bass. The acoustic parts sound a lot more clear too. Maybe too soon to say after just one listen at 3am but the band might have actually improved on the original album which was pretty damn good in the first place. I was hoping this would be unnecessary and I could stick with my Maiastru Sfetnic CD but looks like I might end up eventually shelling out for this one.

Cathedral - forest of equilibrium

Farflung - The Myth of Solid Ground was when the band first took off into the realms of space rock. Equal parts monster magnet and hawkwind mixed in with the band's patented chilled out grooves this is one awesome album.

Red Harvest - Sick Transit Gloria Mundi is the album Fear Factory never got round to making. Extreme, heavy as fuck and with big fat grooves this album gives groove metal a whole new meaning. Pity it's from a band that is still struggling for recognition.

Negura Bunget - Om is probably my favourite black metal album in the last few years. Just one awesome slice of perfection.

MAYHEM- CHIMERA CD

Cathedral - the garden of unearthly delights

I finally have access to new music after nearly three months of no internets/hauls (back in B'lore for a week) - just had access to a couple of cds which included most of last year's black metal releases. Now, I must play catch up.

Anyhow, right now, listening to Scandinavian Lönndom's fully acoustic album, Viddernas Tolv Kapitel. They're listed as black metal on MA, but I haven't heard any of their other stuff and this is in no way metal. They play light, acoustic ambient with baritone voiced chants not unlike Empyrium (but it doesn't touch Wood Grouse) - good if you're in the mood, otherwise plain boring.

Wolves in the Throne Room - Malevolent Grain/ Black Cascade

General Knowledge wrote:

Red Harvest - Sick Transit Gloria Mundi is the album Fear Factory never got round to making. Extreme, heavy as fuck and with big fat grooves this album gives groove metal a whole new meaning. Pity it's from a band that is still struggling for recognition.

Very cool album. Thanks for the heads up - I had heard only A Greater Darkness, which is awesome as well. How're the others?