Qwälen are hailing from Helsinki/Oulu area in Finland and this is their new record out with Time To Kill Records. This band plays their vision of black metal, raw and uncompromising, often blistering fast and aggressive, but there are lots of hardcore punk influences in the song structures, but to me this music leans more on black metal side of things. Guitars are raw, vocals screaming tortured black metal screams yet they fit perfectly to the music and aggression, but also melancholic, saddened melodies behind the overlayers of drama, that only Finnish bands are capable of providing such melancholy and emotions behind the music. There are seven songs on this opus, with titles all being in Finnish language so I don´t really understand what the lyrics are about, but let the power of music speak for itself. For me the best songs on this record, being my personal favorites are Han Ei Tule Koskaan and Unohdan Sinut. Superb album.
Midwich Cuckoos started as a fun project between international bunch of friends evolving into real band with real full line-up. This one was recorded during lockdown due to reasons unfortunately known to us all as an e.p. to serve as a release before new full length arrives. There are five songs on this e.p. As the title say, three acoustic songs, one dance remix and one reggae version hehe. You will have to listen and discover your favorite for yourself. I was not a fan of acoustic music when I was an angry metal and hardcore kid growing up, now I learned to appreciate the beauty of punk rock played acoustically. Listen to my personal favorite Call The Nurse with that melancholic and haunting melody and fantastic voice of singer Tanzy Velayne instantly becoming one of my favorite voices in the punk rock scene. Also Dirty Love in that reggae version is superb and my highlight on this e.p. So, go listen and discover your favorte song on this one. I love it.
Pando are entity hailing from USA and this is their new record with Aesthetic Death. What do we have here? This music and this record is definitely not for everyone. These 9 tracks are a soundtrack to apocalypse and ending of the world and I love it. Pando play experimental drone/ambient black metal and noise with some sludge influences thrown here and there in the songs like on of my favorites Total Station Theodolite. What I love is a use of samples together with dark ambient and drone noises, coupled with whispers and screams and it reminds me of some broken down tv that stayed playing after the apocalyptic ending of humanity and it keeps repeating some residual nightmares over and over again. Vocals are screamed, guttural and music is black metal in its foundation, but so much more indeed. There is aggression, there is atmosphere and there is darkness that can almost be touched if you reach out with your hand and close your eyes and open your mind to this dark and beautiful opus. Great record indeed.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 