Human Adults - God Made Dirt (2015)

Don't know much about this american band called Human Adults, except thet released in 2015 an excellent tape of Brainboms inspired (but trumpetless) noise rock, it's called God Made Dirt, 6 tracks, including a Flipper cover. Yeah that's not much, but again it's an excellent tape, so that's enough for me... A pity they seem not active anymore, but who knows?

G.L.O.S.S - Girls Living Outside Of Society's Shit demo (2015) + Trans day of revenge (2016)

OK those two release (a demo tape and an EP) were released in 2015 and 2016, and now G.L.O.S.S doesn't exists anymore, but this was one of the very best recent old school hardcore band, so I just had to post about it. If you like hardcore don't sleep on this...

The BC page.

The Icarus Line - All Things Under Heaven (2015)

I really should have reviewed All Things Under Heaven back in 2015 because it's awesome. This latest The Icarus Line album carries on the wake of The Stooges (the rocking parts but also the most trippy noisy parts with saxophones), and reminds also a bit Destruction Unit and even Brainbombs. A beautifull psychedelic and noisy garage rock masterpiece. Possibly their best one after Penance Soirée.

Their website.

Oil Thief - Obsolescence & Monality (2015)

Obsolescence & Monality is the debut album, released by Chondritic sound in 2015, by Oil Thief. This is some absurdly good rhythmic noise, weird and/or ominous atmospheres with the noise & synths, inventive and powerfull beats. If you're into this kind of stuff you just have to listen to try, you won't regret. Check as well the Ep's he released after this album. Really special and strong stuff.

The BC page.

Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire (2015)

It took me some time to make up my mind about the bass/drum duo Lightning Bolt and their latest album, Fantasy Empire. Maybe it was because I had the idea Lightning Bolt is a mathcore band. Yes some elements of their music could be described as mathcore, but it's a much more complex animal. The raw power and energy they carry evokes hardcore but of course they don't have the straightforward side of hardcore. The fuzzy bass sound reminds noise rock or sometimes heavy psych rock when it gets a bit melodic and trippy. And the rhythmic complexity  could evoke math rock / mathcore but it sounds more loose and improvised, more live, so it's often more free rock than math rock. Well call it what you want to me it's a very dynamic and powerful album with a unique approach and sound, very cool stuff.

The BC page.

Second Sun - Hopp​/​Förtvivlan (2015)

Very cool album, at the same time very classic and very special. On this first album called Hopp​/​Förtvivlan (don't ask me what does it means... but it does add to the magic), released two years ago (it's been two years I plan to review this one, go figure why it took me so long... pff) Second Sun, a swedish band with Tribulation drummer offer some classic heavy rock with touches of psychedelia. Very 70' inspired but not like all these retro-rock band. Because it's far better than most, and because it's not only classic but also very surprising, the singing in swedish plays a part in that, but there's also something else... maybe "just" great songwriting... great stuff anyway. Just try it and you won't regret.

The Bandcamp page.

Warp Transmission - Tamám Shud (2015)

If you don't want to choose between tripping or rocking music and have both then Warp Transmission is a good pick. The band from Finland released two years ago a really cool album called Tamám Shud that is a nice mix of stoner / psychedelic / doom and garage rock, evoking bands like Monster Magnet or Electric Wizard as well as The Stooges. And their spaciest moments are as goods as their hardest rocking ones. Easily better than the average stoner band. Really enjoyable stuff.

Their Bandcamp page.

ps : one of the guys in WT is also in Sonic Poison, which old school grind evoking Repulsion is a really different stuff but is also excellent (HERE is my review).

Christian Mistress - To your Death (2015)

I should have reviewed this one earlier, but better late than never. This is the third album, called To your Death, from Christian Mistress, released in 2015 by Relapse, and it is indeed a flawless old school heavy metal album. It's style is somewhere between Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest, with great riffing, great songwriting and excellent female vocals. If you're into traditional heavy metal or even into hard rocking / heavy music in general there's just absolutely no reason you wouldn't enjoy listening to it many times.

The Bandcamp page.

Alien Deviant Circus - Ananta Abhâva (2015)

Alien Deviant Circus is a French industrial black metal duo, Ananta Abhâva, released in 2015, is their third album. The album combines an industrial futuristic sound and an oriental mysticism inspiration. It uses black metal (the vocals and guitars) and industrial elements (the beats, the guitars) for the heavy and aggressive parts and combines it with dark ambient / ritualistic parts. The result is original and interesting , managing to produces some strong atmospheres, dark but of a kind not usual in black / industrial metal. The songs are long but not boring because there's a good balances between the repetitive / ritualistic ambient vibes and the straightforward aggressivity. Good stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Teeth of the Sea - Highly Deadly Black Tarantula (2015)

I plan to review this one since a long time (it's been released in 2015) but I wasn't sure how to do it justice, it's an excellent album but just describing it is not an easy task, which is also part of its charm by the way. On Highly Deadly Black Tarantula the quartet from the UK Teeth of the Sea goes into darker territory with more industrial / noise elements added to their krautrock / progressive / electronica. It can evokes Pink Floyd, but also The Body, T'ien Lai, or the Young Gods, and then The Mars Volta with it's nice use of a trumpet. Well, you get it, it's impredictible, but always manages to build stong atmospheres, making it a very interesting and enjoyable listen. Highly recommended!

The  Bandcamp page.

James Leg - Blood on the Keys (2015)

John Wesley Myers was the keyboard / vocals half of The excellent Black Diamond Heavies. He's now playing a similar kind of music in solo as James Leg. His third album Blood on the Keys is maybe not as good as Below the Belt was, but still unique, very good  and enjoyable. The music is stripped down garage rock. stripped down to the point there's no guitars! and it does not even feel less rocking at all! Just drums, vocals, and rhodes piano. Rocking and doing it with a lot of groove, and also with a kind of Tom Waits boogie style, and some old school soul / rhythm & blues feel. He really avoids sounding like the others garage rock bands while keeping very pure the essence of raw rock music.

Gouge - Beyond Death (2015)

If you like old school death metal and thrash metal this one is not to be missed. Gouge is a Norwegian band playing some thrash / death that sounds like when thrash was turning into death metal. So it's between early death metal (like stuff from Paul Speckman for exemple) and early Slayer (Reign in Blood) or even early Sepultura as well. Fast, raw, death metal vocals, some blast beats and an aggressive thrash metal vibe. All that makes their album, Beyond Death, released last year on Hells Headbanger, a very enjoyable album, especially if you're fond of the early extreme metal era it evokes (I am!).


The Bandcamp page.

S.B.S.M. - Joy / Rage (EP 2015)

S.B.S.M. is a band from Oakland, CA. They play an original kind of post-punk that sounds a bit like a combination of power electronics and no-wave. A lot of noise and screaming around some punk elements and spirit. The Joy / Rage EP is their latest release (in 2015) and is a very good and interesting listen. Far from easy listening but really enjoyable. Recommended stuff. 

The BC page.

Burning Tree - North Hex (2015)

Burning Tree is the free jazz project of a norwegian duo (Dag Erik Knedal Andersen on drums and Dag Stiberg on sax) that is also doing noise music. And Burning Tree is sure not "lounge" or "cool" jazz, but neither too minimalistic nor too complex. North Hex was released last year on Utech records again after the excellent "Lammergyer" in 2013. The sax is providing a kind of melody, a screaming and relentless one but a kind of melodic line anyway. The drumming is also on the relentlessly intense side of free jazz. North Hex is just one track but a nearly ten minute one and is a very good piece of the wildest and fastest free jazz you can have.

The Bandcamp page.

Gasmask Terrör - Chape de Plomb (2015)

Gasmask Terrör immediately sounds sharper and better than the usual D-beat punk, like it's more focused and more real. Also their more rocking side, pushing their music somewhere between Discharge and Zeke helps breathing some life and diversity in their songs. Their switch from singing in english to singing in french (they are from Bordeaux) is also very convincing I think, it's one element that makes it sounds more "real", more genuine. Their latest album Chape de Plomb, released last year, their third one (with also some Ep's since their start in 2004) is my favourite recent D-beat album, very enjoyable stuff.

Their BC page.

Badbadnotgood & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul (2015)

Some hip-hop for a change. But of the classiest kind. Ghostface Killah holding the mic. with GZA he's probably the only one from The Wu Tang Clan to deliver everytime, without wrong moves. As usual he shows here, but without vulgar showing-off, how good he is as a MC. Badbadnotgood, an instrumental trio (drums, stand-up bass and guitar, a bit of strings here and there) of young guys is writing / playing the music, in a jazzy/ soul vein with a hip-hop beat. Mostly slow and smooth with enough groove and leaving all the space needed for Ghostface to do his thing. The music's faithfull to the Ghostface Killah universe, focused on his most classy and soulfull side. One of the few hip-hop album I enjoyed these last years (last Ghostface solo album, 36 seasons is good as well, but I think I prefer this one, with a more constant quality).

The Soundcloud page.

Author & Punisher - Melk En Honing (2015)

What is always mentioned about Author & Punisher (or Tristan Shone) is the fact that the music is made largely with machines of its own creation, but that should not shadow that the music is really good. Of course it is literally industrial and noise music, but also we could say it's doom, because of the heaviness and slow pace (not because of sabbathian riffs, Author & Punisher is all about noise, not riffs). It could reminds NIN (when NIN was really good), especially for the ability to melt melodies into a brutal and bleak industrial metal music. Melk En Honing, released last year on Housecore Records, see the return to the use  of instruments, but the machines and the modified voice largely dominates. This is its sixth album, and as usual a bit different than the others while keeping the level of excellency high. On this one I'd say the focus shifted slightly from noise experimentation to songwriting which is more diverse and complex.

The Bandcamp page.

Naive Sense - Art Failures (2015)

On this album called Art Failures, released last year by Naive Sense you have some really good hardcore. Hardcore that can't really be associated with a specific kind of hardcore : it is fast and angry (12 songs in less than 20 minutes), with a frenetic feel of urgency running through the album, but there's also melodic elements here and there (but never sounding "emo"). More diverse and original than most hardcore albums, without really experimenting. I'm bored by most hardcore albums, but I enjoy this one. Recommended stuff!
(I saw thay are about to release an EP later this month, should be good as well...).

The BC page.

Tom Carter - Long Time Underground (2015)

Minimalistic but full. Close but wide. That what comes to my mind when I try to describe Tom Carter's music on this solo album (he plays also in a psych folk band called Charalambides) called Long Time Underground released last year. This is guitar only. With a bit of distortion, bringing a bit of a psych / drone feel. Earth could be a comparison, both are excellent at creating a strong atmosphere. Quiet and very deep. Great stuff!

The Bandcamp page.

Steve Von Till - A life Unto Itself (2015)

You probably know Steve Von Till, singer / guitarist in Neurosis also releases solo accoustic albums (like Scott Kelly), last year's A Life Unto Itself is the latest one. It is a brilliant dark americana / folk album. Of course Steve Von Till is a good singer and composer and it also shows on this album, but what is also excellent is the viola parts from Eyving Kang and even more the pedal steel parts played by Jay Kardong. It really brings the songs a special feel. And no, it does not really sound "country music", but yes definitely American roots music. It's not "heavy" in the way Neurosis is heavy, but the atmosphere is as deep and strong as it is quiet.

The Bandcamp page.