atmospheric doom

Angst and Loss in New Blood: A Reflection on Rise to the Sky — “Two Years of Grief”

HeraLeave a comment

When I was younger, I was told that there’s a saying that all Chileans, like salmons, will return to their place of origin and eventually die. Although odd, I found this saying to be somewhat endearing: salmons do a salmon run, where they swim back against the current to spawn, and then they die, restarting the salmon life cycle. To compare Chileans with salmons is quite the stretch, but this idea – someone reaching the end of their life and new life spawning – brings me to Chilean band Rise To The Sky’s seventh full-length, Two Years of Grief.

Continue reading →

Album Review: Rise To The Sky – “Every Day, A Funeral”

Hera1 Comment
rise to the sky - every day a funeral

Ah, yes, summer: the weather is starting to get hot, days are longer, and irritability is the name of the game. As we approach the hot summer months, it’s almost a blessing to find that there are other countries approaching the arduous winter months. To this end, I have to give Chile props: there is something in its weather that leads to the yearning and romanticism of sadness and melancholy. Whether it is because of our corta venas nature or a sign of the times, we all have heeded the call of the void, but refuse to submit to it. It’s in this feeling and temporal space where Rise To The Sky presents their fifth album, Every Day, A Funeral, straddling the line between tension and levity.

Continue reading →

Album Review: The White Swan — “Nocturnal Transmission”

AngelaLeave a comment

I tend to jump on the opportunity to write about any metal band that includes a female member.  I love seeing women represented in the metal scene and I love supporting these badass goddesses.  The White Swan has not only one but two amazing, talented female musicians—bassist Kira Longeuay and multi-instrumentalist Mercedes Lander.  Completing this trio of musical mastery is guitarist Shane Jeffers.  The band recorded their latest EP, Nocturnal Transmission, in December 2019 and have been fine tuning it to production perfection until it’s release this past week.  This ethereal, at times dark EP is a dreamy experience with themes of love and all the dizzily romantic and complicated feelings that come along with relationships. 

Continue reading →

Album Review: Hallatar – “No Stars Upon The Bridge”

Corey2 Comments

hallatar_cover

While Hallatar is a name that may ring unfamiliar and No Stars Upon The Bridge is technically a debut, the minds behind the project are highly respected veterans of their craft. Forged from the music and emotions of Juha Raivio in memory of Aleah Stanbridge, who passed April of last year, No Stars Upon The Bridge is an immense atmospheric doom metal experience inspired by collections of Aleah’s work. Working with Tomi Joutsen of Amorphis and former HIM drummer Gas Lipstick, every word and note resonates with personal meaning. As a result, No Stars Upon The Bridge delivers a multi-layered impact on a listener that few albums have managed to accomplish.

Continue reading →

Interview: MAKE on Anger, Aggression, and Reinvigoration

Josh1 Comment

MAKE

By now, NC’s MAKE should be a household name for any metalhead or music lover of a harder inclination. The band’s first two full lengths were heavily steeped in atmospheric doom but with their recently released third album, Pilgrimage Of Loathing, the band is angry and not in the same headspace they were a year ago. They’re angry at the current state of affairs — politically and otherwise — and the resulting sound is one of aggression and abrasiveness. Anyone familiar will be floored initially by the chances they’ve taken here that were necessary to vent and share their unhappiness with as many people as possible. But with an attentive ear this album shows the most growth out of the three and a band that sounds completely reinvigorated and to a point, reinvented. Continue reading →