dark essence records

If you’re of a gambling persuasion, you can probably bet on not finding an album as all-over-the-place Kraków‘s newest one, Amaran, over the rest of this year. Don’t be mistaken—that’s a compliment. While the Norwegian sludgy post-metallers use the same basic set of ingredients as they had on past works like Monolith and Diin, they’ve widened their scope considerably for album number three, exploring a more dramatic range of both heavy and psychedelic sounds. As a result, we get a consistently engaging listen that represents some of the band’s best work to date. Continue reading →

The first time I gave Taake’s new album Stridens Hus a chance, I was having a bad day at work and very bored. Fifteen minutes in, that boredom had not relented. How could I have such a strong dislike for this album on first listen? Maybe it was because my headphones were malfunctioning; perhaps losing the left-side of the audio was clouding my judgment and rational thought? Maybe I was just an anger filled jock who hadn’t gotten laid in a while—probably the most dangerous animal on earth—and was feeling the need for an explosive physical confrontation with another male species.

Whatever the reason was, I was wrong about Stridens Hus and I can admit that now. While it’s not the best work they’ve ever put out—and it doesn’t necessarily move the band forward as much as you might hope—it’s a solid record with all of the classic genre-blending you can expect from a band this talented. Continue reading →