Switchblade – s/t 2009
[Trust No One, 2009]
genre: doom, metal, sludge, post-metal, black, extreme
Album Review by Sovereign
They still release their albums with the same name. Switchblade is the band, self titled are all their albums since 2001. So in order to individualize their albums, let’s call this one as the s/t ‘2009′ release. Slow motion aggressive metal, and that’s all. This is an album full of doom sludgy metal, dark and dirty music, fulfilled with extreme underground harsh vocals and blurred sound. Three extended tracks, distorted guitars, drone sounds and a shitty doom metal smell. Black, all black, the booklet, the attitude, the atmosphere is black… night, stoned and an atmosphere of dirty and dusty guitars. The band produces extreme doom metal diamonds and go with (I believe they are among the creators) the sound of Esoteric, Khanate, Moss, Arcana Coelestia, Leviathan, Mourning Beloveth, YOB and Minsk. This band is from Sweden, they are not the other one from Australia. Their death metal and grind roots are obvious in here but nowadays their speed is really disappeared. Slow, really slow stoned music. They are heavy as a big rock, too heavy to be lifted like a huge stone. Excellent modern doom metal and enviable sludge metal in slow motion attitude. Recommended to (extreme)doom, sludge and avant-garde metal fans.
pre order: http://shop.textalk.se/en/shop.php?id=288
http://www.myspace.com/switchblade
http://www.switchblade.se/
http://www.trustnoonerecordings.com/press/switchblade.htm
Tracks:
Part 1 12:22
Part 2 18:30
Part 3 18:12
Sovereign
ZAO is one of the bands which made metalcore. They started as a Christian metalcore band (remember that in –core genres the most of the bands follow an attitude or a belief) [straight edge, pagan, vegan, satanism, right wing, left wing etc], but after some members change they are not anymore, as the most of the band members are not considered as Christians anymore. All these years several people take place behind the instruments of ZAO, as I said, but the band keep a unique character and a familiar hardcore metal sound. Brutal vocals rotate with clean and every track has a different –core attitude. Death, punk, metal, post, thrash and heavy tones. This release is an album-compilation of metallic hardcore. There are some routes you have to follow in order to build a core something, and ZAO did it really well. An album for metal heads, an album for head bangers, this release is quite strong and excellent from the music structure side. A metal album that can satisfy everyone who likes hard and heavy music. Awake? is another solid addition to ZAO’s rich catalog. It’s not cracking or impressive, but fans will get everything they expect from a ZAO release.
Hardcore veterans Coalesce have announced the completion of their first full-length attempt since 1999. The band split up years ago, they had some reunion shows on 2005, they record some tracks on 2007, and at the end they record this album this year (2009). Ox is a 14 songs album, about 35 minutes. Both “Give Them Rope” and “0:12 Revolution in Just Listening” are original hardcore metal albums and some of my favourites from the genre. This year’s release is also on high standards. 012 and Ox are pretty much the same sound and there are a lot of commons between them. There is a difference in the production, but after 10 years a lot of things can change. Pure hardcore metal, some experimental ideas and noisy drum sessions. Coalesce as we remember them. Extreme music from an extreme band, with a modern attitude and a more mature inspirational attribution. there are metalcore elements on the album and some slow parts pretty close to post-metal and post-hardcore genres. A huge welcome back to the band. 
Ramesses – baptism of the walking dead [ep] 
Moss – Tombs of the Blind Drugged EP
