Posts Tagged ‘Post Metal’

Album of the day: Cold Body Radiation – Deer Twillight

Posted on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Praise for Cold Body Radiation‘s Deer Twillight from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: The 2010 full length from these Dutch avant shoegaze black metallers was one of our favorite records that year, but for whatever reason we were never able to get enough copies to review on the list. So when we discovered there was in fact a new record, we got in touch with the label directly and got a whole bunch.

That first record took super blown out black buzz, and transformed it into something washed out and blissy, dreamlike and majestic, lots of bands do the whole shoegaze black metal thing, but Cold Body Radiation were the first band who did it so perfectly, conjuring up a sound, both heavy and beautiful, in way that was equal measures of both, taking the dreamy dronedirge of groups like Nadja and Jesu and infusing it with some seriously blackened buzz, which instead of darkening the sound, somehow just made it more brilliant and prismatic.

If anything, this new record dials back all the black and buzz, revealing what is essentially a blissed out shoegaze dream pop record, one that sans BM pedigree would have indie rockers and pop kids losing their shit big time. That said, there is still some heaviness, and a blast beat or two, but really for the most part, Deer Twilight is some sort of blissy psychedelic heavy pop, with soaring super saturated guitars, big bombastic drumming, swirling synths, warm clean crooned vox, a super lush layered sound, slow builds and explosive crescendos, super catchy hooks, and dark, dreamy meditative interludes.

Think some killer mix of Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Godspeed and Nadja, released on 4AD, or Constellation, or Creation, or somehow all three, the sounds minor key and melodic, moody and melancholy. The bass thick and driving, low slung and rhythmic. The drums subtle but powerful. The guitars and the keyboards woven into lush undulating swells and prismatic bursts of melody.

The songs epic and intricate, slipping from darkly doleful, to hauntingly hushed, to explosive and psychedelic and back again, super cinematic and emotionally intense, some of the big loud parts, so dramatic and soundtracky, it’s easy to imagine them as the score for some super intense heartbreaking epic. And when the band does lock into something more rock and slightly more blackened, it sounds more like the doom pop of Katatonia, gloomy and melodic, and the sound soon shifts into something more laid back and stripped down, sun dappled and hazily dreamy, the tracks laced with swoonsome strings, that add even further to the cinematic vibe.

To be honest, we weren’t expecting this new record to be so NOT metal, but we’re loving it, A LOT. And while there may not be a whole lot here for metalheads, for folks into epic dramatic shoegazey dreampop and metalgaze and post rock and gloom pop, this is most definitely your new favorite record.

At 40 years old, Aquarius is the oldest independent record store in San Francisco. We try to only carry music we love, and we’re always searching for more new, cool, weird and wonderful music. All of which we then share with you, our loyal customers.

Tags: Album of the day, Aquarius Records, black metal, Cold Body Radiation, Deer Twillight, dreampop, dusktone, Metalgaze, Post Metal, shoegaze
Posted in 2012, Album of the Day, Roadburn Recommended | No Comments »

Album of the day: Junius – Reports From The Threshold Of Death

Posted on Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Praise for Junius‘ Reports From The Threshold Of Death from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: We first heard Boston post metal heavies on a recent split with fellow post metallers Rosetta, and were surprised by just how UNmetal these guys were. They’re still heavy, but more like Katatonia or ‘Radiohead’ era ...read more

Album of the day: Falloch – Where Distant Spirits Remain

Posted on Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Lovingly pinched from Metal UK: Falloch are a very new band having only formed in 2010. The duo take their name from their natural environment, namely the Falls of Falloch waterfall in Crianlarich Scotland. Typing this into an image search you will see that the nature of the area is ...read more

Falloch: New Track Premiere Via BrooklynVegan

Posted on Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Today, high traffic web portal BrooklynVegan hosts an exclusive premiere of ‘Beyond Embers and the Earth‘, from post-black metal duo Falloch. The song comes off the band’s upcoming Where Distant Spirits Remain full-length debut, set for release via Candlelight Records on September 27. Commented alloch’s Andy Marshall: “‘Beyond Embers…’ was ...read more

Album of the day: Zebulon Pike – Space Is The Corpse Of Time

Posted on Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

Praise for Zebulon Pike‘s Space Is The Corpse Of Time from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: All kinds of awesomeness here on this new Zebulon Pike album, their fourth, and the Minnesota instrumental math metal stoner doom post-rock space-rock (whew!) combo’s first full-length in like three years. It’s also their first ...read more

Falloch: Post-Black Metal Duo To Release Debut Via Candlelight Records

Posted on Monday, July 18th, 2011

Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the duo known as Falloch are a growing glimmer on the atmospheric, post-black metal horizon. Andy Marshall and Scott McLean united out of a desire to create music that conveys atmosphere and emotion utilizing an expansive backdrop of styles and sounds. Metal, post-rock, folk, with minimalist ...read more

Neurosis And Ufommamut Confirmed For Club Show At The Effenaar in Eindhoven, Holland (29 July)

Posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2011

NEUROSIS and UFOMAMMUT have been confirmed for a club show to take place Friday, 29 July at the Effenaar in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Pre Sales has started, for tickets please click HERE.

Album of the day: A Storm of Light – As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade

Posted on Friday, May 27th, 2011

Praise for A Storm of Light‘s As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: Latest slab of epic, apocalyptic, psychedelic doom from A Storm Of Light, the project of Josh Graham, who also plays in Red Sparowes, Blood And Time, and of course ...read more

Album of the day: Blut Aus Nord – 777 Sect(s)

Posted on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Lovingly pinched from Sonic Abuse: Having recently reissued the classic ‘the mystical beast of rebellion’ album, Blut Aus Nord are back, not only with a new album, but with the first part of a monstrous trilogy that sees their twisted, avant-garde take on black metal bend even further out of ...read more

Album of the day: Seidr – For Winter Fire

Posted on Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Lovingly pinched from Hellbound: From seemingly out of nowhere, Louisville’s Seidr, formed in 2009, have raised the doom bar high with their debut full-length for Flenser. Allying throbbing, sub-zero sludge / doom riffs with poignant post-metal passages, beared up with throatgurge-ing vocals whose epic lyrics illustrate frozen paths of Nordic ...read more