Voland - "Voland 2" (2017)

VOLAND - "Voland 2"

Year: 2017

Genre: Symphonic Metal
Country: Italy

Track List:

1. 1917
2. Ottobre
3. Dubrina
4. Outro

Bandcamp / Facebook


Voland are an extreme symphonic metal duo from Bergamo, Italy. Lyrically, Voland sing of various facts from Russian history, theatrically interpreting tragically epic real events.

Their first demo was reviewed on our blog, check it out here.
The EP "Voland 2" was published this year in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Russian Revolution of October 1917, with songs directly referencing the work of poets, writers and musicians active in that time.

Their philosophy regarding music is simple: they do art for its sake and for theirselves, They don't wish to monetize on it and therefore Voland's music is freely downloadable from their channels and available in digital format only. All they ask in return is their music to be listened to and spread around.

M.

The Depressick - "Carcinoma" (2017)

THE DEPRESSICK - "Carcinoma"

Year: 2017

Genre: Post-Black Metal / Depressive Black Metal
Country: México

Track List:

1. Lifeless
2. Deceiver
3. Nowhere
4. Filth
5. Black Scars
6. Misdeeds
7. Abyssmal
8. Depression Anxiety
9. Spleen Cancer
10. Drowned
11. Aqueduct Gpe

Bandcamp / Facebook

The Depressick was founded in winter of 2012-2013 by Old Skull and Detestas with the aim to express inner struggles, deep selfhate and melancolic feelings powered by oppressive, hopeless and misable landscapes from the daily life in Mexico City. Carcinoma is their new album were they continue exploring the miserable life in a big city as México where people seem to be so selfish, so unconcerned about others and their environment.

The artwork in this one (as in the last EP) was made by me. 
M.

Funeral Art - "Cuivië" (2017)

FUNERAL ART - "Cuivië"

Year: 2017

Genre: Ambient/Black Metal
Country: Guatemala

Track List:

1. Intro
2. Esencia en mí
3. La muerte de toda ilusión
4. El rostro de Marbas
5. Iniciación
6. Lilith Ritus
7. Outro

Bandcamp

This is a material loaded with pure magic, with lyrics about the awakening of consciousness and perception beyond what human eyes are destined to see.
With sounds wrapped in ritualistic environments and poetic devotion to Lilith!
Under the starry mantle of this night, the moon shines with radiance announcing the dark melodies of Funeral Art.
Lord Marbas is a reader, and supporter of this blog and the RABM movement and we have shared their first release, "La belleza oculta" here on the blog. Go to bandcamp to listen and download.

M.

Loukaniko y lxs perrxs - "Viajo con mis perros" (2016)

LOUKANIKO Y LXS PERRXS - "Viajo con mis perrxs" (I travel with my dogs)

Year: 2016

Genre: Folk-punk
Country: México

Track List:

1. Salvate, escapate (Save yourself, get away)
2. Viajo con mis perrxs (I travel with my dogs)
3. Caminata fugitiva (Runaway walk)
4. Complicidad (Complicity)
5. Dime si estamos locos (Tell me if we are not crazy)
   (live tracks)
6. Mancha de sangre (Bloodstain)
7. Regresa (Come back)
8. Una mañana (One mourning)
9. Aquella batalla (That battle)
10. Peter Young / animinimalista (animinimalist)

DOWNLOAD / listen

"Loukaniko y lxs perrxs" is a side project from members of Contra//Historia, openly Anarchist, with very beautiful and politic lyrics. In fact, this is one of my favorite projects ever.
Some of the tracks were written to the comrades that are right now hidden and escaping as a result of state oppression, also it's an album dedicated to all the comrades resisting... we can have better times.

Listen also to their first release here.

Flagare - "Arder" (2017)

FLAGARE - "Arder"

Year: 2017
Genre: Post-Punk
Country: Argentina

Tracklist:

        1. Desacato (Contempt)
        2. Ebullición (Boiling point)
        3. Desollados (Skinned)
        4. Marea (Tide)
        5. Vacuum

Facebook // Bandcamp

"Arder" (To burn) is the first release from the Argentinian post-punk band Flagare. They are located in Buenos Aires and define themselves as anarchists and vegans, which is really clear in their lyrics. Also, in the Bandcamp bio you can read "We'll burn, day after day, before the atrocious reality that beats our senses, we're not going to accept indifference, we choose the disorder generated by our ideals' burning to keep us lit".

Musically, you can find a pretty straight-up post-punk sound, but with a strong emphasis on the atmosphere and textures, and a slightly raw but clear mix.

Oh, and this is my first time posting as well. I've been following the blog for a couple of years now, and recently joined to share some of the material I came across.

Gizzards - "Blue Death Demos" (2017)

GIZZARDS - "Blue Death Demos"

Year: 2017

Genre: Death Rock
Country: USA

Track List:

1. Blue Death
2. Alt Delete
3. Sanctuary City

Bandcamp 

Well, Gizzards are an anarcho-communist death rock band from the USA, an interesting stuff regarding the genre. Influenced by Killing Joke, New Model Army, Sisters of Mercy, Chameleons, Godflesh, etc.

I don't have more information than that but they sound awesome and I thinks i'ts very interesting to have this kind of politics onto these music.

(Listen and download directly on bandcamp)

FOR YOU, FOR HER, FOR ME, FOR US…

This is an original statement published in this page. I’m sharing this in our blog because besides I know the women affected, we must eradicate this kind of shitty attitude out of our ‘scene’, this kind of individuals that spread a message in their music and in their daily lives they just continue reproducing sexist/racist acts, there’s no space for that. Today this is about some guys from a Hardcore band from Spain, and the point of this is that it shouldn't be a next time.

“It is time that these practices do not go unpunished and stop being normalized. It is time to question and point out these actions. It is time that these types of individuals are afraid to do these things. We believe that this is a first step. We don’t expect that this statement will make these specific individuals change, because they have sexism too internalized. Our goal is that there will not be a next time and that we can expose the sexist acts that women deal with every day. WE ARE SICK AND TIRED!”

-----------------

FOR YOU, FOR HER, FOR ME, FOR US…


They want to shut us up, and we won't let them. We are writing from a place of empowerment. Our decision to name and expose sexist and racist acts is because we are sick and tired. We don’t want to be part of impunity and injustice.

A couple of months ago, once again, we discovered that we were victims of patriarchy, and this time it came from a group of men from southern Spain; guys who are musicians and who play in bands and participate in a supposedly political scene. Their bands identify and express themselves as feminist allies; with messages of gender equity and antifascism.

We are calling them out because of misogynist, sexist and racist things they’ve said and done over messaging applications such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Several of us were affected, exposed, and violated. The above-mentioned men shared photos of women (with whom they had some level of intimacy or relationship). NONE OF THESE PHOTOS HAD BEEN ONLINE, AND SOME OF THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WITHOUT THE PERSON’S KNOWLEDGE. We firmly believe that, even if they were, it’s is not a sufficient reason for a man to feel entitled to share this information with others.

The online abuse of sharing photos of naked women, in underwear, or in any sexual position has become a sexist game that positions the virility and power of men over women’s bodies, as if they were collectibles or trophies. It’s sad to know that this happens in certain scenes such as punk or hardcore, where most bands support some political philosophy of gender equality, among other movements. Things like this should not go unpunished. The same ideas lie behind them that destroy countless women every day. They contribute to an endless number of micro-aggressive / micro-sexist actions that are naturalized in our daily life, part of the same patriarchal system that causes thousands of femicides.

Our vulnerability and impotence crossed borders. The photographs were not only shared among these Spaniards, one was also shared by a guy who’s a chef in Tijuana, Mexico. He shared one of our photographs without her consent, causing anger, disappointment and frustration.

The point of writing this is not just to write for the sake of writing or talk for the sake of talking, as the 'machos' would say. We have a lot of the conversations and photos that this group of men has shared. We are sure that they are not conscious in the least of the emotional damage they have caused to the women affected, who are fully aware of the situation and out of respect for them we will not publish the evidence of what we mention here. And we believe that it is not necessary to do so. We believe that this callout in and of itself exposes the seriousness of the situation, enough that we’re not worried about who will believe us or not.

But that is not all. In addition to this great wave of misogyny, they’ve added racism and discrimination directed at Latin American women. On several occasions we find phrases like: "the DNA did not mix well", "they are all dwarfed and deformed, with big heads”. Weren’t they supposed to be feminist allies, carrying the banner of equality and liberation? Where are all those ideals? Apparently they were only for show, to get social status in a supposedly political and radical scene. “That’s just what men do", as they say, doesn’t make sense to us in this situation. In fact, these actions don’t make sense anywhere and we are not going to normalize them. We know that there are numerous similar cases within our scenes, just like what we’ve experienced. We are supposed to feel safe being a part of a "scene" that believes in and promotes equity. But unfortunately that’s not the case. This situation has made it clear to us that the opposite is true.

Given the great conflict that this wave of sexism and racism caused us, we decided to inform all the women affected, and we respect the decisions of each of them. In our case, we completely reject silence and we want these men to take responsibility for their misogynistic actions. They will have to face the consequences online and in their daily lives that this callout entails themselves. NOT US! Hopefully they understand that the integrity of the women affected is worth much more than the organization of a music festival or the image of a punk band. Likewise, everyone will decide where and how to position themselves.

This callout is also meant to alert the girls who are close to these or other men who do these kind of acts. We want to let you know that your privacy and intimacy are at constant risk. Just do not fully trust the ones who say they are allies. There are many of us who have suffered some abuse by men who appear to understand these issues.

We know that this statement will cause reactions and comments that have to do with the personal relationships of the people involved. Comments regarding how the information was obtained. But we do not care: GO AND SAY WHAT YOU WANT, WE ARE NOT AFRAID, WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE! This is something much bigger for us than just personal issues.
We know that this callout will provoke a reaction against us. We will be called and labeled as: liars, crazy, bitches, whores, witches, dramatic, exaggerators, etc. WE DO NOT CARE! It’s up to each of you: are you with us or against us? And we want to make it clear that every violent message in response to this statement, whether private or public, will also be shared publicly.

It is time that these practices do not go unpunished and stop being normalized. It is time to question and point out these actions. It is time that these types of individuals are afraid to do these things. We believe that this is a first step. We don’t expect that this statement will make these specific individuals change, because they have sexism too internalized. Our goal is that there will not be a next time and that we can expose the sexist acts that women deal with every day. WE ARE SICK AND TIRED!

TO ALL WOMEN WHO ARE IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS , EITHER WITH THESE MEN OR WITH OTHERS, KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND THAT IF YOU DECIDE TO TALK, YOU HAVE OUR COMPLETE SUPPORT. WE ARE A POWERFUL NETWORK. FROM TODAY, THERE IS NO LOOKING BACK. WE HAVE TO TRUST IN OURSELVES!

We’re talking specifically about four men who are from the hardcore/ punk scene in Andalusia: the first is the vocalist of Decadence and drummer of Minority of One. The second is the drummer of Decadence. Both of them are also ‘hosts’ of Jäggermeister Commando. The third is a tattoo artist and lives in London. The fourth was a vocalist of Pacto de Sangre, who also lives in London.

SISTERHOOD LOVE

“My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.”
Audre Lorde

Sacred Son - "Sacred Son" (2017)

SACRED SON - "Sacred Son"

Year: 2017
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: England
Tracklist:

1. Cleave the Alicorn
2. Apocalyptic Winter
3. Ethereal Light (Interlude)
4. Sepulchral Ritual

Facebook///Bandcamp

Belying the summery cover photo, the debut album of the promising solo project Sacred Son is like listening to a blizzard. Swirling vortices of icy riffing and harsh vocals meld through the album, with the cello-heavy interlude "Ethereal Light" offering the only respite from the onslaught. The overall sound is reminiscent of bands like Wolves in the Throne Room, who Dane, the lone artist behind this release, lists as among his chief inspirations, along with formative second wave Norwegian bands such as Darkthrone, Mayhem, and Immortal.

In our brief email conversation, Dane explained his motivation to create the album as well as lyrical themes; "I've been listening to black metal for a long time and I found myself at a point in time last year where my thoughts were regularly pervaded by riffs which I wrote down until I one day had enough material with which to write an album. Thematically I wanted the music to evoke images of snow, mountains and forests (imagery one might typically find on a black metal album cover) whilst lyrically the album touches on things like the ancestories [sic] of evil and the crushing indifference of the universe."

The album builds a distinct mood and atmosphere as it progresses, without sacrificing variety or producing a homogenised or boring sound. This lack of stagnation is refreshing in a genre that can all too easily devolve into lazy songwriting poorly excused by desire to build ambience; Sacred Son shows you can have both the freshness of interesting writing mixed with a hefty dose of atmosphere without either element losing out. I think his choice to keep the album relatively short at half an hour, with only four songs, was a good one, as it allows for a full and intense creative expression without the feeling of trying to fill time at any point. In short, I was impressed by this as a first release, I enjoyed listening to it, and I definitely recommend it to any fans of bands like WiTTR, Ancst, and Krallice, in particular. It's also available for pre-release on vinyl currently, so if the pretentious thrill of buying more LPs is as addictive to you as it is to me, it's well worth spending your money on.

I'd like to add an apology on the end of this, both to the bands who've been waiting so patiently for a review while I sort a few personal issues out and to my fellow writers on RABM for my not keeping up my end of the reviewing these last few months; everything is back on course now, and I look forward to bombarding you all with the backlog of brilliant albums I've been sent in the interim. Thankyou all again for being so patient.

T.G. 

Astraliste - "διάβρωση (Erosión)" (2017)

ASTRALISTE - "Erosión"

Year: 2017

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: Argentina

Track List:

1. Incesante (ceaseless)
2. Turmalina (tourmaline)

Bandcamp 

Astraliste in a one-man project from Argentina. It is a band that tries to capture the landscapes and the feelings generated by being a human among nature.
With the poetry contained in the lyrics you can ask yourself, who are you? Who do you want to be in the immensity of the landscapes that surrounds you?

I know this is not strictly political, but the man behind this has been very supportive with this blog and with the ideas expressed here, so this totally has a place for us.

I took the photo used as a cover and it was a gift for this project and the beginning of it's music. 

Rampancy - "The Sublime Conquest of Nothing" (2017)

RAMPANCY - "The Sublime Conquest of Nothing"

Year: 2017

Genre: Black Metal
Country: Canada

Track List:

1. Blood for blood
2. Failure in the eyes of Jehova
3. Schadenfreunde
4. Choose your side
5. Thy Kingdom
6. Besieged
7. Solitary march under a black flag
8. Hanger 96 (Two forces balance)
9. Dawn of the new order
10. Insurrectionary extremist
11. A.F.D.T.D

"The Sublime Conquest Of Nothing" is the fourth album chronologically and the first under the new name Rampancy following up from the 2014 release "Aftermath". Many of these songs are re-envisioned from their past as Anti-Freeze tracks found on other releases and some tracks are entirely new themselves.

Thematically, this album largely deals with topics of violence, hatred, betrayal, and insurrection. The songs expand on previous anarchist topics and declares open hostility towards a collective world enslaved by political machinery and an identity crisis.