Collection Addiction #11

Collection Addiction #11

This seems like a  bigger lot because it's been amassing over the period of a few weeks/months. It's a mixture of presents, concert buys and a visit to the local record fair. I gotta say, it's been a long time since I checked out a proper record fair, and I recently came to remember why. Prices on 2nd hand vinyl are waaay through the roof, and the selection has gotten really boring.

Grift: "Arvet"

Contemplative style-defying music

Grift, the project founded and maintained by Erik Gärdefors since 2011, has always marked itself as an endeavour that wholeheartedly belongs to neither a pure metal or rock ethos. In that regard, Grift seems like a symbol of the direction of contemporary music, mixing typically oppositional elements of desperate black metal, airy post rock and sombre dark folk with just a sprinkle of shoegaze in a conglomerate that could best be described merely as 'art'.

Collection Addiction #10

Collection Addiction #10

When you add something to your end-year list of best releases, you better put your money where your mouth is and add those albums to your collection too. Aaand there are a few others too, of course.

Sammal: "Suuliekki"

Brilliant fourth entry from Finnish prog-rockers

When a piece of music is excessively catchy it often comes with the issue that you grow tired of it quicker. Catchiness often comes from simple, repeated melodies and easy-to-follow song structures. But Sammal's brand of catchiness is a creature entirely different. Every time I receive a new Sammal release in my inbox, it takes exactly one listen to get the entire album stuck in my head.

Collection Addiction #9

Collection Addiction #9

As far as labels go, Extremely Rotten Productions are definitely among my favourites. And with a selection like this, any rotten-to-the-gore death metal fanatic should agree.

Over the Voids...: "Over the Voids"

Consistently uninteresting with few exceptions

Over the years I've found the part of the black metal scene that consists of one-man bands to be the most hit-or-miss prone part. The Fall is a Polish musician who has been involved with quite a few bands, playing live bass for the likes of Mgla and Clandestine Blaze. Over the Voids... is the first band in which he claims the guitar (and all other roles within the band as well) as his instrument, and that does show in the final product.

Collection Addiction #8

Collection Addiction #8

Finally these are made available on vinyl! This lot is a bit old by now actually...

Anialator: "Rise to Supremacy"

Resuscitated thrashers on life-support

When an underground 80s metal band resurfaces some 30 years after their last true release, you really got to ask yourself if today's thrash metal scene has a place for them. Anialator never had a real breakthrough with their twin EPs in the late 80s, likely facing an oversaturated scene that was already beginning to move toward a different style.