RECOMMENDATIONS: ARCHIVIST, BLAZE OF SORROW, KHADAVER, GRAVECOVEN

 

Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska, where I’m still mired in a day-and-night project for my day job that has pared my blog time to the bone. Because my free time is so limited, I’m doing something we almost never do around here: Just throwing some recommended music streams your way without writing much at all about the music.

ARCHIVIST

The first recommendation is a self-titled album released through Bandcamp in June by a multinational group called Archivist.

 

 

I found out about the album via an e-mail in mid-August from our old friend and former The Number of the Blog writer, Tr00 Nate. He doesn’t write me with recommendations very often, and so I pay attention when he does — especially when, as here, he said the album “floored” him. Archivist’s line-up includes members of Light Bearer and Fall of Efrafa, and that’s another reason I was convinced to check out the album.

It really is a superb album, and one I’ve been meaning to review. But I’m not sure I’m ever going to be able to do that — so please, just listen at least to a song or two and decide for yourselves. If you like what you hear, it’s a “name your price” download at Bandcamp, and both CD and double-vinyl editions are also available HERE and HERE.

https://archivistmusic.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/archivistband

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLAZE OF SORROW

My next recommendation is an album entitled Eremita Del Fuoco, released in late October by an Italian duo named Blaze of Sorrow. This appears to be the band’s fourth full-length, but I hadn’t heard anything by them before listening to this album.

This is an excellent album of melodic, atmospheric black metal that (again) deserves a full review, and I hope you’ll at least sample some of the music. If you’re like me, the first song alone will really grab you (there’s an unusual quavering instrument in the song that’s especially interesting — and the song is also quite beautiful and moving, in addition to being heavy and aggressive). It’s available on Bandcamp.

(Thanks to my friend “M” for the tip on this one.)

https://blazeofsorrow.bandcamp.com/album/eremita-del-fuoco
https://www.facebook.com/Blaze-Of-Sorrow-230055827018200/

 

 

 

 

 

 

KHADAVER

The next recommendation is just a single song, the first piece of music made available for streaming from a forthcoming album named Extinctio Mundi by a Slovakian band named Khadaver. The name of the song is “Zeroborn”.

As you’re about to discover, this song is a jolting change of style from the music included in the first two albums in this post. The album is due for release on November 9 and it’s available for pre-order on Bandcamp.

(Thanks again to “M” for the tip on this one.)

https://khadaver.bandcamp.com/album/exstinctio-mundi
https://www.facebook.com/khadaver

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRAVECOVEN

Last, we come to two songs from a demo entitled Coughing Blood posted to Bandcamp in late October by a Sacramento band named GraveCoven. This is a two-man group consisting of James Rauh (Swamp Witch) on vocals and Phillip Gallagher (Bog Oak) on baritone guitar, bass, and drums.

The band describe their music as “Depressive/Black/Dooom Metal”. It’s goddamn pulverizing. And the two songs are available on Bandcamp for a dollar. Worth it.

http://gravecoven.bandcamp.com/album/coughing-blood-demo-10-31-15
https://www.facebook.com/GraveCoven-1487712051522611/