Man, this was a challenging month! I just read an article based on a study that indicates our musical tastes don’t change much as we age. Oh well, guess I’m always the Outlier, but the same can be said of most of us in the Heavy Underground.
No matter what is summarized as fact, that study most likely concludes that more research is needed to support the conclusion. Regardless, my personal experience and taste in music went for a wild fucking ride this month. It wasn’t always pleasant, but it sure was exciting! Here’s my Top 5 for February:
5. HAKKON- THE FIFTH CESSATION
Really? Seriously? These guys are just emerging from some bedroom in Indonesia? According to research conducted by the honorable Frazer Jones they are. You can link to his research here. It’s probably more robust and reliable than the previously cited study, which I didn’t link.
Anyway, Hakkon was an unexpected surprise. When I thought they were four dudes of Northern European descent, I really liked ’em. When I found out where they were from, I dove in. The Opeth is strong with this one, at least to my years. Not a copy, but I bet they listened to every release with Peter Lindgren on it with almost religious fervor, especially Still Life. It’s a heavy, heady mix of All Things Metal on this EP that crosses multiple genres.
4. CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC – TALES OF DEMONIC POSSESSION
I love instrumentals. Not all of them, of course- they can quickly become boring as hell. But not these guys. To be totally honest, it helps if you’ve been listening to long-form music for a while. If you haven’t, then you’re in for a treat with Tales of Demonic Possession. I think this is the best intro to the genre I’ve heard in years.
Please check out this review, which has a link to the YouTube video of a quick interview I did with Steven Scavuzzo earlier in the month. We geek-out on the influences and references in this album, and some tech stuff as well.
3. SEUM – DOUBLE DOUBLE
Music like this is hard, nasty, disturbing and difficult for a dude with my background and taste to understand. Still, seumthing about it compelled me to keep going back. The result is one of my favorite albums in recent memory and something that’s altered my musical DNA. I think that’s what the best art does- it changes you. Consider me changed.
You can read a more complete version of my journey here:
2. HAIL THE VOID – MEMENTO MORI
In reality, my #1 and #2 are an absolute tie. The only reason they’re not #1 is that the other band took a bigger risk. Truth is though, this album moved my favorite genre, Doom, forward in a big way.
You can read the full review here:
Then there’s my YouTube Short:
1. GRAVEHUFFER – DEPART FROM SO MUCH EVIL
I’ve had a lot of albums blow my mind and pretty much change my life. The last one to hit me this hard was Elder’s Lore.
I can, and have, gone on and on about Depart From So Much Evil. My Interview is an hour long. Not too many people have the time for that, so I am gonna trim and edit it into small sections for each song. But if you have time to check out the whole thing, and want and inside glimpse into the band, you can check it out:
In short, this album is unbelievably good. Rich in influences and styles, and at the same time completely unlike anything else I’ve ever heard. It’s epic, progressive, and yet full of the brutal fun that makes us all love Gravehuffer!
Marching on…
That’s it, my top 5 as submitted to the Doom Charts. I’ll be writing and sending out my full list that I submitted sometime next week. That list only goes to Subscribers (no pay wall), so if you want to see that, please sign up below.
Now, what does March have in store?
