From their roots as a death metal band, to their rise to fame in the black metal scene, the Norwegian-duo Darkthrone is constantly re-inventing their shit-stomping, crust punk, blackened thrash metal sound. Coming a year and a half after Hiking Metal Punks, Circle the Wagons proves that Fenriz and Nocturno Culto are true Norwegian metalheads.

Check out the rest of the review below.

Mala was one of the first dubstep producers I saw live here in NYC at Dub War. With his label mate Coki, he's produced some diiiiiirty tracks under the moniker Digital Mystikz. The group has never produced a studio album in the 5 years they've been running DMZ. That's all about to change.

As Fact reports, the bass-bringin' badasses will be releasing Return II Space on 3×12″ vinyl in May. The first preview cut off the album is above. It's a banger for sure! The output levels are a little low on the full version, so I posted this one, which is incomplete, but has better sound. You can also hear the track at Mala's Myspace.

If you're not convinced, check out Joe Nice absolutely crushing the DMZ 5 year anniversary party below!

Paul Rose is no stranger to dubstep. Since the early 2000's, Smith has been producing beats under his moniker Scuba. In 2003 he founded the now booming Hotflush Recordings. Much like dubstep itself, Scuba's beats are vast and without boundaries. While you won't find wobbly basslines in his music, Rose joins the ranks of 2562, Falty DL, Martyn, Vex’d and Joy Orbison in a new wave of dub-bass rhythms. Enter Triangulation, a vivifying and visceral experience marking a new height of ambient dubstep.

Check out the rest of the review, including a video for "Before" below.

Jack Sparrow's newest release on Tectonic features this crusher entitled Torment. Doomy and gloomy dubstep for the darkest DJ sets. Something straight out of the early days of D1 and Distance. Check out the other cut below, along with release information.

If you can overlook Varg's psychotic history and appreciate Burzum for what it is, a great atmospheric black metal band, then you'll enjoy this album. Burzum has always been one of those iconic black metal acts. Like Mayhem and Darkthrone, Burzum's a beginner's introduction to the Norwegian genre of black metal. The band has always been surrounded by a shroud of darkness. From church burnings to the death of Euronymous, Varg has always attracted the wrong kind of attention. After he was convicted of murder and arson, he went to jail, where he worked on solo projects; It was just Varg and a keyboard in jail.

Before this time, he recorded multiple albums, including Filosofem in 1993, prior to his imprisonment in 1994. In all honesty, I wasn't ever really into anything post-Filosofem. After that album, Varg got a little too abstract for me. I couldn't connect with the music and it lacked the intensity that Jesus' Tod brought to the black metal scene.

12th Planet is playing the Mishka LA opening party tomorrow night so swing through and check it out!

I'm busy today setting up the Echo Park Mishka store so I'll spare you the write-up on this EP and just quote Boomkat's write-up:

Californian dubstep producer John Dadzie successfully keeps the sunshine out of his productions on this two-track release, offering up the intense snare thwack of '68' with a roving, moduated bassline and what sounds distinctly like a sample of someone throwing up at the end of a breakdown. Gross. 'Be Blatant' on the other hand draws on old fashioned rave references while getting in touch with some skanking dub roots and warbling vocoder action.

Label: Smog
Catalog#: SMOG004
Country: USA
Released: June 2009
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep
Source: Vinyl / Digital

Tracklisting:
a) 12th Planet - 68
b) 12th Planet - Be Blatant

Belgium isn't exactly known for their bass-bringing bangers, but that's what Alchemyst and Grimelock are here to do; introduce us to the heat. The Feel the Heat EP put these two djs in the recording studio to produce this Stainage release. The above track is my favorite off the EP, entitled Bitch Smakin Killa; which takes the hook from Project Pat's Bitch Smackin Killa;

Pistol packin, never slackin, bitch killa
Pistol packin, never slackin, bitch smackin killa

The 3-track EP also features a reggae-inspired riddem track, Feel the Heat (feat. Maelan) and some more street-bass in the form of Grimelock's Total Recall. Those cuts and the catalog information are below.

Let me preface this by saying this is the first album I've reviewed here that I will trash openly. Most of my reviews are for good albums and releases that I'm impressed with. This is neither. So read on!

Yes, I’m aware of Vegard Sverre Tveitan’s legacy as the supposed muse to Norwegian Metal acts but you can only rest on your laurels for so long. Ihsahn’s new album After is a perfect example of what is fucking wrong and lame in modern prog rock; trying to stuff 12 pounds of shit into a 1 pound bag. Pick a direction, pick a genre and if you’re going to mix genres and experiment, do something meaningful. Oh and fuck a saxophone.

I’d be keen to hear more work along the lines of The Adversary, or Angl, Ihsahn’s two previous albums. At least you know what to expect. After plays like a schizophrenic Norwegian’s metal nightmare. The one thing that remains from the fallen dust that is Emperor’s early days is Ihsahn’s signature riffs and keyboard skillz. Granted, his modern vocals can’t touch his previous work with Emperor, but that’s another story. WWED? What would Euronymous do?

Read the rest of the review below...

In Ruins is an Atlanta, Georgia hardcore crust band. With influences spanning from the obvious to the obscure, the band manages to mix a good amount of variety in their 3-track EP. The best part about this EP is that it's available for download here (with a small donation), at Moshpit Tragedy records. It's really worth it if you're a fan of Tragedy / From Ashes Rise or even the more modern German crust movement fathered by bands like Alpinist. The band manages to maintain intensity throughout the tracks and I'd be stoked to catch them live. Help support these guys by donating, I really wanna hear a full-length!

Audio Phreaks' star producer Bar 9 is always smashing dubstep rave hits from his studio. Any single or mixtape he produces is a stomach-turning bass fest. His newest release, entitled The Beginning / Faded takes his dark and foreboding sound down two paths. Even though the previews above aren't full tracks, they still give you a glimpse into his style. Boomkat describes the first cut, The Beginning as a "wobble bass, darkside dialogue and painful percussion". The second track, Faded, "carves out an agile halfstep riddim with grungy bass lurches". Release information and album art is below.

I've been a bit of a fan boy over French's work for a while now and this is a classic example of why I dig his stuff so much. He recently drew the album art for a Sheffield-based death metal band called Parasitized. Their EP is coming out soon, so check back on their Myspace for more information.

Via Funeral French.

Previously:
French: Blood Oath
French: Cursed Scrolls Recap
Cursed Scrolls

So so so fucking stoked on this release. High on Fire released a single, entitled "Frost Hammer" off their forthcoming album, Snakes for the Divine, last Friday. Following the masterpiece, Death is this Communion, the band seems to be in top-notch shape for producing their 5th album; a self-proclaimed magnum opus. Matt Pike's sounding great, as are Des Kensel's drums and this first single is killer. Unsurprisingly, artist Arik Roper, returns to adorn yet another release with beautiful cover art. Damn. Roper's the man! Here's Roper's description on the inspiration for Snakes for the Divine:

This cover idea was loosely conceived by the band: The snakes representing "sin" and the woman having some biblical allusions ( Eve and Lilith).

More information, including the tracks, release date and high-resolution album art, is below.

The Widdler's tracks have been lacing top-notch mixes for about two years now. At the beginning of 2009, dubstep took a demented twist. The original producers like Skream and Benga went on producing dance-centric beats and a new generation of producers took dubstep down a wicked wormhole. DJs like Bar 9 and Widdler keep twisting beats into a knot of bass-driven, mind melting basslines. The Sensi Samurai EP is a year old, but is a sure sign of that time. The title track, Sensi Samurai was widely supported by the dubstep scene in 2009. Check out the full release info and the 'other' banger off the EP below.

Gritt started producing bass-driven beats in the 90's. Around 2008, with the rising popularity of Dubstep, the Dutch producer took his stab at the genre, focusing on heavy basslines and brutal bass. The first track on his Hell Yeah EP is Hell Yeah. Take a listen above and check out the second track and release information below.

A reader posted this photo (well, an altered version anyway) of Grandmaster Flash in last week's Merckx Monday's comments. I'm speechless.

Thanks Brian!

Edit: Yes, it's technically Melle Mel rocking the jersey.

Jussi, you win the internet today. His post on Nocturno Culto's mountain bike wheelie just made me giggle uncontrollably. Nocturno Culto is half of Darkthrone and the man behind Sarke, two of my favorite bands.

I had to compress the image so that I could post it. For the uncompressed image, check out Jussi's post over at Fixed Gear Blog.

Wimborne, UK's Marlow has been producing bass-driven music since 2006. Recently, his focus has shifted to a variation on Dubstep with a bit of a House influence. The first cut on his Druid / Cattle Prod 12" is titled Druid. Marlow has said that Druid is his best track to date, giving the audience a beat to move to with bass to reverberate through the walls. You can pick up on some 90's house laced throughout, but in Cattle Prod, the influence is a bit more evident. That cut is below.

A recent email conversation with a friend ended in an exchange of messages containing Youtube clips from favorite albums. Everything from Bathory to NME to Sacrifice. One of the last songs was a super sludged-out band he grew up with and my reply was the above video. It's a live video recording on Seattle's 29 Live of a band called Burning Witch.

Burning Witch will always be one of the bands who just seemed to "get" how to make sludgy doom more dynamic. Their history is rooted in Thorr's Hammer and members went on to form Goatsnake, Sunn O))) and other doom acts. After working with Steve Albini (think Blessed Black Wings), Burning Witch released the Towers EP in 1996. The band split up shortly afterwards and Greg Anderson went on to form Southern Lord label in 1998.

This band has to be one of the better acts to have ever come from Seattle. Ever. Their albums (well, EPs) are all worth the pick-up and are highly addictive.

Choice Is Yours Vol. 61: Seven Churches vs. Scream Bloody Gore

In what is probably one of the best Choice is Yours to date, My Pal the Crook has pitted (so pitted) Possessed against Death. This one made me revisit both albums before spitting out a knee-jerk reaction. Even though both bands were cited in forming / inspiring the Death Metal genre, Possessed's album Seven Churches may have been the better of the two.

It's a tough decision! Head over and engage in conversation if you want.

Photo by Condition NYC

Last night was Jack, Dan and Thom's last show as haunted castle. Thom's moving to Japan and the band decided to call it quits. It was an epic time and Condition NYC has some more pics on his Flickr documenting the party. I've got some as well. Reason #1 why I slept in until 3pm today.