arf's june 2022 haul
The rules are simple: I listen to as many albums as possible, and report back to sputnik with a selection. Some will be new releases, some will be old stuff I'm discovering, some will be stuff I already know from long ago that I gave a proper listen again. Aside from personal favs, I'll try to avoid anything that's getting attention otherwise already. |
| 1 |  | Esoctrilihum
Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh
Sorry to disappoint everyone... my AOTM is, once again, a metal album. After several tries in similar occult crisp black metal style, Esoctrilihum finally gets a 4.5 from me. Well-deserved.
[ death / black metal ]
2022-06-17
https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/consecration-of-the-spiritu-s-flesh |
| 2 |  | High Castle Teleorkestra
The Egg That Never Opened
Album that had a good chance at the top spot, but in the end I feel it's a bit short of a 4.5. I would consider this a spiritual successor to Estradasphere (with which it shares some members), combining a diverse range of regional popular styles of pre-1970 Europe and America with avant-garde progressive metal and lush jazz instrumentation. High point is certainly the closing song, Romanian folk inspired banger titled Mutual Hazard.
[ avantgarde / progressive / fusion / hodgepodge ]
2022-06-17
https://highcastleteleorkestra.bandcamp.com/album/the-egg-that-never-opened |
| 3 |  | Baazlvaat
An Old Forgotten Text
The young lads are at it again, folks. This time, they're going even more psychedelic rock - shedding black metal almost completely, save for the vocals, general lo-fi sound and complete lack of any production whatsoever. Guitar noodling is all over the place, and it feels like there could be enough material for 3 or 4 albums packed in here. However, I think The Higher Power was overall a better album - the songs held together better, perhaps they could do better with spending a bit more time on polishing the songwriting. But they've developed an unique sound now & they seem to have good momentum.
[ blackened progressive psychedelic rock ]
2022-06-04
https://baazlvaat.bandcamp.com/album/an-old-forgotten-text |
| 4 |  | Suduaya
SoulQuest
Psychedelic ambient electronic concept album exploring the chakras. Surprisingly varied - jumps between different influences, from raga to (surprisingly) metal, almost seamlessly from track to track. Hard recommend to anyone who wants to give psybient a try and doesn't know where to start.
[ psychill / psydub ]
2022-06-17
https://suduaya.bandcamp.com/album/soulquest-album-2022 |
| 5 |  | Vega Trails
Tremors in the Static
Nocturnal atmospheric chill modern jazz. Make sure to follow Gondwana Records, they got good stuff.
[ chamber jazz ]
2022-05-06
https://vegatrails.bandcamp.com/album/tremors-in-the-static |
| 6 |  | Patristic
Apologetica
Another band in similar vein as Esoctrilihum - crisp, occult, dissonant, goes hard.
[ death / black metal ]
2022-05-06
https://pulverised.bandcamp.com/album/apologetica |
| 7 |  | Parker
E-MACHINES
A tribute to Klaus Schulze (RIP). Parker knows his synths and he does a good job integratig the classic Berlin-school sound into more modern-day post-rock composition style. In a way this closes the circle, that started with early krautrock...
[ post-rock / kosmische musik ]
2022-06-13
https://jparkersound.bandcamp.com/album/e-machines |
| 8 |  | Wind Rose
Warfront
Extra cheesy (that's the way we like it, don't we) dwarf-themed fantasy power metal. Songwriting is tight, appropriately rhythm-heavy, and props to the singer for the lyrics are quite verbose.
[ power metal ]
2022-06-10
https://wind-rose.bandcamp.com/album/warfront
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mtKCZGWMuNTULH4z-iZqHWsp1ypP72RGo |
| 9 |  | The Steams
Mild Conquest
Warm Mediterranean-sounding psychedelic rock. Vocal lines remind me of Hällas for whatever reason? Might be the dorian mode - I believe that's the harmonic system being used here?
[ psychedelic rock ]
2022-06-10
https://thesteams.bandcamp.com/album/mild-conquest |
| 10 |  | Hole Dweller
another chance at peace
New Hole Dweller y'all. Warm lo-fi hobbit synth. What adventure has Jamwine the Brave got into this time?
[ dungeon synth ]
2022-06-26
https://holedweller.bandcamp.com/album/another-chance-at-peace |
| 11 |  | Riders of Rohan
Riders of Rohan
Tolkien-themed hard rock / proto-metal at its finest. Very impressive debut, pure old-school fantasy. If you don't feel like listening to the entire album, at least give the single Fog on the Barrow Down a try.
[ hard rock ]
2022-05-26
https://cryptofthewizard.bandcamp.com/album/riders-of-rohan |
| 12 |  | Astral Spectre
Phantom Nightmare
Old school psychedelia combined with old school heavy metal - it's nice to see the sound pioneered by BMSS finally bloom, in all different interpretation of the occult, and different combinations with other genres.
[ psychedelic heavy metal ]
2022-06-03
https://astral-spectre.bandcamp.com/album/phantom-nightmare |
| 13 |  | Vape Warlok
Inhale Death
EP of three stoner metal tracks with the dankness knob turned to 11. Production is non-existent, but who needs production with distortion like this. If you love weed and Satan, you'll love this.
[ stoner / doom metal ]
2022-06-03
https://vapewarlok.bandcamp.com/album/inhale-death |
| 14 |  | Osaki Seiichi
The Tale Of A Long Forgotten Sunken City
I'm fairly sure this mysterious Japanese producer is actually two guys from Slovakia... either way, they seem to have gamed the algorythm to get to my ears and I liked it. Nice aquatic ambient album in the vein of Japanese new-age with some progressive synth undertones going on.
[ aquatic ambient ]
2022-05-30
https://osakiseiichi.bandcamp.com/album/the-tale-of-a-long-forgotten-sunken-city |
| 15 |  | Sweatson Klank
Postcards
Warm synth ambient mixed with jazzy downtempo and ambient recordings.
[ ambient / downtempo ]
2022-06-17
https://sweatsonklank.bandcamp.com/album/postcards |
| 16 |  | AstroWeed
Smoking Planet
For some reason this one to me seems to stand out from the many instrumental stoner jams that are pumped out on bandcamp. Retro drum sound and a variety of keyboards help sell this album too. Certainly a jam band I'll follow more closely.
[ jam / stoner rock ]
2022-05-28
https://astroweed1.bandcamp.com/album/smoking-planet |
| 17 |  | Haiku Garden
Loose Contacts / Tense Present
Summery dreamy effect-heavy colourful psychedelic indie rock. Last album was more shoegaze-y, this one goes a bit harder, now with some krautrock style synths as well.
[ space / indie rock / shoegaze ]
2022-05-20
https://kaparecords.bandcamp.com/album/loose-contacts-tense-present-2 |
| 18 |  | Hashishian
Hashishian
Dune-themed stoner metal, strongly influenced by both Sleep and Om. The spice must flow!
[ stoner / doom metal ]
2022-04-20
https://hashishian.bandcamp.com/album/hashishian |
| 19 |  | Resinator
Warp Lord
What if... dungeon synth started out of space rock and stoner doom, rather than black metal? While this album owes most to stoner doom songwriting, the atmospheric space synths colour up everything perfectly. Resinator is a one-man-band I've had bookmarked for a while, and I regret not checking it out earlier!
[ stoner / doom metal / dungeon synth ]
2021-04-20
https://resinator.bandcamp.com/album/warp-lord |
| 20 |  | Jomo Tuun
One Tuun
Polyrhythmic instrumental progressive metal trio. Goes surprisingly smoothly, given the rhythmic complexity (which often leaves the drummer playing in counterpoint to the bass and guitar).
[ progressive metal ]
2021-12-17
https://jomotuun.bandcamp.com/album/one-tuun |
| 21 |  | Nemecek
Prokletije
I discovered this band at a festival in my home city. I was looking at where to go next after Deva finished her set - and I noticed a relentless hypnotic beat coming from one of the venues. I didn't catch the first half of the set, but I knew I need to check out in full what was going on later. It's a hypnotic, immense, noisy, wall-of-sound reinterpretation of Croatian folklore, and supposedly this is just the first album of a trilogy to come.
[ psychedelic / croatian folk / noise rock ]
2021-11-23
https://nemecek44.bandcamp.com/album/prokletije |
| 22 |  | Sumuyo
Sumuyö
I would have AOTM'd this one had I heard it in April already. Oh well. Heard it in June, not too late. Hella out there hypnotic Finnish space rock, with influences from both krautrock (synths) and zeuhl (at least I hear it in rhythms and vocal delivery).
[ space rock ]
2022-04-20
https://sumuyo.bandcamp.com/album/sumuy |
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