Tag Archives: noise

Album Review – Akouphenom / Connections To The Erebus EP (2025)

Posted on by
1

Coming from the same recording sessions of their 2023 album, the new EP by this uncanny Spanish horde continues the exploration of dark themes and complex compositions.

Known for their fusion of Blackened Death Metal with elements of Doom Metal and Noise, aiming to reflect absolute evil in their creations, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain-based entity Akouphenom returns from the netherworld with a brand new EP titled Connections To The Erebus, following up on their critically acclaimed 2023 full-length offering Death·Chaos·Void. Coming from the same composition and recording sessions of Death·Chaos·Void, their new four-track EP continues the exploration of dark themes and complex compositions by DraGon on vocals and guitars, Pandemia also on the guitars, Korgüll on bass, and Prgich on drums, further establishing their presence in the extreme metal scene.

Absurd of the Arkhe already brings to our putrid ears 11 minutes of ruthless Blackened Death Metal, with the crushing drums by Prgich setting the tone for DraGon to roar like an evil creature. Not only that, the guitars by Pandemia transpire malignancy while Korgüll hammers his bass nonstop, resulting in a true aria of absolute darkness. Then switching to their native language Spanish, the songs Extrema Uncion and Abismo, as described by Akouphenom themselves, are “a denial to Christianity and the idea of a paradise after death in exchange of an entire living as sheep and following the rules,” while musically speaking Extrema Uncion sounds as demented as it can be, with the infernal vociferations by DraGon penetrating deep inside your putrid soul, while Abismo showcases an even harsher vibe with the vocals by DraGon sounding truly inhumane, supported by the crushing drums by Prgich. And lastly, we’re treated to a whimsical instrumental track titled Limbo, where the haunting sound of the piano will bring some peaceful obscurity and melancholy to our hearts.

“We are atheists, we do not believe in nothing, and we accept that Death is the main end,” commented the band, and if you also want to follow Akouphenom in their dark path you can find more information about the band on Facebook and on Instagram, including their demonic live concerts, stream their music on any available platform like Spotify, and of course purchase a copy of the excellent Connections To The Erebus from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp, or from Sound Cave, and you can always click HERE for all things Akouphenom. Those Spanish servants of the black arts are on an absolute roll after the releases of Death·Chaos·Void in 2023 and now Connections To The Erebus, proving why the extreme music scene in their homeland cannot be ignored at all; quite the contrary, Spain hosts an ever-growing manifestation of first-class Black and Death Metal, with Akouphenom being one of the torchbearers of such an exciting movement.

Best moments of the album: Absurd of the Arkhe and Abismo.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Avantgarde Music/Unorthodox Emanations

Track listing
1. Absurd of the Arkhe 11:50
2. Extrema Uncion 6:42
3. Abismo 3:55
4. Limbo 3:03

Band members
DraGon – vocals, guitars
Pandemia – guitars, backing vocals
Korgüll – bass, backing vocals
Prgich – drums

Album Review – Akouphenom / Death·Chaos·Void (2023)

Posted on by
1

A rising force of the Spanish Black and Death Metal scene will destroy your soul with their first full-length album, a hymn to the three ruling powers of existence – death, chaos and the void.

Embodying different influences from Doom Metal to Noise with the ambition to reflect absolute evil in their creations, A Coruña, Spain-based Blackened Death Metal horde Akouphenom (a name that comes from a twist on the word tinnitus, a real consequence of the band’s prolific live activities) is unleashing upon humanity their first full-length opus, titled Death·Chaos·Void. Mixed and mastered by Simón Da Silva at The Empty Hall Studio, Death·Chaos·Void is a hymn to the three ruling powers of existence – death, chaos and the void, leaders, kings and conquerors for all eternity, all carefully brought into being by DraGon on vocals and guitars, Pandemia also on the guitars, Korgüll on bass, and Prgich on drums. Furthemore, Death·Chaos·Void is a concept album divided into six chapters, which Akouphenom explain as a journey to unveil the truths of the Arkhé, the natural law, which is no more than an extension of the chaotic reality of the human condition.

The obscure, atmospheric intro Tritone Descent will drag your soul to the pits of the underworld before the band comes crushing our souls in Devour, offering our damned ears over eight minutes of a first-class fusion of Black and Death Metal where Prgich sounds demolishing with his blast beats accompanied by the demonic riffage by DraGon and Pandemia, flowing into the 12-minute beast titled Upper Cycle of Infinite Tails, a lecture in Blackened Death Metal where DraGon and Pandemia once again extract pure insanity and darkness form their guitars, while DraGon roars and vociferates nonstop for our total delight. And the song will haunt our souls until its very last second, being immediately followed by Flesh Sublimation, where the quartet keeps blasting their devilish sounds mercilessly, with Korgüll and Prgich making the ambience feel truly heavy, dense and grim armed with their heavy-as-hell kitchen, alternating between pounding, infernal moments and sheer Black Metal attack. The title-track Death·Chaos·Void begins in full force with another thrilling display of savagery by the band’s guitar duo, resulting in a hurricane of blackened, demonic sounds not recommended for the lighthearted, not to mention DraGon’s vocals sound insanely heavy and grim; whereas lastly, get ready for one final blast of the band’s infernal sounds in Incorporeal, trapping our minds in pitch black darkness to the sound of the demented drums by Prgich, therefore resulting in a twisted, vile conclusion to the album.

Death·Chaos·Void, which is available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify, certainly places Akouphenom as one of the new driving forces of the Spanish underground scene, and you can help the band go even higher (or lower, depending if you consider hell the ultimate place to be for a Black and Death Metal band) by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, and of course by purchasing a copy of their amazing new album from their own BandCamp page, from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page or webstore (as a CD or an LP), or simply by clicking HERE and choosing your favorite version of the album. Akouphenom are among us to bring death, chaos and void to our lives armed with their debut album, and once you listen to their music you better be prepared because there’s no coming back from the dark side.

Best moments of the album: Upper Cycle of Infinite Tails and Death·Chaos·Void.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Avantgarde Music/Unorthodox Emanations

Track listing
1. Tritone Descent 1:35
2. Devour 8:17
3. Upper Cycle of Infinite Tails 11:57
4. Flesh Sublimation 9:52
5. Death·Chaos·Void 8:07
6. Incorporeal 5:12

Band members
DraGon – vocals, guitars
Pandemia – guitars, backing vocals
Korgüll – bass, backing vocals
Prgich – drums

Album Review – I MAIALI / cenere/CENERE (2022)

Posted on by
Reply

A thrilling overdose of Blackened Post-Hardcore by an Italian horde presenting to us all “the gospel of our Messiah” in the form of their sophomore opus.

Brought into being in 2016 in the city of Rome, Italy, Blackened Post-Hardcore project I MAIALI has found their dimension in a dirty, no-nonsense sound between Post-Hardcore and Noise without forgetting the 90’s and the whiff of novelty that it brought to the world of underground music while remaining tied to a modern and impactful sound, and all that can be fully appreciated in their sophomore opus, titled cenere/CENERE. Produced, engineered, recorded and mixed by Davide Rosati at ACME Recording Studio, mastered by Gianpiero Ulacco at Hologram Studios, and displaying a wicked artwork by Coito Negato, “cenere/CENERE is the gospel of our Messiah, starting from his genesis up to the stake that will reduce him to ashes; however, it is not just a story, but a journey, which will first see him indulge, then oppose the will of a superior entity: a master whom he recognizes as a father. The deeds he performed and the continuous struggle with his conscience are the basis of the 12 tracks that mix post-hardcore and black metal, with some forays into psychedelia. We will explore the concepts addressed in the debut album CVLTO, making you know our God better and showing you how easily we humans are conditioned. Our Messiah is now among us, listen to him,” commented vocalist Francesco Foschini, guitarist Daniele Ticconi, bassist Matteo Grigioni and drummer Angelo Del Rosso about the album.

Daniele ignites the band’s wicked musical voyage with his guitar in Genesi, being gradually accompanied by the devilish vocalization by Francesco in a nice way to kick off the album with a huge dosage of modern-day Post-Metal. Then enhancing their rage and animosity it’s time for the quartet to crush our senses with Ora, Sorgi!, showcasing an excellent job done by Angelo behind his drums and, therefore, resulting in a vicious depiction of Blackened Hardcore; whereas L’Orrore follows a similar pattern as its predecessor, which means it’s awesome of course, with Matteo hammering his bass mercilessly while Francesco roars and screams nonstop. There’s no time to breathe as those Italian noisemakers are on fire in the Post-Hardcore extravaganza Parassita, spearheaded by another round of flammable riffs by Daniele, and Stanza 101, a recommended option for banging your head in the name of pure darkness, also presenting elements from the unique music blasted by Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. And more of their eerie sounds comes in the form of Oblio, where Francesco’s vocals walk hand in hand with the progressive beats by Angelo.

Messi∀ focuses exclusively on the anguished vocals by Francesco while the background music is comprised of pure noise; whereas in Sculture da Autopsia the band is back to a more melodic, introspective vibe where Daniele an Matteo continue to extract electricity and groove form their stringed weapons in another shot of their trademark Blackened Post-Hardcore. Assalto Cannibale is as demented as it can be, with Angelo dictating the pace and offering his bandmates exactly what they need to smash us all with their sick, darkened Hardcore, and getting closer to the end of the album I MAIALI keep embellishing the airwaves with their obscurity and heaviness in (r)Umore Blu, with Francesco stealing the spotlight with another visceral performance on vocals, followed by Plumbeo Giudizio, sounding modern, vibrant and piercing as our good old Blackened Hardcore demands, bringing forward more of the caustic riffage by Daniele and the classy bass punches by Matteo. Finally, featuring a guest guitar solo by Davide Rosati, the tribal beast by Angelo will hit you hard in the head in Io, Brucio, ending the album on a beyond climatic and acid note.

In case you’re curious to know what Blackened Post-Hardcore is all about, you can enjoy cenere/CENERE in its full glory on Spotify, and don’t forget to follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram to stay up to date with all things I MAIALI, to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their wicked music, and obviously to purchase the idiosyncratic cenere/CENERE from their own BandCamp page. As aforementioned, the music by I MAIALI is not just dirty and modern, but it effectively represents everything the band stands for, their passion for heavy music, their hopes and dreams, and I bet it won’t take long for those Italian rockers to invade our senses with more of their incendiary, uncompromising music in the coming years.

Best moments of the album: Ora, Sorgi!, L’Orrore, Parassita and Plumbeo Giudizio.

Worst moments of the album: Messi∀.

Released in 2022 Overdub Recordings

Track listing
1. Genesi 2:22
2. Ora, Sorgi! 1:44
3. L’Orrore 2:05
4. Parassita 2:12
5. Stanza 101 1:49
6. Oblio 1:49
7. Messi∀ 1:29
8. Sculture da Autopsia 2:14
9. Assalto Cannibale 2:58
10. (r)Umore Blu 2:14
11. Plumbeo Giudizio 1:58
12. Io, Brucio 5:50

Band members
Francesco Foschini – vocals
Daniele Ticconi – guitar
Matteo Grigioni – bass
Angelo Del Rosso – drums

Guest musician
Davide Rosati – guitar solo on “Io, Brucio”

Album Review – Escape Is Not Freedom / Surrounded By The Great Nothing (2020)

Posted on by
Reply

A raw, multi-layered fusion of noise, sludge and grunge by three old men from Chicago who still like to play rock music.

Describing themselves as “three old men who still like to play rock music“, Chicago, Illinois-based three-piece outfit Escape Is Not Freedom definitely knows how to combine elements of rock, noise, sludge and grunge in their creations, resulting is a feast of catchy and melodic sounds reminiscent of Nirvana, Soundgarden and The Melvins, to name a few. After the releases of their debut EP The Truants, in 2015, and their first full-length albums Goldsmith, in 2017, it’s time for Mike Gussis on vocals and guitar, Josh Parlette (from Soul Attrition, whose album Vashon Rain was reviewed at The Headbanging Moose not a long time ago) also on vocals and on bass and Darrin Wolf on drums to blast more of their first-class Sludge and Noise with their sophomore full-length effort, titled Surrounded By The Great Nothing. Produced by Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street Recordings and mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering, Surrounded By The Great Nothing continues to blend the band’s personal experiences with their dark humor and, of course, with an endless amount of distortions and noise, cementing the trio as one of the most interesting names of the genre not only in their hometown but also in the international scene.

And eerie, distorted noises already permeate the air in the opening track Brick, a modern-day Sludge and Stoner Metal tune with Mike kicking ass with his enraged riffs and deranged vocals while Josh and Darrin keep the atmosphere as thunderous as possible with their rumbling instruments, resulting in a thrilling welcome card by the band for newcomers to their musical world. Their powerful exhibit of madness and distortions goes on in Boomslang, with Darrin dictating the pace with his classic beats, alternating between more obscure, heavier moments and serene and melancholic passages; followed by Freezer Burn, where the band ventures through more contemporary styles such as Post-Metal and Indie Rock. Moreover, Mike continues to bark and roar rabidly while Josh blasts sheer heaviness through his bass punches, getting darker and more piercing as the music progresses.

Portraying a truly austere name, Drinking Bleach is a slashing and crisp song where the insanity flowing from Mike’s screams is effectively complemented by his dirty riffs and Darrin’s crushing beats, turning it into one of the most incendiary songs of the album, whereas Leonard is another solid display of Sludge and Post-Metal featuring the scorching guitars by Mike and the ominous bass punches by Josh, recommended for fans of the most aggressive side of Nirvana and going on for over eight minutes with all band members putting us on some sort of grim trance. Then, as opposed to its predecessor, Ruined Ground brings a more serene and introspective vibe, with Josh darkly declaiming its lyrics while Darrin smashes his drums slowly and steadily, bringing a good amount of distress to our hearts.

Back to a more vicious sonority, the trio offers the melodic and mesmerizing Underwater Birth, where Mike and Josh are in absolute sync with their metallic strings, resulting in an amazing option for banging your head alone in the dark and letting their Sludge Metal penetrate deep inside your mind, while in Slowly Falling off a Cliff it’s time to slam into the circle pit to the crushing metal music blasted by those three rockers, again fluctuating between demented sounds and ethereal moments and, consequently, elevating the album’s aggressiveness and wickedness to a whole new level, all spiced up by Mike’s flammable riffs. The second to last song from the album, Acid Blood, sounds like a more obscure version of Alice In Chains infused with Sludge Metal nuances, with Josh adding tons of groove to the music with his bass, not to mention this is perhaps the song where he delivers his most personal vocal performance. And lastly acoustic guitars ignite the closing tune entitled Rhea, evolving into a dense and melancholic extravaganza where Josh and Darrin bring forward a precise balance between heaviness and finesse.

In a nutshell, although Escape Is Not Freedom might not be considered a pure metal band, I personally believe they have what it takes to conquer the hearts of most metalheads from all over the world with their heavier-than-usual rock and grunge, with Surrounded By The Great Nothing being the perfect depiction of what they’re capable of and what we can expect in their future releases. Hence, don’t forget to follow Mike, Josh and Darrin on Facebook, and to buy Surrounded By The Great Nothing from their own BandCamp page, where you can by the way find all of their previous albums for sale as well. As the name of the band states, escaping from someone or something doesn’t necessarily mean freedom, but at least the music found in Surrounded By The Great Nothing can provide you a very entertaining escape from your daily struggles.

Best moments of the album: Drinking Bleach, Underwater Birth and Slowly Falling off a Cliff.

Worst moments of the album: Boomslang.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Brick 4:46
2. Boomslang 5:22
3. Freezer Burn 4:07
4. Drinking Bleach 4:03
5. Leonard 8:14
6. Ruined Ground 6:09
7. Underwater Birth 5:33
8. Slowly Falling off a Cliff 5:25
9. Acid Blood 6:14
10. Rhea 5:45

Band members
Mike Gussis – vocals on “Brick”, “Freezer Burn”, “Drinking Bleach”, “Leonard” and “Underwater Birth”, guitar
Josh Parlette – vocals on “Boomslang”, “Ruined Ground”, “Slowly Falling off a Cliff”, “Acid Blood” and “Rhea”, bass
Darrin Wolf – drums

Album Review – Vessel of Iniquity / Void of Infinite Horror (2019)

Posted on by
Reply

Get ready for total annihilation, disembodiment and the disintegration of reality and existence in the form of a horrific strain of noise-infested black and death decimation.

Ritual black and death invocation. Terror noise-metal aimed at disintegrating one’s being and entire existence through the sheer force of hell in audial form. These are some of the words that can be used to describe the visceral music found in Void of Infinite Horror, the first full-length opus by British Black/Death Metal one-man sonic extermination entity Vessel of Iniquity. Formed in 2015 in Oxfordshire, a county in South East England, in the UK, Vessel of Iniquity is the brainchild of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist A. White, a talented musician who definitely knows  how to transform austere topics such as annihilation, disembodiment and the disintegration of reality and existence into a horrific strain of noise-infested black and death decimation.

Once again crafted and home-recorded in total seclusion, mastered by James Plotkin (Plotkinworks) and featuring layout and design by M. Alagna, Void of Infinite Horror offers the listener five unrelenting tracks of extreme music, sounding claustrophobic, abominable and twisted, all enfolded by a minimalist and dark cover painting by American artist Ellen Hausner named “Untitled (Monoprint series 1A)”. If you’re a fan of the massacring industrial noise scarification by entities like Gnaw Their Tongues, Sutekh Hexen and Abruptum, as well as the grandiose and bludgeoning sonic warfare of bands like Teitanblood and Impetuous Ritual, you’ll have a blast with Void of Infinite Horror, positioning this insanely heavy and wicked one-man army of darkness as one of the most promising names in the the vast but yet unexplored land of what can be labeled as “Terror Noise Metal”.

And the opening track of the album, beautifully entitled Invocation of the Heart Girt With a Serpent, is already the perfect depiction of that so-called Terror Noise Metal, offering our ears a disruptive, eccentric and dissident avalanche of sounds and noises by A. White, with its drums sounding like a machine gun perforating our skulls mercilessly. Babalon is even darker and more menacing, presenting low-tuned sounds and deep, obscure roars that feel more like whispers, resulting in a modern-day Blackened Doom feast tailored for fans of devilish music. Hence, this track could easily be used as part of a horror movie score due to its strength, range and potential to instill fear in our hearts.

A. White’s demented onrush of sounds and noises goes on in Void of Infinite Sorrow, blending the most Stygian elements from Black and Doom Metal in its sluggish beats, thunderous riffs and bass, and malevolent rhythm, also presenting a menacing aura that ends up boosting its impact even more. If you think A. White and his Vessel of Iniquity will have to slow down at a given point to let us breathe you’re absolutely wrong, as his hurricane of dementia only gets stronger and darker as the music flows in Mother of Abomination, being utterly insane from start to finish, before the music switches from total chaos to an atmospheric and ethereal vibe in Once More Into the Abyss, where A. White delivers to our perturbed minds an endless amount of hypnotizing and damned sounds. Furthermore, I’m not sure if this can be called Atmospheric Black Metal, Drone, Noise, none of these, or even all at once, proving how unique and vile Vessel of Iniquity’s music can be.

If I had to summarize the music found in Void of Infinite Horror in one word, that would certainly be “chaos”, and if chaotic music is exactly what you crave in underground metal you must give Vessel of Iniquity a chance and support such distinct one-man act by following him on Facebook, and obviously by purchasing your copy of the album from the Sentient Ruin Laboratories’ BandCamp, from the Xenoglossy Productions’ BandCamp (in a fancy, old school cassette format), from CD Baby or from Discogs. No one knows exactly what lies ahead for A. White and his Vessel of Iniquity, as it’s not an easy task to predict what type of madness and experimentation musicians like him might add to their compositions, but at least we can rest assured that, as long as this cryptic metal entity is alive, chaos will reign.

Best moments of the album: Invocation of the Heart Girt With a Serpent and Babalon.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2019 Sentient Ruin Laboratories/Xenoglossy Productions

Track listing
1. Invocation of the Heart Girt With a Serpent 3:50
2. Babalon 4:26
3. Void of Infinite Sorrow 4:59
4. Mother of Abomination 4:55
5. Once More Into the Abyss 6:07

Band members
A. White – vocals, all instruments