Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genres: Goth, Metal, Post Rock, Shoegaze
Label: Prophecy Productions

Here’s another French band I knew nothing about until now, and I’m enjoying it.
From what I can tell, Les Discrets is one man, Fursy Teyssier, who not only makes music, but is a painter and filmmaker, and he’s combined all of his passions into one, and (in English) called it The Final Thoughts of September.
It’s an odd listen though, because it’s a major amalgamation of various genres that works nicely. Touches of shoegaze, post rock, little bits of goth, and classic metal are being thrown together to create this, and just on that mix alone it’s a compelling listen. But the star of this show is, in the end, Teyssier’s voice, and man does he have some pipes.
I can’t even compare his style to anyone, he sounds so different from everyone else I know, and I have no real point of reference within the French art scene he’s in, other than Alcest, and there is no real comparison there as far as similarities go.
I can tell you, however, that Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées is a fucking cool album, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes any of the above mentioned genres, and I think fans of more atmospheric or experiemental black metal might find stuff here they’ll like.
7.5 out of 10.

Genre: Gothic Rock
Label: Napalm Records

With a voice that reminds me of Godhead’s Jason Miller at times, Lacrimas Profundere quickly impressed me. Riff-wise, they aren’t exactly covering new territories in rock music, but the instruments have a sound that lends itself well to what Lacrimas Profundere are doing, and what they are doing is rocking out solid tunes with catchy as hell choruses and big hooks that keep you interested in the songs.
I guess overall, if I were to compare them to others, Lacrimas Profundere would be like a cross between Godhead and Poison Black with elements of Sirenia and Japanese metal floating in and out of the mix. Pounding rhythm section with simple guitar riffs and a very compelling frontman, topped with a symphonic keyboard that doesn’t steal the thunder from anyone else, but adds to the storm.
My favourite songs on the album are “The Letter” and “Lips” with “No Matter Where You Shoot Me Down” winning the Coolest Song Title on the Album Award.
8 out of 10.

Lacrimas Profundere on MySpace.

Genre: Stoner Rock
Label: Napalm Records

Almost-instrumental stoner rock? I’ll admit, I was a tad skeptical. After all, for the most part, stoner is a very vocal genre. Some exceptions to all rules are present, however, and Appalachian Incantation is a great exception to the rule (I haven’t heard the previous albums from KtB yet, so I don’t count them as exceptions).
All but two of the songs follow in KtB’s tradition of naming their songs with numerals, the other two being “Waiting on the Western World” and “Two Times”, which I must say adds a bit of mystique. No more song names to be remembered, it’s song numbers.
An added bonus to the band’s fans, and the genre’s fans too, is that the album was produced by Scott Reeder, bassist for Kyuss.
But, like I said, it’s a great rule-breaker for stoner rock, and a great album in general. It’s great for fans of Earth, Orange Goblin, Kyuss, and of course the Creators themselves, Black Sabbath.
7.5 out of 10.

Karma to Burn on MySpace.

Genre: Industrial Metal
Label: Listenable Records

It’s like a breath of fresh air to listen to Sybreed’s newest, The Pulse of Awakening. It’s a fast moving, bassy, and dance floor worthy metal album, something that makes me want to bang my head and shake my ass at the same time.
As for the quality of the music itself I think I made it clear that it’s great stuff. Mixed screamed and clean vocals with simple, effective, and heavy as hell riffs with a driving drum and bass section as well as well written electronics are all being combined in the way that only Sybreed does, which is kind of like a cross between Static-X and Rammstein.
Quantitatively the music is pretty damn good too. 12 tracks populate Pulse and they are all winners. Pretty much all of them are radio friendly lengths, some on the longer side of radio friendly. My favourites are “Doomsday Party”, “Human Black Box”, “I Am Ultraviolence”, and “The Lucifer Effect”.
8.5 out of 10.

Sybreed on MySpace.

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Napalm Records

Ex-Dimmu Borgir and The Kovenant member Nagash brings his brand of black metal insanity from the cold Norwegian mists once again, this time with a world-wide deal with Napalm Records (thanks Napalm!), and is ready to kick your ass.
And kick ass this album does in spades. It’s a fantastic disc for those that want to hear TNBM with keys, a distinctly lacking element in a lot of Norwegian black metal right now. Think Dimmu (for some obvious reasons), roughly the Stormblåst era. It’s a lot of things I know I’ve been wanting to hear from the genre for awhile.
The guitars are heavy as hell itself, with no muddiness to them. Everything can be heard wonderfully clearly, and they are almost a star in themselves in songs like “Hvor Taken Ligger Sa Trist Og Gra”.
Another great thing about it is that the album is in both English and Norwegian, another element I’m missing from lots of black metal right now, and it’s truly a collection of hymns to Satan, not just lyrics about the weakness or lameness or whatever derogatory comment about Jesus a band can think of.
Not just thanks to Napalm, thanks to Troll. This fucking rocks.
8.5 out of 10.

Troll on MySpace.