Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Progressive Black Metal
Label: Debemur Morti

Blut Aus Nord, also known as France’s Darkthrone to some, are a fantastic band, and have been since their inception, and this re-release of their somewhat underrated 2001 album shows them at some of their most unsettling.
Odd riffs, fast drumming, and a very distinct lack of bass guitar tones (they’re really buried in there) gives the sound of very grim black metal, but it’s the avant-garde aspects of the band that are really starting to show their colors with this album, and even more so on the bonus disc.
The second CD is consisting of “The Fall: Chapter 7″ in three parts, and it’s at times extremely raw and violent black metal with parts very much an avant-garde shoegaze black metal (think of a more depressing and creepy Alcest or even Netra without the trip-hop). From what I gather, this second disc was recorded recently, for the re-release of The Mystical Beast of Rebellion, and it’s worth the price of the album alone.
If only more new black metal sounded this fresh and mind expanding.
8.5 out of 10.

Genres: Electronic Rock, Synthpop
Labels: Mute, Reprise

2001 saw the release of Exciter and although it’s not their best selling album, or even their best sounding album, it is still such an amazing disc.
Production-wise, it’s a good show of what Depeche Mode are – a rock band that happens to have a penchant for electronic sounds and instruments. This album was apparently inspired, sound-wise, by minimal German techno. So while making you want to rock, it’s making you want to move too.
It has what I think is my favorite Depeche Mode song on it, “The Dead of Night”, and the club hit “I Feel Loved” as well as the great “Dream On”.
I’d say Exciter is a 7.5 out of 10. It’s really good, and an essential album for Depeche Mode fans.