Haggatha - II

HAGGATHA - II
2010
Killbomb / Choking Hazard Records

"First the Earth cooled. Then the dinosaurs came. Then HAGGATHA arrived and shit all over your mind." This description from the bandcamp page is actually pretty accurate. It has its hints of humor, but it speaks about primal sludge.

The musical reference for this Vancouver band could be Eyehategod (Dopesick era), although they brought the tempo down to a degree where it reminds me of the mighty Sleep, with sheer heaviness (aka primal violence) similar to the first steps of Zoroaster (Dog Magic). Good shit all over my mind.

This is the second Haggatha official recording, but the first full length. No surprises, but no flaws. The artwork is nice, and it has been issued on wax (12''). Also available for free streaming and for downloading at a very low price on their bandcamp page.

http://haggatha.bandcamp.com/album/haggatha-ii

Métastase - Lassitude/Décroissance

MÉTASTASE - Lassitude/Décroissance EP
2010
D'Automne Records

Old school funeral doom in the vein of Thergothon. Métastase is a one-man band from Trois-Rivières, Québec.

The EP comes in a 7'' vinyl format and has two songs, quite similar in style and length: Lassitude (3:55) and Décroissance (4:13). As you would expect from any funeral doom band, the music is very simple and ultra slow. It's not lenghty or extreme as such bands as Comatose Vigil or Asunder, nor as polished as Longing for Dawn. In fact, the music has this homestudio demo quality, which fits the mood perfectly. The guitar's computer-processed overdrive sounds a bit like a black metal act (it reminds me of Monarque's early releases), but the general mood and low-end death metal vocals give harmony and layers to the EP.

The lyrics are in French, which give Métastase a local flavor. The lyric sheet is included with the vinyl.

Biipiigwan - God's Hooks

BIIPIIGWAN - God's Hooks
2010
Indie

Who doesn't know about Biipiigwan in Ottawa? This band is one of a kind, being very hard to describe, while being very appealing to many crowds.

Grindcore? Sludge? Probably a bit of both, and a lot of other underground metal influences. Listening to Biipiigwan, you can also hear the influence of local bands such as Buried Inside, Fuck the Facts, or Alaskan. Not surprising since Alaskan's drummer is God's Hooks drummer, and since Fuck the Facts' Topon Das has been recording and mixing the album. Small world.

What gives this band its extra taste is the fact that part of the lyrics/titles are in Ojibway. Biipiigwan puts a lot of effort into its artwork, and God's Hook is no exception with its homemade but exclusive packaging.

Get God's Hooks before it gets you. 26 minutes of thunder and lightning.

http://biipiigwan.bandcamp.com/album/gods-hooks
http://biipiigwan.bigcartel.com/

The Unavowed - War EP

THE UNAVOWED - War (EP)
2010
Indie

The Unavowed is a metal band from Ottawa. They've been around since 2006 or 2007, played many gigs in the Ottawa region, Eastern Ontario and Montreal area. Their first EP, released in 2007, was an old school street trash affair, reminding me of NY hardcore-meets-trash garage bands of the late '80s. Since then, The Unavowed grew in maturity and in originality, and after releasing a digital live EP in 2008, they went on to release one of the best EP releases of 2010.

War is only 4 songs long, but it's definitely one whole ride. The EP starts with "Prepare for War", an epic, pounding song, that sets the tone. Then we have "Crusades", "Death is the Last Enemy" and "The Destruction of Me", 3 mid-pace songs placed back to back to make sure you don't have enough time to catch your breath. When it finally stops, about 14 minutes later, you're left wondering when the cavalry will come to finish you off.

What makes this album great is the whole aesthetic of it. You just have to look at the beautiful artwork to understand that the band went beyond your typical G.I. Joe-metal thing. Whether it was intentional or not, the set and the proximity of the songs give the impression it's all part of the same story. The sound is raw, very raw, especially the guitars, while the bass and drum give this perfect organic texture underneath. Just hear the first few notes of "Prepare for War" to feel how dirty and epic War is when it hits you. As for the vocalist, he has this perfect high pitch that use the best of ol'school trash metal, with the angry tone of a 2010 screamer.

Definitely something to recommend to any fan of High on Fire, although "War" has colors of its own.

The Unavowed has unfortunately decided to call it off in 2011, but the band made sure they offered their masterwork on their website, for free. Make sure you pick it up.

www.theunavowed.com/

Forteresse - Par hauts bois et vastes plaines

FORTERESSE - Par hauts bois et vastes plaines
2009
Sepulchral Productions

Black Metal in Québec has something very unique. A few bands like Monarque, Chasse-Gallerie, Mysothéisme, Neige et Noirceur, Jours Sombres, (...) and Forteresse, have drank from the fountain of Norway Trve Black Metal to create "Métal Noir", a branch of BM with lyrics and themes in the Province of Québec patriotic vein. The least we can say is that they're pretty good at it.

Forteresse is not new around. They started as a studio project, and had a few releases through Sepulchral Productions over the years, "Par hauts bois et vastes plaines" being their third full length. It's black, it's cold, and it's raw. Think early Darkthrone. The reference to Trve Black Metal and Darkthrone-like aesthetic is also present in the artwork. The cover has this "xerox" quality, with a cold landscape picture, and a "Métal Noir Épique Ambiant" statement, printed on thick cardboard to attest the artist's seriousness in his minimalistic approach.

"Par hauts bois et vastes plaines" is somewhat different from their previous efforts. Forteresse has always played minimalistic raw black metal, with blastbeats, repetitive buzzing guitar riffs and tortured vocals lost in the background, plus this great desolated atmosphere ("Ambiant"). On this album, the rythm has taken epic proportions. The aesthetic is still the same, but what makes me believe that the band created a landmark album, is the general tempo of the album. The guitar picking is hard to distinguish, and create this ambiant black metal wall of sound. The general drumming is mostly slow, almost à-la-funeral doom, while adding here and there a few upbeats for intensity. If you heard bands like Arcana Coelestia (Italy), then you will dig Forteresse "Par hauts bois et vastes plaines".

Le Kraken - Exalt

LE KRAKEN - Exalt
2009
Indie (D7i Records/L'oeil du tigre/Vendetta/Dream Come True)

Hailing from Montréal, Québec, Le Kraken is a name to remember. They play sludge, but their form of sludge is something different from what I heard before.

Let me explain. Usually, sludge is something that needs repetition and time. On the one hand, Le Kraken offers repetition, there's no doubt about it: every single song sounds as if it has only 1 or 2 riffs and very little variant. On the other hand, the songs don't have time on their side: the shortest being about 2:00 long, and the longest about 5:00 only! This is where it gets interesting. For the first few spins, one can think that Le Kraken is "just" another band in the genre, and that they haven't developed their riffs to their full potential. However, after many spins, the whole album starts to drill into the skull, and that's when you suddenly get the real sludge effect. Each song sounds suddenly like a part of a whole, and that's when both repetition and time mix harmoniously to make a great piece of art.

10 songs, 33 minutes. The songs are sung in French, but the pitch is more raw than other bands like Aussitôt Mort or Mouth of the Architect. A lyric sheet is included with the vinyl. The LP (shown here) and CD has different artworks, both skilled and a good reflection of what the album is: epic rock.

http://www.lekraken.ca
http://lekraken.bandcamp.com/album/exalt
d7irecords.com

Collider - Untitled EP

COLLIDER - [Untitled EP]
2011
Indie

Collider is not the name of the stage that collapsed during the last Ottawa's Bluesfest, although it could have been. Collider is a sludge band from Ottawa, Canada's national capital.

Think Mastodon, Howl, High on Fire, Black Tusk, Bison BC, Le Kraken... you get the idea. Collider has the groove, the feel, the attitude, the riffs and the sound. Their strenght is that they aren't overworking the riffs, but rather keep playing with it until they twist it into something else. It's simple, but very effective.

Their debut EP is 3-song, 15-minutes long. The production is very good, having been recorded at Audio Valley (Ottawa) and mixed / mastered by Topon Das (Fuck the Facts). You could describe it as a teaser, since it's just long enough to be an excellent draft of what the band can do, and too short to be fully enjoyable. Sludge needs a full swing to be enjoyed, and this EP delivers just the right preliminary to get into it. In other words, it's a promise that something greater is coming.

The artwork is original, but somehow naive (it reminds me of Immortal Souls homemade computer designs). No lyrics included.

Collider know what they do, and they're comfortable at doing it. They aren't reinventing the steel, but they can definitely claim that they master the genre. No further need for another demo or EP, it's evident that they're ready for a full album.

Live, they have many other songs, some more epics and original than on this EP. Considering this band is very creative and solid, and that they opened locally for many leaders of the genre (Bison BC, Red Fang, etc), we can only hope for their debut album as soon as possible.

http://colliderslays.bandcamp.com/album/collider-ep